People are in Zhenguan, solving crimes scientifically

Chapter 321 Boom! Li Shimin's Death!
Hearing Li Zhen's words, Wei Zheng and others suddenly stopped talking and hurriedly looked at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked normal, with no sign of anything unusual happening because of Li Zhen's words, as if the following prayer was really normal.

He nodded and said, "Since the time has come, let's get started."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the civil and military officials and said gently, "The prayer time will be at least one hour. I know what you all mean. You don't have to wait here all the time. If you have anything to do, you can leave on your own."

The civil and military officials nodded their heads in agreement, but no one really turned around and left. Li Shimin had come in person and was praying inside, so who would dare to leave? To put it mildly, it was called ignorance of the ways of the world, and to put it more seriously, it was called not caring about the safety of the heir to the throne of the Tang Dynasty... Is there anything else in the world that could be more important than whether the future heir could wake up smoothly?

So no matter what Li Shimin said, as long as the prayers were not over and Li Shimin had not left, these cunning officials would never really leave.

Li Shimin naturally knew all this, but as a monarch, he still had to express his position. As for how his subjects chose, that was their business.

He didn't waste any more time and directly called Li Tai and other princes. He swept his eyes over all the officials, paused for a moment on Wei Zheng and Dai Zhou, and said without any expression to them, "Let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, he strode away with Li Tai and others, under the protection of Li Zhen and other Qianniu Guards.

Looking at Li Shimin's back, Dai Zhou couldn't help but frown: "His Majesty finally looked at us just now, but he didn't give us any instructions, not even a special look. What does His Majesty want to do? What should we do with the next prayer?"

Wei Zheng's face was solemn: "Keep a close eye on the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall. If there is any unusual movement there, we will immediately take people there... and..."

He swept his eyes over the important officials present at the court, and seeing them curiously looking towards the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall, his eyes darkened slightly, and he whispered, "Keep a close eye on everyone present."

"Since the ultimate plan of the Four Symbols Organization is to pray for blessings, they will definitely come here in person. So, if nothing unexpected happens... there should be a member of the Four Symbols Organization hiding among these people. We must keep a close eye on them. If anyone behaves abnormally in the future, he is very likely a member of the Four Symbols Organization. We must arrest him... just arrest him!"

Dai Zhou's eyes turned cold, and a murderous intent lingered in his heart. He grinned and sneered: "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time!"

…………

The palace, deep inside.

A slightly old voice slowly sounded: "What time is it?"

A eunuch's sharp voice came from not far away: "It's almost three quarters past noon."

"Three quarters past noon? That means it's time to pray, right?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go. When the prayer begins, it will be the end of everything. It's time to get this world back on track..."

…………

East Palace, outer courtyard.

Before I knew it, a few snowflakes fell.

Chang Sun Wuji stretched out his hand, looked at the snowflakes falling on his palm, and said slowly: "The first snow of this winter came a little early."

Fang Xuanling, who was standing by, put his hands in his sleeves to resist the chill of early winter. Looking at the scattered snowflakes, he said calmly, "It was the same day last year."

"Really?" Chang Sun Wuji said with a smile, "I really didn't notice it... But the snow today is indeed quite appropriate."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze towards Fang Xuanling and suddenly asked in a meaningful tone, "What do you think, Duke Wei?"

Fang Xuanling was silent for a moment, then looked in the direction of the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas and said slowly, "Duke Qi, just speak frankly if you have anything to say."

Zhangsun Wuji took a step closer to Fang Xuanling and lowered his voice, "Duke Wei should have noticed something unusual today, right? Dai Zhou and Wei Zheng have been hiding behind the crowd, looking at us like they were looking for thieves... And these past few days, since Lin Feng's death, they have been coming into the palace frequently. Yesterday, they even brought people to seal off the East Palace, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving..."

He looked at Fang Xuanling with deep eyes and said, "It's obvious that they are doing something secretly, but I can't guess what they want to do. But I think Duke Wei has a long-term plan, so he should be able to guess some of their intentions, right?"

Fang Xuanling listened to Changsun Wuji's words, looked at him deeply, and said, "Duke Qi really can't guess anything?"

Changsun Wuji just smiled and didn't answer.

Fang Xuanling said calmly: "Lin Feng died at the hands of the Four Symbols Organization, and after Lin Feng's death, Dai Shangshu and his men began to take action frequently. If nothing unexpected happens, their actions should be related to the Four Symbols Organization."

