Chapter 128 Stormy Waves
The Fourth Prince led the Second Prince and the Prince of Jin, and after consultation with the ministers, the posthumous title of the late emperor was determined. It was proposed to be Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozheng Kuanren Chengxin Daxiao Zhichenghuai, and his temple name was Sejong.
Emperor Huai was given a neutral posthumous title, neither a good nor a bad one, so it was pretty good.
Sejong is also a beautiful title for a ruler who maintains the status quo.
The ministers originally did not want to give Emperor Kangcheng (Kangcheng was the reign title) a temple name.
Monarchs with temple names can enjoy offerings and sacrifices from future generations, but this does not mean that all monarchs are eligible. It is determined based on the monarch's life, and only monarchs with great contributions and worthy of future generations can be entitled to this title.
Because Emperor Kangcheng ordered so many ministers to be buried with him before his death, the ministers were all dissatisfied.
Before the Da Li Dynasty, only seven monarchs in a dynasty were eligible for temple names. Emperor Kang Cheng was the eighth emperor of Da Li, and his temple name had already been used up. Opposing ministers used this as an excuse.
Lü Desheng was furious when he heard this. How could this be allowed? Rules are fixed, but people are alive. Temple names are crucial; they have replaced posthumous titles, serving as the final word on a deceased emperor. Wouldn't denying Emperor Kang Cheng a temple name be a denial of everything he did?
For the sake of a temple name, Lü Desheng debated with many scholars, recounting the life of Emperor Kang Cheng, saying that although he had no merits, he had also worked hard. During his 28 years on the throne, he did not allow the country to split, nor did he let the people rise up...
The fourth prince thought of the will in Lu Desheng's hand, and finally made the decision to give the late emperor the temple name of Emperor Taizong.
After this matter was settled, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but think too much about the will in Lu Desheng's hand. Did the Emperor really distrust him so much? Did he actually leave a will to control him?
Before leaving the palace, Lü Desheng went to the main hall to burn a stick of incense for Emperor Kang Cheng and told him his posthumous title and temple name. He thought to himself: Your Majesty, I have done all I can for you. From now on, I probably won't be able to serve you at your beck and call anymore.
In a dilapidated courtyard in a remote alley somewhere in Chang'an City.
"Manager Chen, is there another job?" A young male voice sounded.
Manager Chen whispered, "This is a big job."
"Great! We haven't had much to do since that last spat with the Zhao family. The brothers and the ladies down there are all a bit bored." After saying this, he changed the subject, "By the way, who is Master Lu going to target this time?"
Manager Chen: "I'm telling you, this time we're not in a fight with the superiors, you should do this..."
The other party nodded while listening.
"Fight quickly and decisively, and don't linger on afterwards. Do you understand?"
"clear."
After Manager Chen finished speaking, he handed over a bag of silver.
The other party was surprised to find that in addition to the silver, there were also some finger-sized gold ingots. "Isn't this too much silver?" Even if they had to spend some of the bribes, plus their wages, there was still more. It was almost twice their usual wages.
"Take it. You won't be able to make a living for a long time. Divide the money among your subordinates. If possible, let them get married and have children. Don't waste it all."
So, that night, a rumor was vaguely spread in the home of an official in Chang'an City, saying that the fourth prince Song Mo, who was not the legitimate son, the eldest son, or the most virtuous, was able to surpass the second prince, the third prince, and the prince's son to become the successor written in the will of Emperor Shizong, and Xie Zhan played an indispensable role in this.
It was he who plotted to kill the crown prince, giving the fourth prince the opportunity to succeed to the throne.
The reason why the late emperor took so many people with him before his death was to find the mastermind who had plotted to kill the prince.
Of course, this rumor was fabricated by Lu Songli. She knew the truth wasn't like that. But what did it matter? She didn't care about the truth; she just wanted to pin the blame on him. This was a crucial time for Emperor Kangcheng's funeral, and palace secrets like this were the most eye-catching. The more explosive the words, the better. Xie Zhan wasn't innocent, anyway.
As the saying goes, it takes only one mouth to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of effort to refute it. What she wanted was for Xie Zhan to be unable to defend himself. Those who knew the truth knew the truth, but they would also re-examine Xie Zhan's role in it.
Otherwise, it's useless to say that Xue Huaimin was the culprit who killed the crown prince, and Xie Zhan just took advantage of it, pushing Xue Huaimin out to vent Emperor Kang Cheng's anger. Excessive explanation is pointless. Brain-burning! It's better to be simple and straightforward like this.
