sbdcsierra Chapter 143 Imprisonment
Chapter 143 Imprisonment
Chapter 143 Imprisonment
"Damn it! Damn it!" The boy smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces, looking extremely angry. "Li Longyuan, Li Longyuan. This name has spread throughout the capital these past few days. I, the prince, ask you, what are you good for?"
This person is Li Longqian, the second prince of the Southern Tang Kingdom. In fact, he is the half-brother of Lin Fei's current body.
He was a few years younger than Lin Fei, only sixteen or seventeen years old. Ever since Lin Fei was sent to the Jade Emperor Sect, this second prince, Li Longqian, had become the most likely candidate to inherit the throne.
But now, Lin Fei has returned, and not only has he returned, but he has also become famous throughout the capital.
Although Li Longqian's position in the capital has become increasingly secure over the years, the fact that Li Longyuan's name is now widely known makes him feel quite uneasy.
The people in the study were all Li Longqian's confidants. One of them said, "Second Prince, there's nothing we can do! That fellow Su Wuming is always sending the First Prince to places with lots of troublemakers on official business. Every time he shows up, it causes a sensation. Now, who among the common people doesn't know his name?"
“Actually, Second Prince, you don’t need to be nervous,” said another advisor-like man. “They’re just commoners, so what? As long as Your Highness firmly holds onto the support of those noble ministers, no matter how high his prestige is among the people, are you afraid he can turn the world upside down?”
“Mr. Xue is right. As long as we win the support of the noble ministers, I doubt that guy can regain the Emperor’s favor with just the title of Marquis of Shenwei.” Li Longqian nodded, then gritted his teeth and said, “But I’m not reconciled. Why should that guy be able to steal the limelight as soon as he returns? I want him to know who calls the shots in this capital city now!”
Mr. Xue shook his head inwardly: "This second prince is narrow-minded and not like a ruler. Now is the time to consolidate his power and make connections with the powerful. Fighting with the first prince will only result in mutual destruction."
Although he was dissatisfied, he and Li Longqian were now in the same boat, their fates intertwined. So he offered a suggestion: "If Your Highness wants to deal with him, that's simple. Although the Emperor's attitude is unclear and that man has the Marquis of Shenwei backing him, Your Highness cannot openly punish him. However, you can still use some underhanded methods to make him suffer a setback."
As he spoke, Mr. Xue leaned close to Li Longqian's ear and whispered a few words. Li Longqian was delighted and laughed heartily, "Mr. Xue is right, truly my strategist. Someone, fetch Lu Dingyuan, the Commander of the Northern Prefecture of Tianmen!"
……
On this particular day, Lin Fei and Old Li were once again on official business on the street. It was called official business, but it was really just Lin Fei showing his face in crowded places; there was nothing of substance to it.
Since Lin Fei entered Tianmen South Prefecture, he seems to have been doing these trivial things. Because within the imperial city, Tianmen South Prefecture is truly a neglected government office.
As the two were walking on the road, a group of people suddenly surrounded them.
Their attire was identical to that of Lin Fei and his companion—this group was also constables from Tianmen, but not from the Southern Prefecture, but from the Northern Prefecture.
Old Li forced a smile: "Brothers from the Northern Prefecture, what brings you here?"
The leader snorted coldly and said, "The Admiral wants to see you. Come with us!"
The admiral they were referring to was not Su Wuming, but Lu Dingyuan, the admiral of the Northern Army.
Before Tianmen Prefecture was divided into North and South Prefectures, the supreme ruler, Su Lie, was called the Governor-General of Tianmen. After the division into North and South, there was no longer a Governor-General, but instead one Commander-in-Chief for each of the North and South.
Southern Commander Su Wuming, Northern Commander Lu Dingyuan.
Although the North and South Prefectures were not under each other's jurisdiction, since the Admiral had given the order, Lin Fei and his group had no choice but to follow the people from the North Prefecture.
……
Upon arriving at the government office of Tianmen North Prefecture, Old Li was left outside, while Lin Fei was allowed to enter alone.
Lu Dingyuan sat in the main hall, his expression stern, and looked at Lin Fei, saying, "So you are the newly arrived head constable of the Southern Prefecture, Li Longyuan?"
Although Lin Fei was a prince of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Emperor Li Yu of Tang did not acknowledge his status. Therefore, although everyone knew he was a prince, everyone pretended not to know.
Lin Fei cupped his hands in greeting: "Reporting to the Admiral, it is indeed I."
"Bang!" Lu Dingyuan slammed his gavel, his voice sharp and stern: "How dare you! All affairs in the capital have always been the responsibility of my Northern Prefecture. Since you joined the office, you have overstepped your bounds and abused your power for personal gain. What is your punishment?"
Lin Fei's eyes darted around, and he immediately understood Lu Dingyuan's intention.
Although Lin Fei had no interest in the so-called throne, as the saying goes, "You can't guard against a thief forever." Lin Fei didn't want to be ambushed by his rivals without his knowledge.
Therefore, he has studied the relevant information since arriving in Beijing.
The first person to see him as a thorn in his side was the Second Prince, Li Longqian. In recent years, Li Longqian had cultivated relationships with many powerful figures in the capital. Lu Dingyuan was one of them.
It seems that Lu Dingyuan was instructed by Li Longqian to teach him a lesson.
Lin Fei smiled and said, "It was all under Admiral Su's orders. I was just following orders. If Admiral Lu thinks it's inappropriate, he should go to Admiral Su."
"I will naturally go and demand an explanation from that fellow Su Wuming. You don't need to worry about it!" Lu Dingyuan slammed his gavel and said sternly, "Now I suspect you of abusing your power for personal gain and overstepping your authority. Guards, lock me up first, and we will deal with you after I inform Su Wuming!"
Lu Dingyuan wasn't really worried about a prince whose identity wasn't even acknowledged. He figured it would just be a matter of locking him up and making him suffer. Besides, it was entirely within his authority, and he believed that even if Marquis Shenwei came, he wouldn't be able to find fault with him.
"As the Commander of the Northern Army, it is naturally your right to detain me, Lord Lu," Lin Fei chuckled. "The problem is, it's easy to invite a god in, but difficult to send him away. Lord Lu, detaining me is easy, but getting me out will not be so simple!"
"Hmph, how dare you talk back to me!" Lu Dingyuan shouted. "Guards, take him away! Throw him in jail and await his fate!"
"Wait a minute," Lin Fei suddenly said. "Admiral, I have a colleague from the Southern Prefecture waiting outside. I'd like to give him a few words of advice first. I hope you will allow me to."
"I doubt you can pull any tricks!" Lu Dingyuan snorted. "Take him out, and after he's met with the head constable of the Southern Prefecture, I'll put him in the dungeon!"
Lin Fei walked out of the North Mansion and whispered a few words in Old Li's ear. Old Li then hurriedly ran back towards the South Mansion.