Chapter 278 - 2078: Dealing with Kneading and Rubbing
Li Hongyuan said indifferently, “It’s not that Emperor Father favors anyone; it’s because Emperor Father is kind and merciful, unlike some of his sons who appear righteous and virtuous on the surface, but are actually ruthless and cruel. They can even be vicious towards women and children.”
Prince of Huai laughed, “I never expected that the cold and heartless Fifth Brother would also have a merciful side for women.”
“Although this prince is heartless, I am not cruel.”
“Whatever you say,” Prince of Huai laughed lightly, “Not long ago, you publicly beat Wenren Zong, and now you’ve knocked out an official from the Ministry of Justice and humiliated him. Aren’t you afraid of Emperor Father’s wrath again?”
“This prince did indeed beat him. So what?”
Li Hongyuan said indifferently.
“Good, good, good,” Prince of Huai clapped his hands, “Truly deserving of the reputation of the great Prince of Yu, so awe-inspiring. I just wonder whether you’ll still be so awe-inspiring once we get to the Imperial Mausoleum.”
Once he went to the Imperial Mausoleum, everything he had painstakingly built in Chang’an would be lost.
All his supporters, subordinates, soldiers, and power would be completely stripped away.
It would be as if he had nothing left except the title of Prince of Yu. As Prince of Huai would be sealed as Crown Prince, the things he possessed would increase manifold much.
By then, it would be extremely easy for him to overpower and deal with Prince of Yu.
His words were heavily laced with threat.
Jiang Ning, who was sitting outside, felt displeased listening to them.
She didn’t know how Li Hongyuan felt at this moment.
However, among the princes, Li Hongyuan not only held the highest status but was also outstanding in talent and appearance. Once he fell from grace, there would undoubtedly be a gap in his heart.
Li Hongyuan, however, seemed calm and said coldly, “Do you plan to resist the imperial decree and delay the time by showing off your verbal skills here?”
Prince of Huai smiled, “Of course not. Guards, let them down.”
The prison officer quickly stepped forward and released the three women who had been hanging.
They immediately collapsed to the ground.
“Shu’er!”
“Eldest Sister!”
“Mother!”
Madam Wenren and her family gathered around.
Fortunately, the three women had only been tortured to the point of passing out and had not died.
The family embraced each other, weeping bitterly.
They were born into wealth and had never experienced such hardships.
“Let’s go.”
Prince of Huai walked out of the prison cell with his hands behind his back, smiling. As he passed by Li Hongyuan, he said, “Fifth Brother, when do you plan to leave? Why don’t I ask Emperor Father for leniency, and after I am crowned Crown Prince, you can leave? You can even share some of my happiness.”
“Whether I leave or not and when I leave are up to Emperor Father. Is Prince of Huai trying to meddle in affairs that only the Emperor can handle, even before becoming Crown Prince?”
These words were like a dagger to the heart, just short of directly pointing out Prince of Huai’s ambition.
The smile on Prince of Huai’s face finally faltered, and he snorted coldly, “Emperor Father only said to release these women and children but didn’t mention releasing Wenren Zong. As the Minister of Justice, it is my duty to question him. So now, I am going to interrogate Wenren Zong.”
Madam Wenren and the others all looked up, their eyes filled with pain and tears.
Such a cruel person, who knows what terrifying methods were waiting for Wenren Zong.
As Prince of Huai stepped out of the prison cell and walked past Jiang Ning, he looked down at her and smiled, “Seventh Young Mistress Jiang, I heard that you have some grievances with Wenren Zong. Would you like to come and see how I interrogate him?”
Jiang Ning smiled, “His Majesty is kind-hearted and probably doesn’t like these bloody scenes. I can watch them, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to help myself from describing them to His Majesty afterward..”