Chapter 143 The Case of the Third Prince...
When the emperor is enraged, the speed of the secret agents on patrol is naturally faster than ever before.
Within just two days, two completely different pieces of intelligence appeared on Emperor Hongren's desk.
A petition... The Third Prince's most valued disciple, and the strategist he now relies on, had a good relationship with the Governor of Yulin. They had frequent interactions for a period of time when the Governor was in the capital, and the Governor had also helped him in his job search. They were also from the same hometown.
Another inscription reads that the son-in-law of the Seventh Prince's foster mother recognized the then-governor of Yulin as his sworn brother, and upon further investigation, it was found that he had also had a relationship with Dong Hanlin.
Emperor Hongren held the two secret reports, pondering them in uncertainty: "..."
At first glance, he was already furious.
This intolerant, competitive spirit clearly resembles the work of the third prince. Back when the second prince was enfeoffed, the eldest and third princes were also involved in those underhanded schemes. What is this?
Even if you chase someone from afar, why would you want to bully your own brother for no reason and steal food from his territory?!
A sense of defeat, doubt, and bewilderment arose in Emperor Hongren's heart:
Is this really his son?
No way.
Let's look at another secret report. The fact that the youngest of the Seventh Princes' maternal family was involved in this matter was something Emperor Hongren had never expected.
In the past, the child was clever and quick-witted, and being the youngest son with a low social status, he would only occasionally visit the Imperial Study to check on the child's studies, where he would play with the youngest son, finding great pleasure in it, and he had no other demands. Only in the last two years, with other thoughts on his mind, has he paid a little more attention to the child than in previous years.
Xiao Qi is still so young, how could she understand politics and connections?
Emperor Hongren suspected that Xiao Qi's adoptive mother's family had become too ambitious, feeling that Xiao Qi's status was too low and she lacked confidence, so they acted on their own initiative...
This directly hit Emperor Hongren's taboo.
They are all his princes. How difficult could their lives be? Why do outsiders need to go to such lengths to win over foreign officials?
We need to give them a good talking-to later.
Emperor Hongren made a mental note of this, and he would eventually have to consider these two secret reports.
—If it were Xiao Qi's maternal family, their ambition wouldn't be so great as to bully a prince. Xiao Qi has no grudge against his brother either, so how could they treat him like this? But the third brother…
Emperor Hongren felt both love and hate for his third son.
I love that he can learn anything, but I hate that he can't shoulder any responsibility and will cause trouble at any time if no one keeps a close eye on him.
Now, after considering the personalities of his two sons, even without concrete evidence, Emperor Hongren was convinced that this trouble was caused by the Third Prince acting out of some unknown madness. The fact that the Seventh Prince's affair was mixed in... was likely a cover-up.
Despite reaching this conclusion, Emperor Hongren still retained some resentment in his heart.
So he did nothing and remained very calm.
During this period, Dong Hanlin lived a life worse than death.
When Emperor Hongren stopped seeing him, he returned to his original post, diligently serving as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, spending his days copying books. Although passersby showed no reaction, Dong Hanlin always felt that he was being whispered about, and that everyone's eyes held a strange look.
Once he loses the emperor's favor, he is nothing.
After his sudden rise to success followed by his fall, Dong Hanlin was filled with fear and even lost some of his initial kind and steady nature. Like a frightened bird, he frantically tried to pull strings to make amends and endured an extremely difficult time.
That day, he received guidance from a palace servant, which immediately put his mind at ease, and he began to concentrate on waiting for the grand court ceremony at the beginning of the month two days later.
In the past two years, His Majesty has grown older and is not as diligent in attending court as before. Apart from the major court sessions at the beginning and middle of the month, the regular court sessions are sporadic and unpredictable, leaving everyone exhausted. It was only during the recent period of frequent warfare that His Majesty recovered somewhat, but now that the crisis has passed, His Majesty has once again neglected his duties. There are those who try to persuade him to stop, but their attempts have not been well-received.
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that His Majesty is getting old and increasingly dislikes listening to advice and disobeying others.
Apart from that hothead who still can't understand, look around, is there anyone else who dares to rush up and persuade him?
December weather was already quite cold in the capital. Officials had to wait outside the Meridian Gate as early as 3 AM. Those who lived nearby were better off, finishing half an hour early. But the lower-ranking officials who lived far away suffered greatly, having to wake up around midnight.
Previously, Dong Hanlin enjoyed the emperor's favor and often stayed overnight in the palace. Now that he has returned to his former life, he can no longer endure this hardship.
The biting wind lashed at his face like knives. Dong Hanlin simply kept his head down and walked silently, suppressing the urge to stomp his feet. He could barely feel his boots anymore.
One after another, the carriages of numerous officials gathered at the palace gate like a flowing stream, moving slowly forward. Vendors selling soy milk, flatbread, meat buns, and tofu pudding set up stalls all around, their exhaled steam mingling with the white mist rising from the pots, creating this ordinary prelude to the morning court session.
"It's so cold." Shen Shuzhi sighed, shivering, and regretfully handed the hot water bottle back to the carriage. They were about to enter the palace, and without anything to warm themselves, he hoped to walk a little further and buy some of the flatbread he was used to eating at.
Scholar Mu sat somewhat anxiously in the carriage at the front, closing his eyes to rest.
He enjoys the unique privileges granted by the emperor, being allowed to enter the palace in a carriage. Today, he has once again made a rare appearance to attend court... The message from Liuzhou carries an ominous signal: this is a power struggle for the throne, but it is also for the sake of the people.
