Chapter 508: The Imperial Envoy

Li Fei requested a retrial of the case of Shangguan Xiao!

This was equivalent to publicly questioning the resolution of the Chief Grand Secretary and the Cabinet back then!

Even the Crown Prince's expression changed upon hearing this.

He also never imagined that the "First in History" he had personally recommended would be bold enough to reach this extent!

"Your Majesty."

Just as everyone was shocked by Li Fei's audacity, Ming Qi, who had been silent since just now, suddenly spoke up.

He also bowed to the Emperor:

"This humble monk also does not want a reward; I implore Your Majesty to allow a retrial of this case!"

"Oh?"

The Emperor looked at Ming Qi in surprise, "Are you also involved in this case?"

Ming Qi shook his head: "This humble monk is unrelated to this case."

The Emperor smiled: "Then why do you also request a retrial of this case?"

Ming Qi turned his head to glance at Li Fei beside him.

From the beginning until now, others only saw the audacity Li Fei displayed and felt he was arrogant due to his talent.

Only Ming Qi saw Li Fei's earnest heart and the sincere affection between Li Fei and his own Master.

Ming Qi understood this!

Therefore, he spoke up to plead for Li Fei and was willing to use his own reward to trade for a chance for Li Fei to have the case retried.

Li Fei also did not expect that Ming Qi would actually speak up to help him, and he could not help but feel a warmth in his heart.

He actually did not have much confidence that he could truly have the case retried; he was merely holding onto an attitude of giving it a try.

If it were only for his own sake, or for the posthumous reputation of Shangguan Xiao and Hao Yi, this case could never be retried no matter what.

Because on the other side stood a high-ranking provincial official and a Grandmaster!

But Datong Prefecture had already publicly broken ties with that side, and there was also Wuan University, which had a direct competitive relationship with Hongyi University.

So Li Fei was not fighting alone.

If this case could really be retried, Datong Prefecture and Wuan University would certainly be happy to see it.

Sure enough, a minister immediately stood out from the ranks:

"Your Majesty, this humble official also participated in the trial of this case back then. At the time, I felt there were some oddities and many suspicious points in this case. Therefore, I believe this case can be retried!"

This person was Fang Fang Xingmao, a member of the Supervisory Cabinet.

When Shangguan Xiao's case was "poked" to the central government by Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru, it was Fang Fang Xingmao and Duan Qi who were first responsible for the "preliminary trial."

The two had previously argued publicly inside the Zixu Hall of the Cabinet.

The "Canglin Lu Family" had people in the Cabinet, and Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru, the Garrison Commander of Datong Prefecture, likewise had his own connections.

"Father Emperor!"

Seeing that Ming Qi had actually entered the fray and another Cabinet minister had spoken, the Crown Prince felt this was a good opportunity and hurriedly said:

"Although I have not known Li Fei for long, I believe in his character; he would absolutely not speak nonsense or ignore the laws of the imperial court. Moreover, it is not just him who has objections, but the entire Datong Prefecture!

Father Emperor, why not retry this case? It would settle the hearts of two of the nation's prodigies, and also settle the hearts of the officials of Datong Prefecture."

The First Imperial Prince could not help himself upon hearing this:

"Father Emperor, I believe this must absolutely not be done. How can a case formally resolved by the Chief Grand Secretary and the central Cabinet be overturned and retried without any solid evidence? How would this settle the hearts of the many officials in Feng Province? How would it settle the hearts of the ministers in the Cabinet?"

As his voice fell, other Cabinet ministers immediately stood out to support him.

These Cabinet ministers were either people of the First Imperial Prince or people of the "Canglin Lu Family."

The Emperor did not speak, quietly watching everyone express their views.

A moment later, Duan Qi, a member of the Stop-War Cabinet who had just stepped out, suddenly shouted:

"Your Majesty, I have a word!"

"Speak."

The Emperor raised his eyes.

Duan Qi said: "Both of these prodigies say they do not want rewards and are willing to trade them for a chance to retry the case. I believe this is fundamentally illogical. Even if both are 'First in History,' what merit have they contributed to the country? To seek something based on merit without having achieved a single inch of merit is something that will hardly convince the people!"

