Taiji Hall was in complete chaos. If Cen Biliang hadn’t rushed forward to block the Crown Prince’s path, throwing himself in front repeatedly, the court ministers—having heard it confirmed that Zhou Weizhao had indeed instructed Zhang Tianshi to poison Emperor Jianzhang—would have nearly pounced on him and torn him apart.
Even so, those civil officials were filled with righteous indignation. Liang Tong was especially hateful, gnashing his teeth in rage. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he stepped closer to Cen Biliang, disregarding status and hierarchy at this moment, caring nothing about the distinction between sovereign and subject. He pointed at Zhou Weizhao and cursed furiously, “Foolish! Shameless! You could actually commit such a treasonous act!”
The hall was like a pot of boiling water, gurgling and bubbling continuously, with steam nearly evaporating everyone. People seemed dazed as if in a fog, drowsy and disoriented.
Yet no one could actually sleep. Liang Tong struggled forward despite his colleagues’ attempts to restrain him, charging several more steps ahead. “How can you face His Majesty’s love for you? How can you face the common people suffering from this chaos?!”
He had already struck his head against a pillar once before. His body hadn’t fully recovered, and this time he had forced himself to come see the result. Now, stimulated by such a tremendous shock, his face flushed red and his head spun. He glared at Zhou Weizhao through gritted teeth, wishing he could devour his flesh and drink his blood.
Cen Biliang’s hand hidden in his sleeve moved unconsciously. He protected Zhou Weizhao and retreated another step. Although everything was developing according to their anticipated rhythm, the anger it provoked was far more severe than they had imagined.
With Liang Tong—this reckless fool who disregarded his life—charging at the forefront, the other censors and imperial historians were equally energized, extremely agitated. One by one, these old men shed tears and cursed loudly, no longer caring about decorum. If Cen Biliang, Fu Youde, Chen Dezhong, and several others hadn’t desperately held them back, another brawl in Taiji Hall would likely have occurred.
Zhou Weizhao’s face showed no sign of distress. His gaze rested on Emperor Jianzhang lying on the couch, then moved from Emperor Jianzhang to Celestial Master Taibai standing beside him with a complex expression, before finally turning toward Liang Tong and the others.
Liang Tong was momentarily stunned by his gaze, but it was only for that instant. Immediately after, he became enraged. This unfilial son had done such vicious things—driving away the imperial uncle, poisoning his grandfather—and now he could still put on such an inviolable, righteous appearance. It was utterly excessive! He removed the shoe from his foot, feeling that only by throwing it at Zhou Weizhao’s hypocritical face could he vent the anger and resentment in his heart.
But he couldn’t do it, because just as he was preparing to act, Empress Lu arrived.
“Empress!” Several censors knelt on the ground with agitated expressions, watching Empress Lu enter with Prince Dongping, her gaze straight ahead. “Empress, have you come to deal with this unworthy descendant?!”
Empress Lu didn’t answer. Looking at Zhou Weizhao behind Cen Biliang, whose gaze also turned toward her, her heart suddenly ached. What unworthy descendant? Prince Gong and the Crown Prince were the truly unworthy descendants. How laughable that these self-righteous old ministers were still tearfully grateful, wagging their tails at Prince Gong, thinking Prince Gong had been wronged.
She had just opened her mouth when Chief Minister Chang beside her bowed to Empress Lu. “Please, Your Majesty, uphold justice!”
As soon as those words fell, Liang Tong and the others could no longer contain their grievances and began weeping loudly following Chief Minister Chang’s words. “Please, Your Majesty, uphold justice!”
With the Emperor unconscious and the Crown Prince incapacitated, only Empress Lu could preside over matters now.
Empress Lu sat calmly in the seat of honor, gripping Emperor Jianzhang’s hand as she looked down. “Very well,” she said. “I wonder how you plan to have this Empress uphold justice?”
Did that even need to be said? Before Liang Tong could speak, the court officials were already clamoring with their demands.
“First imprison the Crown Prince in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs! Deal with him after the dust settles!”
“First establish an acting Emperor—the nation cannot be without a sovereign for a single day!”
Empress Lu’s gaze was heavy, her expression blank as she uttered an “Oh.” “Has the crime already been determined? They say Zhang Tianshi administered the poison—has he been interrogated? Is there a confession document?”
The court hall immediately fell silent.
Indeed, the court had been in chaos. After Celestial Master Taibai confirmed it was truly poisoning, and the poison was found in the elixir Zhang Tianshi had offered as tribute, plus Daoist Master Ciyun at Zhang Tianshi’s side had voluntarily testified—they had only thought about how the Crown Prince had plotted against His Majesty, only thought about how this perfectly corroborated the rumors spreading outside. They had actually forgotten to conduct an interrogation.
“If there has been no interrogation, how has the crime already been determined?!” Empress Lu’s face was ashen. The anger she had suppressed for so long finally erupted. “On what basis do you rely?! Just on your word alone?!”
Someone quickly reacted. Minister of Remonstrance Sun Ke stepped forward and knelt on the ground, craning his neck to look at Empress Lu. “On this point, we ministers were indeed thoughtless, but now the matter is already clear. Is Your Majesty trying to protect His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Women always liked to make unreasonable trouble. They still needed to quickly settle the matter of the acting Emperor. What reasoning could one discuss with a woman?
Immediately after, a large mass of people knelt down, pleading in droves for Empress Lu to consider the greater good—to first imprison the Crown Prince in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs before discussing other matters.
Prince Dongping stood motionless, pressing his lips together as he glanced at Zhou Weizhao. He wanted to step forward and reveal that this was all Prince Gong’s conspiracy, wanted to drag out the little informant Xiao Huozhe and place him before everyone. But he had only taken a few steps when Empress Lu’s words stopped him.
“Produce evidence!” Empress Lu shouted, utterly unmoved. She didn’t even look at Chief Minister Chang, sitting with her spine ramrod straight, her expression solemn. “Without evidence, I believe nothing. You clack your teeth together and say this must have been orchestrated by my grandson. What—do trials no longer require documentation? No longer need signatures and seals? Even if it was Zhang Tianshi’s doing, that’s Zhang Tianshi’s affair. What does it have to do with the Crown Prince? Have you interrogated Zhang Tianshi? Did he personally say the Crown Prince ordered it? If not, on what basis do you claim it was the Crown Prince’s doing?!”
The great hall immediately fell silent again, suffocatingly so. After months of being brainwashed by rumors, everyone had already determined it was Zhou Weizhao who poisoned Emperor Jianzhang. Moreover, Zhang Tianshi was Zhou Weizhao’s master, who had cared for him for seven or eight years and maintained close contact. Without Zhou Weizhao’s backing, was Zhang Tianshi insane?
But just as Empress Lu said, these were all conjectures and couldn’t serve as evidence. Liang Tong and the others’ eyes turned red.
“There is evidence!” Just as everyone was anxiously caught off guard, Feng Yinglong rushed in from outside, lifting the hem of his official robes. “Someone from His Highness the Crown Prince’s side has turned himself in at the Court of Judicial Review!” He rushed in hastily, his breathing erratic, his expression complex, as if he had made a tremendous decision. His gaze stared fixedly at Empress Lu in the seat of honor, then gradually shifted toward Chief Minister Chang.