Chapter 86 The Debauchery in the Palace
The emperor ordered his men to capture the male favorites from the prince's residence, but they were unsuccessful.
However, they found Grand Tutor Yao in the dungeon, and also discovered Chu Yannuo.
The two men had been imprisoned for more than three months; they were unshaven and smelled terrible.
General Liu had two people clean it before bringing it into the palace.
Grand Tutor Yao insisted that Han Xi had abused the power of the Regent and committed all sorts of evil deeds, and begged the Emperor to take charge.
He is the emperor's teacher; how could the emperor not be angry?
Chu Yannuo would definitely not betray his cousin; he would only try to pin the blame on Zhou Chuanxing.
He begged the Emperor to grant him justice.
The Emperor, moved by the kindness shown to the Zhou family by Marquis Wu'an, and seeing Chu Yannuo's sallow complexion and emaciated appearance, was filled with pity.
"Alright, you two can go home now."
Chu Yannuo still had a grievance to voice: "Your Majesty, I impeach the Regent for imprisoning my foolish younger sister. I beg Your Majesty to grant this request and have the Regent release my cousin."
Shocks came one after another, but the emperor gradually calmed down.
"What silly little sister?"
Chu Yannuo: "She is my uncle's daughter. Back then, the entire Tang family was executed, leaving only her as a mentally challenged person. She was raised by our Chu family."
He suddenly pointed at Zhou Chuanxing, "He's a beast! He kidnapped my cousin and threatened our manor to work for him. My poor cousin is a silly girl who doesn't understand anything, and he abuses her every day..."
Chu Yannuo wept bitterly, heartbroken.
It seems Zhou Chuanxing really did something to wrong him.
Even Prince Duan couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to defend his second brother, but he received a look of disapproval from his second brother and reluctantly shut his mouth.
He kept male concubines and imprisoned a fool.
The Emperor glanced coldly at Zhou Chuanxing, "You really are my good younger brother!"
No matter what, the two are brothers born of the same mother.
He has a responsibility to educate Zhou Chuanxing.
My poor brother has been leading troops in battles all these years and hasn't received a proper education, so it's understandable that he makes mistakes occasionally.
That's enough, that's enough.
Zhou Chuanxing committed so many heinous crimes that anyone in his position would be sentenced to death.
But the emperor himself managed to calm himself down.
Grand Tutor deserves to die!
Keeping a male lover is no big deal!
Imprisoning an idiot...
Some beasts, what can you do when he's your own brother?
"Alright, I'm tired. You may all leave."
The Empress knew all along that the Emperor would not punish Zhou Chuanxing.
Fortunately, she had prepared a backup plan.
"emperor……"
She crawled on her knees before the Emperor, crying and pleading, "Please, Your Majesty, do justice for my sister, Consort Xian."
Consort Xian was the granddaughter of the Right Chancellor. She was gentle, dignified, intelligent, and beautiful, and was the Emperor's most beloved woman.
Memories kept surfacing in his mind. He had been immersed in the gentle embrace of love for three years. Just thinking about it made the emperor's heart soften.
He's been ill for the past two years, and Consort Xian must have been extremely worried.
Judging from the Empress's words, it seems that Consort Xian has encountered some trouble.
Blood rushed to her head, "What's wrong with her?"
The Empress sobbed intermittently, "The Prince of Qin was worse than a beast. He wanted to take Consort Xian for himself, but she refused, so he... he killed her..."
Zhou Chuanxing could admit to any crime, but he certainly wouldn't admit to defiling the palace.
“Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. I have never even met Consort Xian, how could I possibly have an affair with her?”
The Empress, filled with rage, gritted her teeth and said, "I have evidence."
She waved to the outside of the hall, and soon two beauties ran in crying.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to do justice for me! The Prince of Qin took advantage of my sister and me while we were asleep..."
Both beauties had been favored by the emperor, and now they were crying so hard they were almost breathless.
“The prince threatened my family. When I refused, he threatened to kill my family. For the past six months, he has been staying with me from time to time, saying that the emperor… the emperor is not going to wake up and that I cannot be left alone. He will take the emperor’s place… to favor us.”
"Your Majesty, I was also threatened by him. I have evidence. This is his belt. He left it with me after he humiliated me."
