Chapter 43 It's better to benefit yourself than to let others benefit...

Zhou She could sense the gazes of those around him, a mixture of fear and admiration.

But he ignored it, only paying attention to the emperor's expression.

Emperor Hong'an: "..."

His face contorted.

He didn't lift a finger while Zhou She was alive, but as soon as he died, he turned his attention to the Bai family. Doesn't that make him seem useless?

Fortunately, the sky screen gave him some face:

Emperor Jungjong's style was to use harsh measures in times of chaos. When the emperor was alive, and the world was in turmoil, he would only test the waters and stop short of causing further trouble. But once the emperor died, he would unleash a ravenous tiger and slaughter everyone in his path.

Regarding this period of history, some later commentators remarked: If Emperor Zhongzong hadn't slaughtered the aristocratic clans and had instead offered some appeasement, the entire process of pacifying the realm could have been shortened by at least half. And while he was indeed ruthless, the aristocratic clans were already alienated; initially, they weren't even bothering to feign compassion, which explains why they later acted so readily in killing.

As Tianmu said, Emperor Hong'an is more in line with people's imagination.

He suppressed the aristocratic families, but also gave them the dignity they deserved. The Ning Dynasty moved forward in this ebb and flow, and mutual friction.

For example, the Bai family followed Emperor Gaozu in his conquest of the world and made outstanding military achievements. When they were rewarded for their merits, they were granted the title of Duke and lived in Yongzhou for generations, originally to guard the region.

However, after the passing of the great-grandfather, the Bai family had no successor and thus became what it is today.

The late emperor had also implemented many policies in the hope of diminishing the power of the aristocratic families, but the aristocratic families had long been entangled in that land and could no longer be separated.

The late emperor's approach was a slow and gradual process, which may not have been without merit. But his grandson acted decisively, cutting all ties cleanly.

The resistance he will face will be even stronger.

However, in chaotic times, it can also be an opportunity for him... who can say for sure?

Some say that Emperor Zhongzong was just trying to gain fame and reputation. He clearly wanted to seize other people's property, so he just made up a reason to kill them and still gained worship from all sides. Of course, such people are usually former officials of the previous dynasty, so there is no need to pay attention to them.

It is said that a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. At least during Emperor Jungjong's lifetime, many policies benefited the people, so there's no need to concern ourselves with his true thoughts.

The first part of his words really touched Bai Jisong's heart.

He didn't want to hear the second half of what he was saying.

The trial of the Bai family lasted for more than half a month, with people coming and going every day, a group of people carrying loads and banging gongs to watch the excitement.

The Bai family had been arrogant and domineering for a century, and they had never suffered such humiliation. Overwhelmed with anger and seeing that Emperor Zhongzong was calm and collected, clearly not intending to release the man, they simply smashed their heads against the wall and died in prison. Before dying, they pointed to the sky and cursed the injustice of heaven, writing a long letter in blood.

Fang Jingruo was the first to learn of this and immediately went to report it. Of course, before setting off, he also made sure to wipe away the blood-written letter that insulted Emperor Zhongzong, so as not to anger the emperor.

The scene unfolds, showing Emperor Zhongzong seated behind his desk, on which documents are piled haphazardly and in disarray. He puts down his brush and asks curiously, "Is Bai Jisong dead?"

“It’s been checked.” Fang Jingruo stood opposite him. “It’s true, the body is… cold.”

King Jungjong walked around the long table. The door was wide open, and dazzling golden light streamed into the courtyard. The weather was perfect today.

"Very good." Emperor Zhongzong looked at the scenery outside the courtyard. "Once the case is settled, it should be handled as appropriate. I have no interest in desecrating corpses."

Fang Jingru nodded emphatically.

The Bai family has committed heinous crimes, and if we were to list them one by one, they deserve to be executed by slow slicing.

He hesitated slightly, then asked, "What about the young children of the Bai family...?"

After the verdict was handed down, the Bai family members were taken to the execution ground, leaving only a few young children who were sent to a free school by King Jungjong for ideological education. The Bai family's property was confiscated, with half used as compensation for the victims of the original case and the remainder as military funds.

Meanwhile, the Duan family kept their doors tightly shut for several days, refusing to leave their home, clearly terrified.