The Crown Prince's lips moved, but in the end, he did not speak.

This merit originally belonged to him, but he had already said it was his "duty," and then taken the opportunity to trade it for rewards for the two prodigies.

But now that things had evolved like this, if he were to jump out again and say this was his merit and he wanted to trade it for something,

it would become holding merit to demand a reward, and the nature of the matter would be different.

The Crown Prince understood the Emperor; he knew this was the thing the other party disliked the most!

This Emperor was generous to his ministers, but he had always been strict with his own children.

If one were to put it in one sentence, it would be: "I give it to you, then you can take it. If I haven't given it, you cannot snatch it!"

"Besides, Li Fei feels the results found by the Feng Province investigation team back then were wrong. He does not believe it, nor does he accept the final judgment of the central Cabinet. Then, may I ask, even if the case is retried and someone else is sent to investigate, if the same result is found in the end, will he be convinced?"

Duan Qi raised a new question.

This was indeed a problem.

If the case were retried and the final result was the same, would Li Fei be convinced?

It seemed he still would not be.

Wouldn't that mean this case must be presented according to the result Li Fei wants for him to be convinced?

These words were even more piercing than what the First Imperial Prince had said earlier!

Glancing at the silent Crown Prince, the Emperor looked at Duan Qi:

"Then what is your suggestion?"

Duan Qi clearly had a draft ready and said without hesitation:

"I believe that if one really wants to trade merit for something, one must at least have merit first! And if one wants to make Li Fei completely convinced, I fear he must personally participate in the entire process of the investigation.

Since that is the case, I do have a suggestion. Not long ago, the Daluo Sect lost the Longevity Pill prepared for Your Majesty. Why not let Li Fei start by investigating this case? Firstly, if he can truly retrieve the pill for Your Majesty, he should naturally be rewarded, and he can use this merit to trade for the qualification to personally investigate the Shangguan Xiao case.

Secondly, this case of the missing pill has troubled my colleagues in the Stop-War Cabinet for many days. If Li Fei can clarify this case, it will also prove his ability, and then letting him investigate the Shangguan Xiao case will convince everyone."

After hearing this suggestion, many ministers present gasped, secretly lamenting Duan Qi's ruthless methods!

The case of the missing Daluo Sect pill had been going on for some time, but the Stop-War Cabinet responsible for the case had never been able to produce a concrete plan.

There was no other reason; it was too thorny!

It involved the ancestral grounds of Daoism, and even though the Stop-War Cabinet claimed to "suppress the major sects of the world and stop the disputes of martial artists in the jianghu," they still dared not act recklessly.

After all, sitting in the Daluo Sect was a True Person of the current age, a human Martial Saint!

Moreover, using this incident as a lead, it had already implicated the Mount Pudu Temple, and now there was the matter of the Buddhist sect refining evil weapons for the Great Lan Dynasty.

This whirlpool was getting bigger and bigger; there was no telling how many powerful interests were involved!

So the big shots of the Stop-War Cabinet had truly lost countless hairs recently because of this case.

Now Duan Qi was actually pushing this case onto Li Fei to investigate; it was clearly meant to send Li Fei to his death!

Many people present realized that Duan Qi must be a person of the "Canglin Lu Family," otherwise he would not be so ruthless.

If Li Fei dared not accept, then naturally there was nothing more to say, and even if he truly achieved some merit in the future, it would be very difficult to bring up the retrial of the case again.

If Li Fei accepted, then there was even less to say; Duan Qi did not worry at all that Li Fei could retrieve the pill, because this thing was lost at the Daluo Sect!

The dignified ancestral grounds of Daoism, with countless experts sitting in command, and even a True Person and a Martial Saint.

Who would dare to steal a pill there? And steal a pill meant for the Emperor at that?

Even if one dared to steal it, looking at the world, how many people had the ability to steal the pill?

So the more Li Fei wanted to find the truth, the more he was courting death!

Duan Qi's move could be considered solving a major threat for the "Canglin Lu Family" in advance, while also throwing away a hot potato for the Stop-War Cabinet; it could be called killing many birds with one stone.

