Chapter 156: Fortune Favors the Ruthless (Part V)

Although Li Ming, Luo Binwang, and the others were civil officials, they were by no means frail scholars with no strength to truss a chicken. The Great Tang had always valued martial prowess, and even civil officials generally learned some archery and horsemanship. As this crowd surged forward in a disorderly rush, they genuinely carried the imposing momentum of an army breaking through enemy lines. The pilgrims along the way, unaware of the situation, scrambled frantically to get out of the way. Amidst flying dust and overturned feet, shrill screams echoed continuously—what a chaotic scene!

"Oh, no!"

Although Helan Minzhi was a frivolous and dissolute fellow, he was not stupid. Although he did not know Li Xian's overall plan, ever since entering White Horse Temple, his cautious mind had been filled with vigilance. The moment he saw the great chaos ahead, his alertness kicked in, and when he saw Li Ming and the others charging forward like ferocious wolves and tigers, his complexion turned instantly pale. No longer caring how Wang Ping'er beside him was screaming, he let out a loud cry, spun around, turned on his heels, and bolted. Remarkably, even though this fellow's physique had long been hollowed out by wine and women, he was exceptionally nimble when it came to running away. Moreover, the massive chaos at the scene provided a huge assist to his escape. Before Li Ming and the others could reach him, Helan Minzhi had already vanished without a trace, leaving only the bewildered Wang Ping'er behind, still screaming incessantly.

"Lord Luo, the man has run off! Consider that petty thief fortunate to escape quickly; otherwise, this old man would certainly have made him pay dearly today!"

Li Ming was somewhat advanced in years after all. Although still robust and vigorous for his age, time spares no man. After chasing for just a few steps, he lost sight of Helan Minzhi and had to retreat with a look of sullen frustration, cursing angrily.

"Run? The monk may run, but the temple cannot flee! Lord Luo, this matter cannot simply be let go. We should jointly submit a memorial to impeach this pair of scoundrels!" Lu Qiyao was a plant pre-arranged by Li Xian. Seeing this rare opportunity, he naturally began to clamor without the slightest hesitation.

"True, this matter is of grave importance and cannot be easily glossed over. However, how this memorial is to be drafted must be carefully deliberated." Although Fan Lübing also intensely detested Helan Minzhi's frivolous and dissolute nature, he was ultimately constrained by Empress Wu's influence. Thus, he interjected from the side, attempting to cool down the situation.

"What is there to deliberate? This is a case of catching the culprits red-handed! With so many of us officials present, could it be that everyone has gone blind?" Lu Qiyao desperately wished for the commotion to grow as large as possible, so how could he allow Fan Lübing to muddy the waters? He immediately retorted without the slightest bit of courtesy.

"One cannot put it that way. We must first fully understand the situation before drafting a memorial, no?" Fan Lübing actually believed Lu Qiyao's judgment in his heart, yet stubbornly refused to yield verbally.

"Enough! What are you all arguing about so blindly? Lord Luo is here, we shall all defer to Lord Luo's decision."

Liu Chi, the Grand Academician of the East Pavilion, was a neutral figure who aligned with no faction and had historically never partaken in court struggles. However, this time he simply could not bear to watch any longer and desired to support the Prince of Zhou's Manor for once. With a cold snort, he interrupted the dispute between Lu and Fan, placing the decision-making power squarely in Luo Binwang's hands.

"Indeed, Grand Academician Liu's words are right. Lord Luo, please give the word, and we are all willing to follow your lead."

"Qingqing speaks absolute sense; it should be just like this!"

"Lord Luo, please make the decision, and none of us will disobey!"

...

The officials had long since found Helan Minzhi an eyesore, and quite a few of them harbored deep grievances regarding Empress Wu's monopoly on power. Having now found an outlet for their frustrations, how could they miss the chance to make trouble? Consequently, aside from Fan Lübing and a few other members of the Empress's faction who remained silent, all the other officials noisily made their stances clear.

"No rush. Juansiu makes a valid point; it is best to clarify the matter first. Brother Qingqing, you have frequent dealings with Wang Chengjia and can be considered an elder to this Wang Ping'er. It would be best for you to do the questioning." Luo Binwang did not rush to express his stance. Instead, he raised a hand to halt the clamor of the crowd, cupped his hands toward Li Ming, and spoke very politely.

Li Ming was of an impatient temperament and did not think too much of it, readily agreeing. He lowered his head to look at Wang Ping'er, who was sitting on the ground weeping bitterly, gave a feigned cough, and said, "Lass, I am Li Ming. Do you still remember me?"

"Wuwuwu..."

Although Wang Ping'er was a shrewish sort, she was still barely an adult maiden. Having been thoroughly frightened by the aggressive momentum of the officials earlier, she had yet to collect her wits and continued to cry incessantly. When Li Ming questioned her, she merely raised her head, looked at him through tear-blurred eyes, nodded while weeping, and considered that her answer.

"It is good enough that you recognize me. When I ask you something, you must answer truthfully. Why were you strolling together with that Helan Minzhi? What is your relationship with him? Speak." Li Ming held the official rank of Direct Erudite at the Imperial Academy. While his essays and literary compositions were undoubtedly fine, he was clearly no expert at interrogating cases. Dispensing with any prelude, he went straight to the point.

"N—no relationship. W—we just happened to run into each other by chance..."

Upon hearing Li Ming's phrasing, Wang Ping'er's expression changed instantly. Disregarding her tears, she rolled her small eyes, sniffed, and gave that reply.

"Nonsense! Can people who merely ran into each other by chance be strolling together so intimately? Sophistry!"

