Tibet.

Chapter 1279 Kill one to serve as a warning to others
In the inner hall, Li Yu stared at a cup of poisoned wine on the table in a trance. Several internal guards stood beside him. Li Chenghua said coldly: "His Royal Highness the Regent will put you aside from the Qiaoling robbery case for the sake of our old friendship, and hand your descendants over to Prince Ning, giving you a chance to end your life."

Li Yu asked in a trembling voice: "Can I see you one last time, big brother?"

Li Chenghua said slowly: "His Royal Highness the Regent summoned your eldest brother and agreed that he could say goodbye to you for the last time, but your eldest brother refused to come. He said that he was too ashamed to see his grandfather!"

Li Yu fell to his knees on the ground, covering his face with his hands and crying bitterly. He was filled with remorse and was so obsessed that he even thought of digging up his grandfather's tomb.

Li Chenghua said again: "I tell you again, His Highness has already reached an agreement with your brother to put aside your case with the Qiaoling tomb robbery, and will make public your unfortunate death in Hanzhong, so as to fulfill your title. Go on your journey with peace of mind!"

Li Yu sighed, "I am nearly sixty years old, but I still have ambitions. I deserve to be punished. Please tell His Royal Highness the Regent to thank him for his forgiveness. Tell my eldest brother that I will go to the underworld to apologize to our ancestors and thank him for taking care of my descendants."

After saying this, he picked up the poisoned wine and drank it all.

That afternoon, the news that Yongwang Li Lin's rebellion failed and he committed suicide out of fear of punishment spread throughout Chang'an, shocking the whole city. Then another piece of news came out that Hanzhong Wang Li Yu participated in Li Lin's rebellion and was exiled to Yunnan.

In particular, Li Lin had rebelled twice a few years ago, and after being pardoned he did not repent and even continued to rebel for the third time, which was an unforgivable crime.

This case shocked not only Chang'an, but also the court and the public. Regent Li Ye immediately issued a royal order, ordering the Zongzheng Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple to jointly investigate Li Lin's rebellion.

At the same time, Li Ye accepted the resignation of Li Lin from the Zongzheng Temple and appointed King Li Xi of Yue as the new Minister of the Zongzheng Temple.

Inside the Shou Prince's mansion, Shou Prince Li Mao was like an ant on hot pot, pacing anxiously in the inner hall. Although he had not been visited by the inner guards yet, Li Mao knew very well that this was a matter of time. He was a core member of Li Lin's rebellion, and Li Lin had all his information, including the rebellion plan, evidence of his financial support, not to mention his signature, seal and fingerprints.

The internal security will come to arrest him sooner or later. What should I do?
Just as Li Mao was shaking with fear, the housekeeper came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Prince Chen and Prince Yi are here to visit!"

Li Mao was like someone who had suddenly grabbed a rope while drowning, and he kept saying, "Please invite them in!"

Not long after, Prince Yi Li Yu and Prince Chen Li Gui hurried in.

"Brother Eighteen, it's bad, King Feng committed suicide!"

"What?" Li Mao's legs trembled and he almost lost his balance.

"When did this happen?"

"It was last night. He got the news that the Huxian Manor had been cleared out, Li Zhen had been beheaded, and everyone had been arrested. He then committed suicide by taking poison. His son said so."

The manor in Huxian County was the property of Li Gong, the Prince of Feng. He knew that he had committed a serious sin, so he decided to commit suicide to protect his family.

Li Mao could no longer stand and sat down helplessly. Two of the three core members were dead. Was he also doomed to die?

"Brother Eighteen, is there another strange piece of news? There may be a glimmer of hope."

"What news?" Li Mao asked anxiously.

Prince Chen Li Gui said cautiously: "I have a good relationship with the new Minister of Zongzheng Temple Li Xi, so I will ask my son to ask about the situation."

"Then what?" Li Mao asked nervously.

"Then let me go to his house to talk."

Li Mao's eyes widened. "Did Li Xi ask you to go to his house to discuss this?"

Li Gui nodded, "That's exactly what he said."

Li Mao immediately realized that this was an opportunity!

