Chapter 54 The Third Prince Moved to Jiaozhi County and Was Not Allowed to Return to the Capital Without an Imperial Edict
The Third Prince had not expected that Emperor Wen Zhao would come in person. When he looked at Concubine Jing Gui, who was being held by two maids, his expression suddenly changed and he knelt down hurriedly: "Father, I am guilty and I know I was wrong."
Emperor Wen Zhao glanced at the half-burned dragon robe in the Third Prince's hand, his face turned ashen, and he stared at him sternly without saying a word.
Damn Third Prince, he admitted his faults quickly. The Sixth Prince rolled his eyes, and accidentally made eye contact with the Imperial Consort who was standing two steps behind Emperor Wen Zhao.
Seeing her own stupid son actually join in the fun, the Imperial Concubine frowned, winked at him, and mouthed silently, "Get lost."
The Sixth Prince took one look at His Majesty, whose face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and thought to himself that something was wrong. He hurriedly and quietly moved back, taking small steps at a time, until he was behind You Zheng, who was almost the same height as him but twice as strong as him.
Then, with You Zheng's help, he moved behind the rockery. After he had taken a few steps, Emperor Wen Zhao glanced at him calmly and said, "Why are you running? Since you are here, stay and listen."
The Sixth Prince was eager to stay. Hearing this, he was delighted and bowed quickly, saying respectfully, "Your Highness obeys your order."
He then stood up and walked behind the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine glared at him and blamed him for coming.
The Sixth Prince came over and whispered, "Mother, it's all thanks to my son that he's here, otherwise the damn Third Prince would have burned the dragon robe, and we wouldn't have found anything then, and that would have been troublesome. Mother, you don't know how urgent it was at that time..."
"Shut up and listen to your father." The Royal Concubine raised her hand, pinched his arm hard, and scolded him quietly.
Since Tong Tong said so, His Majesty must believe it even if no evidence can be found. This idiot Xiao Liu really shouldn't have gotten involved, and he looks so smug and pleased that it makes people want to slap him.
The Imperial Concubine used all her strength to twist the Sixth Prince, causing him to grimace in pain. Seeing his mother getting mad, he quickly fell silent and dared not say another word.
Hiding behind the Imperial Concubine, he quietly rolled up his sleeves and took a look. Oh my goodness, it was bruised. He muttered in a low voice: "My mother is so cruel."
The Imperial Concubine turned around and glared at him, and the Sixth Prince was so frightened that he quickly hid beside the Queen and grabbed her sleeve.
The queen stared at the third prince without looking away, but she reached out and patted the sixth prince's hand, whispering, "Be good, little Sixth Prince."
His own mother was always so fierce, while the Empress was always so gentle. The obedient Sixth Prince finally stood still and dared not act weird anymore.
The moment Concubine Jing Gui saw the dragon robe in the Third Prince's hand, her legs went weak and she fell to her knees.
Did the third brother really make a dragon robe? It's over, it's over now, will the third brother still be alive?
Your Majesty usually favors the third son, but that is because the third son has always been a non-confrontational person and has never shown any interest in the throne, so Your Majesty is confident in him.
But this stupid guy, how could he be so confused? If he wanted to fight for the throne, he should fight secretly. How could he make a dragon robe?
When she thought about how terrible it would be if His Majesty really made up his mind to do that, Concubine Jing Gui covered her mouth tightly with both hands, fearing that she would cry out loud.
The third prince touched his head to the ground, not daring to get up. Although he could not see Emperor Wen Zhao's expression, he only felt like a thorn in his back. In a short while, his entire back was soaked with sweat.
After a long while, Emperor Wen Zhao finally spoke: "Tell me, why did you make the dragon robe privately?"
Emperor Wen Zhao's voice no longer had the anger it had just had, but that seemingly calm tone sent a chill down the Third Prince's spine, and at that moment, he wanted to confess.
But making a dragon robe privately is a crime of treason. It would be better to kill Lao Wu. Anyway, that idiot can't find any evidence to prove that he didn't do it. Especially since there is a tunnel between the two palaces and the two of them had too close contacts, it can't be cleared up no matter what. Maybe Your Majesty will believe it.
In just a short moment, the Third Prince's heart was filled with turbulence, and he thought a lot. Finally, he gritted his teeth and kowtowed heavily: "Father, this dragon robe was not made by me. I found it from the Fifth Prince."
