Chapter 48
The sound of the petition drum has long since stopped.
But the sound seemed to linger.
It materialized, becoming invisible, heavy, cold blocks of lead, filling the entire imperial city. It choked everyone's ears and chests, making it hard for them to breathe and deaf to everything else.
It was still dark.
The sky was bluish-gray, like the face of a dead man.
The civil and military officials, dressed in their heavy official robes embroidered with birds and beasts, walked step by step toward the Taiji Hall like a group of exquisite puppets being led by strings.
No one spoke.
There wasn't even a cough.
They simply walked along, stealing glances from the corner of their eyes at the figure kneeling before the palace gate, kneeling on the cold, bone-chilling bluestone slabs.
Prince An, Tang Pu.
He knelt there, his spine as straight as a spear piercing the sky. His body still carried the dew and chill of the previous night's journey, and his handsome face was strangely pale, distorted by anger and an inexplicable resolve.
He was alone, kneeling there.
But it was like a massive army.
Everyone knew that something terrible had happened.
The sky is about to fall.
...
Inside the Taiji Hall.
The air is greasy.
The scent of camphor, mixed with the musty smell of the officials' robes and the stale, rusty smell of power itself, created a nauseating aroma that could pickle a person alive.
Emperor Tang Tai sat at the very top of that greasy, fragrant place.
He looked down at the ministers below, heads bowed, silent, like a flock of quails, his face expressionless.
He knew what they were waiting for.
They were waiting for him to get angry.
He'll drag that arrogant brat who dared to openly challenge his imperial authority in here, beat him half to death, and then throw him into the imperial prison.
He really wanted to do that.
When he was awakened from his sleep by that damned drumbeat, and when the guards reported Tang Pu's actions to him word for word, his first thought was to kill him.
To openly challenge his decree.
For a woman.
This is a slap in the face to him.
It was in the loudest and most humiliating way that his face, the face of the supreme ruler, was pressed to the ground and rubbed repeatedly.
"His Majesty!"
The first to jump out was the British public.
His usually well-maintained face, bearing a touch of old-fashioned aristocratic reserve, was now a deep purplish-red. His beard trembled slightly with rage.
"Prince Tang Pu of Anjun has shown utter contempt for the imperial majesty and acted in absurdly! For his own selfish gain, he has disregarded the emperor's grace and committed this heinous act in front of the palace gates! This act not only humiliates my Duke of Ying's mansion, but also... it puts the face of the royal family in utter disgrace!!"
He knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to severely punish this scoundrel! To uphold the law of the land! To serve as a warning to others!!"
His words were like a powder keg ignited.
British officials from the Duke's faction stepped forward one after another, and with great sorrow and indignation, began to list Tang Pu's crimes.
"Your Majesty! This trend must not be allowed to continue! If he dares to disregard the imperial edict for the sake of a woman today, he will dare to hold military power for the sake of a city tomorrow!"
"This boy's wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious!"
The Second Prince, Tang Jingming, stood in the queue, head bowed, but a cold, malicious smile, almost impossible to suppress, curled at the corners of his mouth.
His henchmen behind him immediately understood.
An imperial censor immediately jumped out, his voice sharp as if scraping iron.
"Your Majesty! I believe this matter is far from solely the fault of Prince An!" His gaze, like a venomous snake, swept over the officials from the Crown Prince's faction standing opposite him. "Prince An and the Cui family have a very close relationship, which is common knowledge! During this snow disaster in the northern border, the Cui family provided funds, and Prince An's residence provided personnel, ostensibly for disaster relief, but in reality... to win over the army! Now, this farcical 'bride-snatching' has unfolded. Behind this, is it possible that the Cui family and Prince An's residence have long been colluding, forming cliques for personal gain, with ulterior motives? I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!!"
"Forming cliques for personal gain and harboring ulterior motives."
The eight characters, like eight towering mountains, crashed down with a deafening roar.
The air in the entire Taiji Hall seemed to freeze.
This is no longer just an absurd marriage proposal farce.
This is a life-or-death political frame-up.
Crown Prince Tang Jingcheng stood there, feeling a fine layer of cold sweat break out on his back. Looking at his nominal "ally" kneeling outside, for the first time, he felt an urge to kill.
idiot!
Utter idiot!
Are you helping the Cui family? You're dragging the Cui family, and our entire Eastern Palace, into an abyss of no return!
The emperor's gaze slowly swept over the faces of those who were shouting, angry, and gloating.
Finally, he spoke.
The sound was as calm as a frozen lake.
"Summon Tang Pu to an audience."
...
When Tang Pu entered the Taiji Hall, he was like a proud lion walking into a slaughterhouse, refusing to lower its head.
He didn't look at anyone.
His gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on the high dragon throne, which was enveloped in a golden glow.
