Chapter 96 Bloodstained Clothes
One evening before Grain Rain, the Taiji Hall suddenly descended into chaos.
Several court officials were discussing matters in the palace when, without warning, the emperor suddenly collapsed onto his desk.
The Empress immediately sealed off the palace, prohibiting anyone inside from leaving and anyone outside from entering.
The news was kept inside the palace walls, and the imperial city outside the several gates remained calm until the emperor claimed illness and suspended court for five consecutive days, and the officials of the Council of State Affairs were also absent without reason. Finally, some turmoil was stirred up in the court.
On the eighth day, the morning court session resumed.
When the officials arrived at the Taiji Hall, they discovered that the person sitting on the dragon throne was not the emperor, but the crown prince. And standing beside the dragon throne was not Eunuch Yao, but Secretary Yang.
Yu Mingshu and Chen Qingyue, along with other officials of the Eastern Palace, appeared in the main hall with the court officials. On the other side, a group of important officials, led by Li Qinian, did not react at all.
Once everyone had arrived, Liang Yuanjun announced, expressionless, that the emperor had suddenly fallen into a coma and that she, as the crown prince, would temporarily assume the reins of government.
The King of Qin's faction was in an uproar upon hearing this, and Li Qinian's group readily began to submit memorials.
Liang Yuanyi found the situation utterly absurd.
In the imperial court, the crown prince presided over court assemblies, while in the inner palace, the empress controlled the overall situation.
On the open ground paved with bluestone, the eunuch, whose mouth was gagged and whose hands and feet were bound, was beaten until his flesh was torn to pieces. The eunuchs and palace maids watching from the sidelines closed their eyes in unbearable pain.
After being beaten ten more times, Tong Shun breathed his last.
The Imperial Physician Zhong, kneeling not far from him, was ashen-faced and collapsed to the ground as if he had suddenly lost all his strength.
No one knew better than her how Tong Shun died, but unfortunately she could no longer speak.
The Empress's cold, murderous gaze fell on Physician Zhong, and she said, "This is the consequence of betraying one's master, accepting bribes, and secretly distributing forbidden drugs in the palace."
Two eunuchs carried Tong Shun's body down and tied Physician Zhong to a long bench.
As if waking from a dream, Physician Zhong opened his mouth and let out a series of monosyllabic wails. He regained his strength and struggled desperately.
However, she was no match for the two young eunuchs in strength, and soon she was like a dead fish on a chopping board, unable to move.
It was the same scene as when Tong Shun was tortured, with blood and foam flying everywhere and screams that were shrill and tragic.
Some of the palace maids and eunuchs who were ordered to watch couldn't withstand the shock and collapsed, while others vomited as soon as their heads turned to the side.
The Empress stared intently at the person who was gradually losing consciousness under the flogging, her cold expression remaining unchanged.
The thought of what this person had fed the Crown Prince filled her with a surge of hatred that threatened to overflow.
A female official from the Fengyi Palace quietly approached the Empress and whispered, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Yao requests permission to prepare Tong Shun's remains."
"Find someone to keep a close eye on him," the Empress said in a deep voice.
In the distance, several eunuchs pulled up a white cloth to cover the body. Yao Qingxi squatted down shakily, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down next to the bloody and mangled body.
The once highly respected head eunuch, both inside and outside the palace, had lost a lot of weight in just a few days, and half of his hair had turned white. He lowered his head and wiped Tong Shun's pale face with a silk cloth, a sight that evoked the sorrowful lament of a parent outliving their child.
After a long while, Yao Qingxi took off his outer robe.
The female official immediately stopped him, "Eunuch Yao, what are you doing?"
Yao Qingxi raised an eyelid and glanced at her. "My son's clothes are torn. Why can't I let him wear mine?"
The female official hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
…
"That idiot Wang Han! He said the Emperor was seriously ill and in a coma, and that the Empress and the Crown Prince were the masters of the palace and the capital. I think he's lost his mind. He doesn't even consider why the Emperor, in the prime of his life, would suddenly fall into a coma!"
