I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 49 Kyoto Prefecture Trial Case

When we came out of the houseboat, the sky was still clear and it looked like a sunny day.

When we returned to the palace, the sky had turned gloomy and it looked like it was going to rain.

The second brother acted quickly. As soon as he returned to the palace and was about to go to bed, he sent Xie Bian to deliver the candidate.

——Yu’s life story.

The prefect of Changping Prefecture, which is close to Kyoto Prefecture and a fourth-rank official, would be appropriately transferred to Kyoto Prefecture.

He was born in a poor family, but after serving as an official for ten years, he became a fourth-rank prefect, which shows that he is very capable. His style is upright and he has a very good reputation among the people.

It is said that a few years ago, when he was the magistrate of Chongli County, Kyoto Prefecture, he impeached Prime Minister Lin Ruofu for his poor parenting for the sake of the people under his rule. He was also quite courageous.

After learning about Yu's life from the manager who used to be in charge of business in Changping Prefecture, Li Chengzong could only say that it was hard to imagine that the second brother would have such an outstanding official under his command.

He then wrote a memorial and had it delivered to the palace, and Li Chengzong went straight to bed.

Outside the palace.

The plot remained unchanged. Guo Baokun was beaten half-crippled by Fan Xian. The Guo family sent their housekeeper to Kyoto Prefecture to report the case, and then the Kyoto Prefecture's officers went to Fan's house.

As expected, he was beaten out. After a battle of wits and courage between the Guo and Fan families, in the end, the Guo family was inferior to the Fan family. Guo Baokun, who was half-crippled and wrapped like a mummy, went to the Kyoto government office in person, and Fan Xian slowly arrived from the Fan Mansion. The two sides started a confrontation between plaintiff and defendant.

He Zongwei is just a show-off, while Fan Xian is a good speaker and is no match for He Zongwei.

Seeing that Mei Zhili was about to be convinced by Fan Xian, He Zongwei had to stop talking about poetry and instead asked about Fan Xian's whereabouts last night. Fan Xian replied that he was drinking on Si Lili's houseboat at midnight, and then brought up the issue of witnesses.

Fan Xian replied confidently: "Third Prince Li Chengzong, Prince Jing's son Li Hongcheng, and Manager Li of Zuixianju can all testify!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked, especially the prefect Mei Zhili, whose face changed drastically.

There was nothing wrong with Si Lili of Zuixianju. Although there was news at the beginning of last year that the Third Prince was in love with her, the Third Prince was subsequently confined to his house. Si Lili had received many guests, but there was no movement from Prince Ding's Mansion. It was obvious that the Third Prince did not take this Miss Si Lili seriously.

There are even rumors that the Third Prince has grown disgusted with Si Lili.

It's normal to think about it. The young men of noble families in Kyoto are fond of pleasure and have countless affairs. How could they really fall in love with a lowly prostitute in a brothel?

However, as a mere prefect of Kyoto Prefecture, he really couldn't afford to offend Prince Jing and the Third Prince.

Especially the Third Prince. It has only been a year since the bloody lesson of the 18 members of the Feng family. The scene of demanding the execution of Lai Mingcheng in the court is still vivid in people's minds. This man is the kind of person who would take the lives of an entire family at will.

He Zongwei was also startled, but he was now the lawyer of the Guo family, and everything had to be considered for Guo Baokun, so he saluted Mei Zhili and said, "Sir, please call the witness."

Mei Zhili asked helplessly: "Why are Prince Jing and the Third Prince also involved?"

It seems that if Mei Zhili is not put under some pressure, he will be unwilling to testify against Prince Jing and the Third Prince.

He Zongwei thought to himself and said immediately: "Sir, this case is extremely brutal, and Minister Guo also attaches great importance to it. I implore you to handle the case carefully."

Mei Zhili was speechless. Guo Youzhi was someone he couldn't afford to offend. Since he couldn't afford to offend him, he could only follow the normal procedures and summon witnesses to the court for questioning.