The Crown Prince's face changed drastically!

He turned around abruptly and glared fiercely at Duan Qi:

"Li Fei has never had relevant experience before; how can he be allowed to participate in the investigation just like this?"

Duan Qi seemed not to feel the Crown Prince's gaze and replied calmly:

"The file on the Shangguan Xiao case also recorded Li Fei's personal information. I saw that besides his identity as a Wuan University student, he also has another identity: a secret inspector of the Datong Prefecture Supervisory General Court, with authority equivalent to a Grade 9 official.

Being able to be appointed as a secret inspector and possessing Grade 9 authority, how could he have no experience in investigating cases? Presumably, this peerless prodigy also has extraordinary qualities in this aspect!"

The Crown Prince was stunned.

When he was looking at the information related to Li Fei, it was also written that Li Fei had this identity as a secret inspector.

But compared to Li Fei's "First in History" talent and his Dao Foundation realm, this secret inspector with Grade 9 authority was simply not worth mentioning.

He did not expect that Duan Qi would actually use this identity as a hook.

The Crown Prince looked at Li Fei with a stern gaze and shook his head.

At this point, he could only let Li Fei refuse this matter himself.

Above the palace steps, the Emperor was expressionless after hearing Duan Qi's suggestion.

He looked at the equally expressionless Li Fei:

"I did not expect you to already be my official. Since that is the case, Li Fei, are you willing to retrieve this Longevity Pill for me?"

"Father Emperor!"

The Crown Prince was about to speak immediately upon hearing this.

But a single look from the Emperor made him shut his mouth.

Silent as a cicada in winter!

Under the Emperor's gaze, which felt almost tangible, Li Fei slowly bowed:

"Your humble servant is willing to accept this assignment!"

At 11:03 AM, today's morning court session concluded, and the court was dismissed.

A crowd of officials filed out of the Zhenglan Hall one after another.

A moment later, the Crown Prince, Li Fei, and Ming Qi walked out of the hall together.

"Just now in the hall, thank you, Master, for speaking up for me."

After walking out of the hall, Li Fei sincerely bowed to thank Ming Qi.

Compared to the Crown Prince, who was trying to win him over, Ming Qi's help seemed very pure.

And very precious.

"Amitabha."

Ming Qi helped Li Fei up, revealing a pure smile:

"The bond between you and your Master moves this humble monk. If your Master truly has been wronged, I am also genuinely happy that you can clear his name!"

"Thank you, Master. Li Fei will keep this in his heart."

Li Fei looked at Ming Qi and said this.

"Sigh."

The Crown Prince, standing to the side, sighed, "Li Fei, you are too impulsive! Do you know how deep the waters are regarding this Longevity Pill case? This is simply not something you can handle!"

Li Fei turned to bow to the Crown Prince:

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I still wish to try."

He certainly knew how dangerous it was to investigate the Longevity Pill case, but he still accepted the case without the slightest hesitation.

Because even if one day his strength became sufficient to kill Xu Jing and wipe out the entire Lu family.

Unless he could overthrow the entire Great Lan Dynasty, he would never be able to overturn the verdict for Shangguan Xiao or clear Hao Yi's name.

The two of them would forever have to bear the stigma.

Besides this, there was another important reason, which was his dream.

This dream was both the catalyst for his investigation and his motivation for it.

Because it was very likely that he had already been dragged into this incident; rather than passively waiting for things to slowly ferment until he completely lost the initiative,

it was better to take the initiative to understand it and fight for more favorable chips for himself!

Many officials walking out of the hall saw this scene, their expressions varied, and the looks they cast at Li Fei were also complex.

Li Fei had accepted the case of the missing Longevity Pill at the morning court, and the Emperor had given his word, granting him the opportunity to go to the Daluo Sect to thoroughly investigate the case.

In other words, the current Li Fei could already be considered an Imperial Envoy.

Regardless, as an 18-year-old Imperial Envoy, Li Fei had broken another historical record, adding another "First in History" to his name!

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(End of chapter)