Chapter 55 You beast, you still want to pretend in front of me...
The Eastern Palace.
The Crown Prince had just rested when Eunuch Cao woke him up again: "Your Highness, Your Highness, wake up! His Majesty has come to see you."
The Crown Prince asked, "Why has Father come at this time?"
Eunuch Cao: "This servant does not know either, but His Majesty will be arriving soon. Why don't you get up first?"
So when Emperor Jinghui entered the Crown Prince's palace, he saw the Crown Prince sitting up in bed, his face pale.
The Crown Prince got out of bed and bowed to Emperor Jinghui: "Father."
Emperor Jinghui did not tell him to rise, but coldly said, "All of you, step back!"
So all the palace servants immediately withdrew, leaving only the father and son in the room.
The Crown Prince bowed and said, "It is already late at night, yet Father still comes to visit me. I am humbled."
"Fearful?" Emperor Jinghui sneered, "I see you're putting on quite a show!"
He raised his hand and slapped the prince across the face.
The crown prince staggered from the slap, ducking for support against the wall. A flash of malice crossed his eyes, and when he looked up again, his face was filled with disbelief: "Father?!"
"You beast, how long do you intend to keep up this act in front of me!" Emperor Jinghui grabbed his collar, his eyes blazing with fury, his anger practically burning through his chest. "Don't play dumb with me! You think I don't know? You've been reborn too! You've been reborn too, haven't you!"
First the burning of the zither, then the use of drugs to avoid it—once could be an accident, but twice is absolutely impossible.
This beast has clearly been reborn at some point! Not only was it reborn, it even guessed that he had been reborn, which is why it was able to escape from his clutches time and time again!
The bedroom was deep and spacious, and the sound echoed even more clearly, making even the candlelight on the lamp stand seem to sway.
Crown Prince: "Father, what's wrong? I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Liang Ji! Let me tell you! I was too lenient with you in my past life, which is why you committed such a heinous act! Now that I'm reborn, do you think I'll be as unguarded with you as I was in my past life?!" Emperor Jinghui's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse. "And Su Jun! If you had even a shred of conscience, you wouldn't have treated her like that!"
The crown prince was slightly taken aback.
Is the old man's hatred for him not only because of his usurpation in his previous life, but also because of Susu?
So, Susu actually told the old man about their affair?
The prince's hand trembled slightly.
For so many days, in order to remain patient and avoid giving himself away, he never tried to see her again. He could only repeatedly recall the scene when he met her on the bridge that day, and her panicked and desperate reaction at the time.
He knew, of course, that she harbored resentment and hatred towards him, but he never expected that she would tell the old man about their affair.
In what tone did she recount those events? Was it a tearful complaint, or a formal accusation?
Could it be that the old woman was behind his killing?
Would she hate him so much that she wanted to kill him?
The prince suddenly felt an endless bitterness in his mouth, and even the medicine he had drunk today could not compare to the bitterness he felt at this moment.
He looked at Emperor Jinghui, wanting to ask Susu what she had said about him, but he held back.
"Who is Su Jun? What was he in his past life? Father, why can't I understand anything?" He gripped the corner of the bed behind him tightly, his voice trembling. "What have I done wrong that Father wants to... kill me?"
"How long are you going to play dumb!" Emperor Jinghui roared, grabbing him. "Liang Ji! If you're a man, stand up straight and clear-headed! Weren't you supposed to be very bold? Didn't you dare to do anything back then? Why are you acting like a coward now!"
After a pause, Emperor Jinghui suddenly laughed and said, "Liang Ji, why were you reborn? I died, so I was reborn. Su Jun also died, so she was reborn. Why were you reborn? Could it be that you died too?"
Seeing that the crown prince remained silent, he burst into maniacal laughter: "What goes around comes around! How did you die? Was it some hero who couldn't stand by and watch you die, and beheaded you? Or was it because you committed too many evils and were plagued by illness, and this is your retribution? Good, good, this is what you deserve for murdering your father and usurping the throne!"
"What is Father Emperor saying? Is he having a fit of hysteria?" the Crown Prince cried out in alarm. "Guards! Guards, come quickly!"
Eunuch Zheng and Eunuch Cao rushed in, and when they saw the Crown Prince with his long hair disheveled and Emperor Jinghui holding his clothes tightly, they were both shocked.
Emperor Jinghui, seeing that he stubbornly refused to admit it, became even more furious and directly ordered: "Issue an imperial decree! The Crown Prince has committed treason and attempted to assassinate the emperor. He shall be executed on the spot immediately!"
