The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 486 Joy of Life 43

Li Chengze had fallen ill twice before, and his subordinates were very worried about him, fearing that something might happen to him.

Now that I see him fully recovered, with an imposing presence and overwhelming aura, my previous worries have vanished instantly.

The ministers felt reassured and stepped forward to respectfully pay their respects.

Li Chengze wasn't overly enthusiastic; he simply nodded slightly and waved for them to get up.

Upon seeing this, the ministers felt not only no dissatisfaction, but also a greater sense of awe.

A short while later, Li Chengqian also arrived at the hall. He immediately noticed that Li Chengze was completely different from usual. His eyes flashed slightly, but he did not show it on his face.

As usual, he said in an exaggerated, almost humorous tone, "My second brother has been sick for so long, I was really worried to death."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am now fully recovered," Li Chengze replied with a slight smile.

Li Chengqian chuckled and changed the subject: "They say that illness comes like a landslide and goes like a slow, drawn-out process. Even if Second Brother's condition improves, he should rest for a few more days. What if he develops a chronic illness?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze's gaze was sincere, and his tone revealed a heartfelt emotion: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is so benevolent and kind-hearted, truly a model for all officials and a blessing to the world."

However, at this point, he suddenly changed his tone, and an indignant look appeared on his face:

"However, although I have been ill recently, I have heard some things about the court. I heard that several officials have been severely punished and exiled by His Majesty for corruption and abuse of power, and His Highness the Crown Prince has pleaded for them."

In my humble opinion, Your Highness is far too kind-hearted. These people are vermin of the nation and cancers to the people. Mere exile is too lenient for them; they deserve to be torn to pieces.

Before he finished speaking, Li Chengqian's face had already darkened.

In recent days, Emperor Qing has dealt with many corrupt officials under Li Chengqian in an effort to put him in a good position.

Li Chengqian tried to plead for leniency, but was instead severely reprimanded by Emperor Qing, losing face completely.

At this moment, Li Chengze bringing up this matter was undoubtedly like rubbing salt into Li Chengqian's wounds, further fueling Li Chengqian's already bad mood.

Li Chengqian suppressed his anger, forced a smile, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Second Brother is absolutely right. I only spoke up for them because I was soft-hearted. From now on, I will strictly supervise all officials. If anyone commits corruption again, I will punish them severely without leniency."

Li Chengze naturally understood the threatening meaning in those words.

He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm: "Your Highness's determination is truly a great fortune for the nation. However... Your Highness's previous plea was completely different from your stern words now. I only hope that Your Highness will not lose fairness due to a momentary lapse in judgment."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's smile became even more stiff, and he replied with a forced smile, "Second Brother, you flatter me. I am only thinking of the public good and have no other intentions."

As undercurrents swirled between Li Chengqian and Li Chengze, the atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly tense.

Just then, the eunuch shouted loudly, "His Majesty has arrived!"

The officials immediately straightened their posture and knelt down in unison to welcome Emperor Qing's arrival.

Li Chengze looked up, lifted his robe, knelt down behind the Crown Prince, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" with the assembled officials.

Emperor Qing steadily ascended the dragon throne, his piercing gaze sweeping across the court before finally settling on Li Chengze and Li Chengqian. A subtle, unspoken meaning flashed in his eyes: "Rise."

The main topic of discussion at the morning court session was the border war. Now that the two countries were at war, reports from the front lines were pouring in like snowflakes, one after another.

Even though Emperor Qing had long been prepared to go to war with Northern Qi, once the war actually started, all sorts of pressures still came rushing in.

Fortunately, the war is nearing its end, and if things continue at this pace, victory is only a matter of time.

Emperor Qing assigned tasks one by one, and Lin Ruofu immediately agreed without hesitation. The two were extremely in sync and harmonious, appearing to be a perfect example of a ruler and his subject working together in harmony.

Li Chengze quietly observed the interaction between the two, a slight thought stirring in his heart.

Lin Ruofu, that old fox, is now going to great lengths to protect his son, even groveling before Emperor Qing.

Of course, it might not just be for his son.

Lin Gong, in his folly, tried to use the Northern Qi to intercept and kill Fan Xian. If the matter were investigated, he would be guilty of a serious crime of treason.

At that time, the entire Lin family will likely face annihilation.

Fortunately, Emperor Qing did not pursue the matter further due to his many considerations and weighing of the options; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Therefore, in this war between the two countries, it wasn't just Emperor Qing who was willing to fight; even the Crown Prince, Li Yunrui, and Lin Ruofu spared no effort to pin the blame for the ambush at Niulan Street on Northern Qi.

Although they had different thoughts, they were surprisingly united in their goal of advancing the war.

With the three parties united, no wonder the battle went so smoothly, without even the slightest obstacle in the imperial court.

However...

Li Chengze lowered his head slightly, concealing the smile in his eyes.

Emperor Qing was most disgusted by the princes forming cliques and engaging in private affairs, and he was especially strict with the crown prince.

Back then, Emperor Qing knew that Li Chengqian was mediocre, but he still chose him as the crown prince, even sacrificing the original owner of the body to serve as a whetstone to temper Li Chengqian, because Li Chengqian did not have a powerful maternal relative behind him.

Lin Gong, however, ignored his father's advice and, despite being the son of the prime minister, sided with the crown prince early on, even calling himself the crown prince's confidant.

This time, in order to complete the Crown Prince's mission, they did not hesitate to take risks and collude with enemy countries.

This behavior undoubtedly crossed Emperor Qing's bottom line. How could Emperor Qing possibly continue to tolerate Lin Gong living?

It seems that once the war with Northern Qi ends, Lin Gong's death will be imminent.

However, since Li Chengze could think of these things, Lin Ruofu couldn't have been unaware of this as well.

It's likely that Lin Ruofu, in order to protect his son, will quickly arrange for him to flee far away and avoid the impending storm. After the turmoil subsides, he will seek an opportunity to bring him back to the capital.

Now it depends on whether Emperor Qing or Lin Ruofu can act faster and use more sophisticated methods.

At this thought, a thought suddenly flashed through Li Chengze's mind: it would be great if he could bring Fan Xian into this too.

It wasn't that Li Chengze was specifically targeting Fan Xian for causing trouble; it was simply because Fan Xian was such a unique individual that he could be connected to almost every power in the capital.

The reigning emperor was his biological father, Fan Jian, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was his adoptive father, Lin Ruofu, the prime minister, was his father-in-law, Chen Pingping, the president of the Censorate, was a close friend of his mother, and Fei Jie, the top poison expert of the time, was his master.

Currently, apart from the Empress and Li Yunrui being on opposing sides with Fan Xian, it seems that Fan Xian has already wiped out all the forces in the capital.

If Fan Xian were to truly rise to prominence, his influence would likely surpass even that of the Crown Prince.

If it weren't for wanting to know what Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping were trying to do with Fan Xian, Li Chengze would have wanted to eliminate Fan Xian to prevent future troubles.