Chapter 4.4 Exile of the Deposed Crown Prince
Inside the Phoenix Palace, the Emperor arrived.
The empress removed her hairpins to await punishment, dressed in plain clothes, and knelt on the ground to speak to the emperor.
"The witchcraft incident is the fault of Consort Li alone. She has fallen out of favor and harbored resentment, intending to take revenge on me. Her heart is despicable. I hope Your Majesty will see clearly and not wrongly blame the entire loyal family of the Changsun family because of a jealous woman."
The emperor stood before her, his expression indifferent.
He knew perfectly well whether Consort Li was guilty or not. Was his anger today solely because of Consort Li?
When Prime Minister Changsun was still alive, the Changsun family was a prestigious family. Now that the old prime minister is gone, Empress Changsun's brother has not accomplished much in the court. He has given the Changsun family so many opportunities to make contributions, but none of them have satisfied him.
Since she lacked ability, she should have kept to her place and not colluded with the Crown Prince, spreading spies throughout the palace and even secretly deciding on the Crown Princess.
"The trouble that has arisen in the harem is due to the Empress's lack of virtue and incompetence. From this day forward, the Empress shall be sent to a Buddhist temple outside the palace for ascetic practice and shall not return to the palace without imperial decree."
The emperor coldly issued an edict, completely shattering the empress's scheme. She was so stunned that she even forgot to accept the edict and express her gratitude.
"The Crown Prince is your only child. I wish to send him to a Buddhist temple to chant sutras with you. What does the Empress think?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress suddenly became nervous. The Emperor's decree did not mention deposing the Empress, and besides, the Consort's two sons were both useless. As long as the Crown Prince was still in the palace, the Changsun family still had a chance to make a comeback.
She kowtowed and humbly pleaded, "Palace affairs are none of the Crown Prince's business. Please, Your Majesty, keep the Crown Prince in the palace. I will recite scriptures and repent day and night, and also pray for Your Majesty and the Crown Prince."
The emperor remained silent, his eyes dark and cold from a height she could not see.
No sooner had he stepped out of Fengqi Palace than he ordered someone to draft an imperial edict.
Half an hour later, most of the palace staff in the East Palace had been taken away. Apart from three close maids and a few guards and eunuchs, only three remained.
After the head eunuch left with his men, the imperial eunuch immediately entered and read out the edict that the emperor had just issued.
"Crown Prince Pei Heng is corrupt and unvirtuous. He colludes with treacherous officials and relatives of the empress to practice witchcraft and sorcery, which is contrary to human ethics and causes me great distress. He is hereby deposed as crown prince and exiled to the north. He shall depart at dawn tomorrow and never return to the capital."
With the crown prince deposed and no chance of a comeback, the palace servants who were also placed under house arrest were filled with despair.
With the crown prince exiled, these palace servants will not fare any better; they will either be punished by being enslaved or exiled along with him.
As soon as the East Palace gates closed, everyone rushed into the main hall like madmen, looting everything of value: vases, ornaments, calligraphy, paintings, teacups, and more.
Yuezhi reacted quickly. While everyone was busy looting in the main hall, she secretly ran to the bedroom, bolted the door from the inside, and used a cabinet to block the door, fearing that the palace servants would get carried away and implicate her and the crown prince.
Compared to being imprisoned in the dark, exile was better. Once outside the palace walls, she had a skill, and the crown prince was literate and could read; the two of them might be able to survive.
My godmother and sworn brother are both outside the palace. If I follow the Crown Prince out of the palace, I might be able to see them again.
Thinking of this, Yuezhi felt much better.
The effects of the typhoid medicine had not yet worn off, and the prince was still unconscious.
Looking at his fair and rosy face, Yuezhi was glad that he was sleeping soundly and that she didn't have to hear the arguments and shouting outside. She could rest well tonight and suffer less on her journey tomorrow.
That evening, a familiar sound came from outside the west wing.
