Chapter 177 Caught in the Net (1)
Pang Shi led the Imperial Guards to arrest Prince Chun, and the palace became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, Zheng Mian couldn't help but cough again. Li Xiaoxiao frowned and stepped forward to help him up, reaching out to touch his chest: "It looks like there's a fracture..."
The Crown Prince, who was already furious but had nowhere to vent his anger, coldly replied, "What? You have a problem with that? I only kicked him once, and I didn't kill him on the spot, which is already considered leniency! Whether his words are true or false still needs to be verified, and you're already starting to sympathize with him?"
Li Xiaoxiao seemed not to hear him, looked around, and then brought him a small stool: "Lord Zheng, please sit down."
Zheng Mian looked at her in horror and waved his hands repeatedly. The Crown Prince was furious and roared, "Li Xiaoxiao! Do you even respect me? Showing sympathy for a sinner in front of me, do you have a death wish?"
Today was supposed to be his coronation ceremony, the most important day of his life. He was just one step away from the coronation when this happened. The ceremony definitely couldn't be held as scheduled. And Li Xiaoxiao, that traitor, was even showing concern for Zheng Mian in front of him, practically blaming him for kicking him.
Li Xiaoxiao was exhausted: "Your Highness, whether someone is guilty or not still needs to be verified. Since we need to verify, the person must be alive, right? What if he dies and others pin all the blame on him?" This Zheng Mian seems to have inherited his father's constitution. He doesn't look very healthy. What if he really was kicked to death by the Crown Prince? That would be a real injustice.
Li Xiaoxiao hoped that what he had just said was true, and that his merits and demerits would offset each other, thus sparing him from the death penalty.
It would be too tragic if such a tragic figure still couldn't escape death in the end.
She pressed Zheng Mian down onto the stool. Zheng Mian tried to stand up several times, but she pressed him down and he couldn't move at all.
Seeing the Crown Prince's gloomy face and furious expression, Meng Guanqi kept giving Li Xiaoxiao meaningful glances, signaling her not to go too far.
After settling Zheng Mian in, Li Xiaoxiao walked up to the furious Crown Prince, suddenly bowed, and kowtowed three times.
The crown prince, who was initially furious, was stunned by her grand gesture: "What's wrong with you now?"
Li Xiaoxiao said solemnly, "I sincerely believe that we should pay homage to the Son of Heaven. Your Highness need not worry or be anxious. Even if the enthronement ceremony cannot be held today, it is only because Heaven has not yet cleared the obstacles in your path. Once these obstacles are cleared, Heaven will surely arrange an auspicious day with gentle breezes and bright sunshine for you to ascend the throne."
The crown prince looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly started flattering him: "What, the chosen one?"
Li Xiaoxiao said righteously, "Your Highness might as well think about the difficulties you have encountered over the years. The assassination attempts during your tours, the poisoned stones thrown into the Eastern Palace, the ominous rumors about the Crown Prince, and now the discovery of explosives at the coronation ceremony. Each and every one of these incidents is a deadly series of attacks that could kill an ordinary person. Yet Your Highness has always managed to escape danger, even though it seems like a close call. Isn't this the protection of destiny?"
Her gaze was intense: "Your Highness, please do not be dissatisfied with the postponement of the enthronement ceremony. You should know that this postponement has once again saved Your Highness's life. Your Highness should be filled with gratitude and thank Heaven for its protection, which has allowed you to turn misfortune into good fortune."
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess exchanged a glance, suddenly snapping out of their rage. The Crown Princess said solemnly, "Xiaoxiao is right, Your Highness. We shouldn't just complain about how difficult it is to achieve good things; we should be grateful for escaping disaster time and time again and keep a kind heart."
The Crown Prince calmed down and thought it over carefully. Wasn't that true? Over the past few years, the Eastern Palace and he had faced one calamity after another. Although he was very depressed, frustrated, and dissatisfied, he had managed to get through each one unscathed. Now, although the enthronement ceremony was temporarily halted, it was because the mastermind who had been harming him all these years had been found. This should have been a joyous occasion, so why should he lose his composure and dignity because of this small obstacle?
Thinking of this, his brows relaxed, and he nodded to Li Xiaoxiao, filled with emotion: "Over the years, I've been able to overcome these difficulties thanks to you and the Meng family, who have helped me a lot at crucial moments..."
Li Xiaoxiao said solemnly, "Whoever helps Your Highness at the most critical moment is acting according to the will of Heaven. Your Highness should not worry about personal gains or losses, but should follow the will of Heaven and do what needs to be done."
Although there was a hint of flattery in her words, even Li Xiaoxiao had to admit that the Crown Prince and his good fortune were truly the chosen one of the Great Wu Dynasty.
