Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Everyone held their breath and waited...

The carriage was still a bit slow, so when they arrived at Chongshui County in mid-August, the group got off the carriage and took the water route.

They had earlier met up with the Su family's secret guards who had come rushing south to meet them. The group of more than a hundred people was so mighty that they attracted a lot of attention along the way.

Seeing them board the ship, the people all "whispered to each other".

"Look, that young couple must be the immortals who returned to heaven and came down to earth. The child in the fairy's arms must be their little fairy child."

"Where is it? Show me! The boat is about to leave."

"It's right at the bow, you can see it right away. Oh no, not here, look, right there. Isn't it obvious? Are you blind?"

…

Xuan Jinyu held Lan Jie'er tightly in her arms and whispered to Su Guanzhang, "Do they think we can't hear them?"

The people were too enthusiastic and she felt a little embarrassed.

It was one thing to know the rumors outside from Xuan Wensheng's letter, but it was another thing to hear it with her own ears. She immediately understood what the "complicated feelings" in her third brother's letter meant.

When they were traveling north, they didn't hear the people talking much about their family of three. Most of them were talking about the new emperor's crime of patricide and regicide.

However, a ban was later issued from the capital, prohibiting private discussions about the emperor. Violators would be charged with "great disrespect" - a serious crime.

The crime of "great disrespect" was very serious in the previous dynasty. The lighter punishment was confiscation of property and exile, and the heavier punishment was execution of nine generations of the family, which was comparable to the crime of treason.

However, this crime had long been abolished by the founding emperor Taizu, but it was brought up again now. Although the people were grumbling in their hearts, they did not dare to speak as recklessly as before.

Haven’t you seen the bailiffs in the county government office, who are so bored that they just wander around the streets every day, especially keeping an eye on the major restaurants and teahouses, just waiting to arrest people?

Even the most proud scholars were shocked.

Their death was not a big deal, as "a true man has nothing to rejoice in, and nothing to fear in death"1? But if the entire clan were implicated, it would be a sin that could not be washed away even by the eighteen levels of hell.

The magistrate was also worried that the people under his jurisdiction would commit crimes, not only losing their lives, but also bringing trouble to himself as an official.

So, remembering the hotly-publicized story about the young master of the Su family and his family of three a few days ago, he asked the yamen runners to pass on the message to the restaurants, food stalls and teahouses he was following, and the storyteller continued to tell his story.

It was already late when they checked into the restaurant last night, and not many people recognized them. Xuan Jinyu was even relieved for once.

But today, as soon as they showed up at the Chongshui County wharf, they were recognized and everyone started talking about the previously rumored theory of gods descending to earth.

Xuan Jinyu felt her face flushed and embarrassed when she heard this.

Su Guanzhang chuckled and took her overly struggling daughter from her arms. "You really thought we couldn't hear you."

In prosperous times, the common people on the streets were mostly simple and honest. But there was one thing that those who prided themselves on their status disliked: speaking too loudly, making it sound like they were arguing.

These people had surrounded the dock so tightly that no one could get through, and they were pointing at the people on the boat, especially their family of three, in what they thought were subtle ways.

They were so close, and the people were talking without any concealment, it would be a wonder they couldn't hear it.

"Look, the little fairy boy is being picked up by the fairy king."

"Hey, the Immortal Lord is smiling. He was so cold and indifferent just now that I didn't dare to look at him for too long. He's so beautiful!"

"Fairies are beautiful, wow, they are worthy of being gods who have come down to earth."

…

Sister Lan insisted on standing at the bow of the boat and babbling. Xuan Jinyu endured the discomfort and turned her body slightly to hide behind Su Guanzhang.

No matter how graceful and elegant she was, she could not withstand such enthusiastic and exaggerated praise from the people. It was too outrageous.

The big boat was chartered by Su Twelve. The boat was big enough to accommodate more than a hundred people. Apart from the boatman and the boatwoman, there were only the Su family members, and it was just barely enough for them to live.

The secret guards, who looked extremely relaxed but were actually on edge, were scattered around the ship as if nothing had happened, on guard against any possible disturbance or assassination.

The loud discussions of the people fell into their ears. Su Twelve and Su Thirteen looked at each other, and then they both turned their heads away while suppressing their laughter.

"Ahem, wake up everyone." Su Twelve lectured his men, "What are you laughing at? What's so funny?"

It's not funny. Why were you laughing just now?

