Prince Gong’s death came unexpectedly quickly, yet also with an expected swiftness. When Prince Dongping received the news and went to inform the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince stood stunned for a long while, surprisingly feeling no particular joy. After a long pause, he finally let out a sigh.
They had once had good times together. But those good times were already too far in the past, so distant that for a very long time they couldn’t even remember they had once been on affectionate terms.
Yet now that the man was dead, all those past kindnesses suddenly resurfaced. The Crown Prince wanted to gloat over his misfortune but couldn’t muster the energy. When he calculated his own situation, he realized he wasn’t much better off himself—his eldest son had grown distant from him, his relationship with his mother was mediocre at best, and what he had lost far exceeded what he had gained.
After fighting for an entire lifetime, it all seemed rather pointless in the end.
He contemplated this for a long time, then somehow, he suddenly turned to Prince Dongping and said, “You should conduct yourself properly from now on.”
These were his sincere words. At this stage, everything that needed to be settled had already been settled—there was nothing left to scheme about. If Prince Dongping wanted to live peacefully for the rest of his life, he truly could not harbor any inappropriate ambitions.
Otherwise, Dongping’s fate would certainly be no better than Prince Gong’s current end.
Prince Dongping understood what the Crown Prince meant. He lowered his head and simply agreed, then after a long while looked up at the Crown Prince. “Father, please rest assured. Your son understands completely. As I’ve said before, I will absolutely not have any other thoughts.”
The Crown Prince pressed his lips together and nodded. After a long moment, hearing the sound of ceremonial music outside, he asked, “They’ve returned from the Imperial Ancestral Temple, I suppose?”
The investiture ceremony was scheduled for today, but the Crown Prince’s illness had worsened and he truly couldn’t attend. Furthermore, the Bureau of Astronomy had calculated that it was inauspicious for the Crown Prince to go out, so the investiture ceremony proceeded without him.
After experiencing wartime chaos, many unreasonable things had now become reasonable. The court currently had many matters to attend to—the Tartars had withdrawn their troops, so they needed to prepare lists of military honors and rewards, they were busy with Zhou Weizhao’s investiture, busy with tax reductions and exemptions. No one paid attention to these minor details anymore.
Prince Dongping hummed in acknowledgment. He no longer felt jealous of Zhou Weizhao’s good fortune. Taking a handkerchief, he personally wiped the Crown Prince’s face and told him, “The golden册 and imperial seal have already been bestowed. From now on, he is truly the legitimate Imperial Grand Prince.”
He then informed the Crown Prince that preparations for his own marriage were also proceeding well—the Ministry of Rites was being very attentive. Afterward, he added, “Your son cannot be sent away to an external post. At least not for the next few years. Father, don’t worry—your son will always be here to keep you company.”
The Crown Prince said nothing, but after a long while, he looked at Prince Dongping and sighed.
Upon leaving, he saw Qian Ying waiting outside the hall. He nodded at Qian Ying, and after walking a short distance, asked him, “Why are you so eager to find me?”
“I came to inform Your Highness first,” Qian Ying deliberated for a moment on how to begin. Seeing Prince Dongping stop in his tracks, he thought for a moment before saying, “Han Zhengqing has already been escorted back by Huang Yiqing as well.”
Han Zhengqing didn’t have the same good fortune as Prince Gong. He absolutely could not die—or rather, he could only die after revealing all his dirty deeds and secrets, to be executed before all the people of the realm. As soon as he was brought to the capital, he was thrown into the imperial prison. Since Lai Chenglong felt deeply humiliated that Han Zhengqing had lured away one of his trusted subordinates, he had long been lying in wait. Now that Han Zhengqing had entered the prison, he would certainly suffer a fate worse than death.
Prince Dongping felt his ears were defiled just hearing that name. He shook his head, wanting to hear no more, but after taking a few steps, Qian Ying stopped him again. “Your Highness should still go take a look.” He knew Prince Dongping would certainly feel humiliated and disgusted, but Prince Dongping’s status and position were indeed awkward now. Han Zhengqing stubbornly insisted he wouldn’t speak unless he saw Prince Dongping. Lai Chenglong reported this to Zhou Weizhao, and Zhou Weizhao naturally told Prince Dongping to make the trip. Since he would have to watch Zhou Weizhao’s expressions to get by in the future, how could he refuse what Zhou Weizhao said?
Prince Dongping’s eyes reddened for a long while. His hands clenched into fists, and only after a long time did he let out a cold laugh.
He didn’t blame Zhou Weizhao—in fact, what right did he have to blame Zhou Weizhao? Originally, it was his mother who had committed these sins. Since it was the karma created by Grand Consort Fan, naturally it should be him, her son, who repaid it.
The imperial prison was much more spacious than he had imagined. The dark, damp dungeon he had envisioned didn’t appear. He smiled self-mockingly and followed Lai Chenglong into the cell holding Han Zhengqing. As soon as he entered, he saw Han Zhengqing with disheveled hair and an unshaven face.
He had once regarded Han Zhengqing as a reliable elder he could depend on, but now he only felt utterly disgusted. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, keeping his distance from Han Zhengqing. When Han Zhengqing reached out his hand, he involuntarily stepped back again, looking at him with a face full of revulsion. “You wanted to see me?”
Han Zhengqing knew Prince Dongping refused to acknowledge him. Even back when they had almost succeeded in their great undertaking, Prince Dongping had still stubbornly insisted the person he sent was a mole—how much more so now?
But when he truly saw Prince Dongping looking at him as if viewing a plague god, he couldn’t quite hold himself together. He grinned with a strange smile. “No matter how much you detest me, I am still…”
Prince Dongping’s gaze was cold as ice as he stared at him without relaxing for a moment, his stare forcing Han Zhengqing to swallow the rest of his words. Only then did he sit down in the chair Lai Chenglong had previously occupied, looking at him with cold eyes. “You said you would only confess if you saw me. So speak now.”
“You clearly know that by clamoring to see me, you’re making things awkward for me in the future. But you don’t seem to care. Well then, you might as well say nothing. At worst, I’ll simply be taken for your accomplice. In any case, the Imperial Grandfather is probably thoroughly disgusted with me anyway.” He spoke leisurely, unhurried. “Death would be fine too. In death, I could go down there and see my mother.”
Grand Consort Fan struck at Han Zhengqing’s vulnerable spot. He looked at Prince Dongping with complicated emotions. Of course he resented that Prince Dongping didn’t know his place, but at the same time, he was reluctant to see Prince Dongping die.
If Prince Dongping died, how could he face Grand Consort Fan below? How could he have the face to see Grand Consort Fan?
After a long while, he finally sighed. “You really are just like your mother.”
Equally selfish and cold-hearted, always knowing how to leverage your advantages to coerce others, no matter the circumstances.
Prince Dongping remained silent and lifted his foot to leave.
Han Zhengqing finally had no choice. He wasn’t afraid of death, but he couldn’t bear to see Prince Dongping come to harm. Prince Dongping had guessed correctly—he truly couldn’t bear to see Prince Dongping be identified as an accomplice to rebellion.
Lai Chenglong nodded at his men at just the right moment. Han Zhengqing closed his eyes and finally confessed everything clearly—how he had operated in the northwest, how he had colluded with the Tartar Grand Preceptor, and so on.
He also confessed all those in the capital who had received bribes.
Prince Dongping proved to be far more useful than imagined. Lai Chenglong considered this an unexpected bonus. After finishing the interrogation, he heard Han Zhengqing begging to see Prince Dongping one more time. After thinking it over—since it was easy enough to do—he went to the adjacent room to call Prince Dongping and asked if he would see him.