The beaded curtain moved. A cold light scattered in all directions like the empress dowager’s unfathomable eyes. The empress dowager stared icily at Shu Wu and said each word clearly, “Shu the Scholar, lying about an edict is the great crime of deceiving a monarch!”
Shu Wu’s expression changed slightly. After a moment of silence, he respectfully replied, “Today, the Qing Kingdom has no monarch. How can I be deceiving one?” Although he was faced by the empress dowager, the scholar refused to give an inch.
The empress dowager stretched out an old and withered hand and slowly pushed open the beaded curtain. She walked out from behind the curtain and stood next to the dragon chair. The Crown Prince quickly went to support her.
“The Emperor died at Dong Mountain due to the secret collusion between the Overwatch Council Commissioner Fan Xian and Dongyi to kill him. The incident happened abruptly. How could there be any posthumous edicts?” The empress dowager stared into Shu Wu’s eyes with exceptional calmness. “If there is one, where is it now?”
Shu Wu’s heart jumped. He knew that the empress dowager’s words were pushing him to be implicated with Fan Xian. He sighed and replied, “The posthumous edict is presently in the hands of the Duke of Danbo.”
After these words were uttered, clamoring immediately broke out in the. At the beginning of the Crown Prince’s ascension, Fan Xian’s crimes had already been openly stated, directly condemning him to an endless abyss. No one would have expected that Shu the Scholar would suddenly bring up a posthumous edict or that the edict was in the hands of Sir Fan junior.
The empress dowager coughed. She looked at Shu Wu and said, “Is that so? Fan Xian is an imperial criminal indicted for major crimes. The court has been secretly seeking him for many days. Even they don’t know that he had returned to Jingdou, yet you seem very clear. How come you know about the posthumous edict?”
Shu Wu kowtowed to the ground and said with deep pain, “The Emperor was assassinated at Dong Mountain and all mourned. However, in less than half a month, the military and provinces all say that it was the work of the Duke of Danbo. I know the character of the Duke of Danbo very well. I am certain that he would not dare do such an evil act. As for the matter of the posthumous edict, it is indeed real. I have seen it personally.”
The Crown Prince’s hands were icy cold. The depths of his heart was chilled. He had never thought that before the incident at Dong Mountain happened, his father would have left a posthumous edict. One did not need a brain to know the contents of the posthumous edict. The Crown Prince suddenly felt a sense of cold sorrow. It seemed that his father had hated him to the bone.
He was silent next to the empress dowager, but a bitter smile rose in his heart. He knew his grandmother’s energy had been stretched to the breaking point. Otherwise, she would not have made such a miscalculation in her handling of this matter. As a revered empress dowager, what need was there for her to be ensnared in such details with an old official? Since the topic had been opened, if he wanted to successfully sit on the dragon chair, he had to get rid of the posthumous edict that suddenly appeared.
“Fan Xian colluded with Sigu Jian. That is a great evil.”
The Crown Prince looked at the officials below and slowly said, “Usually, Fan Xian is skilled in dressing himself up and deceiving the public to build a good reputation. Shu the Scholar, do not be fooled by such wicked people. If father truly left a posthumous edict, then as his son, I wish desperately to be able to see father’s own writing.”
The Crown Prince’s voice carried a glimmer of sorrow. The officials below all offered words of comfort. He took the opportunity to compose himself.
The meaning of his words were very clear. A posthumous edict could be forged. Shu Wu, you are part of the ruling faction in the Hall of Governmental Affairs. How could you have secret comings and goings with the imperial criminal Fan Xian?
The Crown Prince looked at Shu Wu and frowned, “I have always deeply respected your character, but what I have seen and heard today has truly disappointed me. To secretly protect a court indicted imperial criminal! To think that father had held you in such high regard. Today, you have been muddle-headed and malicious. How will you have face to see my father in the future?”
The Crown Prince’s gaze gradually became icy. A rarely seen tyrannical aura began to infect all the officials in the Palace along with the words in his mouth.
“Shu the Scholar, collusion with a court indicted imperial criminal and making false claims about the previous Emperor’s edict… Someone expel him from the Palace. Because of his advanced age, hold him in prison to await questioning!”
As these words were said, clamoring broke out in the hall. All of the Qing officials knew that when it came to the fight for imperial power, there was never any gentleness to speak of, particularly for Shu the Scholar, who had brought out the posthumous edict with unusual force. The Crown Prince had to choose the bloodiest method to subdue it.
No one expected that the gentle Crown Prince would, in an instant, demonstrate a tyrannical air similar to that of the recently deceased Emperor.
It was like there was a wooden fish in everyone’s heart that was being gently struck by a wooden hammer and making a thumping sound. Because of Shu Wu’s sorrowful cry, the Crown Prince’s process of ascension had been forcefully interrupted. All of the officials had already stood up. The wide sleeves of the black or white plain robes fluttered weakly. Everyone was open-eyed and dumbstruck. No words came from their open mouths. The ripples on their sleeves swung gently.
