His Majesty had always been renowned for his benevolence and filial piety. Back when Empress Dowager Rongxian had treated him so harshly, when the traitorous Prince Tai was her biological son, because there was no evidence on the spot to prove Empress Dowager Rongxian had participated in the rebellion, His Majesty had still followed the Ministry of Rites officials’ recommendations and given Empress Dowager Rongxian all the dignity she deserved. Even when Empress Dowager Rongxian was still alive and needed to be given an honorific title, he gave it just the same, bestowing the characters “Rongxian” without the slightest stinginess.
Naturally this was to win over the hearts of the officials, and naturally it was done for all under heaven to see, so that the people’s hearts, which had been anxious and unsettled from Prince Tai’s struggle with him for the throne, could settle down as quickly as possible. But this was indeed also related to his character. Emperor Jianzhang was a truly benevolent monarch. All these years, though he had no great achievements in either civil or martial accomplishments, he had never committed any immoral acts. He treated worthy men with courtesy, respected both civil and military pursuits, was diligent in government affairs, and even when censors pointed at his nose and scolded him, he mostly just laughed it off. Perhaps precisely because of this, the officials in the court had all forgotten that although the capital had been peaceful and calm these years, there had never been a shortage of deaths—first the Duke Chengguo’s household, then Empress Dowager Rongxian and the Su family, gradually reaching Elder Chen and others. These people naturally had their own faults first, but weren’t they also all personally eliminated by Emperor Jianzhang one by one?
He had never been someone who would let others shit on his head, but perhaps because he had played the good man for too long these years, these people had all forgotten how he had seized the throne from his stepmother and brother back then.
When Grand Secretary Chang saw Emperor Jianzhang’s expression, he lowered his head. Others might not know, but he never dared forget how His Majesty had endured for over ten years, waiting for the right moment to strike, completely uprooting the well-prepared Prince Tai and Empress Dowager Rongxian in one fell swoop, even exterminating the entire Duke Chengguo household.
Empress Dowager Lu, however, wept tears of extreme joy, covering her mouth with her hand and crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. She had known His Majesty wouldn’t die just like that. She had known Heaven wouldn’t be so blind.
Liang Tong and the others were still unable to come to their senses. Only when Emperor Jianzhang coughed once did all the civil and military officials finally recover from their shock, unable to conceal their shock and fear as they knelt on the ground.
It was still Meng Jiming who reacted quickly. Holding the confessions from Old Kong and the others that he had been gripping since hearing Zhang Tianshi could awaken Emperor Jianzhang, he knelt properly on the ground and honestly looked at Emperor Jianzhang: “Your Majesty, previously the Grand Prince’s Guard Commander Kong Shun stepped forward to say…” He didn’t dare look directly at Emperor Jianzhang, his gaze looking flatly toward the distance, both hands holding up that thick stack of documents, pausing before continuing: “Stepped forward to say that the poison Your Majesty was struck by was… was the Grand Prince conspiring with Zhang Tianshi to administer…”
By this time Feng Yinglong had also reacted, feeling that Meng Jiming hadn’t explained clearly at all, so he began from the rumors that had been rampant in the capital recently, speaking of how the Grand Prince and Grand Princess Consort were pointed at by thousands among the people, how they were suspected, then speaking of how Earl Changning’s old Earl and current Minister of Personnel Song Chengru were impeached and requested to resign, then speaking of the officials’ reactions after Emperor Jianzhang was poisoned, prostrating on the ground and saying: “They all said Prince Gong was framed and forced away by a plot set by the Grand Prince, and had no choice but to try to eliminate treacherous officials close to the throne and march to the capital to rescue the sovereign. The rumors spread wildly. We ministers truly didn’t dare believe it, but it was what the people’s hearts leaned toward. Later the Grand Princess Consort and others…” He deliberated over his wording and decided to speak the truth: “The Grand Princess Consort and the Song family members were extremely arrogant, even allowing the Five Cities Military Commissioner’s Office to beat and kill commoners, so Censor Shi and Liang Tong and others developed the intention to investigate thoroughly…”
By now, Tao Dinghu had also reacted. Glancing at him, he immediately knelt on the ground, taking over his words and urgently supplementing: “The court was in a state of anxiety, and it was wartime. We ministers didn’t dare not take it seriously, so following the Cabinet’s orders, the Three Judicial Offices held a joint trial… Successively there were incidents like Taibai Zhenren identifying that the elixir pills Zhang Tianshi presented to Your Majesty contained deadly poison, Zhang Tianshi’s trusted aide Daoist Ciyun stepping forward to accuse Zhang Tianshi of hiding and administering poison, and the Grand Prince’s Guard Commander personally coming to the Court of Judicial Review to report…”
These three were quite clever. Only now did the civil and military officials truly recover from the fact of Emperor Jianzhang’s awakening. Eyes wide, they all unanimously looked toward Zhou Weizhao—who had administered the poison? Surely no one knew more clearly than Emperor Jianzhang. Previously they had been making a great fuss investigating, but now that Emperor Jianzhang had awakened, they could simply ask Emperor Jianzhang directly. If it really was the Grand Prince…
Before they could finish their speculation, Emperor Jianzhang had already let out a scornful laugh.
This cold laugh was truly terrifying to the extreme. Everyone present couldn’t help but tremble, lowering their heads even further.
“So in all you beloved ministers’ eyes, I am such a confused ruler who cannot distinguish right from wrong?” Emperor Jianzhang’s complexion was still somewhat pale, but his spirit was excellent and his eyes were extremely bright, not at all like someone who had just awakened from unconsciousness. He surveyed everyone in a circle, covering his mouth and coughing once: “I recall that the crimes Prince Gong committed were personally announced by me to all you beloved ministers.”
This was naturally true. Prince Gong’s crimes were personally decreed by Emperor Jianzhang’s imperial edict, and he had already been demoted to commoner status, with Emperor Jianzhang personally declaring him to be utterly treasonous.
Everyone vaguely realized Emperor Jianzhang’s meaning, and seemed to all have some faint understanding of the recent chaotic situation—His Majesty had been on the throne for many years, but in the early period he was constrained by Empress Dowager Rongxian who had managed things for many years, then later was busy cleaning up the mess from Prince Tai’s affairs back then, and after that was busy eliminating the remaining followers of Empress Dowager Rongxian, Prince Tai, and others, so he truly had devoted less thought to his sons—after all, they were his own flesh and blood, and he actually hadn’t guarded against them much. That was why Prince Duan could develop improper thoughts and put them into action, and also why Prince Gong could use the advantage of being the legitimate youngest son and having a mother who was Empress to develop his own power in the capital.
The relationships in the capital were deeply intertwined. Among the prestigious families, breaking bones still left tendons connected—there were unclear and ambiguous relationships everywhere. Hadn’t even Earl Changning’s household back then also had marriage ties with Duke Chengguo’s household?
Prince Gong needed no further mention. That he could escape from the capital already spoke volumes.
Then, this time, was Emperor Jianzhang using himself as bait?
No wonder the Grand Prince and Grand Princess Consort had been frighteningly calm from beginning to end.
Emperor Jianzhang didn’t let them speculate wildly for too long. He lowered his head and let out a cold laugh: “That beast has actually improved somewhat—he even knows to cry ‘thief’ to catch a thief now.”
Everyone’s heads lowered even further. No one dared open their mouths to speak anymore.
Emperor Jianzhang didn’t wait for them to speak either. He waved his large hand and, looking at Meng Jiming and the other two, said: “Bring in the Guard Commander and Daoist Ciyun.”