Chapter 44: Confrontation
Rong Yu stared at Ye Chenyin, who lay sprawled on the bed, his brows furrowed. Beads of sweat continued to roll down the boy's forehead, wetting his temples.
Ye Chenyin didn't deserve this. He was a ruthless villain in the original novel, and he should have killed Ye Chenming with a single blow. How could he end up like this?
"The plot has changed! This part doesn't even exist in the original novel! It was supposed to be during the spring hunt, when Emperor Gan used Ye Chenming to deal with Ye Chenyin, but Ye Chenyin saw through his plan, and ultimately Ye Chenming was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned for life in the Prince of Xiang's mansion. Ye Chenyin should have been unharmed, but now not only is he injured, but this part also appeared out of thin air?"
"Could it be that the characters in the book have awakened? If so, what happens next is unpredictable."
Rong Yu's already agonizing mind grew even more confused. It was clear that Ye Chenyin's injury this time was caused by him. What should he do next?
The doctor worked for an hour and finally finished treating Ye Chenyin and Siyu's wounds. He wrote a prescription and gave it to Butler Cai.
"Rest well these days, and you will be fine once new flesh grows. I will come to change the dressing on time." The doctor gave a few simple instructions and left.
Rongyu stood by the bed with a serious look in his eyes.
"Can Ye Chenming die?"
'It's mainly because the Emperor Gan protects him.'
Damn, this dog emperor can’t tell the difference between the big and small kings!
The next morning, the Prince of Xiang's mansion was raided and Ye Chenming was brought into the palace. The news spread throughout Tianjing in an instant.
Emperor Gan sat on the dragon throne, holding the memorials in his hands and the files that the three courts had checked for days, all of which were unforgivable serious crimes.
"I love him so much, but he dared to do such a treasonous thing!" Emperor Gan was furious, but also felt powerless.
Hadn't he been the one who had brought Ye Chenming to this point? If he hadn't used Ye Chenming as a stepping stone to pave the way for the Prince of Yan, this bastard might not have taken this path of no return.
He looked down at the graceful, calm, and composed Ye Chenyuan, and a sudden change of heart occurred to him: What if he went astray? As long as his favored son could succeed him smoothly, sacrificing a courageous but unwise bastard would be a worthy death.
"Father," Ye Chenyuan stepped forward and said solemnly, "I, your son, am in charge of this case. I have thoroughly investigated and examined every single detail. There is absolutely no exaggeration or laxity. All evidence is solid. I never expected the King of Xiang to be so cruel."
When he first took on this case, he could never have imagined that Ye Chenming would treat human life as worthless.
He not only exploited the people, but also forced them into a desperate situation, forcing them to seek only death. Young men became his concubines, and women were sold into brothels for money.
As a descendant of the royal family, he should have been the one to relieve the suffering of the people, but instead he became the creator of their suffering. As a fellow member of the royal family, how could Ye Chenyuan not be heartbroken?
"Impermanent decree!" Emperor Gan said in an icy voice, "Prince of Xiang, Ye Chenming, has colluded with the devil, indiscriminately killed innocent people, privately stockpiled weapons, and plotted to usurp power. Effective immediately, his title will be stripped, he will be demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in the Prince of Xiang's mansion for life, and he will not be allowed to leave until he is dead!"
The Prince of Xiang deserved immediate execution for his crimes. Emperor Gan's verdict sent a chill through Song Mei'an and the others—His Majesty clearly still harbored compassion! There was no guarantee he wouldn't be allowed to make a comeback in the future.
Ye Chenyuan was also stunned. With overwhelming evidence, he was simply demoted to a commoner and imprisoned? How was this any different from house arrest? Could the Emperor favor him so much?
"Your Majesty," Song Mei'an stepped forward, "I have something else to report."
Emperor Gan's expression, which had been slightly relieved, suddenly darkened. He looked at Song Mei'an coldly and asked, "What else do you want, my dear Song?"
"While investigating the Prince of Xiang's interactions with officials, I discovered that the Imperial Physician, Wei Zhejia, exploited his position to have affairs with palace maids, accepted bribes, and even engaged in private transactions with the Prince of Xiang!"
"Wei Zhejia? But is she the Wei Zhejia who is known for her philanthropy in Tianjing City?" A strange look flashed in Emperor Gan's eyes.
"That's the man."
Wei Zhejia's reputation has recently grown, earning widespread praise from the people. Emperor Gan has also taken notice, initially believing him to be a kind and compassionate doctor, but he's actually a thief harboring sinister intentions.
"In that case, let's execute them all in the autumn." Emperor Gan said indifferently.
Such a decisive and swift decision was beyond everyone's expectation. They thought Emperor Gan would spare Concubine Wu's life for her sake, but unexpectedly he sentenced her to beheaded in the autumn.
Song Mei'an's mention of Wei Zhejia was intended to expose the mastermind behind the crimes, Concubine Wu, who must have orchestrated all the evil deeds. However, Emperor Gan gave them no opportunity to investigate further and simply sentenced them to death. This attitude only fueled suspicion: What was His Majesty's ultimate plan?
The case concluded surprisingly quickly. Emperor Gan issued his verdict almost immediately after reading the report, not even giving Ye Chenming a chance to defend himself. It was precisely because it went so smoothly that it seemed unusual.
After the ministers left, Emperor Gan said in a deep voice, "Bring the Prince of Xiang to see me."
"I obey your order." Eunuch Yan understood in his heart that this was to give Prince Xiang a chance to defend himself in private.
To ordinary people, it was merely a case of the failure of the Xiang prince's rebellion and the deaths of some people. But to some, it was a matter of losing their appetite and restlessness. How could they have been so blind as to not see what a character he was when they followed the Xiang prince?
