Even though the prince cannot let this happen, it will inevitably cause a blow to the prince's power.
The reason is that they and Zhao Xiaole are all members of the prince. Apart from Qin Sining, who is not yet stable, they are the only people the prince has in the court.
How Zhao Xiaole will answer is crucial.
But to put it bluntly, Zhao Xiaole had no right to mobilize personnel from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment without permission, and he would certainly not be able to escape his guilt.
Even the prince was secretly angry because he was kept in the dark.
I just learned about this this morning, and I was so shocked that I couldn't close my mouth for a long time.
Why didn't Zhao Xiaole tell her in advance? Why should he hide this from her? You know, this is a critical moment for Qin Sining to compete for the position.
Once something happens and someone gets caught, even she can't take sides.
In addition to being angry, the prince was also secretly worried about Zhao Xiaole.
Zhao Xiaole replied: "Your Highness, this matter involves foreign spies. We cannot express it in court. We can only tell His Highness privately."
The Minister of Rites immediately shouted:
"Nonsense, Marquis of Zhen Guo, where did the foreign spies come from in this hook? Even if there are spies, they are not within your jurisdiction. This is beyond the scope of your authority. I invite Your Highness to join the Marquis of Zhen Guo, the Minister of War, and the Minister of Punishment.
Put them in jail at the same time and subject them to strict interrogation!”
"There is a clear text in the Jingyang National Law. Those who collaborate with court officials and command beyond their authority can be punished by the Nine Tribes. Your Highness, please pay attention to the court's laws!"
The Minister of Rites insisted on this matter, hoping that the prince would deal with Zhao Xiaole, even if it was just a symbolic deal!
It will have an irreparable impact on Qin Sining's political performance.
Even if he was scolded, the officials of the Ministry of Rites would magnify the matter infinitely, and the results of the election of the prime minister would be announced.
Everyone knows that it is impossible to make outstanding achievements in government affairs in three months. Even if you do it, you will inevitably cause trouble and it will be self-defeating.
Therefore, the most important thing is not to make mistakes.
The soldiers surrounding the fence gave them enough excuses.
Upon hearing this, Li Lin, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of the Ministry of War, breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Xiaole had given him the opportunity to confess. If they didn't seize it, they would find a piece of tofu and kill him.
The two men immediately knelt down and reported, "Your Highness, this matter involves foreign spies. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment. The Minister of Rites spits blood and slanders important officials of the imperial court. His crime should be punished. Your Highness, please look into it!"
The prince did not understand the answer, but asked Lu Qingbai, "Prime Minister Zuo, what do you think?"
After all, the Minister of Civil Affairs was too impulsive and his prestige was too low. When it came to speaking power, the Left Prime Minister was naturally far superior to him.
Lu Qingbai was stunned by the question. He insisted on dealing with Zhao Xiaole today. Zhao Xiaole must go to Dali Temple or the Inspectorate.
The prince's power will also be affected, but in this way, the third prince will be unable to support him, and the empress, who has been planning for a long time, will definitely control the court situation in the future.
The situation of tripartite confrontation is gone.
Lu Qingbai will also become a chess piece in the Queen's hands, but is this what he wants? Lu Qingbai once again thought of the Queen's smile when she was young.
Even though it had been almost a year, there was still a burning feeling in his heart.
Closing his eyes, Lu Qingbai suppressed all unrealistic thoughts, "Reporting to Your Highness, since this matter involves foreign spies, it is reasonable to keep it confidential. I agree to the request of the Marquis of Zhenguo."
This sentence was beyond everyone's expectations.
Even the prince was stunned, and then he quickly felt relieved. Zhao Xiaole and three others had already made a confession to the court.
The prince only needed to explain that Zhao Xiaole had received his order before mobilizing troops to surround the fence.
That matter is over.
But she didn't know that the Queen's black hands had almost covered the court, and this was what Lu Qingbai was really afraid of.
If Zhao Xiaole were to be captured, it would not be impossible to force Zhao Xiaole to go to Dali Temple based on the words of his left prime minister. However, this would give the empress room for maneuver, and Lu Qingbai was naturally unwilling to accept it.
The prince didn't know this, and thought that Lu Qingbai had already seen the situation clearly, and he didn't plan to say anything he had prepared.
"Let's discuss this matter after the dust has settled. If nothing happens, Zhao Xiaole, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of War will stay, and the others can withdraw from the court."
Right Prime Minister Qin Sining reported illness today, so there is no need to stay.
Although the Minister of Rites and others were dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do. Who made Lu Qingbai suddenly switch sides?
Several people could only sigh and go to report to the Queen.
The prince brought Zhao Xiaole and the others to the East Palace. Looking at the three of them, her face sank, she slapped the table and shouted:
"What on earth is going on? The three of you actually joined forces and you even hid it from me?"
Zhao Xiaole and three others all knelt down, and Li Lin and Li Lin quickly begged for mercy, "Your Highness, forgive me!"
The prince looked at Zhao Xiaole, "What's going on? Why were you so impulsive yesterday?"
Zhao Xiaole replied: "Your Highness, Sining was controlled by strange magic last night and even went to my dormitory to assassinate me."
"What? How could such a thing happen?" Not only the prince, but also Li Lin were stunned.
Then I thought about it and felt it made sense.
If not, how could Zhao Xiaole lead people to build a fence without notifying the prince?
"Is Sining okay?" The prince opened his mouth and suppressed the surprise in his heart, "Stop kneeling and sit down first!"
"yes."
Li Lin and the Minister of Justice both breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that everything would be fine.
Zhao Xiaole replied: "Your Highness, Sining is fine at the moment, but the origins of the people suspected of controlling Sining are very mysterious. I am still investigating. In order to prevent them from escaping, I immediately colluded with the two ministers."
The prince waved his hand, "It doesn't matter, I still trust you, um... I will give you a token from now on, allowing you to kill it first and tell it later. Please tell me what happened yesterday?"
If something really went wrong with Qin Sining, half of her and Zhao Xiaole's plan would collapse, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, the prince could not wait to lead the team to surround the fence in person, and his dissatisfaction with Zhao Xiaole had long since disappeared.
"yes."
Afterwards, Zhao Xiaole told what happened one by one, but he didn't say a word about the Queen.
It’s not that I’m afraid of scaring them after I tell them.
But if he said it, it would cause discord between him and the prince.
After listening to Zhao Xiaole's elaboration, the three princes couldn't help but break into cold sweats. This thing was so weird.
The prince asked the other two people, "My lords, have you ever heard that there really is such a weird thing in this world?"
The two men shook their heads, "Your Highness, there are many strange people in the world. Only the former Prime Minister Liu Berne has dabbled in this matter. We don't often have contact with people in the world, so we know very little."