Chapter 207: Deposed Crown Prince
In the hundred years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, this year or so has been the busiest time for the palace. Last year, the fourth prince brought people to cry and accuse the crown prince of borrowing money and not paying it back, forcing the emperor to step in and open the private treasury.
Not long after, Fang Yu died by hitting his head against the palace wall, marking the beginning of the dethronement of the crown prince in a tragic way.
When Fang Yu was alive, he was like an invisible person both in the court and in the Fang family. When ordinary people talked about the Fang family, the first thing that came to mind was definitely Concubine Yu, who was highly favored after entering the palace, even Concubine Xu had to retreat from her position of power, and who was later able to give birth to the Ninth Prince safely.
Or maybe Fang Zhiwen was born as the emperor's companion. Although he has been far away in Qingzhou these years, he survived the Fang family tragedy and holds a certain weight in the emperor's heart.
When people mention Fang Yu, they usually refer to him as Concubine Yu's brother, Fang Zhiwen's nephew, or even the unlucky son-in-law of the Xu family.
But after his death, he became an important official in the court and a role model for scholars overnight. Everyone felt sorry for the humiliation he suffered, and countless close friends emerged. The last words he left behind became a slogan.
"The Crown Prince has no moral integrity and disregards human ethics. He deserves to be deposed!"
When Su Fengzhang rushed to the palace gate, he heard bursts of slogans.
He did not approach rashly, but with a quick glance he found that the demonstration at the palace gate looked lively and fierce, but in fact those who were kneeling on the ground were basically the descendants of the Fourth Prince.
In addition to the officials in the court, there was also a group of scholars joining in the commotion. Su Fengzhang also saw the student uniforms of the Imperial College. It was not known whether they truly thought that the prince was immoral and should be deposed, or whether they were instigated by someone with ulterior motives.
Rows of guards stood firmly at the palace gate, pointing their spears at the people outside the palace. They did not use force, but their defensive attitude was obvious.
Su Fengzhang did not find the familiar faces. Neither Meng Ting nor He Tang showed up. Even Xu Zifeng was nowhere to be seen. There was no sign of Master Chu, Master Zhang and others.
"Sir Su, the prince wants you to come over and say a few words." A guard came over to report.
Su Fengzhang nodded and followed. He originally thought that it was Prince Cheng who invited him over, but when he arrived at the place he found out that it was Prince Rong.
Prince Rong looked haggard and pale, as if he was out of breath. Before he could speak, he burst into a rapid cough.
After a while, Prince Rong finally stopped coughing and looked at Su Fengzhang and asked, "Master Su is here. I have been waiting for you."
"I wonder what the prince wants to do?" Su Fengzhang asked respectfully.
Prince Rong coughed again, then said, "The fourth and fifth princes are both in the palace, and those old masters are also in the palace now. I am very worried that there will be trouble here, so I ask Lord Su to go and persuade them."
After hearing this, Su Fengzhang smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, you think too highly of me. I am a lowly official and my words carry little weight. Even if I talk till my lips drop, no one will listen."
Prince Rong was not sure what he was thinking about, but he was in a good mood to laugh. After he finished laughing, he said, "Master Su, this is a great opportunity. If you act properly, you can win the support of the Fifth Prince. Are you willing to miss it?"
Su Fengzhang looked up at Prince Rong. Prince Rong coughed and said, "Actually, I like the fifth one more than the eldest and the fourth."
Su Fengzhang's eyes flashed slightly. Prince Rong has always been the emperor's most trusted brother. If Yun Qian is the emperor's lackey, then Prince Rong is his right-hand man. However, he did not expect that these two people would both favor Prince Cheng.
Perhaps when he was not paying attention, Prince Cheng had already started to make plans. Without more than ten years of operation, these two would never turn against each other at the critical moment. Realizing this, Su Fengzhang was not afraid, but instead felt a surge of fighting spirit.
Prince Rong noticed the change in his eyes and said with a smile, "My beloved daughter will soon marry into the He family. Lord Su can rest assured."
Su Fengzhang thought about Prince Cheng's true identity and wondered if Prince Rong knew about it. He asked tentatively, "Your Highness, Prince Cheng is still young, neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir. This attempt to win over people's hearts is ultimately unjustifiable."
Prince Rong smiled without even frowning, "That's why we need the support of the people."
"Old Five is a good kid in every way, but he was a bit of a jerk back then and always offended scholars."
"He has a good reputation among the military commanders, and he also has the influence of the Li family. He Jun is also his equal, but among the scholars, he is a troublemaker. This is not acceptable."
Su Fengzhang's brows twitched slightly, and Prince Rong patted his shoulder and said, "I feel much more at ease now that you can follow him."
After saying this, Prince Rong coughed again, and it took him a while to recover. "It's fine if they just sit there quietly. If they cause any trouble, I will be the villain."
The meaning behind these words was clear. Su Fengzhang's eyes dimmed slightly. He obviously did not expect that Prince Rong, who had always stayed out of the matter, would act so blatantly.
When they walked outside, the voices shouting angrily, "The prince has no morals and disregards human ethics. He should be deposed," became louder and louder, almost deafening. There were even some brave people peeking around, and no one knew where they got the courage from.
