Chapter 178 |
"Uncle, Huhu finished her story, why aren't you saying anything?"
Huhu stretched out her hand, "Are you still giving me the candy?"
Wen Xiaochun's body was rigid as he handed her the candy. Everyone present had heard Huhu's words clearly. The eldest prince wore a look of utter astonishment. "Is it true...?"
Could the ones left in the palace really be so brazen?
To poison the commanding general during wartime.
The team of Eastern Depot guards who had come also exchanged bewildered glances.
Wen Xiaochun said, "Huhu, how about coming back to the capital with Uncle? Your father left many things behind at his home in the capital, which His Majesty has taken into custody. If you come back with me and repeat what you just said before His Majesty, he will give you all your father's belongings. How does that sound?"
Huhu looked at the old steward.
Wen Xiaochun also raised his head to look at him.
"Thank you for your understanding."
Wen Xiaochun added, "We must trouble Young Master Cang to tell us where the market is. We need to buy some supplies for the child for the journey."
Things like medicine, for instance.
Superintendent Cui's adopted daughter was a crucial witness; nothing could happen to her on the road.
The eldest prince said, "Give me the money, I'll handle this."
Wen Xiaochun replied, "Agreed."
Having received the money, the eldest prince quickly went to procure the items a child might need.
Within half a day, everything was prepared. The Eastern Depot men used this opportunity to rest and have a proper meal. Then, without any further delay, they set off on the road back to the capital, taking the old steward and Huhu with them.
After they left,
the eldest prince returned home. The two children had been let out by Shu Wenxin and were sleeping inside the house.
Shu Wenxin asked in a low voice, "What was the reason for the Eastern Depot's visit?"
The eldest prince recounted the events, his expression complex. "Someone, using the pretext of his achievements overshadowing the sovereign, falsely invoked the imperial decree to make the seventh prince drink poison, resulting in his current injuries and blindness."
Shu Wenxin wondered if she had heard wrong. "What?"
"How could they deceive him into believing it?"
The eldest prince said, "They came looking for Cui Rong's adopted daughter. I suspect Cui Rong is involved."
"Superintendent Cui was someone His Majesty had relied on for years," Shu Wenxin knew of the former Eastern Depot superintendent. "If he was the one who delivered the poison..."
The two exchanged a look, their gazes turning simultaneously towards the direction of the capital.
Under a clear sky with a gentle breeze, it seemed as if dark clouds were gathering once more over the capital.
Shu Wenxin murmured, "The thunder has already been brewing. The storms in the capital have never ceased."
The eldest prince suddenly felt a sense of relief.
After distancing himself from the capital, he had gradually come to see clearly that someone like him, who was naturally a bit simple-minded, was never suited for the maneuvering among brothers and ministers in the imperial court.
If he hadn't left the capital early, would he still have been able to keep his entire family together by his side?
Now, without wealth and power, life was plain and tranquil, something he wouldn't trade for a thousand pieces of gold.
-
Capital.
Imperial Palace.
Having galloped all the way, Wen Xiaochun felt no trace of fatigue.
Fearing leaks along the journey, he had hardly stopped. When Huhu was tired, she could be wrapped in a cloth sling and sleep in the arms of a guard. When the old steward was tired, he could only be tied with a rope and sleep draped over the shoulder of the man in front.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the palace, Wen Xiaochun didn't leave the two of them outside temporarily, fearing mishaps. He took them directly into the palace.
The guards at the palace gate stopped them. "Superintendent, who are these people you've brought? Do you have a summons? Without a summons, they need to be searched first, then we must report and await permission for an audience before they can enter."
Wen Xiaochun produced a crimson token, narrowing his eyes. "I trust I need not tell you what this is."
The Eastern Depot Crimson Token, indicating the highest level of alert. Those who obstruct entry to the palace are to be killed.
As the direct subordinate of the Son of Heaven, under the Crimson Token, he had the authority to bring people directly into the palace.
