Chapter 132: A Messy Affair (Part I)

"Your Highnesses, you have finally come out! Oh, something has happened—a major disaster has occurred..."

As soon as the two princes, Li Xian and Li Xian, stepped out of the palace gates, two young eunuchs, Zhang and Gao, who had been pacing anxiously in the small plaza, rushed toward them. Zhang Che, the quicker of the two, didn't even bother with the customary greetings. His face was twisted in distress as he began to shout, clearly in a state of panic.

"Scoundrel! What is the meaning of this alarm?"

Li Xian, already feeling deeply irritated after being provoked by the Crown Prince, was in no mood for such behavior. Seeing Zhang Che’s lack of composure, his temper flared instantly. He scowled and reprimanded him sharply.

"Your Highness, please forgive me! Your servant, your servant..."

Zhang Che, already frantic, was so choked up by Li Xian’s roar that his face turned purple. The more anxious he became to explain, the less he could articulate, making him look utterly pathetic.

"Reporting to Your Highnesses, the Court of Judicial Review has caught fire. As soon as we received the news, we rushed here..."

Gao Miao was clearly sharper than Zhang Che. Seeing that Zhang Che was unable to get a word out, he stepped forward to deliver the report. However, before he could finish, Li Xian’s eyes widened with fury. He reached out, grabbed Gao Miao by the collar, and interrupted him with a roar: "What did you say? Speak!"

*That wretched old hag! She’s actually resorting to pulling the firewood from under the cauldron. Detestable, absolutely detestable!* Upon hearing that the Court of Judicial Review was on fire, Li Xian’s mind instantly went blank. A tremor ran through his heart as he grasped the situation: this was nothing more than a trick played by Empress Wu. Since she had lost the upper hand in the court session, she simply decided to destroy all the evidence, leaving a mess for the two brothers to clean up. There was no doubt that their original plan to wipe out the Empress’s faction within the Court of Judicial Review was, in all likelihood, now a lost cause.

"Your Highness, your servant, your servant speaks the truth. You, you must believe me..."

Having been hoisted up by his collar, Gao Miao panicked and began to swear his sincerity on his life.

"You scoundrel! You deserve a thousand deaths! Tell me, who did this? Speak! Tell me now!"

Li Xian was blinded by rage and ignored Gao Miao’s pleas. He shook the man violently, cursing like a street thug, showing no trace of the dignity expected of a Prince.

"Sixth Brother, since the deed is done, panic will not help. You and I should go to the scene and see for ourselves."

Although Li Xian was equally furious, he was at least better at keeping his composure. Furthermore, he could not watch Li Xian continue to manhandle Gao Miao. He reached out, gripped Li Xian’s arm, and spoke in a calm, persuasive tone.

"Fine. Let’s go and take a look!"

Although Li Xian spoke calmly, his grip was firm. Despite his shorter stature, Li Xian had practiced martial arts for years and possessed great strength. Li Xian, who was a head taller, found he could not break free and became even more annoyed. He glanced sideways and saw Li Xian looking at him with a stern expression. Realizing he had lost his composure, Li Xian, being proud by nature, would never admit it; he simply released Gao Miao, huffed with a gloomy face, and turned away.

"Sixth Brother, please."

Knowing that going to the scene would likely be futile, Li Xian had been tasked with the investigation, so a visit was inevitable. Seeing Li Xian’s attitude, he let go of his arm, stepped back, and gestured for Li Xian to lead the way.

"Seventh Brother, let us share a carriage."

After taking a few steps, Li Xian paused, feeling it improper to go separately. He turned back and extended an invitation.

"Very well."

Li Xian understood his brother’s intention—he was merely afraid that he might just slip away. Not wanting to point it out, he smiled slightly, nodded, and walked over. The two brothers boarded Li Xian’s carriage together, and their entourage set off along the imperial road toward the Court of Judicial Review.

"Seventh Brother, what do you make of this?"

As soon as the carriage started, Li Xian, his face dark as thunder, could no longer contain his frustration and asked.

*What do I make of it? What is there to say? Aside from that old hag, who else would stoop to such a base act? You know perfectly well who did this, so why bother asking?* Li Xian felt annoyed, but he kept his expression calm. He rolled his eyes internally at his brother’s pointless question. He didn't want to answer, but seeing Li Xian’s sullen expression, he sighed and shook his head. "It is hard to say. Let us wait until we have inspected the scene."

