The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 112 Do you want me to deal with the imperial grandson Li Xiang?

Chang'an was the capital of the Tang Dynasty, a vast city with a dense population. Maintaining security in the capital region was always the top priority for the court.

To this end, the imperial court set up two systems to manage the security of the city: one was the Left and Right Jinwu Guards, which were responsible for street patrols and set up Wuhou Posts on major thoroughfares to garrison troops and guard the streets but not the neighborhoods.

Secondly, there were the county government offices of Chang'an and Wannian. Each county had six county lieutenants, who were in charge of various affairs, including criminal cases and the arrest of thieves within the wards. They were assigned constables and thugs, and were in charge of the wards but not the streets.

Pingkang Ward was under the jurisdiction of Yuan Jing, the Commandant of Wannian.

Sima Yuanjing was born into the Sima clan of Hanoi, whose ancestors were members of the imperial family of the Jin Dynasty.

However, families that were once royalty often do not fare well after their decline. The Sima family was no exception; it was a once-powerful clan that had long since fallen from grace and could no longer be considered a top-tier aristocratic family.

Otherwise, Sima Yuanjing would not have been assigned only the post of county magistrate of Wannian County.

However, being the county constable in charge of Pingkang Ward in Wannian County was also a lucrative position. Pingkang Ward was a famous place of pleasure and debauchery, a gathering place for both the legitimate and criminal worlds. Those gangs and brothels would naturally have to pay him a certain amount of money every month to get his help.

Even ordinary brothels were places he, a county magistrate of Wannian, could visit whenever he wanted without paying a cent. Sima Yuanjing usually lived in Pingkang Ward.

It doesn't matter how good-looking the prostitutes are; what matters is that they love their job.

Last night, County Magistrate Sima stayed at a brothel somewhere in Pingkang Ward. Now, with the help of a woman, he was fastening his belt as he pushed open the door. He caught a glimpse of a distant rainbow fading into the distance, and was suddenly inspired to write a poem.

C

The rainbow still resembles the crown of a bygone dynasty; the old clans have fallen to dust.

"well----"

The woman who was adjusting his clothes rolled her eyes inwardly: Last night he was all sweet talk and even called me "Mother," but how come I'm all covered in dirt the moment I pull up my pants this morning?

If you think I'm nothing but dirt, then you should pay up!

Sima Yuanjing stood with his hands behind his back, reminiscing about the glory of his ancestors, feeling a deep sense of desolation in his heart.

Suddenly, a subordinate clerk rushed in from outside: "County Commandant Sima, someone has reported a theft!"

"What's the panic?" Sima Yuanjing put his hands behind his back. "Someone has reported this. You and the Bad Guys should go and catch the thief yourselves."

Why are you in such a panic looking for me?

"By the way, did the other party offer any benefits?" Sima Yuanjing lowered his voice.

"I dare not accept it, I dare not accept it!" The bailiff practically whispered in his ear.

"The man here is holding the Wei Prince's residence's token!"

"What?"

He turned around abruptly, the untied sash came undone, his outer robe opened wide, and the inner trousers instantly slid down his legs.

As Sima Yuanjing hastily gathered his inner trousers and robes, he ran out of the brothel while listening to the clerk recount the whole story.

It is said that when the Crown Prince of Wei and several friends were drinking at Chengguang Tower in the west of the city, they heard several scholars downstairs slandering the emperor, their words were disrespectful and they were criticizing the imperial carriage.

His Highness was filled with righteous indignation, so he sent someone with a waist token to find the constable on duty in Wannian County and to arrest and imprison those madmen.

"Hehe, I heard it was the Crown Prince of Wei who gave the order, so I hurried off to find you, County Commandant," the clerk said, trying to show off his accomplishment.

"Well done! If this is accomplished, I, the county magistrate, will certainly reward you handsomely!"

Sima Yuanjing's heart burned with excitement, and he looked at the constable with approval.

As a second-rate aristocratic family, the Sima clan could only barely hold a low position among the prominent families in Chang'an, sitting at the children's table.

They watched with intense envy as the descendants of the five surnames and seven clans flaunted their power, secretly reminiscing about the glory of their ancestors.

Although he was willing to serve the King of Wei, in the King's eyes he was just a dispensable soldier with no opportunity to prove himself.

Now that we have a chance to get close to the heir apparent of the King of Wei, how can we let it go?

Sima Yuanjing, accompanied by several constables and ruffians, rushed to the entrance of Chengguang Tower. There, he saw a large crowd of onlookers already gathered.

Several constables from Wannian County had already gone inside. But for some reason, I could vaguely see that they seemed hesitant.

So, the Crown Prince of Wei is hiding upstairs watching right now? Sima Yuanjing stole a glance at the private room behind the second-floor window. He straightened his clothes and cleared his throat outside the door.

"I am Sima Yuanjing, the magistrate of Wannian County! Who dares to speak ill of the emperor and spread heretical rumors?"

"Are you suggesting the Tang Dynasty's legal code is just for show?"

The constables parted the crowd, and Sima Yuanjing strode into the building with an imposing gait.

He pretended to look around, but in reality, he was stealing glances to find the Crown Prince.

"it's me."

But then a clear, melodious voice spoke coldly. The young man sitting in the main seat narrowed his phoenix eyes, looking at him with a mocking gaze.

"A county magistrate of Wannian? What an imposing official position!"

"Just for complaining about the emperor a couple of times, you, a mere county constable, are in such a hurry to arrest someone—"

"What? Have all the thieves in Wannian County been caught? Have all the unsolved cases been resolved? Are the people now so honest that they don't pick up lost items on the road and don't lock their doors at night?"

""

"The fact that they actually started a literary inquisition to arrest scholars shows how incompetent the emperor is, which has led to a situation where the upper beam is crooked and the lower beam is crooked."

"This!" Sima Yuanjing, who had just felt that he was majestic and invincible, was instantly stunned by these explosive and rebellious words.

"What a madman—" He instinctively wanted to put on a stern face and curse, but the constables who had arrived a few moments earlier quickly pulled him back.

"You can't scold the county magistrate, you absolutely can't scold him!"

"This person—this person is none other than Li Xiang, the rebellious grandson of the emperor who caused such a stir in Chang'an a few days ago!"

"What?" Sima Yuanjing's knees buckled, and he almost fell to the ground.

In the Hibiscus Garden, he recited rebellious poems, pointing his finger at the emperor and cursing him for murdering his brother and imprisoning his father; on the East Market Terrace, he slandered Confucianism and incited poor scholars to beat up the five noble families and seven powerful clans. The emperor's grandson, Li Xiang, was awe-inspiring and renowned for his military exploits. In Chang'an, who didn't know him?

Although he was merely the son of a deposed crown prince, possessing neither official position nor background beyond his status as a member of the imperial clan, this grandson of the emperor became a major anomaly in Chang'an City precisely because the crown prince had already been deposed.

His father had already been stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, leaving him with nowhere left to fall. This made Li Xiang a hopeless, unyielding fool.

Even the most prominent families and powerful clans would be met with a bitter pill when they encountered this tough nut to crack.

It is said that this fellow is happy to hear of death and is eager to die, just like his deposed crown prince father, who is insane. Who can do anything about such a madman?

"—Does the Crown Prince of Wei want me to deal with this cunning and ruthless grandson of the emperor? Me?"

Sima Yuanjing pointed to his own nose.

I'm Sima Yuanjing, not Sima Yi!

Sima Yuanjing cursed inwardly.