Chapter 28 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Twenty-Eight) The Rebellious Son of a Farmer...
At this moment, the Fifth Prince Xiao Yu, who was sitting in the carriage, slowly opened his eyes. Taking advantage of the fact that the driver was not paying attention, he gently lifted a corner of the carriage to look at the ship. Sure enough, Xiao Chen had gotten him drunk and was planning something. He just didn't know how the top scholar would deal with it.
After returning to the palace, Xiao Yu pretended to have just woken up and mumbled, "Why is Your Highness back in the palace?"
The servants who escorted Xiao Yu back to the palace hurriedly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness is not a good drinker, and the Second Prince was worried that you would catch a cold, so he sent me to bring you back."
"Where is my second brother?" Xiao Yu asked.
"His Highness the Second Prince was delayed for a while, but Your Highness, please rest assured, His Highness the Fifth Prince, His Highness will definitely return before the palace gates are closed," the attendant said.
Xiao Yu nodded, dismissed the servant, and then proceeded to the outside of the Zichen Palace.
"Father, look what your son has brought back for you!" Xiao Yu presented the pair of Tianhuang stone lion paperweights to Emperor Shunyuan, who was sitting on the dragon throne reviewing memorials, as if they were a treasure.
When Emperor Shunyuan saw Xiao Yu approaching, he smiled and put down his pen, saying, "Where did you go to play today? I couldn't find you anywhere in the palace during dinner."
"Dad, didn't I prepare a gift for you? Take a look and see if you like it," Xiao Yu said with a smile.
Emperor Shunyuan accepted the pair of exquisitely crafted Tianhuang stone lion paperweights, his voice softening considerably, "Yu'er, come and sit down."
"Father, your son wouldn't dare." Xiao Yu was taken aback upon hearing this, and stood obediently in place.
"Ah, we are father and son, why bother with these formalities?" Emperor Shunyuan stepped down from the dragon throne, pulled Xiao Yu's arm and pressed him onto the throne, then sat down beside him.
The head eunuch standing nearby was also startled for a moment, but quickly recovered and tactfully closed the gate of the Zichen Palace, then waited outside the gate himself.
"I heard from my men that you went out with your second brother today?" Emperor Shunyuan asked.
"Nothing can be hidden from Father." Xiao Yu lowered her head and whispered.
Emperor Shunyuan straightened his expression and said, "Tell me, what did you and your second brother do?"
“Father, today the officials of the Hanlin Academy held a banquet on a pavilion on the Xiang River. My second brother went there after hearing the news, probably trying to win over some civil officials to his side,” Xiao Yu said.
Emperor Shunyuan nodded. "Then do you know who he's trying to win over?"
"The most outstanding among them are Song Ce, the top scholar in this year's imperial examination, and Qin Wangfu, the third-ranked scholar. Since only the two of them are from humble backgrounds, and Qin Wangfu was originally one of his men, the only one left is Song Ce."
Emperor Shunyuan smiled upon hearing this, "And what about the others?"
"Others? They all have their own powerful backers. If he tries to win them over without proper preparation, he will only make enemies in the end. Father, do you think Second Brother would do such a thing, given his reputation for virtue? I don't think so."
"Excellent!" Emperor Shunyuan clapped his hands and laughed. "Your analysis is excellent. Please continue."
"During the banquet today, Song Ce refused to be served by the beauties. My second brother said that he was being too kind, but my son retorted that he had the heart of a child. My second brother then laughed and brought out a pot of Willow Grove wine to drink with my son."
"Liulin wine, the second prince is really generous." Emperor Shunyuan smiled faintly and asked, "Yu'er, I sent a copy of Song Ce's scroll to each of you. Have you read it? What are your thoughts?"
“Father, Song Ce was able to rise from a poor scholar to become a Hanlin Compiler. He is exceptionally talented. What’s rare is that after he became successful, he did not curry favor with the powerful and wealthy, but still respected and loved his wife. I think this is truly admirable. Father, you have always taught me that if a person is heartless and ungrateful, he will never achieve great things in the world. Therefore, this person is definitely worth employing.”
"I am pleased that you think this way." Emperor Shunyuan patted Xiao Yu's hand. "I have been on the throne for twenty-four years and have been constrained in the court. That is why I have often used people who have no power or influence behind the scenes to break the deadlock. Yu'er, remember this: knowing people and using them well, and making the best use of their talents, is the way to be a king."
