Chapter 119: Giving Song Shi'an Away |
Imperial authority is tyrannical and unreasonable.
Even though our Lord Sima Yu had been pushed this far, he dared not say a single word like: Your Majesty, you're being too literal-minded—it's just a dream.
He dared even less to get abstract and tell the Emperor that dreams should be interpreted in reverse.
What? You mean the traitorous son is holding my head and begging for mercy from my Imperial Grand-grandson?
How dare you!
Therefore, he could only rely on the political wisdom he had accumulated to make a "yes or no" judgment.
He couldn't muddle through or equivocate.
The Emperor was demanding that he help make a choice.
"Director Sima, with your words, I can rest easy."
And the Emperor received that emotional value.
Even if the price was scaring old man Sima into wiping sweat from his neck.
"Please set Your Majesty's mind at ease. Such a great victory at the front lines is a blessing for our Great Yu's enduring dynastic fortune," Sima Yu comforted him once more.
"With you saying so, I can finally sleep peacefully." The Emperor raised his hand and said on a whim, "I should reward Director Sima with something."
"Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, Sima Yu didn't even think—he collapsed to the ground with a "plop," tears welling in his eyes, saying with deep emotion: "This old subject only hopes for Your Majesty's health and prosperity, only hopes that our Great Yu's national strength will flourish day by day. This old subject wants no rewards whatsoever. Please, Your Majesty, grant this old subject this favor."
As he spoke, he was nearly in tears.
He was truly begging the Emperor.
At this critical juncture, he had been summoned to the palace and received rewards and promotion.
Afterward, the Emperor would also reward the Sixth Prince and Song Shi'an.
Wouldn't all the officials immediately see that this aristocratic family had produced a traitor: this Sima Yu had actually run to the palace to lick Song Shi'an's boots and become part of the Pro-Song faction!
In an instant, he would become a living target for everyone to attack.
Moreover, a Director of the Imperial Observatory, even with a promotion, would only get a nominal position.
Your Majesty, you're using a nominal position to make me bear the aristocratic families' real attacks?
I'm really begging you to stop.
Real damage—that's Great Yu's most real damage!
"Oh, oh... I forgot about that." Seeing he was nearly scared to death, the Emperor also realized he had gone too far and hastily remedied: "This dream—you know it, I know it, no third person will know. Director Sima, don't worry. I will protect you well."
The Emperor truly wasn't a muddleheaded tyrant.
He was just afraid that dream would become reality and all his sons and grandsons would be beheaded, so he specifically wanted to divine it with an old minister who had no connections to any faction, whom no one was interested in courting, to set his mind at ease and help him make a decision.
He really hadn't meant to drive Sima Yu to death.
Don't play the court pet to death.jpg.
"Send Director Sima back to his estate."
The Emperor said to Chen Bao.
"Thank Your Majesty."
Sima Yu, who was kneeling, bowed to the Emperor following the motion.
Then Chen Bao went over and helped the old minister to his feet.
The two slowly departed.
Sima Yu even used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead, truly still shaken.
After Chen Bao returned, the Emperor looked at him and asked: "I only told this dream to Sima Yu, correct?"
"Whatever Your Majesty does is correct," Chen Bao answered.
Hearing this, the Emperor smiled faintly, shook his head, and murmured: "This dream is the key to the succession struggle. I have many old friends, but I can't tell any of them, because they wield power and influence. Once they get involved in establishing the heir, they can sway the entire court and make the final decision. So this powerless and influence-less Sima Yu became the one I confide in."
Chen Bao stood to the side, head lowered, maintaining extreme caution.
"You were the former Crown Prince's chief companion eunuch, and you've also served me for all these years." The Emperor looked at Chen Bao and asked, "Now, you're unwilling to speak from the heart with me—do you have other loyalties?"
"Your Majesty! This slave wouldn't dare!"
Chen Bao immediately prostrated himself, kowtowing to the Emperor.
"Enough. Why must emperors call themselves 'the solitary one'? No matter what, one is ultimately alone." The Emperor said self-deprecatingly.
