Chapter 290: Disciple of Hao Yi

Above the great hall, the First Imperial Prince sternly accused the peerless genius of the current era!

Li Fei stood in place with a calm face, his expression unchanged.

Just this composure alone made many officials in the hall look at him with admiration.

No matter how peerless a genius, he was only 18 years old, and it was his first time on the hall to meet the Emperor; to be able to have such concentration was simply astonishing!

These officials couldn't help but recall the scene of their first time on the hall to meet the Emperor; even if they did nothing, just standing there made them so nervous that their hands and feet went soft.

If it were them being accused like this by the First Imperial Prince, they would likely kneel on the spot, completely losing their composure!

"Imperial Brother, why do you say that?"

The Crown Prince spoke first.

The First Imperial Prince turned his head to look at the Crown Prince, asking in return: "Before the Crown Prince recommended talents to Father Emperor, did you not investigate clearly first?"

The Crown Prince smiled coldly: "Then what has Imperial Brother investigated?"

The First Imperial Prince looked at the Emperor above the Dan steps:

"Father Emperor, according to what I know, this Li Fei has a master; his teacher is named Hao Yi, who once publicly robbed the execution ground and rescued a rebel who betrayed the country! And that rebel who was rescued has a relationship with Li Fei as well, being his Junior Martial Aunt.

Not only that, the accomplice who robbed the execution ground with Hao Yi that day also robbed the special train afterwards, killing more than a dozen court officials and dozens of guards!"

Hearing this, the great hall was suddenly filled with discussion.

Betraying the country was not a small crime, and things like publicly robbing the execution ground hadn't happened a few times in decades.

Things like killing more than a dozen court officials were even more so!

Adding these things together, it was somewhat vicious.

Li Fei still had a calm expression upon hearing such accusations.

He had thought of this point immediately after receiving that note last night.

This was also the most obvious point on him that was easiest for others to attack.

However, he didn't need to defend himself yet.

The Crown Prince smiled: "I thought it was something else; so it was this matter."

The First Imperial Prince looked at him: "Why, does the Crown Prince feel this matter doesn't count for anything?"

"Of course!"

The Crown Prince raised his volume, "According to the law, unless it is rebellion, the crime of association is never punished; if Li Fei really had a crime, where would there be a need for Imperial Brother to report it now? He should have been imprisoned back in the Datong Prefecture! Could it be that Imperial Brother feels the entire Datong Prefecture, and the entire Wu'an University, have been kept in the dark?"

The First Imperial Prince also raised his voice: "The Crown Prince's words are sharp, but they cannot change one fact, and that is that this person is indeed a disciple of a rebel! With such a master, who can guarantee that he is truly innocent? Guarantee that he won't betray the country in the future?"

"Huh? Simply ridiculous!"

The Crown Prince's words were no longer polite, "I would like to ask everyone in the hall, possessing the talent of First in History, would he still lack resources? What is there that an enemy country can give, but our Great Lan Dynasty cannot? Such a person, how could he possibly be bought by an enemy country? What would the enemy country use to buy him?!"

Many officials nodded.

Indeed, such talent wouldn't worry about not being cultivated by anyone; there were plenty of people fighting to win him over.

Look, His Highness the Crown Prince was already winning him over.

Then what was the need to betray the country?

Could it be that Li Fei still wanted to overthrow the Great Lan Dynasty and become the Emperor himself?

"So the Crown Prince judges a person's character by their talent. As long as the talent is high enough, there will definitely be no problems."

The First Imperial Prince retorted without any fear:

"Li Fei's master, Hao Yi, broke through to the Dao Foundation stage at 20 back then, and was on the candidate list for the overall Wind and Cloud Ranking at 23; his talent was not much worse than Li Fei's. But what happened in the end? Didn't he also become a rebel who ignored the law and despised the national prestige?"

"So Imperial Brother is here to attack the heart today."

The Crown Prince sneered.

As long as there was no direct evidence to prove Li Fei betrayed the country, just relying on the connection between him, Hao Yi, and Shangguan Xiao could not convict him.

So the First Imperial Prince jumping out to say these things now could at most attack the heart.

But attacking the heart in front of the Emperor, this matter was hard to say.

The Crown Prince asked for rewards for Li Fei and Ming Qi, clearly intending to win over the two, and also to pave the way for them.

