The princess arrives and the prosperous Tang Dynasty begins

Chapter 190 Clues emerge

In the deep palace, the operation of tracking down a series of rumors caused by mysterious celestial phenomena is in full swing. The officials in charge of this matter work day and night, not letting go of any clues. Finally, after a long wait, a ray of light penetrates the heavy fog.

The official in charge of the investigation knelt in front of Li Yi and Lin Xiao in fear and trepidation, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, and his voice trembled slightly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, after a lot of hard work by me and others, we finally got some clues."

Li Yi frowned, his eyes full of majesty and anxiety: "Tell me quickly, who is behind this?"

The official took a deep breath, calmed down his emotions, and then slowly said, "Your Majesty, after sorting out and checking the clues from all sides, we found that the mastermind behind all this was actually a minister in the court."

Lin Xiao was slightly startled, and a trace of doubt flashed in her beautiful eyes: "Which minister is it? How can he be so courageous?"

The official continued, "It was the Minister of Rites, Mr. Zhang. He has always been narrow-minded and extremely jealous. He saw the favor your majesty showed you, and he hated it. The series of reforms you proposed have harmed his interests. He was worried that his position and wealth would be threatened, so he planned this series of events in an attempt to disrupt the government and shake your majesty's rule."

When Lin Xiao heard this, she frowned and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes: "Your Majesty, this matter must be handled with caution to avoid alerting the enemy. Lord Zhang has been in the court for many years and has many followers. If it is not handled properly, it may cause greater turmoil."

Li Yi snorted coldly, and a sneer appeared on his face: "I know my limits. This thief dared to stir up trouble under my nose, I will not let him off easily."

Lin Xiao gently held Li Yi's hand and said softly, "Your Majesty, calm down. I know you care about the stability of the Tang Dynasty, but you must not act impulsively at this moment. We need to think long-term and formulate a comprehensive plan to catch him and his followers in one fell swoop."

Li Yi nodded slightly, his eyes revealing his admiration for Lin Xiao: "My beloved concubine, what you said is absolutely right. Then according to my beloved concubine, how should we proceed?"

Lin Xiao pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I think we should first stabilize Lord Zhang and make him think that we have not yet discovered his conspiracy. At the same time, we should secretly send people to monitor his every move and collect more evidence. In addition, we should also investigate his followers one by one to find out their network of relationships and their respective weaknesses."

Li Yi nodded: "My beloved concubine's idea is very much in line with my will. I will immediately order someone to do it."

Afterwards, Li Yi summoned his trusted ministers to discuss countermeasures in a secret room.

"My dear ministers, the situation is now serious. Minister Zhang actually dared to attempt to overthrow my kingdom. Do you have any good plans?" Li Yi asked solemnly.

An old minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think the most urgent thing is to cut off Minister Zhang's contact with the outside world, prevent him from exchanging information with his followers, and prepare in advance."

Another minister also said: "Your Majesty, we can use some bait to lure him out. For example, we can deliberately release some false news to make him think that we have let down our guard."

Everyone offered suggestions, and Li Yi listened carefully, gradually forming a general plan in his mind.

At the same time, Lin Xiao was not idle. She secretly summoned some trusted palace maids and eunuchs in the palace and told them to pay attention to the movements in the palace, especially the whereabouts of people related to Minister Zhang.

"You must be careful and don't let anyone find you. If there is anything unusual, report it to me immediately." Lin Xiao warned seriously.

The palace maids and eunuchs responded in unison: "Don't worry, your Majesty, we will definitely fulfill our mission."

In the following days, the palace remained calm on the surface, but secretly there were turbulent waves. Minister Zhang was unaware of the approaching danger and continued to plot his conspiracy in secret.

On this day, Minister Zhang had a secret discussion with several of his confidants in his mansion.

"Sir, Li Yi and Lin Xiao don't seem to be making any moves right now. Could it be that they haven't noticed yet?" a confidant asked cautiously.

Minister Zhang stroked his beard, a sly look flashed in his eyes. "Humph, they are not that smart. But we can't let our guard down and continue to act according to the original plan."

"Yes, sir," everyone responded.

In the palace, the spy responsible for monitoring Minister Zhang reported his every move in detail to Li Yi and Lin Xiao.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Minister Zhang is still harboring evil intentions and is still plotting something," said the spy.

Lin Xiao smiled slightly: "It seems that he has not realized that he has been targeted by us."

Li Yi clenched his fists: "Let him jump around for a few more days. When the evidence is solid, I will tear him into pieces."

As the investigation deepened, more and more evidence was collected, and Zhang's crimes of corruption, bribery, and forming a clique for personal gain came to light one by one.

Lin Xiao held the evidence in his hand and said to Li Yi: "Your Majesty, the time is ripe, we can take action."

A trace of determination flashed in Li Yi's eyes: "Okay, pass on my order, immediately arrest Minister Zhang and his followers, and don't let any of them go."

A thrilling capture operation was launched under the cover of night. The Imperial Guards descended from the sky like a god and quickly surrounded Minister Zhang's residence.

Minister Zhang was awakened from his sleep by a loud noise. When he realized that something was wrong, it was too late.

"Minister Zhang, the crimes you have committed are unforgivable by heaven and earth. Today is your end." The commander of the Imperial Guards shouted loudly.

Minister Zhang's face was as pale as paper, his body was shaking, his legs were weak, and he collapsed to the ground, shouting: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me..." His voice was full of fear and despair. His begging for mercy echoed in the palace, but it did not arouse anyone's sympathy or pity. The emperor looked at all this indifferently, with a flash of disappointment in his eyes.

In the end, Minister Zhang and his followers were caught in one fell swoop, without a single one of them being spared. They were escorted out of the palace, and what awaited them would be a severe trial and due punishment. The emperor's majesty could not be challenged, and anyone who attempted to shake the foundation of the country and undermine social stability would be punished by law.

After this incident, there was jubilation inside and outside the palace. The people praised Li Yi and Lin Xiao for their wise decision, and the Tang Dynasty became more stable.

Li Yi and Lin Xiao stood side by side on the top of the palace, looking over the numerous palace walls and pavilions, overlooking the prosperous scene before them.

A breeze blew past, blowing up the corners of their clothes, bringing a slight coolness. Li Yi took a deep breath and said with deep emotion: "My beloved, this time, thanks to you, I was able to eradicate this disaster so smoothly. If you hadn't reminded me to be careful about the struggles in the harem, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to find out the mastermind so quickly."

Lin Xiao smiled slightly, with a firm and gentle look in her eyes. She responded softly, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is what I should do. As your majesty's concubine, I will naturally do my best to assist your majesty and contribute to the prosperity and stability of the Tang Dynasty. As long as I can see the country stable and the people living and working in peace and contentment, I will be satisfied."

Li Yi looked at Lin Xiao, his eyes full of admiration and love. He gently held Lin Xiao's hand and said affectionately: "I am lucky to have such a wise and virtuous queen like you. In the future, I will have to rely on my beloved concubine to give me more advice."

Lin Xiao nodded slightly, with a shy blush on her face. The two smiled at each other, and a warm atmosphere filled the air. At this moment, their hearts were closely connected, and they looked forward to the future glory of Datang together.

The sunlight shines on them, illuminating their determined faces, as if foreshadowing a brighter future for the Tang Dynasty.