Su Fengzhang's fingers flicked slightly. The scholars had been trying to rebel for three years but failed. These students who had studied hard for ten years were actually the ones who were most committed to protecting the Great Zhou Dynasty. Under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult for them to sit still like this.
Of course, if someone deliberately incites the public, it is natural for the public to get out of control due to the public's anger.
If he were to come forward to persuade them now, not to mention that he was just a young official, even if Grand Tutor Zhang were here, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to calm these people down. It's easy to provoke a riot, but it's difficult to appease them.
From the perspective of winning people's hearts, now is not the best time to show up.
Su Fengzhang's eyes turned slightly cold. Reason told him that he should wait a little longer until the riots really started, then it would be the time to reap the benefits. But when he glanced at the group of young students, he couldn't help but frown.
There was chaos outside the palace and riots could start at any time, but there was no peace inside the palace walls either.
Concubine Yu was wearing a linen dress and kneeling outside the hall with a pale face. She did not move at all no matter how anyone tried to persuade her.
The expressions of Grand Tutor Zhang, Grand Tutor Chu and the others were also extremely ugly. In the matter of Huang Ying, they still thought that the prince was framed, but who knew that Concubine Ru would be implicated later, and even an illegitimate child would be born!
Not to mention how shocked and unbelievable the prince's party members, including Grand Tutor Zhang and Grand Preceptor Chu, were, and how disappointed they were with the prince, but after entering the palace, they still chose to kneel down and apologize.
If the prince were defeated, their fate would be even more tragic. This was something the prince's faction was extremely certain of.
The Fourth Prince is a vengeful person. If he wins, no one in their faction will have a good ending.
Poor Master Zhang is very old, and now he is kneeling behind Concubine Yu, looking shaky.
Concubine Yu was only a few steps away from these people. The former wished to kill the prince, while the latter wanted to find a glimmer of hope for the prince. Even if they were punished, as long as the position of prince was still there, there would be a chance for him to make a comeback.
Tutor Chu was the one who was most tormented. He still couldn't believe that the Crown Prince had done such a ridiculous thing right under his nose, and that the Crown Princess not only did not stop him, but covered up for him.
At this time, he did not care about suspecting Master Zhang's loyalty to the prince, but only hoped that the emperor's teacher could play a role.
He looked at Grand Tutor Zhang, and seeing his pale face, he was worried. He asked in a low voice, "Grand Tutor Zhang, are you okay? If you can't hold on, why not rely on me?"
However, Grand Tutor Zhang didn't want to pay attention to him and didn't answer with a cold face.
Master Chu was also complaining in his heart, but he had to keep silent.
At this moment, Concubine Yu, who had been kneeling all day, suddenly fell down. The palace maid beside her screamed and hurriedly supported her, shouting, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you okay?"
From their perspective, they could vaguely see that Concubine Yu's face was as pale as paper and she was dying.
But Taifu Chu wished that Concubine Yu would just die. If she died, the Emperor might be sad for a few days and then get over it. But if she lived, he and the Crown Prince would be mortal enemies for the rest of his life!
Taifu Chu couldn't help but think of what happened to the Fang family more than ten years ago, and he became even more wary of Concubine Yu.
The door of the hall, which had been tightly closed, finally opened. Everyone knelt down, and saw someone walking out from inside. It was the queen.
The Queen glanced at the kneeling figures, then looked at the unconscious Jade Concubine. "What are you still standing there for? Carry Jade Concubine to the side hall and ask the imperial physician to treat her properly. If anything happens to Jade Concubine, I will hold you responsible."
After Concubine Yu was carried away, Grand Tutor Chu hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, I request an audience with Your Majesty. Please pass on the message!"
The Queen simply said coldly, "When His Majesty wishes to see you, he will summon you."
After saying this, the door of the hall closed again. Master Chu and others looked extremely unhappy, but they could do nothing about it.
The Queen walked over to the bedside where the Emperor had already woken up. Although his face still looked pale, he was no longer in danger of death. His voice was weak, though: "How is Concubine Yu?"
The Queen sat down gently in front of the bed and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will have someone take good care of Sister Yufei and will never let anything happen to her."
The emperor sighed and said, "She is forcing me with her life."
The Queen's eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke, "Your Majesty, Fang Yu was Concubine Yu's only brother. He committed suicide, and Concubine Yu's lineage was completely destroyed. No wonder Concubine Yu lost her mind."
The emperor rubbed his brows and said, "Fang Yu is a man, but he couldn't even handle this. It would be a relief if he died. How can I explain this to Concubine Yu? She's just a woman. I can just give her a better one."
The sarcasm in the Queen's eyes could hardly be suppressed, and she asked gently, "Your Majesty, what do you want to do with Concubine Ru?"
The emperor, who had just been complaining about Fang Yu's lack of generosity and strength, suddenly turned cold and said angrily, "What are you still asking? Rupin dared to defile the palace. It is only my mercy to sentence her to death."
The Queen showed a look of astonishment and reminded him, "Since Your Majesty has awakened, would you like to meet with the others? Right now, the court is in turmoil, as the scholars and officials are sitting in silence outside the palace. Your Majesty needs to make the decision personally."
The emperor's face darkened, and he shook his head and said, "Let me think about it again."
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