Chapter 68 Confiscating property
At the end of March, Fu Yunxiu received news that there was movement in the capital.
Someone from the Censorate submitted a memorial impeaching the Earl of Yunyang, accusing him of accepting bribes and buying and selling official positions, and the evidence was conclusive.
Since assuming power, the emperor had been committed to purging corruption among officials, and the Earl of Yunyang's actions unwittingly put him in the wrong place at the wrong time. The emperor was furious and ordered the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate the case, with Prince Qi taking the lead.
King Yu was originally confident that the matter would not cause any trouble, as most of the Ministry of Justice was under his command. He believed that with just a little guidance, the matter would be easily resolved. However, His Majesty unexpectedly appointed Prince Qi to oversee the matter.
These days, the Emperor frequently summons Prince Qi to the palace, and the two often stay for most of the day. There has long been talk in the court that His Majesty intends to make Prince Qi the Crown Prince.
Is His Majesty's action now an attempt to leave him alone, or to further promote Prince Qi?
King Yu couldn't understand it, so he could only try his best to mediate so that this matter wouldn't implicate him.
Fortunately, Prince Qi was not an incompetent fool. He quickly found evidence that the Earl of Yunyang had accepted bribes and sold official positions, which also led to the discovery of the missing grain case from years ago.
The Shen family army suffered heavy losses in the events of that year. Shen Yan knelt in the imperial court, tears streaming down his face, begging His Majesty to thoroughly investigate and bring justice to the wronged souls of the dead.
As the saying goes, "the truth will eventually come out." Back then, King Yu was young and impetuous, and without anyone to restrain him, his actions were naturally riddled with loopholes and could not withstand scrutiny.
Yunyang Bo was imprisoned, and soon after, Yao Zhiyuan, Xu Chuang, and more and more people involved in the events of that year were investigated and brought to light.
Faced with all the evidence, King Yu only said that he had been deceived and was unaware of the situation. Yunyang Bo also admitted that it was all because he was greedy for money and had nothing to do with anyone else.
Anyone with eyes could see that this matter was definitely related to King Yu, but unfortunately there was no evidence. The emperor only reprimanded King Yu a few times and punished him by confining him to his quarters.
Ultimately, the Earl of Yunyang was stripped of his title, sentenced to be executed in the autumn, his property confiscated, all the men in his family were exiled to guard the frontier, and all the women were sold into slavery.
On the day the Yunyang Marquis's mansion was raided, Fu Yunxiu was in a good mood and wanted to go for a spring outing outside the city with Aman.
"A spring outing? Now?" Aman asked, puzzled. It's almost summer, what's the point of going on a spring outing?
"Since the weather is nice today, it won't hurt to go out for a walk." Fu Yunxiu pushed Aman out the door, and even rented a carriage early in the morning to wait outside.
The sound of horses' hooves clattered on the bluestone pavement. Aman stared at the person calmly sipping tea inside the carriage, her mind filled with questions. Then she heard the crying and commotion outside.
"Young master, soldiers are blocking the road ahead, and we can't pass for the time being," the coachman said.
“Since we can’t get through, it won’t hurt to wait,” Fu Yunxiu said.
The noise outside was quite intriguing, so Aman lifted the carriage curtain to look.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Aman spotted the Yunyang Earl's Mansion from afar, a place that sent chills down her spine even just recalling it.
The once magnificent mansion is now in complete disarray. The plaque above the gate has been smashed and is scattered in pieces on the ground. At the entrance, a group of soldiers with swords stand guard, their brows furrowed in disdain. The wails of men and the cries of women rise and fall in waves.
Aman spotted Yao Shi in the crowd almost instantly—the one who had once ordered her servants to torture her without listening to her utter refusals. Now, her former glory was gone; her fine clothes had been replaced by coarse linen, her hair was disheveled and askew, with a few strands falling from her temples, as if someone had removed her hair ornaments.
She collapsed in the middle of the group of women, ignoring the incessant crying of the baby in her arms, only saying, "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not Madam Yao, you've got the wrong person."
