Chapter 1649: Li Heng Saves the Day! (2/2)
No matter what he said, he couldn't escape.
”Come and seize the King of Foreign Lands! And inform the Imperial Court and the Prime Minister to immediately enter the palace to discuss this affair. For a mighty King of the Great Tang to so flagrantly break the law, he must have some extremely important matter or secret. Have the Three Departments harshly interrogate him so that all the people behind the curtains can be arrested!”
The First Prince shot a glance brimming with murderous intent at Wang Chong.
Even the most meticulous of sages would make an error, and Wang Chong had offered himself up to the First Prince, so the First Prince would make full use of this opportunity.
Wang Chong had gathered countless other powers around him, forming a massive faction. The First Prince wanted not merely to imprison Wang Chong and completely remove this threat, but also seize all of the people in Wang Chong's faction and the Wang Clan, including Wang Yan, Wang Gen, Wang Mi, and everyone else!
Without the Wang Clan, no one inside or outside the court would be able to threaten him.
”Yes, Your Highness!”
Several dozen Imperial Army soldiers rushed up with savage expressions, preparing to seize Wang Chong. But before they could get close, a shout rang through the air.
”Wait a moment! Wang Chong will not resist if Your Highness plans to make an arrest, but Wang Chong would only like to ask: does staying the night at Tianxin Palace also require interrogation from the Three Departments?” Wang Chong said, his expression completely unlike someone who was going to be arrested.
”Hahah, staying the night at Tianxin Palace? Wang Chong, you're still trying to play tricks at this stage?”
Wang Chong was still trying to act the fool, and the First Prince could only smile in anger.
It seemed like he had overestimated Wang Chong. If Wang Chong thought an excuse like this would suffice, he was truly making a grave error.
”Wang Chong, as a King of the Great Tang, you broke the law, putting on assassination clothes… Hmph, you think that taking them off is any use? So many people are watching and the evidence is firm. You think you can defend yourself against these charges?”
The First Prince had suddenly paused in the middle. The report he had received not too long ago said that Wang Chong had entered the Imperial Palace in black assassination clothes, and this alone was enough to punish Wang Chong. What sort of King was this to engage in such conduct?
But the First Prince had been so delighted to see Wang Chong in his trap and so focused on seizing Wang Chong that he had failed to notice that Wang Chong had already obliterated his assassination clothes and put on a leisure robe.
He was truly taken aback, but if Wang Chong thought that destroying those clothes was enough to get him past this, he was far too naive.
”Come; seize him!” the First Prince coldly ordered. ”You can save whatever you have to say for the prison cell!”
The guards lunged at Wang Chong without hesitation.
Wang Chong was on the verge of being taken by the Imperial Army and thrown into prison. At dawn, this incident would trigger a storm that would sweep over the capital and all of the Great Tang.
But at this moment, a completely unexpected voice spoke up.
”First Imperial Brother, wait!”
There was a flurry of footsteps accompanying this clear cry, both of which the First Prince disregarded. But a moment later, when he saw the person leading the group, he paled.
Li Heng!
The First Prince had never imagined that Li Heng would come. Li Heng's palace was located very far from here, and it was impossible for him to have arrived so quickly. The First Prince sensed that something was wrong, and his eyebrows began to twitch.
Fifth Prince Li Heng was definitely the last on the list of people the First Prince had expected to appear.
Zhu Tong'en and all the other Eastern Palace advisors, including that man standing right behind the First Prince, also grimaced.
”Li Heng, it's late. Why are you here instead of in your palace?”
The First Prince's expression chilled as he rudely berated the approaching Li Heng.
It was said that an older brother should be treated as a father, and this was the same amongst the common folk as in the Imperial Palace. As the elder brother, the First Prince had far more authority and status than Li Heng, and this wasn't even considering that he was the regent.
Li Heng walked up and lightly said, ”Imperial Brother, Li Heng pays his respects!” In the past, Li Heng would have backed away in the face of such tough words from the First Prince, but he had changed. His expression was neither humble nor proud, and he appeared completely unmoved by the First Prince's reprimands.
”Hearing that there was an incident at Tianxin Palace, Li Heng came for the sake of the King of Foreign Lands.”
Li Heng stood with his back straight, getting straight to the point.
”After hearing that the King of Foreign Lands was involved, your imperial brother worried that there might be some misunderstanding. The King of Foreign Lands appeared at the palace entirely on the invitation of your imperial brother. But the two of us were so engrossed in our conversation that we lost track of time and missed the chance to leave the palace. Thus, your imperial brother made up a plan and decided to have the King of Foreign Lands stay the night in Tianxin Palace!”
Buzz!
The mood instantly changed. The First Prince's men all grimaced, and the figure standing behind the First Prince suddenly lost his initial composure.
It was surprising for the Fifth Prince to make such a timely appearance in the middle of the night, and even more surprising was the Fifth Prince's claim that this had all been his idea.
Supposedly, the Fifth Prince had decided to let Wang Chong stay the night in the palace. This was completely different from Wang Chong breaking the law and infiltrating the palace in the middle of the night.