"Your son will remember this." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's eyes reddened slightly, and he knelt down to perform a deep bow.
...
Late last night, a shocking secret was uncovered on a private room on a boat by the Xiang River.
The Second Prince of the Dali Dynasty was quite fortunate in love, taking the third-ranked scholar and his younger sister into his harem. In pursuit of excitement, he even left the door to the private room ajar. It was only because a waiter in the building heard the clattering sound of something falling to the ground that he mistakenly entered.
When the servant entered, he found the three people on the bed completely naked, doing such an indecent thing. He couldn't help but scream. By the time he came to his senses, his shouts had attracted a lot of people to the door, including officials from the Hanlin Academy who had come to watch the commotion.
Although it was late at night, the area outside the private rooms on the boats along the Xiang River was bustling with activity. Overnight, rumors spread throughout the capital, though the versions varied and became increasingly erotic and outrageous.
When Xiao Chen regained consciousness, he was extremely worried and furious. He hurriedly sent people to try to suppress the matter, but the Dali Dynasty had not seen such a scandal in the imperial family for a long time. By the next morning, a folk song had even been circulating: "The handsome and dashing scholar, in the dark of night, takes his beloved into the warm hall. Red candles illuminate three figures, sharing a sweet dream with her."
This was not only a scandal for the nobility, but also a scandal for the imperial family. Emperor Shunyuan was furious and stripped the second prince of all his posts in court. He was then confined to the palace for a year to reflect on his mistakes.
Emperor Shunyuan was not so lenient with Qin Wangfu, who had just entered the Hanlin Academy as a third-ranking scholar. Internal strife was a serious crime, so Emperor Shunyuan directly stripped Qin Wangfu of his official position, removed him from the title of third-ranking scholar, sentenced him to three years of penal servitude, and issued a decree that he would never be allowed to hold office again.
As for Miss Qin Shucheng, after regaining consciousness, she attempted suicide but failed. Emperor Shunyuan, mindful that she was a woman and had a repentant heart, ordered the Qin family to set up a small Buddhist shrine for her in their home, and not to mistreat her, but to allow her to spend her life as a vegetarian and chanting Buddhist scriptures to atone for her sins.
The second prince wept bitterly, crying out that he was wronged. Emperor Shunyuan was furious and immediately ordered his men to take him back to the second prince's palace and confine him to his residence.
The day after dealing with the Second Prince, after court, Xia Changlin summoned his advisors to his study in the Xia residence. Once everyone was there, Xia Changlin ordered his servants to guard the outer courtyard and not to come in or disturb him unless summoned.
One of the advisors, surnamed Li, took out a letter from his pocket and said, "Prime Minister, this is an urgent letter from the Second Prince sent through a secret passage. This is the third one already."
Xia Changlin glanced at him indifferently and said, "Mr. Li, let's seal off this secret channel from now on. Now that the Second Prince has lost the Emperor's favor, he has no chance of inheriting the throne. The most important thing for us now is to find a prince to secretly contact and support."
“But… is the Prime Minister going to abandon the Second Prince? We’ve been in a flirtatious relationship with the Second Prince for a long time now, and this is the perfect opportunity to show our loyalty,” Mr. Li said.
"Why do you want to pledge your loyalty to the Second Prince?" A staff member surnamed Sun stood up and asked.
“But of the five princes in the court today, the most outstanding is undoubtedly the second prince. The eldest prince comes from a poor background and was granted a fiefdom at a young age; the third prince is obsessed with construction projects and is mediocre and weak; the fourth prince has foreign blood and is destined to be ineligible for a high position; the fifth prince is kind but too young and has no powerful relatives to support him… It’s hard to guarantee that His Majesty won’t soften his heart and pardon the second prince’s punishment in advance. If we don’t express our stance now, when will we?” Mr. Li argued.
“Soft-hearted?” Sun’s advisor couldn’t help but chuckle. “How could Mr. Li think that way? The Second Prince was born into the royal family; blood ties are the most luxurious thing for him.”
