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

Chapter 115 Li Tai is an idiot

That booklet—what the hell is it anyway?!

It actually recorded so many private matters!

The young nobles around Li Xin, like Sima Yuanjing, were hesitant to act rashly, and an eerie silence fell over the scene. They looked at each other, but no one dared to step forward to capture the person next to Li Xiang.

However, Li Xiang continued his spree. These scions of noble families who fawned upon the Prince of Wei's mansion were already Li Chengqian's primary targets, and Li Xiang's original self had some recollection of these young masters. He flipped through the ledger again, calling out names one by one: "Pei Yanqing of the Pei family of Hedong, right? On the sixth day of the third month of the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, you brat got into a fight over a woman in the brothel and accidentally crippled her—"

"Gao Yanzong of the Bohai Gao clan, is that you? In June of the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, you galloped wildly on the main road in the suburbs, trampling and crushing several acres of seedlings belonging to elderly farmers in the fields, and even knocking down and injuring an elderly farmer who tried to stop you. You then ordered your servants to intimidate the aggrieved farmer before leaving triumphantly. This caused the farmers to lose their entire year's livelihood—"

"Sun Jingxiu of Le'an? Your family has been illegally lending money in Chang'an, exploiting the poor with exorbitant interest rates. When the people couldn't repay, you forcibly seized their houses and women—"

He flipped through the book, reading each entry aloud. Such a rare opportunity to have so many scions of prominent families gathered here was truly extraordinary.

Why don't you hurry up and offend them to death?

However, these scions of noble families are truly beasts. Looking around, every single one of them, whose name you can name, has several heinous crimes recorded in the register.

That's it? The Zhenguan Era of Prosperity?

I remember historical records once boasted that during the Zhenguan era, only a few dozen people were sentenced to death in the whole country in a single year, and this was regarded as one of the achievements of the Zhenguan era.

The reason why so few people are sentenced to death for emotional reasons is because only ordinary people are sentenced, right?

If a member of a powerful family commits a capital offense, they suppress it all and manage to get away with it through various means, right?

A corrupt and decadent feudal dynasty! A foolish and incompetent emperor, Li Er! If these guys who associate with Li Xin were to be executed according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, very few of them would be innocent!

Even Li Xiang, who was using the booklet to manipulate others, couldn't help but get a little angry.

The crowd outside the building couldn't hear clearly because of the officials' obstruction, but these scions of noble families still felt a chill run down their spines.

What if these accusations were overheard by the common people outside? And what if, among the crowd outside, there happened to be a few imperial censors from Pingkang Ward—

"Stop reading—Grandson of the Emperor, stop reading—"

Finally, someone couldn't bear the pressure any longer, muttered something, and looked ashen-faced.

To Li Xin's astonishment, a young man stepped forward. He first apologized to Li Xin, then said to Li Xiang, "Your Highness, we were blind to what was happening today."

"I will leave now and not interfere in the feud between the two imperial grandsons."

His voice was hoarse, and his face was ashen. He bowed slightly to Li Xiang and prepared to leave.

When this man appeared, many other scions of prominent families seemed to wake up from their daze. Many forced smiles and approached, wanting to apologize to Li Xiang and leave.

Hopefully, by avoiding involvement in the conflict between Li Xiang and Li Xin, Li Xiang will show leniency.

"Wait a minute." Li Xiang reached out his hand, interrupting their farewell.

"You can leave if you want," Li Xiang said, crossing his legs as if he was ready to watch the show.

"If any of you shout 'Li Tai is an idiot,' I'll let you go. How about that?" Li Xiang's eyes revealed a malicious mockery.

The young man who had apologized first paused, his face drained of color.

The other scions of noble families who were about to step forward to apologize also froze in place, looking at each other with complicated expressions, caught in a dilemma.

To publicly address the King of Wei by his given name and humiliate him?

This is not a way to escape; it's clearly pushing oneself and one's family to the opposite side of the Prince of Wei's mansion.

Having relied on the King of Wei for many years, they knew in their hearts that the King of Wei and his son, though seemingly magnanimous and virtuous, were actually narrow-minded and held deep grudges.

With this single word uttered today, the entire family will never be able to gain a foothold under the King of Wei again!

Upon hearing this, Li Xin's chest heaved violently, and his eyes blazed with fury. He shouted angrily, "Li Xiang! Don't push your luck! How dare you insult my father? Do you really think the Prince of Wei's mansion has no one to rely on?"

His aura was chilling, and his usual refined demeanor was completely gone. The disciples trembled at his roar, but when they turned to look at the book in Li Xiang's hand that contained countless secrets, they dared not actually stand up for Li Xin.

After a brief standoff, an older member of the aristocratic family stepped forward with a stiff upper lip, bowed to Li Xiang, and said with a mixture of fear and helplessness, "Your Highness, please be lenient. We have already realized our mistake and are willing to withdraw and no longer interfere in your dispute."

Forcing us to rebel is going too far.

"Yes, Your Highness!" someone immediately echoed.

"We are all from ancient, intertwined families. If it comes to a fight to the death, it will not be good for you, Your Highness. Please take back your words and let us leave."

The crowd pleaded with each other, their words seemingly humble but actually laced with sarcasm. They wanted to avoid offending either side, both to escape the potential death brought by the booklet and to prevent completely offending the Prince of Wei's mansion.

"A fight to the death?"

Li Xiang chuckled, put down his crossed leg, and gently patted the black leather booklet in his palm. The soft sound of the paper hitting each other was like a death knell to everyone's ears.

"Have I offended enough of your powerful clans?"

"I'd love for you guys to fight me to the death."

"However, aren't your aristocratic families incredibly powerful? In private, you don't even put the emperor in your eyes."

"Furthermore, while the Tang Code included the crime of slandering the emperor, it did not prohibit insulting princes or nobles. Would uttering a single word cost you your life?"

His words were tinged with mockery, and he patted the booklet in his hand, seemingly trying to persuade you: "Criticizing the King of Wei won't kill you, but if I hand this booklet to that fame-seeking, incompetent ruler, you are very likely to die."

"Or do you want to gamble on whether your family will stop at nothing to cover up your crimes, or simply use you as pawns so that the family can continue to exist and prosper?"

Li Xiang's smile was extremely wicked.

The young men were all taken aback.

Which aristocratic family isn't flourishing and prosperous? For aristocratic families, survival is the top priority; the lives of one or two sons are secondary.

These charges may not be enough to bring down or threaten their family.

However, if there is concrete evidence against the imperial grandson Li Xiang, the family will inevitably have to give the emperor an explanation. The most likely course of action is to uphold justice even at the cost of family ties and hand over their relatives to the authorities.

He flattered the King of Wei for the sake of his family.

But now, continuing to pander to the King of Wei could endanger their own lives!

These scions of noble families who mingled with Li Xin were mostly extravagant and dissolute. Although they were ordered by their clans to curry favor with the Prince of Wei, how many of them were willing to risk their lives for this?

The scions of prominent families exchanged glances, and Li Xiang could tell that some of them had already begun to waver.

>