"When did he ask you to go?" "Today. It's getting dark now. I think it's about time. Brother Eighteen, why don't the three of us go together?"

"Can I go too?"

Prince Yi Li Yu said, "Li Xi is our nephew. Li Lin and Li Gong are dead, and his uncle is left with only three of us brothers. We two have discussed and decided that we should call you."

Li Mao nodded repeatedly, "Let's go together!"

Li Xi is now a completely different person compared to his previous decadent state in Luoyang. At that time, he was extremely skinny and his energy and spirit were almost gone.

Now he has gained weight and is much stronger, his cheeks are plump, his body looks much stronger, his back is straight, and his eyes have a righteous look.
He was originally the son of an emperor. Once he completely gave up drinking and sex, he naturally became energetic and spirited.

At this time, his wife Wang came in and served tea, and reminded her husband: "They are your elders, you must respect them when speaking to them!"

Li Xi smiled, looked at the three trembling uncles and said, "Don't worry! How could I be rude to you three uncles?"

Wang retreated, and Li Xi waved his hand and said, "Three uncles, please have some tea!"

Li Mao sighed, "My dear nephew, please give us a clear explanation. How will His Royal Highness the Regent deal with us?"

Li Gui also said: "The case is now being handled by the Zongzheng Temple, the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice. You are the Minister of the Zongzheng Temple, so you should know some inside information!"

Li Xi took a sip of tea, smiled and said, "What kind of treatment do the three uncles want?"

The three of them looked at each other, and Li Mao asked tentatively, "Is this still a choice?"

"Of course you can choose. To be honest, I think you are really stupid. Too stupid. Extremely stupid, especially Li Gong. He actually committed suicide. He died of stupidity."

The three of them ignored Li Xi's rude words and asked together, "What do you mean, nephew?"

"Don't you think about it? When did Li Lin die? He died yesterday at noon. It's been an afternoon and a night, and now a whole day has passed, and the inner guards haven't come to our door yet. When did the inner guards take so long to do things? Or is it that there is insufficient evidence of your involvement in the rebellion? I have seen the letter of allegiance and the list of names that the inner guards sent to us today. What are you still thinking about?"

The three of them were stunned as if struck by lightning. Li Mao quickly clasped his fists and begged, "Nephew, please tell us clearly! We don't want to die. What should we do?"

Li Xi sighed, "Uncle Eighteen, if I were you, I would have written a petition to the court yesterday to support the regent's ascension to the throne. You two did the same. I really don't understand. You are the sons of the retired emperor! The most legitimate of the legitimate, why don't you take advantage of such a good opportunity? You jointly wrote a petition to call for the regent to take the throne. Will the regent still kill you?"

The three of them woke up as if from a dream. Li Mao slapped himself hard, "I am so stupid. My nephew is right. We are really stupid!"

Li Gui asked again: "If we write a petition, will everything be alright?"

Li Xi smiled faintly, "It's just not death, but exile and imprisonment. Do you think it's enough?"

After all, Li Mao was Li Lin's military advisor. He was confused by the situation. Now Li Xi had woken him up. He immediately understood that Li Ye had not arrested them yet and was waiting for negotiations. That was why Li Xi said that he could choose how to deal with them.

Li Mao gritted his teeth and said, "Just tell me, nephew! I want to get away with this, what should I do?"

Li Xi smiled and said, "The three-court trial has not yet started. His Royal Highness the Regent is actually waiting for your attitude. If your attitude is sincere, then nothing will happen to you. You can have elegant gatherings, hunting trips, and everything will go on as usual. But if your attitude is not sincere, then you are Li Lin's accomplice, and the best outcome is exile to Lingnan. That's why I said you can choose."

Li Mao waved his hand to stop the two people beside him, staring at Li Xi with sharp eyes, "Then what sincerity do I need to show?"

Li Xi stopped beating around the bush and said slowly, "First, publicly support the regent's ascension to the throne; second, hand over the manor in Guanzhong; third, lower your title by one level, and His Royal Highness the Regent will not allow any more princes. Just these three conditions, you can leave your money alone, do you understand?"

(End of this chapter)