At this moment, Duan Mingyuan, who was only in his early forties, felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Alright, it's the Duan family's turn now!

We are at their mercy, like fish on a chopping board; disaster is imminent!

But King Jungjong did not take any action against them.

Duan Mingyuan: "...Huh." He actually escaped with his life?

Bai Jisong: "..." You son of a bitch surnamed Zhou...you double standard dog.

Zhou She: "..." He swore to God that there was absolutely a reason for this.

The Duan family's arrogance pales in comparison to the Bai family's. It's said that two tigers cannot share one mountain, and the Bai family is the biggest tiger in Yongzhou.

Duan Mingyuan himself is a very impulsive person, or in short, a coward. As the saying goes, discretion is the better part of valor; after lying in bed with a persistent high fever for a month, he finally woke up, and the first thing he did upon getting up was to slide to his knees.

Upon hearing this, Zhuo's father let out a cold laugh: "Heh heh."

The sky was still covering him up. What kind of wise man is Duan Mingyuan?

He's just a spineless coward who surrendered at the first sign of trouble.

The noble families of Yongzhou are united; whoever rebels first is a dog.

Zhou She: "." He knew it.

Emperor Hong'an pondered for a moment, then said quietly, "The Duan family has pledged allegiance to you, but do you think the Bai family will do something about it?"

He was referring to the Bai family today.

Zhou She gave a subtle smile: "I suspect... it's nothing more than killing me."

This was used very cleverly. The emperor's eyebrows twitched slightly, he lowered his eyelids, and took a sip of hot tea.

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Will Your Majesty give them the chance to make a move?" Zhou She casually flattered the emperor, making him smile faintly. "Your Majesty's power is known throughout the world. It would be wishful thinking for the Bai family to make a move."

The emperor chuckled lightly: "Zhou Ruochuan, not long ago the imperial examination questions were leaked, and you kept saying you could find out who was behind it. In that case, it's not wise of you to try to curry favor with me."

Zhou She remained silent.

The emperor noticed his hesitant expression, and without needing to say anything more, everything was self-evident.

He leaned back in his rocking chair, gently patting the armrest with one hand, and slowly said, "Bring the third and fourth sons into the palace."

The sky continues to tell its story:

Like the Zhuo family, the Duan family's first reaction was to arrange a marriage. However, they didn't have any eligible women in their family, so Duan Mingyuan came up with a bad idea: "You, Zhou Xingyuan, have a son, right? Although he's only seven years old, why can't we arrange a marriage?"

It just so happens that he has a five-year-old granddaughter at home—perfect, absolutely perfect!

Under the sky, the crowd finally snapped out of their euphoria at the Bai family's massacre and couldn't help but want to complain.

Marriage alliances are indeed a timeless and effective remedy.

What, you see someone only has one son and start having all sorts of wicked thoughts? You've really figured out how to play the role of someone who helped someone rise to power!

Duan Mingyuan really wanted to curse.

Putting aside whether King Jungjong agreed or not, even if he did, the throne didn't go to his son, so what advantage did they gain?

As expected, King Jungjong refused again, saying that he did not engage in arranged marriages and would wait until the children grew up.

The Duan family then chose to be pragmatic and didn't dare to utter a word in rebuttal. They went along with it, praising Emperor Zhongzong as a truly good father, and sat at the same table side by side with the Zhuo family.

However, unlike the Zhuo family, Zhou Xin—the son of Emperor Zhongzong—truly fell for the Duan family's daughter.

Father Zhuo: "..." So I picked the wrong person after all this time?

His granddaughter... oh wait, he doesn't have a granddaughter.

The marriage was a story for later. During this period, the Duan and Zhuo families enjoyed currying favor with each other and secretly trying to put the other down. The atmosphere was strangely harmonious.

After Emperor Zhongzong gradually pacified the three prefectures in the north and firmly grasped the northern frontier in his own hands, the situation changed once again.

To the west, after Chu Shan launched his rebellion, he executed local officials on the spot, causing widespread panic among officials at all levels. The capital was busy seizing power and had no time to attend to Chu Shan for the time being.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Ping, the garrison commander next door, had a brilliant idea.

Um? ? ?

