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

The visitor was clearly not from the Imperial Academy.

The four officers and soldiers who entered first, dressed in blue robes and with long swords at their waists, walked in unison with solemn expressions. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they naturally took control of the gate and attracted everyone's attention.

Then, the leader stepped into the courtyard. He was dressed in a scarlet official robe, with a jade belt around his waist and a scholar's cap on his head. His face was thin and refined, his eyes were sharp and piercing, and he exuded the unique aura of authority of a judicial official.

—Sun Fujia, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

When Kong Yingda saw the person arrive, his tense back relaxed instantly, and a hint of barely perceptible joy flashed in his eyes.

Upon discovering that Li Xiang had broken into the Imperial Academy, his first reaction, besides trying to calm him down, was to secretly instruct his trusted confidants to find the soldiers of the Right Army Commander's Office responsible for guarding Li Xiang and quickly bring him back to Longqingfang.

After all, he had confronted Li Xiang three times and knew that this man was sharp-tongued, had no taboos, and was very difficult to deal with.

He didn't want to fake fainting again and humiliate himself in front of a group of students from the Imperial Academy.

For some reason, it wasn't the Right Guard of the Imperial Guards who came, but Sun Fujia, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

However, the Court of Judicial Review is in charge of criminal cases throughout the country and has direct access to the emperor. Sun Fujia is known for his uprightness, so it would be better if he were the one to come.

Kong Yingda immediately reverted to his pained expression, rose, and bowed respectfully to Sun Fujia, deliberately raising his voice so that all the students could hear: "It is truly an honor to have Minister Sun grace us with his presence!"

"This is the son of the deposed crown prince, Prince Li Xiang, who should have been detained in Longqingfang to reflect on his mistakes. However, for some reason, he broke free from his guard and broke into the Imperial Academy, where he publicly slandered the academy, instigated disputes among the students, and caused chaos in the Imperial Academy."

"I have tried to persuade His Highness several times, but he has only become more and more arrogant. I am truly at my wit's end. I beg Minister Sun to follow His Majesty's decree and bring the Imperial Grandson back to Longqing Ward for safekeeping. I am willing to join Minister Sun in petitioning His Majesty to increase the guard on him."

These words not only pointed out Li Xiang's crime of "unauthorized escape from supervision," but also portrayed himself as a victim who "tried hard to persuade but was powerless to help," while incidentally throwing the problem to Sun Fujia.

Sun Fujia looked at Kong Yingda, then at Li Xiang, and couldn't help but frown.

He did indeed happen to see the Kong family members, who claimed that villains were causing trouble at the Imperial Academy. Concerned about the safety of this highest institution of learning that nurtured talents for the Tang Dynasty, he rushed over.

However, he never expected that the so-called "bad guy" who caused a ruckus at the Imperial Academy was actually the grandson of the emperor, Li Xiang.

Although Sun Fujia was upright, he was not stupid. The feud between the deposed crown prince and the crown prince's tutors, such as Kong and Yu, had been making a great fuss recently. How could he not know that he had been used as a pawn by Kong Yingda?

However, out of respect for the emperor's edict, he still approached Li Xiang and solemnly said:

"The Imperial Academy is a place of great talent and a sacred site of Confucianism in our Great Tang Dynasty. Your Highness should not have come here to seek trouble."

"His Majesty has decreed that His Highness the Imperial Grandson is not to leave the Longqing Ward. His Highness has fled without permission, and I cannot ignore this."

Sun Fujia's expression was solemn, his tone devoid of any personal feelings, only displaying the strictness of the law:

"Your Highness, please return with me to Longqing Ward to reflect on your mistakes in peace and refrain from causing any further trouble at the Imperial Academy, which would only invite criticism."

Upon hearing this, the four Dali Temple officials behind him stepped forward, ready to obey orders from Sun Fujia, and then escorted Li Xiang away from the place.

The students around them held their breath. The aristocratic students looked smug, secretly thinking that Li Xiang would eventually be arrested and would no longer be able to cause trouble. The poor students in the corner felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, and a sense of loss and fear appeared in their eyes. Even Wang Xuance subconsciously clenched his sleeves and watched the scene with his breath in his hand.

Kong Yingda hid a subtle smile at the corner of his mouth, pretending to be heartbroken, and stood quietly to the side, waiting for Li Xiang to be taken away so that he could smooth things over and smooth over today's storm.

To everyone's surprise, Li Xiang showed no sign of panic. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, looking calm and smiling faintly.

"Why is Minister Sun in such a hurry to arrest me and take me back?"

