Chapter 102 Brothers in the Heavenly Family are Heartless and Unrighteous.
The imperial physician's acupuncture not only awoke the emperor but also dragged him back to reality from his illusory dream, forcing him to confront the devastating blow dealt to him by the Crown Prince's faction.
Both are legitimate sons, both are crown princes, and even brothers born of the same mother, but Ayu and Achen are so different that the two crown princes can be described as two extremes.
"Your Majesty, please make plans as soon as possible."
Wei Zhongyuan, the Vice Minister of Revenue, knelt before the imperial bed, kowtowed to the ground, and pleaded with a sorrowful tone. After the emperor awoke, he was secretly brought into the palace by Eunuch Feng.
It wasn't that the emperor particularly wanted to see him; rather, it was because the Crown Prince had practically purged all the senior officials in the Ministry of Revenue, leaving Li Lu with only one confidant. Even the emperor and Wei Zhongyuan knew that the Crown Prince's decision not to remove him might be a prelude to today's summons.
The Crown Prince wanted to use Wei Zhongyuan to tell the Emperor that the current situation was beyond his control.
Faced with Wei Zhongyuan's earnest plea, the emperor closed his eyes with a headache. Although he had guessed that the crown prince would not let the matter off easily, he did not expect that the crown prince's methods would be so swift and decisive in just a few days!
Li Lu's crimes were uncovered almost swiftly, and the Crown Prince made most of them public. However, he kept quiet about some of the crimes that involved the private affairs of the royal family. This well-timed omission seemed to preserve the face of the imperial family, but in reality, it became the biggest hidden danger that forced the emperor to make a decision as soon as possible.
This is the Sword of Damocles that Jiang Chen hung up for the emperor.
Executing Li Lu would mean the emperor's years of hard work would be in vain; saving Li Lu would mean the emperor would cease to exist.
The crown prince has both offensive and defensive options, while the emperor is caught in a dilemma.
"Tiger cub..." The emperor cursed Jiang Chen inwardly for his lack of mercy, but deep down he felt a sense of relief. He had thought Jiang Chen was far inferior to his brother, but now he realized that Jiang Chen might not be any less capable than Jiang Yu.
Although the Great Xia Dynasty is not currently in turmoil, it is still a land beset by internal and external troubles. The Great Xia Dynasty is no longer the peaceful and prosperous era it was when he first took over. In recent years, the emperor has felt a deep sense of powerlessness whenever he thinks about the border defenses of the Great Xia Dynasty.
As an emperor, he was already feeling somewhat powerless.
"Since the Crown Prince has already investigated the whole story, then so be it... Over the years, Minister Wei has devoted himself to serving me. The Provincial Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi will be retiring this year, and I will send you to take over his position."
"His Majesty--"
Wei Zhongyuan was filled with disbelief. Firstly, he was shocked that the emperor would actually bow down to the crown prince. Secondly, he had worked hard in the capital for many years to be promoted to vice minister, but now he was going to be sent to a local post. This meant that all his efforts over the years would be in vain.
"This is an imperial edict."
The emperor did not give him a chance to refute, and Wei Zhongyuan did not dare to disobey the imperial decree. He was not a fool. Now that he was transferred away from the capital, he would at least still be the top official in Guangdong and Guangxi. But if he insisted on staying in the capital, he would only become a remnant of Li Lu's faction to be purged in the future.
Wei Zhongyuan was secretly sent to the palace in the middle of the night, and less than an hour later, under the escort of Eunuch Feng, he left the palace again under the cover of night. The whole process went surprisingly smoothly.
Inside Kunyi Palace, Mu Tan smiled as she placed a piece on the chessboard. Looking at the evenly matched black and white pieces, she nodded slightly: "Everything is under Your Highness's control."
On the surface, the game seems evenly matched, but the black pieces are almost always hampered. With traps lying in the air on all sides, if the white pieces make another move, the black pieces will be completely wiped out.
"Splash—"
Shen Yujiao poured all the white pieces back into the chess box, and the game ended in a draw: "Alright, let's stop here."
