yasinovel Chapter 100 Power is blinding! The scholar's misfortune! The crown prince's appointment br
Chapter 100 Power is blinding! The scholar's misfortune! The crown prince's appointment br
Chapter 101 Power is blinding! The scholar's misfortune! The crown prince's appointment brings about a storm!
On that day, someone from the Ministry of Justice came.
News has broken regarding Ding Anzhi's matter, and one can only marvel at Yang Wanli's efficiency in handling affairs.
What was originally a serious crime of rebellion involving collusion with Yan Fan has been transformed into the crime of unauthorized mobilization of the Imperial Guards of the Heavenly Prison.
Although the latter is also a serious crime, it is much less serious than rebellion.
It is unknown what price Ding Anzhi paid, but surprisingly, no one in the Ministry of Justice, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or the Qingliu faction questioned him.
Ding Anzhi was sentenced to exile in Fujian, which temporarily saved the lives of his entire family.
Shen Yan personally opened the prison door for Ding Anzhi, as exile required escort by jailers.
Ding Anzhi was very generous and gave another thousand taels of silver, instructing Shen Yan to tell the prison guards escorting them to take good care of them along the way.
"Don't worry, Lord Ding, I will instruct the jailers."
As he left, he took one last look at Bianjing, knowing that this was probably the last time he would ever see it.
Shen Yan couldn't help but sigh that experience is indeed the best teacher. Although Ding Anzhi had the ability to clear his name, he chose to be exiled.
Because he knew that as long as he was in Bianjing, Zeng Shihong would not let him go.
This act of self-degradation not only protects oneself but also safeguards one's entire family.
Once you use your trump card, it becomes ineffective, and you won't be able to save your life next time.
A few days later, a major event occurred in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Emperor Xuanwu once again appointed the crown prince.
The chosen candidate was Li Chengde's son, his eldest grandson Li Xuanye.
Upon hearing this news, the Qingliu faction was immediately abuzz with excitement, their arrogance reaching unprecedented heights.
Xun Gui's faction was already weak in the court, and without the restraint of Yan's faction, it has now become completely powerless.
In addition, Shen Moxuan was seriously ill and unable to support the situation.
Although the Zhenbei King's faction was eager to take the lead, they lacked Shen Moxuan's prestige.
Xun Gui was in a very difficult situation and everyone was hoping for another rebellion someday.
Warfare is inseparable from military generals; if there is only harmony, there is no place for them to use their talents.
Bianjing at this time.
Students from the academy could be seen everywhere on the streets and alleys, praising Li Xuanye's virtuous reputation.
Some time ago, after hearing about the Prison Demon while drinking at a tavern, Shen Yan stopped going there.
Having some free time today, he came to the teahouse.
They heard the storyteller recounting the glorious deeds of Crown Prince Li Xuanye.
They are nothing more than good virtues such as caring for the people, understanding their plight, and being filial and benevolent.
After hearing this, Shen Yan had to admit that he would surely become a wise and virtuous ruler in the future.
He thought to himself, "This war of public opinion has indeed been effective from ancient times to the present."
Bianjing, the Eastern Palace.
Zeng Shihong hurriedly went to the Eastern Palace to meet Li Xuanye.
Li Xuanye greeted him with a broad smile.
He listened to Zeng Shihong's words and quietly prayed for blessings in the mansion. Sure enough, the position of crown prince fell to him.
Now is the time when I'm riding high, how could I not be happy to see Zeng Shihong?
Seeing his serious expression, Li Xuanye wondered what had happened.
The two went to the study.
"Why is my maternal grandfather in such a hurry to see me?!"
Zeng Shihong sighed, his face somewhat grim, and said, "Are you aware of the behavior of those scholars on the street?"
"Xuan Ye naturally knows; it's nothing more than praising some trivial matters from my past."
"Your Highness, were those people ordered by you?"
Li Xuanye felt displeased upon hearing the reproach in his words.
However, considering that she still needed to rely on Zeng Shihong, she couldn't very well give him a hard time.
