The princess arrives and the prosperous Tang Dynasty begins

Chapter 201 The mastermind behind the scenes

In a secret room deep in the palace, Li Yi and Lin Xiao were facing a table piled with various intelligence documents, their brows furrowed and their faces solemn.

After many days of investigation and countless clues, they finally caught the key clues in the fog. When the truth gradually surfaced, they were shocked and speechless for a long time. Because the mastermind behind this series of conspiracies was Li Yi's brother, Li Sheng.

Li Yi could never have imagined that the brother who had played and frolicked with him in the courtyard, read classics with him under the guidance of the master, and enjoyed the love of his parents would become like this. His heart felt like it was pierced by thousands of arrows, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't breathe.

"I treated him well, why is he like this?" Li Yi's voice was trembling, full of disbelief and deep heartache. His eyes, which were once bright and lively, were now bloodshot, revealing endless sadness and disappointment.

Lin Xiao stood aside, watching Li Yi quietly, with a lot of emotion in his heart. He knew very well how much Li Yi valued brotherhood, and he also understood the torment in Li Yi's heart at the moment.

"Your Majesty, power makes people lose their way. Since ancient times, there are countless examples of brothers turning against each other and fathers and sons becoming enemies for the supreme throne." Lin Xiao's voice was low and firm, trying to make Li Yi wake up from this huge blow.

Li Yi slowly raised his head and looked at Lin Xiao, his eyes full of confusion and pain: "I have always thought that I have given him enough wealth and honor, enough respect and trust, and he should be satisfied and should protect the Li family's kingdom with me. Why has it come to this?"

Lin Xiao sighed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the human heart is hard to predict. Perhaps in the heart of His Royal Highness Li Sheng, he believes that only by sitting on the throne can he truly control his own destiny and realize his so-called grand cause in his heart. And in his eyes, your kindness and tolerance have become a stumbling block that hinders his progress."

Li Yi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. After a moment, he opened his eyes again, with a look of determination in his eyes: "No matter what, he has committed such a serious crime, I cannot sit idly by. Lin Xiao, I order you to continue the investigation and make sure to find out all his conspiracies and tricks. I want him to be convinced."

Lin Xiao bowed and accepted the order: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will fulfill my mission."

After Lin Xiao left the secret room, Li Yi sat alone in a chair, thinking about many things. He recalled the happy times he spent with Li Sheng when they were young. At that time, they were carefree and supported each other. He never thought that one day they would become such a hostile situation as they are now.

On the other hand, Lin Xiao continued to investigate. He found that Li Sheng had secretly colluded with some ministers in the court in order to usurp the throne. These ministers were either deceived by Li Sheng's promises or dissatisfied with Li Yi's rule, and joined Li Sheng's camp.

Lin Xiao gradually pieced together the whole picture of Li Sheng's conspiracy by secretly interrogating the arrested ministers. It turned out that Li Sheng planned to launch a mutiny, take control of the palace, and force Li Yi to abdicate when Li Yi left the palace for sacrifice. In order to realize this plan, he not only planted his own confidants in the army, but also bribed some Jianghu masters, preparing to attack Li Yi at a critical moment.

After learning all this, Li Yi could no longer suppress his anger. He summoned loyal ministers and generals in the court to discuss countermeasures.

"Your Majesty, His Highness Li Sheng's actions are extremely evil. He should be arrested immediately and brought to justice." An old general said indignantly.

"Don't act rashly. Li Sheng has been operating in the court for many years and his power is complex. If we act rashly, we might alert the enemy and cause greater unrest." A civil servant said worriedly.

Everyone expressed their opinions and argued endlessly. Li Yi sat on the dragon chair, listening quietly, and he already had an idea in his mind.

"My dear ministers, although Li Sheng has committed a serious crime, he is still my brother after all. I still hope to give him a chance to reform." Li Yi said slowly.

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

"Your Majesty, such traitors must not be tolerated!" the old general said anxiously.

Li Yi waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "I have made up my mind. I will personally talk to him and persuade him to change his ways. If he persists, I will deal with him according to the law."

Seeing Li Yi's firm attitude, everyone stopped talking.

Li Yi decided to go to Li Sheng's residence secretly one night. He did not bring too many guards, only Lin Xiao and a few confidants.

When they arrived at Li Sheng's mansion, Li Sheng was discussing the next plan with his advisers in the study.

"Your Highness, it's not too late to stop now. His Majesty has always felt a brotherly love for you and may be lenient with you." An adviser advised.

"Hmph, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Now that the arrow is on the string, we have to shoot it." Li Sheng said fiercely.

Just then, Li Yi walked in.

When Li Sheng saw Li Yi, he was startled at first, then a trace of disdain appeared on his face: "What are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me?"

Li Yi looked at Li Sheng, his eyes full of sadness: "Brother, I came here today in the hope that you can turn back from your wrong path. I can forgive the past, as long as you give up your conspiracy, I will still treat you as my brother."

Li Sheng burst into laughter: "Brother? You are talking to me about brotherhood now? You sit on the throne, enjoying supreme power and glory, have you ever thought about me?"

Li Yi said with great sorrow: "I have never thought of monopolizing all this. I have always hoped that we brothers can work together to govern this country well."

"Stop pretending here." Li Sheng interrupted Li Yi, "This throne should have been mine. It was you who took away everything that belonged to me."

Li Yi took a deep breath and said, "I'll ask you again, are you really unwilling to turn back?"

Li Sheng sneered: "Turn back? It's too late. Since you are here today, don't even think about leaving alive."

As he spoke, Li Sheng waved his hand, and a group of guards rushed in and surrounded Li Yi and others.

Lin Xiao and his confidants immediately protected Li Yi, ready to fight the enemy.

At this critical moment, Li Yi shouted, "Li Sheng, are you really going to be so heartless?"

Li Sheng hesitated for a moment, but finally gave the order to take action.

A fierce battle broke out. Lin Xiao and his confidants fought bravely, but the enemy was so numerous that they gradually fell into trouble.

At this time, reinforcements from the palace arrived. It turned out that Li Yi had already made arrangements just in case.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Li Sheng wanted to escape, but was blocked by Lin Xiao.

"Your Highness, just surrender." Lin Xiao said.

Li Sheng looked at Lin Xiao, his eyes filled with despair and unwillingness: "I won't accept this, I won't accept this!"

In the end, Li Sheng was arrested and brought to justice.

Li Yi looked at Li Sheng who was tied up, and felt mixed emotions. He thought of their former brotherhood and the good times they had spent together, and couldn't help but shed tears.

"Brother, why did you go this far?" Li Yi muttered to himself.

Li Sheng turned his head away and stopped looking at Li Yi.

Li Yi knew that Li Sheng's crime was unforgivable, but he still couldn't bear to order the execution of his brother. In the end, he decided to demote Li Sheng to a commoner and exile him to the frontier, where he would reflect on his mistakes.

After the storm, the palace returned to its former tranquility. But a scar was left in Li Yi's heart forever. He knew that the temptation of power was so great that it could make people lose themselves and even betray their family. He secretly vowed to be a wise monarch and prevent such a tragedy from happening again.