Chapter 16 No One Can Escape
Eunuch Fu held the whisk lightly in his arm, his eyelids half drooped, but his peripheral vision took in the figure standing frozen in place.
Shen Yanzhi just stood there, his whole body seemed to be nailed to the ground.
He doesn't look like a prince who is about to face a huge wave.
Eunuch Fu sighed in his heart.
After all, I am still a little immature and can't keep my composure.
His voice, which could not tell whether he was happy or angry, was like cold water poured on one's face, suddenly piercing the dead silence in the room.
"Fifth Prince, the time has come. It's time to go to the palace and meet the emperor."
Shen Yanzhi's body shook, and his chaotic thoughts instantly returned to normal.
He raised his head and met Eunuch Fu's emotionless face, then he reacted.
He stood up, his throat a little dry, and shouted towards the door.
"Qi Ming!"
"Prepare the car!"
"Enter the palace!"
Three sentences in a row, each one more urgent and serious than the last.
As he took a step and passed by Eunuch Fu, the old eunuch's voice floated over again, so softly that only the two of them could hear it.
"Your Majesty, I am waiting for your explanation."
The red lacquer gate of Jing'an Prince's Mansion slowly closed behind him, and the heavy muffled sound seemed to hit Shen Yanzhi's heart.
The carriage sped along the quiet street, its wheels making a monotonous and suppressed clatter as they rolled over the bluestone pavement.
Inside the carriage, Shen Yanzhi sat upright with his back straight.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to sort out the chaotic threads in his mind.
Song Qingyuan's coughing up blood, the court doctor's hanging, the Xue family's terrible disaster, and Eunuch Fu's meaningful "statement".
Idiots, all of them are idiots!
From Song Qingyuan's self-righteous brother, to his two good brothers who are good at changing with the times, to the prince who can't wait to jump out.
One thing led to another, eventually forcing him into a dead end.
An invisible net has quietly tightened, and he is the trapped beast in the center of the net.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Your Highness, we've arrived at the palace gate."
Qi Ming's voice sounded outside the car, with uncontrollable tension.
Shen Yanzhi opened his eyes, and there was a silent sea of ice in his eyes.
He lifted the curtain and stepped out. The towering palace wall stood before him like a silent beast, cold and imposing. The oppressive feeling unique to imperial power washed over him.
Inside the imperial study, the air was as stagnant as water.
The smell of ambergris was so strong that it was a bit choking, but it couldn't suppress the dull feeling of impending storm.
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his face as gloomy as water, slowly twisting a string of black jade Buddhist beads in his hand, his expression unremarkable.
At the scene of the attack, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince stood with their hands hanging down, all with worried expressions on their faces, but a hint of pleasure from watching a good show was hidden in their eyes.
Shen Yanzhi walked to the center of the hall without looking around, lifted up his robe, and knelt down heavily.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to your father."
The emperor didn't let him get up, and didn't even raise his eyelids.
"Shen Yanzhi."
He finally spoke, his voice calm but carrying a great weight.
"The Xue family lent money at high interest rates and forced women into prostitution, causing widespread public outrage. The complaints are piling up on my desk."
"Do you admit your guilt?"
Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Shen Yanzhi's dignity hard.
He lowered his head even lower, his voice hoarse.
"My maternal grandfather's family behaved improperly, and I failed to discipline them properly. I... acknowledge my guilt."
No excuses, no evasions.
Any explanation at this moment would only add fuel to the fire.
The Crown Prince took a step forward, his face filled with grief and indignation. "Fifth brother, how could you be so foolish! The Xue family is relying on your influence to commit crimes outside, and you are turning a deaf ear to it? How will this affect the people of the capital and our royal family's reputation?"
The Fourth Prince also sighed: "Yes, Fifth Brother, Father has high hopes for you, and you have greatly disappointed Father!"
They sang in unison, and every word was heart-wrenching.
Shen Yanzhi knelt on the ground, his nails dug deep into his palms, and said nothing.
The emperor finally looked up at him, his gaze as sharp as a knife.
"You are in charge of the capital's guards, protecting the capital's safety. Now that your in-laws have committed such a filthy act, how can I trust you again? How can the entire court trust you? How can the people of the world trust you?"
Shen Yanzhi's whole body trembled.
He looked up suddenly, a hint of panic in his eyes.
really.
The emperor slowly placed a tiger-head military token on the imperial desk, his voice cold and without a trace of emotion.
"From now on, your capital guard token will be taken back."
"Prince Jing'an is confined to his residence to reflect on his mistakes. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave."
The military power was taken away, which was tantamount to being imprisoned.
This punishment was much more severe than any he had expected!
The color on Shen Yanzhi's face faded instantly. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
He knew that his father wanted to clip his wings and turn him into a powerless and idle prince.
"Your son... obeys your order."
These three words almost exhausted all his strength.
When he walked out of the imperial study in a daze, he caught a glimpse of his good brothers from the corner of his eye. The faint smiles on the corners of their mouths were very dazzling.
The news reached the harem. In Changchun Palace, a fine official kiln porcelain vase was thrown heavily to the ground and shattered.
"Your Majesty! How could Your Majesty be so cruel!"
Concubine Xue's hairpins and rings were scattered, and she was crying like a pear blossom in the rain.
She ignored the palace servants' attempts to stop her and rushed towards the imperial study like a madman.
The emperor was reviewing memorials and frowned when he saw her intruding.
"How dare you! Who let you in?"
Concubine Xue fell to her knees with a thud, tugging at the emperor's robe, sobbing uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, Yanzhi is your own son! The Xue family made a mistake, so you should punish them. Why did you take away his military power and imprison him?"
"He was framed, Your Majesty!"
A hint of impatience flashed in the emperor's eyes, but looking at Concubine Xue who was crying bitterly, he finally softened his tone.
"In the Xue family matter, there are witnesses and evidence. How can there be any talk of frame-up?"
"This matter has become a national scandal. If I do not impose severe punishment, how can I quell the public anger and explain myself to the people of the world?"
Concubine Xue cried even harder: "You can't blame it all on Yanzhi! Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and forgive him this time!"
The emperor was silent for a long time, and finally sighed.
"That's all."
He helped Concubine Xue up, his voice filled with fatigue.
"Yanzhi's punishment cannot be changed."
"But for the Xue family, I can only punish the main culprit."
Concubine Xue stopped crying and looked up at him in a daze.
"I decree that your second brother, the second son of the Xue family, be thrown into the Sky Prison and that this case be thoroughly investigated."
"As for the others, I can let bygones be bygones."
He traded his uncle's life for the safety of the entire Xue family, and for Shen Yanzhi to avoid having to bear the stigma of the entire family's guilt.
This was the emperor's final concession and also the cruelest trade-off.
Concubine Xue collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.
Palace.
Shen Yanzhi sat quietly behind the desk, listening to the final news brought back by Qi Ming.
Xue’s second uncle was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison.
He had no anger, no sadness, not even a trace of expression.
But in those bottomless eyes, the original ice was shattering inch by inch, turning into a dead abyss burning with black flames.
He slowly raised his hand and looked at his empty palm.
The military power is gone.
Freedom is gone.
Close relatives are also imprisoned.
very good.
Really, very good.
He suddenly laughed softly, silently at first, with only his chest rising and falling violently, and then the laughter grew louder and louder, seeming particularly creepy in the silent study.
There was no smile in his eyes, only endless hatred and coldness.
He carefully wrote down the account, every single one.
Crown Prince, Second Brother, Fourth Brother...
And there was the person hiding in the dark and handing him the knife.
Don’t even think about running away.
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