"And they blocked the East Palace yesterday, obviously for today's blessing, so I guess what they are doing secretly is related to today's blessing, and even to the Four Symbols Organization."

Zhang Sun Wuji's eyes flickered, and he asked, "What is the relationship between Qifu and the Four Symbols Organization? What do they want to do, Your Majesty?"

Fang Xuanling's eyes flashed with thought, but soon he shook his head: "No news has been revealed, and I can't guess, but it doesn't matter. Since His Majesty didn't hand it over to us, it means that these things don't need you and me. Since we are not needed, we can just wait quietly. No matter what they are planning, it should be clear soon."

Changsun Wuji frowned, obviously not satisfied with Fang Xuanling's answer, but Fang Xuanling's words were exactly what he thought. Dai Zhou and the others concealed the news too well, and even he did not get any useful information. So at this moment, no matter how scheming he was, he could only wait for time to pass.

Just as Fang Xuanling said, since what Dai Zhou and others did secretly was related to praying for blessings, there would definitely be some manifestation after the next prayer began.

By then, everything will become clear.

Boom!
At this moment, a melodious bell suddenly rang.

"The time has come, and the prayer has begun!"

Someone spoke up and everyone present immediately looked towards the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Even Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling looked subconsciously with eyes searching for secrets.

Then--

boom! ! !
A deafening and extremely terrifying sound, as if countless thunders were falling at the same time, suddenly sounded without any warning.

It made the eardrums of everyone present buzz.

Before they could react to what the sound was or where it came from...

Their eyes suddenly widened, everyone's expression froze, and everyone was stunned for a moment.

A scene that they would never forget in their lifetime came into view——

Just after the sudden sound that seemed to pierce their eardrums, the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, which they had been gazing at for months and were going to pray for blessings today... suddenly began to emit smoke and dust everywhere, and then, before their eyes of disbelief, it collapsed with a loud bang!

The Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas collapsed!

Without any warning, it collapsed!

Rocks flew everywhere and smoke rose up!
It was as if an ancient giant beast was hiding in the terrifying smoke and dust, swallowing up the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas in one gulp.

The huge, magnificently built Ten Thousand Buddha Hall actually disappeared in the smoke and dust!
The Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas has collapsed, it is gone...

And Li Shimin is still among them!!!
"Not good! Your Majesty!!!"

Fang Xuanling, the calmest one, was the first to recover from his shock.

Then, he, who had never spoken loudly before, could no longer control his expression and his voice became sharp and panicked.

His shout finally made others react.

For a moment, panic and bewildered voices arose loudly!

"Why did the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall collapse?!"

"What's going on? Wasn't the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall newly built? How could it collapse for no reason?"

"Not good! His Majesty is still praying in the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas!"

"Oops……"

The faces of all the officials changed suddenly.

Wei Zheng and Dai Zhou were now extremely pale.

Others didn't know what was going on, how could they not know?
Dai Zhou's pupils contracted violently, and cold sweat covered his entire body in an instant. This usually hot-tempered man's voice was trembling at this moment: "Could it be... Could it be that the Four Elephants Organization's plan is not to use Bo Po to murder Your Majesty, and their real target is this Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall?"

"We were wrong! We completely misjudged their plan, and His Majesty has already gone in... It's over, everything is over..."

Wei Zheng, who usually could scold anyone he wanted and always remained calm, did not say a word after hearing Dai Zhou's words and ran directly towards the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Because his emotions were so intense, he couldn't concentrate. Suddenly, his feet sank and he stumbled and fell to the ground.

boom!
But he didn't care about the pain in his knees. He attached great importance to his personal image and didn't even have time to brush the dust off his clothes. He ran towards the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas with disheveled hair.

Seeing Wei Zheng so panicked, the other officials finally woke up as if from a dream and hurriedly followed.

They rushed to the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas in a hurry.

Then... everyone was stunned.

The three-story-high Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas was now nothing but a pile of rubble.

The Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas has completely collapsed.

There was only a pile of rocks in front of me.

The dust had not yet dissipated, and some blue smoke and a pungent smell rushed into my mouth and nose.

The Qianniu Guards knelt in front of the rocks, their expressions panicked and at a loss, not knowing what to do.

The Qianniu Beishen Li Zhen, who led them, rushed directly into the ruins and tried desperately to turn over the stones, but these stones were large and heavy, and they were piled up in a mess, almost completely crushing them. Even with blood on Li Zhen's fingers, he couldn't move a single stone. Seeing Li Zhen's madness, even Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji felt their hearts sink to the bottom.