******
The Zhao family narrowly escaped disaster. When Zhao Wenkuan heard that the Qin family had been confiscated and exiled, and that everyone was now in prison, he exclaimed, "God has mercy on us, and the late emperor is wise!"
It was right! Everything my daughter said was right! Although there had been some hiccups along the way, and a few members of the Xie family had died, it didn't matter. The Xie family would still be a powerful family that had endured two dynasties. For a moment, Zhao Wenkuan felt a sense of certainty, like the outcome of a bet finally revealed, and he had finally won.
Zhao Yutan was also in a good mood. The Qin family was imprisoned and exiled! She could finally avenge her brother. Pingzhou, right? Lu Songli, you can't go to Pingzhou.
Thinking of Qin Sheng, who has extremely high fighting power, Zhao Yutan decided to go back to the Yue family.
This time, she also wanted to let Lu Songli experience the feeling of being kicked when she was in trouble.
Zhao Wenkuan was very moved by his daughter's request and wanted to do it himself.
Although the Zhao family escaped danger by burying the minister, Zhao Wenkuan was frightened.
He drew a lesson from this: a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind: the protruding rafters will rot first. If he had been active recently, he would have been taken away. He was able to survive thanks to his recent silence.
So he learned to think twice before he acted. Could he not do it? If he had to do it, could he do it later? If not, could he let someone else do it?
Got it! I heard that Wu Yuchun, the Minister of Finance who was in charge of confiscating the Qin family's property recently, was very upset because the amount of property he confiscated was quite different from the total assets of the Qin family.
So, at nightfall, Zhao Wenkuan found an opportunity to invite Wu Chunyu to a brothel for a drink, and even gave her some advice during the meal.
Imperial Palace
"Fourth Prince, in the prison, the second daughter of the Lu family, Lu Songli, sent a message saying that she wants to talk to you."
"What can this prince have to discuss with her?" Song Mo suddenly had an idea. "Send someone to ask Lu Desheng what he wants to say about his daughter's meeting with this prince."
Not long after, the person he sent came back and told him that Lu Desheng said it was up to him whether to talk or not.
Hearing this, Song Mo knew what was going on. It was up to him whether to discuss it or not, but whether to produce the will or not was up to him.
"Your Highness knows about this." As long as Lu Desheng was willing to give in, the Fourth Prince decided to find time to meet Lu Songli.
It's not like he hadn't sent people to the Lu family to look for the will, but he sent three waves of people, searching the Lu family's house thoroughly, especially his study and bedroom, but still couldn't find it. Frankly speaking, his people probably knew where some things were kept better than Lu Desheng himself.
The next day, Xie Zhan heard from the Dali Temple's messenger that Wu Chunyu had found him and wanted to use him to force him to tell him the whereabouts of the Qin family's property in prison.
Xie Zhan pondered for a moment. The Fourth Prince's biggest headache right now was to get the ministers holding the two edicts to produce them in order to restore their positions.
At present, one is known, and it is most likely in Lu Desheng's hands.
As for the other will, the Fourth Prince has already sent people to investigate. It is possible that the ministers who had private audiences with Emperor Sejong before his death were holding the will, and they are currently being investigated.
What Xie Zhan didn't know was that their people were still investigating, but Lu Songli vaguely guessed who had the other will.
Xie Zhan, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how to get Lu Desheng to hand over the will.
It is very difficult to force him, as he directly said that he has no will. Don't forget that the Lu family still has a golden medal of immunity from death.
But it's impossible to reason with him. He is the censor, a famous troll in the court. No one can surpass him when it comes to reasoning with others.
The Fourth Prince has hinted at bribery, but the other party remains unmoved.
This was a real headache. After careful consideration, Xie Zhan decided he had to resort to coercion. He could start with the Qin family, or rather, Lu Songli.
Now, Wu Yuchun's interrogation of the Qin family might not be entirely in line with the rules, but it's still a viable option. Let's give it a try.
"Let Meng Xinliang cooperate with the other party."
Xie Zhan was still planning how to help the Fourth Prince ascend the throne legitimately and without dispute, but he was completely unaware that a huge crisis had already arrived.
Someone had secretly stirred up a turbulent tide, waiting for the right moment to devour him. Not only would it not annihilate the Xie clan, but it could also wipe out generations of their hard work.
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