Chapter 71
The ambergris burning in the gilded copper censer in the Zichen Hall curled into the air, but it could not dispel the stagnant, iron-like atmosphere that filled the hall.
Under the throne, civil and military officials were arranged on both sides according to their ranks, their eyes fixed on the open space in the hall. Although no one was detained there, the words "punish the rebellious son" had already weighed on everyone's heart like a huge rock.
The Minister of Personnel was the first to step forward. His face was tense beneath his black gauze hat, and the folds of his court robes showed stiffness as he bowed upwards. "Your Highness, this rebellious son has insulted the royal family. His heart is damnable! According to the laws of our dynasty, he should be punished with the punishment of limb amputation, and his hands should be cut off to serve as a warning to others!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yin, who was standing in the front row on the left, took a sudden step forward. The hem of his black brocade robe swept across the golden brick floor, making a crackling sound.
His brows furrowed, his voice filled with sternness: "No!" These two words were resounding. "How can you use this punishment on a young child? It can break an adult's leg bones in one go."
The Minister of Personnel stood up straight, his face showing no sign of retreat. Instead, he became even more stubborn. "Your Highness, you are wrong! He has insulted the royal family, which is already treasonous. Even though he is young, he deserves the punishment! If you let him off lightly because of his age, he will have trouble gaining public support in the future, and it will also undermine the dignity of our laws!"
Li Yin stared at the Minister of Personnel with a sharp gaze. His tone was cold and icy. "He deserved it? Then show me the evidence! You keep saying he's guilty, saying he's in collusion with spies. Where's the evidence?"
Seeing this, the Minister of Rites stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, please calm down. We are not attacking without purpose. We are using torture precisely to uncover the truth and find evidence of his collusion with the spies. Without torture, how could the child, young and timid, confess the truth?"
The Minister of Revenue echoed this sentiment, his face filled with solemnity. "Your Highness, I believe the Minister of Rites is absolutely right. As the old saying goes, a single spark can start a prairie fire. This child dared to insult the royal family today. If he is not stopped in time, he could cause even greater disaster in the future. Aren't the lessons of the royal riots of a few years ago profound enough? We must not allow such a thing to happen again!"
As soon as these words were spoken, many ministers in the hall nodded slightly, looking at the Shangshu with a hint of approval. Li Yin saw all this and felt a surge of irritation rising from his heart to his head, as if a fire was burning in his chest. He suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Enough!"
The whole hall fell silent in an instant, and even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.
Li Yin took a deep breath and glanced at the ministers in the hall. His tone was filled with unconcealable pain. "Think about it, a ten-year-old child, still in his naive years, who can't even recognize all the characters, if he learned to be a spy before learning to write, then aren't we the ones who deserve the most punishment?"
He paused, his voice deepening. "It is we who failed to protect the world's children, who failed to allow them to grow up peacefully in this prosperous and prosperous world. Instead, we allowed the taint of spies to infect such young children! If there is any accountability, we, here at this table, will bear the brunt of the blame."
The ministers looked at each other, some lowered their eyes in thought, some looked ashamed, but no one spoke to refute, and no one agreed, and the hall fell silent again.
Seeing this, Li Yin repeated it again with a stronger tone, each word clear: "Release that child immediately!"
As soon as the words fell, the ministers finally took action. They all bowed in unison, their movements in unison, their voices stubborn, "Your Highness, please understand!"
"Your Highness, please understand!"
The requests echoed in the hall, stubborn and refusing to give in.
Li Yin watched the scene unfold, feeling both angry and helpless. However, his resolve to protect the child remained unchanged. The two sides remained deadlocked for a long time, and the ministers, seeing Li Yin's resolute stance and his unwillingness to relent, ultimately yielded.
Not long after, light footsteps were heard outside the hall, and the eunuch quietly reported that the detained child had been released.
When Li Yin heard this, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but there was still a complicated look in his eyes as he looked at the ministers.
——
The gilded copper stove in the Xuanshi Hall was still burning with the elegant fragrance of lilies. At lunchtime, sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, casting tiny spots of light on the vermilion lacquered wooden dining table.