Before Li Ming could question her further, Lu Qiyao, standing off to the side, already rebuked her without the slightest courtesy.

"Ah, it's true! We really did run into each other by chance! Uncle Ming, you must believe your niece! Wuwuwu... You are all bullying people, wuwuwu..." Wang Ping'er let out a howl. Seeing the incredulous looks on everyone's faces, she grew frantic. Resorting to brazenness, she kicked her legs and wailed loudly, her abundant layers of flesh trembling wildly—a truly spectacular sight to behold.

"Mistress Ping'er, this matter is no joking matter. If you speak falsehoods and chatter nonsense, thorough investigation will inevitably implicate your entire family. I hope you will treasure yourself."

Most of the officials were veterans of officialdom, and their ability to read expressions and observe body language was naturally quite adept. The moment they saw Wang Ping'er's demeanor, they all knew this plump girl was not telling the truth at all. Yet, seeing her throw a tantrum and howl endlessly, they all felt it was exceedingly tricky, and one by one, they focused their gazes on Luo Binwang. This time, Luo Binwang did not decline; he spoke in a deep, steady voice.

"You are bullying people! You aren't men! Bullying a weak, delicate maiden—what kind of heroes are you? Wuwuwu, I won't live anymore, wuwuwu..." Intent on muddling through, Wang Ping'er not only stubbornly refused to reveal the truth, but instead turned around to bite back at the officials.

"Lord Luo, there is no need to ask further. We should simply submit a joint memorial requesting His Majesty to issue an imperial decree for a thorough investigation."

Seeing the questioning fall into a deadlock, Lu Qiyao immediately chimed in from the side, once again proposing the motion for a joint memorial.

"Those words are exceedingly good. Let us do just that."

"We can only do so now."

"Indeed, we cannot let that petty thief Helan Minzhi off so easily!"

The officials also felt that blindly questioning her further was no solution, and they chimed in with their agreement one after another. This time, even Fan Lübing and the other members of the Empress's faction raised no objection to Lu Qiyao's motion.

"No, no! This humble maid really did just happen to encounter Young Master Helan by chance! Ah, no, no! It was Young Master Helan who said that Master Huining of White Horse Temple excels at conducting rituals and can guarantee the birth of a male heir, which is why this humble maid came here..."

It was fine as long as Wang Ping'er did not speak, but the moment those words left her mouth, the expressions of all the officials changed entirely. The looks they cast toward Wang Ping'er were now filled with utter disgust. The officials were regular visitors to White Horse Temple and knew the ranking of the monks within the temple quite well; there was simply no monk whose name began with the character "Hui." That alone might have been forgiven and explained away by claiming Wang Ping'er had been deceived by Helan Minzhi. However, that latter phrase, "guarantee the birth of a male heir," was not so simple. Although Wang Ping'er had not yet been formally married into the Prince of Zhou's Manor, she was already the designated candidate, and her conduct brooked not the slightest flaw. Such a matter of seeking a child from a master, firstly, could not be done at this juncture, and secondly, even if one needed to seek guidance, it had to be accompanied by Li Xian himself as the principal party—there was no reason for Helan Minzhi to accompany her. In other words, no matter from which angle one looked at it, Wang Ping'er's actions had already violated the "Seven Grounds for Divorce."

"Alas, sins brought upon oneself may yet be endured, but sins of one's own making leave no room for forgiveness. Lord Luo, you shall draft this memorial, and this old man will naturally add his name in support." Seeing that Wang Ping'er still remained oblivious to her own wrongdoing at this point, Li Ming sighed with emotion. He no longer paid any attention to Wang Ping'er, cupped his hands toward Luo Binwang, and spoke resolutely.

"Very well, then. There is no time to lose. Let us move to the quarters; the memorial shall be written right here within the temple. Gentlemen, let us all append our names together." Luo Binwang no longer wished to prolong the matter. With a bold wave of his hand, he neatly and decisively brought the discussion to a conclusion. Without caring what expression the sprawling Wang Ping'er wore, he strode toward the back courtyard of the temple. The remaining officials, regardless of their inner thoughts, could only swarm along behind him.

"What are you looking at? Look closely again and this lady will strip the skin right off your faces!"

The moment the officials departed, Wang Ping'er, who had been fake-crying, instantly stopped. Scrambling agilely to her feet, she cursed angrily at the surrounding onlookers, twisted her thick waist, squeezed her way out of the crowd, and sprinted with all her might toward the outside of the temple...

Inside the study of the Prince of Zhou's Manor, Li Xian, dressed in white robes, sat indifferently behind a desk. Holding a thread-bound book, he appeared to be studying it intently. Yet, the slightly twitching corners of his brows and his somewhat vacant gaze betrayed the fact that his mind was not on the book at all. In truth, that was indeed the case—Li Xian was anxiously waiting for definitive news of the outcome. The only reason he could maintain his composure was the political cunning he had cultivated over time. With his lifelong happiness hanging in the balance, it was impossible for Li Xian not to worry, especially since he knew full well that no matter how detailed a plan was, when execution actually arrived, ensuring perfection was nearly impossible. And since Li Xian could not afford to lose this gamble, it would have been truly strange had he not been worried.

"Your Highness."

Just as Li Xian was fraught with anxiety, a shadow flickered, and Luo Tong quietly appeared in the study.

"How is the situation?"

Seeing that Luo Tong had arrived, Li Xian's spirits instantly perked up. Setting the book down on the desk, he hurriedly pressed for answers, his voice carrying a faint, subtle tremble...