So many conspiracies and schemes couldn't kill him; he survived to the end and even found the mastermind behind it all. No matter how many times she saved him, it was because he was lucky enough to meet her, who appeared out of nowhere.
Whether it was her, Meng Guanqi, Gu Henian, or Zheng Mian, they all lent him a hand at crucial moments. This was his destiny; he was destined to become the leader of this country.
Meng Guanqi looked at Li Xiaoxiao in surprise, a faint smile appearing in her eyes. Had she been influenced by him? How could he be so good at flattery? And he did it so perfectly, with great persuasiveness.
What a divine arrangement! What a way of following the will of Heaven! The Crown Prince's heart surged with pride, and his expression turned solemn: "You're right. Since this matter is already settled, there's no need to dwell on the past. It's all for the best!"
Wan Quan stepped forward: "This servant is here."
The Crown Prince said, "You go stand at the palace gate yourself and convey my order: the enthronement ceremony is to be postponed. Tell all the officials who are going to the palace to participate in the ceremony to have a day off and go home. No one may enter the palace today without a summons. I want to close the gates and settle this score with Prince Chun!"
Wan Quan responded loudly, and led a team of eunuchs and a team of guards to the palace gate to carry out the order.
The enthronement ceremony was originally scheduled for the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), and many ministers had to start queuing to enter the palace as early as the end of Yin (3-5 AM). Moreover, there were an unusually large number of people attending the ceremony today, and many people were afraid of being late and came to queue up early. As a result, after queuing for a long time, the queue did not move. Just as they were about to ask why the inspection was so slow today, they heard Wan Quan announce that the enthronement ceremony would be postponed and that they would rest for the day. All ministers were to return home immediately.
The low-ranking officials were naturally overjoyed to have a day of leisure, but the ministers of the third rank and above in the court sensed that something was wrong, so they blocked the palace gate and refused to leave. However, with Wan Quan in charge, they did not dare to force their way in. When they went up to ask him for information, Wan Quan was evasive and said that it was all the Crown Prince's order, but he could not give any real reason. So they waited and waited for the Grand Secretaries to arrive before making a decision.
They waited and waited until Yang Shimin arrived. Like all the other high-ranking officials present, Yang Shimin was wearing a brand-new official robe when he got out of his sedan chair. He frowned when he saw a crowd of people blocking the palace gate: "What happened?"
The Minister of Rites, Zhou Huaijin, walked over to him in a fit of anger and bowed: "Your Excellency, His Highness suddenly said that today's enthronement ceremony has been canceled and will be postponed. He also told us to go home and rest for a day and not to enter the palace without being summoned."
Yang Shimin's first thought was that something had happened in the palace, and he asked anxiously, "Has something happened to the Crown Prince?"
Zhou Huaijin said, "Wan Quan refuses to talk or let us in. What should we do?"
The safety of the Crown Prince is a matter of great importance to the peace of the entire Great Wu state. Yang Shimin hurriedly stepped forward and stood in front of Wan Quan: "Eunuch Wan."
With Grand Secretary Yang present, Wan Quan dared not be careless and stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Greetings, Grand Secretary Yang."
Grand Secretary Yang asked, "Eunuch Wan, has something gone wrong with the enthronement ceremony? Where is His Highness?"
Wan Quan pulled Grand Secretary Yang aside, and the other six ministers, not to be outdone, brazenly squeezed in, insisting on listening as well.
Wan Quan dared not offend these pillars of the state, so he could only whisper, "Explosives were found on the altar of the coronation ceremony. His Highness is furious. The Imperial Guards are searching the place thoroughly, fearing that they might miss something. Right now, it's a complete mess, and it's impossible to hold the ceremony normally today."
Grand Secretary Yang and the five ministers were greatly surprised and instinctively looked at Zhou Huaijin.
Zhou Huaijin felt his hair standing on end and exclaimed, "You, what nonsense are you spouting? The altar, how could there be—"
Wan Quan shook his head. He didn't dare to shout those two words out loud, but the cold juice was already dripping down his face.
The enthronement ceremony was a joint event organized by the Ministry of Rites and other ministries. Now that such a major blunder has occurred, he must bear the primary responsibility!
Grand Secretary Yang asked in a deep voice, "Is Your Highness unwell?"
By placing explosives on the altar during the coronation ceremony, Grand Secretary Yang could imagine the chaos that had gripped the palace. But everything else could be put aside; the safety of the Crown Prince was of utmost importance.
Wan Quan said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness is safe and sound because the problem was discovered in time. However, His Highness has some family matters to attend to today and has no time to attend to anything else. This is why His Highness asked me to stop you gentlemen here."
The several officials exchanged glances, already subconsciously guessing what had happened.