"Let me go, let me go!" she cried, trying to break free of the encirclement while holding her child. But the guards threw her to the ground and spat at her, "Crazy woman."
Soon, chests of gold and silver treasures were carried out, and the crowd, who had already cried themselves to exhaustion, instantly began to wail and weep again.
Now they finally believe that their comfortable and peaceful days are over, and what awaits them from now on is only endless poverty and suffering.
The soldiers who had confiscated the property finally left, and the people of Yunyang Prefecture were imprisoned, awaiting exile and sale.
The onlookers had enjoyed a good show and were still somewhat unsatisfied. It's believed that for the next two weeks, the talk of Yongzhou will revolve around the Yunyang Marquis's Mansion.
The road was finally clear, and the sound of horses' hooves rang out again.
Aman withdrew his gaze, sat in the carriage, and remained silent for a long time.
Fu Yunxiu glanced at her cautiously, without the expected joy, nor any pity or sympathy for them. For a moment, Fu Yunxiu was unsure of Aman's thoughts.
"Aman," Fu Yunxiu called softly, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know how to ask them.
Are you angry?
Or, to put it another way, are you feeling better now?
It seems like no matter what question I ask, it's not the right one.
The two remained silent until the carriage left the city, and the driver said he needed to relieve himself, at which point Aman finally spoke.
"Young Master, is the current state of the Yunyang Marquis's Mansion your doing?" Aman wasn't stupid. She had felt something was off when Fu Yunxiu invited her out for a spring outing, and now she was answering her questions.
The outing was just an excuse; the real intention was to put on a good show for her.
"Yes." Faced with Aman's question, Fu Yunxiu was speechless for a moment.
She knew that Aman was kind-hearted. He had felt a little sorry for the people from the Yunyang Marquis's mansion who were taken away, let alone Aman.
In this process, innocent people will inevitably be implicated.
“Yes, Aman, so…” Fu Yunxiu’s tone was obscure, and he even dared not look Aman in the eye, “This is the real me, Aman. As you can see, I am not a good person.”
Those people may be innocent, but he will not sympathize with them, much less regret it.
How many innocent people have died in this world? Weren't the common people who were killed by the Yunyang Marquis's Mansion innocent? Weren't the Shen family soldiers who died from lack of food and clothing, cold and hunger innocent?
Since they enjoyed the power and glory of the Yunyang Marquis's Mansion, they should also bear the guilt and punishment.
All along the way, Fu Yunxiu was filled with anxiety. Now, he clenched his hands tightly, waiting for Aman's judgment. However, the cold words he expected did not come. Instead, Aman's warm little hands wrapped around his waist.
Aman hugged him tightly, pressing her head against Fu Yunxiu's chest, before slowly speaking, "Young Master, actually, I'm not a good person either."
It's so hard to be a good person.
The old woman was kind to everyone, but she was treated with favoritism by a concubine who neglected her wife, forcing her to take her daughter and leave for a distant place.
The mother was kind to others, but what awaited her was the torment of the mistress and the abandonment by her husband.
She didn't want to follow in their footsteps.
The reason she didn't hold a grudge against Yao for the Yunyang Marquis's affair wasn't because she was magnanimous, but because she was utterly powerless against Yao. Otherwise, if Yao had lashed her ten times, she would have retaliated with a hundred or a thousand lashes in return.
Now that the young master has avenged her, she is naturally overjoyed.
As for the others in the Yunyang Marquis's mansion, it wasn't Aman who led them to this point of having their property confiscated and being exiled, but rather the Marquis of Yunyang himself. She had nothing to feel guilty about.
She remained silent in the carriage, partly due to her shock, and partly because the driver was there.
The young master once said that the Earl of Yunyang had a close relationship with King Yu. Although she did not know what the young master had done, she was still afraid.
So she didn't dare to speak until the driver left.
Aman knew that the young master did this only because she had been mistreated at the Yunyang Marquis's residence.
