Chapter 725 is about ruler and subject, and also about mother and son.
Hearing Wang Da Dang's soft voice in his ear, the Prince of Xiang endured for only a few breaths before raising his head after thinking for a moment.
Prince Xiang raised his head and first looked at the chair at the head of the table, the one where Emperor Wu had just sat. "Your Highness?"
"Hehe," Prince Xiang chuckled self-deprecatingly, refusing Wang Da Dang's help, and got up from the ground on his own.
After standing up, Prince Xiang flicked his sleeves and gently stroked the hem of his robe before turning to walk towards the table where Emperor Wu often ate.
When the Prince arrived, there were already more than a dozen plates on the table.
Seeing that the Prince of Xiang was only standing, Emperor Wu said in an unfriendly tone, "What? Do I have to invite you to sit down?"
"Your subject dares not!"
After bowing and saying he dared not, the Prince of Xiang nimbly took his seat. He looked at the food laid out in front of him: roasted mutton, refreshing side dishes, and small dishes of dipping sauces made with various spices.
As the Prince looked at the dishes, he felt a strange sensation. These were all his favorite dishes, and they were his eating habits.
Emperor Wu, who was sitting opposite him, had already picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Prince Xiang looked up at Emperor Wu, put aside his matter of coming to apologize today, and then also picked up his chopsticks.
As is customary, Emperor Wu and Prince Xiang ate their meal in silence, facing each other.
After Emperor Wu put down his chopsticks, Prince Xiang also put down his chopsticks.
Seeing this, Wang Da Dang quickly signaled the palace maids outside to come in and clear the table, while he himself carried the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Emperor Wu, who had already moved to the low couch.
On the low, small table was a Go board with black and white stones, nineteen lines in each direction, and a total of three hundred and sixty-one intersections.
After taking a couple of sips of tea, Emperor Wu looked at the standing Prince Xiang and said, "Sit down and play a game of chess with me."
"yes."
Prince Xiang took off his shoes and knelt before the chessboard, while Emperor Wu was much more casual, sitting cross-legged.
Wang Da Dang was good at serving people, so he quickly had two more lamps brought closer so that Emperor Wu and Prince Xiang could see the chessboard more clearly.
The emperor went first, Emperor Wu playing black. He placed a piece, the sound of the fine jade piece landing on the board crisp and powerful.
The game of chess lasted for more than an hour. When the score was finally tallied, Emperor Wu had one more piece than Prince Xiang.
However, if we take into account that Emperor Wu played black and went first, this game seems to be a draw.
Emperor Wu smiled upon seeing this outcome.
Wang Da Dang walked to the window, intending to close the one that faced Emperor Wu directly, as the wind had picked up earlier and now it was raining.
"Da Dang, no need. Keep it on, it's good to have some fresh air."
Wang Da Dang withdrew his hand from closing the window. He turned around and looked at Emperor Wu, who seemed to be looking out the window. But it was already dark, and it was pitch black outside. What could he possibly see?
"Everyone, it's raining, and there's a chill in the air; it's getting cold..."
"It's alright, I'm feeling fine, keep it running."
"yes."
Silence spread throughout the hall, broken only by the sound of the wind blowing in through the windows, the rain, and the occasional crackling of the burning candles.
With a "thump," the sound came from Prince Xiang kneeling on the low couch floor without even putting on his shoes.
The king touched his head to the ground, still saying, "Your subject is guilty!"
There was no one else in the main hall, except for Wang Da Dang, who stood respectfully with his head bowed, staring at the floor tiles beneath his feet without saying a word.
After saying "Your subject is guilty," the Prince Xiang remained kneeling with his head touching the ground, while Emperor Wu continued to look out at the darkness, as if he had not heard what the Prince Xiang had said.
As one of only three living people in the hall, Wang Da Dang dared not look up at the Prince Xiang, who looked quite disheveled. He quietly lowered his head to look at the floor, not daring to make a sound or even move.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also seemed like only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Emperor Wu turned her head and looked at the Prince Xiang kneeling on the ground, asking softly, "Are you guilty?"
"Very well, tell me properly, what crime have you committed?"
Prince Xiang raised his head but remained kneeling on the ground. He first exchanged a glance with Emperor Wu, then lowered his head and began to slowly recount his crimes: "Your subject is guilty."
Your Majesty failed to investigate the actions of the female relatives in your household that violated the laws of the land; this is because Your Majesty has no right to do so…
As Prince Xiang recounted the events, the intricate web of power struggles behind the opium case gradually became clear.
It turns out that what General Du said in the main hall of the Du family army's camp that day, "...there are some inside stories, involving the royal family..." was true.
(Chapter 718 plot)
We already know that Gao Hengzhong, the former Vice Minister of War, colluded with the Shen family, a wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan, to facilitate the transportation of opium.
The reason the Shen family was able to find Gao Hengzhong was that the foreigners behind the opium case first tempted the Shen family to seek wealth and fortune in danger. They colluded with Jiang Qing, a former cavalry general under Du Qinghui, in Jiangnan East Road, and slowly infiltrated the area step by step, expanding outward from Jiangnan based on merchant caravans, until they finally colluded with Gao Hengzhong in Chang'an.
But just like what Commander Wang asked at the Du family army's base, so what if the eldest grandson of the Gao family was poisoned by someone?
The Gao family has more than one male heir, so Gao Hengzhong might as well just give up on this eldest grandson. It's normal for a large family to discard someone who's already ruined.
Moreover, if a person is crippled, he is just crippled, not dead. Why would he want to commit treason?
The reason becomes clear through the Prince's apology.
The eldest grandson of the Gao family's younger sister is a concubine in the Prince Xiang's mansion!
Even more exciting news is that this concubine is pregnant!
Therefore, the person behind the scenes instigated the Shen family, and the Shen family then used this unborn child, whose gender was still unknown, to lure the Gao family.
As for the rhetoric, it's easy to understand if you think about it. It's simply a matter of you helping me so that I can help you. Once Emperor Wu is killed, his only surviving male heir, Prince Xiang, will ascend the throne, and the child in Gao's belly will be a prince!
He is very likely to become the next emperor!
The Gao family are now the emperor's brothers-in-law!
It's a great service to the emperor!
What kind of sage could resist such temptation?
Or rather, even if Gao Hengzhong, who served two dynasties, could control his greed, what about the rest of the Gao family?
Can they resist this temptation?
As it turns out, they couldn't.
"...I am guilty.
Please, saint, punish me!
"The Gao family woman has already been executed. I beg Your Majesty to allow her to be buried in the Li family cemetery, thus fulfilling the bond between her and your subject."
The Prince kowtowed again, his head touching the ground, repeatedly saying, "Please, Your Majesty, grant my request!"
A loud "crack" suddenly rang out in the hall. On the ground was a teacup that Emperor Wu had smashed in anger, the brown tea soup and white porcelain shards adorned with a few wisps of tea leaves.
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