In the vast Shanhe Hall, Lu Yan stood among the feudal lords, facing the golden dragon sedan chair and standing upright with his head down.
The entire Shanhe Hall was imposing. Nine dragons on the dome held pearls in their mouths, and seventeen dragon - coiled columns stood on both sides of the court officials, symbolizing the supreme power of the entire Li Xia.
Just as the sky was turning pale, all the officials were waiting for King Xia Jie to arrive. On one side of the officials, however, Shan Chenghuai's seat remained empty.
Xia Yonglin glanced at Shan Chenghuai's empty seat, then turned to look at Lu Yan who was standing with his head bowed. A sneer curled up on his lips.
He wasn't afraid of Shan Chenghuai. After all, they were unlikely to find a complete chain of evidence. Even if they did, Xia Chuli would have already been drowned by the public's spittle. The pressure of public opinion was tremendous. No matter how long Xia Chuli had painstakingly managed, it couldn't withstand the destructive power of public opinion. It was most satisfying to see a high - rise building rise and then fall.
It was already time for the morning court, but King Xia Jie, as usual, didn't show up on time. The atmosphere in the Shanhe Hall today was extremely strange. Because of what had happened yesterday, today's morning court was bound to turn into a battlefield for contention. The king had already shown his attitude. From now on, the Crown Prince's faction and the Prince Cheng's faction were bound to draw a clear line.
Therefore, all the important court officials were panicked. In the struggle between factions, it was nothing but a matter of success or failure. If one succeeded, they would ascend to the palace with their master and bring glory to their ancestors. If they failed, they would be labeled as traitors and might even lose their lives and fortunes.
As for the feudal lords, they might become the decisive force that determined the direction of the entire court, especially Lu Yan who held great military power. But since Lu Yan had stood here, he had remained silent, as if waiting for something.
Just as the atmosphere in the hall was extremely oppressive, Chen Qi walked up the steps from the side. His sharp - eared and monkey - cheeked face was lined with wrinkles that swayed as he opened his mouth: "His Majesty the King is coming!"
Hearing this, all the officials knelt down and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the King" three times.
King Xia Jie arrived late. He slowly sat on the dragon sedan chair, his sharp eyes looking down at the court officials, fully displaying the majesty of an emperor without showing anger.
"All you officials may rise." King Xia Jie's voice came from above. Lu Yan's face was as calm as water. He got up with the other officials, still maintaining his indifferent look.
"Where has Lord Shan gone?" Sure enough, King Xia Jie immediately noticed the empty seat.
The officials looked at each other. No one knew where Shan Chenghuai had gone. But at this moment, they didn't have time to think about this matter. Before anyone could reply, Gu Mingde, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Justice, stepped forward alone and declared: "Your Majesty, regarding the incident at the Golden Summit Temple yesterday, the Crown Prince didn't admit his guilt and requested a further investigation."
"Has anything been found out from the investigation?" King Xia Jie's voice was a bit lazy.
Gu Mingde clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, nothing has been found out."
Shen Shiqiu, who was standing beside, stepped forward first and said, "Ridiculous! How could nothing be found out? Could the statue of Xing Tian have burned by itself?!"
Gu Mingde glanced at Shen Shiqiu and said, "Lord Shen, I know you're worried about your son, but this fire was extremely strange. The investigation has to be carried out step by step, doesn't it? If we simply draw a conclusion immediately, how can we report to His Majesty?"
These words clearly implied that Shen Shiqiu was suspected of bending the law for personal gain, which made Shen Shiqiu so angry that he stamped his foot and cursed Gu Mingde for being a scoundrel.
The atmosphere in the Shanhe Hall became intense because of this conversation. The two factions of officials presented memorials one after another. Zou Han from the Prime Minister's Mansion proposed that this matter was of great significance. Since the Ministry of Justice was too slow in investigating the case, the Discipline Gate should be involved in the joint investigation.
Xing Zhiyuan, the assistant minister of the provincial inspector, took the opportunity to impeach Shan Chenghuai for not attending the morning court, leaving his post without permission, and ignoring the law, and demanded severe punishment. Of course, the people from the Prime Minister's Mansion disagreed. Someone else impeached Xing Zhiyuan for neglecting his duty, which led to the ineffective implementation of the curfew in Lige City some time ago. Xing Zhiyuan was so choked that his face turned red and he couldn't say a word for a moment.
Xie Yun, the captain of the military flag guards, was originally a guest of the Prime Minister's Mansion, but now he suddenly stepped forward, knelt down and cried loudly, saying that Xing Tian was the root of Li Xia. The sacrifice at the Golden Summit was so sacred, but the statue had caught fire. Since no result could be found from the investigation, it must be that the ancestors were angry and had sent down a divine punishment.
These words were like a huge rock thrown into boiling water, instantly causing the boiling water to splash everywhere. The common people had already been in an uproar because of this incident. The call to depose the Crown Prince was also spreading in the streets. They all said that Xia Chuli had angered the gods and the ancestors didn't recognize his position in the court. He should be replaced. Then some ministers presented memorials saying that rumors were spreading everywhere in the streets. If His Majesty didn't make a decision, it might arouse public anger. By then, the country would be unstable and it would be too late.
