Chapter 21: Forcing the Palace

ully selected from the various military camps and garrisons. They are all seasoned veterans who can fight ten men with ease on the battlefield. Most importantly, they are loyal to you without any doub...Chapter 21: Intimidation of the Palace

Li Chen's words made Sun Boru's skin crawl.

Although he came to confront the Crown Prince at the instigation of the chief minister, it didn't mean he was willing to be held hostage by the Crown Prince in this matter.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger. Your servant has not urged San Bao eunuch several times. It is just that my fellow officials and I do have important matters to discuss with Your Highness. We fear that it will delay important matters, so we asked an extra question. Your servant has no intention of offending Your Highness."

As for common conversation, by this point Li Chen, as the prince, should even if he was clearly unhappy in his heart, put it aside for now. Otherwise, people would think he was petty.

But this time, Li Chen refused to back down and said, "Important matters Today, your grandfather Sun Boli has important matters to attend to, so he dares to criticize the palace for arriving late. Next time, if there are any more important matters, should the palace wait at your mansion for your summons"

This statement, in an era where the feudal system emphasized the hierarchical relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, king and heaven, carries immense weight.

Sun Berli was so frightened that he couldn't speak. Wang Tenghuan frowned slightly, dissatisfied with Sun Berli's recklessness in his heart, but still gritted his teeth and said: "Your Highness, Mr. Sun really didn't mean that, please calm down, Your Highness."

Hmph, Li Chen rebuked Sun Beri: "Get out and kneel outside the palace gate."

This feels more like humiliation than punishment.

Sun Berli gritted his teeth but remained silent, obediently retreating to outside the main hall and kneeling down.

Looking at Sun Beri's back filled with hatred, Li Chen thought to himself, it was a pity.

Today's reasons are not sufficient, otherwise Sun Berli would have been directly killed, which would also have dealt a blow to Zhao Xuanji's power.

If he ever gets the chance, he won't let this old geezer off the hook.

Thinking this way, Li Chen's face didn't show the slightest fluctuation. He sat down in Xizheng Hall and then said: "Everyone came to the East Palace so early, what's the matter"

At this point, Zhao Xuanji slowly raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask, did the Crown Prince leave the palace yesterday, kill a grain merchant from Jing'an, and massacre his entire family Is this true"

Li Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "I didn't expect such a small matter to have alarmed the Grand Secretary."

Zhao Xuanji's grave expression remained unchanged as he bowed again and said, "Since the prince has been in charge of the country, those who have died by the prince's sword include Chen Huaizhi, the Grand Scholar of Wenyuange; Chen Zhi, the leader of the guards at Fengxi Palace; Wei Xian, the chief eunuch of the Sirigong; and Qian Han, the minister of Tongzhengsi. In addition to Hu and Chen families yesterday, in just over ten days since the prince took charge, there have been over a hundred lives stained with the prince's blood. How can the officials in court not be apprehensive, how can the people of the world not be terrified"

Zhao Xuanji spoke in the calmest tone and with the most placid expression, uttering the harshest words. After he finished speaking, he raised his head to look directly at Li Chen and said solemnly: "Your servant is incompetent, but I have assisted Your Majesty in governing the country for over a decade and have earned Your Majesty's trust. Now that Your Majesty is confused and unable to govern, this old minister allows the crown prince to act as regent. But precisely because of this, if the crown prince makes mistakes, this old minister must step forward to stop him. Otherwise, this old minister would betray the country and his emperor!"

After finishing his two sentences, Zhao Xuanji gave Li Chen a bow and said in a solemn voice, "Your Highness, please focus on your studies for now and temporarily relinquish the authority of acting regent."

Several high-ranking officials from the court, such as Wang Tenghuan and others, simultaneously raised their hands and said in unison: "We respectfully request that His Royal Highness the Prince focus on his studies and temporarily relinquish the authority of regency."

This conflict didn't have any buildup or preamble; it went straight to its peak from the moment it erupted.

Li Chen looked at Zhao Xuanji calmly, his tone as calm and unruffled as the boundless ocean. He said, "If this palace says no"

Zhao Xuanji seemed to be well-prepared. His tone was calm but carried a hidden threat: "If Your Highness insists on going your own way, this old minister can only die trying to dissuade you. The civil and military officials cannot stand idly by while Your Highness causes chaos. The common people of the world cannot allow Your Highness to run amok either. The 30,000 Imperial Guards are ready at any moment, willing to guard the palace and await Your Majesty's recovery and for Your Highness to understand the sincerity of our efforts."es who was at the peak of his strength, might not have been well-educated but he had good eyesight. He saw that this group of men each carried swords and displayed some sort of token on their waists....