Of course, if one used the Crimson Token without a major event, they too would be killed.
The guard was alarmed, stepped aside, and gestured, "Superintendent, please!"
Outside the Zichen Hall.
Huhu hid beside the old steward as Wen Xiaochun went in to see Emperor Chongzhao.
On Emperor Chongzhao's desk lay medicinal pills he was about to take, waiting for the warm water to cool a little more.
"I heard from Zuo Tianlang that you even used the Crimson Token. Wasting your once-in-six-months opportunity like this. If this isn't a matter of importance, I will have to punish you."
Wen Xiaochun said, "Your Majesty, the investigation you ordered into the paper money grievance has yielded results."
Emperor Chongzhao asked, "And?"
Wen Xiaochun replied, "The grievance is real!"
Emperor Chongzhao slammed the table. "Lying before me will cost you your head."
"I have brought back a witness. It is none other than the adopted daughter of former Superintendent Cui Rong, Cui Huhu. Whether I am lying or not, Your Majesty can ascertain by questioning her."
Emperor Chongzhao's chest heaved violently several times before he took a deep breath.
"Bring her in."
He wanted to see for himself which scoundrel deserving of a thousand cuts was behind the scenes, who had harmed Xiao Qi to such a state.
After being searched, Cui Huhu entered the Zichen Hall, looking frightened.
Wen Xiaochun said, "Acting on Your Majesty's decree to investigate this case, while selecting poison for Consort Lan in the secret vault, I discovered an address clue left by former Superintendent Cui. Considering that Superintendent Cui had also gone to the court to deliver grain to the border at that time, I had an intuition he might know the inside story. I went to the address indicated by the clue to find someone, and as a result, I found Superintendent Cui's adopted daughter."
Emperor Chongzhao had a vague recollection of Cui Huhu.
Because that old fellow Cui Rong had mentioned her to him a couple of times.
Emperor Chongzhao asked, "Where is Cui Rong?"
Wen Xiaochun answered, "He was being hunted and has passed away."
"Hunted?"
"... I venture to guess," Wen Xiaochun lowered his eyes, "that from the moment Superintendent Cui left the border and went to Shanming Pass, he was being hunted. After entrusting his adopted daughter to a trustworthy old man, he passed away."
Wen Xiaochun patted the little girl's head. "Tell His Majesty the story about the 'poison' again, alright?"
A foreboding feeling rose in Emperor Chongzhao's heart.
Cui Huhu nodded. "There was a big brother who was really good at fighting. The bad guys didn't want him to be that good, so they made him use a poison that would hurt a lot if he drank it."
"I even asked Daddy, that big brother is a bit silly, huh? Couldn't he just not drink it? Daddy told me, it was because the bad guys used the Sage's name. If the big brother didn't drink it, his family would be in trouble..."
Emperor Chongzhao erupted in fury. "Scoundrels!"
Huhu was startled, froze for a few seconds, then her mouth quivered and tears fell as she ran to the side and clung to the old steward's leg.
"So scary, wuwu..."
The old steward shielded her, knelt on the ground, and let out a long sigh. "The child can't explain clearly. Let this commoner explain."
Clearly, what Cui Rong had told him was more detailed than what he had told Huhu.
He calmly recounted the truth: how Huhu was captured, how Cui Rong was forced to comply, how under the pretext of delivering an imperial dagger, he was actually tasked with delivering poison.
"That vile mastermind behind it all devised a plan. He had Superintendent Cui tell the seventh prince that if he didn't drink the poison, then Commander Xu, General Xu, would have to drink it. One of the two had to drink."
"What reached the seventh prince's ears was that Your Majesty was forcing him to make a choice. But since the poison was already before him—" The old steward's eyes reddened. "The seventh prince took the poison and left in a sweep of his sleeve."
"Superintendent Cui found Huhu, but was hunted to his death."
