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

Li Xiang's resounding question was like a thunderclap, booming across the Furong Garden and causing all the guests to hold their breath.

Yu Zhining shuddered, his face turned deathly pale, and his lips trembled as if he was about to faint from anger!

Wei Ting, Liu Ji, and others from the Wei King's faction changed their expressions drastically, their hearts filled with apprehension!

Liu Ji, in particular, could not contain himself and overstepped his bounds, stepping forward, pointing a finger at Li Xiang, and angrily rebuking him: "You scoundrel Li Xiang! Stop spouting nonsense and slandering loyal officials here!"

His outburst was not simply to stand up for Yu Zhining—Li Xiang's words, while seemingly only condemning Yu Zhining for betraying his master and seeking personal gain, actually struck a nerve with the Wei King's faction!

If Li Xiang confirms today that Yu Zhining has already sided with the Prince of Wei and become part of his faction, then the world will surely ask: who was behind all of this, who was secretly instigating Yu Zhining's repeated slanders against the Crown Prince and his attempts to sow discord between the Emperor and his son?

The answer is obvious: it can only be King Li Tai of Wei!

"Instructing the Crown Prince's close advisors to frame the Crown Prince and sow discord between father and son"—this charge is too fatal and can be considered treason!

If even a single rumor were to spread, not only would Yu Zhining be doomed, but the entire Wei King's faction would be dragged down, the court and the public would be shaken, and the whole country would be in uproar. The Wei King's ascension to the position of Crown Prince would be completely shattered!

Li Xiang himself was completely unaware that his words had caused such fatal backlash against the Wei King's faction.

He looked at Liu Ji, who had suddenly jumped out, and was somewhat bewildered—was this square-faced, black-bearded old man out of nowhere, jumping out to stand up for Yu Zhining and attack him?

But this slight bewilderment didn't diminish his venomous tongue in the slightest. He raised an eyebrow and instinctively raised his voice in a mocking tone: "Well, you old dog Yu, even the Prince of Wei's faction is backing you up!"

"Even now, you still say that the King of Wei isn't your master?"

"You...you!" Yu Zhining was so angry that he was choked, his chest heaving violently. Liu Ji's expression also changed, and he was about to rebuke again when Wei Ting suddenly pulled his wrist.

"Lord Liu!" Wei Ting lowered his voice, his tone urgent and grave, gesturing for him to look downstairs. "Don't say another word!"

Liu Ji was taken aback, and looked blankly in the direction Wei Ting had indicated. Only then did he realize that more guests had gathered around the waterside pavilion, forming several dense layers around it.

Countless gazes fell upon him, Yu Zhining, and Li Tai, their expressions filled with curiosity and inquiry as they sought to uncover the secrets of the palace. Whispers rose and fell, and some of the words could even be heard.

"...So it turns out that the two great Confucian scholars, Confucius and Yu, were actually part of the King of Wei's faction!"

"...They really hid it well...No wonder the deposed crown prince was deposed and all his officials in the Eastern Palace were punished, but these two were the only ones who remained unscathed!"

"...Speaking of which, weren't most of the infamy surrounding the deposed crown prince inflicted by these two tutors? Was it premeditated?"

"...Tsk tsk tsk, the struggle for succession has been a constant throughout history... The imperial court is truly a deep and treacherous place..."

Every comment was like a sharp knife, piercing Liu Ji's heart.

His face instantly turned from red to green, then from green to blue, and he trembled with rage. People love to watch the spectacle, and the King of Wei and the deposed crown prince were mortal enemies. Now, the son of the deposed crown prince was publicly accusing Kong and Yu of being instructed by the King of Wei to ruin the reputation of the former master. Such a statement was probably already prejudiced.

The Wei King's faction was now utterly speechless! The more they tried to explain, the more guilty they appeared, and the more they confirmed the rumors!

The more mature Wei Ting turned around and approached Li Tai, whose face was equally ashen and whose eyes were swirling with anger and panic. He lowered his voice and urgently reported, "Your Highness, there is no time to lose! The best course of action now is to immediately order the guards of the Imperial Household Department to capture this brat and then disperse the surrounding guests!"

"We must not allow such rumors to continue to spread!"

"inappropriate."

Before Li Tai could speak, Cen Wenben, who had been standing silently to the side, observing everything with a cold eye, suddenly stroked his long beard and slowly stepped forward.

He spoke calmly to Wei Ting and Li Tai:

"The laws of our Great Tang Dynasty do not contain any provision for punishing someone for their words. Lord Wei and Prince Wei have neither a pretext nor a basis to capture the imperial grandson. Without a proper justification, their words will not be legitimate and will only increase criticism."