Inside the expansive Taiji Palace, all of the officials were completely silent. They watched as a few eunuchs took Shu the Scholar’s arms. At the same time, they saw that outside of Taiji Palace there were many people walking around. It was the guards in the Palace, the ones who wore short straight knives. All the officials knew that if things went wrong, it may be a severe ending with blood splattered across the main hall.
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…
Shu Wu laughed bitterly and did not offer a shred of resistance. He allowed the eunuchs at his side to bind his arms. He had done what he had to do. If, at this moment, the officials in the hall bowed to the empress dowager’s might, the Crown Prince’s position, and Eldest Princess’s power and remained silent, what good would it do even if he did take out the posthumous edict?
If the empress dowager said the posthumous edict was fake, who would dare say it was real?
He shook his head and glanced at the empress dowager quietly with presbyopic eyes and sighed in his heart. Why did Fan Xian refuse to use the posthumous edict to contact the officials? Last night, if they had made contact with the various officials and had the Emperor’s posthumous edict to protect them, the civil officials would at least be a bit more daring. It would not be like it was today, with him left to sink alone.
The Qing Emperor’s handwritten letter and posthumous edict had not been thrown by the empress dowager into the basin and burned. What had burned was only a piece of white paper in the envelope and Shu the Scholar’s last piece of hope in the empress dowager.
The eunuchs half supported and half escorted Shu Wu out of the Palace, where the guards were waiting surrounded by an aura of death.
The Crown Prince let out a slight breath. In the end, the stubborn civil officials still bowed to the might of the royal family. They would not be overly impetuous.
The empress dowager’s heart also felt slightly calmer. She wished to have Shu Wu, that unreasonable old man, quickly dragged out so that the Crown Prince’s ascension ceremony could end.
Shu Wu was dragged out wretchedly. As he was dragged out, the old man thought to himself that with his reputation present, he may not be immediately killed. Once the Crown Prince was firmly seated on the dragon chair, would a cup of poisoned wine or a length of while silk greet him?
Suddenly, many people heard a faint sigh.
The sigh came from the person standing at the head of the civil officials, the leading scholar of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, the initiator of the Qing Kingdom’s new literature movement, the man who had a pure reputation: Hu the Scholar.
Hu the Scholar looked at Shu Wu and shook his head with a bitter smile. He then broke rank, knelt, kowtowed, raised his head, and opened his mouth.
“I beseech Your Highness to call back your edict.”
Clamor broke out among the officials.
The empress dowager’s expression changed slightly. The hand hidden inside her sleeve shook a little. She had not expected that Hu the Scholar would stand out. Regardless of how friendly he was with Shu Wu in private, when it the time for the nation to pass on the sacred throne, this Hu the Scholar…
Hu the Scholar lowered his head. The three-inch beard on his chin was very calm as he said, “Since His Majesty has a posthumous edict, I ask that the empress dowager announce it to the hall.”
Without waiting for the empress dowager and Crown Prince to speak, Hu the Scholar continued with his head lowered, “There are many suspicious points of the Dong Mountain incident. If the Duke of Danbo has already returned to the capital, then he should be immediately summoned in to present the posthumous edict. For the matter of rebellion, it is for the three departments to question it. How could it be carelessly decided by military reports? The life and death of the Emperor is a major matter. Until now, there has been no body, no reply from the Tiger Guards, and the Overwatch Council is a mess…”
The words of this leading civil official were getting quicker and quicker. Even the empress dowager’s cold rebuttals could not stop him speaking.
“I believe that the most important matter right now is to learn the truth of what happened at Dong Mountain. The only person who knows the truth is the Duke of Danbo.”
“Whether the posthumous edict is real or false, it needs to be looked at. Whether or not the Duke of Danbo should be sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, it can only be discussed after he has been captured.”
Hu the Scholar continued, “I think that capturing the Duke of Danbo to close the case is the most important matter. I implore you to make the decision wisely.”
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…
It was silent in the hall for a long time before the empress dowager repeated to Hu the Scholar three times with an ashen expression, “Fine! Fine! Fine! How dare you, Sha Hu!”
Sha Hu was a nickname the Qing Emperor had given to Hu the Scholar, rewarding his righteous and clear heart. Although the situation in the hall was very dangerous, this scholar had suddenly spoke out. In front of the empress dowager and the Crown Prince, he refused to back down. Each word pierced straight into a subject they wished to avoid.
The empress dowager’s eyes narrowed slightly and filled with a cold light. The Crown Prince’s expression remained as calm as usual. His eyes swept downward.
The Crown Prince had his own trusted aides in court. Because of the Eldest Princess’s manipulations, those officials had swung for a long time between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. At a time such as today, they stood out bravely.
