"brute!"
When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince walked into the hall, he was greeted with a roar of curse and then was hit on the head with an inkstone.
This time, for the first time in his life, he avoided the objects thrown by the emperor.
He knelt on the ground and said, "I don't know what I have done wrong. Please enlighten me, Father."
This time, and for the first time in nearly twenty years, I no longer felt so nervous and cautious.
When he was ready for the worst, everything seemed to click. Without desire, one is strong, and naturally, there is no need to be afraid.
It's a really great feeling to not be afraid of anything.
Why hadn't he realized this in the past?
Why had he been afraid in the past?
Fear of being ruined, humiliated, and dying.
Now he is not afraid of being abolished, nor of death, but of nothing.
As for losing face, hasn't he lost face enough in these years?
He had become the laughingstock of the entire capital, the most ridiculous crown prince of all time. Wasn't that shameful enough? I was afraid it would even be recorded in the history books.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince lowered his head, pulled the corners of his mouth together, and smiled at himself.
He laughed at his own stupidity. Why did he only figure out these truths today?
All those brothers took a fancy to the position where he was sitting now.
But who knows how torturous this position is, forcing a person to become neither human nor ghost.
The emperor pointed at the prince and angrily shouted, "Look at what you have done! I placed my trust in you, yet you forced the people to rebel against me. Do you still have the nerve to be the prince?"
My people are now starving and poorly clothed. Every day, people hang themselves or sell their children just to survive.
Yet you have denied them a way to survive. You have not opened the granaries, provided disaster relief, repaired the canals, or allowed the victims to beg for food. You intend to starve the people of the entire county to death.
Now the entire Xinfeng County is on the verge of rising up, waiting for someone to raise their voice. My kingdom has been lost to you, a beast."
The emperor threw the inspector's memorial in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince held up the memorial and listened to the emperor's angry curses. His expression changed drastically and he couldn't believe it.
He opened the memorial with trembling hands. Every sentence was heartbreaking and every word was heartbreaking.
The people of Xinfeng County have been forced into a desperate situation by local officials and are just one step away from rising up in rebellion.
The prince kowtowed and pleaded guilty, "I am terrified. I failed to judge people and caused the disaster today. I deserve the death penalty."
The emperor was furious. "Of course you deserve to die, and your death is not a pity."
The magistrate of Xinfeng County was recommended by the Prince's Secretary Xu, and the Prince also thought he was a good candidate.
So this person was sent to Xinfeng to manage the affairs. Once he made some achievements in government, he would be promoted step by step and would become a powerful force for the Eastern Palace in the future.
Xinfeng has been suffering from drought since last year and it has continued into this year.
The ditches dried up, the crops withered, the farmers had no harvest, the people sold their children, and some simply hanged themselves because they could not survive.
The 200,000 people in Xinfeng County were almost forced into a desperate situation, and they were just waiting for someone to make a call to rebel against the government and the Zhou Dynasty.
Faced with the disaster in Xinfeng, the Xinfeng County Magistrate did not think about disaster relief, but instead tried every means to suppress the local people and block the news.
He also wrote a letter to the Prince's Secretary Xu, asking him to help cover up some of the matter in front of the Prince.
As the magistrate of Xinfeng County, don’t you know what the consequences of doing this will be?
Of course he knew, he knew it better than anyone else.
The reason why he dared to do this was because he had a very famous scapegoat, the prince.
If the people of Xinfeng really rebel and the matter can no longer be concealed, the Xinfeng County Magistrate will be the first to lead the yamen runners and local garrisons to quell the rebellion.
As long as the ringleaders of the rebellion were killed and the spread of the situation was controlled, He Xinfeng County Magistrate would be a hero of the court.
As for the evidence of the government forcing the people to rebel, whether it be human or material evidence, all of it will disappear in the wars to quell the rebellion, leaving nothing behind.
Even if the imperial court sent people to dig deep into Xinfeng, it would be impossible to find evidence that the Xinfeng County Magistrate had committed a crime.