His account was far more detailed than Huhu's. Being an adult, after all, he remembered more clearly.
A chill seeped into Wen Xiaochun's heart, her fingernails digging deep into her palms within her sleeves. Every word spoken by the steward felt like a hammer driving a sharp nail into her heart.
Each heartbeat pulled with a fresh pang of pain.
So... so that was it.
His Highness had endured such agonizing torment at the border.
His tendons and bones felt shattered; the poison flared up every three days, and the pain during each episode was like ten thousand needles piercing his meridians. For three whole months he endured over thirty such attacks.
And His Highness still had to fight the enemy on the battlefield, leading charges.
How did he bear it?
Emperor Chongzhao's voice trembled as he forced the words through clenched teeth, "If there is any falsehood..."
The steward said, "If there is any falsehood, may this humble subject die a wretched death."
Emperor Chongzhao's right hand clutched the clothes over his left chest. His vision began to blur, his breathing grew rapid.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
"Open your mouth, Your Majesty, where is the medicine??"
Eunuch Yu's horrified cry rang out, and the Zichen Hall instantly descended into chaos.
The surrounding noise was a muffled cacophony, yet his thoughts were piercingly clear. Emperor Chongzhao remembered that day, when his youngest son had just returned to the capital, the words they had exchanged in Zichen Hall:
["You refuse to call me... Father. Do you still resent me in your heart over the matter of Zhiyi from all those years ago?"
"When I was little, if I hurt my hand, I'd hold it up and cry before Your Majesty because crying worked to get attention. Now that I'm grown, if I cry out in pain before you, would it still work?"
"As long as this emperor lives for a day, it will work for a day."]
Back then, he had felt displeased that Xiao Qi didn't call him Father, addressing him with the distant 'Your Majesty' instead.
Even though he later called him 'Father' once, it was only to gain his permission to visit Consort Xuan's palace.
But at that moment, in Xiao Qi's heart, his father had just forced him to take poison, then immediately followed it with those seemingly concerned words.
How hypocritical.
So, when he said crying out in pain wouldn't work, was this what he meant?
Emperor Chongzhao's mind flashed to the recent court turmoil involving the Sixth Prince, to the stack of memorials he read yesterday, to the countless faces of ministers with their varied expressions.
Finally, it settled on the scene of Qu Dubian's return to the capital, being pushed closer and closer through the wind and snow at the palace gates.
A metallic taste rose in his throat. He spat out a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.
"Your Majesty—!"
-
The Eastern Depot acted too swiftly, and Wen Xiaochun had even mobilized the Red Token.
The news that reached Qu Dubian was twofold: one, the 'truth' about him being forced to take poison was exposed; two, the Old Geezer, in a fit of rage, had fallen unconscious.
"Cui Rong's adopted daughter said that?" Qu Dubian was surprised.
But back then, Cui Rong had already confessed everything to him. Apart from not knowing the mastermind behind the scenes, Cui Rong knew the complete truth.
He had seen through the scheme of falsely using the Old Geezer's name to force him to take poison. He drank it in the end because of the military provisions for the border troops.
Not because he truly believed it.
Ye Xiaoyuan nodded. "It is indeed so. The news from Zichen Hall cannot be false."
Qu Dubian frowned slightly.
He hadn't interfered with Cui Rong's adopted daughter's return to the capital because he had already found and seized the evidence linking Tang Yisu and Second Brother. It was time to expose the matter.
Since Xiaochun was taking charge of the investigation, he went with the flow, letting the Old Geezer learn the truth.
Then he planned to directly submit what he himself had uncovered, arrest Tang Yisu, and keep the situation within controllable bounds, minimizing the collateral damage.
He hadn't expected only half the truth to be revealed.
It was one thing for Cui Rong not to tell his daughter the whole truth—he could have captured the culprit and gone to the palace himself. But since he told his daughter, why only tell half the story?
Qu Dubian asked, "Where is Tang Yisu now?"