Prince Jing's son Li Hongcheng and Si Lili were quickly summoned to the government office, while the servants who went to Prince Ding's mansion were not even able to enter the door. They just said that they knew and would go to the government office in Kyoto after the master of the family woke up.

Mei Zhili not only did not dare to complain, but was also afraid of disturbing the gentleman's sleep. He secretly broke into a cold sweat and asked the plaintiff's lawyer He Zongwei to question the witness.

"Your Highness, may I ask if Fan Xian is in front of you at this time?"

Li Hongcheng pretended to recall, "At midnight, Master Fan had already boarded Miss Si Lili's pleasure boat."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

He Zongwei and Mei Zhili had similar ideas, so they turned around and asked Si Lili with a rather arrogant attitude.

"Miss Si Lili, was Fan Xian on your pleasure boat last night?"

"exist."

"Did he leave around midnight?"

"Master Fan should have been here at midnight last night."

"If he's here, he's here. If he's not here, he's not here. Si Lili, are you trying to protect Fan Xian?" He Zongwei shouted in the classroom.

"He Zongwei, Mr. He, are you qualified to question the people of this prince's third brother?"

Li Hongcheng spoke lightly, but He Zongwei felt a chill on his back and broke out in a cold sweat.

No matter how stupid he was, he now knew that the rumors were not credible.

If Si Lili was really disliked by the Third Prince, the usually amiable Prince Jing would never give her any face at all.

So He Zongwei quickly bowed and apologized: "Miss Si Lili, I was rude just now, I hope Miss Si Lili will forgive me."

Si Lili said with a nonchalant attitude, "I am just a humble person, how can I ask for forgiveness? Master He, you are joking. I went to bed at midnight last night, and then I woke up because the Third Prince was drunk. It should have been the Chou hour, and Master Fan had passed out on the pleasure boat. I really don't know whether Master Fan left during that time. How about asking Master He to ask the Third Prince to come down and ask him? I think the Third Prince knows."

"Don't dare, don't dare."

He Zongwei was almost scared to death by Li Hongcheng just now, so how could he dare to call Li Chengzong, who was even more terrifying than Li Hongcheng.

He is still young and doesn't want to die!
"How about we go and call the Third Prince now?" Fan Xian suddenly asked.

Mei Zhili was frightened by Fan Xian's proposal. "No, no, there is no need to disturb His Majesty the Third Prince. Since His Majesty the Crown Prince and Miss Si Lili have testified, Master Fan has been cleared of suspicion. This case ends here..."

Before he could utter the word "结" (meaning "conclusion"), a shout was heard from outside the hall.

"Sir, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Guo Baokun, who had already lost all hope in the hall, suddenly began to struggle excitedly.

He Zongwei, who was standing by, lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Mr. Guo, with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince here, even if the Third Prince comes, Fan Xian will be finished."

After hearing this, Guo Baokun, who was struggling excitedly, suddenly stopped moving again.

As the prince's disciple, no one present knew better than him how powerful the Third Prince was.

That gentleman dared to offer his head to the prince, but the prince didn't even dare to fart.

Now, Guo Baokun already regretted it. If he had known that this guy would be involved, he would not have come to file a complaint. He was lucky to be able to save his life.

On the other hand, Fan Xian, who had been calm, couldn't help but become worried.

After all, one is the third prince and the other is the crown prince. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the crown prince has more power.

Li Chengqian found a stool and moved it to sit next to Mei Zhili, acting as if he was just a spectator. But who could really treat him as a spectator?

Mei Zhili was trembling with fear, but Fan Xian coughed to save him.

"Your Highness, the case is over."

"Is the trial over?"

"Lord Mei decided the case, and I have been cleared of suspicion."

Li Chengqian turned and looked at Mei Zhili.

Mei Zhili hurriedly said, "There are witnesses. His Royal Highness and Miss Si Lili are both Mr. Fan's witnesses."

The purpose of Li Chengqian's coming here was to convict Fan Xian and to break up the marriage between Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er.

Actually, he had no intention of coming at first. It was Li Yunrui who said that Guo Baokun was his disciple, so he came to the Kyoto government office after some persuasion.

