Chapter 219 The Mystery Unveiled
When he returned to the capital, he found that the struggle between Li Yuanzhao and the Cui family had reached a fever pitch.
To others, this struggle appeared to be a back-and-forth, evenly matched contest.
But in his view, the Cui family is now at its last gasp and is just making a final struggle.
However, amidst a series of events, he suddenly discovered Li Yuanzhao's deeper scheme.
She seems to want to exacerbate the drought, incite a riot among the disaster victims, and cause the Second Prince, who is currently providing disaster relief in Weizhou, to die at the hands of the rioters.
This method was indeed the most direct and effective for her.
With the Second Prince dead, no one will be able to compete with her for the throne, and her path to the throne will be completely unobstructed.
But for these disaster victims, this was undoubtedly a catastrophe!
If a prince were to die at their hands, it would not be a simple riot, but a real treason.
In his fury, His Majesty will surely send a large army to suppress the rebellion.
At that time, these disaster victims, who were already suffering from drought and being used as pawns, will only face death.
He was once again shocked by Li Yuanzhao's cold-bloodedness.
For the sake of power, she was willing to sacrifice the lives of so many innocent people.
But he couldn't just stand by and watch this disaster happen, nor could he allow Li Yuanzhao to stray further and further down the path of power.
In order to prevent all of this from happening, he did not hesitate at all and immediately set off for Weizhou in Hebei Province.
However, none of this happened when he arrived in Weizhou.
The second prince was not dead, the riot was quelled, the disaster victims were properly resettled, and even the follow-up disaster relief work was carried out in an orderly manner.
Even his former servant, Shizhu, became the leader of the mob and was appointed as the Vice Prefect of Weizhou by Li Yuanzhao.
He watched silently from the crowd and suddenly realized that Li Yuanzhao had changed.
She possessed something new, something he had always hoped she would have—a love for the people.
After Li Yuanzhao set off to return to the capital, he went to see Shizhu.
Shi Zhu was shocked by his miraculous return from the dead and kept asking him, "What exactly happened with that fire? Who wanted to kill you? Was it the Second Prince?..."
Instead of answering directly, he asked Shizhu, "If you now know who set the fire, will you still seek revenge?"
Shi Zhu seemed to have subconsciously discovered something, but he was unwilling to believe it.
"I don't know... The old lady and Xiao Cui died so tragically. I should have taken revenge, but..."
Seeing Shi Zhu's conflicted and hesitant expression, he asked again, "Would you like to leave with me? Let's find a safe place and live some peaceful days."
Shizhu hesitated again.
After a moment of silence, she rejected him.
“Young master, I cannot leave. In the past, I also despised the corrupt officials in this world and hated them for harming the people, but at that time I was just a servant and could do nothing. Now the princess has given me an opportunity to truly do things for the people... Although these things are tiring, they make me feel that my life has meaning.”
Hearing this, he smiled.
He told Shizhu, "If that's the case, why dwell on the past? Hatred will only trap you. What you're doing now is more meaningful than revenge."
"You did a good job. I believe you can become a good official and live up to the expectations of the people who need you."
After bidding farewell to Shizhu, he was momentarily at a loss as to where to go.
In this vast world, it seems that he, a "dead man," has nowhere to go.
In the end, he decided to return to the capital with Li Yuanzhao's main force.
He rode alone at breakneck speed, advancing even faster than the main force.
As he passed by the Da Ci'en Temple, he suddenly remembered that he had heard that Li Yuanzhao had erected a longevity tablet for him, his mother, and Xiao Cui.
He then decided to go and take a look.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Li Yuanzhao here.
He hid behind the Buddhist shrine, listening to her speak, and finally understood what "benevolence" meant.
He listened as she told him that she did not regret killing him and would uphold her principles and continue on her path.
At that moment, he suddenly felt relieved.
Isn't this exactly what he's always wanted?
A benevolent monarch who can protect all the people under heaven.
Perhaps, he no longer needs to search for the truth behind it.
"Dying" according to her wishes is the best ending for him now.
However, on his way down the mountain, he saw signs of a bloody battle everywhere.
He instantly realized that someone wanted to assassinate Li Yuanzhao!
Worried about her safety, he followed the trail of blood and signs of a struggle.
But when he finally found the bottom of the cliff, Li Yuanzhao was nowhere to be seen.
Among the corpses strewn all over the ground, he saw Chen Yanqing lying there quietly.
He crouched down and reached out to check his breath.
He is already dead.
He intended to leave just like that, but suddenly he saw that the snow piled up on Chen Yanqing's face had melted into water from his lingering body heat.
The water flowed down his cheeks into the snow, leaving a trail of curled edges wherever it went.
He then noticed that there seemed to be something on Chen Yanqing's face.
After he reached out and peeled off that layer...
All the mysteries were completely solved at this moment.
He had once studied the "Jinghe Grand Canon" and had seen a portrait of Empress Shen in a hidden compartment of the Hongwen Hall.
The face before me is exactly the same as the portrait of Empress Shen!
Why did Li Yuanzhao become abnormal after Chen Yanqing appeared?
Why was Li Yuanzhao so eager to kill his father and seize the throne?
Why did Li Yuanzhao insist on killing him?
The answer is obvious.
The Chen Yanqing before them was the late Empress's biological son, a true prince.
Li Yuanzhao was merely a "fake" who had been replaced by Chen Yanqing.
Li Yuanzhao killed him because she knew that if he knew the truth, he would definitely choose Chen Yanqing over her.
She was right.
He values "orthodoxy"!
It wasn't because of any so-called bloodline, but rather stemmed from a desire for peace and stability in the world.
For all people, it is a matter of course for the son to succeed the father.
The clear and unique blood relationship acts like a stabilizing force, minimizing disputes during power transitions.
Without the backing of blood ties and an illegitimate identity, even the most capable person will find it difficult to gain the recognition of the bureaucracy and the public.
Once their identities are questionable, ambitious individuals will have an excuse to covet them, and various forces will become even more restless. In the end, it is the people of the world who will suffer.
He witnessed too many such tragedies while organizing documents from the previous dynasty at the Hongwen Academy.
Every upheaval requires years or even decades of national strength to quell.
Therefore, upholding orthodoxy is not about sticking to old ways, but about seeking the most stable path for the world.
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