They never wanted much, just to overturn the case against the He family. Now that the situation in the Northern Di is tense, they don't have much time to maneuver and fight in the capital. The day Li Lu is executed will be the day Jiang Chen volunteers to go to war.
Unfortunately, although Shen Yujiao did not want to get too entangled with these people, the emperor did not take this opportunity to back down.
On the third day after the emperor awoke, the imperial edict for the trial of Li Lu was issued. It detailed Li Lu's numerous crimes, from manipulating the promotion and demotion of officials to extorting money from the people, almost without exception. It was as if the court's justice was as clear as a mirror. However, the only crime notably omitted was Li Lu's treason and the crime of causing the entire He family to die unjustly on the battlefield.
When Jiang Chen received the news, he was about to enter the palace. Upon hearing the contents of the imperial edict, he couldn't hold back any longer and kicked the wooden door blocking his way. With a loud crash, the door shook twice and then broke. None of the servants and attendants present dared to speak, and they all stood silently to the side, not daring to utter a sound.
"XXXX!"
Upon hearing this outrageous and vulgar language, Zhu Yu wished she were deaf. Her Highness the Crown Prince must have gone mad with anger, even cursing the deceased Empress Dowager.
Jiang Chen was indeed furious. He strode to the gate of the East Palace, removed all the ropes from the horse on the carriage, leaped onto the horse, and galloped towards the palace. The wind whistled in his ears, but his mind was filled with the scenes from the court that day.
One after another, court officials stepped forward to impeach and expose Li Lu, and these pieces of evidence allowed Li Lu to be tried according to the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, but the most important one was missing!
You only want appetizers, not the main course? Well, don't blame me for flipping the table!
The horse was abruptly stopped at the palace gate with a long neigh. Jiang Chen nimbly jumped off the horse and strode towards the palace gate. His imposing aura caused the guards at the palace gate to bow respectfully. Before the eunuch who ran out could inform the guards, he met the Crown Prince's furious eyes. He was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
After the crown prince had gone far away, the guards at the palace gate came forward and helped him up: "Young eunuch, are you alright?"
"No..." The young eunuch seemed to snap out of his daze. He turned to look in the direction of the Qian Yuan Hall, pointed there urgently, and said, "Quickly, stop His Highness! From this day forward, without His Majesty's decree, the Crown Prince is not allowed to enter the palace..."
It was too late; the Crown Prince had already arrived at the palace.
"Your Highness?!" Feng Xu was surprised to see Jiang Chen. He wondered why the little eunuch hadn't stopped him outside. Had he missed him?
He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "His Majesty is still unwell and has just rested. Why don't you go back first and come again in a few days?"
“Eunuch Feng,” Jiang Chen said with a forced smile, barely suppressing his anger, “what if I insist on seeing the Emperor today?”
"This—this is unacceptable!" Feng Xu instinctively raised his hand to stop him, but a single glance from Jiang Chen made him take a half-step back, his voice unconsciously softening: "His Majesty has already retired for the night, Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for this old servant..."
As the chief eunuch serving the emperor, he was usually treated with respect by all the masters in the palace. But now, facing the crown prince, he had lost all his usual arrogance, and cold sweat had almost soaked through his inner clothes.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
The eunuch who had failed to stop the crown prince at the palace gate came running back, panting, but when he got closer and saw the scene, he unconsciously fell silent.
After being stopped by Feng Xu, Jiang Chen calmed down a bit, but he still didn't change his mind about meeting the emperor. The little eunuch represented the emperor's attitude, and if he couldn't see the emperor today, all the prelude to exonerating the He family would have been in vain.
After this incident, the emperor will surely be wary of him, making it virtually impossible to overturn the verdict. Thinking of this, he stepped forward again, and Feng Xu followed suit, taking a step back: "Your Highness, is it really impossible..."
"Insolence!" Jiang Chen shouted in a low voice, "I have important matters to discuss with my father, the Emperor. If I delay, it will endanger the nation! Eunuch Feng, I ask you, can you shoulder this heavy responsibility?"
"Your Highness, this old servant..." Feng Xu's voice trembled.
