NCCnovel Chapter 127: Want to Depose the Crown Prince
Chapter 127: Want to Depose the Crown Prince
It is true that Fan Wenyuan wanted to go to Zhang County, Handan.
"Your Majesty, since what Lord Lu said is reasonable and well-founded, then please produce the evidence and let us see what is going on."
The officials in the court saw that Fan Wenyuan was confident and thought that this matter was not that simple, so they started talking about it in a low voice.
"I think Lord Lu was not well prepared this time. The Right Prime Minister was not panicked at all."
"Who knows? It's said that the prince consort should have no worries about food and drink, so why would he do these things? It's thankless work, is it really just to make money?"
"The Right Prime Minister's family education is extremely strict. I don't think he is..."
The discussion also reached Wei Rong's ears. He knew that it would be difficult to overthrow the Right Prime Minister based on these things alone, but he was in no hurry to speak.
Generally, all the adult princes who stayed in Beijing would also attend the grand court meeting, and Zhao Wei was naturally among them. However, there was one more person this time, that was the eighth prince Zhao Qin, and Lu Yipeng was his uncle.
Originally, in the face of common interests, the two princes could walk together, but Zhao Wei's jealous heart could not tolerate Zhao Qin's presence in Beijing.
Even though Lu Yipeng is an ally of the Wei family now, in Zhao Wei's eyes he is just an old dog in the future.
When Zhao Hengzhang heard the Right Prime Minister say this, he asked Lu Yipeng.
"Lu Qingjia, where is your evidence?"
Handan is far away from the capital, and Lu Yipeng only asked his men to collect evidence, but this evidence could not be presented in the hall anyway.
"Your Majesty, some of the evidence was obtained by my disciples. I wonder..."
"Send it up..."
Zhao Hengzhen shouted sternly.
Lu Yipeng had no choice but to hand over the memorial he had prepared in advance. It contained only one-sided information and was hardly convincing.
Moreover, what is recorded may not be the same as what actually happened.
"My dear minister, you are a veteran of the court. How could you do such a thoughtless thing? The memorial is full of rumors, without any substantial evidence."
"Your Majesty, let me speak." Fan Wenyuan couldn't hold it in any longer and stood up and spoke.
"Okay..."
"Your Majesty, the situation is this: when roads are being built to every county and town, the local county magistrates and village heads are responsible for taking care of the poor. However, there is a family in Zhang County, Handan, whose financial situation is not good, but they are not poor either.
It's just that his parents were greedy and sent their second son to work on the road, where he got paid and two full meals. But in the end, this guy only had one meal at noon and took his dinner home. ..."
At this point, all the ministers opened their eyes wide and pricked up their ears, wanting to hear the result.
"I would take dinner home to feed my parents and eat coarse food myself. Later, road construction workers were evaluated and those who slacked off would definitely be fired. But this child only had one meal a day and still worked very hard.
But he didn’t die of exhaustion, but rather from wanting to eat more free lunch, and he died of gluttony…”
"Ha ha ha ha……"
It was probably the first time that the courtiers heard such an interesting thing in the court, and they couldn't help laughing.
Lu Yipeng lowered his head in embarrassment. He wished he could go back and beat his own disciples to death. What kind of stuff had they collected to make him look bad in front of the hall?
Wei Rong saw that this was not going to work. Even though Lu Yipeng had lost, he had to get back at the situation.
"Your Majesty, Minister Lu may have misinterpreted the situation, but it is an indisputable fact that the Prince Consort recruited bandits and used them as thugs at the post station."
Zhao Hengzhang saw Wei Rong finally speak.
It would have been fine if he hadn't said it, but when he did, he became furious.
"What evidence do you have for what you're saying? Think it over before you speak..."
This sentence has a hidden meaning. After following the emperor for so many years, Wei Rong still understands the emperor's hint.
"Your Majesty, I will verify this and report back later."
Zhao Hengzhen saw some excitement today, and these ministers were nothing special.
"If there is nothing else, please leave the court. Prime Minister Wei will stay."
The white-faced eunuch saluted: "Retreat...to the court...!"
In the main hall, Zhao Hengzhang sat on the throne, looking at Wei Rong who was lowering his head below.
"If you say this today, there's really no way out for you. You'll have to learn this lesson. I know everything you're going to do!"
"Ah, the emperor knows everything, but he didn't do anything to me, which means..." When Wei Rong thought of this, he broke out in cold sweat and beads of sweat the size of beans instantly flowed down his forehead.
"Alright, we are all my trusted ministers. We should unite as one and stop thinking about trivial matters. You will be responsible for reviewing the Crown Prince's case. If it is not feasible, you can remove him from the position."
What the heck is going on?
Did Wei Rong think that the emperor was trying to show goodwill, or did he have other motives?
After returning to his residence, Wei Rongdu was still lost in thought.
"Master is back? The Second Prince has been waiting for you for a long time."
A word from the housekeeper brought Wei Rong back to reality.
"The Second Prince is here, why didn't you inform us earlier?"
The housekeeper was stunned and thought, how can I report it so early when you just came home?
"The Second Prince has been waiting for so long. It's all because the servants didn't remind you in time."
Zhao Wei also felt that his uncle was not in good shape today. He had just arrived, so how could he blame the housekeeper?
After dismissing the servants, Zhao Wei asked, "Uncle, is it difficult for the emperor to leave you alone? How about we..."
Before Zhao Wei could finish his words, Wei Rong stopped him and stopped him from continuing.
"The Emperor left me here for no particular reason, except to investigate the Crown Prince's case."
"This is a good thing. Let's make some solid evidence so he can't turn over!"
Zhao Wei was filled with joy, thinking that it was actually a good thing to have this matter handled by his own people.
"The Emperor also said that if necessary, the Crown Prince should be deposed. Do you think that's a good thing?"
When Wei Rong said this, Zhao Wei was stunned for a moment, then said, "But this isn't a bad thing!"
"It's a mixed feeling. I think the Emperor has almost completed his investigation. He asked me to come here just to test him."
Wei Rong knows the priorities of the issues, and some things are really hard to say.
"I'd better check if I have any traces left. I'll go through the process first. There's another possibility. The emperor is planning to depose the prince, but he's using me to do it.
No matter what the situation is, we must not be careless and be smart. You might become the crown prince soon, so don't be impatient."
Wei Rong's words actually reminded Zhao Wei that some things need to be waited and seen, and what you see on the surface may not be everything you think.
The two chatted for a while, and then Zhao Wei returned to his residence.
"I think he's also blinded by his own thoughts. We should stay out of their affairs. The court is too embarrassed today."
The eighth prince Zhao Xin talked about what happened in the court today in front of his mother, and felt that there was no need for his family to get involved with the Wei family.
"Son, back then, my family competed with the Zhao family for the throne, and we lost. If the Wei family hadn't come to our aid, I'm afraid we wouldn't have the good life we have today."
Mother Lu Yuejiao did not say that she was given to the then Crown Prince Zhao Hengzhang as a concubine as a bargain.
"Forget it. Temporary friendships must be repaid. Don't argue with Father over these trivial matters. No wonder my uncle couldn't win back then..."
Zhao Xin didn't continue speaking, as this was a great act of treason.
Lu Yuejiao also knew that Lu Yipeng was simple-minded, which was probably one of the reasons why the Wei family tolerated him in the Ministry of Rites.