His strike having failed, Li Chengze panted heavily and regained a little of his reason.
He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and forced each word through them:
"Li Chengcheng! You dared lay hands on your elder brother! Assaulting a superior, defying the proper order, disgracing the imperial family-every one of those is a grave crime! I think you've truly gone mad!"
Crown Prince Li Chengqian hurried forward to support the trembling Li Chengze:
"Second Brother! Please calm down! Third Brother... must have lost his head in a moment of anger. He certainly didn't mean it!"
He supported him solicitously, outwardly desperate to mediate, but inwardly he almost laughed aloud.
As far as he was concerned, Zhou Cheng's slap could not have come at a better time!
Not only had Zhou Cheng ruined his own future, he had also helped him eliminate his greatest rival, the Second Prince, in one stroke!
The reputation Li Chengze had painstakingly built at court over the years would probably shatter beyond repair with that slap that had echoed through the courtroom.
What sort of man was Zhou Cheng? Charitably, he marched to his own beat. Less charitably, everyone loathed him!
After being slapped in public by a madman like that... the Second Prince would probably never hold his head high before the upright scholars or imperial clansmen again.
Could the factions that had supported the Second Prince for his reputation witness this without wavering and reconsidering their allegiance?
Meanwhile, he, the Crown Prince, had done nothing and reaped this enormous benefit for free. It was a blessing straight from heaven!
The more he thought about it, the more delighted he became. He could barely keep the corners of his mouth down.
Yet his expression grew ever more "anguished." After soothing Li Chengze, he turned to Zhou Cheng. "Third Brother! You were far too impulsive! However furious you were, you shouldn't have shown your elder brother such disrespect! This... this is utterly improper!"
Everyone in the courtroom was already scared out of their wits. They hunched their shoulders and bowed their heads, hardly daring to breathe.
Only Fan Xian stared wide-eyed, silently giving Zhou Cheng a thumbs-up behind his back and thinking, Fucking awesome!
Zhou Cheng, however, remained perfectly calm. He glanced at the floor, seemingly regretting the medicinal liquor spilled all over it.
"Second Brother, you've truly wasted my goodwill. That cost three taels of silver, and you just threw it away! You've hurt your little brother's feelings, but I still have to remind you-"
He paused, glancing at the Crown Prince, who was secretly gloating nearby, and a playful smile curled his lips.
"Right now, you shouldn't be rushing to lose your temper. You should be... begging me to slap the Crown Prince immediately, too!"
At those words, the smile the Crown Prince Li Chengqian could barely suppress froze on his face, while Li Chengze's blazing fury abruptly stalled.
The Crown Prince immediately let go of Li Chengze and retreated several steps, waving his hands. "Third Brother! That's no joke you should make! Settle your score with the person responsible. I haven't offended you! You mustn't drag your little brother into this!"
A measure of calm finally returned to Li Chengze's eyes. He began weighing the advantages and disadvantages of his situation.
A fight between princes was no trivial matter. It involved imperial authority and the law, making it entirely different from an ordinary fight between brothers.
If the matter of his being struck was mishandled, all the political capital he had accumulated over the years would vanish, leaving him without the means to compete against the Crown Prince.
No matter how Emperor Qing punished Zhou Cheng afterward, it could not make up for his losses.
Thinking about it now, having Zhou Cheng slap the Crown Prince as well really was a good idea.
If he alone was struck, he would be an enormous laughingstock, an outright loser, permanently disgraced.
But if... the Crown Prince received the same slap... the outcome would be entirely different!
If he was not the only victim, he would not be the only one pilloried.
The more he considered Zhou Cheng's suggestion, the more tempted he became, until even the way he looked at the Crown Prince grew somewhat strange.
The Crown Prince keenly noticed the change in Li Chengze's gaze, and alarm bells rang in his head!
As he saw it, Zhou Cheng had already gone mad. If Li Chengze was provoked into losing his reason as well, he would be in terrible danger!
He immediately straightened his back and, taking the stance of Li Chengze's ally, condemned Zhou Cheng with righteous indignation:
"Third Brother! In a moment of fury, you disregarded our brotherly bonds, assaulted your elder, and committed a grave mistake! Such conduct shakes the foundations of the imperial family and dishonors the state. It is a crime of profound disrespect!
