The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 48 Why wade into these muddy waters?

The next day.

The Crown Prince's actions were faster than anyone expected.

The news that the Crown Prince had swiftly arrested and preliminarily interrogated Wang Shun and Wang Da, and quickly transferred the case summary, the suspects, and the evidence to the Dali Temple, spread like wildfire throughout the power center of Chang'an.

Reactions varied from party to party.

Inside the Liangyi Hall, Li Shimin received Wang De's report, tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, and after a long while, said indifferently, "I know."

His face betrayed no emotion, only a faint, almost imperceptible caution flickered deep in his eyes.

Such decisiveness... was quite unexpected.

But at this moment, inside the study of the Prince of Wei's residence, a completely different scene unfolded.

Du Chuke sat at the lower end, looking at Prince Li Tai of Wei, who was deeply immersed in a cushioned couch.

Li Tai's obese body leaned forward slightly with excitement, toying with a warm jade pendant in his hand, and an uncontrollable smile on his face.

"Good! Good! Good!" he said three times, his voice sounding a little shrill with excitement.

"That cripple has really stepped into a pit this time! Haha!"

Du Chuke bowed slightly, a confident smile on his face.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. The Crown Prince's reaction this time, though seemingly decisive, has actually fallen into our trap. If he doesn't punish him severely, it will be seen as protecting and condoning him, confirming the reputation of the Eastern Palace as a breeding ground for corruption and the Crown Prince as a hypocrite; but now that he has punished him severely, well, Imperial Censor Liu's analogy of 'Emperor Yang of Sui's platform for accepting advice' and 'indulging Wang Shichong and Yu Shiji' is like a nail driven into the hearts of His Majesty and the court officials! What His Majesty hates most is the kind of corruption and deception by officials in the previous dynasty! With such a treacherous insect around the Crown Prince, he, as the heir apparent, cannot escape the blame for his poor judgment of people and lax management of his subordinates!"

He paused, observing Li Tai's expression, and continued his in-depth analysis.

"Moreover, his actions were so swift, clearly indicating a guilty conscience and an eagerness to clear his name! This only makes him appear more outwardly fierce but inwardly weak! According to the Tang Code, those in charge of supervising officials who embezzle are punished with 'one hundred strokes of the cane for each foot of cloth, one degree more for each bolt of cloth, and strangulation for fifteen bolts of cloth.' If they 'do not pervert the law,' they are punished with 'ninety strokes of the cane for each foot of cloth, one degree more for two bolts of cloth, and exile for thirty bolts of cloth.' Although the money involved by Wang Shun and Wang Da is not from the national treasury, as close officials of the Eastern Palace, their embezzlement of supplies and interception of donations have had a terrible impact. According to the law, even if they are not sentenced to death, they should be exiled three thousand li, and there will be no pardon. If the Crown Prince wants to save their lives, he must plead with His Majesty, which would give others a handle—a handle for favoritism and perversion of the law!"

Li Tai was overjoyed to hear this, his fat fingers gripping the jade pendant tightly as if it were the Crown Prince's throat.

"Liu Shi did a wonderful job this time! I will definitely reward him handsomely!"

Du Chuke steered the conversation to the next step at the opportune moment.

"Your Highness, Imperial Censor Liu has made a good start. Next, we will proceed with the second step. The rumors have already been prepared. Once the Crown Prince's embezzlement case spreads throughout the court and among the public, sparking discussion, our people will immediately begin disseminating them in the East and West Markets, teahouses, and taverns. As for the content... in addition to the previously agreed-upon allegations of the Crown Prince forming factions and colluding with the Turks, we can also add that he harbors resentment due to his foot ailment and secretly curses His Majesty; that he appears frugal on the surface but is actually extravagant in the Crown Prince's palace; and even... that he imitates Turkic customs and commits acts that violate human ethics..."

These rumors are vicious and deadly, directly targeting Li Chengqian's virtue, loyalty, and even human ethics. Once they spread, they could completely destroy his already precarious image as crown prince.

Li Tai's eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if he could already see Li Chengqian's disgrace and the removal of his throne.

He slapped his thigh hard, panting with excitement, his voice carrying a hint of manic ecstasy.

"Hahaha! Good! Once these rumors have spread far and wide, I'll see how that cripple can still sit firmly in the Eastern Palace! Then, I'll let you confront him face to face in the Consultative Hall at the right time! Let's see how he defends himself!"

He seemed to have victory in his grasp, his obese body trembling with laughter.

"Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian, even though you have wise mentors around you and have learned to be patient and to take the bait, how will you withstand the series of deadly attacks following this open scheme? Your position as crown prince... is doomed! Hahaha!"

Duke Zhao's Mansion.

Inside the study. Changsun Wuji stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his back as straight as a pine tree, yet exuding an indescribable heaviness.

He was stroking a warm, smooth jade thumb ring in his hand.

A detailed report on the Crown Prince's swift response and the transfer of prisoners was laid out on the large sandalwood table behind him.

"idiot……"

"This move was absolutely awful!" He slowly turned around, his eyes filled with deep disappointment.

"It seems like a heroic act of cutting off one's own arm, decisive and resolute, but in reality... you've put the noose around your own neck! Liu Shi's petty tricks dug a shallow pit, and you couldn't wait to jump in, and then you even filled the pit with soil yourself!"

He walked to the desk and pointed heavily at the report.

"You think that by acting swiftly and decisively, you can demonstrate your fairness and resolve? Wrong! Utterly wrong! You are telling His Majesty and the entire court that your Eastern Palace is a sieve! You are incompetent in managing your subordinates and unable to judge people! Liu Shi's comparison to Emperor Yang of Sui was a veiled attack on his conscience, and your actions have confirmed it!"

"What does His Majesty value most? Discipline and the integrity of his subjects! Your close attendants have embezzled funds, possibly even funds intended to appease the migrants from Xizhou! In His Majesty's eyes, this is far more unforgivable than mere extravagance! You have created a hole in the area he cares about most!"

Changsun Wuji's voice grew colder and colder, filled with anger.

"What's next? You think that's all? Naïve! This is just the first step! We'll wait for your 'immoral' charge to be confirmed, and then accusations of forming cliques, harboring resentment, and even more unsavory charges... will pile up one after another! Every word you utter in defense is futile, every struggle only drags you deeper! Every step is an abyss, each link connected to the next. What will you use to catch yourself? Your newly learned, self-righteous forbearance?"

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were completely indifferent.

"A son of a bitch who can't be helped... he's ultimately beyond help."

He muttered to himself.

"I thought that after this incident, you might have made some progress, and perhaps... perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope, for the sake of the Empress... alas."

The image of his sister, Empress Zhangsun, with her gentle yet slightly worried face flashed through his mind, causing a pang of pain in his heart, but it was quickly suppressed by a stronger consideration of reality.

"Your Majesty... must be utterly disappointed by now."

He could almost picture Li Shimin's seemingly calm but actually chilling gaze in the Liangyi Hall.

"Thunder and rain, are they not divine favors? His Majesty gave you an opportunity, but you... failed to seize it. Instead, you pushed the situation to an even more uncontrollable point."

“That’s enough…” Changsun Wuji uttered these two words softly, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden, or as if he had made a far-reaching choice.

He walked to the desk, picked up a blank memorial, but then put it down.

At this moment, it would be unwise to make any explicit statement.

He looked out the window again; dark clouds were slowly gathering in the sky, foreshadowing another storm.

"The Crown Prince will be deposed...it won't be long." He had already made up his mind.

"The Crown Prince... is powerless to reverse this crisis. Why should I, an old man, get involved in this mess?"

(End of this chapter)