"The truth will prevail. Since Li Xiang's words are all slander, King Wei, Yu Gong, and Kong Gong should calmly step forward to refute them and clarify right and wrong in front of everyone."

"Only in this way can we ensure a safe and comprehensive approach."

"Lord Cen, this..." Wei Ting was immediately stunned, not expecting that Cen Wenben would stand up for Li Xiang at this moment.

Cen Wenben had a scholarly air about him, he had known that for a long time... but he never expected that this scholarly air would be used in this way: when it comes to the struggle for the throne, no one will stop at nothing, who would care about the name of the law?

However, Cen Wenben is also a close advisor to His Majesty. Even if Li Xiang is forcibly arrested, the rumors that he will report to His Majesty afterward will still reach His Majesty's ears.

Wei Ting had no choice but to place his hopes on Kong Yingda and Yu Zhining again. He looked at the two men and said in a deep voice, "You two..."

"...No need for King Wei and Lord Wei to trouble themselves, I have my own explanation." Kong Yingda then stepped forward with a dark face, walked straight to the window of the waterside pavilion, leaned on the windowsill, and looked down at Li Xiang downstairs.

"You scoundrel! You claim we were instructed by the King of Wei to frame our former master? How laughable!"

His voice was deep and resonant; though he was seventy years old, it was full of energy and carried the dignity of a great scholar.

"I am already seventy years old, and half of my body has long been buried in the yellow earth."

"Since I am already old and frail, why should I fawn over the King of Wei, ruining my lifelong reputation and earning the infamy of betraying my lord for personal gain?"

Having said that, he slightly raised his chin, his face full of sanctimonious air, putting on an appearance of loyalty to the emperor and the country, and his tone became increasingly stern.

"Aren't you insisting on asking why we two repeatedly remonstrated with the Crown Prince in the past?"

Kong Yingda sneered, then raised his voice: "It's because the Crown Prince bears the responsibility of being the heir apparent and the weight of the nation, yet he has no semblance of a ruler, spending his days in idleness and complacency, without any ambition!"

"As officials of the Crown Prince, we two prioritize the well-being of the Tang Dynasty and the common people. We are duty-bound to speak frankly and remonstrate, even at the cost of our lives, even if it offends the Crown Prince and puts us in grave danger!"

His words were firm and resounding, his tone filled with self-proclaimed loyalty: "This old minister's loyalty is not only to the Crown Prince, but to His Majesty, to the vast land of the Tang Dynasty, and to all the people under heaven!"

"In all the affairs of the world, how could there be as many demons and monsters, so many scheming schemes and plots as you, a mere brat, claim?" Kong Yingda's eyes sharpened as he pointed directly at Li Xiang.

"It is because the Crown Prince himself lacks moral cultivation, his words and deeds are improper, and he has repeatedly failed to correct his ways despite being taught; he has no bearing of a ruler!"

"Ultimately, he committed treason, cutting himself off from His Majesty, from the state, and from the world!"

"How can such a disloyal, unfilial, and rebellious crown prince possibly inherit the throne and become a ruler?!"

Kong Yingda was a highly respected figure who held the position of Chancellor of the Imperial Academy for many years and had countless students.

These words, spoken with righteous indignation and resounding force, effectively silenced the curious glances and whispers from the crowd.

The surrounding guests' expressions shifted slightly. Many stroked their long beards and nodded repeatedly, looking at Kong Yingda with more respect. They had quietly changed their tune and begun to believe his words.

Seeing this, Yu Zhining's panic subsided slightly, and he quickly echoed with a cupped-hand salute, saying loudly, "What Lord Kong says is absolutely right! What we two seek is nothing more than the peace and stability of the Tang Dynasty and the stability of the state. It is by no means a personal grudge, nor do we intend to ally ourselves with the Prince of Wei!"

"Li Xiang, you scoundrel, stop spreading rumors and slandering loyal officials!"

The two stood side by side, looking dignified and respectable, with golden light seemingly emanating from behind them.

Unfortunately, this method was not very effective for Li Xiang.

Occupying the moral high ground is a tactic that has been overused in online flame wars. Kong and Yu are particularly adept at this method, often using it to make Li Chengqian suffer greatly.

How could Li Xiang possibly fall for his trick?

He laughed heartily, drawing the crowd's attention back, and raised his head, saying, "If that's the case, then I have a question to ask."

"You all directly advise the Crown Prince, but not the King of Wei, because you think the Crown Prince's banquet lacks the qualities of a ruler."

"Does King Wei's hosting of this elegant gathering indicate he possesses the qualities of a ruler?"

"...It is not my responsibility to advise the King of Wei; the officials of the King of Wei's court will do so," Kong Yingda said.

Since the King of Wei has not yet ascended to the throne, he will not fall into this trap.

