Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4786 Suspicion
"Could it be that Fang Er came here because of the Chai family's affairs?"

"Why can the Chai family let Fang Jun come forward for this matter?"

Li Shenfu and Li Daoli expressed their surprise and doubt almost at the same time, looked at each other, and fell silent at the same time.

After a while, Li Shenfu exhaled and ordered, "Let Dalang go to the door to greet him."

"Here."

The old slave withdrew.

Li Shenfu rubbed his temple and said, "This matter is not easy to handle. Fang Er has always been strong. If he really comes here in person for Chai Mingzhang, I'm afraid we will have to give him face."

Li Daoli was puzzled: "But why should he stand up for the Chai family?"

Chai Mingzhang was convicted by the Three Judicial Departments as the culprit for Li Jingshu's death. The Dongping County Prince's Mansion and even most of the royal family wanted to put him to death to maintain the dignity of the royal family. Not only that, but the Chai family would have to pay a huge price. How much benefit would it take to stand up and plead for the Chai family at this time?
Can the Chai family afford these benefits?
Li Shenfu smiled bitterly and said, "Perhaps he was thinking of his past friendship with Chai Lingwu, or perhaps Princess Baling was the one who managed to mediate... Who knows?"

Both of them were in a bad mood. If Fang Jun really came here for the Chai family, should they give him face and let the matter go?

If this matter is let go, both the Dongping County Prince's Mansion and the royal family will lose face, but if it is not let go and offends Fang Jun, who knows what kind of revenge he will take? Facing Fang Jun's stubborn temper, it is a headache.

After a while, Li Demao led Fang Jun to the side hall. Li Shenfu sat still, while Li Daoli stood up to greet them.

"The Prince of Dongping is here too, that couldn't be better."

After they greeted each other and sat down, Fang Jun said with a smile.

Li Daoli's heart tightened. This guy really came for the Chai family...

Li Demao drove the servants out and poured tea for Fang Jun himself. Fang Jun thanked him and glanced at Li Shenfu and Li Daoli. He took a sip of tea and put down the cup, smiling and said, "Listening to the rain by the window and understanding the truth through the fragrance of tea, you two really know how to enjoy it. It's just that the Prince of Dongping didn't stay in the mansion to recuperate and handle the chores after finishing the funeral, but ran to the Prince of Xiangyi's mansion to whisper to each other away from the eyes of others. Could it be that he is planning something shameful and treasonous?"

Li Daoli drooped his eyelids and ignored him, while Li Shenfu said unhappily: "You are also an important official in the court, why are you still so rude in your speech? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

Fang Jun smiled and said, "Even if I am the head of the prime minister and an old man in my seventies or eighties, I am still a junior in front of you. Isn't it natural for me to say a few humorous words to entertain you two?"

Li Shenfu almost vomited. You want to entertain your parents with colorful clothes? We should be thankful that you didn't piss us off to death!
Li Daoli was really impatient to flatter Fang Jun, so he said with a sullen face: "Don't show off your words, just speak frankly if you have anything to say."

Fang Jun glanced at him, smiling, and nodded, "If that's the case, then I'll get straight to the point. The case of your son's murder has been tried and concluded by the Sanfasi and Zongzheng Temple, and the murderer, Chai Mingzhang, has been sentenced to exile 3,000 miles and to serve in the frontier army. So we should stop here. No one should abuse private punishment and disregard the law."

Although they guessed that Fang Jun came because of the Chai family's affairs, they did not expect that this guy was not only so straightforward, but also so harsh in his words.

Even if he was standing up for the Chai family, shouldn't he be humble and beg Li Daoli to let Chai Mingzhang and the Chai family go?
Li Daoli gnashed his teeth in anger: "How can you, Duke Yue, control what I do? You have an affair with Baling and yet you force yourself to come forward. A lustful and dirty person like you can also occupy the throne. It is simply a shame for the Tang Dynasty..."

"Hey hey hey, the Dao Li cannot speak nonsense!"

Li Shenfu tried to stop him but failed. He almost got angry when he heard Li Daoli's rude words. Although Fang Er is an important official, he still has his stubborn nature. Are you trying to force him to lose his temper on the spot by exposing his dirty deeds?

The main hall of my house has been burned down once. Could it be that the side hall will suffer the same fate this time?
Fang Jun didn't lose his temper on the spot. Instead, he looked at Li Daoli with a smile and said, "The prince is also a person of status. How can he learn to stir up trouble like those street women? Not to mention that your words are groundless and have no evidence. Even if it is true, what will you do? It doesn't matter why I came here. What matters is that since I came here, I can't go back empty-handed."

After saying this, he ignored Li Daoli's expression and looked at Li Shenfu and said, "I came to your house today and I am looking for you, the prince. Please give me a straight answer whether it is okay or not."

Li Daoli was so angry that he felt like one Buddha was born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven. He had seen arrogant people before, but he had never seen anyone so arrogant!
Li Shenfu also felt that Fang Jun's arrogance was somewhat unreasonable. You came here to beg, why do you still look so fearless?

Is there a hidden secret in it?

Or maybe Fang Jun came here not because of Princess Baling's request, but for some other reason?

It can't be His Majesty...

Feeling uncertain and uncertain, Li Shenfu pondered and said, "Jingshu died suddenly. It is a matter of right to seek revenge on the culprit. I cannot interfere."

