Treason is such a heinous crime that there is no room for leniency; the only outcome is death.
The rebels were imprisoned, awaiting the opportune moment to be beheaded and displayed to the public.
Among the rebels, only the Third Prince was not imprisoned. He was even taken to take a hot bath, changed into clean clothes, and went to see Xu Zang.
Xu Zang was in the Qiuhuang Palace, the palace where his mother used to live.
After the Empress died, the late Emperor ordered the palace to be sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter. Even after Li became Empress, she was not allowed to live in the Qiuhuang Palace, which was second only to the Emperor's bedroom in the palace.
This is the place that Li had longed for for most of his life; it used to be magnificent, but now it is overgrown with weeds.
Xu Zang stood in the courtyard, not wearing a dragon robe, but a simple black robe, and even his shoes were simple black boots without any patterns.
In contrast to his simplicity, the third prince was far more extravagant.
He wore a prince's royal blue casual robe, embroidered with a five-clawed dragon in silver thread, and a black bear fur collar. He was tall and elegant, exuding an air of nobility.
Xu Lian already knew he was doomed, and when he saw Xu Zang again, he felt that fate was really playing a cruel joke.
Even his father said that he was destined to be the Son of Heaven, and that if Xu Zang hadn't stepped in his way, he would be sitting on the throne now.
The two brothers actually look somewhat alike; if Xu Zang's biological mother had been from the Central Plains, they would look even more alike.
Xu Zang stood in front of a dry well, seemingly recalling something, his expression deep and mysterious.
"Third brother, do you remember when we were little, you and a few other members of the royal family suddenly came to find me one day and dragged me outside to play?"
The crown prince was isolated in the palace. His brothers, who were about the same age, wouldn't play with him at all, and everyone seemed to dislike him.
Little Xu Zang didn't understand why, and his mother, with a sorrowful face, didn't tell him the reason.
Xu Lian invited him to play, and he was overjoyed. Without even telling his mother, he dismissed the servants and went out with Xu Lian and the others.
A group of children went to the Cold Palace, bypassed the palace servants, and came to a deep well.
Xu Lian said with a grin that there was a ball he had dropped above the well, and if Xu Zang could retrieve it, they would play with Xu Zang together from now on.
The child is too young, just beginning to understand the world. Although the palace maids often warned him not to play near the well, he might fall in and drown.
But the third prince's favorite ball fell down, and he was very anxious.
Xu Zang thought that if he picked up the ball, he would make the three emperors happy, and then he would have a playmate to play with in the future.
His plan was simple: he tiptoed up the well, and a cool breeze rushed up from below. Xu Zang, fearful, clung to the edge of the well and peered into the dark depths.
Xu Lian urged him to hurry down, and Xu Zang, still confused, jumped down.
The icy water overwhelmed him, filling his nose and ears with well water. Startled, he opened his mouth and swallowed a bellyful of water.
Above the well, the children laughed heartily, not knowing what they were laughing at—perhaps at Xu Zang's stupidity, or perhaps at the success of his scheme.
They ignored Xu Zang's cries for help and ran away laughing and joking.
The eunuch who came to fetch water noticed something was wrong with the well and pulled the unconscious Xu Zang out of it.
The imperial physician was summoned, and it took him half an hour to revive the young prince.
The fact that the crown prince fell into the water, such a major event, did not cause much of a stir.
The late emperor probably knew who did it, but he chose not to pursue the matter.
Xu Zang's mother was almost blind from crying. For the first time, Xu Zang saw deep resentment in his mother's eyes.
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