His Majesty was leaning against the Panlong chair covered with bright yellow brocade, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the edge of the table, his eyes fixed on the gleaming silver needle in the maid's hand.
Six dishes and two soups were already laid out on the table. The crystal pork elbow shone with an oily luster, and the shrimp in the emerald white jade soup was fresh and lively. However, the emperor's mind was not on the food at the moment. He was just waiting for the result of the poison test, with a hint of impatience and laziness between his brows.
"ah--!"
A sharp cry suddenly broke the silence in the hall. His Majesty came back to his senses and saw that the maid who was responsible for testing the poison was as pale as paper. The silver needle in her hand fell to the golden brick floor with a "clang". There was a black mass on the tip of the needle, as if it had been soaked in ink.
The air froze instantly, and the palace servants in the hall all knelt on the ground, their heads pressed against the cold ground, not daring to even breathe loudly.
"How could this happen?!" Lord Shang reacted the fastest, flashing before His Majesty. His graying beard trembled slightly, and he placed his hands on the sword at his waist, his sharp eyes sweeping over everyone in the hall. "Where are the people from the Imperial Kitchen? Where are the Imperial Guards?!"
His Majesty's laziness had long since vanished. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his face was filled with rage. He slammed the food table and shouted, "Come here! Seal the palace door! Investigate! Find out who dared to tamper with the imperial meal!"
The wind in the corridor outside the hall blew up the drooping green gauze curtains. Eunuch Zhang was waiting by the corridor pillar. Hearing something strange happening inside the hall, he hurriedly grabbed a eunuch who was running by in a panic.
The eunuch's blue robe was already soaked with sweat, his fingers clutching his sleeves white. Seeing that it was Eunuch Zhang, he hurriedly shouted in a trembling voice, "Master Zhang! Your Majesty's food... the food is poisonous! The silver needles are completely black!"
"Your Majesty?" Eunuch Zhang's heart sank, his fingers unconsciously pinching into his palms. He asked, "Did Your Majesty touch those foods? Is there anything wrong with your health?"
The eunuch hurriedly shook his head and lowered his voice, moving closer: "Fortunately! Your Majesty hasn't even started eating yet, he's just frightened. Lord Shang has had everyone in the imperial kitchen under surveillance, not allowing anyone in or out."
The story quickly reached the imperial court. After careful consideration, the prime minister recommended Liu Yang, the Grand Court Justice, to His Majesty. Liu Yang was renowned for his meticulous and meticulous approach to solving cases. His Majesty immediately issued an order, ordering Liu Yang to investigate the case within three days. Any attempt to stop him would be punished with execution and subsequent report.
Early the next morning, Liu Yang, the Minister of the Dali Temple, brought his subordinates to the special inquiry office in the palace.
Three rows of eunuchs and palace maids stood in the hall with their heads bowed, their blue-gray and pink-white robes arranged neatly, but they could not hide the fear in everyone's eyes.
Liu Yang was dressed in a dark crimson official robe, with a Pisces jade pendant dangling from his waist. His brows furrowed as he glanced across the procession. He turned to the eunuch leading the way and asked, "Are all the palace maids and eunuchs who go in and out of the imperial kitchen here?"
The eunuch, who was in charge of the imperial kitchen, lowered his head even more and stammered, "My lord, they are all here... but there is one person who is not from the palace."
"Oh?" Liu Yang's eyes glared, his fingertips pausing on the jade pendant at his waist. His tone suddenly darkened. "The imperial kitchen is a forbidden area. How could an outsider sneak in? Who let them in?"
The eunuch in charge was so frightened that his knees buckled and he nearly fell to the ground. He quickly replied truthfully, "Yes, he's the farmer who supplies fresh fruits and vegetables to the imperial kitchen. He brought the vegetables in at noon yesterday. The people in the imperial kitchen saw that he looked flustered and asked a few more questions, but when they turned around to look for him again, he was gone. At the time, they thought he had left early because he was in a hurry, so they didn't dare to say anything..."
"What's the farmer's name? Do you have a portrait?" Liu Yang asked, his voice cold and without warmth.
The eunuch in charge swallowed hard, paused, and spoke with difficulty, "We have checked, and the farmer's surname is Chen... He is the father of the child who previously brought the letter of treason and was given a lighter sentence by His Highness."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yang clenched the jade pendant with his fingertips, and his eyes darkened.
