Chapter 298: One Person Killed for Every Person Tolerated

Li Liangcheng spoke without thinking and gave up on the spot, shocking Right Prime Minister Wu Dashou on the side.

Qiu Defu was also suspicious, looking at Li Liangcheng and then at the old Emperor. He was afraid the old Emperor would erupt in anger.

"I didn't want him to do anything; I just wanted him to be a son." The old Emperor rarely didn't erupt in anger; he actually explained very patiently.

Li Liangcheng's expression was solemn. "Hasn't he been qualified enough to be a son? In what way is he unworthy of being a son? It is Your Majesty who is repeatedly forcing him; he, in order to save his life, in order to save the lives of ten thousand people in the Donggong, had no choice but to adopt the method of fasting. But if a person is living well and can see hope, who is willing to seek death? Your Majesty knows the crux of the problem, yet you have always turned a blind eye.

It was fine that you were hostile to him before, but now that he has been deposed, he has no threat to imperial power at all; why does Your Majesty still refuse to let him go, and why do you still have to be harsh on him in terms of mere material things?

If it is for humiliation, why be so base; just issue a decree to depose him as a commoner, and then imprison him, that would be it.

If it is not for humiliation, then please correct your attitude and give Prince Zhong the respect and treatment he deserves. He is a deposed Crown Prince, but he is still an imperial prince, a king, and an imperial clan member; he shouldn't be treated like this. Please rescind your order."

So daring!

Right Prime Minister Wu Dashou secretly thought that Li Liangcheng must not want his life anymore. The Crown Prince was deposed, which was equivalent to pulling out his backbone. If he had been this daring before the Crown Prince was deposed, would there have been a turning point?

Wu Dashou thought carefully; it couldn't be, there couldn't have been a turning point. Even if Li Liangcheng risked his life, it was impossible to change the old Emperor's determination to depose the Crown Prince.

Then, the courage at this moment was purely breaking the pot and smashing it, betting on the old Emperor's sense of indebtedness.

The old Emperor was clearly already furious, his beard shaking, yet he rarely didn't erupt.

"Get out! All of you get out!"

"Please rescind your order, Your Majesty!"

"Get out!" The old Emperor kicked over the tea table on the side. "All of you get out!"

Li Liangcheng wasn't afraid of death and wanted to say more. Wu Dashou was quick-eyed and fast-handed, covering his mouth and dragging him outside the hall. "Li Xiang, don't be impulsive! Go, go, go, go to the Political Affairs Hall to drink a cup of tea and calm down."

He dragged him all the way outside the palace gate before letting go.

Li Liangcheng glared at Wu Dashou. "The Crown Prince has been deposed; Prince Jin must be crazy with joy!"

"Why are you cursing me? I didn't start this; it was that one who acted arbitrarily; what can I do? As for Prince Jin, he is panicked right now. Even the Crown Prince can be deposed; among these princes, who dares to say they are more valued than the Crown Prince? It seems like they have a chance, but who knows if this is a death warrant."

Wu Dashou sighed repeatedly; he was also very aggrieved.

He pointed to the Taiji Palace. "That one is in a fit of anger; you won't solve the problem by angering him. Just call the Lesser Palace Housekeeper and let him give Prince Zhong some face. If he refuses, our Political Affairs Hall won't give the Lesser Palace face. We can't stop the deposition of the Crown Prince; the Political Affairs Hall is incompetent. But we still have ways to not give the Lesser Palace face."

This sounded like human words.

Li Liangcheng's face looked a little better; he walked in front, furious, wanting to escort Prince Zhong. At least for now, he couldn't let anyone bully Prince Zhong. Prince Zhong was only deposed of his status as Crown Prince, and he hadn't died. Whoever dared to bully Prince Zhong would have to ask him if he agreed.

The old Emperor sat dejectedly on the steps, looking very frustrated.

Qiu Defu whispered to persuade him: "Your Majesty, the ground is cold!"

The old Emperor waved his hand tiredly, not wanting to move.

"Why does Your Majesty have to be the same as Li Xiang. He is also anxious and angry, speaking up for Prince Zhong, so his words were inappropriate for a moment. Why not let the servant go to the Political Affairs Hall to remind him, so he knows the limits and adheres to the way of the monarch and minister."

"No need. Li Liangcheng is sincerely thinking for the sake of the third one; I can tolerate him."