"When Father learns of this, he will punish you severely! What you should do now is sincerely apologize to Second Brother and beg his forgiveness. Perhaps when Father asks, we brothers can still put in a few good words for you!"
Having said that, he looked at them both and continued earnestly, "Second Brother, Third Brother, whatever passing misunderstanding lies between you, blood is thicker than water. Things should never have reached this point. You must preserve some dignity if this is to end well. Though I stand with Second Brother, I also beg him, for the sake of our brotherhood, to show Third Brother... some mercy when Father asks."
Li Chengze merely gave the Crown Prince a cold look, unwilling to engage with him.
Instead, he told Zhou Cheng bitterly, "Li Chengcheng! This isn't over between us! We'll leave everything for Father to decide!"
Zhou Cheng gave a soft laugh.
"Second Brother, why trouble Father? This matter can end right here."
He paced a couple of steps and calmly analyzed the situation. "Given your position, Second Brother, I imagine you wouldn't want more people finding out you were struck?"
Li Chengze remained silent, his expression dark.
He certainly did not want anyone to know, but with so many people here, how could it be concealed?
"Since you aren't speaking, Second Brother, I'll take that as agreement." Zhou Cheng nodded, turned to the crowd, and continued, "Actually, neither do I! If word gets out, the consequences will be terrible. At best, it will suggest discord within the imperial family. At worst, it will disgrace our Li imperial clan, shake the foundations of the state, and threaten the realm of our great Qing.
"For the reputation of our Li imperial clan, both Second Brother and I will forget this happened once we walk through that door.
"If we say nothing, naturally, the imperial family's dignity will remain unharmed!
"Instead, whoever spreads the word will be the true culprit who disregards the stability of the state and the interests of the realm!"
At those words, strange looks appeared in everyone's eyes.
Zhou Cheng slowly swept his gaze across the courtroom, exerting an invisible pressure.
First, he walked over to Fan Xian.
By now, Fan Xian was thoroughly impressed. Zhou Cheng's deft shifting of the terms left him in awe.
Seeing Zhou Cheng actually dare to strike a prince had shocked him and made him fear for the man. Even if Emperor Qing favored him, this was far too big a mess.
Yet he had never expected Zhou Cheng to twist the facts with a string of specious arguments and completely extricate himself!
It was like saying, If I break the law and don't get caught, it isn't a crime. If you report me and cause a scandal, you're the criminal... That logic was simply unbeatable.
"Young Master Fan," Zhou Cheng began, "will you tell anyone what happened today?"
Fan Xian immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No, absolutely not! Rest assured, Your Highness. No one keeps a secret better than I do. Whatever I saw in this courtroom today, I'll forget the moment I leave!" He made himself as deferential as possible.
Zhou Cheng nodded in satisfaction, his gaze passing over Si Lili.
Si Lili had already lowered her head even further. Before Zhou Cheng could ask, she hurriedly said in a small voice, "The torture today left this servant dazed, and my vision was blurred. I saw nothing and know nothing."
Zhou Cheng murmured an acknowledgment and turned his gaze to the kneeling Teng Zijing.
Teng Zijing remained on his knees, his voice steady. "Your Highness, kneeling for so long has impaired this commoner's circulation. My vision went black and my ears were ringing. I truly have no idea what happened."
Zhou Cheng nodded again. At last, he turned his gaze toward Crown Prince Li Chengqian, whose expression kept shifting.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince," Zhou Cheng said "respectfully," "as the heir to the throne, your every word and action concerns Qing's dignity. Surely you put the realm first and the imperial family's reputation above all else. You... certainly wouldn't do anything that undermines the state and disgraces the imperial clan, would you?"
The Crown Prince cursed inwardly. With the matter framed that way, what could he possibly say?
With a smile that did not reach his eyes, he cupped his hands to Zhou Cheng and Li Chengze in turn.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, rest assured! This concerns the dignity of our Li imperial clan. Your little brother understands what is at stake and will not breathe a word!"
Zhou Cheng smiled and nodded.