If someone could get close to the ceremony and plant explosives, and the Crown Prince even categorized it as a family matter, then the perpetrator must have been a family member.
After all, this was a major event concerning the royal family's reputation, so it was understandable that the Crown Prince did not want to make it public. After confirming that the Crown Prince was alright, Grand Secretary Yang said to Wan Quan, "I will take a day off. Gentlemen, since His Highness is alright, you may all go back today. Tomorrow morning, you will enter the palace as usual and discuss with His Highness when the ceremony will be held."
Seeing that Grand Secretary Yang had spoken, and knowing they couldn't get in, the ministers had no choice but to return to their own carriages and signal their attendants to go home.
Grand Secretary Yang also got into the carriage, which swayed and lurched toward his home. After turning a corner and losing sight of the palace gates, he said, "Stop."
The driver immediately stopped the carriage, and Grand Secretary Yang said, "Find an inconspicuous spot and keep an eye on the palace gates to see if anyone goes in or out. Come back and let me know if you have any news."
The driver immediately agreed, promising to take Grand Secretary Yang home first and then immediately turn back to inquire about the news.
Less than an hour later, he hurriedly turned back home. Grand Secretary Yang asked in surprise, "You're back so soon? Did you see something?"
The coachman, filled with doubt and surprise, said, "Sir, I saw Prince Chun's carriage drive into the palace."
Grand Secretary Yang asked in surprise, "Prince Chun? How could he enter the palace?" Could it be that he also knew about the altar explosives and went there specifically to comfort the Crown Prince?
But he immediately realized: "You mean his carriage drove into the palace? Didn't he get out of the carriage?"
Apart from the emperor and empress's carriages, no one else's carriage was allowed to enter the palace.
The coachman said, "No, we drove straight in, and I saw General Pang with about one or two hundred imperial guards following behind, like, like—"
Grand Secretary Yang said in a deep voice, "It seems that Prince Chun has been taken in, is that right?"
The coachman nodded in surprise and uncertainty. It was because he felt it was too unusual that he immediately ran back to tell Grand Secretary Yang.
Prince Chun? Grand Secretary Yang frowned deeply. Could this matter be related to him?
This is, after all, a disgraceful affair for the imperial family. The death of the emperor and empress is already shameful enough, so it's no wonder that the crown prince wanted to deal with this matter behind closed palace gates. If, at this time, rumors were to spread that Prince Chun had murdered the crown prince, the royal family would truly have no face left.
He sighed and decided to pretend he knew nothing about it; otherwise, if the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate got into a fight, it would become another messy and unresolved issue.
These are truly turbulent times. The Crown Prince's bloodthirsty constitution remains unchanged, and even though he was just about to ascend the throne, this unexpected mishap has occurred.
He was probably getting old and didn't want to experience these major upheavals anymore. He only hoped that the country could be peaceful and the people could live in peace and contentment, and that the monarch wouldn't be so hated.
Prince Chun's carriage rumbled into the palace gate. Pang Shi left two hundred imperial guards to guard around Prince Chun's residence. After the remaining one hundred imperial guards entered the palace with him, he ordered them to return to their posts and patrol carefully. He then led a few trusted men to escort Prince Chun's carriage toward the East Palace.
Inside the carriage, Prince Chun was bound hand and foot, unable to move, and a thick towel was stuffed in his mouth, preventing him from even calling for help.
Now that things have come to this, he naturally wouldn't naively believe that the Crown Prince arrested him for no reason. He was just angry about why the Crown Prince wanted to arrest him, yet he hadn't received any information about it.
Of course, he had dug secret passages in his palace for escape, and not just one. The passages led into the city and out of the city, and a turn would lead to a different direction, making it easy to escape if he was being tracked. He thought he had made all the necessary preparations, but he never expected that he would be ambushed on his way to the coronation ceremony.
He was filled with remorse.
Yesterday, the staff in the mansion were worried that the explosives might injure him, so they asked him to feign illness and skip the coronation ceremony, and then enjoy the spoils of war after the Crown Prince's family passed away. But Prince Chun refused. He wanted to see the moment when the grand play he had carefully planned came to an end. How could he not attend such an important occasion?
But where exactly did things go wrong? The ceremony was about to begin in an hour, and he hadn't received a single tip-off. With so many informants in the Imperial Household Department, if the Crown Prince had noticed the presence of the explosives, someone would have immediately come to inform him.
What he didn't know was that there were three groups of people who ran out of the palace to deliver the news to him, and all of them were killed by Zheng Mian's assassins in front of his alley. The action was so swift that even his guards didn't notice.
He missed the best time to escape.
Where did things go wrong? He thought he was being discreet, and the Crown Prince had never given him a second glance during his investigation. So why was he caught so easily? Who betrayed him?
