I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

After Wang Ruipeng finished telling the story, he cried and said:

"Your Majesty, I have been loyal to the Tang Dynasty and have served Your Majesty and the Tang Dynasty faithfully. Although my position is humble, I never slack off.

His Royal Highness Prince Ji, relying on the favor of Your Majesty, has been doing whatever he wants and running rampant in the countryside. Everyone in Chang'an City knows about this.

When King Ji is mentioned, everyone becomes terrified.

Today, Prince Ji beat up the two of us innocently, and in front of the palace. This shows that he does not take the court seriously at all.

If such behavior is not severely punished, I am afraid it will become even more rampant in the future."

Wang Ruipeng really wanted to say that it would become a serious problem in the future, but when the words came to his lips, he changed his words.

He thought that Prince Ji was the most beloved son of His Majesty. If he spoke poorly and made His Majesty angry, it would be very disadvantageous to them.

"Oh!"

Li Shimin slammed the table angrily, his face full of anger.

"How can this be possible? This bastard actually did such a wicked thing. Does he still have any respect for the law?

Come, quickly capture Prince Ji and bring him to the palace."

Li Shimin was really angry. He was not angry that Li Shen beat those two men. He was angry that Li Shen did not listen to advice and continued to cause trouble.

I just issued an order to put him under house arrest yesterday, but he ran out today and even beat people.

"My two beloved ministers, you are injured. Let the imperial physician treat you first. It won't be too late to confront Prince Ji later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. It's all up to you." The two men expressed their gratitude.

"Well, someone call the imperial physician."

While waiting for Li Shen, the imperial physician arrived quickly and first wiped the blood off the faces of the two men.

Everyone then discovered that both of their faces were red and swollen, and one of their eyes was purple and blue.

But there didn't seem to be any wounds on the surface. In fact, neither of them had any injuries, except that Li Shen hit their noses and the blood was all over their faces.

However, the redness and swelling on my face won’t go away in a short time.

"Your Majesty, the two assistant ministers are fine, they just have some bruises and swellings. They will heal after applying medicine for a while after returning home."

After the imperial physician took the pulse of the two men, he reported to Li Shimin.

"Okay, you can go down." Li Shimin waved his hand, then looked at the two of them with a smile on his face. There was nothing he could do about his son being beaten.

"I am relieved that you two are fine. When that rebellious son comes, I will definitely give you justice."

"Don't hold on to me. I will leave on my own."

"Let me go, or I will kill you."

"I told you to stop dragging and tugging. We're already here."

Just then there was a burst of noise outside, the tone was frivolous and arrogant, it was obvious that it was Prince Ji Li Shen.

Soon everyone saw Li Shen being brought in by two guards.

"Sir, see Aye."

Li Shen walked to the front and bowed politely.

"Bastard thing."

When Li Shimin saw Li Shen, his blood boiled and he slapped the armrest.

"You beat up an official at the gate of the Imperial City today. Do you know your crime?"

Everyone looked at Li Shen, wanting to hear how Li Shen would defend himself.

But Li Shen nodded:

"The son knows his sin."

"So, you admit that you did this?"

Li Shimin frowned and looked at Li Shen and asked again,

But the ministers all rolled their eyes. The intention of protecting him was too obvious. Others had already admitted it, but Your Majesty had to repeat it again.

And it also implies whether you admit it or not.

So many officials and city gate guards saw it, how could he still deny it?

"Rebellious son! Why are you so arrogant and domineering? Are you really relying on my favor?"

When Li Shimin heard Li Shen admit it, his face darkened.

"Aye, actually I recognized the wrong person, it was not intentional."

"Nonsense, Prince Ji clearly asked us our names and whether we were from the Wang clan of Langya."

When Wang Ruide heard Li Shen say that he didn't mean it, he immediately retorted.

"Hey? Why did I ask you your names? And why did I ask if you are from the Wang family of Langya?

You have no dealings with this king.

This king never knew that you were from the Wang family of Langya.

And do you think that when I beat people, I need to ask their names and places of origin?

Do you think that I am so merciful that I would send them back after beating them up?"

Li Shen lied without blushing or beating his heart, just like it was true.

"this....."

No one really heard it at that time because Prince Ji was there and everyone else stayed away.

"What is this? This king mistook you for someone else, so he beat you up. This is indeed my fault.

As a member of the royal family, I must set an example. If a prince breaks the law, he will be punished the same as a commoner.

Aye, let’s hand this case over to the Ministry of Justice.

I am willing to accept the punishment.”

Li Shen's tone was righteous, which made Wang Ruide and Wang Ruipeng a little at a loss.

This also made Li Shimin feel a little uneasy, and he thought to himself, this rebellious son would not cause any more trouble.

Because he mentioned the Ministry of Justice.

"Your Majesty, since His Royal Highness Prince Ji is so clear-headed, why not let the Ministry of Justice handle this case and handle it according to the law? This will also convince the people."

At this time, the Yellow Gate Minister, Chu Suiliang stood up.

"I think this is the right thing to do, as it demonstrates the strict laws of the Tang Dynasty."

Zhang Xingcheng followed suit.

"I second the motion,"

"I second the proposal."

"Ma Aiqing, what do you think?"

Li Shimin looked at the Secretary-General Ma Zhou and asked.

"Your Majesty, I feel that since Prince Ji wants to handle this impartially, why not let him make the judgment in this hall and let Your Majesty listen in."

Ma Zhou glanced at Li Shen and replied.

"Okay, that's it."

Li Shimin agreed readily, for he was afraid that Li Shen might cause trouble again after being brought to the Ministry of Justice.

"My dear ministers, what do you two think?"

Li Shimin asked Wang Ruide and the other for their opinions.

The two of them didn't dare to say no and nodded quickly.

"Well, then, the Ministry of Justice, you will conduct the trial here, and all the officials will serve as witnesses."

"The minister obeys the order."

Zhang Xingcheng stood up and bowed deeply. He was the Minister of Justice and held many positions.

Zhang Xingcheng glanced at Changsun Wuji inadvertently, and then came to Li Shen.

"Your Highness Prince Ji, Wang Ruide and Wang Ruipeng are suing Prince Ji for beating them. Is this true?"

"true."

Li Shen nodded.

“Since His Royal Highness Prince Ji has admitted it, the case is now clear.

Your Majesty, it is true that His Royal Highness Prince Ji beat up an official in front of the palace gate. Your Majesty, please decide on the punishment."

No one expected that this matter would be concluded in just two sentences. There was no cause or effect. Prince Ji just beat someone.

"Well, if that's the case, then punish him according to the law. Lord Zhang, you make the judgment."

Seeing Li Shen admitting that he was a bachelor, Li Shimin became angry and decided to teach him a lesson today.

When Zhang Xingcheng heard what Li Shimin said, he bowed and spoke.

"According to Article 312 of the law, His Royal Highness Prince Ji beat an official of the imperial court in front of the imperial city gate, causing him injury. He is sentenced to exile two thousand miles away for being unjust."

(The Ten Sins of the Tang Dynasty are: treason, high treason, rebellion, evil treason, immorality, disrespect, unfilial piety, disharmony, injustice, and civil strife.)