The Second Master of the Red Chamber

The sound of whipping echoed throughout the palace.

Many timid eunuchs and palace maids had already turned their heads away, unable to bear to watch.

Several ministers, seeing that the Third Prince's fine robes were stained with blood, but he persisted and did not even dare to make any loud noise, felt admiration for him.

So they all spoke up to plead for the third prince.

But Emperor Ning Kang turned a deaf ear to them and just kept waving the whip in his hand, beating the ambitious, cruel and ruthless rebellious son under his feet harder and harder.

At the same time, his heart was bleeding.

Although he was heartbroken by the prince's betrayal, he never thought of killing him.

He still remembered that he had thought of many ways to deal with the prince...

Among the many princes, he knew that he, the third son, was the most scheming and had a long-standing grudge with his eldest brother.

So, when the third prince volunteered to capture the prince, he hesitated for a moment.

But he thought that it shouldn't be that serious yet.

Everyone knew that the prince had been abandoned by him and was destined to be a useless person.

But he never expected that things would develop in the direction he least wanted to see.

He was angry and furious.

He even began to doubt whether he was really wrong!

But everything had already happened, the prince and his wife were dead, and there was nothing he could do.

Of course he suspected the third prince.

I also thought about finding out the truth.

He even had the intention to kill.

But after waking up from his illness, he suddenly realized that he was actually biased.

Although he could explain his favoritism by saying that the crown prince was the legitimate heir, he could not deceive his own heart and indeed cared more about the crown prince, the eldest son.

The prince is dead.

Even if the third prince is executed, what is the point?
A few years later, Xiao Si and Xiao Wu might end up like their eldest and third brothers.

He began to think about how, as an emperor, he could protect his children.

The crown prince is dead, and the third prince is his eldest son.

Since he is the eldest son, he will inherit the throne in the future.

He decided to put this matter aside for the time being and give the third prince another chance.

But in his heart, he couldn't help feeling sorry for the prince, even though it was the prince who had wronged him first.

He is also very conflicted.

Tian Liang's appearance was an accident.

What surprised him even more was that Princess Zhaoyang would speak up for Tian Liang. He began to realize that perhaps new changes had taken place among his children.

He wanted to see clearly.

So he accepted Tian Liang's petition, perhaps he also wanted to know the truth.

After all, no emperor likes to be a fool.

The result didn't surprise him too much.

If there was anything surprising, it was that he didn't expect that the Third Prince's actions had so many loopholes!

How proud was he to kill Tian Qu and the others and then just throw the bodies back?
He could have done it more carefully.

Did he really think that once the prince died, the world would be his?

Emperor Ning Kang also went through this process. Looking back, he felt that every step he took was like sitting on pins and needles. Even when he actually sat on the throne, he was still very cautious.

He began to doubt whether the third prince would be able to hold on to this position in the future.

This is also the reason why he is beating the third prince so hard now.

But on the surface, he was seeking justice for the meritorious officials.

Finally, after two quarters of an hour, when the Third Prince seemed to be dying, Emperor Ning Kang stopped.

Handing the bloody whip to the eunuch, Emperor Ning Kang looked at Tian Liang and said, "The Third Prince has lost his moral integrity and has killed ministers without authorization. I order you to strip him of his princely title and demote him to a county prince. In addition, you must be relieved of all your duties in the court and reflect on your mistakes for a year."

Upon hearing this, although Tian Liang was unwilling, he also knew that it was impossible to ask the prince to pay for his brother's life, so he could only kneel down to express his gratitude.

"Does your brother have any children?"

"I have two sons."

"Well... Tian Quping was rewarded for his meritorious service this time, and was posthumously awarded the title of Earl of Yongyi, and his eldest son was awarded the title of Second-Class Light Cavalry Commandant."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live my emperor."

Tian Liang felt better now.

But he also understood that the emperor's posthumous title and favor were obviously an attempt to silence him.

Therefore, he could only say sorry to Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang in his heart, and he could no longer accuse the Third Prince of murdering the Crown Prince.

In the corridor, Princess Zhaoyang opened her mouth several times, but looking at Emperor Ning Kang's increasingly old and tired body, she said nothing, helped Emperor Ning Kang up, and walked into the palace. Everyone dispersed.

But what happened tonight was destined to create huge waves in their hearts.

No one could have expected that the crown prince was dead, and that the third prince, who was once at the peak of his career, would encounter such a huge change in less than a day.

A small sixth-rank commander actually dared to go directly to the emperor to sue the third prince. The key is that he succeeded!

The third prince was demoted and sentenced to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion for a year.

This punishment may not seem too severe, but when it comes to the Third Prince at this moment, it makes people think of other things.

Emperor Ning Kang has more than one son, the Third Prince!
Many people who had originally planned to curry favor with the Third Prince secretly gave up their plans and decided to wait and see what happened.