...
After the two beauties falsely accused Zhou Chuanxing, the Right Chancellor arrived with his wife to lodge a complaint.
The Prime Minister's wife held the memorial tablet of the Virtuous Consort, while the Prime Minister presented his daughter's secret letter pleading for help, which pointed directly at Zhou Chuanxing.
The emperor can tolerate anything, but he cannot tolerate being cuckolded.
She was still his most beloved woman.
She was actually killed by her own beastly younger brother.
"Guards, put chains on this beast."
"Revoke the Regent's Seal and strip him of all princely privileges..."
Zhou Chuanxing was caught off guard.
He was responsible for killing the Grand Tutor and bestowing official titles upon the beggar.
Although he didn't personally imprison the Grand Tutor and the Crown Prince of Chu, he was aware of and tacitly approved of it.
He had nothing to do with insulting Consort Xian and the two beauties.
The Empress and Prince Rui were working together, their relationship a mix of truth and falsehood. With the Emperor bedridden for two years, how could he possibly distinguish the truth from the falsehood?
Zhou Chuanxing knew perfectly well that forcing an explanation would only anger his elder brother, so he simply kept quiet.
Out of consideration for their shared mother and blood, the emperor couldn't very well kill him.
Zhou Chuan was in no hurry, but Prince Duan was extremely anxious.
"Brother, my second brother has never been interested in women. How could he possibly have an affair with a concubine? These are all lies they made about my second brother. Brother, please don't be fooled by them."
In the past two years, my second brother has worked diligently and has never slept through the night...
"Insolence!" The Emperor grew increasingly angry, pointing at Prince Duan in exasperation. "If you spout any more nonsense, I will punish you as well."
Prince Duan was not afraid of punishment, "Your Majesty..."
Receiving a cryptic look from Zhou Chuanxing, he shut his mouth, feeling both unwilling and annoyed.
Zhou Chuanxing was quickly bound to chains by the guards.
The emperor was having trouble breathing, and one piece of bad news after another followed. He had just woken up and was too exhausted to hold on any longer.
After clutching his chest and catching his breath for a while, he pointed at Zhou Chuanxing and cursed, "You get out here and kneel down at the door, you beast!"
He then instructed King Rui: "From today onwards, you will act as regent in place of the King of Qin. Alright, all of you may leave."
He slowly collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted, and quickly fell asleep.
"Your Highnesses, Your Excellency, His Majesty needs to rest." The Emperor's personal eunuch, Eunuch Xi, began to usher people away.
Prince Rui and the Empress succeeded in their scheme. They exchanged a glance and then left the Hall of Mental Cultivation one after the other.
The Right Chancellor, his wife, and other guards and palace maids also withdrew one after another.
Prince Duan was unwilling to give up and refused to leave no matter what.
She even wanted to wake the emperor to help her second brother explain things clearly.
Eunuch Xi promptly advised him, "Your Highness, the Emperor has just woken up and should not overexert himself. Please wait until tomorrow to discuss anything you need to do."
Prince Duan was not at ease.
With his delicate fingers raised, Eunuch Xi pointed to the top of his head and said, "His Majesty is well. The sky won't fall. Nothing can be decided overnight, Your Highness. There's plenty of time."
Prince Duan observed the Emperor's condition and concluded that he was indeed not suited to handle state affairs.
"Then I'll go outside and keep watch."
At this moment, Zhou Chuanxing was kneeling at the door.
The weather was extremely cold in the snowy and icy conditions; an ordinary person could freeze into an ice sculpture after standing there for a while.
Fortunately, he was in good health and could still tolerate the cold.
Prince Duan felt sorry for his second brother and draped a fox fur coat over him.
"That despicable Prince Rui actually took advantage of our unpreparedness to plot so many things. I'll kill him."
Zhou Chuanxing knelt in the snow, his hands clasped with steel chains.
My mind is clear, though.
Be careful what you say.
Prince Duan said angrily, "You've worked so hard for so long, and the situation you finally stabilized is now being snatched away by him. Are you really willing to accept this?"
Zhou Chuanxing had no regrets.
"Sitting in that position every day, feeling apprehensive, is less desirable than giving it to someone else."
