Chapter 72 The Eldest Princess is Ill
The news that the eldest princess was ill was truly earth-shattering.
It should be noted that this princess has had almost no injuries or illnesses in the eighteen years since her birth.
When she was a child, smallpox ravaged the palace, and most of the princes and princesses fell ill, but she remained unharmed.
Last winter, during a heavy snowfall, she played ice hockey for three hours in just a thin layer of clothing, and the next day she still went to court on time, looking as usual.
There have long been rumors among the people that the eldest princess was not an ordinary person at all, but a celestial being descended to earth with a divine body, which is why she was immune to all diseases.
But now, she's actually sick.
The Emperor was extremely anxious. For three consecutive days, he sent seven imperial physicians to the princess's residence to examine her. He also personally bestowed upon her a calming luminous pearl and ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare nourishing soups for her every day. However, the news that came back to the palace was always that "there has been no improvement."
When the news reached the imperial court, even the old ministers who had previously harbored resentment towards Li Yuanzhao and felt sorry for Liu Jinzhang felt a pang of pity.
The topic was being discussed even on the streets.
"She must be heartbroken because of what happened to Grand Tutor Liu!" The old man selling tofu pudding murmured to a customer as he ladled out the soy milk. "Grand Tutor Liu was her mentor. He taught her hand in hand for so many years. Their bond was stronger than that of a father and daughter. Now that her teacher has died tragically, who could bear it?"
"That's right! I heard that when the Princess learned of the news, she personally sent people to put out the fire." A peddler carrying a load on his shoulder chimed in, his tone full of sighs. "And when he heard that the Grand Tutor had died, he vomited blood on the spot and couldn't get up the next day after returning home."
Over the years, rumors about Princess Li Yuanzhao have always been polarized, with both praise and criticism.
The criticisms were that she, as a woman, interfered in politics and seized power, and was arrogant, extravagant, licentious, and utterly corrupt. These were all said to be private matters between men and women, and were mostly fueled by pedantic old ministers who disapproved of her.
The commendable aspect is that the eldest princess has genuinely done many good deeds for the people over the years, personally overseeing flood control efforts, reforming the imperial examination system, and reducing taxes...
These tangible benefits earned her the respect and admiration of many impoverished people, especially compared to the Second Prince, who spent his days indulging in cockfighting and dog racing.
And so, she has fallen ill.
The rumors about the second prince murdering the eldest princess's tutor in order to seize the throne spread even further.
"Grand Tutor Liu is a good man, and the Eldest Princess is a good man too. That Second Prince, for the sake of the throne, even harms good people. He's utterly despicable!"
"That second prince burned the Grand Tutor's entire family alive; he's so heartless!"
What were originally just baseless rumors gradually became "conclusions" amidst the people's indignation, and could be heard everywhere in the streets and alleys, no matter how hard Cui Xiang wanted to suppress them.
Just then, the case took a new turn.
The servant boy named Shizhu from the Liu family was interrogated several times, but he always insisted that it was the Second Prince Li Yuanyou who wanted to murder the Grand Tutor.
Even more puzzling is Qi Sheng, the eunuch serving the Second Prince. He initially claimed that he had nothing to do with the Second Prince, but when he was summoned for questioning by the Dali Temple, his testimony suddenly reversed.
When asked at first whether the Second Prince had instructed him to add something to the items, he hesitated and avoided eye contact.
Then, as if unable to withstand the torture at the Dali Temple, he confessed everything in one go.
He confessed with tears streaming down his face that the Second Prince, upon hearing that Liu Jinzhang had offended the Eldest Princess, was indignant and wanted to vent his anger for the Eldest Princess. In a moment of impulse, he secretly sent him to end Liu Jinzhang's life.
He even explained in detail how he poisoned the animals and when he set the fire.
He frankly stated that his original intention was to burn the entire Liu family of four to death in a fire, so that no one would notice anything unusual.
Unexpectedly, the servant of the Liu family happened to be delivering a message to the Princess's residence, thus escaping disaster, which led to the exposure of the matter.
Based on his confession, the people from the Dali Temple immediately went to search the Second Prince's bedroom and found a large amount of saltpeter and kerosene in a secret compartment in a side room.
After comparison, the composition was found to be exactly the same as that of the accelerants remaining in the ruins of the Liu family fire.
What was originally vague evidence was suddenly confirmed.
Qi Sheng was the Second Prince's personal attendant; what testimony could be more compelling than his?
Upon hearing this in his residence, Cui Shiliang was so angry that he smashed his teacup on the ground.
He never expected that this person would dare to betray him right under his nose, so he quickly ordered someone to bring Qi Sheng's sister over.
The servant obeyed and left, but soon returned in a panic, his face pale: "Prime Minister... Prime Minister, Qi Sheng's sister... passed away half a year ago."
Cui Shiliang was stunned: "Gone? How did it disappear?"