Inside the study of the Prince of Qin's mansion, Zhang Jinghua drank a cup of tea to moisten his throat, and immediately began to curse loudly.
Liang Yuanyi asked, "So, what exactly caused His Majesty to fall into a coma?"
Zhang Jinghua sat down and slammed his hand on the table. "That vile woman Xiao, in order to regain the Emperor's favor, secretly used a folk aphrodisiac recipe and kept him occupied for half a month, exhausting his vital essence."
Liang Yuanyi closed his eyes briefly. His years of accumulated knowledge prevented him from uttering any harsh words. After a moment of silence, he asked, "How could a woman in the deep palace obtain a secret folk remedy? And who gave her the medicine?"
Zhang Jinghua said, "The news from the palace is that the Xiao family bribed Yao Qingxi's godson, that guy named Shun..."
"Tong Shun?"
"Yes, yes, it was Tong Shun. The Xiao family got the secret recipe from Tong Shun, bought the medicine from Physician Zhong, and that's how they created this harmful stuff."
Thinking of how much Tong Shun had taken care of Xiyuan, Liang Yuanyi frowned. "How did they deal with Tong Shun?"
"He was beaten to death," Zhang Jinghua said angrily.
"Now Yao Qingxi has also been imprisoned by them. The entire palace is as sealed as an iron barrel. Apart from the corpses being taken to the mass grave, not even a bird can fly out. We have become complete outsiders!"
Liang Yuanyi suddenly got up and walked out. Zhang Jinghua didn't react in time and asked loudly, "Where are you going?"
“You just said that only corpses can be transported out of the palace now,” Liang Yuanyi said.
"You're going to the mass grave?" Zhang Jinghua stood up abruptly. "What are you going there for, to search through corpses? What connections do you have in the palace? Who would send you messages through corpses?"
Liang Yuanyi ignored him and went straight out of the courtyard.
Zhang Jinghua sighed bitterly and hurriedly chased after him, grabbing his arm. "Your Highness, Your Highness Prince Qin! Even if we need to find the body, there's no reason for you to go in person. Countless eyes in Chang'an are watching Prince Qin's residence."
Liang Yuanyi paused, having taken this advice to heart.
Zhang Jinghua beckoned, and a plain-clad man with an indistinct appearance emerged from the shadows. He said, "Later, take two men to search the mass grave. If you find anything, come back and report immediately."
As he spoke, he glanced at Liang Yuanyi and changed his words: "If you find anything, report it to His Highness Prince Qin first."
The man in plain clothes clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."
The next day, before dawn, a dark figure leaped down from the wall of the Prince of Qin's residence.
The bodyguards hired by the Zhang family retrieved a garment from a mass grave. The robe, stained with the stench of blood, corpses, and rotting earth, was thrown onto the stone path outside the courtyard.
"This was taken from Tong Shun. Judging by the size, it doesn't look like his clothes," said the man in plain clothes.
Liang Yuanyi waved his hand. "Go back and report to your uncle."
After dismissing the servants in the courtyard, he frowned, covered his mouth and nose with a clean strip of cloth, and squatted down to carefully examine the garment.
Based on his visual estimation, this person's height resembled that of Yao Qingxi.
His dark clothes were stained with blood and were filthy. Liang Yuanyi frowned and made a great effort before picking up the fabric with his hands.
The midday sun shone into the courtyard, filtering through the silk fabric and finally leaving some inconspicuous marks.
Zhang Jinghua stepped into the courtyard and saw the robes already hanging up on bamboo poles.
"Is there something wrong with these clothes?"
Liang Yuanyi glanced back at him and pointed with the thin stick at the robe shining directly in the sunlight.
Zhang Jinghua glanced at him up and down with a hint of disdain and said, "There's blood, Tong Shun's blood?"
