Emperor Qianyou looked at him. "Imperial Censor Zheng, what matter do you wish to present?"
"Your Majesty," Zheng Qian said with a solemn expression, "I have heard that Prince Ning forcibly abducted a handsome youth on the street, leveraged his status to coerce him, and attempted to win over court ministers using his supposed charms to serve his own ends. Such behavior is utterly despicable and shows no regard for the dignity of the royal family. I implore Your Majesty to take this matter seriously and punish Prince Ning severely. Otherwise, from this day forward, every colleague in the court will be in peril! Great Chu will be in peril!"
Emperor Qianyou was utterly stunned, almost unable to resist the urge to clean out his ears. "What did you say? Who? The Fourth Prince?"
Zheng Qian replied righteously, "Precisely."
Several other censors, seeing they had been preempted, quickly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I have also heard of this matter. I urge Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
"Absolutely, absolutely! Upon hearing this, I have been worried day and night. If Prince Ning sets his sights on me, what then? In that case, I would have to resign to preserve my virtue!"
"Shameful! Utterly shameful! A prince of the realm actually resorting to such vile methods! This veteran minister will never collude with him!"
Jiang Ciyi was so incensed he nearly spat blood. Forget whether these things were true or not—just look at your wrinkled face! My tastes aren't that questionable! Even if I were to seize someone, it would be someone young and handsome, alright?
The court ministers looked at Jiang Ciyi in disbelief. "Hmph!"
Meng Shuping's eyes lit up instantly. "Hmph hmph hmph!"
"If we're talking about this, then I'm paying attention now!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Does Prince Ning actually use such methods to befriend court ministers? Otherwise, why are the censors so worried?"
"Yikes..."
"Could he have a thing for older men? I've heard that those who lacked paternal love in childhood might crave affection from older people when they grow up. The Emperor has so many sons; surely he couldn't have given each one equal attention? Thinking about it, it does seem quite plausible!"
"Killing two birds with one stone—satisfying his personal desires while winning over those he fancies to build his influence!"
Jiang Ciyi fumed, "Hey, don't make wild guesses, alright? Even if I lacked love, I'd have no appetite for those ministers with white hair!"
Minister of Revenue Chen and Minister of Justice Cao Jie felt a chill down their spines. Could it be? Are they in danger?
Emperor Qianyou's expression turned grave. It can't be, right? Although this son of his has some ambitions, he wouldn't go this far, would he? Could it be that the Fourth Prince really has some undisclosed preferences?
He began to recall carefully whether he had given Jiang Ciyi enough attention when he was young. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. Had he truly neglected his son?
But back then, he was busy with state affairs, and with so many sons, he indeed paid less attention to those who didn't particularly please him.
No, no, no. He should still trust his son.
Meng Shuping had no idea that he had led Emperor Qianyou astray. At this moment, he was still praising Imperial Censor Zheng. "But you know what, you have to hand it to him, this minister has much broader vision, unlike that Imperial Censor Cai from earlier, who was so petty even when lodging an accusation. Look at how grand this one is—starting with a prince and talking about matters that endanger the state!"
"Both are censors, so why is the gap so wide? Imperial Censor Cai, oh Imperial Censor Cai, though your name is Cai (vegetable), must you be so un-talented!"
Cai Feng's face darkened. Who's un-talented? Who's un-talented? Who said censors can only present major state affairs? Wasn't his impeachment of Meng Shuping a legitimate matter?
Upon hearing that Jiang Ciyi was being impeached, the other princes chimed in with glee. "Impressive, tsk tsk, truly impressive! He's really pulling out all the stops!"
"Exactly, exactly! Fourth Brother is really willing to go to extremes! Respect, respect!"
Some even lamented with deep sorrow, "No matter what, he shouldn't forcibly abduct a handsome youth on the street! Such behavior disregards the law of the land!"
"Isn't this tarnishing the reputation of us princes? No wonder our reputation has worsened—it's all because of him!"
"Fourth Brother, how misguided! There are countless ways to win people over. Using his own charm? Not to criticize him, but isn't he overestimating himself?"
Meng Shuping couldn't help but sigh. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seems Prince Ning's brothers have long suffered because of him! Hahaha, is he that unpopular?"
Jiang Ciyi's face flushed red with anger. He glared furiously at Zheng Qian. "Don't you dare slander me! When did I ever forcibly abduct a handsome youth on the street?"
As for using his so-called charm to win over court ministers, he was too embarrassed to even mention it. But the first part alone was enough to make his hair stand on end with rage.
These censors, just to show they fear no power, will say anything! Now, they've even fabricated allegations about me. How detestable!
Meng Shuping was very surprised. "Huh? How could he forget something that just happened? Oh, oh, oh, I get it—stonewall completely, right?"
Emperor Qianyou glanced at Meng Shuping in surprise. He hadn't expected even Meng Shuping to know about this. Could it be that such a thing really happened?
Imperial Censor Zheng said, "Hmph, of course Prince Ning wouldn't admit it easily. But if we summon the people around you and question them, the truth will become clear."
Meng Shuping agreed wholeheartedly. "Exactly, exactly! The ones who carried out the seizure were his close attendants. And usually, such close attendants know too many secrets! Summon him for interrogation, and we're bound to uncover something!"
