Chapter 16 Fifth Brother is a Smart Man
Unaware of anything amiss, the sky continued speaking on its own:
Of course, the ambitions of Emperor Zhongzong and Zhuang Yuanchu did not come out of thin air.
First of all, his remembrance of Hong'an was quite sincere. Although it contained a lot of useless and pretentious poems, which fully exposed his extremely lack of cultural literacy, it was indeed a sincere work.
Secondly, I believe that anyone in Zhongzong's situation would harbor rebellious thoughts, and to answer that, we must ask what the Fifth Prince actually did.
Emperor Renzong suddenly turned around.
He felt dizzy from the speed. Emperor Hong'an paused for a moment, his face turning ashen, and coldly rebuked, "You unfilial son! Look at what you've done!!"
The Fifth Prince's knees buckled, and he almost knelt down on the spot.
What could he say? He didn't know either!
Fortunately, Emperor Hong'an didn't want to hear the fifth prince's explanation. He knew that this fool couldn't say anything, so he said sullenly, "Get lost, don't get in my way."
As mentioned earlier, Emperor Zhongzong was very poor. During his years in the northern frontier, he gradually established himself, and the support from the court only increased later. In other words, his period of poverty lasted from the 27th to the 30th year of the Hong'an era.
As a result, in the thirty-second year of the Hong'an era, the fifth prince was formally established as the crown prince. His first act upon ascending the throne was to take advantage of Emperor Hong'an's coma to reduce the funds and provisions of the patrolling army by 70%.
In an instant, the Fifth Prince felt a chill run down his spine, and beads of sweat streamed down his back.
The emperor's voice sounded somewhat muffled, which only fueled the emperor's growing panic: "Fifth Prince, is this your strategy for governing the country?"
The Fifth Prince was stunned. For a moment, he couldn't speak and could only utter some muffled sounds from his throat.
He has an uncanny ability to predict his own future thoughts.
Since the Imperial Patrol Army was personally recruited by Emperor Jungjong, it was destined not to be his personal army. What use was giving them money and provisions? It would only embolden the enemy.
Before he could speak, Tianmu continued:
That same year, he cut the farmers' taxes and grain by another 50%. This time he was a little lighter, using the same excuse of Zhuang Che's rebellion—since your family is guilty, let's just save the money from your family.
Zhuang Ziqian was speechless and, having committed the crime, had no choice but to admit it.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Ziqian grabbed a whip and lashed it across Zhuang Che.
"You bastard!"
That autumn, the fifth prince married a concubine. To show off his wealth, he first seized a hundred acres of fertile land on the outskirts of the capital, and then built a Buddhist hall at Qitian Temple outside the city.
Here I would like to add that Emperor Hong'an himself did not believe in Buddhism or any religion. In fact, he was prejudiced against Buddhism because of the fact that Buddhist groups had interfered in the selection of his heir in his early years.
Hey, but our fifth brother doesn't believe in this nonsense! So what? The old man's almost dead, what's wrong with me, the future emperor, causing a little trouble?
Zhou She stole a glance at the Fifth Prince.
I knew this person was an easy target, but I never expected him to be such a wicked one.
It's a pity Tan Zhao wasn't around, otherwise they would have had more gossip to talk about.
This was not the full extent of Lao Wu's power. In the winter of the same year, Lao Wu successively placed many high-ranking officials in the Xun'an Army and Zhenbei Army. There were many instances of civil officials commanding military officials and laymen commanding professionals. Moreover, he clearly took credit for the several victories against the Northern Di.
In addition, he traveled a long distance to write a letter each to Emperor Zhongzong and Zhuang Ziqian.
Fifth Prince: "..."
He had a vague sense of foreboding.
The confidence that was painstakingly built up yesterday has collapsed.
Then Tianmu spoke in an excited, almost gossipy tone:
The content is quite long, so I'll give you a simplified summary.
First, the first letter was written to Zhuang Ziqian. The gist of it is as follows: Your son has committed numerous crimes, and you yourself are of little use, failing to properly protect the prince and even causing my brother's death. Although I am pleased, I still intend to punish you.
"Father is too merciful, but now you have to listen to me. Hand over all your family's money and give me control of the military. Perhaps, out of your sincerity, I might spare your lives."
Zhuang Ziqian was stunned.
He considered many possibilities and knew that the letter was most likely malicious. He also guessed it was probably aimed at military power, but he never expected...
Why did you give this reason?!
I'll accept anything you tell me about Zhuang Che's messy affairs.
Even Emperor Hong'an laughed in anger. He pointed at the Fifth Prince at the back of the crowd and roared, "What are you doing standing so far away? Get over here!"
The fifth prince was speechless. Although it was his father who told him to stand further away, he dared not argue. He could only take a few steps forward and kneel down with a pale face.
"You think you're so great?" Emperor Hong'an's gaze swept over the Fifth Prince, his surging emotions quickly suppressed.
The fifth prince dared not raise his head, and said dejectedly, "Your subject is foolish..."
He doesn't understand.
Although Zhuang Ziqian had merit... although he had merit...
To seize military power would only take him a word. Is the crown prince really less powerful than a mere subject?
After a long while, Emperor Hong'an's voice rang out, sounding unusually calm, to the point of being eerily unsettling: "I have been too lenient with you in the past."
The fifth prince's heart pounded, and he almost suffocated. He desperately looked up, tears streaming down his face, "Father..."
Emperor Hong'an stared at his disheveled face.
Was it my fault, or were they truly mediocre?