Liang Yuanyi tapped the clothes on the bamboo pole heavily and said, "Look closely, this is Eunuch Yao's blood letter."
Zhang Jinghua's eyes sharpened, and he finally began to examine the blood-stained garment closely.
Dried bloodstains, some deep, some shallow, some coarse, some fine, formed eight characters on the woven silk robe—
“Heaven and earth are turned upside down, phoenixes soar and pythons crouch.” Zhang Jinghua recited it slowly, then looked at the solemn man beside him, “What does it mean?”
Liang Yuanyi did not respond to him.
Zhang Jinghua could only turn his gaze back to the blood-stained clothes, muttering to himself, "This reversal of fortune is easy to explain. It's nothing more than condemning the Empress for controlling the inner court and sealing off the Forbidden City, while the Emperor lies sickly on his bed, ignoring worldly affairs. As for the phoenix flying and the python crouching..."
“Wrong,” Liang Yuanyi suddenly said.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Jinghua's thoughts were interrupted.
"Heaven and earth are turned upside down; the intention is not with the emperor and empress." A light seemed to shine in Liang Yuanyi's eyes, as if he wanted to see through the blood-stained clothes before him. "Luan refers to Princess Qingluan. Mang refers to the Crown Prince of Liang."
"The phoenix flies in the sky, and the python lies on the ground, implying that the one in the palace is not the real crown prince, but Princess Qingluan in disguise."
"The Empress and Princess Qingluan deceived the Emperor and usurped the position of Crown Prince. This is truly turning the world upside down!"
Zhang Jinghua was stunned. His mind raced, trying to verify his guess. His gaze fell on him, and after a moment, he stammered, "The current Crown Prince is actually a princess in disguise?"
He punched his own palm, moved around, and paced back and forth in the courtyard.
"That's right. The Crown Prince is a head shorter than He Zheng. He always pretends to be gentle and refined. His voice isn't high-pitched, but it's not as masculine or bold as a man's... Most importantly, the Crown Prince is already twenty-three years old and has been reluctant to get engaged. What is he afraid of? He is afraid of revealing that he is a woman!"
Zhang Jinghua's trembling voice contained little shock, but rather the exhilaration of seeing a glimmer of light in the darkness. He stepped forward and grasped Liang Yuanyi's shoulder, his tone becoming increasingly excited.
"The Crown Prince is actually a princess, and how can a princess inherit the throne? His Majesty only has two princes, you and Liang Tianrui. Liang Tianrui is a mentally challenged and sickly man. Therefore, Your Highness Prince Qin, only you can be the rightful heir apparent of Great Liang!"
The joy in Zhang Jinghua's eyes was almost overflowing. Since the current emperor seized power, his adoptive mother's family, the Zhang family, had not gained any benefits. On the contrary, they had been suppressed.
Unlike Emperor Fengle, Liang Yuanyi had Zhang's blood in his veins and was a prince raised by the Zhang family. Only those connected by blood would truly work for the benefit of their family.
The Zhang family has been declining for the past twenty years, but now it is finally going to regain its glory in the hands of Zhang Jinghua.
"I will go and persuade the important officials in the court about this matter!" After saying that, he was about to take off the blood-stained clothes.
"No." Liang Yuanyi raised his hand to stop him. Most officials in the court were now loyal to the Crown Prince; a hasty attempt to sow discord might not be believed. Yao Qingxi had gone to great lengths to deliver this blood-stained garment; we couldn't just turn around and send him to the mass grave as well."
"Then what do you suggest?" Zhang Jinghua raised an eyebrow, inwardly unconvinced.
There's a saying that every new emperor brings a new court, but in reality, while officials can pledge allegiance to a new ruler, it's the palace eunuchs who are truly desperate. Regardless of whether the blood-stained clothes incident comes to light, Yao Qingxi's fate was sealed from the day the emperor fell into a coma.
Liang Yuanyi threw down the thin stick, a faint smile playing on his lips. "A student once taught me to learn how to use the power of public opinion."
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