Before Emperor Guangwu could regain his senses, the court officials below, as if having made an appointment, all directed their firepower at the Crown Prince.
"Your Majesty, this official believes that the Crown Prince is in charge of the people's livelihood and public security in the capital and the cities within a radius of two hundred li. However, a major event like the water bandits attacking Lingbi in his jurisdiction has occurred. Regardless of who eliminated the water bandits, the Crown Prince is hard to absolve of his responsibility!"
"Your Majesty! The water bandits in the Fei River have been causing trouble for ten years. The Crown Prince has never been able to completely root them out, and their numbers are even on the rise. It was said that there were only a few hundred of them last year, but it was rumored that there were thousands of them yesterday! This official thinks that instead of getting rid of the water bandits, the Crown Prince might be raising them!"
"Your Majesty! The water bandits in Jiangsu and Zhejiang actually have firearms! This official's spy reported that the water bandits bought their firearms from the Japanese pirates along the coast. The coast is so close to the capital, yet the Crown Prince allowed the Japanese pirates to run amok along the coast and even colluded with the underworld gangs in our Great Ye Kingdom to trade in arms! He must be severely punished!"
"Your Majesty! This official's spy reported that last night when Lingbi was attacked, Prince Yan captured not only water bandits but also people from the Eastern Depot! The Eastern Depot actually joined forces with the water bandits... The Eastern Depot must be strictly investigated!"
"Your Majesty! The Crown Prince was in charge of the Eastern Depot when he was overseeing state affairs. There was already a scandal when the yellow - fan eunuch was arrested, and now it's the Eastern Depot again. This official believes that this institution has rotted. It must be strictly investigated from top to bottom, and the Eastern Depot should be returned to Your Majesty's control!"
"Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty..."
...
The group of officials chattered noisily, making Emperor Guangwu's head buzz.
It was as if there were ten thousand flies buzzing around his ears.
Song Yinghuai had long anticipated that if he reported alone in the imperial study, he would surely be suppressed by Emperor Guangwu as usual.
But this time he was determined to further deprive the Crown Prince of his power, so he had already informed all the forces in the capital's various departments. Early this morning during the court session, they launched a fierce attack on the Crown Prince's misdeeds.
This was the reason why he made an excuse not to attend the court session.
If he didn't attend, Emperor Guangwu's attention would not be on him, and he would be less likely to take out his anger on him because of the Crown Prince's affairs.
"Your Majesty..."
"Don't want to hear!" Emperor Guangwu angrily slapped the dragon throne, "Apart from accusing the Crown Prince of this and that, what else can you say?"
His head was about to explode. He didn't want to hear anything about the Crown Prince anymore!
Who could tell him something else?
Gong Qingliang, the grand academician of the Hanlin Academy, shrank his neck aggrievedly, "Your Majesty, what this official wants to report is not about the Crown Prince, but about General Sheng, the commander of the Hu cavalry in Kaiping, who entered the capital without permission."
Sheng Jiangli entered the capital without permission?
This should have been a bad thing that would make the emperor angry. But because of the uproar about the Crown Prince's affairs, the emperor actually burst into laughter immediately. He was overjoyed and asked amiably:
"What about General Sheng? Where is he?"
"Your humble general is here, Your Majesty." Sheng Jiangli's clear voice sounded below the hall.
Upon closer listening, it seemed to carry a faint smile.
Interesting!
As soon as he came to the court, he witnessed Prince Yan's masterful command of the battle from afar.
The Crown Prince might lose this time.
Emperor Guangwu heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, he noticed a strange face that had never appeared in the hall before. He smiled and said:
"Good, good... You've come at a good time..."
Everyone looked at the emperor's inexplicable smile, feeling confused.
Could there be other hidden meanings behind Sheng Jiangli's entry into the capital?
Sheng Jiangli received Emperor Guangwu's urgent look from afar and immediately understood his intention:
"Your humble general came to the capital late and failed to help the Crown Prince suppress the water bandits in time. Fortunately, he managed to save a group of common people entering the city when the water bandits were attacking the city. This can be regarded as a great blessing in misfortune. The county magistrate and the garrison general of Lingbi can testify to this. Your humble general was ordered by the Crown Prince to save the people. Please be discerning, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Guangwu became even more delighted.
Sure enough, he was his capable sharp blade outside the pass.
With just one look, he knew what was on his mind.