Yuezhi quietly went out, and when no one was around, she ran to the corner of the alley, moved the large rainwater vat aside, and revealed a small dog hole.
"I didn't see you come out, and I heard that the deposed crown prince was exiled, so I prepared some medicine for you. You might need it," Su Jingyun said quietly, slipping a package into the cave from outside.
Yuezhi took it and returned a bundle to him.
"I have nowhere to hide these jewels. Rather than having them confiscated by the eunuchs when I leave the palace for inspection, I might as well give them to you. Having more valuables will make things easier for you in the palace."
Su Jingyun took the bundle, sobbing softly, "Yuezhi, I can't go with you, but... I'll always remember you."
"I will remember you too." Yuezhi's voice choked with emotion.
She knew that this departure would mean they would never have the chance to meet again in this lifetime.
*
At 1:15 AM, Pei Heng was woken up.
He sat up groggily, memories of yesterday gradually returning, and his mood became depressed.
"Your Highness, quickly put on your clothes and come eat." A familiar voice urged him, and he turned his head to see Yuezhi.
She was dressed in a thicker palace maid's outfit for autumn and winter, with no decorations in her hair. Her round face was beaming with the same smile as always as she took out steaming hot sugar cakes from her bosom and placed them on the table.
Pei Heng felt dazed. If she hadn't been dressed simply, she would have thought yesterday's events were just a nightmare.
Seeing him lost in thought, Yuezhi hurriedly went to the bedside, dressed him, and said, "His Majesty issued an edict yesterday to depose the Crown Prince. In less than an hour, the Imperial Guards will come to the Eastern Palace to take us away and exile us to the north."
The emperor was ruthless. Pei Heng was not surprised when he learned of the punishment. He simply asked, "Where is my mother? Does she know that I have been deposed?"
Yuezhi shook her head. "I only know that Her Majesty the Empress was sent out of the palace yesterday, but I don't know where she was sent."
Pei Heng remained silent.
Seeing that he was about to become sentimental again, Yuezhi quickly supported his shoulders and shook him a couple of times. "Don't think about these things. Go and try some sugar cakes. I asked a fellow villager to get them for me. They're fragrant and soft. If you eat one, you won't be hungry for half a day."
"Yes, I need to eat my fill." Pei Heng quickly regained his spirits, put on his shoes and socks, and got out of bed.
While eating, he cautiously asked, "You weren't able to leave yesterday?"
Yuezhi licked the sweet, hot syrup from the corner of her mouth and said indignantly, "It's all Xiuyu and Caiying's fault for being so talkative, otherwise the head eunuch would have let me out."
Upon hearing this, Pei Heng's eyes gradually dimmed.
Before she could even utter the words, "It's my fault for dragging you down," she softened her voice and said again.
"Actually, it's not all their fault. I didn't want to be separated from the Crown Prince either. You treated me so well, and I remember all the treasures and delicacies you gave me last time."
Pei Heng blushed and lowered his head, taking two bites of the sugar cake to distract himself and prevent himself from crying again.
"It's alright. As long as you're alive, there's still hope. You're a wonderful person, and I'm willing to stay by your side." Yuezhi poured him a glass of water and playfully poked his hand.
Even though it was the most embarrassing time of his fall from grace, Pei Heng didn't care at all about the power and wealth he had lost. All he could think about was Yue Zhi, who was always laughing and joking in front of him.
He smiled, and under her gaze, his panic subsided.
The morning light was just beginning to break, and the autumn air was crisp and cool.
At 2:45 AM, the head eunuch led the Imperial Guards and broke down the door. The palace servants, who were still asleep, were dragged out of bed and taken to the courtyard for roll call.
Yuezhi and Pei Heng walked out of the palace carrying their bundles.
"Not a single item from the palace can be taken out!"
The head eunuch and junior eunuchs checked each person in turn to prevent anyone from smuggling valuables out of the palace.
All the items that were looted yesterday were brought out, and the little eunuch rummaged through the bundles that everyone was carrying, taking off several sets of clothes with jade belts.