They knew it was really over.

For Li Shimin who was caught off guard by this kind of collapse, there was no way that a good outcome would occur.

The fall of any huge rock is enough to kill someone, not to mention that the entire Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall is collapsing, leaving no chance to escape.

More importantly, when Li Shimin came to pray for blessings, he entered the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas with all the princes.

In other words, if something happened to Li Shimin, the other princes would not have a good ending.

Even the unconscious Li Chengqian was carried into the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas to receive blessings!
Therefore, if something happened to Li Shimin and others, it would directly lead to one thing happening - that is, the Tang Dynasty would be without a ruler!
There wasn't even a prince who could be temporarily pushed forward to take charge of the situation.

There wasn't even a baby prince.

But the country cannot be without a king for a day... What should we do if something unexpected happens at this time?
Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji were prime minister and imperial minister respectively, respectively. No matter how sad they were, they had to consider the overall situation and the Tang Dynasty.

But right now, there is no heir at all...

“How could this happen… How could this happen!?”

Even Changsun Wuji, who was called the most scheming old man in the Tang Dynasty by others, was at a loss at this moment. He subconsciously put his hands to his mouth, trying to hide his face which could not calm down, but because his hands were shaking, he could not cover his mouth completely.

Suddenly, Zhangsun Wuji rushed out. He rushed to Dai Zhou and Wei Zheng who were frantically moving stones, and asked with red eyes: "What on earth are you doing!? You are so secretive, aren't you trying to protect His Majesty? Why did it become like this!?"

After hearing what Changsun Wuji said, everyone's eyes immediately turned to Dai Zhou and Wei Zheng.

Dai Zhou's face was filled with pain. He closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously. "I don't know why this happened... I thought the Four Elephants Organization's conspiracy was to harm Your Majesty through Popo, so we took many precautions against Popo in advance... But who knew, who knew that their plan was not Popo at all, but the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall... Who would have thought that they had the ability to make the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall collapse at any time!"

"What!? The Four Elephants Organization?"

"Is this a conspiracy of the Four Elephants Organization!?"

"Did they harm your majesty!?"

"This……"

When all the officials heard Dai Zhou's words, their eyes widened in shock.

They really never thought that the Four Symbols Organization was behind His Majesty's misfortune!
Zhang Sun Wuji's expression also changed: "You said that this was done by the Four Symbols Organization!? How is this possible? How is it possible that such a magnificent and majestic Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall could collapse just like that?"

Wei Zheng, whose hands were covered in blood, looked up at Changsun Wuji and said, "You can question our ability, you can even blame us for all this, but you cannot question our loyalty to Your Majesty. There is no need for us to deceive you on this matter!"

"It really is the Four Elephants Organization..."

Changsun Wuji couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart as he looked at the ruins in front of him. For the first time in his life, he felt such fear towards an organization.

What kind of power could cause such a magnificent building to collapse at any time?

Moreover, what kind of terrifying planning and strategizing ability does the Four Symbols Organization have... Not only did they plot against Li Shimin, but they also almost wiped out the Li family in one breath, without even a successor!
Who can defeat such a Four Symbols organization?

"Oops!"

At this time, the Minister of Industry Zhang Liang's expression suddenly changed, and he said in a surprised voice: "If this is really the work of the Four Elephants Organization, then they have now harmed Your Majesty and the princes. Doesn't this prove that they have succeeded? What will they do next? Will they rebel? And now that Your Majesty is gone, and the princes are gone too, if they really rebel, what should we do? Who will take charge of the situation?"

Hearing Zhang Liang's words, the other officials were also shocked.

They finally realized the more seriousness of the matter.

"besides!"

Minister of War Hou Junji suddenly looked at everyone with sharp eyes. He gripped the hilt of the knife at his waist and said, "If this was done by the Four Symbols Organization, then the people from the Four Symbols Organization would definitely come here to personally monitor whether their plan can succeed. In other words, the people from the Four Symbols Organization must be among you!"

"What!?"

"The Four Elephant Thieves are among us?"

The officials were stunned, and then they all took a step back and quickly moved away from the people around them.

The look they gave each other was full of defensiveness and vigilance.

"Somebody come!"

Hou Junji suddenly shouted, "Seal off the East Palace immediately. No one is allowed to leave without permission. Everyone is now suspected. Before the suspicion is cleared, no one is allowed to move or do anything that is not related to saving His Majesty. Otherwise... I will treat them as Four Elephant Thieves!"