Aman hugged Fu Yunxiu tightly, burying her head in his chest and listening to his steady, strong heartbeat. A wave of fear washed over her. "It must have been very hard for you!"
He had only recently recovered from his illness and hadn't had a proper rest, yet he was already running around trying to avenge her. One can only imagine the hardships he endured.
Fu Yunxiu did not reply to her, but gently placed a kiss on her forehead. "Aman, from now on, I will never let anyone bully you."
After the incident at the Yunyang Marquis's residence, Aman lived an increasingly carefree life.
He sets up his stall every day without fail, and in his spare time, he stays at home, practicing calligraphy and painting with Fu Yunxiu.
The two were being all lovey-dovey, and Mantou, standing to the side, kept saying he couldn't bear to watch, yet he kept grinning from ear to ear.
During this period, Madam Fu visited several times. She claimed it was to visit, but her words were all warning Fu Yunxiu not to covet things he shouldn't have.
The reason is that many elders of the clan felt that the title of Marquis had been vacant for some time, and that Fu Yunxiu, as the eldest son, should inherit the title.
Fu Yunxiu had heard this so many times that he was tired of it, so he just went along with it without paying any attention to it.
After a strong wind, the weather turned gloomy, with dark clouds gathering, giving the impression that a storm was brewing.
Aman brought the flower petals drying outside into the house, and as dusk settled, a wave of sorrow washed over her.
"It looks like things are about to change!"
With this rain, I wonder how many more flowers will be knocked down. That's all pure white gold!
"Don't worry, my paintings are worth a thousand gold pieces now, I'll make it up to you later." Fu Yunxiu walked over, put his arm around her shoulder and led her into the house.
"What husband? You're shameless." Aman's face flushed from his words, and she couldn't help but reach out to pinch the soft flesh on his waist, but Fu Yunxiu chuckled and dodged her.
He begged for mercy repeatedly, "Good Ah Man, I was talking nonsense, I was talking nonsense."
The Wutong Garden was filled with laughter and joy, but the Marquis's residence was shrouded in gloom.
Because—the capital city has truly changed.
King Yu rebelled.
Seven days ago, the emperor offered sacrifices to Heaven, and Prince Qi was chosen to accompany him. During the ceremony, an assassin suddenly appeared and stabbed the emperor in the chest, leaving him in critical condition.
After the assassin was captured, he confessed that he was acting on the orders of Prince Qi. However, Prince Qi was currently with the emperor and had ordered the imperial city to be strictly guarded, forbidding anyone from visiting the emperor.
Rumors circulated that the emperor had already passed away, and that Prince Qi was keeping the news secret and even suppressing it in order to use it to command the other princes and seize the throne for himself.
Now, King Yu, together with General Liu Xun, has surrounded the imperial city, claiming that they want to purge the court of corrupt officials, establish the law, and execute the traitors.
Now everyone in the capital is on edge, fearing that they might lose their head if they're not careful.
Madam Fu was not worried about the Emperor's safety, but rather about Fu Yunting's life or death. Swords have no eyes, and Fu Yunting was young and impetuous; there was no guarantee he wouldn't get into trouble.
Similarly, Madam Liu was so anxious about this matter that she could neither eat nor sleep.
Although King Yu had a great chance of winning at this point, the struggle between kings was always unpredictable, and no one knew what the outcome would be until the very last moment.
After four days of this widespread panic, news came from the capital again: King Yu had been defeated.
Originally, Liu Xun's army had besieged the imperial city for several days, and Prince Qi was already at his limit. However, for some reason, the border guards from the distant frontier suddenly appeared, catching them off guard.
Logically speaking, Liu Xun's army had the advantage of timing and location, and its numbers far exceeded those of the border garrison. However, at the crucial moment, Shen Yan suddenly betrayed them.
Seeing no hope of victory, King Yu decided to lead his troops to capture only the imperial city. As long as he obtained the Imperial Seal, even if his cause was unjust, so what?
History is always written by the victors.
However, when he stormed into the capital, he was met with the Imperial Guards, who were on high alert, and a king who sat on the throne, showing no signs of injury.
