Zhu Tian: A journey of spiritual practice starting from Joy of Life

Chapter 179 Emperor Qing Loses His Temper Again
"Just because your mother is Ye Qingmei, Li Yunrui has to kill you."

Leng Feibai frowned and said, "But Wan'er is Li Yunrui's closest relative after all. Even if that madwoman is crazy, she wouldn't go so far as to kill Wan'er. So there are only two possibilities. First, the Duke of Kang and his group acted on their own without Li Yunrui's knowledge. Second, Li Yunrui has completely gone mad and wants to kill you at all costs."

Fan Xian covered his head upon hearing this, "What grudge did I have against Li Yunrui back then that he's so eager to kill me?"

Leng Feibai looked at Fan Xian, who was covering his face, and thought to himself, "Because your mother stole the man she loved most!"

Not long after, night fell in the Imperial Palace. Chen Pingping, who had been dragged out of bed by Emperor Qing, looked at the emperor with sleepy eyes and said, "Your Majesty, is there something important that you've summoned this old minister at this hour?"

"Fan Xian has been assassinated."

Emperor Qing's sudden voice startled Chen Pingping, instantly waking him from his sleepiness.

"Who did it!"

Chen Pingping was so excited he almost fell off his wheelchair. "Your Majesty, the Oversight Council hasn't received any news yet. What's wrong?"

"I had men on Fan Xian's official ship on his way to Jiangnan. This afternoon, Kang Shunren, Ye Dingyuan, and San Shi led a group to ambush the ship Fan Xian was on. However, they were killed by Leng Feibai and Fan Xian."

Upon hearing this, Chen Pingping pushed his wheelchair forward a few steps and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has neglected his duty. Please punish me."

"Don't worry!"

Emperor Qing, his face ashen, asked, "Tell me, does this have anything to do with Li Yunrui?"

"this!"

Chen Pingping also suspected Li Yunrui, but after all, Lin Wan'er was also on the ship. Although Li Yunrui was crazy, he wouldn't be crazy enough to kill his own daughter.

"Alright, I'll call Li Yunrui over later."

Emperor Qing stood up and directed Chen Pingping, "Summon Li Chengru, and take some men from the First Division and the Imperial Guards to ransack the homes of Kang Shunren and Ye Dingyuan. See if you can find anything out."

Upon hearing this, Chen Pingping immediately accepted the order, spun his wheelchair around, and rushed out, almost causing sparks to fly from the wheelchair.

"Old man, he's in a hurry."

After Emperor Qing finished speaking, he called out to Eunuch Hou, who was standing to the side, "Summon Li Yunrui. Remember, do not alarm the Crown Prince."

Li Yunrui, who was reading a book in the palace, was inexplicably summoned to Emperor Qing's bedchamber.

Upon seeing Emperor Qing's gloomy face, Li Yunrui immediately knelt down and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. What brings Your Majesty here so late at night?"

"Li Yunrui, you are truly ruthless."

Emperor Qing angrily cursed, "You actually dared to harm even my two sons and your daughter!"

Li Yunrui was immediately confused and began to refute.

She said in an innocent tone, "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I did nothing after returning to the palace."

"shut up!"

Emperor Qing angrily cursed, "Don't think I don't know why Qin Heng died on Zhuque Street a few days ago. But I didn't even know that you actually ordered Kang Shunren, Ye Dingyuan, and that old bastard Sanshi to ambush Fan Xian. You even wanted to silence Chengping and Wan'er."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui panicked immediately. "I didn't! Even if I wanted to kill Fan Xian, I wouldn't lay a finger on Wan'er. Besides, after returning to the capital, I have never had any contact with the Duke of Kang or Lord Ye."

"Not urgent!"

Emperor Qing said coldly, "You will kneel here until Chen Pingping and Li Chengru return, then I will settle accounts with you."

After saying that, Emperor Qing took a book from the bookshelf and sat down to read it.

