Chapter 235 Edict of Self-Reproach
Outside the Chongzheng Hall, bloodstains were still hidden in the cracks of the white marble steps, and the air faintly smelled of blood.
Two rows of imperial guards stood in gleaming armor, long swords at their waists, and all of them were unfamiliar faces. The guards marched in perfect unison, patrolling in an orderly fashion, as if the rebellion of the previous night had never happened.
On the throne, Emperor Muzong's face was gloomy, and he was getting impatient. He stared at the imperial guards outside and asked, "Who is on duty today?"
Eunuch Feng's eyes flickered slightly, and he respectfully replied, "It seems to be the young master of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, named Han Kun."
Originally, the Duke of Anguo's mansion and Crown Prince Pei Siyan had no interaction. This time, he transferred some of the Imperial Guards to quell the rebellion, and it is likely that these young meritorious sons have all been taken in by the Crown Prince.
The ministers had been waiting for almost an hour, and their faces were rather grim, especially Prime Minister Meng. He and several other ministers had gone to negotiate with Pei Siyan, demanding that he hand over the tiger tally as ordered, but not only did they not see him, they also got themselves into trouble.
That very night, chaos broke out in Tianning City, with messengers reporting that the eldest princess was plotting a rebellion.
This is utterly self-deceptive and utterly ridiculous!
But with the slogan of "purging the emperor's inner circle"... the army actually attacked the city directly.
What's most infuriating is that they turned against the Heavenly Gang, claiming that it was Prime Minister Meng who led the army to suppress the Princess's rebellion.
Considering the current situation, if Pei Siyan had even a shred of the awareness of being a subject, he wouldn't have let the Emperor wait for him here.
He also sealed off the imperial city, and replaced all the imperial guards in the palace with his own men. Prince Duan has been placed under house arrest by him.
The situation is even more dire for the eldest princess, whose whereabouts are unknown.
What else can he do but keep a low profile and accept the blame?
The Crown Prince was just looking for an excuse to eliminate his political opponents; otherwise, he feared he would have to take down the entire Meng family!
All the ministers knew perfectly well that after last night, the Crown Prince would be the 'new emperor' who could ascend the throne at any time.
They were perfectly legitimate and not at all traitors or rebels.
Prime Minister Meng looked grave and was utterly exhausted. He pleaded in a choked voice, "May I ask if Your Highness the Crown Prince has time to come today? We are waiting for Your Highness to devise a plan for everything."
Eunuch Anxi's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Your Highness, you were injured while suppressing the rebels and need to be treated with medicine. It will probably take a while."
Prime Minister Meng smiled ingratiatingly, "Your Highness has indeed worked hard and should be resting, but the affairs of state are heavy, and he still has to take charge of the overall situation..."
Before long, Pei Siyan, dressed in a majestic brocade robe embroidered with dragons, entered the hall with great spirits, accompanied by guards. Eunuch Anxi immediately brought over a chair, and Pei Siyan casually sat down.
Immediately, the imperial guards brought the princess, who was dressed in prison clothes, to the palace.
Upon seeing the eldest princess, Emperor Muzong's face immediately showed anger. "Kangping, I have always treated you well, why would you plot against the Crown Princess?"
The princess was disheveled and looked bewildered, her former elegance long gone.
Upon hearing this, his dim eyes flickered slightly.
The eldest princess stared directly at the emperor on the throne. He didn't mention the mutiny last night at all, but instead focused on Dou Wenyi. Was he trying to force the rebellion into a family matter?
She sneered, "Plot to murder the Crown Princess? What plot! It was clearly the Emperor who gave me the order to use her life as leverage..."
"Shut up!" Emperor Muzong's temples throbbed with anger.
He seemed lost in his own thoughts, his tone low and dejected, "You brought this upon yourself, committing a heinous crime, and you still blame me? I advise you to answer properly, lest you implicate Fu'an. How old is she? She's not even married yet. Can you bear to drive her to her death?"
"What kind of mother are you?"
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess felt as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. They were clearly in cahoots, and they had hit it off immediately to replace Pei Siyan, but they never expected that he would turn the tables and kill them.
Emperor Muzong, on the contrary, wanted to completely absolve himself of any responsibility?
"Your Majesty, you didn't just issue an imperial edict to me. There were so many people involved in the plot to murder the Crown Princess, such as Shen Yanzhou of the Imperial City Guard and Yang Shao, the commander of the Dragon Guard. Do you think you can just shut me up?"
"Do you think the Crown Prince didn't see through you? Back then, Wen Wan saw right through you, which is why she chose to go to the Cold Palace rather than spend time with someone as hypocritical as you!"
The air was almost still.
Prime Minister Meng frowned slightly. They weren't discussing the eldest princess's rebellion, so how did it escalate to the plot to murder the crown princess?
"Shut up! Shut up, you!"
The eldest princess pointed mockingly at Shen Yanzhou, who stood to the side like a statue, "Lord Shen, haven't you received the imperial decree?"
Shen Yanzhou's face was ashen. "His Majesty did issue an edict ordering me to send the Crown Princess to Cuifeng Nunnery to recuperate. I handed her over to Yang Shao, the commander of the Dragon Guard, en route. As for the murder charge, I know nothing about it."
Emperor Muzong breathed a sigh of relief. "Yunzhi said he didn't know."
The princess's eyes were bloodshot as she cursed, "Who doesn't know he's just a dog you raised!"
“I am a princess, and I manage the country’s merchants’ association diligently. Everyone envies me for making a fortune every day, but isn’t all that money going into the palace? The national treasury is empty, and all kinds of palace banquets and your expenses require money everywhere.”
"I willingly became the key to your private treasury, and in the end you got a good reputation... Everyone thinks the princess is arrogant and licentious, it's ridiculous!"
“Your Majesty, you are selfish and immoral, have accomplished nothing, and have indulged the corruption of your officials, resulting in an empty treasury and weakness in foreign affairs. You have failed your ancestors and the people of the Great Zhou. Do you think this can cover up your crimes?”
“Let me tell you, you’re just deceiving yourself. Just watch, the Crown Prince hates you more than anyone else. You forced Empress Wen to her death and allowed Consort Tan to poison him, causing him to suffer from headaches for years. When Prince Rui gained power, you turned around and helped the Crown Prince. You think you’ve mastered the art of rulership, but little do you know, he’s long hated you to the core.”
He'd love for you to die!
"shut up!"
The roar of Emperor Muzong echoed in the hall as an inkstone was smashed straight at the Princess, landing heavily on her lap.
The eldest princess winced in pain and hissed. She was not afraid of dying, but she knew that only by exposing Emperor Muzong's true colors could she truly save Princess Fu'an's life.
She accepts the fate of the victor and the vanquished.
Pei Siyan's lips curled into a smile as he coldly raised his eyes and slowly swept them over everyone. "Did you all hear the Princess's questioning of His Majesty? Ministry of Justice, Court of Judicial Review, Imperial Clan Court, did you all understand?"
The officials whose names were mentioned were all shocked.
Even though the situation was still unclear, they responded in unison, "We have all heard you clearly."
Pei Siyan's eyes were deep and he spoke in a deep voice, "In that case, we respectfully request His Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach!"
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