When the Fifth Prince heard him say this, he immediately knelt down, sweat dripping down his forehead in anxiety: "Father, the Third Prince is lying, it really wasn't your son who did it."
Emperor Wen Zhao turned the ring on his thumb, remained silent, and watched coldly.
The fifth prince thought that His Majesty did not believe him, so he turned around and pushed the third prince hard, angrily accusing him: "Third prince, why are you harming me? In the past, I respected you, trusted you, and listened to you in everything. I did everything you asked me to do. Why are you harming me? Why?"
The Third Prince staggered after being pushed, and stood up with his hands on the ground. He looked at the Fifth Prince and said, "Fifth Prince, let me ask you, was it you who proposed to dig that tunnel?"
The Fifth Prince: "It was me, but it was you who said that we shouldn't have too much contact with each other, so as not to arouse suspicion from others, so I suggested digging a tunnel."
The third prince asked again: "Let me ask you, you dug this tunnel, didn't you?"
The Fifth Prince: “Yes.”
The Third Prince: "You also asked someone to dig that secret room, right?"
The Fifth Prince: “Yes.”
The Third Prince: "There are two keys to the lock of that secret room. You and I each have one, right?"
The Fifth Prince: "Yes, but didn't you say at that time that you would hide the silver? How could I know that you actually hid the dragon robe?"
The Third Prince: "You once said that since we are all sons of the Emperor, why should only the eldest be the Crown Prince? We are also qualified to compete for it."
The fifth prince glanced at Emperor Wen Zhao, fearing that he might misunderstand that he had rebellious intentions, and hurriedly explained: "I did say that, but I only said it to you, I..."
The Third Prince interrupted him: "Fifth Brother, tell me from your heart, have you never thought about becoming a crown prince? Have you never thought about sitting on the throne one day?"
The Fifth Prince was choked by the question, his eyes shifting back and forth between Emperor Wen Zhao and the Third Prince, at a loss, stammering in defense: "I, I, I have thought about it, but I thought that my father might pass the throne to me after a hundred years."
Father must have been kicked in the head by a donkey for thinking of passing the throne to you. The Sixth Prince rolled his eyes, and was angry at the Fifth Prince's scumbag look, and whispered: "You pig-brained man, how can others know what you think in your heart? Why don't you just deny it directly?"
The Fifth Prince also reacted after he finished speaking. He was filled with remorse and rage. He clenched his fists, veins popped out on the backs of his hands, and his chest heaved as if he was about to pass out.
The Third Prince kowtowed to Emperor Wen Zhao again and said, "Father, I failed to teach my younger brother well. I am guilty. I discovered that my younger brother had committed such a treasonous act, but I did not report it to you in time. I have added guilt to my crime. Please punish me."
The Empress and the Imperial Concubine looked at each other, with a hint of sneer on their lips.
The third brother is really good at acting. If it wasn't Tong Tong who said those words, looking at the scene just now, the fifth brother might have been wrongly accused by him.
Concubine Jing Gui looked at this situation and a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. She immediately scolded him: "Third brother, even if you feel sorry for your brother, you shouldn't deceive His Majesty."
The third prince nodded: "Yes, I am wrong."
Concubine Jinggui kowtowed to Emperor Wen Zhao again and apologized: "Your Majesty, I have failed to teach the third son well, please punish me."
Emperor Wen Zhao pointed at Consort Jing Gui, then at the Third Prince, and laughed angrily, "So in the eyes of you and your son, I am just a fool?"
The third prince kowtowed and said, "Father, I am innocent."
Concubine Jing Guifei's heart skipped a beat. Oops, she forgot that it was Tong Tong who said this.
Earlier in Chongde Hall, His Majesty was such a suspicious person, but after listening to the report from the Empress and the Royal Consort, he believed it without any doubt. And now the Third Brother is still here making excuses...
Concubine Jing Gui's face turned pale and she sat down on the ground in despair. There was only one thought in her mind: it's over, everything is over, the Third Brother is over, and she is over too.
The Third Prince knew nothing about Tong Tong's affairs and wanted to make excuses, but Emperor Wen Zhao had already lost his patience and shook his head: "Third Prince, if you want the position of Crown Prince and the throne, then you should fight for it openly like your elder and second brothers. Why do you do such a thing behind the scenes?"