"According to Your Highness's orders, we've captured him, but he's still on the road back," Yi Shier reported.
"Ensure he returns alive. I'm going to the palace."
Qu Dubian took the heavy cloak hanging from the rack, threw it over his shoulders, and went out. He took two steps before remembering his blind persona for the outside world.
"Banban!"
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Coming!"
Qu Dubian and Ye Xiaoyuan hurried away.
It was better to clarify this matter sooner rather than later.
-
Outside Zichen Hall.
When Qu Dubian arrived, the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince had also just gotten there. The Fifth Prince was absent.
"Seventh Brother."
"Xiao Qi."
Qu Dubian: "Second Brother, Fourth Brother." After greeting them one by one, he sat down in the wheelchair Ye Xiaoyuan had ordered brought up.
Second Prince: "We've heard about what happened inside the hall. Seventh Brother, is what Cui Rong's adopted daughter said true?"
Fourth Prince walked to Qu Dubian's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Since his youth, the Fourth Prince had made his ambitions clear: no involvement in the succession struggle, just clocking in daily between his residence and his nominal, leisurely post. He had some power, but not much.
Having played the mediocre, unambitious role for so many years, observing the winds of change with a cold eye, he felt the vortex of recent events in the capital drawing closer to him.
Especially this time.
A faint unease stirred in the Fourth Prince's heart.
He called softly, "Xiao Qi."
Qu Dubian: "Second Brother, Fourth Brother, now is not the time for casual talk. Let's wait for news from inside."
He glanced briefly in the Second Prince's direction.
Second Prince: "Of course, Father Emperor's health is paramount."
He frowned slightly, his right thumb unconsciously rubbing against his index finger within his sleeve—a small habit when he was deep in thought.
The three brothers, each with their own thoughts, fell silent. For a moment, the only sound outside Zichen Hall was the howling winter wind.
In the imperial palace in winter, without heated floors, even the floor tiles radiated a penetrating cold.
Qu Dubian was still simulating his condition, devoid of internal energy. Even with a blanket over his legs, his hands and feet grew cold quickly.
After roughly a quarter of an hour, there was movement inside Zichen Hall.
Eunuch Yu came out. "Your Highnesses."
Second Prince: "Has Father Emperor awakened?"
"His Majesty is fine now. Your Highnesses may rest assured," Eunuch Yu said, turning to Qu Dubian. "His Majesty requests an audience with the Prince of Yong."
Fourth Prince: "We are not to enter?"
Eunuch Yu replied apologetically, "His Majesty only mentioned the Prince of Yong. If the two Highnesses have other matters, you may proceed to the Eastern Warm Chamber to wait. This servant will inform His Majesty."
"Since Father Emperor only wishes to see Seventh Brother, we shall take our leave. It is enough that Father Emperor is well."
Qu Dubian paid no heed to their polite exchanges. He had Ye Xiaoyuan lead him directly into Zichen Hall.
The hall was thick with the smell of medicine.
Emperor Chongzhao lay half-reclined on the bed, looking weak.
Physician Yang was collecting his needles by the bedside. Seeing Qu Dubian enter, he stepped aside, leaving a small stool near the bed.
Qu Dubian sat on this stool.
Seeing him, Emperor Chongzhao's emotions began to stir again. He tried to speak but was overcome by a fit of coughing. "I... I..."
He grasped Qu Dubian's hand.
"I never ordered Cui Rong to poison you. I did not."
As he spoke, he felt his youngest son's trust in him was far too little, that he had believed a eunuch's words.
Fearing another fainting spell, Physician Yang looked on anxiously. Qu Dubian cut directly to the chase: "I never believed him in the first place."
"......"
Emperor Chongzhao's movements froze.
Qu Dubian: "I chose to drink the poison not because he pressured me using your name, but because someone pressured me using the grain shipments destined for the border."