"Your humble servant Tang Pu pays his respects to Your Majesty."
He knelt down, his voice booming, showing not a trace of self-awareness as a "criminal official."
"A traitor?" The emperor looked at him, a cold, emotionless smile curving his lips. "You still know you're a traitor?"
"Your subject knows his crime." Tang Pu raised his head, his blood-red eyes showing no fear, only a burning flame that bordered on obsession. "Your subject has disobeyed the imperial edict, and deserves to die ten thousand times. But your subject has no regrets."
"What a fine 'No Regrets'!" The emperor laughed, a soft laugh that seemed to lower the temperature of the entire hall even further. "Then tell me, what face do you, a 'No Regrets' person who deserves to die, have to stand in this Taiji Hall?"
"Because I, your subject, must plead for a marriage on behalf of the country!"
Tang Pu's voice was firm and resounding.
The entire court was in uproar.
"A marriage proposal for the country?" The emperor seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "You're stealing someone else's fiancée, and it's for the country?"
"Yes!" Tang Pu replied without hesitation. "Your Majesty, you know better than I what kind of person Miss Cui Yunshu is! She possesses extraordinary talent and unparalleled wisdom! Her method of establishing 'Yunjian Pavilion' and running a 'company' has brought more wealth to our Great Qin in just one year than the Ministry of Revenue has achieved in ten years! With a few simple tricks, she was able to relieve the siege of 100,000 troops in the northern border! Such an extraordinary woman is a national treasure! She is a treasure bestowed upon our Great Qin by Heaven!"
His voice grew increasingly impassioned, as if he were reciting a manifesto he knew by heart.
"But Your Majesty, you intend to betroth her to the Duke of Ying's family! To let her marry into that kind of secluded mansion, to learn how to be a good wife and mother, to manage the mundane affairs of daily life! To let her talents be slowly worn away in the intrigues and power struggles of the inner quarters! This is casting pearls before swine! This is self-destruction! What good will this do for the country?!"
"Insolence!" The Duke of England trembled with rage. "My Duke of England's mansion has been known for generations of loyal and virtuous officials, yet in your mouth, it has become a despicable place?!"
Tang Pu completely ignored him, staring intently at the emperor on the dragon throne.
"And I, Tang Pu!" He suddenly pointed to himself, "I am unworthy, but I have grown up in the military since childhood, and I have made some minor contributions to expanding territory and protecting the country! I am willing to offer all my military merits of the past twenty years as a dowry, and all the property of my Prince An's Mansion as a gift, to ask for the hand in marriage with Miss Cui Si!"
"Your Majesty, I assure you! If we can have this woman as our wife, we two will surely unite as one! She will build the Maritime Silk Road for our Great Qin, enriching the national treasury; I will build the Great Wall at sea for our Great Qin, wiping out the Japanese pirates! We two are willing to work for Your Majesty and for our Great Qin to usher in an era of lasting peace!!" [7-1]
These words were spoken...
That's so damn true.
Although it's a fallacy.
But it is full of the straightforward, domineering logic of soldiers that is irrefutable.
The entire hall fell silent once again.
Everyone was stunned into a blank by Tang Pu's shocking statement about "snatching a bride for the country."
The emperor looked at him.
I just watched him quietly.
Looking at the young, brave, and unruly general he had personally promoted, he saw a young man who was like a wild wolf.
For the first time, a truly complex emotion flickered in his usually calm eyes.
He thought of his youth.
It seems that there have been times when we acted recklessly, with passion and impulsiveness.
The anger in his heart, at this moment, strangely dissipated somewhat.
Instead, there is a deeper, colder, absolute calmness that belongs to the chess player.
He realized that forcibly killing Tang Pu, or crippling him, would provoke a huge backlash from the military. The Anjun Prince's Mansion's influence in the military was far more deeply entrenched than he had imagined.
But if we simply give in to his wishes, where is his imperial authority? Wouldn't the imperial edict become a joke?
A hot potato.
A hot potato that he himself pushed to the forefront.
for a long time.
for a long time.
The emperor finally spoke slowly.
His voice betrayed no emotion.
"Prince An, I understand your loyalty to the emperor and your love for the country."
"I am aware of the Duke of England's intention to share the nation's burdens."
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of everyone below.
"This matter..."
Everyone held their breath.
"...We'll discuss this later."
Four words, light and airy.
But like four great mountains, they weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
No ruling was made.
There is no definitive conclusion.
He left Tang Pu, the Cui family, the Duke of Ying's mansion, the Crown Prince, and everyone else hanging there.
They were left standing under the unfathomable, scrutinizing gaze of the emperor.
He calmly and effortlessly suppressed a colossal wave.
But everyone knows this is not the end.
This is just the beginning of another, even more terrible, storm.
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