As for inciting the civil unrest, who should be held responsible?
hehe!
Naturally, the prince will take the blame.
Anyway, this is not the first time that the prince has taken the blame, so what’s the harm in doing it again?
As long as the people under them continue to enjoy a good life as usual, that’s enough.
Loyal to the emperor?
It is absolutely impossible to be loyal to the emperor.
To repay the prince's kindness?
Since the prince took the blame for him, he would naturally show some filial piety.
In short, the prince has to take responsibility for everything.
The Xinfeng County Magistrate was busy calculating, but he overlooked an important person, the Inspector General.
He was just a freeloader when he was an inspector, he only ate and did nothing, and he even came up with all kinds of ways to fool people.
He had forgotten that the battle for the throne in the capital was already raging. There was no such thing as an inspector who was just sitting there doing nothing. Even if there was, Minister Wu would force the inspector to show his true abilities.
The inspector made secret investigations and found out everything about Xinfeng before anyone could raise a call.
Minister Wu wrote a letter to Chen Jianzheng in the palace.
After Chen Jianzheng's efforts, the emperor finally remembered Wu Shizhong.
So, Minister Wu personally brought the memorial from the Inspector General to the capital to meet the emperor, determined to put the prince to death.
The emperor prioritized agriculture, and he never imagined that such a devastating natural and man-made disaster would strike Xinfeng County, just a few hundred miles from the capital. Even more terrifying, no one reported the incident for two years.
The emperor vented all his anger on the prince.
He kicked the prince over.
"You beast! How could I have given birth to a beast like you? Are you even worthy of being a human? They are my people, and yours as well. Yet you allow your officials to harm my people, which is tantamount to harming my country. Based on this alone, you are unworthy of being the crown prince."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince kowtowed and apologized, "Your Highness, I have failed to supervise you. I am guilty. Please punish me, Father."
"Go away, go away and reflect on your actions. I will come back to deal with you later."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince kowtowed to express his gratitude.
An eunuch came up to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, please come this way."
The prince stood up, looked at the malicious eunuch, and left the hall calmly.
He was imprisoned in a dilapidated side hall, with only Fang Shaojian by his side.
The weather was hot, but inside the side hall there was bitter wind and rain.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was sweating profusely, but he had no intention of changing his clothes.
He sat at his desk with a frown on his face.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke, "Lord Xu must know a lot about what happened in Xinfeng, right?"
Fang Shaojian bowed and said, "There is nothing going on in the Eastern Palace, inside and outside the court, that Master Xu doesn't know."
The Crown Prince chuckled, "No wonder you all say I don't know people well. Now it seems that I'm not just bad at judging people, I'm blind. Lord Xu knew everything that happened in Xinfeng, but he concealed it. What was he thinking?"
Fang Shaojian said emotionlessly, "They're a bunch of people who are just hoping for the best. They're counting on you, the Crown Prince, to take the blame while they line their pockets, seize the opportunity to make a killing, and finally get away with it."
"Really? So in their eyes, I have no choice but to take the blame."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince laughed at himself, "Isn't it too late for me to know the truth now?"
Fang Shaojian shook his head, "You haven't forgotten yet. Your Highness is still the Crown Prince. Your Highness can issue an edict to sentence all the officials of the Eastern Palace to death. Even if they were all killed, not a single one of them would be innocent."
His Royal Highness's expression changed, "Is there really no one innocent?"
Fang Shaojian nodded affirmatively, "That's right."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince laughed heartily, "I truly am unworthy of the position of Crown Prince. If I had inherited the throne, I'm afraid the entire world would have been ruined by my misfortune. It's a pity that I've only just seen the truth. My mother advised me earnestly, but why didn't I listen to a single word?"
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince regrets his decision.
Fang Shaojian sighed in apology.
If I had regretted my decision five years ago, everything would have been possible.
If I had regretted it two years ago, it would still be in time.
