Chen Jingchuan, who was lying on the ground, was frightened. He braced himself and replied: "Your Highness, the common people..."
"According to the etiquette system of the Great Qin Dynasty, merchants are the lowest, the door must not be more than three meters high, the stairs can only be four steps, the number of nails on the door must not exceed thirty-six, and you are not allowed to own land in the capital. Chen Jingchuan, you are trying to use the Great Qin Dynasty
Are rituals trampled underfoot and treated as if they are nothing?"
Li Chen directly interrupted Chen Jingchuan and said calmly.
Although the tone of these words was indifferent, they contained extremely cold murderous intent.
Shrouded in murderous intent, there were dozens of guards in golden uniforms watching eagerly. It seemed that as long as the prince gave an order, the people of the Chen family would immediately turn into a puddle of flesh.
Chen Jingchuan was frightened. He had followed the advice of an expert and told him to ignore the prince's banquet, but he did not want to be caught in the struggle between the prince and the court, between imperial power and ministerial power, and become a victim.
Although when this dynasty was founded, no one dared to go beyond the etiquette, but now that the dynasty has been in existence for more than 200 years, the court has become increasingly decayed and collapsed. Normally, no one cares about this, but if the prince is allowed to take advantage of it, it will be a serious crime.
Without him, you have power.
He explained with a trembling voice: "The poor people are wronged. This house was rented by the poor people, not purchased. The poor people are willing to return the rent immediately..."
"I have trampled on the rules set by Taizu. Can I just cancel the rent and be done with it?"
Li Chen sneered, stared at Chen Jingchuan, and said calmly: "I don't want to hear your explanation, and I don't want to know who gave you the ambition and courage to flatter me. I want to use your Chen family's head.
Let those people see the consequences of offending me."
When Chen Jingchuan heard this, his liver and gallbladder were split.
Looking at the fierce-looking Dongchang Jinyi guards around him, he knew that the prince was definitely not just talking.
At this moment, he regretted so much that he had helped in and hurriedly said: "Please have mercy on the prince, please have mercy on your highness!"
Behind Chen Jingchuan, the woman was so frightened that she cried on the spot. Upon seeing this, a young man immediately stood up, pointed at Li Chen and shouted angrily: "Although you are the prince, our Chen family is also a businessman who abides by the law. You are inconsistent with your words."
Even if you want to fight or kill, how can everyone in the world be convinced by this? Don’t forget, the people in the capital are watching you behind your back!"
When Chen Jingchuan saw his son jump out and say these words, he was extremely shocked and angry. He immediately slapped his son in the face and cursed: "Shut up, you traitor! Do you want the whole Chen family to die!"
?”
After saying that, Chen Jingchuan knelt down to Li Chen and cried: "Your Highness, the common people have no way to teach their children. Please show mercy to Your Highness."
Li Chen looked at the young man who was getting more and more unconvinced after being slapped, and said calmly: "Yes, you have courage."
"You, the Chen family, are one of the largest grain merchants in the capital area. Nowadays, disasters are everywhere in the world. Countless victims have exchanged their children for food. Even the people in the capital, under the emperor's feet, have toiled hard for three meals a day. In exchange for
What is it? It is you grain merchants who would rather moldy grain than sell it at the normal price. Now the price of a pound of white rice on the market has increased tenfold. Whose fault is it? It is the sin of you grain merchants!
"
"Since ancient times, businessmen have placed great value on profits and trampled on the righteousness of gentlemen. When you have enriched the country and sucked the people's support and anointment, why don't you know that the people are watching? Now that retribution is coming, you use the people as a shield? Are you stupid to think that the people are stupid!
?”
Li Chen's words were loud and clear, and the countless people behind him who were watching the excitement were all excited.
Grain merchants have money and grain, but they can only get less grain from selling their products. So the public resentment has already boiled, but there is no outlet.
Now that the prince was here in person, these words touched their hearts.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is merciful, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is merciful!"
Several old men in the crowd immediately knelt down and shouted excitedly.
Immediately afterwards, the people knelt down in large numbers and shouted that the prince was merciful.
Seeing that Li Chen had taken over justice and people's hearts with just a few words, Chen Jingchuan's liver and gallbladder were split apart, and he felt that a disaster was imminent.
How can he deal with such methods of playing with people's hearts?
