My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare! Chapter 408 275 Hunter and Prey [9000 words merged into one]

As his words fell, the ground suddenly trembled, stirring up a layer of fine dust.

Just when people thought it might be an earthquake, those at the outermost edge of the crowd noticed that they were being surrounded by a group of guards wearing black armor.

Those on the inside, although unable to see the scene outside, realized that the rooftops around them had suddenly beco populated with figures clad in armor.

"Imperial Army!"

"Who brought the Imperial Army here!"

"What is the Imperial Army doing here, are they here to arrest Li Xuanjing?"

The commoners who had co to see what the commotion was about and the students from the academy might not know who these n were, but the nobles and officials present all recognized them without exception.

The Imperial Army were the Emperor's trusted aides. Although the Emperor did not need anyone to protect him, the presence of the Imperial Army signified the will of the Emperor.

The appearance of the Imperial Army indicated that the Emperor was already aware of the situation; it was just unclear how the Emperor would deal with it.

At this mont, there was finally so stir at the entrance of the Li Mansion.

The Xia Emperor walked out from the Li Family ho and said, "What a spectacular ga of chess that was. Although I lost, I lost with pleasure."

After a mont's shock, whether they were nobles or officials, they all knelt on the ground and loudly said, "We greet Your Majesty!"

At this mont, their hearts were filled with shock and confusion.

Why would the Emperor be here?

The students from the academy and the commoners who had co to watch did not recognize the Emperor, but seeing everyone in front of them kneel, they did not hesitate to follow suit imdiately.

The Xia Emperor's gaze swept over the officials kneeling in front of the Li Mansion and said, "It's ti to be at work, yet you are not at the governnt office. What are you doing here? The court pays you a salary not so you can wander around leisurely. Since you do not like going to the office, from now on, you won't have to."

This nonchalant remark was undoubtedly the end of their careers.

The officials knelt on the ground, shaking and not daring to respond.

The Xia Emperor went back into the Li Mansion, where a large group was already kneeling in darkness.

He sat down beside the stone table and looking at King Han and King You kneeling in front of him, he asked, "Tell , what are you trying to accomplish?"

After exchanging a glance, in the end, it was King Han who spoke first, "Li Xuanjing has taken control of the court, acting recklessly and flouting the Law. The courtiers and the commoners have long been simring with resentnt. Today, he has even triggered unrest and protests in Chang'an. This month, it was my turn to be the Regent, so I ca to the Li Mansion to investigate the situation."

Following closely, King You said, "Father Emperor, today alone, there were countless accusations against Li Xuanjing, which shows the deep resentnt the courtiers and commoners have towards him. My action was also for the court, for the sake of the world..."

The Xia Emperor asked, "When you plotted against the Crown Prince years ago, was it also for the court, for the sake of the world?"

His voice was calm, but to King Han and King You, it felt like falling into an icy abyss.

King Chun, King Xin, King Xuan, and King Ji turned their heads in extre shock to look at them.

Not far away, Wang Yue, who was kneeling at the entrance, though unable to move, had a tempest raging in his heart.

King You and King Han plotted against the Crown Prince?

How could that be?

Such a significant matter, and King Han had kept it from the Wang family!

The officials and nobles kneeling in the courtyard also showed extrely shocked expressions.

At this mont, the issues of purging the court and executing the treacherous were no longer important.

King You and King Han plotted against the Crown Prince?

How could such a thing happen!

Wasn't the Crown Prince said to have died of illness back then?

Once they realized what was happening, they were no longer shocked but only afraid.

King Han and King You had conspired to murder the Crown Prince.

Even though they were Kings, this was an unforgivable cri.

And they, today, had followed King Han and King You in this attempt to pressure the court... Would the Emperor consider them complicit with King Han and King You?

King Han and King You were already terrified, having completely forgotten about Li Xuanjing. King You said in panic, "Father Emperor, what are you talking about? How could your son conspire against the Crown Prince? Please do not be deceived by the slander of treacherous officials!"

King Han also imdiately followed, saying, "Yes, Father Emperor, this must be a plot by Li Xuanjing. You must not be fooled by him!"

The Xia Emperor looked at them and said indifferently, "He Dong, Xu Zhi, Gu Wenhan, Zheng Tianxing, Wu Zongguang, Xue Xue, Zeng Yan, Sun Jin, Xie Xiaoyu, Ding Fang... What, do you need to detail how you plotted against the Crown Prince in front of everyone present?"