"Hmm."

Seeing that Li Xian had no interest in further conversation, Li Xian fell silent. The two brothers traveled in silence until they reached the Court of Judicial Review. Upon stepping out of the carriage, they saw that the guards of the Jingzhao Prefecture had already surrounded the building. With spears and blades bristling, the security was incredibly tight. Even the carriages of the two princes were blocked. As they disembarked, the guards accompanying the princes were already in a heated argument with the Jingzhao Prefecture men.

"What is the meaning of this dispute?"

Li Xian, already in a foul mood, saw the commotion and felt his anger boil over. He strode into the crowd, his face ashen, and scanned the Jingzhao officials. His voice was not loud, but the coldness within it was chilling. The officials, who had been shouting red-faced, were instantly silenced.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger! Your servant has arrived late, I am truly sorry."

Just as everyone stood stunned, Cui Jing, the Governor of Jingzhao, finally pushed through the crowd with his two deputies, Liu Shan and Chen Renhao, bowing and apologizing profusely with a fawning smile.

"Governor Cui has arrived quite quickly. The court session has only just concluded, and you are already here. Truly a model of diligence! I must report your hard work to the Emperor myself." Li Xian, still seething, didn't hold back his sarcasm, his words dripping with icy disdain.

Since ancient times, the Governor of Jingzhao was the most difficult position to hold. While it was a third-rank official post, in a capital filled with powerful nobles, the Governor was essentially a punching bag. Any official with connections would avoid this position at all costs. Cui Jing had only been in office for three months and had hoped to survive long enough to request a transfer, only for this disaster at the Court of Judicial Review to occur. He was furious himself, but facing two Princes, he dared not show his temper. He could only bow and smile, "Your Highness is too kind. I truly do not deserve such praise. I just arrived, and before I could even enter the gates, your Highnesses arrived. Please, forgive my tardiness."

"Hmph!" Li Xian was not impressed by the explanation and let out a cold snort, seemingly preparing to deliver more barbs. However, Li Xian, not wanting to waste time or see his brother lose focus, interjected. "Governor Cui, you have worked hard. I have one question, and I hope you can enlighten me."

"Prince Zhou, you are too polite. Whatever you wish to ask, your servant will answer truthfully."

Cui Jing was terrified of Li Xian’s fiery temper. Seeing Li Xian intervene, he breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to him, and replied respectfully.

"I thank you, Governor. Since you have just arrived, I wonder—whose command brought all these soldiers here?" Li Xian asked, returning the bow and acting as if it were a casual inquiry.

"This..."

Cui Jing clearly did not expect such a sharp question. He paused, looking at his two deputies with a puzzled expression, signaling that he truly did not know the sequence of events.

"Reporting to Your Highness, it was my turn on duty today. At the fourth quarter of the *si* hour (10:00 AM), a patrolman came to report the fire. Knowing the gravity of the situation, and since the Governor and Deputy Liu were at court, I feared chaos and dispatched men to secure the scene."

Cui Jing’s act of looking at his deputies was clearly an attempt to shift responsibility. All the officials present were old hands at court politics and knew exactly what was happening, though no one would point it out. Chen Renhao had no choice but to step forward and bow respectfully.

"I see. Deputy Chen’s decisive action is commendable. I am deeply impressed. However, I am curious: which patrolman reported the fire? I would like to reward such diligence. Please, bring him to me." Li Xian nodded with a friendly expression and made his request.

"This..." Chen Renhao hesitated, frowning as if trying to recall the soldier’s name. After a long silence, he bowed deeply with an apologetic look. "Your Highness, please forgive me. I was so busy dispatching men that I failed to note his name. If it pleases Your Highness, may I return and investigate this for you?"

"Very well. Then you may go and investigate. I will not be leaving for some time. You must bring this person to me. Go." Li Xian smiled, ignoring the delay, making it clear that he would not be satisfied until he saw the reporter.

"Yes, your servant will investigate immediately."

A strange flicker passed through Chen Renhao’s eyes, but he dared not refuse. He bowed and retreated to the side.

"Seventh Brother, let’s go inside and take a look."

Li Xian could not understand why his brother was so fixated on the identity of the informant, but he did not want to interrupt him further. Now that the matter was settled, he urged his brother forward, passing through the blockade of the Jingzhao guards and striding into the Court of Judicial Review, where the thick smoke had yet to dissipate.