He turned to Li Chengze. "Second Brother, do you trust... the Crown Prince's promise?"
Li Chengze snorted coldly. "Of course not!"
The Crown Prince instinctively cupped his hands. "Thank you for your trust, Second Brother... hm?"
Realizing the answer had been "of course not," his face alternated between pale and livid.
Li Chengze ignored him completely.
Anyone in this courtroom who wanted to avoid trouble and stay alive could keep their mouth shut. The Crown Prince alone was someone he would never trust! With such a disgrace befalling his rival, it would be downright bizarre if he did not kick him while he was down!
Zhou Cheng chuckled. "What a coincidence. I don't trust His Highness the Crown Prince either. But he'll soon have his own troubles to worry about, so it won't matter."
The Crown Prince frowned deeply, looking aggrieved. "Second Brother, Third Brother! Am I truly so unworthy of your trust? Ultimately, this has nothing to do with me at all! Third Brother, what do you mean by saying I'll have 'my own troubles to worry about'?"
Rather than answer the Crown Prince directly, Zhou Cheng turned his gaze to Mei Zhili.
When Mei Zhili saw Zhou Cheng looking his way, he quickly glanced at the Crown Prince. Receiving no indication from him, he hurriedly bowed and waved his hands. "Rest assured, Your Highness, rest assured! This old official is the same. I saw nothing and heard nothing!"
Zhou Cheng walked over and reached out to pat his shoulder.
"Lord Mei," Zhou Cheng said mildly, "of everyone here, you're actually the one I worry about least."
Mei Zhili froze, unable to understand why Zhou Cheng felt most reassured about him. Even so, he immediately put on an expression of fearful gratitude. "Thank you for your confidence, Your Highness! This old official... is deeply honored."
Zhou Cheng withdrew his hand, clasped it behind his back, and paced two steps away before turning back to look at him. "You misunderstand, Lord Mei! It isn't you I trust. It's the dead."
"The dead? A dead man?" Mei Zhili shuddered with fright. "Oh, heavens! Your Highness! Please don't joke like that! This old official mishandled the trial, but... but that hardly warrants death, Your Highness!"
Zhou Cheng straightened and shook his head, an almost pitying expression on his face.
"You misunderstand, Lord Mei. I'm merely an idle prince. What authority do I have to decide whether you, the Capital Prefect, live or die?
"I'm not the one demanding your life. Clearly, you yourself... no longer want it."
At a loss, Mei Zhili gave a helpless, bitter smile. "What do you mean, Your Highness? This old official cherishes his life greatly. Unless it were for Qing or His Majesty, why would I ever throw it away?"
"Those constables and their captains who arrested Teng Zijing belonged to your Capital Prefecture, correct?"
"...Yes." Mei Zhili's voice held a trace of hesitation.
"Teng Zijing is a seventh-rank expert. His movements are secretive, and he can move freely over rooftops and walls. To lay an ambush so precisely and capture him, you must have used the Governor to secretly investigate his whereabouts, then deployed capable constable captains to lie in wait beforehand. Only then could you have succeeded. Is that correct?"
"...Yes." Mei Zhili's voice had dwindled to a mosquito's whine.
Zhou Cheng nodded.
"Good, as long as you admit it! Then here is the question, Lord Mei."
"When court opened today, you didn't even know Teng Zijing was connected to this case, much less that he would become the crucial witness in a charge of 'deceiving the emperor.' Yet you had already sent men to watch him, ambush him, and take him into custody, presenting him 'just in time' when the Crown Prince needed him..."
Zhou Cheng paused. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept over the Crown Prince's suddenly altered expression before returning to Mei Zhili's face.
"Was that a coincidence... or did someone instruct you to do it?"
The air in the courtroom seemed to freeze. Even Li Chengze temporarily forgot the pain in his face and held his breath, listening intently.
Zhou Cheng's voice continued:
"Father is in the prime of his life, vigorous and strong. He is nowhere near the time to abdicate!
"You, the Capital Prefect, a trusted minister promoted by His Majesty himself, are already so impatient to choose sides and pave someone else's way. Do you think His Majesty... has occupied the throne for too long?"
Before you continue