"this……"
“Mr. Li, this is because you can’t see it clearly.” Sun’s advisor waved his hand: “It is true that the Second Prince is capable, but this also shows that he thinks too much and is not easy to control. Even if we help the Second Prince turn the tables, the benefits we can get in the future will definitely be limited.”
"Mr. Sun is absolutely right." Xia Changlin smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this.
"Does Your Excellency mean... that we should find an easy-to-control, unremarkable prince next?" Mr. Li frowned.
"I think the Fifth Prince is very suitable." Mr. Sun paused and said, "Although the Fifth Prince is the son of the Imperial Concubine, his birth mother died early and he has no powerful relatives in the court. Most importantly, the Fifth Prince is still young. If we support him, it will be like sending charcoal in snowy weather. When the Fifth Prince ascends to a high position, it will be the day when the Prime Minister is trusted and relied upon."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Li quickly stepped forward: "Then how should we handle the situation with the Second Prince?"
Xia Changlin: "Now that the Second Prince is imprisoned in the palace, countless eyes in the court are watching him. He certainly wouldn't dare to make any further moves, so Mr. Li can rest assured."
"And these correspondence..."
"Don't worry, Mr. Li," Mr. Sun said with a smile. "The letters between the Prime Minister and the Second Prince are all pre-treated with a secret yellow powder from my family. Unless you apply developing solution, the ink stains will gradually fade away within half a month, leaving no trace."
...
At this moment, the atmosphere inside Xiangkun Hall was heavy, as if it were the eve of a storm.
The Second Prince, Xiao Chen, wore a dark red brocade robe, the gold cloud patterns embroidered on the hem shimmering in the candlelight. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the blank letter in the brocade box, his once dignified face now contorted with rage.
"That Xia Changlin dares to scheme against me! Well done! Very well indeed!" Xiao Chen slammed the brocade box to the ground with a loud "crack," startling everyone in the hall. The palace maids and eunuchs were already kneeling on the ground, too frightened to even breathe.
Liu Shi, the chief eunuch who had served the second prince since childhood, immediately knelt down, his forehead pressed against the ground: "Your Highness, please calm down, Your Highness, please calm down!"
"Go, bring Xie Lin here to me!" Xiao Chen roared.
Liu Shi hurriedly ran outside, but perhaps he ran too fast, and he tripped and fell out of the door just before reaching it. Xiao Chen, seeing this, was furious again: "Idiot!"
Xie Lin was wiping the blade of his sword in the candlelight inside the room. Ever since the scandal on the banks of the Xiang River, the Second Prince had only questioned him several times about the details of sending the Fifth Prince back to the palace that day, and had not summoned him again.
Seeing Liu Shi run over in a panic, saying that the Second Prince was furious and needed to see him immediately, Xie Lin quickly nodded, put away his weapon, and followed Liu Shi all the way to Xiangkun Palace.
Xie Lin strode into the hall with steady steps. Seeing the blank letters scattered on the floor and the kneeling crowd, he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said in a deep voice, "Xie Lin greets Your Highness."
Seeing this, Xiao Chen sneered: "Do you still recognize me as your prince? Where exactly did you go last time by the Xiang River?"
"Your Highness, please calm down. I was ambushed on my way back that day and only woke up the next morning in an abandoned farmhouse." Xie Lin had to repeat himself.
"Very well, very well indeed. Such a coincidence truly exists in the world. Even I, Your Highness, have to believe it," Xiao Chen said sinisterly.
Xie Lin opened his mouth, but the Second Prince was in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen to anything he said. Xie Lin knelt on the ground and touched his forehead to the ground, saying, "Your Highness, please calm down. What can I do to earn your trust again? If Your Highness needs my help in any way, I will do my best, even if it means facing death."
"Good!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's anger subsided somewhat. "Xie Lin, these blank sheets of paper contain Xia Changlin's handwritten letters. Go and investigate what tricks he used to make these words disappear! Also, find out where Song Ce was at the time and whether he was involved! If it weren't for trying to win him over, I wouldn't be in such a predicament. How hateful! Utterly hateful! You've been with me for ten years and three months now. I hope you won't disappoint me this time. Go!"
"Yes, Your Highness, you can rest assured. I will take my leave."
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Author's Note: I'm getting desperate, almost to the point of self-destruction! Thank you for adding this to your favorites QAQ~ Your comments are my motivation to keep writing, love you all~
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