He immediately went to see Li Yin with the clues he had found. At that time, Li Yin was reviewing official documents in his study. Upon hearing the result, the wolf-hair brush in his hand fell "pa" on the rice paper, and the ink spread out in a large area.
He suddenly looked up at Liu Yang, his eyes full of disbelief: "What did you say? That child?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Liu Yang bowed and nodded, his tone firm. "I have checked the farmer's portrait and also asked those who had seen him in the imperial kitchen, and it is confirmed. Last time, Your Highness, considering the child's young age, simply sent him back to his hometown without further investigation. I never expected that he would conspire with his father to sneak into the palace and murder Your Majesty."
Li Yin pinched the edge of the table with his fingers, his knuckles turning white. After a moment of silence, he asked in a deep voice, "Are you saying that the child and his father have escaped together?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Liu Yang replied, "I have sent people to their hometown to track them down, but according to the local headman, they packed their bags two days ago and have disappeared."
"How ridiculous!" The Minister of Revenue, standing nearby, suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and spoke urgently to Li Yin, "Your Highness! Conspiring to murder His Majesty is a heinous crime punishable by the entire clan. Those father and son are incredibly audacious and must not be forgiven! Please issue an immediate order for all local authorities to conduct a full-scale search for them. Once captured, they will be immediately imprisoned and tortured to reveal any accomplices!"
As he spoke, his eyes swept over Liu Yang, his tone full of unquestionable incitement, as if he had already determined that the father and son were the real murderers.
The gilded bronze clock in the Zichen Hall was ticking, making the silence in the hall even longer.
Sitting on the bright yellow dragon throne, His Majesty's fingertips unconsciously stroked the winding branches on the armrests, his gaze fixed on the cracks between the golden bricks on the steps below. He didn't even glance up at the sound of the guards changing shifts in the corridor outside the hall. The pile of memorials on the desk was still open, the cinnabar annotations only half a line inscribed, the ink long since dried.
"Your Majesty, you must be worried about the affairs of the Eastern Palace." The voice of the Prime Minister broke the silence. He was dressed in a crimson official robe and stood in the hall with his back bent. The silver hair on his temples shone faintly in the morning light.
His Majesty then slowly raised his eyes, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes hiding a trace of weariness. He raised his hand and gestured, "Speak frankly."
The Prime Minister stood up, his eyes still respectful. "The Crown Prince has just taken over the power of regent, so it is understandable that he may make occasional mistakes. This time, we have recovered the fugitive, which is a timely correction. Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much."
He paused, and noticing His Majesty's slightly furrowed brows, he changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious, "However, given Your Majesty's temperament, I'm afraid today's matter may not be the end."
These words struck a chord with His Majesty. He leaned back in his chair, tapping the tabletop lightly with his fingertips. "Oh? Then, in your opinion, what should we do?"
"The Crown Prince is still young and full of vigor, prone to acting on impulse. If we want him to mature and stabilize quickly," the Prime Minister stepped forward, his voice lowered, "the only way to prevent him from repeating the same mistakes is to hold a state wedding for His Highness as soon as possible and let his responsibilities to his family and country restrain his mind."
His Majesty sighed upon hearing this, his fingertips pausing on the jade paperweight on the desk. "But you know the Crown Prince's temper. He doesn't want to talk about marriage at all."
The Prime Minister's expression suddenly grew serious, and he bowed deeply. "Your Majesty! I dare to ask, over the years, has anything you've done according to Your Majesty's wishes ever ended well?"
Seeing His Majesty's silence, the Prime Minister softened his tone, and when he looked up, his eyes brightened with earnestness. "I have secretly asked the Ministry of Rites to draw up a list of three daughters from prominent families. They are all virtuous and beautiful, and can help Your Highness relieve his worries. Your Majesty, do not worry about this matter. I will try to persuade the Crown Prince and help Your Majesty relieve the worries of the Eastern Palace."
The copper clock in the hall rang again. His Majesty looked at the silver hair on the Prime Minister's temples and finally nodded slowly, but the weariness in his eyes deepened a little.
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