"At that time, the central city was nearly out of grain; the logistics soldiers drank water to stave off hunger, and the food supplies were long overdue."
Qu Dubian recounted the situation from back then, detail by detail.
The Emperor's suspicion and the coercion to take poison was the first layer of pressure. If he had seen through that, there was the second layer of pressure concerning the grain.
He could have simply sent a swift message to Emperor Chongzhao at the time, asking him to replace the person in charge of transporting the grain.
But if he had done that, the first batch of grain sent to the border would very likely have been burned outright or suffered heavy losses. How many border soldiers would have starved to death then? Whether the second and third batches of grain could have been delivered smoothly would also have been unknown.
Furthermore, even if he avoided the trap with the grain, what about the other backup plans from the person behind the scenes? Wouldn't they be even harder to guard against?
He compromised, the grain arrived safely, and the Northern Frontier was successfully breached.
Tang Yisu did not know that he and Cui Rong had already confessed, so he was also unaware that he had already been exposed under Qu Dubian's watchful eye.
He seized the opportunity to enter the fray, extricating himself from the struggle for the heir apparent, eliminating the possibility that his maternal uncle would be suppressed by the emperor again, and even managed to trace Tang Yisu back to the mastermind behind him.
He kept everything within a controllable range.
The cost was merely wasting a general who would be of no use to the border in the future.
Of course, when narrating this to the Old Geezer, he didn't mention his uncle. Instead, he emphasized his trust in the Old Geezer.
Saying that he had seen through at a glance that Cui Rong's words couldn't possibly be true.
Emperor Chongzhao was initially astonished. Upon hearing the first part, the knot in his heart—"How could he not trust me?"—dissipated imperceptibly. Upon hearing the middle part, he repeatedly suppressed his rising anger.
In the end, he turned his head and looked at the person calmly recounting the events.
This was his youngest child before Sihe was born.
Also the one he had personally raised, been kept awake all night by, and spent the most time with.
Since childhood, he had never been one to suffer losses willingly. After the age of fourteen, it seemed everything changed.
He used just a simple sentence to describe the process of drinking the poison, the rest being a dispassionate analysis of pros and cons, devoid of any emotion.
Eunuch Yu listened, tears falling.
Imperial Physician Yang, though terrified at having accidentally stumbled into a scene of royal secrets, also felt his eyes grow sore as he listened.
Qu Dubian: "The entire sequence of events, laid bare. Now, Tang Yisu is on his way back to the capital under arrest. Your Majesty should be able to see him in a few days."
He finished speaking, but for a long time, Emperor Chongzhao made no sound.
Qu Dubian slightly raised his head. In his field of vision, the Old Geezer's tiny face showed no expression. The simulator noted four words: "Halfway lost in thought."
"...?"
He reminded: "Your Majesty."
Emperor Chongzhao: "So, you also know who masterminded this matter?"
"Perhaps. We'll know once the person arrives and is interrogated and searched," Qu Dubian did not immediately reveal the results of his investigation. He had seen how nervous Imperial Physician Yang was.
The Old Geezer had just woken up from a shock; best not to have another incident.
Now, the Great Zhou has no established Crown Prince, the nation's foundation is unstable. If something really happened, the Great Zhou would fall into chaos again.
He was quiet for a moment, then asked: "What if the person investigated is someone Your Majesty does not wish to punish?"
Emperor Chongzhao: "Using my name to coerce a commanding general into taking poison—if this is not thoroughly investigated, in the annals of history and the records of the future, I will be remembered as a tyrant who, intimidated by his own son's achievements, poisoned his own child."
"The mastermind behind this, I will definitely not spare him! I will give you justice."
Qu Dubian still believed that the former reason accounted for about ninety percent.
"Good."
He agreed.
If the Old Geezer showed partiality.
Then some coercive measures would have to be used.
Imperial Physician Yang couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, you must rest now."