Xiu Yu's eyes were filled with tears. "This was a gift from Her Majesty the Empress. Why can't I take it with me?"
The head eunuch scolded her, "You are now criminal slaves, you cannot wear silk or gold and silver jewelry. We are just following the rules. If you do not comply, we will call the Imperial Guards to teach you the rules."
Xiuyu let go of her hand while crying.
Caiying, being quite sensible, handed over the gold and silver jewelry and non-compliant clothing from her bundle, thus avoiding being roughly handled.
When the eunuch checked Yuezhi and Peiheng, he found no valuables on them or in their bags, only a package of bottles and jars of medicine. He was unsure what to do.
Yuezhi hurriedly explained, "Your Excellency, the deposed Crown Prince caught a cold yesterday and is not fully recovered. These medicines have been stored in the Eastern Palace for years and are not worth much money. Please allow me to take them away to save the deposed Crown Prince's life."
The head eunuch took the medicine packet, opened it one by one, and found that they were all common medicines.
Looking at the deposed crown prince, who was being protected by Yuezhi, dressed in thin and simple clothes, his face pale and listless, leaning against her, she knew that what she said was true.
The emperor only said he would exile the deposed crown prince, not that he would take his life. Leaving room for maneuver is the only way to survive in the palace.
The eunuch in charge didn't ask any further questions and returned the medicine to Yuezhi.
He glanced at the deposed crown prince, knowing in his heart that this master had always been kind and wise, and had even helped him out of a predicament in front of the empress... He softened his heart for a moment and gave an order to the eunuch.
"Go find a decent cloak. If the deposed prince gets frostbite before we set off, none of us can afford the consequences."
The young eunuch was very sensible and found the thickest and warmest fox fur cloak for Pei Heng to wear.
The Imperial Guard leader saw this unusual move but said nothing, because if the deposed crown prince were to freeze to death on the road to exile, they would have a hard time explaining it to the emperor.
After the investigation was completed, a group of more than a dozen people were escorted out of the palace and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail.
At 1:15 AM, those exiled to the north boarded simple carriages. Ten people squeezed into one dilapidated carriage that was so run-down it was drafty. Several carriages were already full.
Yuezhi, carrying Pei Heng and with gold and silver hidden on her person, dared not get close to anyone, so she lagged behind and let others go first, waiting to go last herself.
As I looked around, I started to wonder why there were so many people being exiled today.
When she saw Cui Wenzhu and her daughter, their hair disheveled and faces streaked with tears, in the crowd, she realized that the Changsun family had also been implicated in the witchcraft scandal, stripped of their official positions, and exiled to the north.
It's true that times have changed. Yuezhi suddenly felt a pang of emotion, realizing that these people wouldn't sit on a high platform forever like a Bodhisattva statue.
Xiuyu and Caiying also saw the Changsun family, but unlike Yuezhi, they only glanced back at the sickly deposed crown prince, and then looked at Cui Wenzhu and her daughter, who, although down on their luck, were still dressed in silk clothes and surrounded by maids.
Without hesitation, the two immediately approached, hoping to curry favor with Cui Wenzhu and find a way to support each other. Before they could even speak, a prison guard from the Ministry of Justice shouted at them.
"Hurry up, stop dawdling!"
Prisoners were being stuffed into carriages one after another. Yuezhi clung tightly to Pei Heng's shoulder, afraid that if she wasn't careful, he would be taken away by the jailers and stuffed into a carriage for male prisoners.
Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.
Startled, Yuezhi turned around and saw a prison guard she didn't recognize.
"Are you Yuezhi?" the jailer asked her in a very soft voice.
Yuezhi nodded blankly, "What are you going to do?"
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the jailer smiled happily, rolled up his sleeve to reveal the arm guard underneath, and said, "Remember? You sewed this for me. My mother had someone take it out of the palace, and I've been wearing it ever since."
"It was indeed she who sewed it," Yuezhi remembered, and tentatively asked, "Are you my sworn brother? Zhang Ping'an?"
