Chapter 45: Big Brother, Say Something, Big Brother!

Speaking in a stern and sharp voice, he abruptly raised his head, his burning gaze piercing straight into Li Chengqian. "Such an utter disregard for one's sovereign and father, such contempt for laws and discipline, is simply appalling!"

"Your humble servant implores Your Majesty to severely punish the Crown Prince, to make an example of him and uphold the laws of the state!"

"To comfort the hearts of the subjects across the realm!"

Having finished his memorial, Chu Suiliang prostrated himself directly on the ground, behaving precisely like an official offering a death-defying remonstrance!

"Boom..." The moment these words were spoken, an uproar erupted throughout the entire hall!

Gasps of shock, sharp intakes of breath, and heated whispers arose from all directions!

Countless glaring gazes shot simultaneously toward Li Chengqian.

Although yesterday's incident had already circulated privately, many were still caught off guard that someone dared to openly impeach the Crown Prince in the imperial court, especially after the Emperor had clearly "set the tone" for the matter.

Among the ranks of civil and military officials, Hou Junji, who had initially maintained a calm expression, felt his hand hidden inside his sleeve shake violently, his fingertips turning ice-cold. It was here; the impeachment had truly arrived!

"It would be best if all the spears point directly at the Crown Prince!"

A twisted hope rose within his heart.

He hoped all attention would remain focused on the Crown Prince.

He even hoped the Crown Prince would be pushed to the brink of utter despair today by the joint accusations of the ministers...

Just as Hou Junji was praying to all the deities in the heavens...

"This subject seconds the motion!"

An Imperial Censor draped in a crimson robe also leaped out and fell to his knees, his voice filled with intense indignation.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince led armored guards to force his way into the palace gates at night, treating imperial authority as nothing and disregarding Your Majesty's safety!"

"This is an act of supreme disrespect! Unfilial to the utmost!"

"This subject implores Your Majesty..." Before his voice had even faded,

another Supervising Secretary followed closely behind: "This subject also seconds the motion!"

Moreover, this fellow's wording was evidently even more impassioned. Prostrating himself on the floor with an expression of profound grief, he raised his head high and screamed at the top of his lungs: "The Crown Prince has lost his virtue, growing so arrogant and perverse that he now shakes the very foundation of the state!"

"If he is not severely punished, how can the public be convinced?"

"And how can the hearts of the subjects across the realm be pacified?"

"For the sake of the mountains and rivers, and the altars of state, this subject begs Your Majesty to depose the Crown Prince and select another virtuous person in his stead!"

***

Well, there was another one prostrating for a death-defying remonstrance!

Yet the word "depose" that he uttered was not only like a thunderclap exploding within the Ganlu Temple, but it also seemed to act like a lit fuse. Officials who were allied with the Prince of Wei, those already harboring dissatisfaction toward the Crown Prince, or those eager to take a side in this new storm stepped out one after another as if by prior arrangement. Their words grew increasingly fierce!

"This subject impeaches the Crown Prince for unseemly and arrogant behavior, disturbing the sacred chariot!"

"This subject impeaches the Crown Prince for having no sovereign or father, an act tantamount to treason!"

"This subject begs Your Majesty to enforce the strict code of law to cleanse the inner palace!"

"This subject seconds the motion!"

"This subject seconds the motion!"

...A surging wave seemed to rise within the hall, one cresting higher than the next, instantly overwhelming the open space before the dais. Officials in purple, scarlet, and green robes were all mixed among them.

The rising and falling cries of impeachment, seconded motions, and desperate pleas for judgment converged into a violent wave of sound that threatened to consume everyone completely!

Drawing upon historical precedents and employing sharp rhetoric, they magnified the incident of "the Crown Prince breaking into the palace" to an infinite degree, elevating it to the highest level of state crimes and slapping heavy labels of treason and shaking the foundations of the nation upon him—labels heavy enough to crush anyone.

Their words were like swords, pointing directly at Li Chengqian's position as Crown Prince, and some even targeted his life!

The entire Taiji Hall had truly transformed into a tribunal for judging the Crown Prince, attempting to nail Li Chengqian to the pillar of shame through overwhelming public condemnation.