In the end, Liu Xun was beheaded by Shen Yan, and all the rebels were captured. Consort Yue was ordered to commit suicide, and King Yu was temporarily imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court. All those who had rebelled with King Yu were imprisoned and awaiting their fate.
"Why?" Now that things have come to this, how could King Yu not see clearly that all of this was nothing more than a scheme to purge him and the Sun family's cronies?
But he didn't understand why.
Why did his father suddenly lose favor with him, and instead show concern for this jinx in everything?
"Your mother also asked me this question." After going through all this, the emperor had clearly aged, and his aged face showed signs of fatigue.
He sighed and said, "I can only say that everything is fate. I remember when I was not yet the emperor, but just a prince, Yu'er and I were so carefree and unrestrained, enjoying the flowers and the moon."
He had promised then that he would marry no one but Yu'er in this life.
Unfortunately, as a prince, his marriage was never up to him. His mother wanted him to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official, and his uncle wanted him to marry the sister of a military general. Fortunately, Yu'er understood him and didn't make a fuss about it.
Later, with the help of the Sun family, he ascended the throne. Logically, he should have made the Sun family's daughter his empress, but he did not. He preferred his Yu'er to the position of empress.
Therefore, on the grounds that Lady Sun had not yet conceived, he temporarily bestowed upon her the title of Imperial Concubine and the honorary title of Yue, which is now Imperial Concubine Yue.
After the coronation ceremony, he hurriedly welcomed Yu'er into the palace and conferred upon her the title of Consort Chen.
At that time, she didn't know that the love of an emperor could sometimes become a knife. His favor towards Consort Chen made Consort Yue's eyes red with envy. She wouldn't allow anyone to take away her throne as Empress.
So, after learning that Yu'er was also pregnant, she finally couldn't sit still. When Yu'er was seven months pregnant, she poisoned her pregnancy-preserving medicine.
He actually knew about this.
At that time, the Sun family held absolute power in the court, and half of the civil and military officials were loyalists of the Right Chancellor, Sun Yi. Therefore, he thought this might be an opportunity to use the affairs of the harem to suppress the previous dynasty. Children, they are still young; they will have more eventually.
But he never expected that his Yu'er would be willing to risk her life to give birth to this child.
And this child is none other than the current Prince Qi, Xie Chen.
Consort Yue had harmed people, and there was ample evidence and witnesses. After he used this as a pretext to punish a group of people, the Sun family did indeed become much more restrained. However, his Yu'er could never come back.
This experience also made him realize that some love is not meant to be spoken.
Therefore, on the grounds that Prince Chen had caused the death of his mother, which was considered an ominous sign, he sent him to the estate, where he was raised for ten years.
For the past ten years, he has known his every need, yet he has never once visited him.
It wasn't that he was afraid of being discovered by others, but rather that he felt guilty towards him.
Over the past decade, he has grown powerful and is no longer afraid of the Sun family. However, the Sun family is deeply entrenched in the court, and he cannot give Yu'er the position of empress, but he wants to give the throne to their child.
He wanted to give Prince Qi a throne where peace and prosperity reigned.
Therefore, he sent the ten-year-old Prince Qi to the military camp, found him the best teacher, and let him train his own army.
Meanwhile, in the court, he intentionally instigated a conflict between the Yuwang clan, led by the Sun family, and the Yingwang clan, led by the Rong family, so that he could reap the benefits.
Sure enough, in order to get rid of King Ying, who was a thorn in his side, King Yu framed him for secretly making dragon robes.
Despite knowing that the plot was full of flaws, he still granted the wishes of King Yu's faction, stripping King Ying of his title and demoting him to a commoner.
Yu the Great's faction became complacent and revealed many of their true colors. Knowing the time was ripe, he feigned illness and summoned King Qi back to the capital.
What followed unfolded exactly as he had predicted. He deliberately cultivated a close relationship with King Qi and neglected King Yu, even insisting that King Qi accompany him to the sacrificial ceremony. King Yu, cornered, resorted to assassination.