Actually, Lu Yan and Shen Qingfeng had already expected the rumors in the streets. But these rumors had spread from "the statue of Xing Tian burned" to so - called "depose the Crown Prince and protect the country" in just one night. Lu Yan definitely didn't believe that no one had deliberately guided them. But if the situation continued to ferment like this and a reasonable explanation wasn't given to the common people in time, these rumors would probably become more and more absurd. The longer it dragged on, the harder it would be to control the situation.
While the Shanhe Hall was in an uproar, Qi Shuhuan had been standing quietly in the front row, listening. It was said that King Xia Jie had summoned the assistant prime minister alone into the palace yesterday. His attitude of giving up on Xia Chuli was becoming more and more obvious. This time, Qi Shuhuan didn't need to do anything. He just needed to let this matter ferment and wait to reap the benefits.
Lu Yan knew that this old fox was very meticulous in his thinking. He let the people below scramble to show their loyalty to him, but who knew whether he would accept this loyalty or not?
Lu Yan slowly raised his eyes and looked at the man sitting on the throne. The man who held the supreme power of Li Xia was propping his head up with one hand and leaning on the dragon chair casually. His face showed nonchalance, as if he was watching a farce.
He slowly withdrew his gaze and looked to the side. Since Xia Yanhe was under house arrest and Xia Chuli was imprisoned, only Xia Yonglin was standing upright at the front of the royal family. At this moment, he was standing there straight, listening intently to the fierce debate in the Shanhe Hall, looking as if he had everything under control.
Lu Yan's eyes grew colder. He lowered his eyes imperceptibly to hide his emotions.
"The snow containing saltpeter and sulfur can't be regarded as conclusive evidence, but at least it can prevent the people from the Ministry of Justice from convicting Xia Chuli and my elder brother so quickly." After the two of them had checked the cargo records in the Divination Department and found nothing, Shen Qingfeng said, "There's no more time. I'll take Shan Chenghuai directly to the Three Saint Mountains to bring the snow back. Before that, Lu Yan, you have to help me stall King Xia Jie."
Lu Yan's eyes moved. Since Shan Chenghuai hadn't come yet, he must buy time for Shen Qingfeng.
"Since that's the case, then Lord Qi, tell me what should be done?" King Xia Jie felt that the quarrel had gone on long enough and directly asked Qi Shuhuan.
Qi Shuhuan had been waiting for this moment. He slowly stepped forward. His old face remained calm. After being an official for many years, this old fox had already developed a thick skin. Even though his plan was about to succeed, there was no sign of emotion on his face.
"I think that at this moment, we should give top priority to the country. This matter is of great significance. If we don't give a reasonable explanation to the public in time, I'm afraid the people will lose their support and the authority of the court will be in danger. Now, the Ministry of Justice hasn't found anything, but the Crown Prince was entrusted with an important task but caused such a big mistake with far - reaching consequences. We can first depose him from the position of Crown Prince and turn him into a prince to appease the anger of the common people. After the matter is investigated clearly, we can then impose specific punishments."
These words were as obvious as Sima Zhao's intention to usurp the throne. Once the Crown Prince was deposed, it would be very difficult for him to regain his position.
Shen Shiqiu and the officials from the Prime Minister's Mansion stepped forward one after another to oppose. Shen Shiqiu even said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne. How can this be treated so lightly! We mustn't depose the Crown Prince before the matter is investigated clearly!"
Qi Shuhuan looked at his old opponent Shen Shiqiu, who had been fighting with him for so many years, and declared, "Then does the Prime Minister have any other way to appease the anger of the common people?"
Shen Shiqiu pointed at Qi Shuhuan's nose and cursed, "You also know that this matter is of great significance. How can we convict someone so lightly? When the truth is found out, we will naturally give the common people an explanation. What on earth is your intention in being so impatient?!"
Qi Shuhuan said, "The Prime Minister is overreacting. I'm just trying to share the king's worries whole - heartedly. But the rumors are getting worse. Last night, people were crying on Wutong Street. The statue of Xing Tian was erected by the ancestors of Li Xia to protect the country for all generations. It's also the faith of the people of Li Xia. Now it has been burned by a fire. What do you think the people should do? Besides, deposing the Crown Prince is just a measure to calm things down. If it's found out later that the Crown Prince has nothing to do with this matter, Your Majesty can surely reinstate him as the Crown Prince, right?"
"Absurd! The matter hasn't been investigated clearly yet. Deposing the Crown Prince at this moment is tantamount to admitting that it's the Crown Prince's fault! If the Crown Prince is humiliated and takes the blame for someone else, how can the lost popular support be regained?" Shen Shiqiu roared angrily.
Qi Shuhuan smiled and said, "Justice will be done by heaven. If the Crown Prince is really innocent, he has nothing to worry about since he has done nothing wrong."
Qi Shuhuan's words sounded high - minded, but as the saying goes, a broken mirror can hardly be mended. This matter was far more complicated than a simple yes or no. People's hearts were unpredictable. Once the Crown Prince lost his position, he would lose it completely!
Shen Shiqiu was so angry that he almost choked. It was obvious that Qi Shuhuan had set a trap for him. If he didn't agree, it would mean that the Crown Prince had a problem. If he agreed, the Crown Prince would be directly deposed. At this moment in the court, the situation was basically in favor of the Prince Cheng's faction. The Crown Prince was imprisoned, and he had no evidence or arguments at all. Just when he was extremely anxious and uneasy, he saw Lu Yan suddenly step forward and say in a deep voice, "I think it's inappropriate to depose the Crown Prince."