"I'm asking you a question!" Jiang Chen demanded again in a stern voice.
"Your Highness!" This time, Feng Xu simply knelt down with a thud, closed his eyes, and looked like he would absolutely not give in and was willing to live or die at the emperor's mercy.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Chen couldn't help but sneer: "Since Eunuch Feng cannot take responsibility, then I..."
"I will take responsibility!"
Before Jiang Chen could rush into the palace, he heard a familiar voice coming from behind the corridor. Jiang Chen was startled and turned around. His brows furrowed even more, but he still nodded and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"Chen'er, are you worried that your father is losing his mind? Since Eunuch Feng said that the Emperor is unwell and is currently recuperating, that is a matter of utmost importance to the country. Why are you so anxious that you are making a fuss about this?"
The Empress swept her phoenix eyes over them, and Feng Xu and the little eunuch both lowered their heads, not daring to look at the mother and son any longer.
Jiang Chen was initially incredulous, but when he saw the sharp look in the Empress's eyes, his heart sank completely. Although the two of them hadn't said anything, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
The midday sun shone brightly, casting its rays into the corridor and creating a clear boundary between the mother and son.
After an unknown amount of time, the deathly silence was finally broken. Upon receiving the news, Shen Yujiao rushed over. Seeing the two standing opposite each other, both looking unwell, she composed herself and then stepped forward to greet the Empress.
“This is not the place to talk. The Crown Prince is also worried about Father Emperor…” She glanced at Jiang Chen, and the two exchanged a subtle look. Then she stepped forward to support the Empress: “Mother, you have just recovered from your illness. The sun is very strong right now. Why don’t we move to Kunyi Palace?”
Shen Yujiao's attitude was gentle and her tone was earnest. The Empress's tense jawline gradually relaxed. She glared at Jiang Chen, then turned and left. Shen Yujiao quickly followed behind, gesturing to Jiang Chen with her hands behind her back.
The Qianyuan Hall was not far from the Kunyi Palace, and since the group walked quickly, they soon entered the main hall of the Kunyi Palace.
As soon as the door closed, the Empress slammed her hand on the table: "Kneel down!"
Jiang Chen gritted his teeth and was about to speak when he saw Shen Yujiao frown and shake her head at him. He took a deep breath and knelt upright in the center of the hall.
His unyielding demeanor made the Empress laugh in exasperation: "Have you gone mad? I thought you were going to use this opportunity to bring down Prince Huan and Prince Zhao, which is why I didn't stop you and even helped you with your schemes in the palace. But you don't know where your limits are! Tell me, what do you want to say to your father today!"
"Since Mother already knows, why ask again?"
His casual tone made it sound like he was talking about something as mundane as what to have for lunch, but it only fueled the Empress's anger. She removed her nail guards, took a few steps forward, and slapped Jiang Chen across the face: "Your father is the Emperor! As a father, as a ruler, as a son, as a subject, when the Emperor is enraged, do you think you have many lives to live!"
The blow wasn't forceful, and Jiang Chen remained kneeling steadily and upright. He remained silent for a long while before raising his head to look directly at the Empress: "The Great Xia Dynasty has gone through hundreds of years and generations. Although Father Emperor is the monarch, he is not the only one. Shouldn't this Great Xia Dynasty be inherited by your son in the future? The current situation is already too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Are we going to wait until these parasites have completely devoured the foundation of our Great Xia before we are willing to eliminate them, just for the sake of Father Emperor's face?"
"Does Your Majesty truly wish for me to be a wise and benevolent ruler, or a cowardly and incompetent ruler who clings to life only for the sake of the royal family's reputation?"
"you--"
The empress raised her hand high again, but this time, looking directly into her son's firm and serious eyes, she couldn't bring herself to strike him.
After a long while, she took a few steps back and slumped back into her chair, seemingly both weeping and accusing. Shen Yujiao, who was nearby, heard her mutter to herself, "Excellent in both civil and military affairs, yet you inherited your brother's benevolence and righteousness..."
The imperial court is ruthless and indifferent to benevolence and righteousness.
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