If I had regretted my decision a year ago, I would still have had a chance to turn the situation around.
It’s too late to regret now, everything is too late.
Fang Shaojian felt sorry for Queen Cui Ruizhen, but he could do nothing about it.
After so many years of accumulation, His Majesty has completely given up on the Crown Prince.
As soon as the Xinfeng incident is dealt with, an order will be issued to depose the crown prince.
Fang Shaojian stared at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with a sharp gaze. "Your Highness, as long as you are determined, everything is still possible."
He rushed to the desk like a dying man trying to grab the last straw.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince remained calm: "What do you want?"
Fang Shaojian lowered his voice and said, "Everything is going according to plan."
"Yeah?"
The prince lowered his head and smiled, without commenting.
However, Fang Shaojian had already made up his mind to implement the plan.
This night is very long.
Inside and outside the palace, there were countless people who couldn't sleep.
Late at night, a message was sent from Li Zhaoyi's bedroom.
I don’t know how many people are happy and how many people are worried.
The day gradually brightened, and the result that everyone had been looking forward to finally came.
Inside the palace, many people suppressed their joy and exchanged glances with each other.
After so many years of hard work, the world is finally changing.
The emperor finally made up his mind.
The door of the side hall was opened from the outside.
"Your Highness, please. His Majesty has summoned you."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not slept all night and his eyes were bloodshot.
He changed into a clean dark blue robe and followed the eunuchs to the Zhengyang Palace to meet the emperor.
Fang Shaojian was by his side.
When he arrived at Zhengyang Palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not rush in.
He first looked at the sky, then at the people around him, with many nostalgic expressions in his eyes.
Finally, he set his gaze on Fang Shaojian without saying a word, but everything was implied.
Fang Shaojian's expression changed slightly.
He cried out in his heart: "Empress, I will not let you down. Your Highness, you must buy me some time. I will come to save you."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince walked into the hall calmly to meet his fate.
The emperor looked at the prince, and the father and son looked at each other in silence.
"Since I ascended the throne, I have lived in fear every day, never daring to relax. I hope the Great Zhou will prosper for thousands of years, and therefore, I appointed you Crown Prince and placed high hopes on you. However, you have failed me time and again. I have given you countless chances, but you have only become worse and worse. You are not worthy of being a king."
The Crown Prince bowed and said, "I acknowledge my guilt. I have walked on thin ice every day these past few years, yet I have never been able to fulfill my duty as a king. I have failed myself, the government, and my father. Now I am exhausted. I beg Your Majesty to grant me the death penalty."
The emperor's face twitched as he pointed at the prince and cursed, "Are you trying to force me to death? I won't fall for that."
The Crown Prince raised his head and, for the first time, spoke boldly, "I, your son, would never dare threaten you with death. Rather than leaving my brothers to worry about what to do with me, why not simply give me a cup of poisoned wine and let me end my life?"
The emperor was furious and overturned the table, causing the teacup to fall and splash tea everywhere.
The prince was not afraid.
The emperor sneered, "Since you want to die so badly, I will grant your wish. I will give you poison, and I will make your life worse than death."
The Crown Prince looked sorrowful. "Father, do you still hate me so much even now? Could you please offer me the kind words of comfort you did twenty years ago?"
The emperor's eyes changed, "What do you want to do now?"
The prince smiled sadly, "I've often thought of my childhood recently. Father personally taught me how to write and gave me his first education. It's a pity that I can never go back."
The emperor seemed touched.
At this time, a eunuch brought tea.
The prince looked at the eunuch, who lowered his head and avoided his sight.
The prince's heart moved, but he said nothing.
The emperor picked up the teacup, but was in no hurry to drink.
The prince suddenly said, "Father, could you please give me a cup of tea?"
The emperor said sternly, "Give the prince a cup of tea."
"Your Majesty, I want to drink the tea in your hand."
"How dare you! Do you want my throne too?"
"I dare not."
The emperor picked up the teacup and drank it in one gulp.
