Sheng Li had already made the arrangements to take the Ministers out of the Courtesan's House. Lady Xi was on her knees and deeply bowed before the Crown Prince.
"You should have accepted my offer," Sheng Li stated.
"I cannot, your highness. Today your words gave me new hope. I want to keep this identity and do not want to go away," Lady Ki replied. "However, if his highness can give me a memory of his which I can keep with me, then that would be great," asserted Lady Ki.
Sheng Li chuckled. "You still are flirting with me. I am afraid that there is nothing I can give you. I do not give anything to the women other than my wife. Hope that cleared your answer," Sheng Li clarified himself.
Lady Ki smiled and kept her gaze low. Sheng Li turned and walked out of the chamber. Lady Ki lifted her head and saw the silhouette of the Crown Prince on the wooden sliding door. "People were wrong about the Crown Prince. His Highness is a nice person," she murmured.
~~~~
Xi Feng gradually opened his eyes and found himself in a strange room. No! It was not a room but more like a hut! His hands and feet were tied to the poles. He looked around and saw other fellow Ministers tied on the wooden poles.
"Minister Tai!" Xi Feng called his name and tried to wake him up. He shouted the names of the other Ministers too, but no one woke up.
"Minister Xi, you are so loud! Can't Minister Xi keep his voice low?" Sheng Li's voice echoed in the hut. He tilted his head to look but did not find the Crown Prince. Only one lantern was glowing, making it difficult to see him. Sheng Li showed himself and halted in front of Xi Feng.
"Crown Prince, what is this?" Xi Feng confusedly asked. Commander Sun had come with a bucket full of water in his hand. He threw the water at the faces of the other five ministers, who quickly woke up from the unconsciousness.
The ministers were shocked to see this. Sheng Li picked the sword from the table and pulled it out from its sheath. "Your Highness, w-what ar-are you d-doing?" Gao Peng asked with a stutter.
"Do not stutter, Minister Gao. I will not kill you," Sheng Li replied with a smile.
"The Crown Prince shall not do this. We are the Court Ministers, and if the Emperor finds out about this, then it will not be good. You might have to step down from the position of the Crown Prince," asserted Xi Feng.
"Minister Xi, do you know, after a few minutes, you will die?" Sheng Li smirked and raised his eyebrow.
Tai Jin and the others started to tremble in fear. "Your Highness, please do not jo-joke," Tau Jin stated.
Sheng Li chuckled. "Shall I demonstrate? The Ministers have only heard about my mercilessness, but they never saw me. I can show it to you, Minister Tai," affirmed Sheng Li.
Yao Ming understood that the Crown Prince had found out about their plans. So, he decided to spill everything in front of the Crown Prince.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I beg you. I was not part of the plan. I only did what Minister Xi told me to!" Yao Ming pleaded with the Crown Prince. "I have a young son and daughter," he started crying.
"What rubbish are you spitting, Minister Yao? What did I tell you?" Xi Feng outrageously asked him.
"Minister Xi was the one who was plotting against the Crown Prince and also the Crown Princess. Your Highness, I am only at the Courtesan house for fun," asserted Yao Ming. Sheng Li started to enjoy the fights of the Ministers.
"Your Highness, please spare us. We are not at fault. It is all done by Minister Xi," Tai Jing also took the name of Xi Feng, who could not believe that the Ministers ditched him in the middle.
Gao Peng and Ning Xian also took the name of Xi Feng. "Your Highness, we beg you to let us go," Tai Jin requested the Crown Prince.
Sheng Li started to laugh upon seeing how the Ministers turned their back to Xi Feng. He controlled his laugh and looked at Xi Feng. "Minister Xi controls the topmost Ministry of the Empire. He is at such a prestigious post. It is sad to know that Minister Xi thought ill of me," Sheng Li proclaimed. He patted the shoulder of Xi Feng, who gulped the saliva down his throat. He was unable to think how he should act at this moment since those Ministers had turned against him.
"Your Highness, please do not kill me. I can be useful for you. It was not me who was plotting against you but it was the Empress, who told me to go to her side. I was only doing my job as a minister," Xi Feng took the name of the Empress this time.
Sheng Li looked at all of the Ministers. "You all are no less than a chameleon," he remarked. Suddenly the door was opened, and the Emperor and the Empress came inside, followed by the Consorts and the other Princes- Princesses. All the Ministers got scared and lowered their gazes.
Sheng Li bowed his head before the Emperor and the Empress. "Father, these Ministers should not live, especially Minister Xi. He is taking the name of the Empress and blaming our Imperial mother. The rest things you all have heard already," Sheng Li affirmed and glanced at Deng Hui, who was fidgeting with her fingers.
"Your Majesty, it is not our fault. The Emperor knows my loyalty towards him. I do not dare to fool his Majesty. I accept that I made a plan, but it was all done upon the order of the Empress. Please forgive me, your majesty," Xi Feng pleaded with Han Wenji. The other Ministers did the same.
"Sister Hui was planning to assassinate the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess!" Ju Fen astonishingly said.
"It is a lie," Deng Hui immediately replied. "Your Majesty," she turned to him and lowered her head, "The Crown Prince is like my own son. I can never think of doing this to him. Minister Xi is lying."
"Your Majesty, the Empress is lying to you. The late Minister of State Affairs, Minister Gu Zhenya told me how the Empress wanted to kill the Crown Prince and bring--"
Before he could complete his words, Sheng Li intervened. "The Imperial Mother can never do this," Sheng Li affirmed and looked at Deng Hui, whose breath was stuck at her throat.
"Crown Prince, do not trust the Empress. Her Majesty wants her s--"
"Father, this poison bottle I have retrieved from Minister Xi's inner pocket," Sheng Li showed it to the Emperor. Deng Hui widened her eyes as it was the same poison that she had arranged for the Emperor. Ying Lili smiled a little and glanced at Deng Hui, who was looking at Sheng Li with a horrendous expression.. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she saw her end near.