Chapter 45

The expression on the face of His Majesty the Holy Emperor immediately turned grim.

When the previous emperor was on the throne, the Crown Prince's actions were not to his liking, and he was eventually deposed. After the Crown Prince was deposed, the various princes, like sharks smelling blood, launched fierce attacks on the throne. Song Xingtian's position as Holy Emperor was obtained after a brutal struggle. The hardships and treachery during this period were too numerous to recount.

Now, not long after his ascension, the princes who had fought him to the death were not at all convinced. It was a joke; they were all of the dragon blood, and no one could hide the embarrassing childhood incidents of wetting the bed in open-crotch pants. Putting on the imperial robes and pretending to be the Son of Heaven might fool the common people, but it wouldn't fool them.

Most crucially, each prince held real power. For example, Prince Kang, Song Xingyun, controlled the three major special agencies of the Holy Lion Empire, a setup arranged by the previous emperor. If Song Xingtian immediately stripped the princes of their power upon his ascension, it would be a clear sign of disrespect to the previous emperor, and he would easily earn a bad reputation.

Although His Majesty the Holy Emperor dreamed of stripping the three princes of their power, he lacked a justifiable reason.

He needed an opportunity, a chance to strip the princes of their power with a clear conscience.

Wen Liren, the top minister of the royalist faction, immediately pointed out the biggest flaw of the other side when he saw the Special Operations Bureau surround his residence.

Overstepping authority, violating the Holy Lion Code, and showing no respect to His Majesty the Holy Emperor—these were serious charges.

His Majesty the Holy Emperor was a shrewd person. If he didn't take advantage of this opportunity, he wouldn't deserve to sit on the dragon throne. So his expression turned grim at the right moment.

"Prince Kang, how dare you!" Song Xingtian was furious and shouted sternly.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Prince Kang bowed deeply and respectfully said, "Your younger brother is filled with a fervent desire to serve the country and has no intention of disrespecting Your Majesty. This matter is of great importance, and the opportunity is fleeting. Your younger brother feared that someone might leak the information, giving the other party a chance to destroy the evidence. Therefore, I dispatched the Special Operations Bureau to guard the Wen residence. Everything I did was for the sake of the case, with no personal motives! Please, Your Majesty, investigate clearly!"

"Such a fine statement of 'no personal motives.' In the face of irrefutable evidence, even if Prince Kang's tongue were as brilliant as a lotus, it would be hard to conceal his crimes!" Wen Liren said sternly. "The law is impartial. No matter the purpose, one cannot overstep the boundaries! The Holy Lion Code states: A prince who breaks the law is treated the same as a commoner! Prince Kang, I suggest you confess your crimes."

"Minister Lin, what is the punishment for mobilizing the Special Operations Bureau to surround the residence of a second-rank official without approval?" The Holy Emperor turned to Minister Lin Chaoxian of the Ministry of Justice and asked coldly.

"Your Majesty, according to the law, the position in the Special Operations Bureau should be stripped, and a fifty-stick punishment should be given as a warning to others," Minister Lin bowed and answered solemnly.

"What about the crime of deceiving the emperor and showing no respect to the Holy Emperor?" Song Xingtian's voice grew even colder. The forces of the Loyal Prince had never taken him seriously. This was a good opportunity to humble them. So he wouldn't blame them for his taking advantage of the situation.

"Stripping the title, confiscating the property, and exterminating the entire family!" Cold sweat poured down Minister Lin's forehead. Politically, he also belonged to the Loyal Prince's faction. Seeing the Holy Emperor seize this opportunity to severely punish Prince Kang, his back turned cold.

Song Xingyun bypassed the Holy Emperor and directly took action against Wen Liren. This matter could be big or small. To put it bluntly, the three special agencies had always operated this way. Most of the time, cases were urgent, and there was no time to seek approval. Acting first and reporting later was the norm for the special agencies. If Prince Kang and the Holy Emperor were on the same side, there would be no problem. The key issue was that Prince Kang and the Holy Emperor were political enemies. If the Holy Emperor seriously pursued this matter, Prince Kang would indeed be in the wrong.

However, the Holy Emperor's accusation of "deceiving the emperor and showing no respect to the Holy Emperor," a crime second only to treason, still made the ministers present break out in cold sweat.

There was no doubt that the Holy Emperor had reached his limit with the forces of the Loyal Prince and was launching a sharp counterattack.

"Your Majesty, Prince Kang is loyal to our dynasty and holds the Holy Emperor in high regard. Perhaps his methods in handling the case were a bit hasty, but his intentions were to maintain the stability of the Holy Lion Dynasty," the Loyal Prince stepped forward at the right moment, smiling and speaking calmly. "The priority now is to verify whether the information obtained by the Cat Eye Bureau is true. If evidence of Wen Liren's treason is found in the Wen residence, then the charge of deceiving the emperor and showing no respect to the Holy Emperor would be baseless, wouldn't it? Everything he did was to help the Holy Emperor root out the biggest worm in his court, which would not only be blameless but meritorious."

