Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity

Chapter 949 - 785: Raiding the Prince Mansion

When he heard that the Emperor did not reprimand him, the Third Prince looked up in astonishment.Seeing a hint of reluctance on the Emperor’s face, he panicked. Could it be that the Emperor was so unwilling to reprimand him that he planned to completely abandon him and expel him from the family?

Or perhaps the Emperor wanted to eliminate him to give the Second a justification?

Ultimately, he didn’t want to die, nor did he wish to lose his princely status. Although the Third Prince knew the evidence was immense, he still held onto a glimmer of hope and thus decided to defend himself with a few words.

He wept bitterly and crawled forward a few steps, "Father! Your son is truly wronged! How could your son poison Second Brother? Someone is trying to frame your son! Father! You must believe your son, your son is timid, where would he dare to do such a thing?"

The Third Prince lay on the ground, his face smeared with tears and mucus. He hoped the Emperor would be moved by his pitiful appearance and be lenient in his punishment.

As he cried, the Third Prince’s sorrow welled up; he was no longer entirely acting.

He was genuinely afraid in his heart, afraid of losing his current power and status; afraid to be cut off from the throne, with no hope left; more terrified of being given a cup of poisoned wine, ending the worldly wealth and glory.

Glancing at the dazzling throne, the Third Prince cried with earnest sincerity.

He could now only gamble on some fondness the Emperor still had for him, and perhaps for the sake of his mother, show leniency.

"Humph! You say you were framed, but who here could frame you? Was it the Eldest, or the Crown Prince?"

At this point, the Emperor’s anger had risen a few notches.

Even at this juncture, the Third was unwilling to admit his mistakes, daring to say he was framed.

The Emperor glanced at the Crown Prince and Eldest Prince, making their hearts skip a beat.

Subsequently, his gaze fell on Prince Jing, only to see Prince Jing’s expression remained indifferent, as if unconcerned.

Humph! This Fourth is also ruthless; with the brothers at odds, the Crown Prince was nearly sent to the underworld, yet he remained unmoved?

"Father! Many in the court are dissatisfied with Crown Brother; your son was foolish and deceived by someone, which is my fault! Please, Father, show mercy and spare your son!"

The Third Prince pleaded repeatedly, even though he acted in such a humiliating manner before the civil and military officials.

Yet compared to losing his life and princely identity, what did this matter?

As long as Father spared him today, there would be a chance for him to make a comeback.

"You say you were deceived, then I ask you, is that girl Li Xiang your person? And the Hidden Guard who later interacted with Li Xiang, was he also yours?"

The Emperor’s eyes were full of disappointment; the Third did not even have the courage to admit.

The Crown Prince looked at the Third Prince with coldness in his eyes; this Third truly could tell lies with his eyes wide open.

Did he not know the more he defended, the more disappointed Father would be? After so many years, didn’t the Third Prince understand Father’s temperament?

Only by obediently admitting fault can one receive leniency. During Father’s rage, any defense would only exacerbate it.

Turning to glance at the Eldest and Fourth, standing on the other side, the Crown Prince clenched his fists. Compared to these two, the Third was insignificant.

The two were the most difficult to handle; once they went to their fiefs, if they took any private actions, he wouldn’t be able to reach them.

Actually, it would be better to keep them under surveillance; as long as they didn’t leave the Capital, he could monitor their every move, which would ease his mind.

"Come! Bring those two witnesses forward, along with the evidence confiscated from the Third Prince Mansion."

The Third Prince turned and saw that it was Li Xiang and the Hidden Guard he sent to the Second Prince Mansion, startling him.

Li Xiang aside, that Hidden Guard was a Death Warrior; once captured, he would’ve bitten the poison sac hidden in his mouth to commit suicide. Why was he still here?

Seeing the tortured, disfigured faces of the two, and the fresh blood at the corner of the Warrior’s mouth, the Third Prince turned to glare at the Crown Prince with resentment.

It must have been the Crown Prince who ordered the removal of the poison sac, despicable!

No wonder Father started searching his mansion yesterday; it turned out these two had confessed.

This group of Death Warriors was originally trained by his grandfather Wan Xue Nian from the Wan Mansion; after his grandfather’s death, he secretly took over these men.

The Third Prince finally felt hopeless; originally, with just Li Xiang, he might have had a slim chance.

But since this person was a Warrior from the Wan Mansion, marked with the Mansion’s insignia, he couldn’t deny it, even if he wanted to.

"Father! Your son was deceived by traitors; they incited your son to seize Crown Brother’s position, your son couldn’t resist temptation! I plead with Father to show mercy! Give your son another chance!"

The Third Prince, seeing no way to refute, had no choice but to admit. Yet he still did not want to die, so he earnestly pleaded.

Recalling how his mansion was thoroughly searched before dawn, the Third Prince felt even more anxious and uneasy.

"Kuang Aiqing! Tell us what evidence was unearthed at the Third Prince Mansion last night?"

Because the heir’s enthronement ceremony was to be held early today, and the Emperor was already aged and couldn’t be overly exerted, he didn’t yet know the outcome of Kuang Zhao Ying’s seizure.

"Your Majesty! When I led the Military Department to search the Mansion last night, we found gold and silver totaling over one million two hundred thousand taels, as well as many land deeds estimating around ten hectares. Other furnishings and jewelry are yet to be assessed."

As Kuang Zhao Ying spoke, the Emperor’s face grew more somber. Until later, the Emperor’s sullen face was accompanied by heavy breathing echoing in the hall.

The originally silent hall now buzzed with noise.

Gu Chengyu was somewhat taken aback; if the Third Prince was stealing, couldn’t he at least clean his mouth? Couldn’t those silver and land deeds be hidden somewhere else?

He probably didn’t expect his mansion to be searched, or why be so brazen?

The princes of Dayan Dynasty all eventually receive a fief; before then, the Emperor would not allocate so much land to the princes.

As for the silver, furnishings, and jewelry, these are all issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Prince Mansion. The Ministry’s items are marked and registered in the ledger.

Since Kuang Zhao Ying spoke thusly, it means those silver notes and silver were unmarked, thus open to question as to their origins.

One just needs to compare the ledgers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to determine how much silver the Third Prince had received illicitly.

As for why there were so many land deeds, it was probably through enclosure. Gu Chengyu didn’t know the specifics.

But it’s generally one of a few methods: occupying ownerless wasteland, or exchanging their barren land for fertile fields.