The Minister of Appointments, Yan Hangshu, gazed at Hu the Scholar and coldly said, “Earlier, the empress dowager already gave the order to strip Fan Xian’s dukedom and wipe out the Fan family. Yet, you continue to refer to him as the Duke of Danbo. Is this not too inappropriate. Fan Xian has committed the great crime of rebellion. You scholars repeatedly dispute it on his behalf. I wonder if there is some untold secret behind all this.”
Shu Wu was at the door. He looked with surprise and appreciation at Hu the Scholar kneeling below the dragon chair.
Hu the Scholar did not even look at the Minister and disdainfully said, “I am an official of Qing Kingdom, the Emperor’s official. I am the leading scholar in the Hall of Governmental Affairs, handling national matters by imperial decree. If the Emperor has left a posthumous edict, I want to see it. Why could that not be shared?”
The three Princes below the dragon chair each had their own complicated emotions. The Second Prince was, in his heart, mocking his grandmother and the Crown Prince. He thought to himself, For matters concerning the chair, you must walk an open and public path. No wonder there was so much trouble. The Great Prince’s expression was solemn. He was quietly working out whether or not the posthumous edict brought up by the two scholars was real or not.
Only the youngest Third Prince had his head slightly lowered and could feel a firmness coming from outside his calf and a chill in his heart. He wondered what he should do if a large number of guards charged in later. Of course, the Crown Prince would not be allowed to kill all of these officials.
The Crown Prince stood high beside the dragon chair and looked coldly at Hu the Scholar kneeling below. He felt very conflicted. He thought to himself that his aunt’s judgment was right. Qing Kingdom had two arms. Other than the military, the civil officials would always their own brain. This brain was something the Emperor had allowed them to have. At this moment, this brain was beginning to bring endless trouble for the Crown Prince’s ascension.
“Both scholars have stood out…” The Crown Prince gave a light and mocking laugh in his heart. “You are an official but make false claims about a posthumous edict. Hu the Scholar, you should think it through.”
After these words were spoken, more eunuchs came forward and held onto each side of Hu the Scholar. Immediately, an atmosphere of terror filled Taiji Palace. Two of the scholars of the Hall of Governmental affairs objected to the Crown Prince taking the throne. They were going to be captured and thrown in jail.
When was the last time such a situation happened in Qing Kingdom history? No official could remember, but they knew that as these two scholars were leaders among the civil officials. If the Crown Prince could not subdue them publicly, then he could only use this violent method to suppress it. In the end, it would cause many problems.
Problems to the heart of the court.
The immediate problem was demonstrated when Hu the Scholar was escorted out of the Palace. When Hu the Scholar and Shu the Scholar stood at the Palace doors and smiled at each other, the officials inside the hall, who had been standing silently for a long time, all knelt down with a swish.
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“Please, reconsider, empress dowager. Please, reconsider, Crown Prince.”
Half of the civil officials had knelt down in an instant and cried out in a uniform voice. This was no longer a plea for mercy for the two scholars. This was a demonstration of force to the grandmother and grandson on the dragon chair. This was telling the Li family that in Qing court, it was not just the two scholars who were not afraid of death. There were many people.
The civil officials who belonged to the Eldest Princess’ faction and military leaders, who had stood in silence, looked at this scene and were involuntarily moved. They didn’t understand what these civil officials kneeling on the floor were thinking. What exactly did they want? Did they really want to forgive Fan Xian for his crime and prevent the Crown Prince from ascending? Other than their mouths and their names, what power did they have?
Seeing the black mass of officials at her feet, the empress dowager felt her head grow dizzy and couldn’t stand steadily. The Crown Prince was finally hard pressed to maintain his calm His expression became darker. He had not thought that a posthumous edict, which had not even appeared in front of these people, would bring such a crisis to the ascension ceremony.
Were there really people in this world who were not afraid of death? There shouldn’t have been. If the civil officials were all so open and public and were not officials that were afraid of death, then what use did the Qing Kingdom have for the Overwatch Council?
The Crown Prince’s thoughts were distracted. He didn’t understand why so many people opposed him. It was usually completely undetectable. The officials kneeling below him were mostly of the middle faction. Had Fan Xian used some magic on them?
Kill them all? If not, then what?
A long accumulated pain between the Crown Prince’s brows began to spread throughout his head. He thought to himself, Fan Xian, it looks like I still underestimated your power in Jingdou.
The empress dowager, who had already sat back in her chair, viciously cursed out a person’s name between the gap of her lips in a low voice. Only then did this remind the Crown Prince that it was impossible for Fan Xian to create the scenario in front of him of the officials kneeling down and offering their admonishments.
Only now did the Crown Prince think that, everyone, including his aunt, seemed to have forgotten someone. His aunt had been tangled with this person for a dozen years. The Emperor had forced him out of Jingdou. He had lived quietly for many years in Wuzhou, but, at the time, had great power in court and countless disciples as the last Prime Minister of the Qing Kingdom: Li Rufu.