Once my brother's anger subsides and he lets me go back, I will be able to... and become a divine couple with the little girl, undisturbed by worldly troubles.
He never dared to dream of such a good life before.
Prince Duan knew what he was going to say, "But Prince Rui is not a suitable candidate. Who knows what kind of disaster he will bring to the Great Zhou Dynasty."
These words struck a chord with Zhou Chuanxing.
Instead of wasting your time telling me all this, you should spend more time keeping an eye on things.
Prince Duan was in no mood for anything; "I get angry just looking at him."
Zhou Chuanxing sighed, "Have you settled the young lady? Don't let her fall into the hands of Prince Rui and the Empress. Prince Chu, be careful too."
Prince Duan said defiantly, "I understand."
Zhou Chuanxing reminded: "Talk to your younger siblings about everything that happened today."
Prince Duan verbally agreed, but not wanting Chu Yanqing to worry, he didn't mention it once he returned.
Therefore, neither Tang Xinuan nor Chu Yanqing knew what had happened in the palace.
It wasn't until Princess Chaoli returned to the Li family from the palace on the third day, and heard that her third sister-in-law had come, that Tang Xinuan and Chu Yanqing personally went to the Duan Prince's residence. Only then did they learn about what had happened in the palace.
"Is Erlang in danger?" Tang Xinuan grabbed Chao Li, her lips blistered with blood from worry these past few days.
Yesterday, she used the waist token Zhou Chuanxing gave her to sneak into the palace to find someone.
The Emperor revoked Zhou Chuan's princely status, and the guards no longer even recognized his waist badge.
Despite the cold weather, she lingered at the palace gate for over an hour before Chu Yanqing pulled her back.
Chao Li reassured her, "My second brother was only punished by kneeling for two or three hours and his princely privileges were revoked. He is currently on duty at the Hall of Mental Cultivation and has not received any other punishment."
Tang Xinuan was worried that Chao Li was lying to her, "Are you serious? Why isn't Erlang coming back?"
Chao Li was also furious: "My brother is still angry. How could he easily forgive my second brother? He killed the Grand Tutor without permission, and the Empress holds a grudge against him. The Empress, together with my fourth brother, fabricated all sorts of false evidence to frame my second brother. I'm afraid it won't be so easy for him to get away with it."
Next, Chao Li told Tang Xinuan and Chu Yanqing everything that had happened in the palace, without missing a single word.
Hearing that Zhou Chuanxing was chained, Tang Xinu felt guilty and heartbroken. "It's all my fault. I insisted on killing the Grand Tutor. He disobeyed the imperial decree and killed the Grand Tutor because of me."
Chao Li comforted him, "This is not your fault. Even if this hadn't happened, they would have used something else to frame your second brother. Your Majesty didn't punish your second brother for this. It was the Empress who falsely accused your second brother of having an affair with a concubine, which is why Your Majesty got angry."
"What do we do now?" Tang Xinuan was worried that the Empress would hold a grudge. "When will the Emperor release Erlang? Prince Rui is so wicked, he will definitely find a way to harm Erlang again. Without his title, how can Erlang stand up to him?"
Chu Yanqing corrected, "The Prince of Qin has only lost the treatment of a prince, not his title. He is still a prince."
Tang Xinuan asked, puzzled, "What's the explanation?"
Chu Yanqing: "His Majesty may be angry, but he wouldn't go so far as to want Prince Qin dead. Now that the Empress and Prince Rui are in cahoots, His Majesty is so wise, he can't possibly not see it."
Chao Li disagreed with Chu Yanqing's idea, "But the Emperor has already appointed Prince Rui as regent."
Chu Yanqing still felt that the Emperor had not given up on Zhou Chuanxing.
"Let's not rush, let's assess the situation first."
Tang Xinuan couldn't wait a moment longer. "I need to go out for a bit."
Chu Yanqing quickly grabbed her, "Cousin, it's so cold outside, where are you going? Prince Rui hates you to death, he will definitely not let you go."
Tang Xinuan planned to go to the Ordnance Bureau.
Ambassador Liu is manufacturing red-coated cannons.
She witnessed firsthand how a small mountain was blasted flat during a recent experiment.
If used properly, it is possible to flatten the palace.
In any case, she wouldn't let Erlang stay in the palace and suffer forever.
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