Ming Qi, as the Buddha Child of Pudu Temple, would likely not enter the system in the future.

So the Crown Prince's move was mainly to pave the way for Li Fei.

Seeing the Emperor was very happy, perhaps he would let Li Fei rise rapidly!

But now it was interrupted by the First Imperial Prince.

If things went badly, Li Fei might have his future completely cut off by a single sentence from the First Imperial Prince!

"The Crown Prince recommended talents to Father Emperor, asking for heavy rewards without establishing any merit; I am just trying to let Father Emperor understand more clearly."

The First Imperial Prince did not respond to the Crown Prince, but bowed to the Emperor and said.

The Crown Prince also immediately bowed:

"Father Emperor, Hao Yi has been a lecturer at a certain Lecture Hall for more than thirty years; the students he taught were not Li Fei alone, and he never publicly accepted Li Fei as a disciple. Li Fei and Hao Yi are just a normal teacher-student relationship."

The First Imperial Prince wanted to attack the heart, and he had to admit that it was indeed effective, so he immediately changed his strategy to clear Li Fei's relationship with Hao Yi.

Hao Yi indeed never publicly accepted Li Fei as a disciple, and even didn't see Li Fei at all when he came to the Datong Prefecture back then, just to avoid implicating Li Fei in the future.

Heaven, Earth, Monarch, Parent, Teacher.

The teacher-student relationship in this era was very serious, and some teachers and students were even better than father and son!

So Li Fei being Hao Yi's disciple, or just a student taught by Hao Yi, were two completely different concepts.

If it were as the Crown Prince said, Hao Yi had been a lecturer at the Lecture Hall for decades, and Li Fei was just one of the students he taught, then this matter would be fine.

"Li Fei, do you have anything to say?"

Above the Dan steps, the Emperor looked at Li Fei, who had been calm from beginning to end, and suddenly asked.

Li Fei first bowed to the Crown Prince:

"Thank you, Your Highness, for defending me, but there are some things Your Highness does not know."

The Crown Prince's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he turned to look at Li Fei abruptly.

Only to see Li Fei bow to the Emperor again, and say loudly:

"Tiangang Sect disciple, Hao Yi's disciple Li Fei, has met the Emperor!"

He said it calmly, but also full of firmness.

WHOOSH—

The hall was in an uproar.

Not only did the Crown Prince's expression change, but even the First Imperial Prince revealed a look of surprise.

Li Fei actually admitted it!

The Emperor leaned forward slightly, as if wanting to see this "First in History" clearly:

"The Crown Prince defended you, saying you were just Hao Yi's student; why do you want to publicly admit this teacher-student relationship?"

Li Fei's tone did not change, saying word by word:

"My master is like a teacher and like a father to me; the grace of teaching, the grace of cultivation, I keep in my heart, and dare not forget!"

What kind of wealth, what kind of rising rapidly, he didn't care about any of it.

Today, he just wanted to say who his master was in front of the civil and military officials and the lords of the temple!

The hall was in an uproar again.

Li Fei not only admitted his teacher-student relationship with Hao Yi but also emphasized his feelings for Hao Yi!

Did this First in History really not care about his future at all?

"Then do you know that your master publicly robbed the execution ground, ignored the law, and is a rebel!"

The First Imperial Prince turned around and questioned Li Fei loudly.

Li Fei straightened up and met the First Imperial Prince's gaze:

"I only know that my Junior Martial Aunt Shangguan Xiao was framed by a traitor, slandered as betraying the country, and my master was forced into a helpless situation before he took action to save her. Although the law cannot tolerate it, the situation is understandable."

WHOOSH—

The hall was in an uproar again.

Li Fei actually overturned the fact that had already been closed in public!

Was this peerless genius really so arrogant, really relying on his talent to be proud, and having no fear?

"Presumptuous!"

The First Imperial Prince pointed at Li Fei and scolded sternly, a murderous aura rushing towards him:

"You really harbor evil intentions! The case of Shangguan Xiao, piece by piece, evidence is conclusive, ironclad evidence is like a mountain; you still dare to say she was framed? Li Fei, do you still have the court law in your eyes?!"

Li Fei was not afraid at all, sneering: "I only arrived at the Lanling City yesterday; the First Imperial Prince is actually so clear about a case far away in the Datong Prefecture; could it be that the First Imperial Prince personally tried this case back then?"