The one who died was Li Jingshu, and Li Daoli who wanted revenge, why did you come to my house and talk to me?
"Li Jingshu's death was caused by his attack on Jingzhao Prefecture, and the attack on Jingzhao Prefecture was caused by you, the Prince, so you are also responsible for Li Jingshu's death... Now you want to abuse private punishment to retaliate against the Chai family because of Li Jingshu's death, who else should I look for if not you?"

"Erlang, stop talking nonsense!" Li Shenfu glared and said, "What do those people's attack on Jingzhao Prefecture have to do with me?"

Fang Jun sneered, "Why don't you go to the Sanfasi or Zongzheng Temple to tell them about this? The confessions of those people mentioned the prince dozens of times. If it weren't for your majesty's strong suppression, do you think you could still sit in this prince's mansion and drink tea and listen to the rain? It's better to say less of such self-deceiving words, don't be shameless."

Li Shenfu's old face turned red instantly, but he was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Could it be that Fang Jun’s visit was really instructed by His Majesty?
Otherwise, if I took the path of Princess Baling, it would be shameful, how could I dare to be so tough...

Li Daoli was about to speak, but was stopped by Li Shenfu, who looked at Fang Jun and said slowly: "Let me think about this matter and make a decision later."

Fang Jun nodded and said, "I have said everything I should say. Of course, I cannot say anything I shouldn't say. That's all I have to say. Please consider this carefully, Prince. Don't make mistakes. I'll take my leave."

After saying this, he stood up, bowed, walked out of the door and left.

"Damn it! This bastard is so arrogant and lawless. Who does he think he is to be so arrogant!"

Li Daoli cursed loudly.

Li Shenfu's face was gloomy and his eyes were flickering. He said impatiently: "Say less. Let's take a long look at this matter."

Li Daoli was not convinced: "If he doesn't allow us to retaliate, then we won't retaliate? We take his words as the law, but how can we save our face if it gets out? This bastard actually came here with a shameless face, and didn't even offer any compensation. He is such a bastard!"

Li Shenfu: "..."

So you are still waiting for Fang Jun to compensate you?

He immediately said angrily: "Is this a question of whether to compensate or not? Use your stupid head to think about whether Fang Jun came here on his own initiative or at the instruction of His Majesty!"

"Ah?" Li Daoli was shocked. "How could it be His Majesty's intention? I think His Majesty's original intention was to make us go to war with the Wei family, not only to slow us down but also to warn us. The Chai family's interference has destroyed His Majesty's intention and turned our spearhead towards the Chai family. How can His Majesty protect the Chai family?"

Although it was not stated explicitly, both he and Li Shenfu believed that the death of Li Jingshu was planned by His Majesty. In addition to being a warning, the intention was also to use it to throw the royal family and the Wei family into chaos and eliminate the threat from the royal family.

Therefore, he advocated revenge on Chai Mingzhang not only to avenge his dead son, but also to express his dissatisfaction to His Majesty in a tough way - you can warn us or plot against us, but you shouldn't take my son's life.

Since your majesty's intention has been destroyed, it is only natural to let the royal family vent their anger on the Chai family...

But why did they use such tough measures to force the royal family to stop?

Li Shenfu's eyebrows twisted into a knot, and he hesitated and said, "Could it be that Fang Jun is using your majesty's name to bully others, but in fact your majesty didn't give him any instructions at all?"

Li Daoli also thought this was possible, but he didn't dare to gamble: "If it is really His Majesty's order and we still don't give in, then His Majesty will be angry, which will be detrimental to our plan."

Li Shenfu said angrily, "It's you who won't give in, not us! It's obvious that Jingshu's death is quite strange. Who knows who set the trap for us and if we fall into it, it will be very bad. But you are so stupid that you don't care at all. I have to let you drag me to death!"

"How about you go and test it to see if it's His Majesty's will?"

"Probing? In His Majesty's eyes, we are people who don't care about the overall situation and have ulterior motives. Do you still want to test us?"

"Then you'll have to suffer the loss of Fang Jun, a mute?"

"Even if I suffer a loss, I can't be deceived by his sweet words. You don't need to interfere in this matter. I have my own ideas."

Li Daoli remained silent, muttering in his heart: What a bullshit idea you have! A dignified prince of the royal family and a meritorious service to the empire, he is at a loss when he sees Fang Er. If I ask you to handle this matter, it will definitely be delayed and eventually nothing will be done. Anyway, it's not your son who died...

*****
There was no light in the flower hall. As the sun set, the hall was gradually swallowed by darkness. Chai Lingwu sat alone in a chair, drinking wine in small sips. Being in the dark night made him feel a little relieved from the depression in his heart.

Am I actually a person who cannot stand the light?

This discovery made him a little puzzled. He originally thought that he would be angry and mad, but when he was in the darkness, he remained calm. The greatest shame of a man did not bring him too many negative effects. The sound of rain outside the window was like the plucking of a piano string, extremely pleasant to the ear, and his mood was very calm.

Footsteps were heard, and then Princess Baling's voice rang out at the door: "Why aren't you lighting the lamp?"

Chai Lingwu wanted to say, "I have no face to see you, and I'm afraid you also have no face to see me," but when the words came to his lips they turned into a sigh.