"What's the rush? Just chatting, anything."
Emperor Wende was cheerful and didn't mind the attitude of deposing Prince Liu Yi of Yan.
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, was just a loser, and his attitude was not important at all to Emperor Wende.
He just wanted to have a chat with the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, and complain about the King of Zhao who had been sentenced to death.
There were some things that Emperor Wende could not say in front of his court officials, his clan members, and his other brothers who were living a comfortable life.
He has to maintain his imperial image.
However, when facing the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, Emperor Wende had no such concerns at all.
He has no imperial baggage and says whatever he thinks.
Time and time again, King Zhao was dragged out and his corpse whipped.
If he did this in the court, he would be known as narrow-minded and intolerant. The person was dead, but he dragged the corpse out again and again to flog it. It was not magnanimous at all.
Deposed King of Yan Liu Yi snorted, "There's nothing to talk about between us."
"Brother, you're wrong. There's a lot we can talk about. Besides, who else would sit here with you face to face and discuss family and national affairs besides me? You've lived here for a few years, don't you feel lonely? Haven't you ever fantasized about being able to leave one day?"
The hand holding the teacup of deposed Yan Wang Liu Yi trembled noticeably. He sneered, "Will you let me out?"
Emperor Wende looked at him with a half-smile, "That depends on your performance."
Liu Yi, the deposed King of Yan, narrowed his eyes. "What do you want? What else do I have that you can take away? My life?"
Emperor Wende shook his head. "I don't want your life. I promised you that I would spare your life, and I won't go back on my word today. My words are golden, and I will keep them."
Deposed King of Yan Liu Yi frowned, "What exactly do you want? I don't believe you would come here to chat with me for no reason."
Emperor Wende smiled. "Back then, when Prince Zhao rebelled, the Jingxi Camp was implicated. Later, the Jingxi Camp was plowed clean like a field, seemingly cleared. Only yesterday did I learn that the Jingxi Camp hadn't been completely cleared. I want to know who else was implicated back then? Royal family, court officials, no one should be left out."
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, burst into laughter.
He smiled for the first time since Emperor Wende arrived. "Are you anxious?"
"I am anxious to kill people."
Emperor Wende uttered these words lightly.
Liu Yi, the deposed King of Yan, chuckled, "You finally couldn't help yourself and decided to go on a killing spree. It's a pity that just rushing to kill people is useless. You also have to know who to kill."
"Then who do you think I should kill?"
Deposed King of Yan Liu Yi sneered, "Why should I tell you?"
Emperor Wende suddenly laughed. "I promised not to kill you, but I didn't promise not to kill your wife and children, or Concubine Shu, or the Shu family. The Shu family is now all keeping to themselves. I don't even need to say a word, just a glance, and someone will do it for me."
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, could no longer laugh.
He gritted his teeth, "That's not what you said back then."
"You're wrong! Back then, I only promised to save your life. The lives of others depend entirely on your cooperation."
Bang!
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, smashed the teacup directly.
Hearing the noise, Chang En was startled and rushed in with his men.
The Imperial Guards drew their swords and pointed them at the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi. With just one order, they would take his head.
Emperor Wende waved his hand. "Everyone, retreat. It's unbecoming to make such a fuss. Clean up the floor and everyone, get out."
Chang En instructed the eunuchs to clean up the floor while bowing and asking, "Your Majesty, please let me serve you. I am worried about your safety."
Emperor Wende glared at him and said, "Get out of the way."
Chang En smiled happily and stood in a corner of the room, keeping a close eye on the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi.
"After all these years, my brother's temper is still as bad as ever. If you have any grievances against me, just say it. Why bother with a teacup? This is not right!"
Deposed King Liu Yi of Yan sneered, "Your Majesty threatened me with the lives of my wife and children, and I can't even smash a teacup."
"Yes, of course! Can just smashing the teacup solve the problem? This time, I'm determined to carry out a major purge. Do you think I can do nothing if you don't tell me? Believe it or not, if you don't cooperate with me, I will purge the Shu family first, and then your father-in-law's family."
