Chapter 50: Who gave you the courage to defy me!?

Just as the Minister of Revenue, Liu Minghan, stepped down, the Censor-in-Chief, Zhang Ancang, holding his tablet, stepped forward, his voice like a bell: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

Li Chen raised his hand slightly: "Speak."

Please begin your performance!

Having received Li Chen's permission, Zhang Ancang's gaze was like a torch, staring straight at the Minister of Justice, Feng Huai, his tone severe: "Your Majesty, I impeach the Minister of Justice, Feng Huai. The Crown Prince passed away nearly half a year ago; this case has drawn the attention of the entire nation, and the people are in a state of panic. Yet, to this day, the Minister of Justice, Feng Huai, who is responsible for investigating this case, has still made no substantive progress. I dare to ask, Minister Feng, why is this?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Huai's expression sank, but he was not flustered.

He had just heard someone was impeaching him and was startled, thinking it was about him defecting to the Second Imperial Prince last night with the intent to rebel; it turned out to be such a trivial matter.

The reason Zhang Ancang impeached Feng Huai was that Zhang Ancang was an old subordinate of the Crown Prince.

After the Crown Prince died, many subordinates had defected to other factions; only a few, like Zhang Ancang, kept the Crown Prince's kindness in mind, wanting to find out the truth and seek justice for him.

The impeached Minister of Justice, Feng Huai, stood up slowly, cupped his hands, and said: "Censor, your words are incorrect. The Crown Prince's case is complex and involves many people; it cannot be solved in a day or two. Your Majesty, since I took over this case, I have not dared to be the slightest bit negligent, interrogating day and night, verifying from multiple sources, striving to restore the truth. Although there has been no breakthrough yet, I am still giving it my all and would never dare to be the slightest bit careless."

This sentence was pure nonsense; in any case, as long as it couldn't be solved, one could always say this.

Feng Huai was an old fox in the officialdom for decades; he had plenty of stalling tactics.

Zhang Ancang sneered: "Minister Feng, are you not shirking your responsibility with these words? Half a year is enough to turn the entire capital upside down and interrogate countless suspects, but what is the result? The case remains a mystery, and the murderer is still at large. Minister Feng, do you have the ability to solve this case? Or is it that you have hidden secrets in your heart that you dare not speak of?"

Feng Huai was berated like this and began to panic, glaring angrily: "Censor, your words are pure nonsense. I am devoted to the country and seeking justice for the Crown Prince; how could I have any hidden secrets? If you are dissatisfied with me, you can speak directly; why be so aggressive?"

Following this, the two began to bicker, starting from state and family affairs and escalating to personal attacks.

In any case, Zhang Ancang kept biting at Feng Huai, saying that if he had no ability, he should retire, and if he dared not speak, he should hand over the information or release the authority so he could go to the Ministry of Justice to investigate; he must find the truth for the Crown Prince.

Feng Huai had been an official for many years, and being pointed at and scolded, he became angrier as he spoke.

In the court, the officials were discussing heatedly, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Li Chen also looked like he was watching a show; you two can argue for fun, just don't mind me.

These were all fixed programs in the court; the bickering between two ministers could actually reveal some intelligence.

After arguing for about fifteen minutes, Zhang Ancang again cupped his hands toward Li Chen: "Your Majesty, I do not intend to make things difficult for Minister Feng, but this case concerns the foundation of the nation and the spirit of the Crown Prince in heaven. I must argue based on reason, hoping Your Majesty will examine the details and find the truth as soon as possible to soothe the hearts of the people."

Since he had said this much, Li Chen could naturally understand; the Crown Prince's death not being solved was not a solution.

So Li Chen nodded lightly: "Your words are reasonable. Feng Huai, as the Minister of Justice, solving this case is your duty. I will give you three more months; you must find the truth and never let anyone remain at large. As for Zhang Ancang, as Censor-in-Chief, you have the right to supervise. I allow you to investigate the Ministry of Justice's files on the Crown Prince's case to ensure this case can be tried justly and fairly."

Li Chen's words were absolutely flawless; he urged Feng Huai to investigate the case while allowing Zhang Ancang to investigate it himself, so Zhang Ancang could no longer say Li Chen hadn't given him a chance.

Moreover, Li Chen said he would give Feng Huai three months without saying what would happen if he couldn't solve it, which was actually a perfect answer.

The court officials felt this matter had come to an end; in any case, it hadn't been solved for so long, so there must be many obstacles.

Zhang Ancang had just received the decree and thanked him, but Feng Huai wouldn't have it.

He stated bluntly: "Your Majesty, this must not happen. The Ministry of Justice is a vital place of the imperial court, concerning the safety of the nation, and many secret documents are stored here. The late Emperor entrusted the Ministry of Justice to me, which is his trust in me. If Censor-in-Chief Zhang comes to investigate, it would be an overreach of authority. I hope Your Majesty will retract these words!" As soon as these words were spoken, the whole court was shocked.

This old official Feng Huai brought up the late Emperor; he was going to confront the new Emperor head-on.

To put it bluntly, he was relying on being an old official in charge of an important position and his hard work to pressure the new Emperor.

Li Chen frowned and said: "Try saying that again?"

Anyone could hear that Li Chen was in a bad mood now.

But Feng Huai seemed to have lost his head; Li Chen had already stripped him of many privileges, and now he was letting others meddle in his Ministry of Justice?

Having long been displeased with Li Chen, Feng Huai continued: "Your Majesty, it is not that I intend to defy you, but it is what the late Emperor entrusted to me; it cannot be treated as child's play!"

"Good, then I will send you to see the late Emperor!"

Li Chen gave a disdainful snort, and with just a wave of his hand, a powerful and pure energy tore through the void and arrived in an instant!

In an instant, space shifted, and the mountains and rivers trembled!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The body of the Minister of Justice, Feng Huai, exploded with a bang!

Even with his profound cultivation, he had no room to resist and died instantly!

Every inch of his body was exploding, his bones turned to powder, and his skin, flesh, and blood mixed together into a pulp.

!

A patch of red-black blood exploded onto the ground, and blood mist was still drifting in the air.

The power generated by the explosion caused the entire palace to shake; everyone didn't know what had happened, only feeling the terrifying energy spreading from within the court.

The most miserable part was that the ministers around Feng Huai were all splashed with blood.

Li Chen's performance was too shocking, exceeding worldly imagination, directly stunning the officials in the court!

Those military officials had all practiced cultivation, and most were still standing, while the civil officials were blown away by the shockwave, lying on the ground wailing.

Now, all the officials were thinking: No wonder His Majesty has always been so fearless, no wonder the Empress Dowager didn't dare to listen to politics from behind the curtain; is this the power of the Sage Realm!

It was their first time feeling a Sage Realm expert take action at such close range, and it was truly an eye-opener.

Li Chen would not indulge this old official Feng Huai.

I gave you a chance, and you insist on defying me?

You don't listen to my words and use the late Emperor to pressure me?

You want me to retract my order and dare to say I'm treating it as child's play?

You think you're very formidable, don't you!

Talking about the late Emperor at every turn, I'll send you to see him now!

Now you're happy to have died without a whole corpse.

Why did you think I wouldn't dare to kill you? Who gave you the courage to defy me!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 51 =====