Chapter 338 Who is at fault?
Located in the southwest of Anzhou, the Anzhou Hunting Ground, covering an area of fifteen li, was established by Emperor Yongde for autumn hunting. The grounds are lush with vegetation, encompassing hills and forests, and are home to a diverse array of animals, including hares, roe deer, deer, and wild boars.
In the first few years after Emperor Yongde ascended the throne, he had nothing to do, so he ordered the establishment of this hunting ground. The hunting ground was completed in the fifth year of his reign.
With a place to play, Emperor Yongde was excited and would go hunting with his ministers every autumn. He enjoyed the first few times, but shooting rabbits, deer, and other animals with bows and arrows proved unchallenging and unexciting. He lost interest and eventually stopped going.
In order to cater to the emperor's wishes, a minister specially captured a pair of tiger cubs from the south of Yuzhou. They were not much bigger than dogs. He put one male and one female in a cage and planned to put them in the hunting ground as a surprise for the emperor.
The tigers were already halfway there when the Empress learned of the situation and summoned the minister to give him a lecture. Although the two tigers were young, what if they injured Her Majesty?
Empress Pei personally gave the order, and the ministers dared not disobey. Empress Pei then ordered the two tiger cubs to be disposed of, but no one knew where they were taken. The matter was then left unresolved.
Now fifteen years have passed, the hunting grounds remain the same, but things and people have changed.
Emperor Ming of Qi stood on a flat surface, gazing at the rolling sea of grass in the distance. Behind him stood a phalanx of guards, some with hawks and others with hunting dogs. When the wind blew down the grass, revealing the silhouette of an elk, the hawks began flapping their wings, ready to take flight. The hounds also let out low growls, as if ready to break free of their chains and pounce on their prey.
Everyone was eager to try, but Emperor Ming of Qi was not in the mood for hunting. He came here not for fun, but to resolve the conflict between Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Beiheng. Therefore, he did not let the ministers accompany him like Emperor Yongde did, but only brought Qi Shengjue.
"Mr. Qi, when will the Queen arrive?" he asked Qi Shengjue behind him.
Qi Shengjue said, "Your Majesty, the Empress's phoenix chariot is still on the way and will arrive in just half an hour."
"Okay." Emperor Ming of Qi nodded slightly.
Today is the date agreed upon to meet the two sons. When they arrive, father and son will go hunting together. Everyone should speak openly and not hide anything.
He had him, the Queen, Xiao Zhuo, and Xiao Beiheng. Even if the family were all together, it would make up for not having a reunion during Mid-Autumn Festival. It was just a pity that his two daughters-in-law were not there. He heard that Shen Yuexi was returning to Shengjing after leaving Prince An's Mansion, and Su Mo had quarreled with her son and stayed at Prince An's Mansion. He couldn't ask about these family matters one by one.
In his opinion, the most important thing at the moment was to resolve the issue between Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Beiheng. All other problems stemmed from this, as long as the two of them stopped arguing.
After standing there for a while, he felt a little cold in the autumn wind. He was about to turn around and tell Qi Shengjue, but the latter had already spread a cotton cloak over his shoulders.
"Your Majesty, the wind is strong out in the open. It's easy to catch a cold standing like this. How about I ask the servants to drive the prey away while Your Majesty shoots a few arrows to stretch your muscles first?"
Emperor Ming of Qi shook his head and smiled at Qi Shengjue, "I didn't come here for fun. Today I will discuss with Prince Ping and Prince An who will be the crown prince."
To silence his ministers, he had hung the decree appointing a crown prince on the Zhaixing Tower. While it did quiet the ministers' discussion, he hadn't anticipated the rift between his two sons. If he had simply named one son crown prince, the other would undoubtedly have resented it. There was no way to maintain a level playing field.
Now he had made up his mind. Once the two of them arrived, he would speak openly. As for the decree hanging in the Zhaixing Tower... it didn't count.
What about the golden words, what about the final word? Forget it. As long as the two of them can get along well, it doesn't matter if he, as a father, is ridiculed. It's not the first time.
Qi Shengjue was stunned for a moment after hearing his words, then asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to appoint a crown prince here today?"
"Yes, I will explain things to them both, and then we will return to the capital together. I will issue an order in front of all the civil and military officials."
"The imperial edict from Zhaixing Tower..."
"No," Emperor Ming of Qi waved his hand, "I was confused at that time."
At the time, he had said that the decree of Zhaixing Tower could only be opened after his death. Now that his two sons were at loggerheads, he had to make a decision quickly. Naturally, the decree of Zhaixing Tower no longer counted.