"Yes, the Loyal Prince is right. If evidence is found in the Wen residence, Prince Kang would be a great contributor," another minister added.

"If a prime minister really colludes with foreign powers and plans a rebellion, it would be terrifying."

"Your Majesty, please investigate clearly. The priority is to handle the case."

"Prince Kang has always been diligent and dedicated to the people, and his loyalty to Your Majesty is evident. Please investigate clearly, Your Majesty!"

"......" The Loyal Prince's faction immediately jumped to support Prince Kang, with ministers speaking one after another.

"High-ranking officials who only know how to flatter and echo others are utterly shameless!" Wen Liren's face turned a deep red, and he glared at the ministers.

"Your Majesty, your younger brother is willing to sign a military order. If no evidence of Wen Liren's treason is found in the Wen residence, your younger brother will resign and accept any punishment from Your Majesty. If evidence is found, I humbly request Your Majesty to forgive me for acting without permission, considering my public-spirited intentions," Prince Kang knelt on one knee, his face showing loyalty.

The Holy Emperor, Song Xingtian, inwardly sneered. Based on his understanding of Song Xingyun, this man was cunning and extremely cautious. Without a sure win, he would never take such a risk. Fortunately, the sixth prince had learned of their plot in advance and made the necessary arrangements. He was here today to cooperate with the Duke of Hai and Wen Liren in a performance. He believed that when all the cards were revealed, everyone would be shocked.

"Since the Loyal Prince is pleading for you, I will temporarily refrain from pursuing the matter," Song Xingtian said calmly. "Prince Kang, I accept your military order. If no evidence of treason is found in the residence of Vice Premier Wen, you will not escape punishment!"

"Your younger brother understands!" Prince Kang remained outwardly calm but was inwardly elated. This was a setup he had arranged, and he even knew the exact location where the incriminating box was hidden. It was impossible for the evidence not to be found.

He waved his hand, signaling the Special Operations Bureau guards to proceed. At that moment, the Duke of Hai stepped forward again and said, "Your Majesty, for the sake of fairness, please send the Golden Feather Knights to accompany the Special Operations Bureau guards in searching the residences of Ministers Huang and Wen. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

The Golden Feather Knights were the Holy Emperor's personal guards, all highly skilled and the elite of the Holy Lion Empire's army. Although their numbers were small, their combat strength was formidable, and they had once defeated an army of 50,000 with a single battalion. They were the Holy Emperor's most solid support. Each Golden Feather Knight had undergone strict examination and training and was absolutely loyal to the Holy Emperor. Therefore, the Golden Feather Knights were the Holy Emperor's most trusted and relied-upon people.

The Duke of Hai's proposal to have the Golden Feather Knights accompany the Special Operations Bureau guards in searching the residences of Ministers Huang and Wen was clearly a supervisory measure.

The ministers, including the Loyal Prince, looked at the Duke of Hai with extreme surprise. The Duke of Hai had always been a neutral figure, so his proactive stance was quite unusual.

Only Song Xingtian and Wen Liren knew what was going on, and they wouldn't explain it to the others. Song Xingtian was particularly satisfied with the sixth prince's performance. If it weren't for the sixth prince's early knowledge of the plot, Wen Liren's situation might not have been so favorable. Even if he knew it was a setup by the Loyal Prince, he couldn't protect Wen Liren with irrefutable evidence. The Loyal Prince's influence was widespread, and they had people in key positions. Once Wen Liren was imprisoned, they would have countless opportunities to eliminate him.

It seemed his judgment was correct. The sixth prince had always been cautious and not incompetent, just not wanting to act. If he wanted to achieve something, he could do it well. At least his performance today in the court demonstrated this.

For the Loyal Prince's faction, the Holy Emperor's and Vice Premier Wen's reactions were expected. They had their own methods to deal with conventional weapons. The Duke of Hai, however, was a "wild card," and his unexpected appearance disrupted their plans.

The Duke of Hai's proposal was to prevent any unforeseen events. Although the three special agencies were nominally responsible to the Holy Emperor, they had been under Prince Kang's control and might only recognize Prince Kang. Sending these people to search would not be reassuring. The Golden Feather Knights, being the Holy Emperor's confidants, would ensure that the Special Operations Bureau guards couldn't tamper with anything if they found anything suspicious.

"Since the Duke of Hai has spoken, to show fairness, I will send the Golden Feather Knights to accompany the Special Operations Bureau guards in the search," Song Xingtian was unusually generous, waving his hand to signal the Golden Feather Knights to follow the Special Operations Bureau guards into the residences of Ministers Huang and Wen.

Although the Loyal Prince and others found the Duke of Hai's behavior strange, they didn't think too deeply about it. Once the evidence was found, he and Wen Liren would be in the same boat, and neither would last long. Let him have his moment of glory; it wouldn't change the overall situation.

So they didn't pay much attention to the Duke of Hai, and when their gazes swept over him, they couldn't help but show a hint of disdain. Who would argue with a dying man?

The people from the Huang and Wen residences were gathered in a courtyard under surveillance, while the Special Operations Bureau guards and the Golden Feather Knights searched the houses, rummaging through everything.