Forced to be a third person: I turned around and left the palace to marry a villain

"Empress, how could this clear evidence be groundless?" Concubine Shu took the opportunity to speak coldly to the Empress. This woman, relying on her natal family's power and Xiao Li's adopted son's support, was domineering in the harem. It was time for her to suffer a setback!

Recalling the humiliation and ridicule Su Yushu had given her when she first entered the palace, Zhao Jinyan felt as uncomfortable as if she had been scratched by a cat. She wished that Xiao Li would fall immediately so that she could watch the queen lose face!

"You!" The Queen was provoked by Concubine Shu and her face turned blue with anger.

"Shut up!" Emperor Bei Ling was already full of rage, and the two women were making a noise in unison. He suddenly growled, and the two were so scared that they immediately fell silent, not daring to breathe.

"Five hundred thousand taels of silver." Emperor Bei Ling shook the account book in his hand, stood up and walked to Xiao Li, staring down at his second son with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, and stared for a full half incense stick of time.

"Ugh!" Instantly, Bei Linghuang kicked Xiao Li on the shoulder, hitting the most vulnerable part. Xiao Li fell to the ground, his back hitting the ground, and then he struggled to kneel down. Although the pain in his shoulder was unbearable, he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

"Evil creature!" Before he finished speaking, he kicked out again, same position, same fall, same turning over and kneeling, this series of actions was repeated five or six times, until there was a "crack" sound on Xiao Li's shoulder, and Emperor Bei Ling stopped.

Emperor Bei Ling seemed a little out of breath due to his anger and intense exercise. Seeing this, the eunuch next to him wanted to step forward to support him, but he was slapped by him and made stars appear in his eyes!

"You, go to the Inner Court to receive your punishment. You will be caned thirty times! Your title will be stripped and you will be confined to your home. From tomorrow on, you don't have to come to court anymore!" Emperor Bei Ling pointed at Xiao Li and gave the order coldly.

This punishment was really harsh. Xiao Li was aiming for the throne, which was not only about the throne, but also about the control of connections and intelligence. If one of the three was missing, it would be like a bird with broken wings.

Being confined at home was equivalent to cutting off his network of contacts; not being allowed to attend court was equivalent to blocking the source of information! Without connections and information, Xiao Li was almost isolated from Bei Ling's power game. In this case, what else could he use to fight for the supreme position? This was simply a cold knife on his neck!

"As for you guys." Emperor Bei Ling changed the subject and sternly glanced at the dozen or so trembling officials, "Drag them out, execute them immediately, confiscate your property, and use it to fill the national treasury.

If that is still not enough, all family members will be reduced to slaves and have to do labor to pay back the debt. When the debt is paid back, they will be freed from slavery!"

Following the order of Emperor Bei Ling, the dozen officials were taken away mercilessly by the guards and executed.

"Your son, obey your order." Xiao Li was unwilling, but under the fury of Emperor Bei Ling, saying more would only cause trouble for himself and increase the punishment. He could still fight for the title if he lost it. At least his father did not expel him from the royal family, nor did he demote him to a commoner!

Even if he is not the Prince of Li, he is still the second prince of Beiling. As long as his status is there, there will always be a chance to turn things around! Xiao Zhan, I, Xiao Li, will remember this account! When I make a comeback, your Prince Gong's Mansion will be destroyed!

With a heart full of hatred, Xiao Li endured the severe pain in his shoulder and left the venue. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he went to the Inner Court to accept punishment. Before leaving, he looked across the crowd and briefly met Xuan Qing's eyes, with a meaningful smile on his lips.

"What a curse, what a curse..." Emperor Bei Ling sighed heavily after punishing Xiao Li and the court officials. He was old and felt dizzy in anger. After throwing the account book to Xiao Zhan, he walked towards the throne step by step with the help of the eunuch chief.

"All these things should be taken back to the national treasury for inventory. Also, send someone to Prince Li's mansion to retrieve the 500,000 taels. As for the remaining 500,000 taels, Prince Gong, you should think of a way to make up for it!"

Xiao Zhan sneered inwardly after hearing this. Was he asked to fill the hole of 500,000 taels? Could it be that he looked like a victim?

"Your Majesty, five hundred thousand taels is not a small sum. It would be inappropriate to let Prince Gong bear the responsibility alone."

Ye Rongxiu frowned, knowing in his heart that the Emperor was clearly trying to create difficulties for His Royal Highness Prince Gong.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I also think this is inappropriate." Nan Jingxing followed closely and echoed: "Five hundred thousand taels, that is the total tax paid by the people of Beiling for three years. It is too much to ask His Royal Highness Prince Gong to bear it alone."

"You two adults also know that it is urgent to fill the deficit precisely because of the huge amount." Xiao Yan was not willing to miss this good opportunity to set a trap for Xiao Zhan, "Fourth brother is of royal blood, he is both the son of the emperor and a subject.

A filial son should share his father's worries, and a loyal minister should help his king solve problems. No matter from which angle you look at it, the fourth brother should take on the responsibility, right?"

Five hundred thousand taels! Humph! If Xiao Zhan can come up with it, with the salary of Prince Gong's Mansion, wouldn't the emperor be more suspicious? Prince Gong's Mansion is afraid to follow Xiao Li's footsteps! But if you can't come up with it, it will go against the emperor's will and you will also die! You are in a dilemma, Xiao Zhan, let's see how you can get away with it this time!

Let Prince Gong's Mansion bear the cost of 500,000 taels alone? Xiao Yan's proposal surprised everyone present, including Zhenbei Marquis and Ye Rongxiu. They had heard about Prince Gong's treatment in Beiling to some extent. With the little money he made every month, he might not be able to save up this amount in five years!

"Your Highness Prince Duan, this is not the time to joke. Even if all the officials work together, it will take a short time to come up with this amount." Ye Rongxiu frowned and said seriously.

"Lord Ye, do you think I'm joking?" Xiao Yan interrupted in a deep voice, the voice coming from under the iron mask was low and somewhat threatening.

"Your Highness Prince Duan's words make sense." Jiang Xue slowly stood up, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, "However, Changle hasn't finished what he meant, Third Brother might as well listen to it."

Xiao Yan sneered and refocused his gaze on Jiang Xue, wanting to see what she could come up with.

"What Changle said makes sense, referring to the theory of loyalty and filial piety mentioned by His Royal Highness Prince Duan. His Royal Highness Prince Duan's words make sense, and the royal descendants should be both loyal and filial. But the royal children are not only His Royal Highness Prince Gong. Aren't Prince Li, Prince Duan, Prince An and the princesses also descendants of the royal family?

So, shouldn't every prince and princess share some of this duty of loyalty and filial piety? If every member of the royal family can do their bit, Changle believes that the five hundred thousand taels can be collected quickly."

Jiang Xue suddenly had an idea and used Xiao Yan's own words to give him a loud "slap" in the face. This "slap" was both fair and just, and made it impossible to refute! The flames in Xiao Yan's heart were rising, but he could only hold it back, and he had no choice but to suffer!