Chapter 101 The Prince Who Failed to Revolt
When He Fei saw the Fourth Prince's wife in the dungeon, he didn't ask any questions and used his mental power to check if she had given birth to the Fourth Prince's posthumous child. He didn't expect that the child was in the capital.
He immediately took the Dragon Guards and the Wude Division with him to arrest the people. Without any suspense, they captured all the people in the mansion.
When he returned to the dungeon with his child, the Fourth Prince's wife saw her son fall into He Fei's hands again, and her heart was broken.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, "He Fei, you beast, let him go! He's only four years old!"
He Fei said cruelly, "Back then, I dared to sacrifice one person to save the world. I bear this sin without complaint or regret. If I hadn't been soft-hearted and listened to Jia Jia's words and let you go, how could you be in such trouble today?"
The Fourth Prince's wife tried to calm down and asked, "Apart from acting in secret, do you dare to make this public?"
"Why not? I have inherited the throne legitimately and have been the Crown Prince since birth. Before the late Emperor passed away, he personally passed the throne to me in front of the Prime Minister, Grand Tutor, Empress Dowager, Grand Princess, Second Imperial Uncle, and Youngest Imperial Uncle."
At this time, the emperor stepped into the dungeon and said majestically, "Since you want to deal with it publicly, then it will be as you wish. We must give an explanation to the fallen soldiers and to the people of the world."
The emperor's voice echoed through the dungeon, carrying an invisible pressure that made the Fourth Prince's wife's face paler. She stared at the emperor, her eyes filled with anger and despair. He Fei stood aside, his expression stern, as if he had everything under control.
The Fourth Prince's wife sneered: "You and I both know that the late emperor wanted to pass the throne to the Fourth Prince. You forced the late emperor to change his mind. I have the late emperor's will in my hand."
The emperor said calmly, "It's fake."
Even if it's true, so what?
Before his death, the late emperor publicly passed on the throne in the presence of the core power group including the prime minister, the empress dowager, the eldest princess of the royal family, the second imperial uncle, and the youngest imperial uncle, which constituted an "oral will."
This scene has extremely strong political symbolic significance - the ritual sense of the deathbed entrustment strengthens the sacredness of the transfer of power, and the authority of the witness group, especially the prime minister and the queen mother, makes it difficult to be publicly questioned.
He was afraid of this shameful will.
All the ministers in the court supported him, the entire army was under his control, the Wude Division and the Dragon Guard Army were his, and his legitimacy was beyond doubt.
Besides, the Fourth Prince was cruel and merciless during his lifetime. He killed thousands of boys and girls just to make elixirs for the late emperor. This incident caused a sensation in the capital, and the Fourth Prince could hardly protect himself at that time.
He Fei didn't expect the emperor to make it public. "Brother, are you really going to make it public?"
The Emperor snorted coldly, "The Fourth Prince's wife said I dared not disclose the things she and her husband did. The Fourth Prince used young boys and girls to make elixirs during his lifetime, and the Fourth Prince's wife later spread the smallpox virus, which ravaged four states. If it weren't for Jia'er inventing the smallpox vaccine and effective treatment for the virus, the Great Zhou would have been devastated long ago. This mutiny killed tens of thousands of soldiers, and we have long lost the support of the people. I will only be begged to be the emperor."
The emperor's decision to publicly punish the Fourth Prince's wife and her posthumous child quickly spread throughout the capital. In the court, ministers stood in awe, while ordinary citizens gathered outside the palace gates, awaiting this fateful trial.
There was no need for the emperor to personally order people to compile a notice and post it to publicize the heinous crimes of the Fourth Prince making elixirs and killing children and the Fourth Prince's wife spreading the smallpox virus.
Throughout the bustling capital, from the small teahouses along the streets to the bustling taverns, the eloquent storytellers, as if prearranged, spontaneously began to recount the atrocities committed by the Fourth Prince's lineage. Their vivid and passionate descriptions seemed to bring the audience into the very scene of the atrocities, instantly igniting the people's suppressed anger.
The Emperor, residing deep within the inner court of the Imperial Palace, was naturally well aware of everything unfolding outside. He skillfully exploited this powerful force of public opinion, successfully portraying the Fourth Prince's consort as a "national evildoer" endangering the nation. Simultaneously, he himself transformed himself into a "savior" saving the people from dire straits. Seeing events unfolding as he had hoped, the Emperor couldn't help but smirk.
Reflecting on the four years since he ascended the throne, he had worked diligently and tirelessly, even painstakingly issuing decrees to reduce agricultural taxes to ease the burden on farmers. The tax rate now was only one-tenth of what it had been during the previous emperor's time. The people should be filled with gratitude! Thinking of this, the emperor's smile grew even wider.
The trial was held in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, with his ministers standing on both sides. Scholars with meritorious service and an elderly man over sixty years old were selected to attend the trial as observers.
The Fourth Prince's wife and her son were brought to the front of the palace. The wife was pale but stubborn, while the four-year-old child was bewildered and clung tightly to his mother's clothes.
Emperor: "Today, I seek justice for the people of the world. The Fourth Prince's lineage has committed grave sins that cannot be forgiven by Heaven!"
The Fourth Prince's wife sneered, "Fair? You usurped the throne and forced the late emperor to death. You are the real sinner!"
However, her voice was quickly drowned out by the rebukes of the ministers and the roars of the people.
The Fourth Prince's wife pulled a roll of yellow silk from her bosom and held it high above her head. "This is the late emperor's handwritten edict, passing the throne to the Fourth Prince! Do you dare to read it?"
The emperor sneered: "Forging a will is an even greater crime!"
After saying this, he handed the will to the prime minister.
The Prime Minister respectfully accepted the edict, unfolding it and examining it carefully. After a moment, he frowned and slowly began to speak, "In the two years before his death, the late emperor's health deteriorated. His hands trembled so violently that he couldn't even hold a pen. And every time he reviewed memorials, he left behind countless ink smudges and erasures. Yet, this edict is so clean and neat, it's truly unbelievable." With that, he handed the edict to the Second Emperor's uncle, the head of the imperial clan.
The Second Imperial Uncle snorted coldly, took the will, glanced at the handwriting on it, and said in a deep voice: "This is definitely not the handwriting of the Emperor's brother. Among our relatives, there are many calligraphy works of the Emperor's brother during his lifetime. We can use them to compare with this."
The prime minister moved, taking a steady step forward. He held his head high and spoke in a resounding voice, "Before the late emperor passed away, he personally passed the throne to the present emperor from his deathbed. We ministers were present and witnessed it with our own eyes and ears. And now, the Fourth Prince's consort dares to speak wildly and mislead the people. Her crime is truly grave, and she deserves death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers in the court responded in unison, shouting in unison: "We implore Your Majesty to severely punish these rebels and restore the laws and discipline of our dynasty! We must restore order to the world!"
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