Seeing this, Li Yunrui could only obediently kneel on the ground.

An hour later, Li Chengru, dressed in full armor, and Chen Pingping rushed in together.

"Father!"

Li Chengru took out a stack of opened letters from his bosom and said hurriedly, "Many letters were found in the Duke of Kang's mansion. I haven't read the contents, but the signature on the cover is from the Ming family of Jiangnan."

Chen Pingping echoed, "The Surveillance Bureau also found letters bearing the Ming family's signature inside the Duke Ye's mansion."

Both Li Yunrui and Emperor Qing were taken aback by the mention of the Ming family's name. Emperor Qing then stared intently at Li Yunrui. "Your Majesty, I have not been in contact with the Ming family during this period. I implore you to understand."

Hearing Li Yunrui's explanation, Emperor Qing snorted coldly, stepped forward, took the letter, and began to read it.

Before long, Emperor Qing's face turned even redder than a boiled Yangcheng Lake hairy crab.

The next moment, a roar rang out from the palace.

"The name is Li Chengze!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's expression changed.

Li Chengru couldn't help but ask, "Father, what does this have to do with my second brother?"

"You really are a brute!"

Emperor Qing sighed and handed the letter to Eunuch Hou, who was standing beside him, saying, "Read it, so that everyone knows what's going on."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Hou read aloud, "Lord Kangguo, we recently received a letter from the Second Prince, stating that Fan Xian will soon arrive in Jiangnan to seize the three major estates..."

The letter roughly states that Li Chengze wrote to the Ming family saying that Fan Xian was going to Jiangnan to take over the three major workshops.

The Ming family, on the other hand, asked the Duke of Kang and Lord Ye to find a way to stop Fan Xian from going south, promising a generous reward if they succeeded.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengru and Chen Pingping's expressions turned rather unpleasant.

Not long after, Li Chengze also hurried in.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Qing threw the letter in his hand directly at Li Chengze.

Li Chengze was momentarily stunned and quickly said, "Your Majesty, what are your instructions for summoning me here so late at night?"

"Not urgent!"

Emperor Qing pointed to the letter on the ground and said, "Read the letter first!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze was immediately thrown into a state of panic and quickly picked up the letter from the ground to read it.

In an instant, Li Chengze felt the world spinning around him, and he hurriedly protested, "Your Majesty, I, your son, have not sent any letter to the Ming family. This is a frame-up!"

"enough!"

Emperor Qing stepped forward and said, "You and Li Yunrui used the Imperial Treasury for smuggling, and the money was secretly delivered to you by the Ming family. Do you really think I don't know about this? Should I bring over those account books from your study and see what's going on?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze broke out in a cold sweat and panicked.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Qing's anger subsided somewhat. "I'll give you one last chance. Explain what really happened."

Upon seeing this, Li Chengze closed his eyes and recounted how he had written a letter to the Ming family.

"So, the letter you wrote was a warning to the Ming family not to act recklessly."

Looking at Li Chengze, Emperor Qing's eyes flashed with disgust. He said directly, "Get down and receive thirty strokes of the cane. Li Chengru, you personally administer the punishment. Then send him back."

After hearing this, Li Chengru stepped forward and led Li Chengze out of the palace.

"Chen Pingping!"

Emperor Qing continued, "Take men to Li Chengze's residence and bring me the ledgers of those smuggling operations. During this time, have the Surveillance Bureau keep a close watch on Li Chengze's residence; not a single piece of paper should leave his residence."

After saying that, Emperor Qing looked at Li Yunrui and said, "You should also go back to your Guangxin Palace. Don't wander around during this time."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui's lips moved slightly, and he got up and walked out.

"His Majesty!"

Chen Pingping then asked, "Should we send someone to inform Fan Xian?"

After hearing this, Emperor Qing nodded and said, "It is time to send someone to inform him and tell him that after taking over the Imperial Treasury, he should find a way to deal with the Ming family."

(End of this chapter)