Following Prince Hui’s arrest, the rebellion in Monan was quickly subdued, and the rebel army leaders, Prince Hui’s two sons, were escorted to The Capital.
The families of Prince Hui, who had been hiding in a private residence in Changzhou, were also secretly escorted back to The Capital, including the newborn baby.
Given Prince Hui’s special status and his ’death’ many years ago, spreading the news would inevitably lead to a royal scandal. Therefore, the Emperor publicly declared that Prince Hui’s illegitimate sons had conspired with Prince Jing and Long Yisi to betray their country (all three military leaders from the Xiliang troops were captured alive), plotting a rebellion. By imperial decree, the case was referred to the Three Departments for trial according to the law. At the same time, Prince Hui was posthumously stripped of his royal status, and his ’remains’ were moved out of the Imperial Mausoleum to save the royal family’s reputation from disgrace.
Had it not been for the disreputable nature associated with killing one’s child and the potential blemish on historical records, the Emperor would have certainly executed these two unfilial and treacherous sons.
This was particularly true for Prince Jing, who not only had half the blood of the Dregs of the Previous Dynasty but also had been restless. ƒгeewebnovёl_com
The ’maternal family’ of Jing Liangdi was dug up as well, and along with Long Yisi’s maternal family, they were all executed as a public display and their Nine Clans implicated.
Long Yisi’s mother, Yu Baolin, committed suicide by poison in her sleeping quarters.
When the Emperor’s wrath is kindled, a thousand lie dead in its wake.
Edict after edict was issued, and whether it was the haughty and arrogant noble aristocratic families or the lofty and self-righteous scholarly households, anyone implicated in this conspiracy was cast from the heights to the mire. They were either executed and their homes ransacked, sent to the army or exile, or otherwise sold off. This included the common folk who were involved in the treason.
Seizing this opportunity, the Emperor reshuffled the Imperial Court. Not only did he eradicate all officials linked to Prince Hui, Prince Jing, Long Yisi, and the Dregs of the Previous Dynasty in one fell swoop, but he also targeted many other officials, all under a ready-made pretext.
In the face of the Emperor’s iron-fisted and ruthless tactics, some officials were scared out of their wits and sought to protect themselves by petitioning to retire and return to their hometowns or resign due to illness. Unfortunately, the Emperor refused to grant these requests in most cases.
As Prince Hui confessed, many old cases were reopened, and wherever the Emperor found that someone had died unjustly, justice was restored and the wronged were richly compensated.
This included the former Great General Huaihua, Chu Wenzhong, and the former Royal Merchant Duanmu family.
The Emperor had always felt indebted to Chu Wenzhong, and considering Chu Wenzhong’s numerous contributions before his death, he decreed a posthumous conferral of the title Duke of Zhongyi. Also, Chu Dieyi’s design of new weaponry played a significant role in this catastrophe, so by imperial decree, Chu Dieyi was allowed to ’inherit her father’s title’ as Duke of Zhongyi.
Chu Dieyi became the first female duke in the history of Dong Chu. However, with the precedent set by Yang Mengchen, the ministers did not submit petitions against it. Those who had once mocked Chu Dieyi for her lowly birth now fell silent, instead seeking ways to curry favor with her.
As for the Duanmu family, the Emperor similarly bestowed honors upon them. Duan Muyao regained her status as the legitimate daughter of the Duanmu family and received the awarded benefits.
With the suppression of the rebellion, the Emperor generously rewarded those who had served meritoriously. Among them, Long YiXuan and Long Yiyou were both made princes, Yang Chengyou was promoted to Second Rank Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Yang Chenghong was designated Royal Merchant, and Xiao Hongtao was promoted to Second Rank Minister of Appointments.
Furthermore, formal documentation was sent to Emperor Xiliang, denouncing the Emperor Xiliang’s vile actions and stating explicitly that a ransom was required for the return of the three generals to Xiliang: two hundred thousand taels of gold for the chief general and one hundred thousand taels each for the two Deputy Generals. Living common soldiers were priced at one hundred taels of gold each, non-negotiable.
The ransom schedule was jointly drafted by Nangong Lingfei, Yang Chenghong, and officials from the Ministry of Rites, meticulously specifying each item down to the smallest detail, leaving no room for negotiation.
Emperor Xiliang was so enraged that he vomited blood. He had dispatched three trusted generals and a hundred thousand troops to aid Prince Hui, hoping to take advantage amid the chaos. Little did he know that all three generals would be captured alive, and more than half of his large army would be killed or wounded.
Although he could afford the ransom, Emperor Xiliang did not wish to pay it and thus completely disregarded the documents sent by Emperor Dongchu.
However, what Emperor Xiliang did not expect was that this confidential ransom schedule quickly became common knowledge within his own country.
Not only were the three generals the most promising members of their families, but they also held high esteem in the military. Consequently, the relatives and clans of the three generals, as well as the soldiers and officers, were agitated and resorted to all means in an attempt to bring back the generals.
The family members of the surviving common soldiers, who had assumed their loved ones had perished in foreign lands, rejoiced and were grateful to learn that they were still alive. They jointly petitioned Emperor Xiliang, earnestly requesting that he accept Emperor Dongchu’s terms. Many were even willing to bankrupt themselves to redeem their family members.
This led Emperor Xiliang to compromise and agree to pay the ransom to redeem his people.
After sending the ransom to Dong Chu, Emperor Xiliang fell ill in bed. The Imperial Physician confirmed it: Emperor Xiliang had been poisoned.
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