Zhangsun Wuji's face turned ashen, his lips tightly pressed. Watching these clowns of accusers, a raging fire burned within his heart. He hated them for kicking a man while he was down, but even more, he hated his nephew for handing others such a handle!

Senior ministers like Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian also furrowed their brows deeply, their silence tinged with anxiety.

On the side of the military generals, the mocking expressions on the faces of Cheng咬金 and the others only grew thicker.

Yet no one noticed that the subject of the impeachment—the Crown Prince Li Chengqian himself—was standing respectfully before the sovereign, watching the spectacle with cold detachment. His expression remained utterly calm and composed, as if the overwhelming tide of accusations had nothing to do with him whatsoever, and he was merely... watching a farce!

If anyone had the mind at that moment to observe the Emperor seated beside the Crown Prince, they would naturally have noticed that Li Shimin sat motionless, his face bearing the exact same absolute tranquility as Li Chengqian's, without the slightest ripple.

He merely lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze as calm as an ancient, deep pool, falling quietly upon Chu Suiliang as though appraising some insignificant utensil.

This unnatural calm was, in truth, far more unnerving than a fit of raging fury.

Especially for Zhangsun Wuji and the others, who had initially intended to step forward and suppress the officials.

However, upon noticing that both the high-and-mighty Crown Prince and the Emperor shared the same cold indifference and remained completely silent, they sensed that something was amiss with the entire affair. They decided to wait and see how the situation developed, pondering their next move...

As a result, this reaction was interpreted as tacit permission.

***

It drove those factions to become even more frenzied. Acting as if they shared a blood feud with the Crown Prince—a feud that wiped out families and clans—they continued their endless, uninterrupted stream of accusations with the posture of never stopping until their goal was reached!

Just as this torrent of impeachment reached its peak, threatening in the very next second to forcefully push through the resolution to "depose the Crown Prince".......

"Imperial Father!!!"

A cry filled with immense grief, sounding as though it were wrung from a bleeding heart, exploded like a thunderclap, forcibly overriding all the clamor!

Zhangsun Wuji felt a violent jolt in his chest and looked in the direction of the voice.

He saw the plump figure of Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, practically crawling and stumbling as he rushed toward the base of the imperial steps. He threw himself heavily and solidly to the ground, a dull "thud" echoing amidst the trembling of his fat-laden frame, making even the golden bricks on the floor seem to vibrate.

He raised his head, his greasy face already streaming with tears and snot, his features twisted into a ball of extreme "pain" and "reluctance." Trembling violently in every fold of fat, he wailed hoarsely: "My lords! I beg you... I beg you, say no more!"

Yet those people did not restrain themselves in the slightest.

"Imperial Father!" Seeing this, Li Tai hurriedly turned his tear-streaked face toward the throne, pleading again, "Your child begs Imperial Father to command these lords to speak no more!"

"Eldest Brother... Eldest Brother may have a thousand faults and ten thousand errors!"

"But after all, he is Imperial Father's son, and my own flesh and blood!"

His voice was hoarse and choked with weeping, utterly heart-wrenching.

And yet... Li Shimin upon the throne flashed a strange look in his eyes, but he still did not grant the Prince of Wei his wish...

Helplessly, Li Tai had to turn his gaze back toward the side of the throne. Wearing an expression mixed with bitter disappointment—as if hating iron for not becoming steel—he suddenly raised his voice and roared, "Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother, say something, Eldest Brother!"

Li Tai's affectionate and deeply sincere cry of "Eldest Brother"...

Hit the Ganlu Temple like an artillery shell... instantly drowning out all other sounds!

"........." Those officials who were still in the midst of their impeachments looked at one another in blank dismay.

They thought to themselves: this scene wasn't in the script we rehearsed beforehand, was it?

As for the ministers who had not followed the herd, their expressions turned utterly bizarre.

Most worthily mentioned was the dark-faced rascal Cheng Yaojin, who actually failed to hold back and burst out with a sudden "Pfft" of laughter!

Yet, realizing belatedly that the atmosphere in the hall was completely wrong, he hurriedly covered his mouth and glanced rather sheepishly toward the Emperor.