Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

Chapter 137 What you call a great calamity is nothing more than a trivial matter in my eyes.

"no!"

Li Nanzhi and the princess's expressions changed slightly, and they spoke in unison.

"Father, the Marquis of Zhennan is ruthless and heartless. If you really hand over Cousin Wudao, he will definitely not survive!"

Li Nanzhi shook Li Long's arm, her bright eyes filled with worry.

Li Long frowned, about to say something.

"Is it wrong to stand up for what's right when you see injustice and teach a spoiled brat a lesson?"

But then the princess stood up, her eyebrows slightly raised, and said, "Besides, Meng Yan isn't dead, is he? At worst, the Prince Rui's mansion can just pay him some money and that'll be the end of it. You are a prince, after all. What can the Marquis of Zhennan do to you?"

She knew all too well about Meng Yan, this arrogant and domineering playboy, and had long harbored deep hatred for him, wishing him dead.

"Madam, this is not about money..."

Li Long spread his hands, looking troubled.

He naturally knew what kind of person Meng Yan was, and he also knew that Li Wudao was not wrong.

But in this world, no one is always right.

"I don't care. Xiaoyun died young, and as her aunt, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch her only child be harmed!"

The princess quickly pulled Li Wudao behind her, acting like a protective mother hen, very forcefully.

"Madam, you........."

Li Long sighed helplessly, his eyes filled with struggle and weighing of options as he looked at Li Wudao.

Although Meng Zhenhu was only a marquis, his cultivation level surpassed that of him, which was one of the reasons why the Emperor of Da Yu made an exception and granted him the title of marquis.

However, if it were just a Marquis of Zhennan, it would be manageable.

The problem is that the eldest prince stands behind him. Now the border is in dire straits, and the crown prince has not yet been established. The court is in turmoil, and one wrong step could lead to total defeat.

The Marquis of Zhennan sent someone to question him, partly to get revenge, but also to test his attitude.

It should be understood that if he does not hand over Li Wudao, he will be indirectly slapping the First Prince in the face and standing on his side as an enemy.

Given Meng Zhenhu's temperament, he will surely join forces with other officials to impeach him severely at tomorrow's court meeting, and will undoubtedly bring up old grievances and make a big deal out of the unsuccessful military campaign some time ago.

The emperor, having long feared his military power and influence, naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity to seize power.

If they hand over Li Wudao, it would be a kind of pledge of allegiance, equivalent to voluntarily standing on the side of the First Prince.

With the eldest prince around, even if the emperor is displeased, he probably won't easily touch the Prince Rui's residence.

......

Seeing the deep frown on Prince Rui's brows, Li Wudao's eyes flickered slightly.

The fact that killing just a few guards has put a prince in such a difficult position suggests that the Marquis of Zhennan's power base is quite complex.

The atmosphere became tense.

The princess forced a smile and tried to smooth things over, saying, "The food is getting cold. Don't just stand there like an idiot. Let's sit down and eat while we talk."

As she spoke, she pulled Li Wudao's hand and sat him down. Seeing that he remained silent, she thought he was nervous and couldn't help but comfort him:

"Don't be afraid. With your aunt here, you can stay in this manor as long as you want. No one can take you away."

Upon hearing this, Li Long's expression froze, and he said with difficulty, "Madam, I haven't even said whether or not to hand over the person, how could you...?"

He had already planned to hand over Li Wudao, as this was the best decision to preserve the entire Prince's Mansion.

The princess ignored him and continued to serve food to Li Wudao with a smile. "Wudao, did you encounter any difficulties on your way to the capital? The prince is here too, so feel free to speak your mind."

This scene left everyone looking at each other in bewilderment, especially Li Jianyuan, who was so jealous he almost ground his teeth to powder.

To have the principal wife personally serve him food and show him such concern and care—such treatment was something he, a fifth son born out of wedlock, could never even dream of!

"Yes, Aunt, there is indeed something..."

Li Wudao pondered for a moment and then briefly recounted the matter of his father, Li Jing, being arrested.

"Li Jing is suspected of treason and colluding with the demons? This is clearly a frame-up!"

