As these words fell, there was an uproar all around. Prince Yu, sitting in a carriage behind, immediately tried to get out but was stopped by Prince Jing.
“Brother Yu, if you go over now, aren’t you just presenting yourself to Father Emperor for a scolding?” Prince Jing smiled. “Why don’t we wait for them to finish speaking?”
Prince Yu frowned, giving him a deep look before saying in a low voice, “So Brother Jing came prepared.”
“Ah, what does this have to do with me?” Prince Jing shrugged, his face full of innocence. “Doesn’t Brother Yu know what he’s done? There are no walls in this world that don’t let wind through.”
Prince Yu gritted his teeth and craned his neck to look ahead.
The old man knelt on the ground, wailing loudly. Although he couldn’t see the Emperor’s expression, seeing the eunuchs kneeling beside him meant His Majesty must be furious.
This time was truly not good!
The Emperor read the complaint from beginning to end, his hands shaking with anger. He turned to the commander of the imperial guard and said, “Bring these people back to the capital. Open the Metropolitan Court – I will personally preside over this case!”
Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow slightly. After some thought, he dismounted and walked to the imperial carriage, cupping his hands as he said, “Your Majesty if you preside at the Metropolitan Court, this case will become extraordinarily significant. Prince Yu is, after all, a prince…”
Noble Consort Lan glanced at him, holding the Emperor’s arm as she said, “Does the Chancellor think His Majesty would show favoritism? Even if the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is subject to the same punishment as commoners. His Majesty is presiding personally at the court precisely to demonstrate fairness. Such an enlightened monarch, yet his officials not only fail to praise his virtues but even try to prevent him?”
Shen Zaiye chuckled lightly and lowered his head, saying, “Please calm your anger, Your Highness. I had no intention of preventing anything. I only saw that His Majesty is currently angry and wanted him to reconsider carefully before acting.”
The Emperor’s anger subsided slightly. He patted Noble Consort Lan’s hand and looked at Shen Zaiye, saying, “The Chancellor has always understood my thoughts best. It’s natural for you to advise me. However, this time lives have been lost, and it’s tied to the embezzlement at the stables. I must punish severely to set an example! So you need not say more.”
“Your servant understands,” Shen Zaiye nodded and bowed, retreating to his horse.
Taohua was still nodding off, though she had been startled awake by the old man’s shouts earlier. Now she seemed about to fall asleep again, her eyelids half-closed.
Shen Zaiye mounted his horse and held her in his arms again. She gave a small yawn and smacked her lips, saying, “My lord truly understands Noble Consort Lan’s nature.”
“Oh?” Shen Zaiye asked carelessly, “How did you figure that out?”
“What you wanted was for the Emperor to punish Prince Yu severely, yet you deliberately said the opposite. Wasn’t that because you knew Noble Consort Lan would contradict you?” She nuzzled his chest, finding a more comfortable position to curl up in. With half-closed eyes, she continued, “It seems you must have at least several years of acquaintance to know each other so well.”
The old man and those who had blocked the road were led onto carriages at the back by the guards, and the procession continued on its way.
While watching the road, Shen Zaiye said expressionlessly, “Not several years. It’s been ten years.”
Ten years? Taohua finally opened her eyes fully, looking at him with shock and curiosity.
If they had a decade of acquaintance, why did their relationship seem so strange? It was as if they had once been in love, yet also harbored some deep grudge.
However, she was smart enough not to ask aloud, because Shen Zaiye wouldn’t answer even if she did. He didn’t seem to like mentioning Noble Consort Lan; whenever he did, his mood became somewhat agitated.
This emotion felt very familiar to her as if she had seen it before… When she had asked him for that jade pendant he wore close to his body as collateral, wasn’t Shen Zaiye’s irritation similar to when she mentioned Noble Consort Lan in front of him?
Was there some connection between the two?
Rubbing her chin, Taohua quickly imagined a grand drama of love and hate – the two had been in love, but the Emperor forcibly separated them. Shen Zaiye took the opportunity to send Noble Consort Lan into the palace, and she had harbored resentment towards him ever since. Poor Chancellor Shen still held Noble Consort Lan in his heart, shedding tears over the jade pendant she had left behind every night until dawn!
Love that cannot be, hate that cannot be, a desire that cannot be fulfilled, yet unable to let go! The pain of worldly love manifested to the fullest in these two people!
How tragic!
As she thought about it, Taohua let out a long sigh and squeezed Shen Zaiye’s hand that was resting in front of her. Her voice carried an otherworldly quality as if she had comprehended life’s truths: “My lord, you needn’t suffer too much over past events. What should be let go, must be let go. There are still many beautiful things in the world; don’t despair of life.”
Shen Zaiye looked at her as if she were insane: “Did that arrow damage your brain?”
“This concubine understands. I won’t ask anymore.” Taohua turned back to look at him deeply, her eyes full of pity. “This concubine will treat you well from now on, give you warmth, so you won’t suffer or be lonely anymore!”
“…I’m quite suffering right now.” His face darkened on one side as Shen Zaiye looked at her with disdain. “What nonsense are you thinking about? If you want to sit on the horse, just be quiet and don’t speak. If you continue to talk nonsense, even if you’re injured, I’ll throw you off!”
Taohua pinched her lips, blinking to indicate she wouldn’t speak anymore. Then she obediently curled up in his arms and continued looking ahead.