As everyone knows, the moment they hear any brilliant idea, a bad feeling immediately arises in their hearts.

However, this sense of foreboding was quickly suppressed: everything is already in complete chaos, do we really need Zhang Ping?

He's just a nobody, who cares?

As a garrison commander, Zhang Ping already had some wealth. Now, seeing that no one was taking care of Chu Shan's rebellion, and that the imperial court had issued an edict to suppress the bandits but was not providing money or food, it was clear that they did not care enough.

This is truly a godsend!

Therefore, Zhang Ping publicly declared that he was "guarding against Chu Shan," and extensively recruited strategists and expanded his army, all under the pretext of eliminating the traitors... thus becoming a second Chu Shan.

Good heavens!

The image of Zhang Ping appeared in Emperor Hong'an's mind.

He's honest and simple... honest in what way?

Zhou She: "..." Are you guys playing with nesting dolls here?

If another Wang Ping or Sima Ping suddenly appears, then the lineage will truly continue endlessly.

Chaos reigned in the west, with everyone engaged in fierce fighting. The south and east were also not peaceful.

Zhao Shuming and He Jingcheng, without prior arrangement, established themselves in the area and declared themselves kings. They issued proclamations, both claiming to be acting on behalf of Heaven, to punish the wicked, and to cleanse the court.

Both armies advanced towards the capital simultaneously, each eager to be the first to storm into the city.

As for who the treacherous villain mentioned in the proclamation is, I don't know. After all, it's just a common excuse. I feel... the real culprit is the Crown Prince himself.

The Fifth Prince listened to the snickers from the sky and looked at the Imperial Guards who were heavily surrounding the mansion.

His legs buckled, and he almost knelt down.

"I want to see His Majesty—" he roared, his voice so tight it was almost incoherent, he no longer cared about decorum, "I want to see my father!!"

Nobody paid him any attention.

The words "culprit" from Tianmu were still echoing in everyone's ears.

Tianmu wasn't going to let him off the hook yet:

The Fifth Prince had a basic understanding of his own position. Although he was prone to mischief, he was also quick to flee! Recalling the past when the previous dynasty held the emperor hostage to command the princes, and seeing the proclamation calling for the removal of corrupt officials from the court, he chose to take half of the court officials who supported him, abscond with gold and silver treasures, and attempt to escape the capital.

Wow, they really do move incredibly fast!

Everyone laughed, except for the officials, whose faces turned ashen.

The emperor's face turned as green as if he had eaten a bitter melon.

Even before the coronation ceremony, he is still a member of the royal family. At this critical juncture when the world is in chaos, instead of thinking about how to handle the situation, instead of appointing virtuous and capable officials to pacify the land, he actually led a bunch of cowardly fools to flee?!

Even if the Zhao and He families wanted to conquer the world, they should at least acknowledge the legitimate succession and hold an abdication ceremony. That would be much better than fleeing in such a sorry state!

Xiao Yichun tried to stop them, but found he couldn't.

Before the long, winding procession, Xiao Yichun rode alone at full speed, passing the ministers adorned with yellow and purple robes, and went straight to Zhong Jun.

The Crown Prince, dressed in a pale yellow robe with a brocade belt, stared impatiently at Xiao Yichun as she galloped towards him and asked, "What do you want?"

Xiao Yichun blocked the way for the crowd and dismounted: "Your Highness, I would like to ask where you wish to go?"

His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were soaked with sweat. He had obviously come immediately after hearing the news, and his voice was heavy with panting.

The Crown Prince remained indifferent, drawing his riding whip: "Prime Minister Xiao has served diligently for many years. If you are not leaving with me, there is no need to block my way here with your hypocritical act, which is disgusting!"

Xiao Yichun stepped forward, looked up and stared directly at the Crown Prince on horseback: "Your Highness, may I ask what brings you from the capital at this time? And why are you accompanied by the entire court?"

"Smack!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the Crown Prince lashed out with his whip, striking him squarely on the cheek. Instantly, the skin was torn open, and bright red blood rolled down his cheek, landing on his crimson official robes.

There were no visible marks, but the area was faintly damp.

Several servants pulled Xiao Yichun aside and cleared the way for the official road.