"You are shameless!"
Bang!
Emperor Wende slammed the table. "I have worked tirelessly, treading on thin ice, managing the Great Zhou Empire. I dare not slack off for a single day. As a member of the Liu family, you don't help me, but even want to protect traitors. The truly shameless person is you, not me."
"Based on what you've done, when you die, will you have the face to face your ancestors? I'm afraid they will die of shame."
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, trembled all over, his face turned pale, and then he fainted decisively.
"Your Majesty, the deposed King of Yan has fainted." Chang En came to the deposed King of Yan, stretched out his hand and checked the situation.
Emperor Wende snorted coldly, "I didn't expect him to have any shame. He was so angry that he fainted, which means he can still be saved. Wake him up. This matter will not be over until the matter is explained clearly."
Chang En took the order and asked someone to bring cold water, which was poured over Liu Yi's head. Then the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, woke up slowly.
"You're finally awake!" Chang En gave him a chuckle, "Answer your majesty's questions well."
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, gritted his teeth and stared at Chang En with resentment.
Chang En waved his hand, and immediately a eunuch came in, helped the deposed King of Yan Liu Yi up, took off his wet clothes, and changed him into a thick robe.
After he finished cleaning up, Emperor Wende sighed softly, "What can I say to you? If you have any respect for yourself, why do you do such shameless things? You helped me, and when you go to the underworld and meet our ancestors, you will have no regrets, right?"
After the previous coma, the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, seemed to have lost all his energy and spirit.
He said weakly, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I can tell you everything you want to know. But don't get your hopes up. King Zhao was also wary of me back then. There are many things I don't know."
Emperor Wende laughed heartily. "That's all right! Just tell me what you know. How to investigate next is something I need to worry about, not you."
Liu Yi, the deposed King of Yan, glanced at Chang En with disdain and said, "Serve me with the writing brush."
Chang En: "..." A useless person, yet he looks down on him.
snort!
Chang En waved his hand, and the people below prepared the four treasures of the study and placed them in front of the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi.
When Liu Yi, the deposed King of Yan, picked up his pen, it felt as if the pen was weighed down by a thousand pounds.
Finally got to this point.
He smiled bitterly and wrote down the first name.
Then he raised his head and stared at Emperor Wende, "How should Your Majesty thank me?"
Emperor Wende smiled and said nonchalantly, "The environment here is indeed rather harsh. I will instruct the Zongzheng Temple to allow you to stroll outside the courtyard for two hours every day."
Liu Yi, the deposed King of Yan, shook his head. He had handed over a list of names that threatened his life, but in return, he only received this little benefit. It was a huge loss. Well, it would be nice to be able to walk out of the courtyard and stroll around the garden for a couple of hours. At least he could breathe some fresh air.
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, no longer hesitated. He picked up his pen and quickly wrote down the entire list he knew.
A large part of the people on the list died three years ago.
Only a very few people are still alive, and they are living well.
Emperor Wende looked at the familiar list above and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The court is indeed not clean enough." He sighed, his words clearly filled with murderous intent.
Without even raising his head, the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, said, "Once you've secured your position, you've decided to start a massacre, purge the court, and promote your trusted aides. This has always been the case throughout history, throughout every dynasty."
Emperor Wende said unhappily, "Since you know this is the case, stop talking nonsense."
"I just hope you can refrain from killing others. Many of these people are truly talented. It's not easy for the court to train them, and killing one is one less. Furthermore, it was just a matter of a moment's thought that led to their rebellion. Who could have imagined that the King of Zhao would suddenly launch a coup?"
"It's not your turn to question who I want to kill."
The deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, stopped talking.
When he wrote the last name, all the strength in his body seemed to be drained away. He was soaked in sweat inside and out and fell to the ground, unable to get up.
Chang En handed the list to Emperor Wende.
After reading it, Emperor Wende put it in his sleeve.