"Now that the incident has happened, you have not taken any responsibility at all and even tried to frame the fifth brother. You have disappointed me so much." Emperor Wen Zhao said sadly.
If this happened in the past, it would have to be investigated carefully, but now with Tong Tong, there is no need to investigate at all.
Emperor Wen Zhao was too lazy to watch him act like a coward, so he said coldly, "The Third Prince has deceived the emperor and has bad intentions. Starting tomorrow, he will be relocated to Jiaozhi County to govern the southern border. He is not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict."
Jiaozhi County is located at the southernmost tip of Dasheng. It is surrounded by mountains and sparsely populated. It is close to the sea 100 miles to the southeast and borders several small barbarian countries with an unspeakable language to the west. It is a truly desolate place.
The Third Prince grew up in an affluent environment and had never experienced any hardship. This time, let alone returning to the capital, it is hard to say whether he can reach his destination alive.
When the Third Prince heard the words Jiaozhi County, he was extremely shocked and panicked, "Father, I really know I was wrong. Please have mercy on me and forgive me this time."
Concubine Jing Gui had never seen the Da Sheng Kanyu Tu and did not know where Jiaozhi County was. Her pale face was full of confusion.
The imperial concubine standing nearby saw this and whispered, "Jiaozhi County is next to Nanzhang State."
"The Southern Ruler?" Concubine Jing Gui's eyes were filled with fear. She immediately crawled to the feet of Emperor Wen Zhao, tugged at the corner of his robe, and cried loudly: "Your Majesty, I beg you to spare the third child this time. He is still a child. Think about it, when the third child was a child, you also held him in your arms and lifted him up. You even praised him a while ago..."
Emperor Wen Zhao kicked Consort Jing away and said angrily, "Should I spare him this time? Now that I am in my prime and in good health, he dares to make a dragon robe. If it's a few years later, will he rebel and kill me directly?"
These words were so heartbreaking that Concubine Jing Gui dared not say a word and just lay on the ground crying.
Originally, Emperor Ben Zhao had not yet decided how to deal with Concubine Jing, and was thinking of returning to the palace to discuss it with the Empress first. However, when she pleaded for mercy, he became even more furious and issued an order: "Concubine Jing taught the five sons, but considering that she has served me for many years and she did not know about the Third Prince's matter beforehand, I will let her off the hook and demote Concubine Jing to Zhaoyi. From today on, move to Yongsi Palace."
Emperor Wen Zhao was a concubine's son. When he was young, his mother, now the empress dowager, was banished to the cold palace by the previous emperor and suffered a lot.
At that time, Emperor Wen Zhao had sneaked in to visit her many times. The dilapidated and miserable life in the cold palace left him with an indelible psychological shadow.
After he ascended the throne, he moved all the retired concubines who had been living in the cold palace to a temporary palace in the suburbs of Beijing, abolished the cold palace, and vowed that he would not send any concubine to the cold palace during his reign.
Emperor Wen Zhao had good ideas, but there were more and more concubines in the palace. With more people, there would be more trouble. He couldn't kill all those who made mistakes, so he had nowhere to put them.
Therefore, Emperor Wen Zhao ordered that the previously renovated Cold Palace be converted into the Yongsi Palace to accommodate those concubines who had committed serious mistakes but were not qualified for execution.
Although compared with the previous cold palace, the necessary items inside are very complete, food is supplied normally, and there are palace maids to serve, but the door is locked every day.
Once a concubine entered the palace, there was basically no hope for her to come out in her lifetime. At least for so many years, those who entered the palace never came out again.
"Yongsi Palace? Your Majesty, you want me to go to Yongsi Palace?" Concubine Jing Gui collapsed on the ground, muttering to herself in despair, unable to accept this fact.
The Third Prince crawled to Concubine Jing Gui's side on his knees, helped her up, and apologized with tears streaming down his face: "Mother, it's my fault. I have caused you trouble."
Concubine Jing Gui raised her hand and slapped him several times, crying and scolding: "You idiot, you fool, you never tell your mother, why didn't you ask me about such a big thing!"
Concubine Jing Gui raised her hand and slapped the Third Prince hard again and again. The Third Prince said he was wrong, and the mother and son hugged each other and cried.