The secret guards grumbled inwardly, but ultimately held back their thoughts, their faces regaining their composure, a look of calm and serene composure. Perhaps it was because they had been with Su Guanzhang for so long that they had unknowingly absorbed some of his true teachings.

At this time, the big ship had not yet set sail. Sister Lan saw a group of people gathered on the shore, all facing them with very lively expressions, and she also became happy.

"Dad, dad, mom, mom, grandpa, grandpa, ah grandpa, ah grandpa, Bai, Bai..." She didn't mind and pointed them out one by one, smiling so much that her whole little face looked like a white bun just out of the oven, with small wrinkles all over it.

It's very pleasing to look at.

Everyone she called out responded to her hurriedly, even the white falcon flapped its wings a few times.

Heading north from Chongshui County, there is a long section of waterway that goes downstream, so they travel very fast.

Before the end of August, they had already arrived at Beiqiu Prefecture.

Beiqiu Prefecture is mountainous, and the waterways are winding. Unless transporting cargo, boat travel is unsuitable unless absolutely necessary. The swaying, turbulent currents can make even those who aren't prone to seasickness faint.

Therefore, most travelers have to continue riding in carriages when they reach this point.

The Su family and their group were no exception.

Just after getting on the carriage and driving for less than half a day, the white falcon that left the team yesterday flew back and brought back the latest news from Shengjing City.

The late emperor framed the late crown prince, forced him to commit suicide, and his crimes of patricide and regicide were exposed.

They didn't know about it on the boat a few days ago, but now the news has spread throughout Dasheng like wings.

The world was in an uproar.

It would have been fine if the new emperor had killed his father and the emperor, but even the previous emperor had killed his father and the emperor to ascend the throne.

Really...are they worthy of being father and son?

However, it is obvious that in the eyes of the people of the world, the late emperor's guilt is greater.

After all, the late emperor had been on the throne for more than ten years without any merits or faults. There was nothing to boast about, and nothing to belittle.

However, Emperor Zhengming was a good king praised by both the court and the public, and the former crown prince was a wise prince whose ascension to the throne was anticipated by the common people.

But the late emperor killed more than one, he killed two!

Now, even with the threat of the crime of "high disrespect", many people were not afraid and continued to talk about it, which is why the news spread so quickly.

In the carriage, Xuan Jinyu watched Su Guanzhang place the letter on the brazier. When the fire died down, she looked up at him and asked, "What does the letter say?"

"Everything is going according to plan." Su Guanzhang replied.

Unlike exposing the crimes of the new emperor directly, exposing the crimes of the previous emperor requires a gradual approach.

For an emperor who has been buried in the imperial mausoleum, people all hold the idea that "the dead are the greatest" and will not easily develop any ill feelings towards him.

Doesn’t Sheng Yu like to manipulate rumors?

They can also be used.

It's just a little news to remind people of the heroic figure of the late crown prince riding a horse and hunting many years ago during the autumn hunting.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival and the academy competition, the remarks written by the late crown prince himself to encourage learning were taken out, allowing students all over the world to feel his knowledge and broad-mindedness.

Military generals, literati, and common people.

A college competition brings people's minds back to more than 20 years ago.

When the rumor came out, the older people remembered the unparalleled prince who came more than 20 years ago.

Then release some information at the right time.

How could a crown prince be framed so easily? Could it be that someone was interfering?

If you want to find out who is the culprit, just look at who benefits the most.

The answer is very obvious. The late emperor who had been buried returned to everyone's sight in this way.

"The late emperor must have been afraid that the Crown Prince would be cleared of all charges during the three-court trial, so he killed His Royal Highness in advance."

"And the Crown Princess. It's possible that the late Emperor threatened the Crown Princess and her unborn grandson's life, forcing the Crown Prince to surrender."

…

Who doesn’t know that the Crown Prince has deep affection for the Crown Princess?

There is no need to add fuel to the fire. Just throw out the clue that there was something unusual about the prince's death, and combine it with the fact that the previous emperor killed his father, and the people will spontaneously fill in the remaining "truth."

The court officials who had a glimpse of the truth at the time might have harbored other thoughts. Having kept the secret for over twenty years, they hoped more than anyone else that this day would change.

It all depends on whether there is any true orthodox bloodline left in the world.

As a result, the news that "the Crown Prince is still alive" was also spread by a high-ranking official.