He actually dared to question the First Imperial Prince?

Many officials in the hall looked at Li Fei with unbelievable eyes, feeling that this person was afraid he had already gone crazy...

The First Imperial Prince was also stunned, not expecting Li Fei to dare to speak to him like this.

However, Li Fei's questioning did indeed hit the point; you, an Imperial Prince, are actually so concerned about a case far away in the Datong Prefecture, which is indeed thought-provoking.

Without waiting for the First Imperial Prince to flare up, Li Fei continued:

"A lecturer at the former Wu'an University was imprisoned for colluding with Western spies, and had previously confessed in prison, pointing out that he was instigated by the former Wu'an University professor Xu Jing to deliberately collude with Western spies, thereby framing others, paving the way for the subsequent destruction of the Tiefeng Sect... All these kinds of things were recorded in the Datong Prefecture, and the Datong Prefecture Garrison Commander, Lord Governor Bian Jingru, also once memorialized to the imperial court, reporting the matter truthfully, and accusing all the officials of the Feng Province provincial capital investigation team and Xu Jing and others!"

Of course, he was not stubborn, daring to confront a powerful Imperial Prince on such an occasion.

He said Shangguan Xiao was framed; if it were just his own voice, that would be talking nonsense and ignoring the law, and he would really be looking for death!

But this matter had the endorsement of the Datong Prefecture; back then, Governor Bian Jingru memorialized directly to the imperial court, accusing the provincial capital and Xu Jing and others, and had publicly torn his face.

Under such circumstances, Li Fei raised this matter, and the nature was completely different.

Everyone wouldn't feel that Li Fei was talking nonsense and provoking the Imperial Prince, but would first think of party strife.

Combined with the sentence Li Fei just asked the First Imperial Prince, he only arrived at the Lanling City yesterday, yet the First Imperial Prince was so clear about the case far away; this actually explained many problems.

Back then, the master of the Hudao Gang evaluated Li Fei as a "calm madman."

Translated, it meant—consider everything clearly before going crazy!

With the title of "First in History," with the endorsement of the Datong Prefecture and Wu'an University, and with a Crown Prince defending him.

Li Fei didn't feel that anything would happen to him today.

At worst, he would be hated by the Emperor and lose his wealth and future.

But he truly didn't care about these.

"Chief Grand Secretary, is there such a thing?"

The Emperor looked at Ye Zean.

Ye Zean nodded: "Yes, this matter was indeed reported to the Cabinet back then."

"Who handled this case in the Cabinet back then?"

The Emperor continued to ask.

A Cabinet Minister immediately stood out from the ranks:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister was responsible for handling this case back then."

This person was named Duan Qi, a member of the Zhige Pavilion.

Shangguan Xiao was the First Venerable of the Xingcheng Zhige Academy, and the deceased Zhang Zongyang was the helmsman of the Zhige General Academy, so after this case was reported to the Cabinet, it was handled by the Zhige Pavilion.

"Duan Qi."

The Emperor recognized this Cabinet Minister, "How did you dispose of it in the end?"

Duan Qi: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this case involved a provincial Inspection Commissioner, concerned the survival of a major martial arts sect, and also involved the establishment of a new university; this minister did not dare to decide alone, so I reported the case to the Chief Grand Secretary.

Finally, after the Chief Grand Secretary's resolution, the evidence for this case was conclusive, and before the Datong Prefecture submitted new evidence, the case was decided according to the result that Shangguan Xiao colluded with Western spies and murdered Zhang Zongyang."

The Emperor looked at Li Fei again:

"Li Fei, did you hear that?"

Li Fei: "The commoner heard it."

"You are still unconvinced?"

The Emperor continued to ask.

In an instant, pressure as huge as a mountain appeared in the great hall!

A case formally decided by the Chief Grand Secretary and the central Cabinet, who dared to be unconvinced?

Li Fei bowed in greeting, saying word by word:

"The commoner believes that Shangguan Xiao would absolutely not be a person who betrays the country, and would even less murder her own father! His Highness the Crown Prince asked for rewards for the commoner; the commoner does not ask for any rewards, only asking the Cabinet to retry this case!"

There will be another chapter around 11 PM.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 291 =====

(End of this chapter)