"Ah?" Eunuch Zheng's eyes widened, and he immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Eunuch Cao, completely unaware of Emperor Jinghui's thoughts, was struck dumb upon hearing this. He was utterly incredulous and knelt on the ground with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing and pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your Majesty, please calm your anger! His Highness—"
"Very well, so you also want to defy the imperial decree!" Emperor Jinghui sneered, suddenly released the Crown Prince, rushed out of the palace, drew a sword from the nearest Eastern Palace guard, and turned back to kill him.
"Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!" the crown prince shouted, dodging Emperor Jinghui's sword as he dodged and weaved. "Father is having a fit! He's talking nonsense!"
Inside and outside the palace, everyone watched this scene in shock, completely bewildered by what had happened. No one dared to separate the father and son, and no one dared to actually carry out the emperor's decree to kill the crown prince on the spot.
The Crown Prince was more agile than Emperor Jinghui and finally escaped from the sword, running out of the palace like the wind.
Seeing the Crown Prince disappear in a flash, Emperor Jinghui was filled with rage. He threw down his sword and roared, "A bunch of useless fools! Seize the Crown Prince at once!"
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
Faced with the terrified gazes of so many people, Emperor Jinghui suddenly realized something was wrong.
This was a trap deliberately set by the Crown Prince, and he jumped into it in a fit of anger.
At this moment, the Crown Prince was seen by everyone as a perfect heir apparent. He had previously been hesitant to even secretly poison someone, but now he had openly taken action in public, which completely confirmed his crime of unjustly killing a loyal official.
With this imperial edict, in everyone's eyes, the emperor was probably no different from a madman, and the crown prince was about to become the most innocent, unfortunate, and pitiful person.
Even if the Crown Prince hadn't escaped and had been successfully killed, the Empress was still alive, and her maternal family was still alive. They would never let this go and would definitely unite with the ministers who supported the Crown Prince to put pressure on him and demand justice for him.
There were just too many troubles to deal with. He couldn't fall for the Crown Prince's trick and ruin himself for a moment's pleasure.
Emperor Jinghui took a heavy breath, closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his expression had returned to its usual cold and stern look.
-
Li Pan went out to attend the morning court session. As soon as he entered the palace, he found the area in front of the Ganyang Hall bustling with noise. His colleagues were gathered in groups of three or five, looking excited and talking incessantly.
Li Pan thought they were discussing yesterday's auspicious offering ceremony and was about to lean in to hear how the case was progressing when Lou Shu pulled him back with a serious expression: "Lord Marquis, are you aware of what happened last night?"
Li Pan was taken aback: "Last night? What happened last night?"
Seeing his blank expression, Lou Shu recounted what had happened in the palace the previous night.
Li Pan was horrified upon hearing this: "What? His Majesty wants to kill the Crown Prince?"
If he hadn't heard this from Lou Shu, he wouldn't have believed that such a bizarre thing could happen overnight. It was even more exaggerated than what Lou Xueying had said. Lou Xueying only said "the deposed crown prince," but Lou Shu said that last night the emperor had personally issued an edict to execute the crown prince on the spot. When no one dared to carry it out, he even personally took up his sword and chased after him!
If the Crown Prince hadn't run fast and sought help from the Empress's palace, he would probably have already lost his head!
"And then?" Li Pan asked hastily, "How is the Crown Prince now?"
Lou Shu shook his head: "There should be no immediate danger. His Majesty does not seem to be determined to take action again. I wonder why."
Li Pan: "Why did Your Majesty suddenly decide to kill the Crown Prince?"
“I don’t know either. Even if the Crown Prince has made mistakes, it shouldn’t be to this extent.” Lou Shu pondered. “However, since the Marquis has not been in court recently, he may not know that His Majesty has indeed been quite critical of the Crown Prince lately, often speaking harshly about him in court meetings.”
Li Pan: "Wasn't it like this before?"
“It wasn’t like this before.” Lou Shu was also puzzled. “The Crown Prince was raised by His Majesty, and His Majesty doted on him. I don’t know why he has become like this.”
Li Pan looked around: "This news has spread so widely? Are people talking so recklessly now?"
Lou Shu: "The Crown Prince fled from the Eastern Palace all the way to the Empress's Palace. So many people watched, and the commotion was so great, it was impossible to keep it a secret."
