Emperor Chengping's control over the court could only be described as absolute. In the Thirty Years of his reign, by now, no one above or below the court dared slight or neglect imperial authority. Even though Emperor Chengping was old now, even though several princes were locked in open and covert struggle, no one dared obey him in public while defying him in private.
After Emperor Chengping flew into a rage, that very day the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Grand Court of Justice dispatched officials to go to Liao'an Prefecture.
At the same time, an Imperial Decree was also sent toward Liao'an Prefecture at the speed of an eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch.
And Just As the Imperial Decree was sent out of the Capital, Prince Xin's Mansion also received a carrier-pigeon message from Liao'an Prefecture.
Prince Xin, who had only just reached thirty, stood inside the magnificent hall and looked at the note that had been delivered. His complexion instantly turned deathly pale.
"Your Highness, what happened?"
A middle-aged man in a Confucian robe sat nearby. Seeing how ugly his expression was, he could not help asking aloud.
"Mr. Ji, something happened to Luo Fu!" Prince Xin handed the note In Hand to Mr. Ji.
Mr. Ji, Ji Zhonghuai, had passed the Jinshi examination in the twenty-first year of Chengping. He currently served as Shuntian Prefecture Vice-Governor, was a Close Subject of Prince Xin, and was an important adviser at Prince Xin's side.
Ji Zhonghuai, in his forties, had a face as fair as jade, without the slightest sign of age. He was filled with the bearing of a mature, refined scholar, giving others the impression of graceful elegance.
Ji Zhonghuai took the note and Glanced at it, then his brows knitted tightly together.
Luo Fu was an