When Pang Shi dragged him off the carriage like a lump of meat to be slaughtered and threw him in front of the Crown Prince, he looked up and saw Zheng Mian, pale-faced and sitting on a small stool, and Wang Shilang, his face swollen like a pig's head, kneeling on the ground trembling. His heart sank straight into an abyss.
It's over, everything is over.
The Crown Prince actually brought both of them here.
That wasn't all. The Crown Prince gestured for Pang Shi to untie him. Before Pang Shi could even move his numb limbs, a man who had been beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding was thrown next to him. The Crown Prince sneered, "Uncle, do you still recognize this person?"
The man was almost beaten into a mangled mess, his hair disheveled and his face covered in blood. Although Prince Chun was ruthless, he was also a clean freak and couldn't bear to see such a bloody scene. He took a step back without making a sound, but the man rushed towards him and cried out, "Your Highness! Your Highness, save me!"
It's Wei Dexin, the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department!
Prince Chun forced a smile and said, "You're Steward Wei? What did you do wrong to deserve this beating?"
Wei Dexin cried, "Your Highness, I have been doing everything according to your orders. You cannot abandon me!"
Prince Chun's face turned pale: "Chief Eunuch Wei, although I had some dealings with you in the past, I haven't been in charge of the Imperial Household Department for a long time, and I rarely come to the palace. I have no dealings with you. When have I ever ordered you to do anything? Don't talk nonsense..."
Wei Dexin was stunned: "Is Your Highness planning to renege on your promise?"
Prince Chun forced a smile and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, and what debt do you have to settle? You accuse me of ordering you to do things, but do you have any witnesses or evidence? The laws of my Great Wu are strict, how can I allow you to make accusations at will?"
Witnesses and physical evidence? Prince Chun was extremely cautious; how could he possibly leave behind letters or other evidence? Wei Dexin suddenly realized he had been tricked. He immediately pleaded with the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, spare my life! Two days ago, I received a message from Prince Chun, instructing me to secretly dig up the ashes inside the largest cauldron on the altar. There were several bundles of explosives buried there. My task was to pull out the fuse and place it on the surface of the incense ash. That way, if we threw burning yellow paper and incense into the altar, we could ignite the fuse and blow the entire altar to ashes... Prince Chun also gave me a thousand taels of silver, saying he would give me another thousand taels after the deed was done. I was momentarily blinded by greed and agreed to his request..."
Prince Chun immediately shouted, "Nonsense! You say I bribed you? Do you have any witnesses or evidence? If no one can testify for you, you are slandering me, and I will definitely not let you off!"
Wei Dexin kept accusing Prince Chun, but Prince Chun kept denying it. When asked to produce evidence, Pang Shi sent people to look for Wei Dexin's stolen silver. More than 5,000 taels of silver were found in his bedroom. According to him, he had mixed all the cash given to him by Prince Chun together and could not say which ones were given to him.
The mere head of the Imperial Household Department had hidden over five thousand taels of silver in his bedroom. The Crown Prince knew perfectly well where this money came from. Too lazy to listen to his rambling, the Crown Prince waved his hand and ordered his men to take him away and imprison him in the Imperial Prison.
The Crown Prince walked up to Prince Chun, his expression complex: "The enthronement ceremony was jointly organized by several departments, including the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Stud, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Dozens of people came and went every day. Uncle, I am very curious how your people managed to blatantly plant seven explosive charges on my route without being seen by so many people?"
Prince Chun forced a smile and said, "Chengming, I really don't know anything about explosives. Wei Dexin is probably scared of being beaten and wants to arrest as many people as possible. If you believe him, he can reduce his own punishment."
In any case, he could not possibly admit that he planted the explosives.
Unless the crown prince has evidence, he cannot be forced to confess.
Zheng Mian coughed lightly and said softly, "Your Highness, I think the explosives might not have been placed in this period of time; they may have been there for a long time..."
The Crown Prince suddenly turned around, and Prince Chun's expression changed drastically.
Zheng Mian said, "Your Highness is right. Dozens of people come and go every day during the enthronement ceremony. How could Wei Dexin possibly hide such a large bundle of explosives from being seen? He would be discovered if he was not careful. He is greedy for money and also values his life. He would definitely not agree to such a life-or-death matter, unless Prince Chun only asked him to reach out and pull out the fuse of the explosives in the cauldron. In that case, the risk would be much smaller and it would be less likely to be discovered. So he agreed."
He coughed again: "The explosives were placed there long ago, usually buried deep inside the cauldron and unnoticed. When needed, the fuse was pulled out. That's why His Highness ordered a thorough investigation and found as many as seven locations. These explosives were obviously not placed all at once, but were placed little by little, and then ignited at the right moment to create an accident. Over time, no one would suspect Prince Chun."
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