With the morning court session fast approaching and the gates of the Ganyang Palace still not open, everyone grew increasingly uneasy: Could it be that there will be no morning court session today? Is something serious about to happen?
The murmurs in the square gradually subsided, but an eerie silence silently spread among the officials.
Although many people don't understand what the Crown Prince did wrong, they can't help but wonder: if the Crown Prince really dies, which prince will become the new Crown Prince? The impact is too great, and we must make plans as soon as possible.
While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, they suddenly saw a familiar figure arrive in front of the Ganyang Palace.
It's Eunuch Zheng!
Since His Majesty was not present, Eunuch Zheng represented His Majesty. Everyone held their breath and stared at Eunuch Zheng, wanting to see what he had to say.
Eunuch Zheng cleared his throat and said solemnly, "I'm sure you gentlemen have heard about what happened in the palace last night. But to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation and misleading you with baseless rumors, I'm here today on behalf of His Majesty to explain the whole story of last night."
As expected of an old man who had served in the imperial court for many years, Eunuch Zheng had seen many storms. The dramatic situation of last night seemed to become as calm as water when he recounted it.
In summary, it is true that Emperor Jinghui intended to kill the Crown Prince last night, but this was absolutely not his intention. Emperor Jinghui had already gone to sleep last night and was unaware of what he had done. When he awoke, he found himself in the Eastern Palace, but the Crown Prince was nowhere to be found. After questioning the palace servants, he learned that he had just issued an edict to execute the Crown Prince, and even confronted him with swords, which greatly shocked him.
Since he had no recollection of what he had done, he summoned a Taoist priest to the palace that very night to examine him. The priest said that Emperor Jinghui was not suffering from hysteria, but had suddenly been possessed by an evil spirit. But how could the Son of Heaven, the true dragon, be possessed by an evil spirit? This was due to yesterday's auspicious offering ceremony—the crown prince ate spoiled meat, and naturally, the ancestral spirits also ate spoiled meat. The ancestral spirits were desecrated, their divine power diminished, and thus they could no longer protect the emperor. The evil spirit took advantage of this opportunity to possess him and do evil, intending to incite conflict and wreak havoc in the court. Fortunately, Emperor Jinghui still possessed the dragon's energy and awoke in time; otherwise, who knows how much greater disaster might have ensued.
Emperor Jinghui instructed Eunuch Zheng to inform the court officials that the Crown Prince was safe and sound and that there was no need for them to worry. However, the palace was currently in turmoil, and for the next three days, religious ceremonies would be held daily to exorcise evil spirits, and the morning court sessions would be suspended.
Finally, this absurd and strange incident all stemmed from the sacrificial ceremony for offering auspicious omens. Had the sacrificial meat not been of questionable quality, such turmoil would not have occurred. The ceremony was orchestrated by the Crown Prince, who should be held most accountable. However, since the Crown Prince was frightened the previous night, this will be considered a punishment, and the matter will not be pursued further. The other officials involved will not be punished for the time being, and they will be allowed to atone for their crimes by holding the ceremony again at the Imperial Ancestral Temple to seek forgiveness from the gods and ancestors.
After saying these words, Zheng Gonggong hurriedly left, leaving a group of officials standing there staring at each other in bewilderment.
After a long while, a murmur arose again in the square.
"Is it really possession by an evil spirit?"
"Let's just say that... What else do you want?"
"I think so. Otherwise, why would His Majesty suddenly want to kill the Crown Prince for no reason? There's really no reason for it!"
"Yes, if it weren't for evil spirits, how could His Majesty have done such a thing? Even if the Crown Prince did something outrageous, it's unacceptable to just... don't you all agree?"
"The more absurd something sounds, the more likely it is to be true. You know what, I actually believe in evil spirits possessing people. I used to have an aunt..."
"Your Highness, how could such an important ceremony have problems even with the sacrificial meat? It's truly a case of oversight despite meticulous planning!"
"Never mind that, let's hurry up and leave. Let's go back and find something to ward off evil spirits. We stayed at the Temple of Heaven for so long yesterday, I'm afraid we might have picked up something unclean!"
The morning court session ended, and everyone gradually headed to their respective government offices. Li Pan, who held no official position in the capital, simply left the palace with a blank expression and silently went home.
He felt he had to remain quiet and minimize his presence.
If in a few more days, the sacred stone he offered will turn into an evil stone, and he will be imprisoned. Then he will be truly finished!
It seems that the capital city is indeed a dangerous place and not a good place to stay for long.
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