"I believe it is inappropriate to depose the crown prince," Lu Yan said in a deep voice. As soon as these words were spoken, the Shanhe Hall fell completely silent.
The sudden stance taken by the North, which had always refrained from interfering in court affairs, left many people stunned for a moment. They fell silent, their expressions turning pensive as they began to speculate about Lu Yan's intentions.
Beside him, Xia Yonglin shot a disdainful glance, then turned to look at Lu Yan, his eyes filled with disbelief and mockery.
He never expected that Lu Yan would directly oppose him in the court. After all, he held the handle of Lu Yan and Shen Qingfeng's affair. If he were to expose everything, Lu Yan and Shen Qingfeng would surely never be together. So why was he still struggling?
King Xia Jie also seemed quite surprised. He sat up a bit straighter, his eyes fixed intently on his cousin Lu Yan, and said, "Oh? Then tell me, what's inappropriate about it?"
Lu Yan lowered his head, assuming the posture of a loyal subject, but his voice was so low and intimidating: "Your Majesty, I understand that this matter has far - reaching consequences, and the common people urgently need an outlet for their emotions. Your Majesty's intention to depose the crown prince to appease public anger is indeed a way to solve the problem. However, such a major matter should not be judged and punished without confirmation. Although it may quell the anger for a while, in the future, the people may think that Your Majesty has not considered it carefully, which may lead to doubts about Your Majesty's prestige. Your Majesty has been in power for many years and has made remarkable achievements. If Your Majesty gets a stain because of this matter, I'm afraid that the historical records in the future will not give Your Majesty a just name."
Upon hearing this, King Xia Jie's face immediately darkened, and he said, "Is the Marquis of Dingbei implying that I'm being impatient for quick success?"
Lu Yan immediately knelt on the ground and said, "I wouldn't dare, Your Majesty. But the burning of the statue of Xing Tian involves too many things, and the public anger is hard to quell. How could deposing the crown prince alone solve the problem? If we casually convict and depose the crown prince, when the anger subsides and people examine the matter carefully, there will only be more troubles. If not handled properly, it will surely backfire on Your Majesty. Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to order a thorough investigation of this matter and let the facts speak for themselves. Only in this way can we effectively appease the public anger."
As Lu Yan's voice faded, Qi Shuhuan's face turned unpleasant.
In fact, Lu Yan's words made a lot of sense. He analyzed the matter from King Xia Jie's perspective. King Xia Jie had been in power for eighteen years, and his health was already on the decline. Although the court was corrupt during his reign, at least there had been no wars or natural disasters. King Xia Jie was cruel but not good at governing the country. For him, as the King of Lixia, living a mediocre life without making any major mistakes, and after his death, with some revisions in the historical records, he could still be regarded as a wise king.
Although King Xia Jie had no foresight or talent for governing the country, he still wanted to leave a good name both in life and after death. For the current King Xia Jie, this was something he wanted to preserve after realizing that his reign would not last long.
And Lu Yan had keenly hit King Xia Jie's sore spot.
However, in the eyes of the court officials, it was a different story. Although Lu Yan's words seemed reasonable, he was clearly speaking in defense of Xia Chuli. This meant that Lu Yan, who held great military power, had taken the side of the crown prince. The implication was self - evident.
So what if one could manipulate the court situation?
So what if one was good at playing power games?
The tiger amulet was in Lu Yan's hands!
Xie Yun, who had been kneeling on the ground crying loudly, immediately stopped sobbing and sat there in a daze. He had just defected to the camp of the Prince of Cheng on the spur of the moment. Such a wavering and opportunistic attitude almost instantly determined the end of his official career.
Xia Yonglin stared at Lu Yan standing beside him with wide eyes, his eyes showing a sinister and fierce look. He never expected Lu Yan to speak like this, making King Xia Jie fall into deep thought in silence. The situation in the court had suddenly reversed, which made Xia Yonglin, who had previously thought that Xia Chuli's position as the crown prince was surely doomed, feel a sense of crisis.
Seeing that King Xia Jie was starting to hesitate, Shen Shiqiu quickly stepped forward and began to persuade him. Along with all the officials from the Prime Minister's Mansion, they knelt on the ground together, requesting King Xia Jie to be wise and investigate the truth of the matter.
Qi Shuhuan and Xia Yonglin's faces changed drastically. Xia Yonglin glared at Lu Yan, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. He took a step forward and directly said, "Lu Yan, you and that Shen..."