During his injury and "coma" period, Consort Yu attempted to secretly alter the imperial edict under the guise of caring for him, but was apprehended by his men.
Unable to receive news from his mother, King Yu conspired with Prime Minister Sun, who had already attained official rank, and they rebelled.
But he didn't know that when Prince Xuanqi entered the capital, he had sent him a secret letter, instructing him to secretly lead 100,000 border troops back to the capital. Shen Yan was also a pawn he had planted between them.
Fortunately, everything is proceeding steadily according to his vision and plan.
Now that the Ying royal family is gone and the Yu king's faction has fallen, he can finally hand over the kingdom to his son.
The story was chilling to hear, yet the Emperor spoke with surprising calm, his expression composed, as if recounting someone else's tale. Only when Consort Chen was mentioned could a flicker of tenderness be seen in his eyes.
The huge room was eerily quiet, with only the dripping of the water clock in the background. After a long while, the voice of King Yu was finally heard.
"No, this is impossible, this is impossible." King Yu looked incredulous and struggled to step forward, but was held down by several jailers.
“Father, Father,” Yu’s voice was almost pleading, “I beg you to tell me, this is all fake, right? It’s all fake.”
He did not believe that his father, who had always doted on him, was merely putting on an act.
He had no belief that the monarch who had always favored him was merely using him as a target to eliminate dissidents.
And it was precisely for this Prince Qi, whom he had never taken seriously.
"Father, say something, Father!" He preferred to believe that his father was saying these things to anger him because he was too heartbroken by his rebellion.
"Father, you can't treat me like this! I'm your son too!" The violent struggle caused the iron chains binding Yu's hands and feet to clang. He tried to rush to the emperor for an answer. But the emperor clearly didn't want to waste any more words with him.
"Your mother killed the woman I loved most, so how could I love her son?" The emperor waved his hand. "Take her away!"
Several guards stepped forward and hurriedly dragged the already somewhat deranged King Yu away.
"Father, I am your son too! I am your son too!" Even as he was being carried out of the house, King Yu kept repeating these words.
The group made a lot of noise, leaving only the Emperor and Prince Qi in the room.
Over the years, the emperor had always felt that he owed Prince Qi a great deal. Now that his enemy had been eliminated, he could finally treat him well openly and honestly.
"My son." The emperor's eyes were filled with tears as he reached out to touch Prince Chen. But Prince Qi dodged him first.
"Chen'er?" The Emperor looked puzzled, while Prince Qi chuckled, "What a touching drama! But you don't think that your mother will forgive you for doing this, do you?"
“If you couldn’t protect her, you shouldn’t have welcomed her into the palace. Knowing that others wanted to harm him, you chose to sacrifice her in order to secure your throne. Don’t give those high-sounding reasons; in the end, it’s just that you’re selfish.”
He didn't care how the emperor had treated him over the years. After all, compared to others, he was well-fed and clothed, and had the best teachers in both literature and martial arts, which already surpassed many others.
Although he had asked his father why he didn't want him when he was young, he is now past the age where he needs his father.
He simply felt sorry for the woman who had been sacrificed under imperial power.
How much of the love of an emperor is truly genuine?
Prince Qi said coldly, "Father, if I were Mother, I would never forgive you in this lifetime."
After saying this, Prince Qi opened the door and left.
He never experienced fatherly love growing up, and now he can't act out the kind of fatherly love and filial piety he desires.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the ground, and amidst the rosy glow of the sky, the emperor, his eyes red, watched Prince Qi's figure disappear without ever seeing him turn around.
In an instant, he seemed to have aged more than ten years, and he sat down on the ground in despair.
Was he ultimately wrong?
Yu'er, if you were here, you would definitely be able to come up with a brilliant solution.
Yu'er, will you really not forgive me?
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Author's Note: QAQ, I accidentally posted chapter 68 instead of chapter 67. It's been replaced. Those who bought chapter 67, please go back and read it again. [crying][crying]
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