Ye Chenming's dream of becoming an emperor was completely shattered, and he had no hope of ever returning to power. Overnight, he looked listless and haggard, as if he had aged ten years.
"Your Highness," Yue Shan spoke cautiously, fearing to disturb something, "Eunuch Yan is here."
Ye Chenming's eyes moved, his expression dead. Seeing Eunuch Yan approaching, he let out a mocking smile: "Did the emperor send you here to deliver poisoned wine?"
Eunuch Yan bowed quickly and said, "Your Highness has misunderstood. His Majesty is asking this old servant to take you into the palace."
"Enter the palace?" Ye Chenming chuckled softly, his voice filled with endless sadness. "I am already a commoner, am I still qualified to enter the palace?"
Eunuch Yan just lowered his eyes, smiled, and made a "please" gesture.
Ye Chenming struggled to stand up. What was there to fear? Didn't he already have nothing?
A moment later, Ye Chenming followed Eunuch Yan into the Ganqing Hall. His father, seated on the dragon throne, remained majestic and domineering.
"Greetings, Father." He knelt heavily on his knees and performed a salutation that was almost like crawling.
Emperor Gan looked down at him in silence for a long time.
"I have treated you with all kinds of kindness, but you have become ambitious and have done such unhuman things! Now you even dare to privately hoard weapons. Do you want to kill your father? I really love you in vain!" Emperor Gan's voice suddenly rose and he was furious.
Upon hearing this, Ye Chenming's hunched body suddenly erupted into laughter. The laughter echoed in the empty hall, harsh and sad.
"Does it hurt me?" He stood up suddenly, his eyes like a poisoned blade, piercing straight at his father sitting on the dragon throne. His eyes were full of questioning and heart-wrenching pain.
"Do you love me or Ye Chenyuan?"
At first, he thought his father truly loved him. Otherwise, why would he have helped him resolve so many problems? Why would he have turned a blind eye to his evil deeds?
But then, he gradually came to his senses. If she truly loved him, why did no one in the court dare to befriend him? Why was his reputation so awful? Why didn't Fu Yishang of the Duke of Yingzhou marry him?
It turned out that I was nothing more than a chess piece! A chess piece paving the way for Ye Chenyuan! When I was completely rotten and stank, Ye Chenyuan would come out to uphold justice, earning a reputation as a wise, shrewd, and far-sighted person. At that time, I would be completely worthless, and whether to abandon or kill me would be entirely at the discretion of my father.
"Father!" Ye Chenming's voice was hoarse, filled with tears of blood and accusation, "Have you ever thought for even a moment that I was your own flesh and blood? When you decided to use my life to pave the way for others, did you ever consider that I was your son?!"
"If you weren't my son, I would have killed you a hundred times!" Emperor Gan roared, his eyes thick with disappointment. The whetstone he'd painstakingly selected was so foolish! Acting so recklessly and without regard for the consequences, yet he still had the nerve to question me?!
If he hadn't been cleaning up the mess behind the scenes, Ye Chenming would have died a hundred times over! Why wait for this three-court trial? Song Mei'an and Fu Shiping's impeachment memorials alone would have been enough to cost him his life several times over!
"You act without thinking, are brave but not wise, and only know how to be tyrannical and violent. And yet you dare to blame me?! If it weren't for me, you would have no right to stand here and speak to me long ago!"
"In the past, I turned a blind eye to your dirty deeds. But you dared to collude with gangsters and murder your brothers and sisters!"
"My past indulgence and pampering of you has led you to become lawless! When you did all this, did you ever think of your mother?!"
"You are not worthy to mention my mother!" Ye Chenming squeezed out these words from between his teeth, each word filled with hatred.
Emperor Gan was stunned, not understanding what he meant. He doted on Concubine Wu, almost on par with the Empress, so what could he be dissatisfied with?
Ye Chenming felt it was ridiculous. A sad smile played on his lips, but tears silently slid down from the corners of his eyes.
"For you, Mother was willing to waste her years in this deep palace. For you, she forced herself to pretend to be magnanimous, Father. Do you remember? You once promised to live up to her in your life! But what about you? You gave the Empress position to someone else, and took in more than a dozen concubines, one after another! Have you ever thought about how Mother felt?"
"She was once as proud as a phoenix! If you hadn't tricked her with sweet words, how could she have been willing to share a husband with someone else? Father! You are worthy of the people of the world, but you are unworthy of me and my mother!"
Ye Chenming sobbed, tears mingling with despair and pain as he stared intently at the supreme figure. That was the father he had revered and loved for over a decade, yet it was all a lie. He himself was nothing but a complete joke!
He seemed to be laughing and crying, thinking that he had been planning for half his life, but in the end he was just a discarded pawn on the chessboard at the mercy of others. Even the deep mother-son relationship that he thought was indestructible was mixed with the illusion of exploitation!
A ripple flickered in Emperor Gan's eyes, then he quickly returned to the aloofness of an emperor. He was the Son of Heaven, the ruler of all people. How could he possibly be alone with just one person? Even wealthy men had three wives and four concubines, but he had dozens of beauties in his harem—perfectly ordinary!
"There are many things I cannot help myself." Emperor Gan's voice was filled with a hint of tired majesty. "Although I am the emperor, I cannot do everything. Among the concubines in the harem, except your mother, which one is not working to stabilize the dynasty? Don't you understand this principle?"
The most convenient and effective way to win over court officials is through marriage, marrying their daughters as concubines and forming in-laws. This is a common tactic used by aristocratic families.
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