Before he could finish his words, Lu Yan interrupted him directly and said in a loud voice, "I have another matter to report. Gu Mingde, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Justice, has poor private morals and often visits brothels. As a first - rank official, Gu Mingde has disgraced the dignity of a proper official. If such a person is in charge of investigating this important matter, it will be difficult to convince the public."
Xia Yonglin's whole body trembled violently!
Gu Mingde immediately flew into a rage on the spot and pointed at Lu Yan's nose and scolded, "Marquis of Dingbei! How dare you slander me like this!"
"Slander you?" Lu Yan slowly turned around, looked at Gu Mingde with a sharp look in his eyes, and said, "Do I need to name a few brothels you often visit and then arrest a few madams from those brothels to confront you before you will admit it?!"
Gu Mingde was greatly shocked, and his voice trembled a bit as he said, "Marquis of Dingbei, you... you don't talk nonsense. I... I've never done such a thing!"
Lu Yan snorted coldly and said, "Oh? Then do you know that Xiao Qin, the girl you often favor, is now in my mansion?"
Gu Mingde was stunned on the spot. His knees went weak, and he almost fell to the ground. Everyone looked at Gu Mingde's appearance, and the truth of the matter was obvious.
All the officials were greatly shocked. King Xia Jie's face was even more gloomy, and he asked, "Gu Mingde, is there such a thing?"
Gu Mingde was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, the girl Xiao Qin and I are deeply in love with each other, and we have already made a private vow to be together for life. It's just that my wife at home is a shrew, so I didn't dare to take her home for a while. I didn't often visit brothels, Your Majesty!"
Lu Yan said, "But the people in the brothels all know that you are a womanizer, and you have long thrown your private morals out of the window. The matter of the burning of the statue of Xing Tian involves a wide range of issues. It should be investigated by someone in the court who can convince the public and has the ability!"
After Lu Yan finished speaking, he submitted another memorial to King Xia Jie and said, "Your Majesty, I sincerely request that you appoint capable officials to convince the public!"
King Xia Jie sat on the dragon throne with pursed lips. His expression was so gloomy that it was hard to tell his emotions.
Lu Yan had spoken so reasonably and forcefully in front of all the officials that he had left King Xia Jie with little room to maneuver. Moreover, every word Lu Yan said was from the position of sharing the king's worries, which made it impossible for King Xia Jie to refuse.
After a long while, King Xia Jie seemed to suddenly let out a sigh of relief. He slowly sat up straight and asked in a deep voice, "Then who does the Marquis of Dingbei think I should appoint to be in charge of this matter?"
After hearing this, Lu Yan said, "I've been living in the northern capital all year round and have never meddled in the affairs of Lige. I'm not very familiar with many capable officials, so I'm afraid I can't give good advice. This matter should still be decided by Your Majesty."
Lu Yan knew King Xia Jie's vengeful character very well. Although his words just now seemed to be considering King Xia Jie's interests, in fact, he had been threatening King Xia Jie in a roundabout way. He didn't dare to go too far. Since his goal had been achieved, he took a step back in time and left this matter to King Xia Jie.
And Xia Yonglin, who was standing beside him, was already so frightened that he didn't know what to do.
If Lu Yan knew so many details, did it mean that Lu Yan had investigated his party members?
With just a few words, Lu Yan had made Gu Mingde step down. What else did Lu Yan know?
Xia Yonglin didn't know, but he was really scared. He was afraid that the bargaining chip of knowing about Lu Yan and Shen Qingfeng's relationship would not be able to match the bargaining chips Lu Yan held against him.
Just as he was lost in thought, Lu Yan beside him suddenly tilted his head slightly, and his hawk - like eyes stared straight at Xia Yonglin.
Xia Yonglin trembled all over and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Although he gritted his teeth in hatred, he didn't dare to say another word.
King Xia Jie also seemed to be troubled by this matter. Just then, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the Shanhe Hall.
The undercurrents in the court today had already made many people restless. As the commotion at the entrance of the Shanhe Hall became louder and louder, everyone looked back in panic. They saw Shan Chenglai, looking dusty and wearing a wrinkled official robe, striding directly into the hall from outside.
He walked straight up to the steps, knelt on the ground with a "thud", clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty! I received the news that combustible snow was found on a cliff in a certain place in the Three Saints Mountain. I think it may be related to yesterday's incident. So I didn't have time to report and went to search for it at night. Now I've brought back the combustible snow and come here especially to hand it over to Your Majesty!"