"Why is my grandfather sighing? It's just that some scholars are doing this on their own initiative, and I can't refuse their good intentions."
Zeng Shihong knew that Li Xuanye harbored a desire to indulge him, which was only human nature.
People always love to hear praise and flattery.
But now is not the time. The crown prince has just been established, and the most important thing right now is to keep a low profile.
Emperor Xuanwu was already seventy years old and didn't have many years left to live. Li Xuanye was not like Li Chengde.
After thirty years of hard work, it was all for naught. Zeng Shihong estimated that Emperor Xuanwu would surely die within five years.
It's perfectly fine to build momentum for them in two years; there's no need to rush things and risk giving others cause for gossip.
If this displeases Emperor Xuanwu, it would truly backfire.
After several hours of careful instruction from Zeng Shihong, Li Xuanye finally began to listen to some of what he was saying.
"Grandfather's words make sense. Should I stop them?"
"Your Highness should not intervene personally, lest you dampen the students' enthusiasm. You may leave this matter to me."
Upon hearing this, Li Xuanye breathed a sigh of relief. Some time ago, he had hinted that they should help spread the word for him, but now they were stopping him.
Going back on one's word would be a loss of face, so Li Xuanye was naturally happy without him having to lift a finger.
Zeng Shihong left the Eastern Palace and immediately began to arrange this matter, sighing in his heart.
"Xuan Ye has changed drastically compared to before; power is indeed dazzling."
The reason he came to explain was that he didn't want to leave any resentment in Li Xuanye's heart.
When Zeng Shihong heard the rumors circulating on the streets of Bianjing, he was already cursing inwardly, wondering which pig had come up with this scheme.
Li Xuanye watched his departing figure, feeling somewhat annoyed.
At this moment, a handsome figure stepped out; it was none other than Young Master Nongyue.
When Li Xuanye saw Nongyue, he was overjoyed, and his earlier slight displeasure vanished.
Nongyue asked softly, "Why is Your Highness troubled?"
"Upon seeing you, my heart is filled with no sorrow whatsoever."
Unfortunately, by the time Zeng Shihong wanted to deal with it, it was already too late.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard had already taken notice of this matter and reported it to Emperor Xuanwu.
When Emperor Xuanwu received Zheng Jun's memorial, his expression remained unchanged.
He sighed after a long while.
"I am old, not dead. Everyone is hoping I die soon so they can make room for me."
Zheng Jun, standing below, loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I dare not! I long for Your Majesty to attain immortality and eternal life."
Wang Xi, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "Even if this servant dies, Your Majesty will not die. Your Majesty is destined to attain immortality."
Upon hearing their words, Emperor Xuanwu smiled and said, "I know you are loyal, but not everyone in the court is loyal."
After a moment's thought, he straightened his expression and continued, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard should not concern themselves with this matter. Hand it over to the Ministry of Justice and let Yang Wanli manage it. Doesn't he want to take charge of the Ministry of Justice? If he handles this matter well, I will grant his request."
Zheng Jun felt relieved upon hearing Emperor Xuanwu's words.
This matter concerns both the Crown Prince and Mirror Lake Academy, making it extremely difficult to handle.
He didn't want to get involved, even though the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a notorious and resented organization with a bad reputation.
It would be good if we could stay out of it. Zheng Jun just said he hoped Emperor Xuanwu would live forever, which was true, but we also know it's not very realistic.
Li Xuanye will soon ascend the throne, and he also wants to retire unscathed and have a good ending.
After all, there aren't many top-tier martial artists in the Great Zhou Dynasty. As long as they don't anger Li Xuanye, their safety can be guaranteed.
Zheng Jun is different from Yan Fan. As long as Emperor Xuanwu wants, countless Yan Fans can appear in the Great Zhou.
Achieving the rank of a third-grade martial artist is not something that can be achieved simply by expending resources.
Otherwise, Emperor Xuanwu's martial arts realm wouldn't have been only at the middle third rank. If he had broken through, he might have been able to live another twenty or thirty years.
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