Chapter 5 Pine Tree Embracing Snow (Part 5) "Scholar Meng committed suicide in prison..."
Many people, including Yan Chao, knew perfectly well that the emperor's suspicion and murderous intent towards Meng Huai did not stem from this one incident. Yet, it was precisely those four words that could take Meng Huai's life. And the emperor wasn't the only one who didn't want Meng Huai to live.
"Your subject dares not. I only beg Your Majesty to spare your life." She lowered her head, trying her best to suppress her imposing manner.
When the emperor heard that she had no further explanation, he frowned. His anger felt like a punch hitting cotton, with nowhere to be vented.
"You're not planning to clear his name?"
"Cao Hong and Han Yu are dead, and there is no way to verify their identities. The truth will be judged by public opinion, and Your Majesty should be wise in this regard."
The emperor stared intently at her, thinking to himself, "Truly, justice will prevail." He coldly asked, "Then why did you come here to plead for me?"
Is it all just for the sake of saying "justice will be judged by history"?
"Someone is trying to use this matter to frame Your Majesty unjustly; their intentions are despicable." Yan Chao suddenly took out a memorial from his robes and respectfully presented it with both hands. The emperor took it, glanced at it briefly, and his expression became solemn.
"Your Highness, please rise," the emperor said, his expression softening slightly, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed. He put the memorial aside before asking her, "Why didn't you present it earlier?"
"Your subject has selfish motives. I am deeply grateful to my teacher and cannot help but feel moved. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." After bowing again, seeing the emperor deep in thought, he slowly rose and stood respectfully to receive the decree.
"His crimes remain unpunished; he may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment," the emperor said in a deep voice. Meng Huai was already old and didn't have much time left; even if he were spared, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.
"Then, according to the law, exile..."
"Your Majesty, something has happened in the prison!" Ji Weixian rushed in, not even bothering to bow, and knelt down immediately, saying in a panic, "Your Majesty, Scholar Meng has committed suicide in prison!"
Yan Chao's heart sank, his eyes fixed on him, his gaze blazing with fury: "How could you commit suicide, sir! Could there be some mistake...?"
“Your Highness, this servant would not dare to deceive you… Scholar Meng committed suicide just half an hour ago, and there is still a pool of blood on the wall of the prison…”
Ji Weixian was also stunned. Her voice, trembling with sobs, was shrill and piercing, cutting straight to the heart. Yan Chao's face turned pale, and for a moment he felt dizzy and unsettled.
The gentleman is dead.
Was she too late?
But why now... she'll soon be able to take the imperial decree to the death row to save him. She's been working hard these past few days, and she's almost at the point of seeing hope.
Lan Huaien only learned of this matter then; Ji Weixian had not told him. When he entered, he saw the emperor somewhat lost in thought, the memorial in his hand just barely touching the ground.
He went to pick it up, but inadvertently saw a name inside that was all too familiar to him, and his mind exploded. His usual smile vanished, replaced by a deathly pallor.
Just as he was about to leave, the emperor called out to him in a deep voice: "Lan Huai'en."
.
It didn't snow on the day Meng Huai died; only a dry, cold wind blew. A large crowd gathered in front of the imperial prison, all there to see him off. Meng Huai had countless disciples and students; these were just a handful.
Due to excessive blood loss, Meng Huai's body became extremely emaciated after freezing. When his family came to claim his body, they wept bitterly, moving everyone present to tears.
The emperor ultimately did not punish Meng Huai's family, but he still refused to budge on Meng Huai's case, saying that he would let it go and would not listen to anyone who brought it up again.
Shen Wei was still somewhat unwilling. After everyone had left, she turned to Yan Chao and said, "Your Highness, is Mr. Meng really dead so unjustly? What if someone with malicious intent falsely accuses him of committing suicide out of fear of punishment..."
Yan Chao shook his head and said in a deep voice, "They wouldn't dare. To continue this entanglement now would truly put the emperor and father in an unjust position. Now that such a thing has suddenly happened, His Majesty's first target will be the Northern Garrison Command, and the second will be Lan Huai'en. With these two, it will be enough to shut up the rest of the mouths. Your reputation will surely be restored."
But now that person has passed away, it's of no use anymore.