The fifth prince knelt on the ground, prostrated himself with his head touching the ground, and tried his best to reduce his presence.
But how could Emperor Wen Zhao forget him? He ordered in a cold voice: "Old Fifth, you are a fool, just as stupid as your brainless mother. I don't want to see you. From tomorrow on, you go to the army."
When the Fifth Prince thought of the hard life in the army, he was dumbfounded, but he dared not resist and could only kowtow to express his gratitude. After all, compared to the Third Prince, he was doing well.
After punishing his son, he would naturally not forget his mother. Emperor Wen Zhao looked at the empress again and said, "Concubine Chun will be demoted to a noble lady and moved to Yongsi Palace as well."
The Queen saluted: "Yes."
Upon hearing this, the fifth prince kowtowed and said, "Father, I am guilty, but my mother was unaware of all the wrongdoings I committed. Please have mercy and forgive my mother."
Emperor Wen Zhao didn't even look at him, turned around and left, "You Zheng, fill up the tunnel for me, and seal the two prefectures."
You Zheng's expression froze, and he bowed and said, "Yes."
The queen looked at the mother and son who were kneeling on the ground crying and holding their heads, and said coldly: "Jing Zhaoyi, I will give you one hour to have a good talk with the third prince."
Concubine Jinggui thought that the empress would take her away by force, but unexpectedly she was given another hour.
Now everything is set in stone. The mother and son will never see each other again in this life. Naturally, they have a lot to say. Concubine Jing Gui burst into tears of gratitude and kowtowed while crying: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness."
The queen looked at Madam Zheng again and said, "You stay here. Bring Jing Zhaoyi back to the palace in an hour."
"Yes." Nanny Zheng responded and stayed with a few other maids.
The Royal Concubine looked at the Fifth Prince who was kneeling on the ground stupidly and reminded him, "Fifth Prince, you will be going to the army tomorrow. If you want to go to the palace to see your mother, go quickly."
The fifth prince came back to his senses, kowtowed to express his gratitude, then stood up and ran out.
The empress nodded to the imperial concubine, and the two of them walked out to chase after Emperor Wen Zhao.
The Sixth Prince followed the two of them and asked in a low voice, "Mother, Mother, it was the Third Prince who wanted to harm my Fourth Brother and me. Should I still tell Father?"
After all, the fourth child and the sixth child were both the children of the Imperial Concubine. The Empress was not in a position to make a decision. She looked at the Imperial Concubine and asked, "What do you think, sister?"
The Imperial Concubine shook her head and said, "No need to say more. The Third Prince has been driven to Jiaozhi by His Majesty. I'm sure he will never come back in this lifetime. There's no need to trouble His Majesty."
The Queen nodded and agreed: "I think so too. No matter how bad the third and fifth children are, they are still your Majesty's biological children. Your Majesty must be upset after punishing two of them in a row. Don't say those unhappy things to upset your Majesty in the next few days."
The Sixth Prince nodded upon hearing this, and said obediently: "Okay, I will listen to the Queen Mother and the Consort."
The Imperial Concubine nodded and said, "Go back to the mansion when you leave later. Don't hang around your father, or you'll cause trouble for him."
The Sixth Prince held onto the Royal Consort's arm. With his large stature, he bent over and placed his head on her shoulder, saying coquettishly, "I understand, mother. Your son is so handsome and has such a lovely personality. Please don't always dislike him."
"Stand up straight and behave like a human being." The Imperial Concubine rolled her eyes and slapped him in the face.
"Mother, you're attacking again." The Sixth Prince cried out, jumped back suddenly and successfully dodged.
"Your son will leave first." He threw down these words, and without going out through the door, he simply climbed over the wall and left.
---
The Sixth Prince rode his horse at a rapid speed to the First Prince's residence, dismounted at the gate, and without needing anyone to notify him, he threw the reins to the gatekeeper and ran straight in.
He ran to the main courtyard where the eldest prince lived in one breath, and before he even entered the door, he shouted: "Brother, brother, my dear brother, where are you?"
The eldest prince's wife is pregnant, and someone wants to harm her. Recently, except for going to the palace or doing things he has to do in person, the eldest prince has been staying in the mansion, guarding the eldest prince's wife every step of the way.