Jiang Ciyi felt a flash of panic but quickly feigned composure. "Why should I admit to something I didn't do? And why should my close attendants be interrogated for no reason? Instead, Imperial Censor Zheng, since you claim I forcibly abducted a handsome youth, can you provide any proof?"
This Imperial Censor Zheng is truly sinister. I suspect accusing me of abducting a handsome youth is just a pretext—his real goal is to interrogate my close attendants!
No matter what, I can't let this Zheng succeed. Otherwise, even if this matter is proven false, other secrets might be uncovered during the interrogation, and I'll still face reprimand.
Meng Shuping sneered. "I think he's guilty! If he's so confident, why not call his men forward? Tsk, I knew he wouldn't dare!"
Jiang Ciyi remained expressionless, completely ignoring Meng Shuping's words. There was no way he would summon anyone. Knowing it was a trap, why would he take the bait!
Imperial Censor Zheng snorted coldly. "Prince Ning refuses to summon anyone. Could it be because he's guilty?"
Jiang Ciyi raised his head proudly. "Hmph, why would I be guilty? But there's no reason for me to comply with such unfounded allegations."
Some officials closer to Jiang Ciyi also rushed to his defense. "Right! Everyone knows you censors have the right to present unverified reports. Now you're merely impeaching him. How can you judge Prince Ning guilty based solely on one-sided claims? Everyone knows you censors care about reputation—perhaps you're just trying to advance your careers by maligning Prince Ning!"
Minister of Revenue Chen took a step back in surprise, his expression very strange. Could these colleagues already be involved with...
Meng Shuping was also shocked. "Could they have some improper relationship with Prince Ning?"
"Yikes..."
"Then is it purely a factional relationship, or that kind of relationship based on favors?"
Minister of Justice Cao Jie quietly moved closer to Minister of Revenue Chen. "Do you think they might be..."
Minister of Revenue Chen nodded, looking excited. "Who could have imagined?"
These seemingly upright colleagues... tsk, tsk.
Whether it's true or not, we should enjoy the spectacle!
Seeing that those officials had attacked all the censors, the censors were furious. "I say, we're impeaching Prince Ning. Why are you interfering? Could it be that you have some relationship with Prince Ning?"
"Disgusting! Truly disgusting! We are ashamed to stand in the same hall with you!"
"Sycophants! Shameless creatures! After all these years of study, you've learned nothing!"
Meng Shuping's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Let them fight! Let them fight!"
Prince Ning's faction turned livid with anger. "Hmph, our relationship with Prince Ning is proper and above reproach! How dare you defame us?"
"If you censors can render judgments based on conjecture, then there's no need for trials! Let your conjectures replace court proceedings!"
"We just spoke out for justice, and you react like this? What, only you get to have a say? Others aren't allowed to speak?"
Meng Shuping continued, "Start fighting! Come on, fight!"
The officials from the Censorate said arrogantly, "We are only doing our job. If Prince Ning hasn't done anything wrong, why would he fear an investigation?"
Prince Ning's faction sneered, "Talk is cheap. Even if you censors make a false accusation, there are no consequences for you, so you can impeach at will. Should Prince Ning just let himself be wronged for nothing?"
Taking advantage of no one paying attention to him, Meng Shuping stretched his head out far and urged, "Get into it! Catfight!"
Emperor Qianyou looked at Meng Shuping speechlessly. Although the ministers in the hall were arguing fiercely, Meng Shuping was jumping around the most eagerly!
He glanced at Eunuch Yang, who immediately understood and shouted to those below, "Order in the court!"
Instantly, the ministers below stopped talking and returned to their positions.
Emperor Qianyou looked at Meng Shuping and said, "Minister Meng."
Immediately, the eyes of many ministers turned to Meng Shuping, who stiffened all over. "Ugh! Why's he picking on me now? They were arguing so intensely just now—shouldn't that matter be resolved first?"
But since Emperor Qianyou had called him, he had no choice but to step forward nervously and take a few steps ahead. "Present."
Emperor Qianyou said triumphantly, "Since you are now the Vice Director of the Board of Punishments, I entrust this matter to you for investigation. Report the results to me as soon as possible."
Hmph, since you're so amused, and you enjoy stirring up trouble, let's see how leisurely you remain this time!
Jiang Ciyi's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding crept over him. Why did he feel that Meng Shuping seemed somewhat connected to this matter?
Meng Shuping was taken aback. "Huh? Does this even need investigating? I can just tell you the outcome directly!"
He let out an awkward laugh, so nervous he could barely breathe. "Well, Your Majesty, when Prince Ning snatched the handsome young man, I—I was also at the scene."
Emperor Qianyou was very surprised. He shot a sharp glance at Jiang Ciyi and then asked Meng Shuping, "Minister Meng was also there? So this matter is true?"
Meng Shuping awkwardly fidgeted with his robe and said stiffly, "The person who was seized—was, well, me."
"Pfft—hahahaha!" As soon as he finished speaking, Imperial Censor Zheng and others burst into laughter. Who would have thought—the very victim was right here! Let's see what Prince Ning has to say for himself now!