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Chapter 229: Shock
Early the next morning, Li Yuanji woke up from his drunken stupor. At first, he felt nothing, but suddenly his expression changed dramatically, and then his face gradually turned pale, with his eyes beginning to redden.
Aunt Chen... is dead...
Li Yuanji seemed to finally understand what had happened, but soon he calmed down again. After all, it was just a few Guardians and Retainers; was it worth him losing his mind over?
He touched the woman beside him, not remembering who she was. Looking around at the surroundings, it didn’t seem to be his own palace, but Li Yuanji felt no panic at all.
He directly woke the woman to help him dress and stepped out of the bedroom to find the Guardians waiting outside, while the host of this place was smiling beside them.
King Qi had stayed overnight; if this got out, he would surely be ridiculed. But what could he do? King Qi came with a bloodied sword; if he dared to say anything against it, he would probably have been dead by last night.
Li Yuanji said nothing. Although he kept trying to reassure himself, Chen's figure kept appearing in his mind.
Upon returning to the palace, he found that they were in mourning. Li Yuanji's face flushed with anger as he hurriedly ordered those mourning rites to be removed and strode into the palace.
"There are no rules! Who allowed you to do this? Bring the princess here!"
Soon, Yang Clan appeared in plain clothes, still performing their cold and formal greetings.
Li Yuanji glared at her and said, "Are you cursing me or cursing my father, the Empress?"
"I dare not," she replied. "It’s just that Chen passed away due to illness, and no one is mourning for her. She raised His Highness well; as His Highness's wife, I am also grateful. Chen's parents have both passed away and she has never married..."
Li Yuanji interrupted her: "But she was just a servant! It’s one thing to arrange things outside; how can it be done within the palace..."
In fact, on the way back, Li Yuanji had been thinking about giving Chen a grand funeral, but unexpectedly, it had already been arranged by Yang Clan.
This made him feel very uncomfortable—so uncomfortable that he began to think about killing someone.
At this moment, Deputy Governor Wang An led several officials to pay their respects. Li Yuanji was taken aback, "Why are they here? Princess, you..."
Yang Clan interrupted her husband for the first time since her marriage, "It's not me, but it's not surprising they know. In Jinyang City, what can escape the Taiyuan Wang Clan's notice?"
They knew, but generally speaking, they would act as if they didn't and keep their distance.
Li Yuanji suddenly felt something was off, "This matter ends here; you may leave."
Then Li Yuanji instructed his confidant to handle the situation thoroughly before heading to the Main Hall to meet the guests.
However, he paused; he had rushed back to the residence and hadn't had a chance to clean up or change clothes. It was inappropriate to meet his officials in such a disheveled state, especially considering that the visitors might not have good intentions.
So he ordered his confidant to go ahead and gather information. After Li Yuanji washed up and changed into his imposing Court Robes, he still hadn't received any word from his confidant and could no longer wait, so he made his way to the Main Hall.
Upon Li Yuanji's arrival, everyone stood up and bowed in greeting. There were currently only three princes in the court, making them quite precious.
Li Yuanji smiled at Wang An, "I apologize for not being able to greet you from afar, Prince."
Wang An replied gracefully, "Your Highness is too kind; it is I who intrudes by coming unannounced."
"Ha ha! I wish I could be closer to Your Highness; unfortunately, I am just a rough man who truly does not understand the refined pleasures of poetry and prose."
After some pleasantries, Wang An stated directly, "I came so abruptly because there is urgent news to report to Your Highness. Someone in the Court has lodged a complaint against you. His Majesty has dispatched Wei Zheng to investigate thoroughly and summoned you back to Chang'an."
Li Yuanji's heart skipped a beat; he felt that disaster was imminent as everything seemed to be coming together at once.
"Who lodged a complaint against me?"
"Minister of Rites Left Chancellor."
"What?"
Li Yuanji stood up directly, thinking it was an impeachment from the officials like Wei Zheng, but he never expected it to be Pei Ji.
A person in this position would not easily take action, but why?
Pei Ji himself was nothing special; the Pei Family was indeed prominent, but if this was Guanlong's intention, then it would be dangerous.
Li Yuanji, who also came from the Noble Families of Guanlong, understood well the power they could mobilize.
Li Yuanji slowly sat down: "Then what did the Left Chancellor impeach me for?"
Wang An recounted the situation truthfully, adding at the end: "The Chancellor also accused Your Highness of secretly colluding with Xieli Khan, waiting for an opportunity to imitate His Majesty's past actions, with Jinyang directly taking over Chang'an and replacing you!"
"Nonsense! Nonsense! I will kill that old thief! I will wipe out the Pei Family! How dare they slander a royal prince and sow discord between me and His Majesty..."
Seeing that Li Yuanji had lost his composure, Wang An showed a worried expression: "Wei Zheng is already on his way, and accompanying him is the Prince of Chu. Even if we can prove this matter false, it seems unlikely that you will regain the position of Bingzhou Governor for now."
In his fright, Li Yuanji felt a headache from his hangover and couldn't care less about Wang An and the others being present. He hurriedly asked his confidants for advice, but they were also panicking and had no clue.
King Qi was His Majesty's biological brother, and with the Retired Emperor still around, he shouldn't lose his life. However, their confidants were different; if things were investigated thoroughly, they would likely lose their lives just like the previous King Qi Yang Liang.
Finally, someone managed to calm down: "Your Highness, what is urgent now is to handle some matters before Wei Zheng arrives. As for personal morals, let them impeach as they wish.
You and His Majesty are close kin; without solid evidence, no one can do anything to you!"
Li Yuanji knocked his head hard. He regretted his indulgence over the past year; thinking that no news could leak out made him let down his guard.
At this point, wanting to completely clear up everything would be very difficult. Wang An then led everyone to stand up and take their leave: "The matter has been reported to Your Highness; we won't disturb you any longer."
Li Yuanji then realized that the people before him were the officials of the important government offices in Bingzhou.
Li Yuanji reached out to stop Wang An, saying, "The Prince specifically brought these people here; it can't be just to watch me make a fool of myself."
Wang An smiled but said nothing. "How could I dare to watch the Prince Qi's jokes? I came specifically to remind Your Highness."
Li Yuanji solemnly bowed to Wang An, saying, "Then I appreciate the Prince's kindness. I also ask you to lend a helping hand to assist Yuanji in overcoming difficulties. In the future, I will repay this great favor."
Wang An looked disdainfully at the lowered head before him, and the officials behind him shared the same sentiment, exchanging glances filled with amusement. King Qi had always acted arrogantly and without any respect towards them.
They never expected that he would lower his head today; it was quite satisfying.
Of course, it would be even better if that head could roll on the ground, but that was unlikely unless the Retired Emperor passed away.
When Li Yuanji finally raised his head, everyone wore sincere expressions: "We will do our utmost to assist King Qi."
………
(End of Chapter)
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