Shen Wei didn't quite understand the rest, but he didn't ask any more questions. He said with some sorrow, "I visited the Meng family before you went to prison. You were already in poor health..."
Yan Chao felt a slight soreness in her nose; she hadn't even seen her one last time.
Just as the two were about to leave, Lu Xun suddenly caught up with them, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your Highness, Scholar Meng had a few words to say before his death, which he asked me to convey to you."
Yan Chao was slightly taken aback. It was for her? But shouldn't it be reported to the Emperor, no matter what? She nodded: "Go ahead."
"Scholar Meng said he had long anticipated this day, but it would be a grave offense to implicate Your Highness. He hoped Your Highness would not plead for him, lest it damage the relationship between father and son..."
Outside the window in the death row cell was a pale sky. He looked up, trying to see the horizon, but all he could see was a blur. His dry, white hair was disheveled, and he wore a cotton coat that had been sent to him on a whim over his prison uniform, but he was still cold all over, and his heart was cold as well.
The chains binding his hands and feet bound him tightly, leaving him no strength to take another step. He looked at the Imperial Guards at the other end of the cell, their embroidered spring knives gleaming coldly.
"...I am old and frail, and life and death make little difference to me now. I cannot clear my name of this crime, and even if I am released from prison alive, I will not have a peaceful end. Only death can prove my innocence, and if not, it can at least protect my wife and children one last time..."
Yan Chao stood there, not even noticing when Lu Xun had left. Shen Wei looked at her with some concern, about to speak, when she suddenly heard Yan Chao murmur something, but she couldn't make out what she was saying.
Meng Huai had nothing to say to his students, only feeling ashamed of the Crown Prince whom he had once served.
She turned to leave after a long while, but then suddenly stopped, looked back, and said softly, "The timing is too coincidental... Ji Weixian went to the East Warm Pavilion to deliver the message around 7:00 AM, and half an hour before that, the Master committed suicide. I went to the Qianqing Palace around 1:15 AM. The journey between the Imperial Prison and the Qianqing Palace is short, but if someone deliberately arranged it, it would be enough time."
Shen Wei understood some of what was being said and tentatively asked, "Your Highness suspects that someone is trying to assassinate Scholar Meng?"
Yan Chao shook his head: "Since Lu Xun said so, suicide should be the right thing to do. I just suspect that someone deliberately leaked the news of my meeting with the emperor to Mr. Meng, or perhaps that person said something that made Mr. Meng determined to die."
It wasn't really murder. Given Meng Huai's character, it was impossible for him to live on with such an unclear charge. But she was so determined to save his life in front of the emperor, fearing that someone might be eager to take action in secret, unaware that that person was also waiting for this opportunity.
It turns out the ending was predetermined from the very beginning.
Right and wrong are determined by the times, justice is not determined by the hearts of the people, and the principles of Heaven are manifested through the means.
The palanquin was almost in sight. Before she got in, she asked in a low voice, "Could it be Lan Huai'en?" After asking, she shut her mouth again. Yan Chao had just said that Lan Huai'en was in trouble this time.
Yan Chao glanced at him and lowered the curtain: "It wasn't him, but he's definitely involved in the master's death."
Shen Wei gave a soft "Oh," then stepped back a few paces to pay his respects. Watching the imperial carriage disappear into the distance, he sighed and returned to his residence, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
.
Since returning to the Directorate of Ceremonial, Lan Huaien seemed more dejected than before. Cheng Tai had just come from the Eastern Depot and reported that things were relatively calm there. However, Lan Huaien remained frowning.
"Lord Supervisor... Meng Huai's death this time really has nothing to do with us, so what are you worried about?"
Lan Huaien glared at him, his face grim: "Whether it concerns us or not is irrelevant. What's important is that His Majesty is furious. If he can't find the culprit, then the blame will fall on our Eastern Depot."
Cheng Tai was taken aback: "But didn't Meng Huai commit suicide...?"
"His death was ill-timed. His Majesty's heart had already softened, yet he died. Doesn't this perfectly fulfill the Crown Prince's words, 'Someone with ulterior motives wants to frame His Majesty unjustly'? Meng Huai's suicide was disrespectful to imperial authority and showed resentment. Even if everyone knows Meng Huai was wronged, His Majesty cannot be at fault, so the one who is at fault must be someone else. Tracing back to the source, it was our Eastern Depot that investigated Meng Huai, and it was our Eastern Depot that arrested him. Who else should they turn to if not us?"