Finally, there was someone to relieve the Crown Prince's predicament.
He was a promising talent!
Under the bombardment of the officials, Huang Siliang was gradually losing ground. He shrank to one side like a quail and kept silent.
Finally, Xiao Rencheng asked with a smile, "Lord Huang, when Lord Xiang accused the Crown Prince of spending the night in the Hundred - Flower Tower just now, were you also there? As the head of the Censorate, this official must strictly investigate the matter of official conduct and political achievements. I hope Lord Huang will cooperate and go to the Censorate later to list the names of all of you who went to the brothel for this official!"
Huang Siliang's knees went weak, and he knelt on the ground.
On April 22nd, the thirty - third year of Yuanzheng.
Just one day after Prince Yan Song Yinghuai entered the capital, it was spread that the Crown Prince had been deprived of all his power to command the garrison troops and participate in political discussions in the capital.
At the same time, a large number of officials in the Crown Prince's faction were severely punished for corruption and promiscuity.
Huang Siliang, the Minister of War, was imprisoned, and Wen Zilong, the vice - minister, was promoted accordingly.
The time for the Crown Prince Song Chengyuan to be released from restrictions became even more uncertain, and a tense atmosphere pervaded the capital.
Of course, the only thing that Song Yinghuai failed to control was Sheng Jiangli.
Because of Sheng Jiangli's ambiguous "claiming of credit" in the court, the Crown Prince was still not deposed.
And Sheng Jiangli himself, because of his meritorious service in saving the people of Lingbi, was not only not held accountable for entering the capital without permission but was also rewarded by the emperor. He was then left in the capital and promoted to the deputy commander of the guard in the capital.
Sheng Jiangli happily stayed in the capital.
The struggle for the crown prince between the Crown Prince and Prince Yan seemed to become even more intense, and all the court officials were carefully choosing their sides.
When Song Yinghuai woke up, he saw Caiyu sleeping on the table outside the bed. He couldn't help but frown slightly.
He lifted the quilt and got out of bed, then walked up to her.
She was sleeping soundly, with her eyebrows relaxed and her breathing shallow. A large mass of long hair fell from her shoulders, covering most of her face, but just grazing her plump and moist lips.
Probably really tired, her red lips were slightly open when she breathed, pouting. She lacked the usual charm but added a bit of innocence like a little girl.
Song Yinghuai was a bit dazed looking at her.
The red and plump lips of that little girl Lan Jinshu were actually quite similar to Caiyu's...
He shook his head and smiled.
It had been a long time since he thought of Miss Lan San. Maybe it was because he came to the capital that the memories of the past came back to his mind.
He bent down, picked up Caiyu, and wanted to put her on the bed.
But Caiyu woke up when he moved. She opened her sleepy eyes and looked up to see Song Yinghuai's slightly stubbled chin.
"Your Highness, where are you taking this servant girl?" Caiyu didn't struggle in a panic.
She was used to it.
Song Yinghuai tucked her in his arms and said, "Why didn't you go to the bed in the side room to sleep?"
Caiyu pouted, "Your Highness hasn't had a good rest for a long time. This servant girl was just afraid that Your Highness would need to be served when you woke up."
Song Yinghuai laid her down on his own bed and said jokingly, "I have to go a long time without a good rest before I can get your careful service. How did I find such a high - handed servant girl?"
Caiyu was no longer the timid Caiyu she used to be.
Now Caiyu was sure that Song Yinghuai liked her, and the coquettishness of a little girl could no longer be hidden. She proudly raised her eyes:
"Then does Your Highness want to replace this servant girl with a more humble one? This servant girl thinks Qingqing is quite good..."
Before she could finish her words, her lips were pecked.
The man's clear and cold aura rushed towards her. He pecked her lips, his eyes gentle, and replied, "No need to replace. Just like this. I'll get used to it after getting used to it."
Although they often slept in the same bed on the way, they were actually focused on traveling, so they didn't do anything intimate.
Speaking of which, it had been a long time since they had been so close.
Just a peck on the lips, and Caiyu's toe curled up like a petal immediately. The tip of her nose turned red with excitement.
"When did Your Highness become so easy to compromise?" Caiyu's heart trembled a little when she met Song Yinghuai's clear eyes.
Song Yinghuai looked at her steadily and murmured softly, "Because it's you."
Caiyu's heart couldn't help but tremble. "What?"