Chapter 665: Chapter 648: Three Eminent Monks Join Forces to Pressure the Palace (Part 2)
It’s uncertain how many of the court’s major figures are their people.
This is not the most terrifying part, because court officials must adhere to fairness in their actions, at least outwardly. The most terrifying part is the Jianghu.
Jianghu sects don’t care about procedures or evidence; they act without restraint.
The Heart Pavilion’s letter warned the Li Family children to be cautious when going out!
This is a blatant threat.
Signs indicate that from now on, if Li Family children go out, they will surely be assassinated, and the reasons have been decided. The Li Family is deemed disloyal, and Jianghu friends cannot bear it, hence punish them.
Each reason and clause, instantly turning Li Laoer’s joy into anxiety.
"Father!" the eldest said, "Our Li Family needs to act decisively, immediately summon back this rebellious son and severely punish him."
"No!" Li Laoer exclaimed.
"No? Do you want our Li Family wiped out before you’re satisfied? Do you want to bind the entire family’s fate with your rebellious son? Are you blind to the current court situation? Your Majesty is already old, the Crown Prince will surely ascend the throne; the shortsighted, unworthy of being our Li Family descendants!" The eldest relentlessly pressed forward, full of momentum.
Li Laoer’s forehead was drenched in sweat...
The Family Head of the Li Family locked eyes on him, increasingly cold, and stopped the eldest’s pressing: "Laoer, what the eldest said is all true. As your father, I’ve realized that the Xihe Li Family needs to acknowledge the unstoppable trend, and must not ally with this rebellious son..."
Suddenly, the door burst open.
It’s the steward!
The Family Head was furious!
The eldest was furious: "Don’t you understand the rules? Get out!"
The steward took two trembling steps forward, suddenly knelt down: "Family Head, urgent news from Beijing, the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince died last night in the Heavenly Prison!"
Boom!
Like a clap of thunder!
The Li Family eldest froze completely!
He had just confidently reiterated the Heart Pavilion’s rumors given to him, only to suddenly hear this news.
The Crown Prince is dead!
With the Crown Prince dead, how can he come back?
Grandpa Li’s face changed too: "Is the news confirmed?"
"Absolutely true!"
"The Crown Prince was only in the Cold Prison, why... why did he die?" Li Laoer’s voice rose.
"There’s a rumor in Beijing... committed suicide out of shame!"
Committed suicide out of shame...
Grandpa Li and the eldest exchanged glances, seeing suspicion in each other’s eyes, however, no one dared to speak, even in the Li Family’s inner courtyard, no one dared to utter a word...
Li Laoer straightened his back: "Father, now that the Crown Prince is dead, Your Majesty will certainly fully purge the Crown Prince’s faction. Our Li Family was originally in the purge list, fortunately, my son Cheng Nian is trusted by Your Majesty, sparing our Li Family from impact. I need a clear answer from you, Father, should we sever connections with my son?"
It was Grandpa Li’s turn to ponder.
Not only the Li Family was pondering.
At least the Huzhou Heart Pavilion was too.
In Huzhou Heart Pavilion, far from Beijing, under clear winds, amidst the lake breezes, originally a place to savor the scenery and free of worries, the Heart Pavilion’s top was deeply shrouded in thick gloom.
Heart Pavilion Master Lei Zhen Tian bowed before two old men.
These two old men wore plain clothes, with a heart-shaped pattern on them.
They are elders of the Mental Path.
The Heart Pavilion is merely the execution agency of the Mental Path in the secular world.
The Mental Path is the true sect behind them.
"People say that even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs; seems we’ve underestimated His Majesty!" said the elder on the left, "He already held the Imperial Seal and could have lived out his life peacefully, but merely for the need to seize life force, he resolutely kills his child in the Heavenly Prison."
The elder on the right said, "It’s not just to seize life force, he also realized that if the Crown Prince doesn’t die, the consequences are endless. When he put the Crown Prince in the Cold Prison instead of the Heavenly Prison, we should have seen it; he had already decided to kill the Crown Prince, letting him into the Cold Prison was a sign of the inevitable death."
The elder on the left said, "Unfortunately, we were fooled by him."
"Everything comes down to Li Chengnian!" said the Heart Pavilion Master, "I will personally go to Xi He now."
The elder on the left cast his gaze over: "You still plan to exploit his family, tarnish his name, remove his position, and eliminate his influence?"
"Yes! Isn’t this what we agreed on yesterday?" the Heart Pavilion Master said.
Yesterday, they planned how to deal with Li Chengnian.
Li Chengnian is an official in the court, publicly difficult to kill, even sending experts for assassination doesn’t fit the Heart Pavilion’s style.
The Heart Pavilion prefers to kill the person along with destroying the heart.
Using a blade to kill is considered a brainless act.
How to kill a person and destroy the heart?
The person must die, and their influence must endure. Therefore, tarnish his name, let him find no place in the world. Aren’t you the pride of the family? Then I’ll let your family kill you with their own hands!
Warn those infiltrated by the Heart Pavilion in such a way. Anyone daring to resist will face methods from the Heart Pavilion which render their reputations ruined, and that’s worse than death a thousand times!
The elder on the left slowly shook his head: "Yesterday is yesterday, today is today, just got the news, shockingly clear, telling us that against this newly risen talent with the Li Family, the Xi Family is nothing! They clash with this new talent, only to be toyed in his hands, expecting the Li Family’s internal struggle to achieve our aims is like fishing in a tree."
The Pavilion Master’s gaze focused: "What happened yesterday again?"
"Yesterday, we launched a high-level combat technique, Xuankong personally took action, erased Huang Pavilion’s records, yet this new talent from the court stood out, discovered Xuan Kong’s Slaying of the Three Corpses secret, Xuan Ku was killed on the spot, Xuankong Primordial Spirit was captured, two hundred disciples of Tunyun all went to the Forbidden Prison."