Cheng Tai was still somewhat unwilling: "But Meng Huai died in the imperial prison, so we should at least investigate Lu Xun's crimes first..."
“That’s how it should be,” Lan Huaien sneered, looking down at his hand. He casually flicked two fingers to brush aside a strand of hair, and said leisurely, “But the Crown Prince showed His Majesty a memorial.”
"What memorial?"
“The Imperial Censor Xu Zhen,” he said through gritted teeth, as if he wanted to tear him apart, his eyes suddenly turning cold and sharp. “It was he who came up with that phrase that put the monarch in an unjust position. When I reported it to His Majesty, I happened to skip over that memorial. It was clearly hidden away, but somehow it suddenly appeared in the Crown Prince’s hands. When I saw that memorial, I knew that His Majesty was going to suspect me.”
Cheng Tai was startled: "Could it be that the Crown Prince has spies in the Directorate of Ceremonial?"
Lan Huaien remained noncommittal.
He managed to fool the emperor and fled back to his post in the Directorate of Ceremonial. He was initially furious and ready to investigate thoroughly, but then he thought that he might alert the enemy and make things worse, so he had to hold back and wait for the storm to pass before making a decision.
He composed himself and said, "You should go back to the Eastern Depot first; they can't do without you there. I won't be able to leave for the next few days; I need to be careful." Cheng Tai nodded and bowed, "Then I'll go back first. Take care, Your Excellency."
After Cheng Tai left, Lan Huaien left the Directorate of Ceremonial, lost in thought, and wandered around aimlessly.
Walking south through the first gate, a dozen or so dark green pine trees come into view, their branches laden with snow. The lower trees have been cleared down by palace servants, lest they fall and injure someone. Looking up, one can see the white snow and green pines huddled together, a sight that is pleasing to the eye if one looks closely.
Lan Huaien had no interest in appreciating it; he had walked through this place countless times and was already tired of it. He seemed to remember one day when he thought the trees were useless and wanted to cut them down, but was stopped by Mr. Cilin, a teacher at the Inner Academy, who said that the trees were of great educational value to the children, so he never mentioned it again.
He himself has never liked pine or cypress trees.
Just as I was thinking this, I looked up and found myself in the inner study hall. A couplet immediately caught my eye: "Those who have not yet reached the level of Confucius must strive to take a few more steps; those who have not yet accomplished their family duties should happily set them aside."①
Slightly to the north behind him is the Chong Sheng Hall, where he paid his respects when he was promoted to the position of Chief Secretary.
He suddenly felt a pang of emotion.
He had been in the palace for over a decade, initially introduced to the Inner Academy by Lan Zezhong. He had been taught by several different teachers, the exact number of whom he couldn't recall. Some continued to serve as officials in the court, while others had vanished without a trace—none of them were here anymore. Only bewildered young eunuchs continued to flock here, never leaving.
Most of what he learned was taught to him by eunuchs and his masters, and to survive well in this palace, one had to endure beatings and scoldings. Born servants, they were lowly no matter where they were, and deserved to be thrown into the mud and humiliated.
When you're bullied badly, you'll grit your teeth and hate; only by becoming ruthless can you stand firm. A person forged through countless trials is both tactful and ruthless.
He spat fiercely, thinking to himself, "Xu Zhen is nothing. Sooner or later, he'll taste what it's like to have his head trampled in the mud."
Suddenly, a crisp voice rang out from behind: "This servant greets Grandfather!"
Lan Huaien paused, his expression hardening slightly. He turned to look at the young eunuch kneeling on the ground; the word "grandfather" made him feel uneasy.
"Look up, who gave you permission to call me that?"
The child, about seven or eight years old, looked up timidly and, upon realizing how young the "grandfather" before him was, stammered, "Master taught me that eunuchs in red robes are mostly of high rank and power, and also quite old..."
Lan Huaien: "..."
A note from the author:
Note: ① The couplet is from "Zhuozhongzhi". The layout of the Inner Study Hall, the Directorate of Ceremonial, and other buildings here also refers to this book.
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