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At this critical moment, a clear and urgent voice called out, "Spare Lives!" Yin De Fei rushed into the Imperial Study.
Li Yuan was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Yin De Fei and said, "My Consort, what brings you to Ren Zhi Palace?"
Ignoring the formalities, Yin De Fei hurriedly approached Li Yuan, her skirts billowing as she spoke, "Your Majesty, if I do not come, the Crown Prince will truly have no way out! The Crown Prince is the legitimate heir to the throne; he currently holds a noble status and a bright future. How could he possibly rebel? Your Majesty must not listen to only one side of the story and wrongfully execute the Crown Prince!" Her tone was urgent, and her eyes were filled with anxiety; it was clear she had rushed here.
Li Yuan frowned slightly. "Li Jiancheng has committed the grave crime of treason; the evidence is overwhelming. If I do not execute him, how can I justify this to the people? How can I maintain the dignity of the royal family?"
Yin De Fei quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I understand that the Crown Prince's actions may have been inappropriate, but he harbors no intention of rebellion. In my opinion, he acted out of concern for Prince Qin's growing power, which poses a threat to his position as Crown Prince. If Your Majesty were to execute him now, would that not fulfill Prince Qin's desires?"
Yin De Fei was well aware of Li Shimin's ambitions regarding the throne; everyone in court knew it too, and it was impossible for the Emperor to be unaware.
Li Yuan certainly recognized Li Shimin's ambitions, but he could not place all the blame on his second son. When Taiyuan raised its banner against him, it was he who had promised Li Shimin that if he succeeded in seizing power, he would make him Crown Prince.
This promise had been made out of necessity. At that time, only Li Shimin was by his side and he was quite capable. Starting a rebellion was a matter of life and death; failure would mean losing everything. To inspire Li Shimin's talents, Li Yuan had made that promise on a whim.
Li Yuan never expected that he would soon become Emperor. Once he became Emperor, there were rules to follow. Traditionally, the eldest son should be made heir; this could not be broken. Thus, he established Li Jiancheng as Crown Prince.
Li Shimin must have felt uncomfortable about this situation. But there was nothing he could do; after all, he was the second son!
Upon hearing Yin De Fei's words, Li Yuan recalled that his beloved Consort had grievances with Li Shimin. This was why she had come to Ren Zhi Palace to defend Li Jiancheng. Very well then; in front of Yin De Fei, I shall temporarily spare this ungrateful son!
He said, "My Consort, such matters should not be spoken lightly. Since you plead for him, I will temporarily spare his life. Guards! Take Li Jiancheng into custody and await further orders!"
Hearing Li Yuan's words, Li Jiancheng breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had been detained, at least his life was spared for now. He gratefully glanced at Yin De Fei and said, "Thank you for your grace, Father Emperor! Thank you for Consort De’s life-saving assistance!" Following this, under the supervision of Chen Fu in the hall, two soldiers escorted Li Jiancheng to a temporary prison.
Seeing her goal achieved, Yin De Fei immediately smiled and said to Li Yuan, "Your Majesty, I came here not only to plead for the Crown Prince but also because I missed you dearly. It has been so long since you were by my side; my heart feels empty without you. Tonight, let me serve you well!" She spoke playfully with affectionate eyes that hinted at her charm.
Li Yuan felt his anger dissipate significantly at her coaxing and smiled as he replied, "My Consort is thoughtful. You should go rest for now; tonight I will visit you." Yin De Fei obediently nodded and curtsied before leaving the Imperial Study.
After Yin De Fei departed, Li Yuan sent for Minister Yu Wen Ying to quickly summon Yang Wengan. At that moment, another eunuch came in to report: "Your Majesty, Lord Feng Deyi requests an audience."
Li Yuan understood why Feng Deyi had come and said, "Let him in."
Feng Deyi entered the Imperial Study and bowed respectfully. "I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"
Li Yuan gestured for him to sit down and asked, "Lord Feng, how are things in the capital?"
Feng Deyi replied, "Your Majesty, there is nothing significant happening in the capital; however, after the Crown Prince was summoned to Ren Zhi Palace, I worry that the situation may become unstable. May I ask why Your Majesty has called for him?"
Feng Deyi pretended not to know in order to probe Li Yuan's intentions.
Li Yuan's expression darkened as he said, "The Crown Prince conspired with Yang Wengan intending rebellion; I summoned him here to punish him."
Feigning surprise, Feng Deyi stood up and clasped his hands together as he said: "Your Majesty, this matter may be a misunderstanding. The Crown Prince is the heir apparent; he has no reason to rebel! Moreover, he has always been filial and loyal to Your Majesty; someone must be sowing discord against him. Your Majesty must see through this!"
Li Yuan replied sternly: "This matter was reported by officials from the Eastern Palace; how could it be a misunderstanding?"
Feng Deyi continued: "Your Majesty, since the Crown Prince is accused of colluding with Yang Wengan to rebel, why not summon Yang Wengan to confront him?"
"Lord Feng speaks wisely; I shall send someone to summon Yang Wengan right away." Li Yuan seemed agreeable enough!
"Your Majesty is wise; I shall not disturb you further!" Feng Deyi seized the opportunity to withdraw gracefully.
Li Yuan nodded and said, "Alright, Consort Feng shall stay in Ren Zhi Palace to rest. When Yang Wengan arrives, I will call you over to witness."
"Understood. I will take my leave then!" Feng Deyi, having achieved his goal, bid farewell to Li Yuan. Guided by the chief eunuch, he headed to the room arranged for him to rest, contemplating how to assist Li Jiancheng in dealing with the impending crisis.
After hearing the pleas from Yin De Fei and Feng Deyi, Li Yuan felt that the accusation of treason against the Crown Prince was illogical and fraught with doubts. However, given that he had previously intended to execute the Crown Prince, it would not be easy to grant clemency without any pleas on his behalf. Now that both Yin De Fei and Feng Deyi had interceded, releasing Li Jiancheng provided him with justification; it allowed him to show that he accepted the opinions of his ministers while also demonstrating fairness. This was also why he had a favorable attitude towards Feng Deyi.
Li Yuan promptly dispatched the Minister of Agriculture, Yu Wen Ying, to summon Yang Wengan. This arrangement was deliberate; the person doing the summoning was crucial and could not be someone from Li Jiancheng's faction or from Li Shimin's. Yu Wen Ying was aligned with his fourth son, Li Yuanji.
Ah, Li Yuan was quite aware of the inclinations of his three sons and the ministers in court!
News of Li Jiancheng's detention quickly reached Li Shimin and Li Yuanji. Although they both appeared busy with their own affairs, they were closely monitoring developments regarding Li Jiancheng. Upon hearing that he had merely been detained, both felt a twinge of disappointment.
Li Shimin's expression darkened as he seethed inwardly: Li Jiancheng had committed a grave crime of treason yet was only detained. He had thought this would be an opportunity to completely bring him down, but Yin De Fei and Feng Deyi had thwarted his plans. Yang Wengan was originally an old general from the Eastern Palace and one of Li Jiancheng's trusted allies; if he came, who would admit to colluding with Li Jiancheng in rebellion? It seemed this time, Li Jiancheng would escape disaster.
Li Yuanji also wore a gloomy expression; despite their differences, both he and Li Shimin hoped for Li Jiancheng's removal from the position of Crown Prince. His second brother had set up such a fine trap, yet their elder brother had not faced severe punishment from their father! Li Yuanji understood that if Yang Wengan arrived at Ren Zhi Palace, Shimin's scheme would be completely ruined. No way—he needed to stoke the flames!
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