There was shock, fear, and uneasiness in the prince's eyes.
However, the emperor was safe and sound, and the imagined poisoning scene did not occur.
The prince was shocked and confused, wondering if he had seen it wrong.
At this time, a eunuch was kneeling on the ground picking up the scattered documents and ink.
One of the eunuchs squatted on the ground, with a metallic luster flashing in his hand.
The prince was shocked, "Father, be careful!"
He took a few steps forward and stood in front of the emperor.
However, the eunuch had already taken out the dagger from his arms and stabbed it hard into the prince's abdomen.
The next second, the ordinary-looking eunuch bit himself to death with poison, spitting out black blood, and fell to the ground, no longer breathing.
Inside the hall, everyone was in a panic and ran to the emperor and surrounded him.
"Catch the assassin, catch the assassin!"
The prince grasped the handle of the dagger, leaned against the table, and slowly fell down.
Blood slowly flowed out of the wound.
Every time he took a breath, he felt pain in his chest and it was extremely difficult. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked at the roof. He must be dying.
The dagger was poisoned; he was dead.
Unexpectedly, Fang Shaojian did not arrange poisoning, but arranged an assassination.
Yes, it’s not that easy to poison someone.
I don’t know how many times a cup of tea has to go through before it is delivered to my father.
The only way to avoid detection is to hide the dagger on your body. As long as you get close to your father, you will have the opportunity to assassinate him.
Young Supervisor Fang, ah, Young Supervisor Fang, I have saved you once.
This time, if you can survive, run for your life. Don't stay in the capital.
"Doctor, call the doctor quickly."
The emperor pushed everyone aside and came to the prince.
He personally lifted the prince's head and said solemnly: "I ordered people to rescue you, so you cannot die."
The prince shook his head slightly and said with difficulty, "Father, Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask of you."
"you say."
"I beg you, Father, to spare my wife and children and allow them to live."
The emperor nodded solemnly, "I approve. Where is the imperial physician? Why hasn't he come yet?"
The emperor roared, and the palace maids hurriedly urged him on.
The entire hall was filled with people.
The prince used all his strength to reach out and grab the emperor's sleeve, "Father, I have something to ask of you."
"Speak! I promise you everything."
The Crown Prince said with some difficulty, "I have always been fond of the officials of the Eastern Palace. I beg Your Majesty to grant your permission to bury all officials of the Eastern Palace above the rank of seventh with you, so that I, your son, may also hear the teachings of the sages every day in the afterlife."
Everyone's expression changed.
The emperor's expression was solemn, and he looked at the crown prince with a responsible look. "Okay, I promise you. All officials of the Eastern Palace above the seventh rank will be buried with him. No one will be spared."
The prince smiled and used up his last bit of strength to say, "Your Majesty, I bow to you and thank you. Now that I am gone, Your Majesty will not have to worry about it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the prince took his last breath.
He died with his eyes open.
The emperor suddenly felt a pain in his heart, raised his hand, and closed the prince's eyes himself.
The prince was smiling when he died.
The emperor looked very sad and kept holding the prince tightly.
Everyone in the hall saw this scene, and no one dared to persuade them.
The imperial physician arrived late and could only kneel down to apologize.
Upon hearing the news, civil and military ministers and royal family members rushed over.
Everyone was shocked when they saw this scene.
The prince is dead?
The prince is dead!
The prince died while blocking the assassin for the emperor.
What should I do?
Minister Wu knelt on the ground and was filled with hatred when he saw this scene.
All these years of planning and hard work were ruined by the death of the prince.
The prince died for a good cause and at the right time.
He looked towards Chen Jianzheng.
Chen Jianzheng waved his fingers slightly.
The prince's death fulfilled the father-son relationship between him and Your Majesty, and the emperor was moved.
The prince's move was truly brilliant.
Which expert gave the prince guidance?
There are many ways for a person to die.
The prince wisely chose the most valuable way to die.
Minister Wu and others were left with nothing to do.
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