"Yes, I know Uncle Jing's character; he doesn't seem like that kind of person."

The princess and Li Nanzhi looked angry, both feeling that something was amiss.

"Hmph, that's hard to say. You can know a person's face but not their heart. Who knows what kind of shady things he's done behind the scenes?"

A cold smile played on Li Jianyuan's lips.

"shut up!"

Li Nanzhi's pretty face changed slightly, and she quickly scolded him.

Whether Li Jing did those things or not is another matter, but Li Wudao is still here, and Li Jianyuan dares to criticize his father like this. He must be asking for trouble.

"Big sister, am I wrong?"

Li Jianyuan raised his voice, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally falling on Li Wudao, and asked in return, "If the court doesn't have solid evidence, is it necessary to go to such lengths to arrest a lazy prince?"

This question stumped everyone, leaving them speechless and unable to refute it.

Li Wudao glanced at him sideways, his eyes cold, and said, "Did a donkey kick your brain, or is your brain underdeveloped and your cerebellum completely undeveloped?"

Everyone was stunned.

To scold Prince Rui's son in front of him is truly audacious.

"you......."

Li Jianyuan's face turned pale and then red, and he was so angry that he became incoherent. He then looked at Li Long with pleading eyes.

Prince Rui frowned, and his gaze toward Li Wudao darkened.

Seeing the changing expressions on everyone's faces, Li Wudao continued to sneer, "You know perfectly well that my father is just a leisurely prince with no soldiers or provisions. How could he possibly rebel?"

Everyone nodded.

Yes, Li Jing was just a prince in a remote county, with a fief but no military power, making it too difficult for him to rebel.

Li Jianyuan's expression stiffened, and he stubbornly retorted, "What about Li Jing's collusion with the demons? With the support of the demons, there is no shortage of opportunities to rebel."

"It seems I wasn't wrong to scold you earlier."

Li Wudao gave him a deep look, then chuckled in exasperation, "I'll say it again: if you were a demon, would you choose to find a carefree prince?"

Li Nanzhi blinked her beautiful eyes and agreed, "That's right. If the demons want to secretly erode the Great Yu Dynasty, they have plenty of targets. Why not choose officials with real power in the court?"

"this........."

Li Jianyuan opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

Although I don't want to admit it, it's clear that Li Jing was wronged.

Li Nanzhi pondered for a moment, then analyzed seriously, "Although we don't know who wants to frame Uncle Jing, it's not so easy to punish a prince. According to the laws of the Great Yu, it requires the cooperation of the three judicial departments, and ultimately, His Majesty's decision is needed..."

"This will take at least a month, so Uncle Jing should be out of danger for the time being."

Li Wudao nodded; he had thought of that too.

If he hadn't wanted to find out who was behind this, he would have already rushed to the emperor and demanded the release of the person.

The princess stepped forward and said firmly, "Wu Dao, please don't worry. I will have the prince find a way to deal with your father's matter."

"I did not agree to that!"

Just as Li Wudao was about to express his gratitude, he saw Li Long with a cold face, saying in a deep voice:

"Boy, you've caused this mess yourself, yet you want my Prince Rui's mansion to take the blame. I've tolerated it out of respect for my wife, but now you still have the nerve to ask me for help? Do you really think I have no temper?"

Li Jianyuan's face lit up with a slight smile, and he quickly jumped out to agree, saying, "Father is absolutely right. This brat is utterly shameless. We should tie him up as soon as possible and send him to the Marquis of Zhennan's residence to apologize."

Li Long remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth and said, "Someone come here..."

Several attendants understood immediately and stepped forward to surround Li Wudao.

"Your Majesty!"

"Dad, what are you doing?"

The princess and Li Nanzhi both changed color, wanting to explain themselves.

But Li Wudao's eyes dimmed slightly, and he said in a cold tone, "No need for such trouble, I can walk by myself."

He stood tall, completely unconcerned by the sharp gazes of his attendants, and looked at Prince Rui with a leisurely air, a hint of mockery playing on his lips:

"Uncle Wang, do you know... the 'great calamity' you speak of is nothing more than a flick of my wrist, which I can overturn with a wave of my hand."