Qu Dubian stood up: "Then I won't disturb you here any longer. I'll take my leave. Once the person arrives in the capital, I will hand him over to the Eastern Depot for joint investigation of this matter."
He took two steps, and Emperor Chongzhao called out to stop him.
"You are my most outstanding child."
Qu Dubian turned back. This praise was probably born from a thread of heartache and guilt.
He replied: "I am not the most outstanding, I merely follow my nature and my heart."
Whether to go to the battlefield or not, whether to take the poison or not, the bloodshed, slaughter, and sinister schemes he waded through in between—they were all his own choices.
There was struggle, there was hesitation, but in the end, he still had to move forward. When this life ends, looking back, perhaps there will be fewer regrets.
-
Two days later.
Tang Yisu was captured and brought to the capital. Handed over to the Eastern Depot, he went straight into the great prison.
Second Prince's residence.
"They arrested Tang Yisu?" The Second Prince's face showed a rare flicker of astonishment. "The Eastern Depot is handling it. Wasn't it uncovered that Cui Rong was instigated by someone who used imperial authority to pressure people, forcing the Seventh Prince to take poison? How is he involved?"
Advisor Deng said anxiously, "I don't know. Perhaps because Tang Yisu went to the border with Cui Rong? So he also came under suspicion."
"Or perhaps, he might have been arrested for questioning and will be released after interrogation."
What Qu Dubian said in the Zichen Hall was temporarily sealed by Emperor Chongzhao.
Second Prince: "Do you think the Eastern Depot would make such a big production of arresting someone with minor issues?"
Advisor Deng was choking.
He said: "Now that Tang Yisu is linked to the Seventh Prince's affair, we absolutely must not let others know he is Your Highness's confidant. Otherwise, I'm afraid mud will stick to you, and it will be impossible to shake off."
The Second Prince was well aware.
He frowned deeply.
The only consolation was that he had chosen Tang Yisu to deliver the grain back then.
Tang Yisu was someone he met the year he established his own residence, when he was in the early stages of building his own power. Originally a minor official from the south, he was promoted step by step to a relatively key position, utterly loyal to him.
More importantly, apart from a few trusted individuals, no one knew about their relationship.
It definitely couldn't be traced in a short time.
But arrangements with people in the Eastern Depot needed to be made quickly to clear Tang Yisu of suspicion and get him out of the capital as soon as possible.
If absolutely necessary...
The Second Prince narrowed his eyes: "Tell Chen Jian to come see me when he has time."
Advisor Deng: "Understood."
-
Cui Huhu and the steward old uncle lived in the residence Cui Rong had previously occupied.
The Eastern Depot sent people specifically to guard it.
Cui Huhu ran around the place where she and her father had lived, sometimes happy, sometimes crying quietly.
Although Cui Rong had also been coerced, Emperor Chongzhao still hated Cui Rong's actions to the core. The already scant bond between blade and master vanished in an instant.
Although he did not touch Cui Rong's daughter, he was extremely repulsed by her.
The steward old uncle just watched the little girl playing by herself in the courtyard.
His thoughts returned to that day when Cui Rong was on the verge of death, and he confessed everything about what had happened that day, including that she had been coerced into taking poison.
He only admonished the steward, Old Uncle, that if someone came asking about this matter in the future, he should only tell the first half. As for the rest, he was to feign complete ignorance.
Cui Rong wasn't sure how Emperor Chongzhao would ultimately handle this. If he chose to casually pick some unimportant member of the imperial family as a scapegoat, then that person, knowing half the truth, would become a key witness and could survive.
Knowing everything, they might die.
The steward old uncle let out a heavy sigh.
Before the factory foreman died, he told the "poison" story to the young miss so many times, precisely because he feared she wouldn't remember or would misremember the key points.
All the plans he made in his final years were given to them.
-
Elsewhere.
After leaving the Second Prince's quarters, Chen Jian took a detour and went to see the Fifth Prince.