Chapter 330: This King Welcomes You

cityscape of the capital upon arrival.The old monk naturally followed along as well.On the balcony of a private room on the third floor of the restaurant, Li Chen sat opposite the old monk. On the tab...Chapter 330: Your Majesty Welcomes You

After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes.

Li Yinhu had intentionally made friends with them, and the father-and-son duo of Long Tianden were exactly what he wanted. The atmosphere at this meal between the three grew increasingly heated.

When it was almost time, Li Yinhǔ ended a lighthearted topic and put down his chopsticks.

Seeing this, Long Tiandé and Long Huáiyù exchanged glances, knowing that the real action was about to begin. They then put down their chopsticks as well.

After the wine and food were finished, it was time to get down to business.

"In two days it will be the Spring Festival. I wonder, on this trip to Beijing, have you finished your business"

Hearing Li Yinhu's question, Long Huaiyu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. The matter that my father and I came to the capital for can be considered finished, but it cannot be said to be well done."

With a slight squint, Li Yinhu gave a smile that wasn't quite a smile and said, "Oh That sounds a bit intriguing."

"With a heavy sigh, Long Huaiyu said with a worried expression, 'To be honest, things haven't been peaceful in Xishan Prefecture recently. I believe Your Highness is an intelligent person and understands the situation well.'"

Li Yinhu nodded and said, "Not bad. Xishan Province is indeed quite turbulent. First, there was a natural disaster of famine, and among all the provinces in the country, Xishan suffered one of the most severe situations. Then, rebels rose up, making an already difficult life for the people of Xishan Province even more complex and dangerous."

He nodded and said, "That's true. However, our Long family's roots are firmly planted in Xishan Province. Seeing the current state of affairs there truly pains me. So, I joined forces with some influential local families and gentry from Xishan Province. Among them were retired officials who returned to their hometowns and those like the Long family who have been developing there for generations. It can be said that our voices represent the wishes of the common people in Xishan Province."

“Some time ago, the imperial court sent a new Bureaucrat of Finances to Xishan Province, Zhao Heshan. After arriving in Xishan Province, instead of focusing on disaster relief and eliminating rebel armies, he fixated on consolidating his power. Anyone in the province who disobeyed him would be dismissed from office at best, or thrown into prison with their property confiscated at worst. Such tyranny plunged Xishan Province into even greater chaos.”

"Therefore, my son and I have been entrusted by many villagers and common people from our region. We hope to come to the capital city to meet His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, and plead with him to see through Zhao Heishan's true nature and bring him to justice."

After listening quietly to this, Li Yinhou smiled and said, “I’m afraid your wishes will come to naught. Zhao He shan was sent there by the prince himself. During this time, countless memorials accusing Zhao He shan of his crimes have been submitted to the court, but has the prince ever taken a serious look at any of them Two imperial historians even accused him during court sessions before, but were reprimanded by the prince. If it weren’t for the rule in our dynasty that imperial historians cannot be punished for speaking their minds, those two men would have been skinned alive.”

"The crown prince said, 'In times of chaos, heavy punishments are necessary. It's not a problem that the severest punishments don't deter villains. All civil and military officials who report Zhao Heshan are in cahoots with those corrupt officials. The East Factory should investigate this thoroughly.'"

"Once this is said, who else dares to speak"

"Even the entire court, officials included, felt this way. So don't even think about discussing your father and son. It's perfectly natural that the Crown Prince would fall from grace."

Speaking of this, Li Yinhǔ changed the subject and addressed the two: "However, this king knows your intentions. You both care for the people of Xishan Province. With such a pure heart, how could you allow your passion to cool Although the East Palace path is blocked, this Zhao Wangfu welcomes you anytime."ade our stance clear: Li Chen must be dealt with by his own hands. They won’t offend us over such trivial matters.”With a face contorted in grim satisfaction, Duan Jinjiang laughed nearly to madness....