"The visitor is from the Chen family. The head of the family, Chen Jingchuan, ignored the imperial etiquette and went beyond the rules. He did not know how to sympathize with the people's blood and sweat when the country was in crisis. He was unaware of the hardships of the court. He made a lot of money from the country's disaster. His crimes were heinous. His son even went to prison.
The Crown Prince, this is extremely disrespectful."
"According to the edict of the crown prince of this palace, the three clans of the Chen family should show their heads to the public, and all the property they hold will be transferred to the national treasury for disaster relief."
When Li Chen gave an order, heads were rolling in.
Chen Jingchuan felt his vision go dark. He was horrified and rushed forward to beg for mercy, but was stopped by two Jinyi guards who held knives to their necks.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, spare your life. The common people have no choice but to do so. The common people are willing to donate all their worth and spend all their wealth just to beg for mercy. I beg Your Highness, the Crown Prince, to show mercy beyond the law!"
Li Chen just pretended not to hear, turned the horse's head and walked towards the next house.
This time the people spontaneously moved out of the way and lined the streets to welcome him.
Chen Jingchuan's screams gradually faded away. When he was approaching the second Hu's house, Li Chen glanced at the pale-faced Xu Changqing and said lightly: "Are you afraid? Or do you think I am too cruel?"
How could Xu Changqing dare to tell the truth? He just smiled bitterly and said: "Wei Chen, Wei Chen just thinks that these three major grain merchants are nothing in themselves, but the reason why they dare to unite and reject His Highness the Crown Prince's invitation must be because someone is obstructing them.
Your Highness, if you act like this, you will be able to kill easily, but you may play into the opponent's hands."
"That's good, I know I'm considering the issue from my side." Li Chen said with satisfaction.
Xu Changqing smiled bitterly.
His Highness the Crown Prince came out with such a big fanfare, wasn't it just to let everyone see his methods? He also brought himself with him. This made it clear that everyone knew that he was the Crown Prince's.
Even if he is dead, this trace cannot be washed away, which means Xu Changqing has no choice now but to follow the prince all the way to the dark side.
"Whether it plays into their hands or goes beyond their expectations, it is not what I am considering now. What I have to do is to use the sharpest knife to cut off this mess in the capital in the shortest possible time.
net."
"Those monsters and monsters are scheming against each other and scheming in the court. I don't have the time and effort to deal with them slowly. I will kill anyone who blocks my way. In order to defeat all methods, I am the one who deserves the right in this world.
The heir is now in the Supervisory State. If we don’t take advantage of this special advantage, are we going to kill that old guy Zhao Xuanji?"
"Looking at his energy level, he has at least ten years to live. I will already be thirty or forty years old by then. Even if I can endure it, the empire will not be able to endure it. I will not have the patience to endure it, let alone
I'm too lazy to play these intrigues with them, so I'll kill them all, neatly."
After Li Chen finished speaking, he gently pinched the horse's belly. The horse was very smart and immediately sped up, leaving Xu Changqing behind.
Xu Changqing stared blankly at the prince's back, feeling that the prince had thought things too simply. If everything could be solved with just the word "kill", the emperor would have solved all the troubles long ago.
No matter what Xu Changqing was thinking, Li Chen had already arrived at the door of Hu's house.
Apparently someone had already spread the news to the Hu family about what happened to the Chen family.
Outside the door of Hu's house, Hu Qian's family was already waiting.
Not only was Hu Qian there, there was also a middle-aged man with extraordinary bearing standing next to Hu Qian.
Seeing Li Chen's car approaching from afar, with a strong bloody murderous intent on his body, Hu Qian asked the middle-aged man next to him with some fear: "Master Qian, is it really okay? Do you agree with the news that just came?
I heard that the Chen family is finished."
Qian Han glanced at the pale Hu Qian and snorted coldly: "As long as I am here, what are you afraid of? Since you are willing to hand over half of your family property and ask for my protection, I can naturally protect you in the hands of the prince.
Even if he doesn’t give me my face, how dare he not give it to Mr. Chief Assistant?”
Hu Qian felt a little relieved after hearing this, feeling that if he could escape this disaster, even though he would lose half of his family property, he would still have half of it, and he would just make plans when the time comes.
While he was talking, Li Chen was already approaching.
"Be more polite and don't give the prince any leverage."