The deposed Crown Prince was the third; the two older brothers above were born of concubines and died early. He was the legitimate eldest son in name and reality, and his status was so orthodox that in the three hundred years of the dynasty, no emperor could compare to him.

Such an orthodox status could be deposed, and that too without major faults and while having a good reputation; no wonder Li Liangcheng was going mad.

Qiu Defu carefully pondered the old Emperor's thoughts. "As for the Lesser Palace side..."

Qiu Defu hurriedly took the conversation. "Should the servant go to remind them?"

"It is very necessary." The old Emperor finally nodded. "Tell the Lesser Palace that Prince Zhong is an imperial prince, and everything must comply with the regulations of an imperial prince. The items used must be the best. Forget it, allow Prince Zhong to take away the utensils and decorations of the Donggong together, and do not obstruct him. Let the Lesser Palace cooperate as much as possible."

"No!"

Qiu Defu knew that the old Emperor still had a trace of father-son affection for the deposed Crown Prince, plus a trace of indebtedness, so he wanted to compensate as much as possible in material terms. As for the previous actions, giving Prince Zhong a three-entry residence, that was a decision made in a fit of anger. After being scolded by Li Liangcheng, he had actually woken up.

The supreme status of Crown Prince had been deposed, so he had to compensate in material terms; only in this way could the people of the world understand.

The old Emperor suddenly changed the subject. "Li Liangcheng's loyalty is commendable. As for Wu Dashou, you go and hint to him to take the initiative to resign."

Hmm?

So sudden?

Wu Dashou was Prince Jin's father-in-law; resigning meant cutting off Prince Jin's wings. Was this a signal that he didn't favor Prince Jin and wanted to suppress Prince Jin?

"No!" Qiu Defu responded while guessing the old Emperor's heart. Praising Li Liangcheng—was this a discovery of conscience, and the remaining indebtedness to the Crown Prince was taking effect? If Wu Dashou was forced to resign, who could succeed Wu Dashou's position? A neutral faction?

This was a major event; what benefits could he fish from it?

The old Emperor's attitude changed three times a day, and countless people were pondering the deep meaning; could it be that the Crown Prince still had a chance?

Jiang Tu was beaten, and he left the palace with a scarred face, and the news quickly spread inside and outside the court. Countless people were guessing, could it be that he had fallen out of favor?

The Divine Artifact Battalion and the Divine Sharp Battalion finally withdrew from the capital completely, order was restored, and the people walked on the streets again to work and earn money; it seemed that nothing had changed, and the capital was still the capital it was before.

However, in fact, only by being in it could one feel that after this incident, the market was depressed, and the people had no money in their pockets. Families that originally had small savings had exhausted their savings and had to tighten their belts. Families that could originally get by fell into extreme poverty. Families that were already poor were in debt.

For the court officials, this month or so was a difficult struggle. The struggle ended, and everything returned. Except for the Crown Prince being deposed, it seemed nothing had changed. For the people of the capital, this month or so was enough to change their lives, and their lives fell into torment.

The chain reaction was that wages were lower, and money was harder to earn. Just at this time, grain prices began to rise, one price a day, forcing the market people to be unable to breathe.

This life was getting harder and harder!

Walking into the Hou Fu back alley, this was like another world, and the wind and rain outside couldn't drift in. Did the rise in prices have an impact on the people living here? The impact was very small.

People living in the back alley basically relied on the Hou Fu for food; if the Hou Fu didn't fall, everyone's rice bowl would be stable. If grain prices rose, they would go to the clan to buy low-priced grain, which was 20% to 30% cheaper than the market price. It was only supplied to the Chen clan members. This was the welfare of the Chen clan and one of the few welfare measures of the Hou Fu to take care of the clansmen.

Chen Guanlou took a cloth bag and also went to buy ten catties of welfare grain. He resold five catties at the original price to Sister Chunxiang.

Sister Chunxiang had many people in her family, and half-grown boys ate the old man poor. It was a pity that her husband was an outsider and not a servant of the Hou Fu, so the children couldn't enjoy the discount of welfare grain, making the whole family unable to eat their fill and having to save grain.

Sister Chunxiang was very grateful and felt a bit uneasy. "You shared the grain with me; is it enough for you to eat?"

"I eat in the cafeteria of the Heavenly Prison every day; five catties of grain is enough for me to eat for half a month. When I finish eating, I'll go buy more."