"What? This must be someone framing us!"
Hearing that the Prince of Huai's mansion was involved, Qi Xuan, the Prince of Huai, shot up from his seat. He clasped his hands in salute and said,
"Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly!"
The emperor's expression darkened as he read the contents of the letter. Seeing the Prince of Huai jump out at this moment, his eyes chilled.
"Fifth brother, I haven't even said what's in this letter, and you're already in a hurry to cry injustice. Isn't it a bit too soon?"
Hearing the emperor's words, the Prince of Huai instantly stiffened his back and hurriedly knelt on the ground.
"I, your subject, am utterly loyal and sincere to Your Majesty. I was just worried that someone might sow discord between Your Majesty and your subjects, so I was a bit hasty. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"
It's said that the emperor's heart is unpredictable, and serving the emperor is like being with a tiger. The emperor just stared coldly at the Prince of Huai without saying a word.
The scene fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was on tenterhooks and didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.
"Lin Hai, read this letter out loud."
"Yes!"
Lin Hai took the letter. After seeing its contents, he gasped sharply.
"This..."
The emperor had opened the letter, and the body had been personally supervised and searched by Qi Rong and the emperor's Jinyiwei. So, except for the emperor, no one else knew what was in the letter.
Naturally, Qi Rong was an exception.
"Read!" The emperor barked, his eyes fierce.
So, Lin Hai cleared his throat nervously, managed to steady himself, and began to read.
The letter directly accused the Prince of Xiang and the Supreme Court of Justice of colluding. They were said to have embezzled public funds while building the imperial mausoleum. Under the pretext of the Three High Courts, they had also extorted money from the common people and seized their fertile land.
Moreover, the Supreme Court of Justice had accepted huge bribes and secretly released serious criminals, who then continued to commit crimes after being released from prison and killed a family of eight in the city...
These incidents had made the common people panic and complain bitterly.
For the emperor, who had just ascended the throne and whose position was not yet stable and who urgently needed to win the hearts of the people, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow!
When the letter was read out, three people had knelt neatly on the ground below.
Qi Xuan, the Prince of Huai, Qi Lin, the Prince of Xiang, and Lin Hai, the minister of the Supreme Court of Justice.
The queen's face turned pale, and her eyes showed anxiety. Although Lin Hai was her elder brother, she was in the position of the queen, and the emperor was in a fit of rage.
She had no choice but to remain silent and protect herself.
"Your Majesty, I'm innocent!"
The Prince of Xiang threw himself on the ground, shouting for justice. His fat body trembled slightly.
"I've always followed Your Majesty's lead and been absolutely loyal! Regarding the supervision of the mausoleum construction that Your Majesty entrusted to me, I didn't dare to be the least bit negligent! I even sold two of my mansions at my own expense and contributed the money to the public. All these can be verified..."
The Prince of Xiang's voice choked with sobs. His eyes suddenly turned to the Prince of Huai, and his words were filled with hidden anger:
"It must be those villains who, having heard that Your Majesty intends to entrust the project of building dams and bridges to me, framed me here in order to reap benefits! And that token to enter and exit the Prince of Huai's mansion is the best evidence!"
Since the emperor ascended the throne, the Prince of Xiang had indeed tried his best to perform his duties and had nothing to be criticized for. So, the emperor had indeed mentioned the project of building dams and bridges to the Prince of Xiang.
This was a major event to win the hearts of the people, and the emperor attached great importance to it.
However, there were extensive interests involved, and many people in the court were looking forward to it and competing secretly.
The two princes had never gotten along well. Hearing the Prince of Xiang pointing the finger at him, the Prince of Huai immediately roared angrily:
"You say I framed you? I suspect that you put that token there yourself to play the victim and harm me! I don't know if you colluded with Lin Hai. All I know is that you have a fief but still refuse to leave the imperial city. You must have other motives!"
Among the royal princes, there were three in total: the Prince of Xiang, the Prince of Huai, and the Prince of Xian. Only the Prince of Xiang was older and had been granted a fief.
But in fact, it was a remote and poor place with people living in hardship. Once you went there, it might be difficult to come back.
That's why the Prince of Xiang had been reluctant to leave the capital for a long time.
Before long, the two princes were arguing fiercely. The emperor watched silently, a sinister look flashing across his eyes:
"Enough!"
These matters should have been dealt with in the court.
Moreover, this letter was obviously full of loopholes and far - fetched, which was very different from the information he had.
Even if these two people argued back and forth, there would be no result. Instead, it might fulfill the wishes of some people...
"Whether you have the intention to assassinate the emperor or not, I will investigate carefully later. Don't think you're smart enough to play tricks under my nose. That's just digging your own grave!"
The emperor's eyes shifted to Qi Rong, who seemed to be uninvolved.
After pondering for a long time, he said coldly:
"Since you're so concerned about the project of building dams and bridges, I'll make it clear today. I'll entrust this matter to Qi Rong to supervise entirely. The three of you will be suspended from your duties and stay at home, waiting for further interrogation!"
The project of building dams and bridges was crucial to the people's livelihood and very important for stabilizing the imperial throne.
The emperor originally intended to entrust it to the crown prince, but the crown prince had gone on a study tour and hadn't returned yet, so he had to choose someone else.
The two princes were involved with many forces. Only Qi Rong had no support in the capital, so there was no need to worry that he would form a clique for selfish interests and stir up trouble.
But just as the emperor finished speaking, Qi Rong spoke up:
"Your Majesty, I have an opinion!"
He glanced at the three people kneeling on the ground, trembling. His tone was as arrogant as ever.
The emperor frowned, clearly displeased.
He was the Son of Heaven, whose words were law. But only this Qi Rong was born fearless!
"Let's hear it."
The emperor endured his anger patiently.
"It's okay for me to supervise this project, but Your Majesty must assign people to me. First, let me say that if it doesn't go well, it's not my fault!"
After hearing Qi Rong's words, the emperor instantly relaxed his eyebrows.
"Of course."
Rather, this was exactly what he had in mind.
Only by inserting his own people into it could he have real - time control and feel at ease.
Qi Rong was just a signboard of the royal family, to show that the royal family attached importance to the people's livelihood.
The two princes were in conflict like the snipe and the clam, while Qi Rong so cleverly seized the advantage. The two princes immediately looked at Qi Rong with jealous expressions, like defeated mastiffs.
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
"Your Majesty was assassinated. Seventh brother is not entirely without suspicion!"
The Prince of Huai was not convinced and wanted to drag Qi Rong into the trouble. But Qi Rong just slightly raised his thin lips, his eyes full of contempt.
"Fifth brother, have you forgotten that you just lost a woman to me?"
The emperor had been shot at with a cold arrow during a hunting trip but had remained unscathed.
With Qi Rong's archery skills, if he wanted to kill someone, he would surely hit the target with one shot!
The Prince of Huai was speechless and instantly felt greatly humiliated. His face turned red with anger, but he had no choice but to shut up.
Yun Xi turned back halfway and witnessed everything.
She stood under a tree, looking at the situation over there. Her eyes couldn't help but fall on Qi Rong's handsome and seductive face.
He always had a smile on his lips and looked calm, as if everything was expected.
So, this was Qi Rong's goal. She had been deceived from the very beginning!
Before killing someone, he had already set up a trap. She was just unlucky enough to run into it and fall into his snare!
He had made the two princes turn against each other and be suspected by the emperor, while he himself had gained such a great advantage for free!
Such shrewdness and scheming made her feel a chill in her teeth and a vague sense of fear.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, she would surely avoid this person in the future.
To avoid getting into trouble!