Prince Cheng went to the palace at that time and fell ill when he returned to the palace. He was angry and worried about the fate of the country, so his illness lingered and never recovered.

Now, hearing that the son of the former crown prince was still among the people, he dragged his sick body and personally came to the gate of the Xuan family.

"Like, so like!" Prince Cheng burst into tears and held Xuan Wensheng's hand tightly. "Child, you really look like your father."

Prince Cheng was the Imperial Clan Leader, in charge of the Imperial Clan Office. He represented the dignity of the imperial family and upheld its legitimacy. Once he signed his final decision, few would question it.

Even if there are those who don't want to believe it, they only need to see Xuan Wensheng's face with their own eyes, and then look at the former commander of the crown prince's guards who is guarding him, and they will no longer say anything false.

What's more, Xuan Zhao was holding the handwritten letter of the late crown prince in his hand.

"Sheng Yu didn't react at all?" Xuan Jinyu frowned. She didn't believe that he would surrender.

Now everyone in the world knows that both the late emperor and the current emperor came to power illegally, and are unkind, unjust, disloyal, and unfilial. Their bad character and grave sins make them unfit to be emperors.

Some students have already sat in protest at the palace gate, requesting the emperor to be deposed and a new one to be installed.

The former crown prince, who was both civil and military, and had outstanding moral character and talent, had direct bloodline left behind. Emperor Zhengming did not depose the crown prince at the beginning, and Xuan Wensheng was the legitimate grandson of the emperor. Changing the new emperor was just to restore order.

Just as Su Guanzhang was about to answer, he heard a knock on the carriage door and opened it.

Xu Yu Niang stood in the front room, holding Lan Jie'er, who was twisting and turning with her mouth puffy. When she saw the door open, she said to her son helplessly, "Lan Jie'er is fussing about sleeping, but she doesn't want to sleep without you around."

Since she was born, Sister Lan has hardly ever left her parents' sight.

In the past two months, although he had become familiar with his great-grandmother, grandmother, and a group of secret guards, and was willing to leave his parents for a short time to play with them, he still had to return to his parents' arms before going to bed.

Su Guanzhang was very aware of this and hurriedly took his daughter over.

Lan Jie'er was still twisting and whining in her grandmother's arms, making a very disturbing noise. But after being picked up by her father, she calmed down, rested her little face on his shoulder, and soon closed her eyes.

She was really sleepy and almost cried just now, but she couldn't close her eyes.

Xu Yu Niang felt both relieved and sad. When would her little granddaughter be able to be so close to her?

But she is very open-minded and believes that such things cannot be rushed.

"Mother will go back first. When Sister Lan wakes up and wants to play with us, remember to send her over." Xu Yu Niang reminded her. Her eyes lingered on her granddaughter who was breathing evenly. Seeing Su Guanzhang nodded, she turned around and jumped off the carriage.

Xuan Jinyu couldn't help laughing when she saw that her mother-in-law came in a hurry and left in a hurry without giving her a chance to greet her.

Su Guanzhang closed the carriage door and turned around to sit next to Xuan Jinyu.

"My daughter is asleep," he said.

Fell asleep so quickly.

Xuan Jinyu caressed her daughter's head lovingly. "This naughty child, it's hard for Grandma and Mother to coax her every day."

The little girl, not even a year old, could flip the roof of a carriage when she got upset. She had heard the noise from behind a few times in the carriage in front, and she could imagine how the daughter was making trouble for her great-grandmother and grandmother.

Su Guanzhang tilted his head and kissed his daughter's face, then kissed her mother's rosy lips. He smiled and said, "Grandmother and Mother said the journey was quite boring, so it's okay for Sister Lan to go and make some noise."

Xuan Jinyu pursed her lips and her eyebrows curved slightly.

The carriage started moving again, leaving inconspicuous marks on the spacious official road, which were soon covered by the marks of the carriage behind.

Su Guanzhang continued to talk to Xuan Jinyu about the topic that he had not finished just now.

"Shengyu knows the general trend, but does not want to sit idly by."

If Xuan Wensheng had not made any moves and the royal family princes with troops were being closely watched by the military camps stationed nearby, someone would have already attacked Shengjing City under the pretext of "supporting the king."

To be loyal to the king, it goes without saying who the king is.

Sheng Yu was furious, he wasn't dead yet!

How could a reigning monarch tolerate such provocation? Furthermore, he would be deposed and tried by the three judges, with his fate uncertain.