As soon as he finished speaking, a eunuch came to announce: "Your Majesty, Prince Ping has arrived."
"Announce." Emperor Ming of Qi turned around.
Xiao Beiheng, with the Yanque Sword slung across his waist, strode over and pushed aside the eunuch who came to greet him. He lifted his clothes and knelt down: "Your son pays homage to the emperor."
Emperor Ming of Qi looked at his son. He looked tired, dazed, his eyes dull, and he looked as if he had aged a dozen years. He lacked the youthful vigor and vitality that young people should have.
Could the position of crown prince actually torture him into this state?
"Stand up," Emperor Ming of Qi sighed, "I have been wanting to speak to you for a long time, and you are finally here."
Xiao Beiheng stood up and said to Emperor Ming of Qi: "Father, I have something to say to you."
Emperor Ming of Qi tightened his cloak and pointed to a high hill behind the distant woods, saying, "Let's talk there."
The two of them walked forward, Qi Shengjue following behind with his sword slung over his shoulder. After only a few steps, Xiao Beiheng turned around and said, "Go back and don't disturb me from talking to my father."
Qi Shengjue was worried and said, "Prince Ping, there are wild boars in the forest. If they suddenly attack and injure Your Majesty, I, your humble servant..."
"Stop talking nonsense. I will protect father myself!" Xiao Beiheng interrupted Qi Shengjue impatiently.
Qi Shengjue stopped and looked at Emperor Qi Ming. Emperor Qi Ming said, "It's okay. I'll talk to Heng'er. You all just wait here to welcome the Queen."
The father and son walked side by side into the woods. After walking a few dozen feet in silence, Xiao Beiheng stopped and said, "Father."
Emperor Qi Ming also stopped and looked at Xiao Beiheng: "Heng'er, just say whatever you want to say. Today is the time to talk about this."
"You...are you going to make my eldest brother the crown prince?"
Emperor Ming of Qi asked, "Do you think you are more suitable to be the crown prince than Zhuo'er?"
Xiao Beiheng looked a little excited, but he hid his expression and said, "Father, I am your true son. I fought for you in the east and west, pacified Jingliang and Liangzhou, and destroyed Xiao Kai. What my elder brother has done cannot be compared with what I have done."
Emperor Ming of Qi shook his head and said, "As far as I know, the vast majority of Xiao Kai's Jingzhou troops were wiped out by Zhuo'er. He fought all the way to the city of Yongwei, while you were still in Nanping."
Xiao Beiheng hadn't expected Emperor Ming of Qi to investigate the events so carefully. He said, "My son... it was also because of my father's instructions. At that time, Xiao Zhuo was facing off against Xiao Kai in Yongwei, and they were unable to break through the city..."
Emperor Ming of Qi said nothing and continued walking forward.
Seeing that Emperor Ming of Qi didn't respond, Xiao Beiheng became anxious and followed him, saying, "I had the Xirong army behind me and the Nanping defenders in front of me. I was attacked from both sides. Then there was the 30,000 Xiliang troops led by the then Xiliang Crown Prince Mei Pu who were attacking me. I was able to turn the tide and ultimately annihilate Xiao Kai. Doesn't this just demonstrate my ability?"
He chased Emperor Ming of Qi all the way to the top of a high hill. Looking back, he saw that the trees had completely covered the tent in the distance.
Seeing Emperor Ming of Qi remained silent, he grew increasingly anxious and turned to another direction to argue for himself, saying, "Father, in your heart, my elder brother is better than me. But he is a hypocrite, a disrespecter of his teachers and a traitor to the Way. How can such a man be the Crown Prince?"
"You said he betrayed his teacher and destroyed the way?" Emperor Ming of Qi turned around and looked at him.
Xiao Beiheng felt guilty when Emperor Ming of Qi looked at him. He couldn't help but take a step back and said through gritted teeth, "I sent his former teacher Ji Zhong to persuade him to surrender, but he actually killed his own teacher. Father, don't you hate him very much?"
Emperor Ming of Qi sighed and turned away from him, "Heng'er, are you still going to frame your brother?"
Xiao Beiheng's face turned pale and he said, "I don't understand."
"Well, I'll tell you the truth," Emperor Ming of Qi said. "When I went to Shengjing, I ran into that liar named Hua Duoduo. At that time... I didn't want you to fall behind your brother."
Xiao Beiheng's expression turned joyful and he asked, "Father, what do you mean?"
"I was protecting you. However, when I was leaving, Ji Lao's granddaughter found me and told me what happened. Zhuo'er did not kill Ji Lao; he committed suicide. In order to frame your elder brother, you stabbed Ji Lao more than a dozen times to make it look like it was your elder brother who did it."
