Qi Zhong's outburst at the Dali Temple quickly spread.
Although Emperor Cheng'an claimed illness and had not attended court, ministers had been constantly requesting an audience with him. Unable to explain Qi Zhong's words and too weary to deal with the ministers any longer, Emperor Cheng'an simply gave up and refused to see any of them.
Since they have no evidence, what can they do to him even if they have their own suspicions?
He was the emperor, above all others. Even if these ministers were dissatisfied, they could only grovel at his feet and shout "Long live the emperor!"
With this in mind, Emperor Cheng'an recuperated in his palace.
However, some things cannot be ignored simply by avoiding them. On the tenth day after Qi Zhong was arrested and Emperor Cheng'an claimed illness and refused to attend court, Prince Duan knelt before the palace gate with the late emperor's edict in hand, tearfully denouncing Emperor Cheng'an for murdering his brother and usurping the throne, deeming him unworthy to be a ruler.
Because of Xue Shen's deliberate arrangement, not only was no one stopped at the palace gate that day, but it also attracted many onlookers.
Later, even the ministers who learned of the news rushed to witness this shocking farce.
Prince Duan had been practicing asceticism at the Daxiangguo Temple for many years, and now he suddenly appeared before the palace gates. Many people did not immediately recognize him. Even the court officials racked their brains for a while before they remembered who Prince Duan was.
Emperor Taizu had only two sons: the late emperor and Emperor Cheng'an.
But in fact, before Emperor Cheng'an ascended the throne, there was another Prince Duan who was also handsome and talented.
This Prince Duan was the orphan of a former subordinate who had fought alongside Emperor Taizu to establish the empire. After his former subordinate died in battle, he entrusted his son to Emperor Taizu, who then adopted him as his son and raised him alongside his two sons.
After Emperor Taizu established the country and became emperor, this adopted son was also granted the title of Prince Duan.
Until the reign of the late emperor, Prince Duan frequently appeared in public and participated in court affairs. However, after the late emperor and empress passed away one after the other, Prince Duan claimed to be ill and resigned from his official post, requesting to go to the Daxiangguo Temple for a period of seclusion. He did not leave the Daxiangguo Temple for many years afterward.
No one expected that five years later, when Prince Duan first stepped out of the Daxiangguo Temple, he would do something so shocking.
Upon hearing the news, Xie Lianhong rushed forward and asked, "Does Prince Duan have any evidence for his statement?"
Prince Duan unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and showed it to everyone present: "The bloodstains on this edict are the evidence."
Everyone focused their attention on the will and indeed saw mottled brown spots on it.
Xie Lianhong took the edict and examined it carefully. He shook his head and said, "The handwriting is indeed that of the late emperor. Even if the brown spots are bloodstains, they don't prove anything."
He wasn't trying to exonerate Emperor Cheng'an, but rather explaining his own doubts: "Back then, the late emperor was greatly affected by the death of the late empress, and entrusted his son to Your Majesty on his deathbed. If it is said that he was seriously ill and coughing up blood on his deathbed, it would make sense."
"What Minister Xie said is correct, but if that were all there was to it, the Imperial Uncle would not have rashly come forward to accuse the Emperor's senior brother of usurping the throne."
Xue Shen clapped his hands, and two guards brought over an elderly man with white hair.
The old man had white hair and wrinkled skin; he was very old and needed a guard to help him walk.
Everyone present, including officials who had served under the late emperor, looked surprised when they saw him. This was because the old man was none other than Ge Cheng, the imperial physician who had served the late empress and the previous head of the Imperial Medical Academy.
It is said that the late Empress had a great influence on Katsuragi, whose medical skills were superb. Back then, the late Empress was frail, but she was able to give birth to her child safely, which was also thanks to Katsuragi's medical skills.
However, when the King of Qin later suffered an accident and became disabled in both legs, Ge Cheng was powerless to help.
The late empress was deeply grieving over her only son's disability, and her health deteriorated rapidly. Although Katsuragi was concerned about her health and tried to treat her, he could only provide temporary relief.
The late empress eventually died from illness caused by worry, and Katsuragi, feeling guilty and remorseful, drank too much and walked at night, where he fell into a pond and drowned.
How can one not be shocked when someone who should have died long ago comes back to life and stands before everyone?
As the vice prime minister, Xie Lianhong had naturally dealt with Ge Cheng before.
His beard trembled as he stared at Katsuragi in disbelief: "You...you're still alive?"
Ge Cheng nodded calmly. "Back then, I was almost killed. It was thanks to His Highness Prince Duan's intervention that I was able to survive. I have waited patiently until today to seek justice for the late Empress and the late Emperor and to bring the truth of what happened back then to light."
Xie Lianhong's heart sank: "What exactly is going on?"
Ge Cheng slowly said, "It is true that the late Empress was overwhelmed with grief when Prince Qin had an accident, but she was a strong-willed woman with a gentle yet firm nature. The reason why the late Empress's health deteriorated was because she was poisoned."
At this point, Ge Cheng showed a look of guilt: "Back then, I was in charge of taking care of the late Empress's health. Because she was worried about His Highness Prince Qin, she couldn't sleep at night, which affected her already recovered health. Her old ailments that she had been treating also flared up..."
"When the late Empress passed away, I initially thought it was due to a relapse of her old illness. However, when I took her pulse for the last time that day, I noticed that her fingernails were turning blue. At the time, I didn't pay much attention to it, assuming it was just a relapse of her old illness. But it wasn't until the late Empress passed away that I suddenly realized that her health had actually improved. Even if we were worried about the Crown Prince's old illness relapsing, it shouldn't have endangered his life."
“I had my doubts about this, so I went to the late emperor to explain the matter. The late emperor also had doubts about the cause of the late empress’s death, so he asked me to examine the body.”
Ge Cheng paused, his expression turning serious: "And as it turns out, my guess was right. The late Empress did not die from a relapse of her old illness, but was poisoned with a slow-acting poison, which depleted her body and caused her to die."
He looked grief-stricken: "But at the time, the palace was in chaos, and no one realized this. If it had been discovered earlier, the late Empress would not have been murdered in vain."
Xie Lianhong's heart trembled upon hearing this: "Since the late emperor already knew, why didn't he order a thorough investigation at the time?"
Ge Cheng looked at Xue Shen, who had been silent for a moment before speaking: "Because my father suspects that the person who plotted against me and poisoned my mother was his own younger brother."
"Father still held a sliver of hope for Chang'an and summoned him to the palace for a confrontation. But who knew that Chang'an was a wolf in sheep's clothing and had been prepared all along? He poisoned the wine. Father was poisoned and no match for him. In addition, Emperor Cheng'an used my life as a threat, so he had no choice but to leave behind a will to pass on the throne."
These words caused an uproar in the room.
An official who supported Emperor Cheng'an and the Crown Prince's faction couldn't help but ask, "Does His Highness Prince Qin have any evidence for what he's saying?"
Xue Shen swept his cold gaze over them and laughed mockingly: "Don't be in such a hurry. Whether it's witness testimony or physical evidence, I will present it all, one by one. Let everyone see what a filthy and ugly thing the monarch you have been kneeling to all these years really is."
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