Consort Xian was born into the Cao family of Jiangdong.
The Cao family is also an old and prestigious family, producing military generals for generations, with a history of hundreds of years.
However, the Cao family was adept at concealing their strength, especially staying away from court intrigues.
Emperor Hui promised the Cao family a concubine position, intending to marry the eldest daughter of the Cao family head into the palace and use the Cao family's power to counterbalance the Wei family.
Unexpectedly, the Cao family said that their eldest daughter had already been betrothed to someone else, and in order not to offend the court, they sent their second daughter into the palace, who is now the Consort Xian.
However, Emperor Hui didn't care. In any case, since Consort Xian had given birth to a son, the Cao family would fight for him whether they wanted to or not.
Unexpectedly, the Prince of Jin was massacred along with his entire family.
The Imperial City Guard searched the entire Prince Jin's residence but found only the body of a dead soldier.
The assassin's collar was numbered 007.
The method used was the same as when the assassins who captured Wei Jingzhong's mansion were numbered.
The Imperial City Guards told Consort Xian everything in the Imperial Study.
Consort Xian burst into tears and knelt outside the Imperial Study, begging Emperor Hui to allow her to return to her parents' home.
Emperor Hui, mindful of her grief over the loss of her son and grandson, granted her request.
Not only did he agree, but he also sent Gu Shaoyu, Xie Yu, and Yin Jin'an to accompany her back to the Cao family, representing His Majesty in giving the Cao family an explanation.
Before leaving, Emperor Hui had a private talk with the three of them.
After meeting with the head of the Cao family in Jiangdong, Gu Shaoyu made the following promises: First, to depose the crown prince; second, to issue a warrant for arresting the Wei family and the crown prince to avenge the Prince of Jin; and third, if the Cao family participated in the suppression of the Wei family army and returned victorious, the head of the Cao family would be granted a noble title.
The head of the Cao family promised that five of his sons, including the eldest grandson, would lead the Cao family army of 100,000 to fight against the imperial army, which was the core of the Wei family, led by Wei Anyuan, with 300,000 troops.
His Majesty was heartbroken by the death of the Prince of Jin's entire family and fell ill for several days. However, he was the ruler of a country, not an ordinary father.
No matter how painful it is, matters of the court must not be neglected.
Within a few days, the entire capital city returned to normal order.
The city gates opened as usual, and people continued with their lives as before, only now they had one more topic of conversation.
His Majesty issued the "Edict to Depose Crown Prince Jingrui".
The imperial edict was proclaimed throughout the land:
The deposed Crown Prince Zhou Jingrui, the legitimate son of Empress Wei, was foolish but diligent. After repeated requests from Duke Cheng'en Wei Jingzhong, Empress Dowager Wei, and Empress Wei Yingzi, he was finally made Crown Prince.
In his youth, he studied under the great Confucian scholar Yu Taifu. The Crown Prince was naturally arrogant and ambitious, and his behavior was still somewhat moderate... However, the Crown Prince violated moral principles, disobeyed his ancestors, and colluded with Wei Jingzhong.
He oppressed the people, humiliated other men's wives and concubines; his will was weak, and he was addicted to the Five-Stone Powder; he colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty, privately manufactured weapons, raised assassins, and eventually forced the emperor to abdicate and rebel, thus cutting himself off from the court.
The ceremony was a failure, and the public was shocked. How could he possibly uphold the throne and inherit the weight of the seven ancestral temples? Therefore, the position of Crown Prince Jingrui is hereby stripped, and this is hereby announced to the world.
...
Following the announcement of the deposed crown prince, another edict was issued, ordering the arrest of the entire Wei clan.
"Anyone who captures a member of the Wei family or anyone from the Crown Prince's residence will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver."
"Anyone who captures Wei Jingzhong, the Crown Prince, or other ringleaders will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver."
The commander-in-chief, four generals, and six captains who accompanied the crown prince in forcing the emperor to abdicate will all be executed along with their entire families.
Lan Lin was handed over to the Dali Temple for trial, with Prince Jing overseeing the case.
Lan Lin was a poison addict and always carried a lot of poison with him. Knowing that he could not escape death, he committed suicide by taking poison.
Prince Jing was furious and asked Lu Feiyan to come forward and bring Lan Lin back to life. Lan Lin's swift and decisive death was not because he had had enough of living; it must have been to protect the real culprit behind the scenes.
Gu Shaoyu refused: "Prince Jing, Lu Feiyan can cure most poisons, but she doesn't have the ability to bring people back to life."
Prince Jing went to the Lan family, a family of poison doctors, and arrested the head of the family.
Upon seeing the military pledge signed by Lan Lin, the Lan family head felt a wave of dizziness: "This bastard, has he lost his mind? What's the point of signing such a military pledge?"
Was he bribed by the Wei family?
Or was he bribed by someone?
The Lan family head wished he could poison Lan Lin ten more times, but it was too late. The family of poison doctors was wiped out!
The coup attempt has been largely resolved, and His Majesty summoned Gu Shaoyu, Xie Yu, Yin Jin'an, Li Yunmu, Ling Xun, Ren Jialin, Prince Rong, and others to the court.
Reward!
"I believe that governing the world requires civil administration and suppressing rebellion requires military force. Xie Yu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is truly a pillar of the court and a capable minister of the nation. He is skilled in both civil and military affairs, loyal and devoted, and possesses unparalleled wisdom. He is well-suited to shoulder heavy responsibilities. Therefore, I hereby appoint him as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official. I hope that you will perform your duties diligently and continue to strive for excellence."
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Yin Jin'an, Commander of the Palace Guards, is brave and skilled in battle, and has rendered meritorious service in protecting the Emperor. His name is renowned in this era, and his merit will last for generations. Now, in accordance with the will of Heaven, Yin Jin'an is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Xiaoyao, a hereditary title. So be it!"
"Ling Xun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, is hereby appointed as a Vice Minister of the Third Rank..."
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Li Yunmu of the Duke of Yingguo is hereby granted the title of Earl of Annam..."
"Ren Jialin is hereby named the number one righteous man in the martial arts world and awarded ten thousand gold pieces."
...
As for Prince Rong, his merits and demerits canceled each other out, and he was allowed to return to his original fief. However, he was no longer required to pay taxes and even received a salary. Now, Emperor Hui was angry and ordered that starting from the thirty-third year of the Daqian era (this year), Prince Rong's fief would pay an annual tribute of 100,000 bolts of silk, 100,000 taels of silver, and 20,000 catties of tea.
Prince Rong had no objection.
Prince Ning resisted to the bitter end. When the imperial army arrived at Prince Ning's fiefdom, Prince Ning was killed, his heir was captured, and Prince Ning's entire lineage was reduced to commoners. All their former royal power was revoked, and they were expelled from their original fiefdoms.
Who would dare to take in the descendants of a rebellious prince who had been demoted to commoners and expelled?
The pain of going from luxury to frugality is worse than being beheaded; it is destined to destroy one's spirit.
As for Gu Shaoyu, he was not awarded any title, but His Majesty bestowed a title upon his wife, Xie Zhaozhao, from the original first-rank imperial consort to a super-rank imperial consort!
Many people also say, "He's already a Grand Secretary, he can't be promoted any further, the next step would be to be granted the title of King."
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