Chapter 87: I traded my few days of life for my brother's lifelong well-being.
Wen Kehao felt a chill run down his spine in an instant.
He knew the Emperor wasn't bluffing him. Even without his witness testimony, as long as the Emperor had the will to kill, the Prince of Anshun's mansion would have no further intention to kill.
The officials' accusations, coupled with the emperor's fabricated evidence, were enough to frame my father for treason. Although some loyal ministers who trusted him refused to believe it and tried to exonerate him, they could not change the outcome.
The Emperor only felt that the old ministers' arguing was unsightly, so he ordered him to denounce his father, thereby silencing the old ministers and making things go more smoothly.
The Prince of Anshun's Mansion is finished.
The home where he grew up, and all his relatives.
My elder brother, father, mother, and the princess, Meng Lingge... they're all gone.
Neither of the two choices the emperor gave him was what he wanted.
Either agree to the Emperor's conditions, falsely accuse the King, and fabricate evidence, delivering the heaviest blow to the King and living a life of humiliation amidst the contempt of the masses.
Either be a man of courage and principle, preferring death to submission. Even if it means going to the underworld with your father, you should still cause the emperor some unhappiness.
No, perhaps there is a third way.
Wen Kehao's gaze instantly calmed down, and his tone became firm.
"Your Majesty, I have made up my mind. I am willing to follow Your Majesty's arrangements. However, I am the son of the Prince, and even if Your Majesty is willing to spare my life, I will still be a hidden danger in Your Majesty's heart. My elder brother, Wen Zhiming, is mentally impaired due to illness, as everyone knows. Only by keeping him alive can we eliminate any worries about the future. I am willing to give my life to my elder brother, so that we can preserve a bloodline for the Prince of Anshun's family and eliminate any further threat to Your Majesty."
These words, though bold and unrestrained, were deeply appreciated by the emperor.
He never intended to let Wen Kehao go; he only wanted to finish dealing with the matter of the Prince of Anshun first, and then find an opportunity to secretly eliminate this person. He didn't expect Wen Kehao to be so sensible as to give Wen Zhiming a chance to live.
Wen Zhiming, that fool, is indeed not worth guarding against. Even if you hand him military power, he wouldn't know how to use it. Killing him would invite criticism from the court officials, while keeping him alive would at least earn you praise for the emperor's benevolence.
This is indeed a worthwhile deal.
Only then did the Emperor take a serious look at the boy in front of him, whose appearance still had a bit of a childish look. The more the Emperor looked at him, the more he felt that Wen Kehao did indeed resemble the Prince of Anshun when he was young.
In particular, the determination and trust in his eyes were exactly the same as those of the Prince of Anshun back then.
Thirty years ago, when his father suspected him of having ulterior motives, Prince Anshun knelt before his father and said, "Your subject is willing to swear on his life that my fifth brother has no such intentions," he was indeed moved. However, times have changed, and now Prince Anshun is very powerful, so he has to be wary.
The brotherhood of those days is truly something to cherish. He could never become someone like the Prince of Anshun, but he still held a certain amount of respect for such a person.
This time his tone was much gentler, with the kind and gentle look of an elder.
"Have you thought this through? You're absolutely certain you won't go back on your word?"
Wen Kehao said earnestly, "I will never go back on my word."
"Oh? Is it really worth it to exchange your own life for the life of your foolish brother?" The Emperor's eyes flickered slightly, as if he still had some doubts about Wen Kehao's intentions and did not believe that he could give up his only chance to live for his brother.
However, Wen Kehao smiled calmly, looked up and stared directly at the Emperor, "It is certainly worth it to exchange my few days of life for my brother's lifelong health."
The emperor was startled.
Wen Kehao was so insightful that he knew he would eventually die.
No wonder he was willing to trade his own life for Wen Zhiming's survival.
This person is so young, yet so adept at reading people's minds; he should not be allowed to live.
This deal was worthwhile for Wen Kehao, and equally worthwhile for the Emperor.
Trading the clever and dangerous Wen Kehao for the foolish Wen Zhiming would be the perfect solution.
The Emperor's eyes were deep and mysterious. He took out a white porcelain bottle from his sleeve, poured out a pill, and slightly raised his hand. The eunuch behind him quickly took it and handed it to Wen Kehao.
“You are the witness who denounced King Anshun, so you cannot die for now. This medicine is called Moon-Hidden Frost. After you take it, the poison will hide in your body and will not take effect until a month later. At that time, you will die silently. Since you say it is worth it, then take the medicine now.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Wen Kehao picked up the pill and swallowed it. The eunuch who delivered the medicine pinched his chin, forcing him to open his mouth, and after a careful examination, nodded to the Emperor.
The Emperor was greatly relieved and praised, "The eldest son of the Prince of Anshun was exceptionally talented in his youth, but unfortunately he fell ill and became mentally challenged. I never expected that the illegitimate son of the Prince of Anshun would be such a strong and brave man. The Prince of Anshun has no regrets in this life for having two such sons."
He sighed softly at the end, and resentment arose again.
Even the illegitimate sons of the Prince of Anshun are more promising than his own sons. How can he be at ease? His determination to get rid of the Prince of Anshun became even stronger. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he turned to Wen Kehao and sneered.
"I've heard that you've copied the handwriting of the Prince of Anshun, so writing two letters about his collusion with enemy states should be a piece of cake."
After he finished speaking, the eunuch brought paper and ink and placed them in front of Wen Kehao. There were even two forged letters placed beside him, waiting for him to copy them.
"I obey the decree."
The Emperor was indeed very thoughtful; he even knew the handwriting of this illegitimate son of a prince.
His handwriting was indeed similar to his father's, but he never copied his father's handwriting; he copied his elder brother's handwriting before he became mentally impaired.
My elder brother used to enjoy copying our father's calligraphy and even gave him two pieces. Although there was someone between us, he practiced diligently day and night, and now his calligraphy is seven or eight parts similar to our father's, making it difficult to distinguish without careful observation.
Once Wen Kehao finished copying, the eunuch quickly took it to the emperor for review.
The Emperor was quite satisfied and said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad. You have realized your mistake and put righteousness before family. I will reward you. From this moment on, I will appoint you as a fifth-rank defense commissioner. The Prince of Anshun's mansion will be sealed off. I will also grant you and Prince Wen a new house so that Prince Wen can live there after your death, as a sign of my boundless benevolence."
The words "benevolence and grace" disgusted Wen Kehao, but he couldn't show it on his face and still had to kneel down respectfully to express his gratitude.
"Your Majesty, I kowtow in gratitude!"
The emperor slowly walked up to him and stood with his hands behind his back.
"At this hour, Prince Anshun should have already arrived at his residence. Since it was you who bravely denounced Prince Anshun, you will later go with Commander Ren to arrest him. Convey my decree that, apart from Prince Wen and his illegitimate son Wen Kehao, Prince Anshun and his family members shall be placed under house arrest at Dongling Pavilion, awaiting further instructions. All servants shall be exiled to the frontier."
"As for the property of the Prince of Anshun's mansion, one-tenth will be left to Prince Wen, and the rest will be confiscated. This includes the dowry of the Prince's wife."
The Emperor's eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction. He had heard that when Prime Minister Meng married off his daughter, his dowry was lavish. That old man probably never imagined that all of that dowry would end up in the national treasury.
It's not his fault; it's just that the eldest daughter of the Meng family had to remarry the Prince Wen.
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