Grand Secretary Mu had no reason not to speak up for the people suffering in that state.
He was also anxious about the rumors he had heard... hoping to handle them today, otherwise the Second Prince would be exposed prematurely. Whether this change was good or bad, he wouldn't draw a conclusion for the time being.
Mu Jie recalled her past life, when the Second Prince was in a more difficult situation and had accumulated very little wealth. When he became the Crown Prince, it felt like a natural progression, like a silver bottle suddenly breaking open and the moon finally appearing after the fog had cleared.
Will the appearance of these descendants make it even more difficult for the Second Prince to become the ruler in this lifetime?
Officials walked in twos and threes, some chatting casually, the atmosphere restrained yet revealing a familiar ease. Only Dong Hanlin and a few others knew that today was no ordinary day.
The morning court session has begun.
Emperor Hongren sat on his throne with an unusually dark face, presumably because some memorials had been urgently delivered to him overnight.
Seeing the old emperor's demeanor, the officials who had nothing important to say kept quiet, keeping their thoughts to themselves and saving them for another time.
But some people have been drafting their thoughts for a long time, and today they just have to get them off their chests.
Immediately, a minor official left the ranks and stepped forward to report: "This humble official wishes to impeach Prince Rui of Liuzhou for arbitrarily imprisoning an official of the imperial court, showing utter disregard for the law..."
It's here!
Shen Shuzhi's spirits lifted, and he was no longer sleepy.
The officials in the court, who were unaware of the situation, were in an uproar.
The current emperor has three adult princes. The eldest and third princes were exceptionally allowed to remain in the capital, while the second prince was sent far away as a vassal king as soon as he came of age. This was the first time since then that anyone had heard of the second prince's deeds.
Whether this person is good or bad is still unknown, but who would have thought... he dared to imprison a high-ranking official of the imperial court?!
Is it that exciting?
Emperor Hongren on his throne showed no reaction, only asking, "Is there anything else?"
Several people exchanged glances at the adults' expressions and then went out one after another to join in the impeachment: "Your Majesty... also request that Prince Rui be punished." "This humble official seconds the motion."
As Shen Shuzhi watched this scene, she memorized each and every name, and couldn't help but glance at Grand Scholar Mu.
Why haven't our own people reacted yet? We agreed that this wouldn't be exposed, and that in case of emergency, Grand Scholar Mu would be solely responsible for coordination. What's going on now?
Mu Jie stood there calmly, as if nothing had happened.
After the officials finished speaking in bits and pieces, Emperor Hongren took a look and identified them. Many of them were the Third Prince's men, some were hotheads, and there were a few officials he hadn't expected.
But this scene has pretty much confirmed his guess.
Emperor Hongren suddenly flew into a rage and threw the memorial down: "Fine! Look carefully at how Prince Rui in Liuzhou imprisoned the governor of Yulin!!"
The memorial was read around by everyone.
One of the officials impeaching the prince, steeling himself, reported: "Your Majesty is unaware that Prince Rui is truly fond of engaging in commerce, exploiting the people for profit, and acquiring property... Upon arriving in Yulin, he plotted to seize various prescriptions and slaves; Prince Rui's reputation has spread throughout several prefectures. Therefore, it is likely that—"
"So it prevented him from lining his own pockets?" Emperor Hongren sneered and announced the result without waiting any longer.
An imperial edict was issued to personally reprimand Prince Rui and to reduce his salary for one year. However, given that Prince Rui had shown remorse, the salary deduction was waived.
Then came the Governor of Yulin—
"Send him back here!" Emperor Hongren said impatiently. "He can't even be a good governor, I think he shouldn't be an official at all!"
Even the minor officials who were impeached didn't fare well; they were all severely scolded by Emperor Hongren, stripped of their official robes, and dragged out.
Upon hearing this result, the few people who had been secretly plotting something were filled with fear and anxiety.
I've realized what's going on.
His Majesty today... seems to dislike them quite a bit.
This is so unfair! The Second Prince has committed the heinous act of imprisoning an official, yet he hasn't been punished at all, only given a half-hearted reprimand. What kind of treatment is this?!
Shen Shuzhi was actually quite satisfied.
So it turns out His Majesty was in charge of this matter.
No wonder Grand Scholar Mu was so calm and collected.
Dong Hanlin lowered his head, his heart pounding.
Everyone else thought a major matter was over, and that he hadn't been implicated yet—a stroke of good fortune indeed. Only he knew what kind of good life this was; he was in unbearable torment and had to find a way to escape.
...The thing he promised to do is the key to what follows.
Therefore, Dong Hanlin raised his head slightly and saw a figure stepping out of the ranks to report to His Majesty: "A sudden disaster has broken out in Yizhou. Someone has accused the prefect of Yizhou of privately selling old grain, resulting in nine out of ten granaries being empty, and the people being displaced and unable to survive the winter... I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
Hearing this, Yu Zong suddenly jolted awake, realizing the seriousness of the situation. His face showed a mixture of shock and panic: "...?!"
etc.
Jizhou—isn't that where several officials he helped connect with and who had secretly pledged allegiance to the Third Prince reside? They only made one or two moves, and it seemed foolproof, so how did they get exposed so quickly?!
Grand Scholar Mu slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy eyes, his expression solemn.
...This matter occurred many years in advance!
He was now quite certain that there was a strategist working for the Second Prince of Liuzhou.
But no matter what, today, the Third Prince will probably be in deep trouble.
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