At this moment, he was holding a book, sitting on a low stool, reading to the eldest princess's wife's belly. As he was reading, he heard Xiaoliu's excited and cheerful voice coming from outside.
He shook his head and smiled helplessly: "This Xiaoliu, I have to keep him away from you tomorrow, don't treat our child like a naughty monkey."
The eldest princess was amused by this and chuckled. She took the book from his hand and nudged him: "There should be news from the third brother. You should go quickly. The monkey will come to the room soon."
As a popular candidate for the throne, the eldest prince naturally had spies in the palace. He had already received the news when the commander of the imperial guards, You Zheng, led his troops out of the palace to surround the residences of the third and fifth princes. Soon after, he also received the news that His Majesty had left the palace with the Empress and others.
Although he didn't know what happened in detail, he guessed that the third and fifth brothers must have committed an unforgivable crime, which was why His Majesty made such a big move. He also guessed that after today, the third brother was no longer a threat.
Feeling relieved, he took a book and read it to his wife and children with great interest.
The eldest prince held the eldest princess' waist and said softly to her belly: "Son, Daddy will go to see your sixth uncle first, and will come to accompany you later."
Seeing him so serious, the eldest princess laughed out loud and pushed him away: "The child is so young, he can't hear you."
The eldest prince put a finger over her mouth, smiled and said softly, "My lady, please don't be so vulgar in front of my son."
The eldest prince's wife was dissatisfied and kicked him lightly: "You know I have always spoken like this since I was a child. There is no reason for me to change my temper just for a little kid."
The eldest prince thought so too, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Madam, what you said makes sense. I am stupid. Madam, you can do whatever you want. Just give birth to the child, and leave the education of the child to me."
While the two were talking, the Sixth Prince rushed in. He didn't even have time to greet the two people. He picked up the First Prince and jumped up and down excitedly: "Brother, my good brother, guess what?"
The eldest prince was afraid that Xiaoliu would accidentally kick his wife while holding him in his arms, so he hurriedly said, "Xiaoliu, put big brother down quickly and make sure he doesn't touch your sister-in-law and your little nephew."
"Oh, I forgot about that." The Sixth Prince quickly put the First Prince down, then bowed to the First Prince's wife: "Hello, sister-in-law."
The eldest prince's wife laughed heartily: "What kind of happy event is this? It makes our little six so happy."
The Sixth Prince turned his head and quickly scanned the room. Seeing that there was no one else around, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother, sister-in-law, you don't know that the third and fifth sons are both dead..."
He excitedly recounted in detail what happened in the Third Prince's Mansion, including his extremely clever persuasion to persuade that big fool You Zheng to climb over the wall, and his bravery in rushing into the secret room, breaking in and snatching the dragon robe.
In short, according to the Sixth Prince's description, he is a brave and resourceful man. Without him, nothing would be accomplished today.
The eldest prince and his wife listened with a smile, and the eldest prince said, "Xiao Liu, you don't have to take such a risk. What if the third prince gets desperate and hurts you?"
The Sixth Prince slammed the table and said, "How can that be possible? What if the Third Prince burns the dragon robe? He is so treacherous that he will tell the truth. What if he tells the truth that Father will be soft-hearted and forgive him?"
The eldest princess continued, "Even if there is no evidence, Tong Tong said it, so the emperor must believe it and will punish the third brother."
"..." The Sixth Prince was stunned. It seemed so.
Seeing his brother's mouth open in a daze, the eldest prince couldn't bear it, so he patted his shoulder and comforted him: "But it's better to catch the person, so that father can deal with him on the spot."
"If there is no evidence, the third brother will definitely not accept it. We can't tell outsiders about the barrels, and it's hard to explain to the court officials. The third brother is eloquent and good at acting. There are still some ministers in the court who have been deceived by him."
The Sixth Prince clapped his hands and nodded heavily: "That's right, that's what I thought at the time."
The eldest prince and his wife couldn't help laughing. The eldest prince's wife said, "Now that we know that the person who harmed you is the third brother, you can rest assured and deal with that brothel girl when you go back."
Thinking of what Tong Tong said, Liu Yun'er started to poison the Third Prince after she had an affair, and thinking that she was still staying in his house, the Sixth Prince felt very uncomfortable.
He didn't want to keep her any longer, his face darkened, he stood up and walked out: "I'll go back and deal with it now."
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