But the current situation made him feel a little embarrassed.

Although Li Hongcheng is the second in command, he is still a member of the royal family, so it is not easy to take action against him.

As for Si Lili, her song "The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix" spread throughout Kyoto and is still popular today. Needless to say, her relationship with Li Chengzong is extraordinary.

Not long ago, she learned some secrets from the Queen. She could not win over Li Chengzong, but she also did not want to offend him, so Si Lili was reluctant to take any action.

However, since he has already come here, he can't give up, and he dare not give up.

Unless Emperor Qing issues an order, if a crown prince like him retreats, how can he survive in the court? How can the court officials support a weak crown prince like him?
He only has two choices.

Or, start with Li Hongcheng.

Or, start with Si Lili.

Faced with a choice between the two, Li Chengqian would naturally prefer to attack Si Lili.

Of course, in addition to the reason of choosing one of the two, the main reason for choosing Si Lili is still related to Li Yunrui.

Before coming to Kyoto Prefecture, Li Yunrui gave him some specific instructions, which basically asked him to be ruthless and kill Si Lili.

For this, Li Yunrui gave a lot of reasons.

For example: During Li Chengzong's house arrest, Si Lili received guests, which inevitably caused Li Chengzong's dissatisfaction.

For example: Li Chengzong is a prince, and being with a prostitute is a loss of face for the royal family; Emperor Qing does not like Si Lili, etc.

Every reason is very reasonable.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with Li Chengqian.

What puzzled him was why Li Yunrui tried every means to kill Si Lili.

The two of them had no hatred, not even any intersection.

This is like a person taking great pains to step on and kill an ant that is thousands of miles away. It feels inexplicable.

Of course, it is normal that Li Chengqian doesn’t understand.

First of all, as Lin Ruofu said, Li Yunrui is a crazy woman, and normal people cannot understand the thinking of a crazy person.

To Li Yunrui, the current Si Lili is the Ye Qingmei of the past, so naturally he wants to kill her.

Even if the rumors were true and Li Chengzong already hated Si Lili, but just based on the song "The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix", Li Yunrui also wanted to kill Si Lili.

Originally, given the choice between the two, he tended to choose Si Lili. Plus, Li Yunrui instigated him, so after Mei Zhili named two witnesses, Li Chengqian spoke.

"Hongcheng is my royal descendant, so I naturally believe what he says. As for this woman, what is her identity?"

"Your Highness, Miss Si Lili is a prostitute at Zuixianju, the third..."

Li Chengqian naturally knew the relationship between Si Lili and Li Chengzong. How could he let Mei Zhili implicate Li Chengzong?

As long as he didn't mention Li Chengzong, he could play dumb and say he didn't know Si Lili's identity. At least there would be room for maneuver and at least superficial harmony could be maintained.

But if he mentioned Li Chengzong, it would mean he was not giving him face. Based on his understanding of Li Chengzong, he would not be able to get away without killing a batch of his disciples.

So Li Chengqian interrupted directly and said, "Mei Zhili, can you tell the truth from the false based on a word from the brothel girl? In my opinion, this matter needs to be investigated carefully. What do you think, Mei Zhili!"

He didn't get angry, nor did he say anything mean.

Li Chengqian was not stupid. He had no choice but to take action against Si Lili. If there was another witness, he would not choose Si Lili.

It is even more impossible for him to really listen to Li Yunrui and kill Si Lili directly.

Although Li Chengqian did not lose his temper, Mei Zhili still stood up from his seat, knelt in front of the prince, and asked cautiously, "What does your highness mean?"

"You are the governor of Kyoto, I am just an observer. You are judging the case, and you are asking me?"

Mei Zhili: “…”

At this moment, he really couldn't help cursing in his heart.

Do you look like you're listening in?
There are so many young men fighting in Kyoto, Guo Baokun is nothing, is it necessary to make such a big fuss?

If I were to follow my idea, I would just release Fan Xian. If the Guo family is not convinced, they can go and save their face themselves.

If you don't want to offend Li Chengzong, then let me offend him. You want me to die.

(End of this chapter)