King Han and King You collapsed.

"They only accused them of plotting against the Crown Prince, they still had a sliver of hope."

"But as those nas were enurated one by one, it beca clear that Father Emperor had already learned everything, leaving no possibility for sophistry."

"They thought they were the hunters today, but little did they know, they were the prey."

"As King Han and King You fell, the silhouettes kneeling in the courtyard also collapsed in droves."

"It's over."

"This was the sole thought in the minds of so before they fainted."

"The Crown Prince and the various princes, though all were Father Emperor's children, ant radically different things to Your Majesty."

"The Crown Prince was the only offspring of Your Majesty and the Late Empress before ascending the throne; naturally, the feelings Your Majesty bore for him are incomparable to those for the other princes."

"Were it not so, after the Crown Prince's death, Your Majesty would not have completely indulged in despondency, neglected the court, devotedly pursued longevity, and refrained from appointing another Crown Prince."

"To plot against the Crown Prince is tantamount to treason; for King Han and King You to have the audacity to do so..."

"The princely heir of King Han, Li Qian, was also kneeling among the crowd."

"He couldn't miss witnessing the execution of Li Xuanjing."

"He did not witness Li Xuanjing's fall, but he witnessed sothing else."

"The Crown Prince was actually killed by a sche concocted by Father King?"

"Forever, Father King had seed to him a timorous and cowardly figure."

"Who would have thought that the timorous Father King could commit such a bold act?"

"At this mont, in addition to the fear of the future, he felt a newfound admiration for Father King for the first ti."

"These conflicting emotions made his thoughts indescribably complex."

"Outside Li Mansion, just as everyone's knees were about to numb from kneeling, a figure holding a whisk erged from Li Mansion and, with a high-pitched voice, loudly declared: 'King Han Li Long, King You Li Xing, having plotted against the Crown Prince, are beyond redemption, hereby stripped of their royal titles, demoted to commoners, escorted to the Ministry of Justice, to await their fate...'"

"The nobles and officials, still kneeling outside, upon hearing this, were also left utterly bewildered and shocked."

"What conspiracy against the Crown Prince? Weren't they here to execute Li Xuanjing?"

"The students from the various academies also showed confusion on their faces, clearly, they too had not anticipated this outco."

"Even if the reigning Emperor were to appear and protect Li Xuanjing, they were willing to make their case with resolve."

"But a sudden and inexplicable charge of conspiring against the Crown Prince left everyone at a loss for what to do."

"Then, the eunuch continued, 'Students from the academies, considering that you were misled, may leave on their own accord; everyone else shall be transferred to the Ministry of Justice to ascertain any involvent with the treason of King Han and King You before any further judgnt is passed...'"

"What was originally an attendance to show numbers could now potentially beco an offering of heads."

"Once at the Ministry of Justice and in the hands of Li Xuanjing, whether or not they had any tie to the treason would no longer be up to them."

"In an instant, the crowd was filled with wails of despair."

"'Injustice, this is an injustice!'"

"'When the Crown Prince died, I hadn't even co to Chang'an, how could I possibly be involved in a treason conspiracy!'"

"'I have been loyal to Your Majesty, as clear as the sky above can testify, as Heaven can bear witness!'"

"'Soone paid to co here, I didn't know anything, nothing at all, can't I just return the money!'"

"'Your Majesty, spare my life, spare my life!'"

"..."

"Inside and outside of Li Mansion, chaos ensued."

"Everyone who was kneeling inside Li Mansion, including King Han and King You, was dragged away by the Imperial Army."

"The few Grandmasters received special attention, and their cultivation was sealed."

"The Xia Emperor looked toward the middle-aged woman and said, 'For the Royal Family's disgrace to be exposed before Sect Master Su, you must find it quite amusing.'"

"The middle-aged woman did not respond, and the Xia Emperor, turning to Li Xuanjing, said, 'Sect Master Su has visited Chang'an; see to it that she is well received on my behalf. I shall return to the palace now.'"

"Having said that, he cast one last glance at the middle-aged woman and with a single step, vanished from the spot."

"Li Nuo was taken aback by this scene, his eyes wide in amazent."

"The middle-aged woman saw his astonished expression and smiled, saying, 'It's nothing to be surprised about; all emperors of the Five Great Dynasties have great fortunes bestowed upon them; this is just a commonplace technique...'"