The Crown Prince glanced at him disdainfully: "Prime Minister Xiao, you're old, and you're not good at managing state affairs either. What are you doing meddling in these matters? If it weren't for you, I would have already ascended the throne. The chaos in the world was all caused by you!"

Xiao Yichun looked dazed, silently watching the Crown Prince, her dark eyes filled with many things she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to say.

He wanted to say that Prince Su was eyeing him covetously, and that if he left, he would immediately raise his flag in rebellion.

He meant that the emperor who abandoned the city had already lost his legitimacy.

But in the end, he said nothing. Xiao Yichun's hands trembled as he lifted his official hat and hugged it to his chest.

Only a trembling voice remained in the wind: "This old minister bids farewell to Your Highness."

"Grandpa!" Xiao Jianhe suddenly reached out and supported his swaying grandfather.

Xiao Yichun slumped into the rattan chair, his aged eyes red with regret and helplessness.

Did he do something wrong?

Perhaps he shouldn't have obstructed the Fifth Prince's ascension to the throne; otherwise, the court wouldn't have descended into such chaos.

It's not wrong not to do it, it's wrong to do it poorly.

Zhou She couldn't hear Xiao Yichun's inner thoughts, otherwise he would have said: "It's not that you shouldn't have stopped the Crown Prince from ascending the throne, but that you couldn't stop him." He held the legitimate position, and even if people like Ren Heng saw through it later, they wouldn't have given up as immediately as Xiao Yichun.

If you're not going to take action, fine. But if you are going to take action, why both block the road to heaven and save his life?

A powerful minister could simply kill the fifth prince and install the sixth prince on the throne.

The crown prince took half of the officials with him, and the imperial court traveled thousands of miles to the coastal area to settle down, occupying a state, which can be regarded as voluntarily giving up the rightful position.

I guess this is what he was thinking: Go ahead and fight, you all want to be the first to break through the capital, I'll just leave now, don't come looking for trouble again!

His thought process is very abstract... but he's always been this abstract; we mere mortals can't understand him.

This truly has all five poisons.

Brutal, extravagant, and easily swayed by others. No amount of harsh words can be used to describe the Fifth Prince.

Why can the words "cowardly and incompetent" and "stubborn and self-willed" be applied to the same person at the same time? This is a question worth pondering.

Xiao Yichun still couldn't let go and chose to defend the capital. As for Ren Heng, since he had come to terms with things, he was too lazy to associate with this family anymore, so he simply packed his things, took his son, and went to find Emperor Zhongzong.

The two men entered Yongzhou, where Emperor Zhongzong received them, establishing a good relationship regarding their surrender. Then, Ren Heng, a trusted minister of the late emperor and a pillar of the Da Ning dynasty, raised a question that has endured for a long time.

Everyone had anticipated this problem.

Sure enough, the scene shifted, and Ren Heng suddenly stood up and said to Emperor Zhongzong, "I have something to ask Lord Zhou."

Emperor Jungjong had already guessed what he wanted to say.

Ren Heng solemnly said, "The Crown Prince has acted tyrannically and immorally, and we can no longer tolerate him. If Lord Zhou has the heart to save the country, he should step forward now!"

King Jungjong deliberately asked him, "Does Lord Ren mean that I should follow the example of Zhao Shuming and He Jingcheng, declare myself king, and wear the dragon robe?"

Ren Heng was stunned by this question.

He certainly didn't want Zhou She to ascend the throne; wouldn't that just be finding another traitor?

He was a loyal minister of the Ning Dynasty and the late emperor!

But Ren Heng thought about it again and thought, "Good heavens, if the bloodline of the late emperor were to ascend the throne, wouldn't that be the same as the fall of the country?"

In a few short breaths, he came to a conclusion and gritted his teeth, saying, "That's right! You are barely a descendant of the late emperor. It's better to benefit our own people than to let others benefit!"

"..." Emperor Zhongzong was stunned into silence for a moment by this sudden turn of events. He exchanged a glance with Ren Duan behind Ren Heng and was about to speak when Ren Heng became anxious and jumped up, saying, "Ren Shouzhen, what are you standing there for? Come over here and say a few words to persuade him!"

Ren Duan: "..."

Emperor Zhongzong: "..."