After all, he had been emperor for more than four years, and he was an ambitious and resourceful man. He had useful people among the people he had gathered. He knew that Xuan Wensheng did not want to start a war, but wanted to replace him and ascend the throne smoothly.

But will the reputation he wishes for be as he wishes?

He did not dare to use the Su family army, but he ordered the Su family army to abandon Mobei and return to Beijing to defend the king. Anyway, the enemy country was no longer able to attack again.

This is the true meaning of "loyalty to the king"!

The Su family army only recognizes members of the Su family. In the past, when the commander disappeared and the Su family was exiled, they might still hesitate after receiving the imperial edict.

But Su Yin had already returned to the camp. He had just defeated the enemy country and indirectly destroyed the enemy's major policies. His reputation was on the rise. When he received the imperial edict, he directly refused.

It is said that the last two emperors killed their fathers and the emperor, which is against the will of heaven and the foundation of the country; the Su family has been loyal and filial for generations and is willing to respect the crown prince as emperor.

This was the first general to state his position directly.

After that, several generals in the court who held military power expressed their support for the Crown Prince.

There are only a few people in the court who are still hesitating and watching, and most of them are ministers who were previously won over by the new emperor.

At this time, Liang Fangfang, the Minister of Punishment and a minister of the new emperor's faction, stood up and handed over the evidence that he was instructed by the new emperor to poison the tutor.

The world was in an uproar.

Previously, people only thought that the new emperor had killed his father and the regency, but he had always refused to admit it because he was missing a very important piece of physical evidence, which was what the poison was.

Liang Fangfang knelt before Prince Cheng, weeping uncontrollably. "I am guilty. I poisoned Grand Tutor Lin myself. I am willing to be executed. I only hope that Your Highness will consider my voluntary exposure and plead with the Crown Prince to spare my family. They are all innocent."

The court officials had served in the same court with Liang Fangfang for many years, but had they ever seen him like this?

The phrase "The Ministry of Justice is full of shrewd and cunning people" is not just a simple saying. Many people admire him, and many people dislike him, but there are really not many people who are willing to see him suffer.

The court officials sighed in despair, but Xuan Zhao, who had always been at odds with Liang Fangfang, watched coldly, his expression indistinguishable from joy or anger.

Taifu Lin is Minister Xuan’s father-in-law!

A court official suddenly remembered this and secretly glanced at Xuan Zhao's reaction, but could not see anything.

Prince Cheng glanced at Xuan Zhao, sighed, and without helping Liang Fangfang up, he simply said, "Minister Liang, tell me everything you know!"

He had a feeling that all this would be over soon, whether Sheng Yu was willing or not.

Liang Fangfang did not get any promise, nor did she continue to pester him. She just kowtowed heavily, over and over again, dull and loud.

The Assistant Minister of Justice behind him felt his heart ached when he heard this. After all, he was his superior and he had worked with him for many years, so he felt a little reluctant.

Xuan Zhao threw a plain handkerchief to Liang Fangfang.

Liang Fangfang, who had stopped kowtowing, took it, looked up at him with complicated eyes, wiped away her tears, and ignored the bleeding wound on her forehead.

Liang Fangfang knelt in the middle of the court and told the clan leader and court officials everything he knew, without reservation.

Before the late emperor, there was the Zhengming Emperor, a wise and virtuous ruler recorded in history. He tragically passed away due to grief over the death of his eldest son, the late Crown Prince, a matter of great regret for the world.

However, Sheng Yu was punished to guard the imperial mausoleum for a year. No one dared to think that he would find a secret passage leading to the emperor's grandfather's tomb in the imperial mausoleum and open the coffin of Emperor Zhengming.

The previous emperor killed his father to seize the throne, and he thought that he had cleanly cleaned up the mess.

He would never have imagined that someone was so bold as to enter the mausoleum and open the coffin of the deceased king.

More than 20 years later, even though he was sealed in a coffin and buried deep underground, Emperor Zhengming had long since turned into a pile of dry bones.

At that time, all the imperial doctors could not find any abnormality in the pulse and thought that Emperor Zhengming died from excessive grief. However, many years later, clues appeared on the bones.

Sheng Yu is truly a bold but careful man. From the fact that he opened the coffin of his royal grandfather without permission, we can tell that he has no reverence for the deceased royal grandfather at all.