After Qian Han finished speaking, he first bowed to Li Chen and said, "Qian Han, Minister of General Affairs of Weichen and General of Affairs, Secretary of General Affairs, and His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Hu Qian, a common man, brings his family to see His Royal Highness the Thousand Years Old."
"His Royal Highness the Prince is a thousand years old, a thousand years old, a thousand years old."
Li Chen's eyes fell on Qian Han and said calmly: "Why are you here?"
Qian Han immediately replied: "Returning to His Royal Highness, Wei Chen is a good friend of Hu Qian and happened to be a guest at Hu Qian's home."
Li Chen said indifferently: "Hu Qian didn't say that he went to another branch to check the accounts. Why, could it be that you, Mr. Hu, can teleport, or that Mr. Qian is here, so Hu Qian made an excuse to refuse my banquet?
"
Qian Han frowned, but his expression remained calm, and he replied: "Perhaps there is some misunderstanding. His Royal Highness has a noble status, so why bother arguing with a businessman? If His Highness feels that he cannot step down, Hu Qian, please make amends to His Highness.
"
When Hu Qian saw this, he immediately knelt down and cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, please forgive me, this is an unintentional act."
Li Chen was happy to see the two of them singing and singing, and even their perfunctory words were so hypocritical.
"Yes, it's better than Chen Jingchuan. At least I don't feel guilty at all when I kill him."
Qian Han's expression changed and he said, "What does His Highness mean by these words?"
"As an envoy to the general affairs department and a third-grade official, why do you have such a close relationship with a businessman?"
Li Chen sneered, not intending to listen to Qian Han's explanation at all, and gave Sanbao a wink.
Eunuch Sanbao chuckled and said to the Jin Yiwei on the left and right: "Go and search our Lord Qian for anything he shouldn't be carrying."
When Qian Han saw two royal guards approaching, he immediately said angrily: "I am a student of Lord Zhao, the Chief Assistant. How dare you disrespect me, my dear friends!?"
Eunuch Sanbao said in a sinister tone: "The Za family has wanted to be disrespectful to you for a long time, so what if we rely on the chief assistant? Behind the Za family is the crown prince!"
"What can the prince do!? Can the prince cover the sky with just one hand? If he angers the chief minister, even the prince will bow his head!"
Qian Han was so frightened and angry that he obviously lost his mind and said these words in front of Li Chen and countless other people.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Han himself realized that he had caused a big disaster.
His face was pale, but he gritted his teeth and stared at Li Chen closely.
It doesn't matter if he said the wrong thing, he finally has a chance to make amends. As long as the chief assistant saves him, he is sure that nothing will happen to him.
But if his belongings were searched out, he might be killed on the spot.
Li Chen's eyes were cold and he said lightly: "How brave."
The murderous intention is already brewing and is about to reach its climax.
Eunuch Sanbao snorted coldly and said, "Search him!"
Qian Han's liver and gallbladder were split, but no matter how he resisted, how could he resist the close approach of two Jinyi guards without the strength to restrain a chicken?
Qian Han was knocked to the ground by a royal guard and his clothes were torn apart. The more he struggled, the more damaged his clothes became.
He was a third-rank official in the dynasty, but at this time he had completely lost all his elegance.
Qian Han was ashamed and angry, and he roared: "If you humiliate me like this, I will never let it go! Prince, you are so overbearing and domineering, aren't you afraid of all the civil and military officials and the public opinion of the world?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a royal guard withdrew a large amount of banknotes and land deeds from the lining of his arms.
Eunuch Sanbao's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he quickly walked forward and took a few glances, and suddenly took a breath of cold air.
He respectfully sent all the banknotes and land deeds to Li Chen, and said: "Your Highness, the banknotes found on Qian Han were all in the maximum denomination of one hundred thousand taels. There were about forty pieces, and there were also
There are land deeds and dozens of commercial deeds.”
Shaking the banknotes in his hand, Li Chen sneered and said: "These banknotes alone are more than four million taels. Mr. Qian, you alone can be worth half of the national treasury."
Qian Han's face turned gray. He had just gotten all the money from the Hu family. He was just in a hurry and asked for it too early. He was caught before he could hide it.
He knew that he was finished.
Thinking of this, Qian Han became even more fierce and angry, and yelled at Li Chen like a broken jar: "So what? I am the confidant of the chief minister, how dare you kill me!? The chief minister will not let you go!"
"
The murderous intention in Li Chen finally reached its limit.
