The Sixth Prince sneered: "I have said before that none of the princes who have survived until now are fuel-efficient."
"What the prince means is..."
"Watch the show!" The Sixth Prince said softly: "I also want to see... what will he do next? If he has no backup plan and is killed by the Du family, it will save us from taking action... "
"But what if he has a back-up plan?" the little eunuch asked.
The Sixth Prince chuckled and said: "Just in time to see clearly what his plan is? Besides, even if he has a back-up plan this time, he has to shed a layer of skin. Otherwise, do you really think that the Du family is just a living person?"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
…
East Palace!
"You mean, Lao Jiu is dead?"
"Brother Chen just thinks that Lao Jiu shouldn't be such an impulsive person."
"Oh?" The prince raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Do you think he did it on purpose?"
"We can't rule out the possibility that if things get serious, although he will be deprived of his title, his life can be saved, and he might be able to return to Kyoto."
The prince frowned. If Lao Jiu came back, it would be trouble.
He is not afraid of the other princes even if they are stronger. He has an advantage in terms of blood.
But Lao Jiu and his compatriots were too much of a threat.
"The Du family may not take action this time, but your highness, don't forget the power that the Du family controls. Inciting public opinion is just the first step. Now it has worked. Everyone knows about King You's crimes. The second step is the game in the court. ...You should know that as long as the Master of the Du family opens his mouth...there will be many people willing to charge into the battle."
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"
"Wouldn't it be better to win over aristocratic families like the Du family and let my good brother die quietly in Jiaozhou?"
…
Tai Chi Hall.
Emperor Wu's face was calm, making it difficult to detect any clues, and all the ministers were already in place.
At the beginning of the big meeting, as usual, the major issues that have been accumulated will be resolved first, and then the bosses of each department will negotiate and come up with a charter.
After all the procedures were completed, Chang Lin, the eunuch, began to shout: "If anything happens, report immediately; if nothing happens, leave the court!"
As the powerful kings of Wu Guozui, the imperial officials at Yushitai did their duty and were the first to stand up.
"Your Majesty, I want to sue You King Li Zhao!"
"Your Majesty, King You Li Zhao massacred the entire Du family in Jiaozhou without any reason or order. This is an atrocity and should be severely punished!"
"You King Li Zhao is lawless, your Majesty, please punish him severely!"
Just after the censors came forward, officials from various ministries also came forward one after another.
First, the small officials charged into the battle, and when they finished speaking, the heavyweight officials began to appear.
This kind of massacre of a whole family is rare in the entire Wu Kingdom.
It can be seen how hateful Li Zhao's behavior is.
Emperor Wu looked displeased, looking at the civil and military officials of the court, and then at Prince Zhao and the six ministers who were resting with their eyes closed.
Everyone pretended to be silent.
"Your Majesty, King You has always been lawless. When he was in Kyoto, he didn't want to make progress. He spent all day having fun in brothels. Now that he has gone to the fiefdom of Jiaozhou, he has completely lost his control, which has led to the destruction of the entire Du family. Tragedy!"
A fifth-grade official said with deep disgust: "If we don't punish him severely, how can we block the world's mouth?"
"Your Majesty, please punish me severely!"
In the Taiji Hall, there were only the voices of the ministers in agreement.
Emperor Wu's face was ashen. He knew very well his son's virtue and what Li Zhao had done in Jiaozhou.
But this group of people didn't care about the reasons and only looked at the results, which made him quite unhappy.
Li Zhao didn't kill many people, and the direct members were still imprisoned by Li Zhao.
But now, Li Zhao has become a heinous murderer.
"Father!" The fourth prince stood up.
Many people who secretly supported the fourth prince frowned and looked ugly.
Some of them even winked at the fourth prince, hoping that he would not do anything stupid, but the fourth prince ignored them.
Emperor Wu stared at the fourth prince and said, "What do you want?"
"My son thought that even if the ninth brother had a fault, his crime would not lead to death..."
As soon as the fourth prince opened his mouth, countless ministers were disgusted.
"Your Highness the Fourth Prince, do you also think that it is right for the Ninth Prince to disregard human life?"
"As a prince, you should be considerate of all the people in the world. What are your intentions in openly protecting the Ninth Prince and trying to cover up his heinous crimes?"
"Aren't the hundreds of lives of the Du family not lives? The prince who breaks the law should be guilty of the same crime as the common people!"
Many ministers and imperial officials were filled with indignation.
The fourth prince was speechless, how could he be the opponent of this group of people.
"madness!"
The prince and others in the queue shook their heads and sneered.
They were very dissatisfied with what Li Zhao had done and would not intercede for Li Zhao.
If you can use the power of these aristocratic families to kill a potential threat, this is a very cost-effective thing.
Furthermore, which prince does not have a noble family behind him to support him?
The fourth child is confused!
If you plead for Lao Jiu now, you are offending the family!
Not a good deal.
The fourth prince did not expect that this group of people would react so violently. Now that he had taken a stand, he would naturally not regret it.
"What happened in Jiaozhou must have happened for a reason. How can we be convicted just because of one-sided remarks? I sincerely ask my father to investigate thoroughly and give me a lighter sentence!"
"Does the Fourth Prince mean that I am slandering the Ninth Prince?"
"The reports from Jiaozhou have been submitted. Does the Fourth Prince think that all the officials in Jiaozhou are well connected?"
"Hundreds of human lives are justified in the eyes of the Fourth Prince?"
The ministers were furious.
Those who supported the fourth prince were even more disappointed.
At this time, by interceding for the Ninth Prince, he would offend the entire family.
No one can save the Ninth Prince today, and forcing himself to step forward is tantamount to ruining his own future.
Because someone has already pointed the finger at the fourth prince. Not only was the fourth prince unable to save Li Zhao, but he was trapped in trouble.
Emperor Wu watched coldly, his eyes always lingering on his sons. At this time, people's hearts are tested the most.
This time, even Emperor Wu couldn't show favoritism.
Although he gave Li Zhao great authority, he really didn't expect that Li Zhao would be so big, how could he take over the whole family as soon as he came up?
Emperor Wu's head hurt, Jiuzi really couldn't save himself.
If he doesn't handle it, the entire government will be paralyzed.
He can kill one person, but he cannot kill countless people.
Li Zhaotai was wrong about this matter.
"Your Majesty, please punish me severely!"
Emperor Wu's expression was uncertain, and the courtiers demanded sternly again.
Emperor Wu knew that he had to give an explanation. Although he was the emperor, he could not do whatever he wanted.
"You King Li Zhao has no character or virtue, and he caused such disasters just after arriving in the fiefdom..."
Emperor Wu spoke immediately. He thought that Li Zhaozhen had a way to change the current situation, but he was overthinking it: "I have given you an oral order, and from now on, King You Wang Li Zhao..."
"Report!"
Outside the Taiji Hall, a young eunuch's voice suddenly sounded.
The sharp voice interrupted Emperor Wu.
All civil and military officials in the court turned to look at the little eunuch at the door.
No one is allowed to break into the great court meeting. Is this little eunuch seeking death?
Emperor Wu scolded with a dark face, "What's the matter?"
"Urgent report from Jiaozhou!" The young eunuch felt like he was being stared at by countless tigers, and his whole body was cold. He said loudly: "The people in Jiaozhou said that this matter is of great importance and is related to the changes in the future pattern of the country..."
All the civil and military officials in the court sneered when they heard this. They knew without looking that this was definitely sent by You Wang Li Zhao.
Can he alone affect the fate of the country?