The speed of return was similar to when they left. After half a day, they could see the capital’s city gates. The Emperor’s party didn’t even return to the palace, heading directly to the Metropolitan Court.
The Metropolitan Governor was terrified. After hearing the imperial edict, he immediately opened the court. The news that the Emperor would personally preside over the case spread quickly throughout the capital as if it had grown wings. By the time Emperor Mingde had changed clothes and sat on the high seat of the court, the entrance was already crowded with commoners eager to watch.
Shen Zaiye truly understood Emperor Mingde well. This man was very partial, cherishing his sons the most. Although he often scolded them, when it came to punishing them, he was reluctant. Having impulsively come to the court, the Emperor was already regretting it while changing in the room.
However, Noble Consort Lan had already blocked his retreat with her words, and he couldn’t be seen as a biased emperor. If the beam above is not straight, the ones below will surely be crooked. Moreover, with so many commoners present, it wouldn’t be right to back out now.
So the Emperor steeled himself and ascended the court.
Shen Zaiye and Prince Jing stood on either side, while Prince Yu, Minister Meng, and the old complainant knelt below. The entrance to the court was packed with people. Jiang Taohua stood with Noble Consort Lan in the side chamber for observers.
The Emperor began the trial. The old man had the corpses of his brother and son brought in. Though already decaying and stinking, they hadn’t been buried.
After a brief look, the Emperor quickly waved for them to be removed. Frowning, he said, “The construction of the stables was funded by the court, with records in the Ministry of Revenue. If I remember correctly, a total of 400,000 taels of silver were allocated. So why was such a poorly built residence constructed, to the point where workers’ wages weren’t even paid and people died from overwork?”
Minister Meng trembled all over, repeatedly kowtowing as he said, “Your servant has been wronged! The construction of the stables was entirely handled by subordinates. I didn’t know how it could have…”
“Bang!” The sharp sound of the judge’s board startled Minister Meng, nearly causing him to bite his tongue. He looked up at the Emperor in panic.
“You still dare to deny it?” The Emperor was furious. “Do you take me for a fool? If you hadn’t skimmed money off the top, how could there not be enough to pay the workers?”
Minister Meng prostrated himself on the ground, at a loss for how to defend himself. Logically, the Emperor wouldn’t personally inquire about such a minor matter as building stables, let alone hold a trial. He could only blame his bad luck for coinciding with the Emperor’s hunting trip to the stables, which were then surrounded by wolves. These events happening one after another seemed as if they had been arranged by someone.
What was more terrifying was that even Prince Yu had been implicated. If the master had stayed out of it, he might have been able to pull Minister Meng out. But now, he could barely save himself…
“Father Emperor,” Prince Yu cupped his hands and kowtowed, his expression grave as he said, “This son failed in his duty to supervise and did not discover these problems with the stables. Please punish me!”
“You did more than fail to supervise!” The Emperor turned to look at him, frowning as he said, “A prince should set an example, yet you disregarded human life. How can I face the people of the world!”
The crowd at the entrance erupted, kneeling en masse and shouting “Long live the Emperor!”
With such a benevolent emperor who cared for the common people, what more could they ask for? The bolder ones raised their heads and shouted “Our Emperor is wise,” their voices reaching the imperial ears, causing the Emperor’s expression to remain stern while his heart was greatly pleased.
Few emperors don’t want to be loved by all under heaven. This sense of achievement was even more satisfying than the power in their hands.
However, satisfaction aside, he still didn’t truly want to punish Prince Yu. It was just one commoner who died – surely a prince wouldn’t have to pay with his life for that?
“Father Emperor!” Prince Yu also knew this and hurriedly deflected blame: “This son was unaware of this matter. It must have been the servants in my household who were too brutal, deceiving both superiors and subordinates. They beat someone to death without informing me… This son is willing to compensate and support the elderly relatives of the innocent deceased. Please be merciful, Father Emperor!”
Having said this much, the Emperor’s expression softened. He was about to use this as an opportunity to conclude the matter with a light punishment.
However, Shen Zaiye had long anticipated the Emperor’s thoughts and immediately signaled to Prince Jing.
Understanding the cue, Mu Wuyin immediately stepped forward with a box of evidence: “Father Emperor, this son has another accusation to make!”
“Oh?” Slightly startled, the Emperor looked at him in confusion: “What else do you want to accuse?”
“This son accuses the current Prince Yu of colluding with Minister Meng to embezzle hundreds of thousands of taels from the stable construction funds! And that’s not all. Previously, when the court purchased horses from foreign states several times, Minister Meng would skim hundreds of thousands in profit each time, half of which went into Prince Yu’s pockets! These vermin are eroding our Great Wei Dynasty. I beg Father Emperor to investigate thoroughly and punish severely!”
The resonant voice echoed through the court, stunning everyone who heard it.
Prince Yu’s face turned pale, nearly unable to remain kneeling. Mu Wuyin looked back at him, his eyes full of triumph.
However, he didn’t raise his head to look at the Emperor on the seat. Emperor Mingde’s expression was no better than Prince Yu’s.
Exposing Prince Yu’s embezzlement here was tantamount to condemning him to death. After all, just last year the Emperor had overruled objections to execute an entire family for an official who embezzled 50,000 taels of silver. If Prince Yu committed a crime this year and was lightly pardoned, where would the Emperor’s authority lie?
(End of Chapter)