"Yes... he hanged himself," the servant stammered. "I heard... he couldn't bear Ninth Master's abuse and hanged himself in the woodshed at night. Ninth Master was afraid you would blame him, so he didn't dare to make a sound and secretly had someone throw the body... the body into the dog farm..."
"Damn it!" Cui Shiliang slammed his fist on the table, his anger rising to his head. "Why didn't you report such a big matter sooner?!"
The servant was so frightened that he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, explaining, "Your Excellency, please calm down! This... this kind of thing has happened before. When the concubines and maids in the manor made mistakes, Ninth Prince would punish them, and you always turned a blind eye, saying, 'Family scandals should not be aired in public'... So this time, we didn't dare to say anything..."
Cui Shiliang staggered back a step and steadied himself by holding onto the table.
He finally became convinced that he and the Second Prince had indeed been set up.
Qi Sheng was probably already in cahoots with the person behind him, and he had been enduring this for so long in order to avenge his sister.
But now, he can't do anything to Qi Sheng.
Qi Sheng was imprisoned in the Imperial Prison of the Dali Temple.
Although he was the prime minister of the court, he had no right to bypass the Dali Temple to directly interrogate the suspects, let alone carry out private torture.
Even if he disregarded everything and sent assassins to the imperial prison to "deal with" Qi Sheng, what difference would it make?
That would only provide more concrete grounds for accusations.
Perhaps the person behind it is waiting for him there.
At this time, public resentment was also rising, and people were demanding that the emperor severely punish the second prince and uphold justice for Grand Tutor Liu.
In the imperial court, a group of young officials took the lead in petitioning the emperor to heed the will of the people and not to tolerate such behavior.
Their words were earnest, and every sentence revolved around "public opinion" and "fairness," leaving the old ministers who wanted to defend the second prince speechless.
The emperor wanted to show favoritism, but the current situation prevented him from showing any favoritism whatsoever.
Li Yuanzhao had been ill and had not attended court for half a month, so he missed all the excitement.
She was leaning against the soft couch, her dark hair loosely tied up and secured with a single jade hairpin.
Only the deep crimson at the corner of his lips betrayed a complexion that seemed incongruous with his frail health.
Being sick is, of course, just an excuse.
What she needs to do now is to stay away from the conflict and put herself in the role of a victim.
She made everyone believe that the death of Grand Tutor Liu and the incident involving the Second Prince had nothing to do with her.
She wanted everyone to think that she was just a pitiful person who had lost her mentor and was now suffering from a deep sorrow.
Su Qingci stood before the couch, still in his official robes, reporting on the events in the court.
"...This morning at court, seven officials jointly submitted a memorial requesting His Majesty to transfer Prince Cheng to the Three Judicial Offices for joint trial. Several ministers tried to defend Prince Cheng, but were rendered speechless by Wang Li and several other newly promoted censors."
"The people are now filled with grievances. I heard that today some people have spontaneously gone to the Dengwen Drum to appeal their grievances, knelt outside the palace gates and cursed the King of Cheng for his wolfish ambitions, and shouted themselves hoarse to demand that His Majesty punish him severely to comfort the spirit of Grand Tutor Liu in heaven."
Li Yuanzhao unconsciously tapped his knee with his fingertip. "Is there any movement from the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"
"The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has compiled Qi Sheng's testimony into a book as you wished, and submitted it to the Emperor along with the confession of the servant boy from the Liu family."
Su Qingci said, "It is said that after His Majesty read it, he sat in Yanying Hall for an hour without even announcing dinner."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao's smile deepened.
The play is finally coming to an end.
Ever since her last assassination attempt on her father failed, she had come to a complete understanding.
Since the best opportunity for that risky path has already been missed, it can never be taken again.
While fighting with swords is certainly direct, defeat can lead to utter ruin, leaving no chance of recovery.
Moreover, even if he succeeded in the assassination, he would never again have such a good opportunity to control all the court officials and ensure a smooth ascension to the throne.
Now, the only path we can take is a safer one.
That is to make himself the rightful successor as soon as possible, and gain the recognition of his legitimacy from all the important officials in the court and the people of the world.
Only in this way can she take over power without bloodshed if her father were to pass away unexpectedly, stabilize the court as quickly as possible, and leave those people with no room to object.
But how can I make my father choose her?
Naturally, another candidate was chosen; her good younger brother, Li Yuanyou, was kicked out of the game.
To prepare for this day, she mobilized so many people and laid out so many plans.
Her dear brother, please don't let her down.
You could have lived a carefree life as a young master, spending your days in cockfighting, dog racing, and composing poems, leading a peaceful and comfortable life.
Unfortunately, you were born into the royal family and had the title of "only prince".
The struggle for succession has never been a matter of life or death.
If she doesn't make the first move, once you've completely established yourself, it will be Li Yuanzhao and everyone around her who will die.
So please don't blame your sister for being heartless...
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