In the crowd, Xiao Yichun frowned, sighed softly, his left foot was a little numb, so he gently switched to his other foot to steady himself and continued to watch this father-son drama.
"—What are you doing?" Xiao Yichun's heart skipped a beat when her arm was grabbed by a hand as she slightly turned her body. She glanced to the side and saw that it was Zhou Xuyan. She quickly lowered her voice and asked quietly.
Zhou Xuyan kept his eyes straight ahead and, taking advantage of the sound that resounded from the sky again, said calmly, "Prime Minister Xiao, don't get yourself into trouble."
Xiao Yichun was stunned for a moment, feeling both amused and exasperated.
Collusion between insiders and outsiders, and collusion between civil and military officials, is a great taboo in ancient times; he is not that stupid.
The second letter was written to King Jungjong. This letter began with an attempt to win him over:
You did a good job, but unfortunately your father doesn't respect you, and the family fortune has nothing to do with you. If you want to take back the family fortune, reply with "1," and all the money will be yours afterward.
The second paragraph is sarcastic, and incidentally asserts sovereignty: My father is stupid, he actually doesn't plan to make me the crown prince, but unfortunately the old man has no choice now.
Although you are the fourth prince's assistant minister, I am magnanimous and will let you off this time. You should know who to listen to now. If you play dumb, hmph, don't forget where your whole family is.
As Zhou She looked at it, he actually felt that if this letter hadn't been written to Emperor Zhongzong, the Fifth Prince's downfall might not have been so severe.
Clearly, Emperor Jungjong was a man who wouldn't yield to either soft or hard tactics. Would someone who could argue fiercely with the entire court and refuse to back down be intimidated by your two sentences?
That's impossible.
Moreover, he's a fool: Emperor Hong'an kept Emperor Zhongzong around, was he just going to use him to cause trouble? It was obviously meant for the Fifth Prince, but he still remembered that relationship that never even came to fruition.
The Fifth Prince's two letters were originally intended to seize two armies without losing a single soldier, but they ended up shooting themselves in the foot.
It has the opposite effect.
Almost at the same time that Tianmu finished speaking, the Fifth Prince seemed to hear his own death knell.
It was Emperor Hong'an's calm voice, with only a faint sigh in it: "I forgot to teach you, and you are not smart enough, but that is not entirely your fault."
The fifth prince, his throat hoarse, crawled two steps to his father's feet. Just as he was about to say something, a pair of large hands gently covered his shoulders, those same warm and gentle hands, and he almost burst into tears.
Emperor Hong'an looked at his beloved son.
Having lost all expectation, there was no disappointment either. She simply patted his shoulder and said nothing more.
The Fifth Prince's two letters sent the already dissatisfied two families into an uproar. Emperor Zhongzong was known for his stubborn and unyielding temper, like a rock in a latrine. Zhuang Ziqian, though more docile, grew increasingly fearful upon reading the Fifth Prince's line, "Perhaps there's still a way out."
The next morning, the two men woke up and saw each other with dark circles under their eyes. Then they noticed the armory was empty again, and the Northern Barbarian army was blocking the gate—"Damn it, whoever doesn't get angry is a coward!"
Emperor Zhongzong was clearly not a grandson. Zhuang Ziqian could act like a grandson in front of Emperor Hong'an, but he couldn't do so in front of the Fifth Prince.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that they didn't seem to have any intention of accepting him.
The entire court was stunned. Even Ren Heng, who hated Emperor Zhongzong the most, hesitated, secretly thinking: anyone would be furious in this situation.
Besides—these are two military officers.
Young military generals, most of the time, have a fearless and reckless spirit. This spirit must not be lost, or they will no longer be the same people they are today.
However... Ren Heng still said: I can understand, but I don't respect it.
That night, the two began to plot. Of course, at this point, their only goal was to protect themselves. Zhuang Ziqian was wealthy, Zhongzong had troops, and there was also Zhuang Yuanchu, who had long disliked the fifth prince and was always eager to stir up trouble.
That was perfect; the three of them hit it off immediately. Zhuang Yuan Chu and Emperor Zhongzong had been brothers for many years, though their relationship had been somewhat superficial in their early years. However, the external influence of the Fifth Prince quickly brought them together in harmony.
The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince exchanged a glance.
Although Zhuang Yuanchu was not there, they had seen that guy before. He was a complete playboy. Who would have thought that he could become such an important figure?
The two felt a pang of sympathy and secretly wondered if they had ever given Zhuang Yuanchu a kind look back then.
While thinking, she secretly glanced at her father's expression.
It's alright; it seems there's no sign that he's been angered to the point of fainting.
Shen Mingzhe, standing to the side, looked grave. He suddenly bowed and stepped forward, solemnly saying, "Your Majesty, although Zhuang Jia has made great contributions, his merits cannot outweigh his faults. Now that the evidence is conclusive, I request that he be detained and placed under strict guard!"
He stared straight ahead, his expression serious. The air around them tensed, awaiting the emperor's reply.
He waited a long time.
It wasn't until the emperor finally came to his senses that he seemed to remember someone was speaking. He absentmindedly closed his eyes slightly and said softly, "Take them back to the capital and select other generals to guard Mingyuan Pass."
Huai Leju's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he immediately knelt on one knee and said, "Yes."
This year was the winter of the thirty-second year of the Hong'an era. Emperor Hong'an had been bedridden for several years, his condition fluctuating. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince held sway over the court, and resentment was rampant both inside and outside the court.
From the evergreen prime minister Xiao Yichun to Fang Jingruo, who had just been promoted to censor, countless memorials flew toward the emperor's desk.
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