"It's me." Zhang Ping'an was overjoyed.
“My mother always talks about you at home, saying that you are well-behaved, fair-skinned and beautiful, like the moon reflected in the water, and that you can be spotted in a crowd. Sure enough, I recognized you at a glance.”
Yuezhi felt embarrassed by the praise and lowered her head. She saw Pei Heng's innocent little face looking up at her, reddened by the autumn wind.
She lovingly covered his cheek.
She wanted to say a few more words to her sworn brother, but there were only a few prisoners left ahead of her, and it was almost her turn. With other prison guards watching, the two had to separate.
"Get on the carriage first. I'm also part of the escort. We'll discuss things further once we're out of the city," Zhang Ping'an reassured her and walked ahead.
Yuezhi nodded to him, then turned and was stuffed into the female prisoners' carriage along with Pei Heng.
Unfortunately, Cui Wenzhu and her daughter, along with Xiuyu and Caiying, were all on this bus.
Upon seeing the two approach, none of the group gave them a friendly look.
"Mother, I'm cold." Changsun Huaqing sniffed and tugged at Cui Wenzhu's clothes, her eyes fixed on the cloak draped over Pei Heng.
When the Changsun family suffered their misfortune, the whole family was gathered around the stove roasting meat and eating. They were enjoying the warm wine and lively atmosphere, and no one was wearing heavy, thick clothes. As a result, they were arrested while wearing only thin, fine clothes.
When Changsun Huaqing spoke up, Cui Wenzhu did not refuse, but instead turned her gaze to Pei Heng.
With her taking the lead, the other maids from the Changsun Mansion also looked over. Xiuyu and Caiying even reached out and tugged at his fox fur cloak. The force they used to test him was not strong, but it aroused Yuezhi's extreme vigilance.
She rolled up her cloak, wrapped it tightly around Pei Heng's body, held him in her arms, and glared back at him unkindly.
“This dress you’re wearing could fetch a lot of money. If you’re really cold, you can ask someone to sell it and buy some warm cotton clothes. Why fight with a sick child for something?”
Her words were fair, but Choi Moon-joo felt humiliated and retorted.
"Who wants to take your things? The deposed crown prince is kind and benevolent. Knowing that his cousin was freezing, he couldn't be more willing to share his things with everyone. Only you, a lowly person, have no good intentions whatsoever, relying on the deposed crown prince's power to bully others."
"If Madam is saying that kindness shortens one's own lifespan so as to make others comfortable, then please cultivate more of that kindness yourself. This servant cannot generate such good intentions."
Yuezhi remained composed and dignified, leaving Cui Wenzhu speechless and unsure how to respond.
I used to think she was a submissive pushover, but it turns out she was just pretending; her only real trait is her sharp tongue.
"Hmph!" Cui Wenzhu crossed her arms and turned her face away in anger.
It's true that she wanted a cloak for warmth, but she also couldn't bring herself to snatch things from her nephew in front of her servants. If she really did it, what difference would there be between her and a beggar or a stray dog fighting for food on the street?
Changsun Huaqing's lips turned purple from the cold. He tried to snuggle into his mother's arms, but Cui Wenzhu impatiently pushed him away.
"If you're afraid of the cold, go find your cousin. If it weren't for his good mother failing to win over Consort Li, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"When disaster struck, she managed to escape to a Buddhist temple to enjoy peace and quiet. She's truly the most shrewd person in the world. Only we fools are used and then abandoned."
“They are all my mothers. I can keep you by my side, but the Empress doesn’t care about her own son, let alone her own brother. We don’t have the Empress’s good fortune. We will die in the North sooner or later.”
Cui Wenzhu cursed relentlessly, and no one in the carriage dared to utter a sound.
Yuezhi sat at the very edge, feeling a warm, damp sensation on her chest, while the person in her arms trembled uneasily.
She didn't let anyone see his disheveled and crying appearance; she simply hugged his back tightly.
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