A little more.

They naturally did not forget that in addition to accusing the Third Prince of killing his brother, Tian Liang also said that the Third Prince murdered the Crown Prince!

Although the last charge was not established, the emperor seemed to accept the third prince's explanation.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

But the emperor's final beating did seem to have some unusual meaning.

It can even be said that the emperor did not seem to have cleared the name of the third prince at all!

The emperor simply ended the interrogation of the third prince abruptly, but he did not come to a conclusion as to whether the crown prince was murdered or whether the third prince was the murderer.

This gives smart people unlimited room for imagination.

Some people couldn't help but sigh that this time the hunting in Tiewang Mountain was really one crisis after another!
I heard that a large number of soldiers and horses are coming from the foot of the mountain, and I don’t know when it will end.

……

When Tian Liang walked out of the palace, many people who had been waiting outside the palace gate to listen to the noise surrounded him.

Many people admired his courage for daring to confront the third prince.

But more than that, I still want to know more inside information.

After all, the commotion was so loud, and the Third Prince had just been carried away by his personal guards. His miserable appearance made one unable to help but be curious.

But Tian Liang simply dealt with it. After looking around and not seeing any trace of Jia Lian, he asked his brothers to send the bodies of Tian Qu and others back. He and Zhou Xianming went to Jia Lian's tent in the Firearm Camp.

As soon as he entered the tent, Tian Liang knelt down first and said excitedly: "Thanks to the help of the Marquis, I was able to clear my brother's name. I cannot repay the Marquis for his kindness. Please accept my humble greetings!"

Although Jia Lian did not go to the scene, he already knew the general result.

"Commander Tian, ​​there is no need to be so polite. General Tian Qu was a loyal and brave man. He should not have died in such an unclear way. As a general of the Imperial Guard, it is my duty to redress his injustice."

Tian Liang was even more moved when he heard this.

Think about it, Feng Sheng, as their boss, was a second-rank official, and when facing the third prince, he dared not say a word. Jia Lian, on the other hand, had nothing to do with them, but was willing to help them. The difference between the two was like heaven and earth.

Although he also guessed that Jia Lian was not just helping him this time and must have some other plans, no matter what, he was grateful for the Tian family's rebirth.

"My Lord, you are righteous. It's just that I am incompetent and failed to follow your instructions and make the Third Prince confess his crime of murdering the Crown Prince..."

Tian Liang began to explain the situation.

Jia Lian's reputation was well-known, and after this encounter, he was even more awed and respected. After all, the fact that Princess Zhaoyang could command him was enough to prove how terrifying Jia Lian was.

When they met Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang in the tent before, although Princess Zhaoyang was the dominant one on the surface, Tian Liang and the others could see that Princess Zhaoyang listened to Jia Lian.

Therefore, like Zhou Xianming, he also wanted to get closer to Jia Lian. He was afraid that Jia Lian would blame him for not doing his job well, so he told him the attitude and situation of the emperor at that time.

Jia Lian nodded and said, "It's okay. You've done well enough."

Yes, Tian Liang did everything he should have done.

As for how the emperor will make his final decision, no one can influence it.

Originally, he didn't expect to knock the third prince to death in one go.

At the moment, his goals have almost been achieved.

The third prince has almost been disgraced... He wantonly killed a third-rank military general who had just made contributions to their father and son. This will definitely become an obstacle for the third prince to cultivate his team in the future.

Moreover, he was sentenced to house arrest for one year.

In a year, there is a lot of room for maneuver.

Jia Lian was sure that when the Third Prince was released from confinement a year later, the Fourth Prince would already have a certain ability to compete!

In fact, the most important thing this time is that in Emperor Ning Kang's mind, the fact that the third prince deliberately killed the crown prince has been confirmed. As for whether the charge is established or not, that is not that important.

As long as Emperor Ning Kang is sure of this, given his temperament, even if he won't kill the Third Prince, he probably won't want to make him the Crown Prince.

After all, if the third prince can kill the crown prince this time, he may be able to kill the fourth prince or even the fifth prince in the future.

As long as Emperor Ning Kang still has some affection for his child, he will consider the Fourth Prince, who is kind-hearted and has a pure heart.

This is the greatest political resource gained for the Fourth Prince this time.

Seeing that Jia Lian had nothing to say to them, Zhou Xianming and Tian Liang looked at each other, expressed their willingness to serve, and then asked to leave.

Jia Lian didn't keep them either.

Although these two were only two sixth-rank generals, they were in the central guard camp and might be of great use at a critical moment, so Jia Lian was naturally willing to accept them.

Of course, this is also because they all have some ability and are willing to get close to him. Otherwise, Jia Lian would not look down on ordinary mediocre people. (End of this chapter)