Xiao Beiheng's body trembled, and he said in panic, "Father, don't believe that woman. She hates me for giving them the Ji family a low salary. She is slandering me..."
Emperor Ming of Qi leaned on the tree, his voice turning sorrowful. "Even now, you still refuse to admit what you've done. You knew Zhuo'er was your brother, yet you still sent troops to attack Shengjing, simply because you didn't want him to take your position. You hid it from Momo, and you hid it from me... You kidnapped Lin Kui and detained Yuexi. How do you expect me to explain this to Zhuo'er? Ah?"
Xiao Beiheng stretched out his hands tremblingly: "Father... those are all slanders. The murderer is not Lin Kui..."
Emperor Ming of Qi did not stop and continued speaking.
"You massacred an entire Beidi village and shot dead the son of the Beidi general. He considers you his sworn enemy and has written to me, stating that if you become crown prince, the treaty between Beidi and Dayan will be invalidated. He will lead the Beidi army to avenge his son's death."
Xiao Beiheng could no longer stand, his legs softened, and he knelt at the feet of Emperor Qi Ming, hugging his legs and crying, "Father...Father, but I am your son...I am."
Only now did he realize that everything he had concealed was like using thick white paper to cover a blazing flame. Emperor Ming of Qi had secretly investigated everything. Now the flames had burned through the white paper, revealing the truth.
"I know... I know," Emperor Ming of Qi turned around, bent down, and hugged his head, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't teach you how to be an emperor properly. A man without integrity cannot stand, and you are full of lies..."
Xiao Beiheng hugged Emperor Ming of Qi and said in a hoarse voice, "Father, you don't know. In order to harm my child, Xiao Zhuo arranged for his army to secretly come to Anzhou..."
"Don't you understand why he deployed the army?" Emperor Ming of Qi shouted, "You've gone too far. You've made your brother no longer trust you. You've made Momo no longer trust you..."
Xiao Beiheng suddenly raised his head and looked at Emperor Qi Ming, tears streaming down his face: "Dad...you can't give the position of crown prince to him! You can't!"
Emperor Ming of Qi sighed to the sky: "This is my fault, my fault as a father. I have abandoned you for too long. But..."
Before he could finish his next words, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.
Looking down, he noticed that Xiao Beiheng's Yanque sword had been unsheathed at some point, and the extremely sharp blade had pierced into his body and came out through his back.
"Heng'er!"
Emperor Qi Ming couldn't believe what he saw. His eyes were a mixture of surprise, anger, and sadness, piercing Xiao Beiheng like sharp swords.
Xiao Beiheng drew his sword, his handsome face contorted, his eyes filled with fear, as if he had encountered a demonic spirit. He stumbled back a few steps and sat down on the ground. His grip on the sword had been shaking so much that it had magnified the wound. As soon as the sword was drawn, blood gushed out, instantly staining the dragon robe around Emperor Ming of Qi's waist red.
Emperor Ming of Qi covered his bloody abdomen with both hands, knelt on the ground, and said with difficulty: "Heng'er... don't go."
Hearing this, Xiao Beiheng panicked even more. He tumbled to his feet and ran backwards, but bumped head-on into a tree. Thinking it was someone trying to stop him, he swung his sword to cut the tree down and desperately fled down the hill, only to be tripped by a grass stalk.
He climbed up and waved his sword wildly at the air, as if countless wronged souls were lingering around him, screaming, "Don't come over here, don't come over here."
Only after fleeing down the mountain and out of the woods did Xiao Beiheng regain some consciousness. He rushed to the tent entrance like a drunk. Qi Shengjue, who was waiting there, saw him and hurried over to ask, "Prince Ping, where is His Majesty?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty was gored by a wild boar," Xiao Beiheng looked around with a scattered gaze, "I'm going to find the imperial physician... Oh, and there's also Zhaixing Tower and that one."
Qi Shengjue was shocked when he heard this, and without asking Xiao Beiheng why he was so panicked, he let Xiao Beiheng pass and led his soldiers to rush towards the hill. Xiao Beiheng grabbed a horse, mounted it and galloped towards the capital.
On the hill, Qi Shengjue saw Emperor Qi Ming kneeling on the ground, his hands covering his abdomen, his entire lower body stained with blood.
"Your Majesty!" Qi Shengjue rushed forward to support Emperor Qi Ming and shouted to the guards, "Go and call the imperial physician."
Emperor Qi Ming seemed to have heard his call, he slightly opened his eyes, looked at the direction where Xiao Beiheng fled, and whispered:
"I was wrong, I was wrong."
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