He stood up and looked down at the deposed King of Yan, Liu Yi, and said, "You'll have to take care of yourself. Perhaps in another ten or eight years, I'll be kind enough to let you go."
Deposed King of Yan Liu Yi chuckled, "Remember what you said today. I'm waiting for you to let me out."
Emperor Wende smiled and said, "My dear brother, be quiet. I will naturally remember the brotherhood between you and me."
After saying this, Emperor Wende didn't even glance at the deposed Prince of Yan, Liu Yi, and simply left with a flick of his sleeves.
He got on the carriage and left the house.
It was quiet when I came, and it was still quiet when I left.
The secret guards hide in the dark to protect and do not show up.
Before he returned to the palace, news from the Jinwu Guards arrived.
Chang En hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, the Jinwu Guards have already obtained a confession. Following the clues, we have obtained a list of names."
"Oh? Where's the list?"
Chang En dictated a list.
The list includes not only Princess Chaoyang, but also two other members of the royal family.
After hearing this, Emperor Wende laughed. "Some people are courting death, and there's nothing I can do. Even though they all have the surname Liu, they've violated the law and must be put to death. Besides, there are quite a few members of the royal family with the surname Liu, and it costs a lot of money and grain to support them every year. Killing them off will save some money and grain."
Chang En smelled a strong smell of blood from the words and shuddered subconsciously.
Emperor Wende kept smiling while speaking, but his words were so cold.
"Inform the Jinwu Guards, and follow the rules. Arrest those who should be arrested, and kill those who should be killed. Do not hesitate."
Chang En bowed his head and accepted the order, then quickly ordered someone to deliver the message.
Emperor Wende looked at the gloomy sky and smiled coldly, "The Jinwu Guards did a good job, getting the list so quickly."
After a pause, he said, "Let's go back to the palace!"
Chang En waved his hand quickly, and the carriage continued to move towards the palace.
…
Outside Princess Chaoyang's mansion, the palace guards resolutely carried out Liu Zhao's orders, besieging the princess's mansion and not allowing anyone or any supplies to enter or leave.
No fresh vegetables to eat?
Sorry, that’s not their business.
Anyway, the Princess's Mansion must have food stored, so they will definitely not starve to death.
As long as I don’t starve to death, it’s fine.
No chicken, duck, fish or meat?
You still want to eat chicken, duck, fish and meat. You are really bold. You should think carefully about what to eat when you get to the imperial prison.
No medicinal materials?
Mind their business!
Bear with it!
"Lawless, absolutely lawless!"
Zhao Chuanming paced back and forth in the room angrily. Because he was too excited, the muscles on his face were pulled and it hurt so much that he almost died.
"Mother, please think of a solution!"
He was really furious, "I just don't believe that those palace guards dared to hit your mother."
Princess Chaoyang frowned, her expression solemn. "The more bitter this palace is now, the sweeter it will be later. Liu Zhao sent people to besiege the princess's mansion, which is truly appalling. I have lived for decades and have never seen a prince more unscrupulous than him.
Just wait, at most in two days, he'll voluntarily withdraw his men. When that happens, I'll go to the palace to file a complaint. I doubt the Empress Dowager and His Majesty will not intervene. If the palace doesn't intervene, I'll go to the Ministry of Personnel and the Imperial Clan Household. With so many members of the Imperial Clan, they won't sit idly by and watch this happen."
Zhao Chuanming frowned, "Mother, do we really have to wait two more days? Otherwise, I'll just lead my men out. With the guards at the Princess's Mansion, I don't believe we can't defeat the guards at the Prince's Mansion."
“Nonsense!”
Princess Chaoyang scolded, "If we fight, even if we were right, we would be wrong. Liu Zhao is wronged now, so what if I suffer two days of grievance? The more grievances I suffer, the more miserable his death will be."
"But Madam Zhao was assassinated. What if..."
Princess Chaoyang interrupted her eldest son and said, "There's no such thing as a surprise. We are all veterans and know what to say and what not to say."
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. The Jinwu Guards are arriving!"
"What?"
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