"Haha, how ridiculous!" Li Xiang burst into laughter. "You all boast of your loyalty and righteousness, claiming to be acting for the sake of the world and its people."

"Why is it that when it comes to offering honest advice, you have to define the scope and start criticizing? Does the daily expenses of the Prince of Wei's residence not belong to the people? Are they unrelated to the fate of the nation and its people?"

"Since you pride yourselves on being loyal ministers, why don't you remonstrate against the Xuanwu Gate Incident, where the emperor killed your brother and imprisoned your father?"

"Killing one's brother, imprisoning one's father, and plotting to seize the throne—that is either rebellion or the makings of a ruler, and there is no need for advice; on the contrary, the Crown Prince resides in the Eastern Palace, suffers all kinds of mistreatment, and has not yet retaliated, only occasionally expressing resentment. Does he lack the makings of a ruler and deserve your insults?!"

boom!!!

The entire Furong Garden was in an uproar!

Li Xiang had used the phrase "killing his brother at Xuanwu Gate and imprisoning his father" many times in the palace when he angrily denounced Emperor Taizong (Li Er). However, this was the first time he had said it in front of a large audience!

Its effect is no less than dropping a nuclear bomb on a crowd!

The chaos that had been suppressed by Kong Yingda's imposing presence instantly surged back on a scale several times larger.

"You!!" Kong Yingda's face turned pale. He couldn't possibly respond to that!

The Xuanwu Gate Incident! Although the emperor pretended to be calm and collected, he recorded the event in history and left it to future generations to judge.

But who doesn't know that this matter goes against the natural order, against humanity, and against the fundamental principles of morality?

It is a stain that can never be washed away from the emperor and his officials during the Zhenguan era!

Bringing up the Xuanwu Gate Incident is like defecating on the emperor's head and urinating on his throne—they're asking for trouble! Invoking the Xuanwu Gate Incident is nothing short of a desperate act of shamelessness!

Absolutely no one dared to be a loyal minister in the Xuanwu Gate Incident! Not even Wei Zheng dared!

"He's gone mad! He's gone mad!" Li Tai was terrified.

Li Xiang actually dared to bring up the Xuanwu Gate incident in front of everyone!

He was both bewildered and furious: the elegant gathering in late spring had been completely ruined!

Anyone who gets involved with Xuanwu Gate will avoid it like the plague!

"Quickly! Yi'ai! Take your waist token and ride to the palace at top speed! Ask His Majesty to deal with this!" Wei Ting grabbed Yi'ai's arm and said frantically.

He finally realized that this grandson of the emperor was a madman! A mad beast even more dangerous than his father, Li Chengqian!

If we don't lock him up in a cage quickly, even King Wei might be bitten and buried with this mad little beast!

Even Fang Yi'ai was so frightened by Li Xiang's words that his face turned pale. Hearing Wei Ting's instructions, he hurriedly nodded and rushed down from the waterside pavilion.

"There's an imperial decree!!"

However, before Fang Yi'ai could run out of the waterside pavilion, a shrill scream suddenly came from the crowd.

The crowd quickly made way for the eunuch to enter the center. Many nobles were in the garden and recognized him as Wang De, a fourth-rank eunuch in the palace.

Normally, he is the one who serves the current emperor.

It was rare for him to personally deliver the imperial decree.

"Grandson of the Emperor...Grandson of the Emperor Li Xiang, heed my decree!" Wang De, his face also showing panic, hurriedly ran to Li Xiang and said:

"His Majesty has summoned the Imperial Grandson, Li Xiang, to the Ganlu Palace for an audience!"

The voice was shrill and carried far. The crowd immediately descended into even greater chaos.

His Majesty just happened to be summoning his grandson Li Xiang to the palace?

These bizarre events, one after another, somewhat diluted the commotion that had just been caused by the words "Xuanwu Gate".

"Your Highness, please don't keep His Majesty waiting any longer. Shall we leave now?" Wang De sensed the change in the crowd and quietly wiped away a bead of sweat.

"...Summon my ass." Li Xiang never expected that at this moment, a eunuch would summon him to the palace.

He pursed his lips and refused outright.

"What did the imperial grandson say?"

A few days ago, when Wang De was at the Liangyi Hall, he was not on duty and had not seen Li Xiang's arrogance.

Hearing that Li Xiang was actually going to defy the imperial decree, he was momentarily stunned.

"I said, summon, summon, summon my ass! Did you hear me?!" Li Xiang rolled his eyes and said impatiently.

"Didn't you hear how many rebellious poems I wrote today? I've become a traitor!"

"Why should he be the one to summon me to the palace? Let him come to see me in this Hibiscus Garden!"