Whether it's the Marquis of Zhennan or the Great Yu Dynasty, they are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of the Xuantian Sect, utterly vulnerable.

He was well aware of Prince Rui's concerns, but the other party's behavior was tantamount to treating him as a fish on a chopping board to be slaughtered at will.

Anyone would feel dissatisfied in that situation.

Prince Rui's hawk-like eyes narrowed, and he couldn't help but shout, "Arrogant! Don't think that just because you've learned some skills over the years, you can look down on everyone. The waters of the Great Yu Imperial City run far deeper than you think!"

"Tsk tsk, all these years have passed, and your mouth has become increasingly stubborn, you good-for-nothing."

Li Jianyuan clicked his tongue and shook his head, then said with a hint of schadenfreude, "If the people from the Zhennan Marquis's mansion had heard what you just said, you probably wouldn't have seen the sun rise again tomorrow."

Li Wudao gave him a deep look, his eyes cold and icy. "You should be glad your aunt is still here. I don't want to see blood. If we meet again, I will cripple you!"

This guy has repeatedly opposed him. If he weren't worried about scaring Wang Wan, he wouldn't mind just casually slapping him to death!

The entire room fell silent, everyone staring blankly.

"You think you can cripple me, a mere ten-year-old trash who's only at the early stage of Body Tempering? Haha!"

Li Jianyuan was taken aback, then burst into laughter.

"This is the Prince Rui's residence. If you dare to speak so arrogantly again, don't blame me for bullying the weak!"

Prince Rui's face was filled with anger, and his eyes narrowed.

They dare to be so arrogant in front of him; they really don't take him seriously.

Li Wudao chuckled to himself and said nothing more.

He walked up to Wang Wan, bowed, and said, "Aunt, I'm leaving now. Please take care."

After saying that, he turned and walked away, decisively and without hesitation.

“Cousin…”

Li Nanzhi's pretty face showed worry. She wanted to chase after him, but Prince Rui stopped her, saying, "I'll see who dares!"

Just as Li Wudao's figure was about to disappear.

Wang Wan still chased after him, calling out from afar, "Wu Dao, go see your maternal grandfather when you have time; perhaps he can help with your father's matter..."

At the gate, Li Wudao paused for a moment, then completely disappeared from everyone's sight.

The palace hall.

Although Li Wudao had left, the atmosphere remained somewhat somber.

Li Jianyuan's eyes darted around, and he smiled as he helped the displeased Prince Rui to sit down at the table. "Father, why are you getting angry over a good-for-nothing? It's not worth it."

As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.

Prince Rui sighed softly, suppressing his anger, and took the teacup to sip.

The next moment, his expression changed slightly, his pupils widened, and he said with surprise and uncertainty, "This tea..."

"Father, is this tea too awful?"

Li Jianyuan seemed to remember something, slapped his thigh, and said in annoyance, "Look at my memory, I almost forgot that this tea was brought by that good-for-nothing. He is from the countryside after all, and the tea he brought is not classy and can't be served."

At this point, he picked up the teapot and said solicitously, "Father, please wait a moment, I'll go and throw away that worthless tea leaves. Please drink my top-grade Jade Bee Tea instead."

"and many more!"

Just then, Prince Rui called out to him, his eyes filled with a strange look, "Did that boy send this? Do you know the name of the tea?"

"It was a gift from my cousin."

Li Nanzhi thought for a moment and casually said, "It seems to be called 'Zilanggan'."

"what?!"

In an instant, Prince Rui was struck dumb, frozen in place as if in disbelief.

After a long pause, he took a deep breath and asked urgently, "Where are the tea leaves?"

Li Nanzhi handed over the jade box containing the tea leaves, feeling uncertain, and timidly said:

"Father, is there really something wrong with this box of tea that my cousin gave me?"

Prince Rui hurriedly opened the jade box and saw the crystal-clear purple bamboo leaves inside. His eyes widened instantly, and he exclaimed with unbridled excitement, as if he had found a priceless treasure:

"This...it really is 'Purple Jade'!"

"After more than ten years, I never imagined I would witness such exquisite spiritual tea again, and so closely at that! It's unbelievable!"