When the officials present heard Hou Junji's words, their faces changed.

They looked around hurriedly, and saw teams of soldiers rushing over at Hou Junji's command, quickly surrounding the ruins of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall. At the same time, they heard the sound of "clang" and the sound of swords coming out.

The swords flashing with cold light were aimed at them one after another.

For a moment, a solemn and murderous atmosphere enveloped everyone.

Seeing the murderous look of these soldiers, someone couldn't help but say, "Minister Hou, it's still uncertain whether the members of the Four Elephants are among us. Isn't it inappropriate for you to treat everyone as a prisoner?"

Hou Junji looked at the man coldly: "Your Majesty and the other princes are not sure whether they are alive or dead, and the thief may be hiding among us. Doctor Zhao wants me to ignore the thief and let him leave and escape at will?"

"I...I didn't mean that."

"Then Doctor Zhao, please don't say anything more! Otherwise, if I mistakenly think that Doctor Zhao is panicking and afraid that he can't leave... and then mistakenly judge that you are a member of the Four Symbols Thief, that would be bad."

Zhao Cheng, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, was so angry when he heard this that he dared not say another word. He quickly said, "Everything is up to Minister Hou."

Hou Junji snorted coldly, and his eyes swept across the crowd, saying: "You are all important officials of the Tang Dynasty. I think you are all as eager as I am to rescue His Majesty and find the Four Elephants thieves. So I hope you will cooperate well from now on. Don't say inappropriate words or do things that you shouldn't do. It would be bad if you were mistaken for the Four Elephants thieves."

With Zhao Cheng’s previous experience as a lesson, no one else dared to say anything more.

Even Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji frowned and looked at each other without saying anything when they saw this. Although Hou Junji's methods were somewhat strong and overbearing, they also believed that there must be members of the Four Symbols hiding in the crowd, so they did not think that Hou Junji did anything wrong.

"With General Hou stabilizing the situation, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

At this time, Zhang Liang looked at everyone and said, "However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. What should we do if the Four Elephants Organization really rebels? Before His Majesty is rescued, we must have someone to take charge of the overall situation. Otherwise, if an accident happens, won't it be a mess? If so, it will be really troublesome without a leader."

Hearing Zhang Liang's words, all the officials frowned.

Someone said: "But the princes are buried here with His Majesty, and we can't find anyone who can take over the great responsibility!"

"Who can take charge of the situation then?"

“There is no one to choose!”

Everyone shook their heads. Since ancient times, when an emperor died, his son would succeed him. If he had no son, his brothers would do.

But Li Shimin's sons were buried here, and brothers... After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, how could there be any brothers? Although there were other brothers, they were all in their fiefdoms and could not come back in a short time.

For a moment, everyone was in trouble.

"Actually... there is still someone who is most suitable and has enough experience and prestige to take charge of the situation!"

At this time, Zhang Liang suddenly spoke.

"Who?"

Everyone quickly looked at Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang's eyes slowly moved over the crowd, then he took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment. They had not heard this name for a long time, so at first glance, they were a little unfamiliar with this name.

Of course they knew who the emperor was.

The founding monarch of the Tang Dynasty, the first emperor!
It stands to reason that such monarchs are the most respected by officials.

However, due to Li Shimin's Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Yuan was forced to abdicate, causing this founding emperor to fall into the abyss. Although he had the honorific title of "Emeritus Emperor", it was only this title.

Li Shimin had worked hard over the years to create a rare era of prosperity; his achievements were so brilliant, and coupled with the fact that Li Yuan had not appeared for a long time, the officials had almost completely forgotten about Li Yuan, the founding monarch who had been deprived of power.

So just now, no matter how much they thought about it, no one thought of Li Yuan.

But now that Zhang Liang mentioned Li Yuan, they suddenly felt that maybe Li Yuan was really capable!
After all, they have no choice now.

"The Emperor has arrived..."

And at this moment, shortly after Zhang Liang mentioned Li Yuan, when all the officials were recalling and thinking about Li Yuan, a sharp voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously raised their heads to look.

The soldiers surrounding them automatically made way, and then... a slightly old figure with half-white hair suddenly rushed in with a sad face.

He looked at the ruined Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall, tears streaming down his face: "My son, my grandson...how could you bear to leave me? How can I live when I am old and have to send off my children?"

(End of this chapter)