Sun Fujia frowned slightly: "Your Highness has violated the imperial edict by going out on your own, which is a violation of the law. I am on duty and cannot delay."

"National laws must be upheld, but legal principles must be clearly distinguished."

Li Xiang raised his eyes and looked directly at Sun Fujia, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, clear and resonant, echoing throughout the entire outer courtyard of the Confucius Temple:

"It's quite a coincidence that I've come here today and discovered a shocking case that I have nowhere to appeal to. Since the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has come to my door in person, I'll save myself the trouble of beating the drum to deliver the petition and can file my complaint right here and now."

Sun Fujia's face darkened, his opinion of Li Xiang worsening: "Stop this nonsense! Any issues can be addressed afterward; how can you make a scene here and play games with the law?"

"This is no joke; it is a real scandal involving corruption within the court and among officials, concerning the very foundation of the Tang Dynasty's talent selection!"

Li Xiang stood firm, his gaze sweeping over Kong Yingda, whose expression had drastically changed, and slowly spoke, each word ringing with conviction:

"Today, I, Li Xiang, will file a lawsuit against the corruption scandal of the imperial examinations in the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era!"

"We accuse the Imperial Academy of monopolizing the recommendation system, academic cliques of monopolizing the interpretation of the classics, and the sons of aristocratic families in the three upper schools of squeezing out the majority of the places for the Mingjing examination, while poor scholars in the three lower schools have no way to serve their country!"

"The annual tribute quotas for prefectures and counties are fixed: three for the upper prefectures, two for the central prefectures, and one for the lower prefectures. But now, these quotas are all being passed down among the sons of powerful families, leaving virtually no place for those from humble backgrounds to take the tribute!"

"The Mingjing (Classics) subject, being simple and quick to master, was seen by the gentry as a shortcut to officialdom; the Mingfa (Law), Mingshu (Calligraphy), and Mingsuan (Mathematics) subjects, originally intended to offer a glimmer of hope to those from poor families, were repeatedly left vacant due to overcrowding, rendering them practically useless!"

"When Confucius took charge of the Imperial Academy, he set the 'Correct Meanings of the Five Classics' as the sole standard for the imperial examinations. He used commentaries to set thresholds, distinguished between the best and worst based on family background, favored the aristocratic families, blocked the poor, ruined the imperial examination system, and disrupted the rules of the Imperial Academy! Can such an enormous malpractice not be considered a major case?"

Sun Fujia shuddered, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He initially thought it was just the grandson of the emperor causing trouble out of spite, but unexpectedly, Li Xiang directly brought up the corruption case of the Zhenguan imperial examination, pointing directly at the Imperial Academy and Kong Yingda, and even threatened to file a complaint with the Dali Temple in front of three thousand students of the Imperial Academy.

Kong Yingda's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he could no longer maintain his composed and refined demeanor. He rebuked sharply:

"You scoundrel! You've fabricated lies about the imperial examination system and slandered the Imperial Academy's educational system. How dare you spread such heresy and mislead the public!"

Li Xiang turned and gave him a cold glance:

"Whether it's nonsense or a frame-up is not for you, Master Kong, to decide."

He looked at Sun Fujia again, his tone serious, not joking:

"Minister Sun is in charge of the Court of Judicial Review, overseeing criminal cases throughout the realm and handling grievances and corruption from both the court and the public. I, Li Xiang, hereby submit this petition—I request the Court of Judicial Review to open a case and thoroughly investigate the corruption of the Imperial Academy's recommendation system and the monopoly of examination quotas in the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era!"

"If you only focus on my minor offense of disobeying the imperial edict and leaving the palace without permission, while ignoring this major case concerning the plight of the poor and the selection of officials for the nation's foundation, then what right does your Dali Temple have to govern the nation's criminal justice system? What justice can you speak of?"

Sun Fujia was speechless for a moment, standing there with an extremely solemn expression.

On one hand, there was an imperial edict ordering Li Xiang to be detained and taken back to his residence;

On one hand, there was the public exposure of corruption in the imperial examination system, a matter of great importance concerning the talent and the stability of the Tang Dynasty.

If he forcibly arrests people, it would be tantamount to turning a blind eye to the long-standing problems of the imperial examination system and showing favoritism towards the scholar-official class.

If one were to accept the petition and file a case, it would be to defy the emperor's authority on the spot, and one would also have to face the pressure from the entire Confucian community and prominent families.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

All the students' eyes were fixed on Sun Fujia, waiting for this Dali Temple Minister, known for his uprightness, to give an answer.