Not only that, he also scraped off the black powder floating on Emperor Zhengming's corpse and took it out of the mausoleum.

He later poured the black powder onto the late emperor.

Dissatisfied with the reputation of the weak and inconspicuous Third Prince, he surpassed a number of outstanding brothers to become the Crown Prince. At that time, the other princes were ready to make a move.

They framed each other, accused each other of treason, and sent assassinations... In just half a year, more than 20 princes of the previous emperor were killed or disabled, and no longer posed any threat.

Before the late emperor caught a cold, he learned that the fifth prince, the crown prince he had always favored, was mistakenly killed during his confinement due to a fight among concubines.

The emperor's most beloved child first attempted to rebel, and then was accidentally killed by a concubine. The emperor was hit by a cold wind that day, fell ill, and later passed away.

This is the fact known to the world.

But Taifu Lin became suspicious at that time. On the one hand, he pushed Prince Shengyu to the throne, and on the other hand, he sent secret guards to the imperial mausoleum.

The secret guards discovered various small animals with similar death conditions in a wasteland in the imperial mausoleum. They burned several of their skeletons into powder and brought them back to the capital.

Taifu Lin followed Shengyu's example and conducted experiments on captured mice. He unexpectedly discovered that their deaths were exactly the same as those of the late emperor, and he guessed the truth.

But the evidence in his hands was not enough to overthrow Sheng Yu, and the princes were either dead or disabled, leaving only Sheng Yu as the sole survivor.

The most important thing is that Taifu Lin knew that Xuan Wensheng had no intention of becoming emperor, and Dasheng had just ended several civil conflicts caused by the princes' fight for the throne, and could not afford to cause any more trouble.

He observed that Sheng Yu acted ruthlessly and hit the target with one blow. If he really became an emperor, he could also take on the responsibility of ruling the country.

So he put away the evidence in his hand and wrote a letter to resign, but was rejected by Sheng Yu.

He had no choice but to restrain his thoughts and devote himself to assisting Sheng Yu and helping him secure the throne.

However, it was not until Master Lin was poisoned and on his deathbed that he learned that the person who claimed to be his master had actually attacked him.

"On the night that Taifu Lin was poisoned, someone entered my home." Liang Fangfang's face was dejected. "Then I knew that everything Your Majesty did was being seen."

Having served as the Minister of Justice for many years, Liang Fangfang was able to deduce the cause of the late emperor's death based on Taifu Lin's reaction after being poisoned, and was also able to see the subsequent situation clearly.

The so-called rumors were nothing more than fabrications by the Crown Prince's faction to help him ascend the throne smoothly.

He had witnessed everything that had happened since Su Yin's safe return to Mobei. He was waiting, waiting for a chance for the Liang family to survive.

Until today, there is no emperor in the morning court.

The Crown Prince must have some physical evidence that Grand Tutor Lin had kept, but for some reason he hadn't produced it yet. Liang Fangfang simply offered them a helping hand, hoping to exonerate her family.

Liang Fangfang knelt deeply and said, "I have told you everything I know."

"The physical evidence of Sheng Yu's murder of the king, father, and teacher is here with me." He did not stand up, his forehead still touching the ground. He reached into his arms with his left hand and took out something tightly wrapped in a silk handkerchief.

Xuan Zhao, who was closest to him, reached out and took it, handing it to Prince Cheng.

Prince Cheng called the Minister of Justice and the Chief Censor over, and the three of them opened the silk handkerchief together, and saw a medicine bottle wrapped in oil paper and with a tight stopper.

"Call the imperial physician and the coroner." said the Grand Court Minister.

The court officials watched silently, sometimes looking at the people forming a small circle, and sometimes looking at Liang Fangfang who was kneeling and unable to get up.

The three courts jointly tried the case, which should be under the responsibility of the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.

There was no precedent in the Great Sheng Dynasty for trying a ruler, so the highest-ranking official from each of the three departments should be held responsible. However, the Minister of Justice knelt there, apparently not intending to rise, and no one dared to persuade him to do so.

Poisoning a colleague, especially a Grand Tutor, is not a light crime.

At the palace gate, the students who had been sitting in silence for ten days or so remained there, their numbers seemingly growing. Even the common people, who didn't have to work for a living, followed suit and sat on the periphery.

None of the courtiers who attended the morning court came out. In the inner courtyard of the imperial palace, Sheng Yu was "protected" by the "courteous" guards in the main hall.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the final result.