"Your Majesty, perhaps this dream truly can reflect Great Yu's national fortune." Having been frightened like this, Chen Bao had to start offering some substance. "Since Song Shi'an really resembles him, why not just eliminate him directly to resolve Your Majesty's concerns?"
Actually, everyone understood.
The Emperor, Chen Bao, and even that high-EQ Sima Yu just now—all were clear as mirrors in their hearts.
If this dream was truly to be taken as "the Mandate of Heaven," an inviolable divine prophecy, then the Dream-Fulfilling Traitor had already emerged loud and clear—Song Shi'an.
No one was a fool.
As long as they killed this person, they could definitely break the dream.
"Kill him?" the Emperor asked.
"If it troubles Your Majesty, then he should be killed," Chen Bao said.
This was the key to preventing tragedy.
"I've thought about killing him, thought about it ten thousand times." The Emperor looked at Chen Bao, then stated the reason he absolutely wouldn't kill him: "There are others who can deal with Ji Yuan. But he is the only suitable one."
It was precisely because he saw this point that the Duke of Li was unwilling to go on campaign.
The Duke of Li was originally descended from meritorious nobles.
And he himself had personally led armies to single-handedly destroy two nations, helping Great Yu's national power reach its zenith.
Now the Emperor was old, his health poor. At this time, if he still had the Duke of Li turn the tide, what if the Emperor died before him? Would this Great Yu still belong to the Wei family?
Were they going to create a Prince of Li who could wear swords and shoes to court and enter without hurrying?
Precisely because of this, when the Emperor asked if he wanted to replace Xiao Qun, the Duke of Li tactfully refused.
Because his position was awkward—he'd already reached the ceiling.
"Your Majesty, if we're not killing him, could we make some modifications to this dream?" Chen Bao suggested again.
After he said this, the Emperor personally expressed his inclination: "I've been considering this all along."
………
"Prince of Wu entering the palace—"
At the princely estate, the Prince of Wu had been planning with Ye Changqing and Zhao Yi about what to do when Song Shi'an returned, full of anticipation and excitement.
However, just then, he was summoned to the palace by the Emperor.
He couldn't help but feel nervous.
But as he was leaving the estate, Ye Changqing grasped his hand, looked at him with firm eyes: This trip might be an important opportunity for the situation to turn around!
This time, without Ye Changqing and Zhao Yi to strategize for him, all responses would have to be improvised.
But he wasn't afraid.
He had full confidence to face the Emperor.
Thus, he entered Xuanyu Hall.
"Your son pays respects to Imperial Father."
The Prince of Wu performed the kowtow ceremony to the Emperor.
"Let Prince of Wu be seated." The Emperor showed a gentle smile.
So a chair was set up, facing the Emperor.
"Thank you, Imperial Father."
The Prince of Wu sat down.
"I heard there have been arrests in the city?" the Emperor asked.
"Yes, Imperial Father." The Prince of Wu didn't conceal anything at all, answering quite calmly: "That day, rumors appeared in the city that our forces had been defeated at the front, yet Imperial Father hadn't announced anything about the war. Your son suspected there were false Qi spies trying to disturb the people's hearts and take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble. Therefore, I had Western Commandant Jia Guihao arrest those spreading rumors in the city."
"Anyone at all?" the Emperor asked.
"Reporting to Imperial Father, no commoners were arrested. Commoners have no sources of information—without court announcements, they would naturally be swayed by rumors. What your son had Jia Guihao arrest were all those who, despite being court officials and sons of official families, spread rumors about the court and slandered the sacred will," the Prince of Wu said firmly.
"Even sons of the great aristocratic families, treated equally?"
"Anyone who slanders Great Yu and disrupts stability is a criminal." The Prince of Wu showed no fear. "However, among those arrested, none had backgrounds as fourth-rank officials or higher in the court."
"Yes, the higher the office, the more loyal they are." The Emperor joked.
The Prince of Wu also smiled, though very faintly.
"What about Song Jing?"
The Emperor slowly asked.
"..." This question made the Prince of Wu briefly tense up. Lowering his head, after a short silence, he admitted: "Song Jing—your son went to bail him out."
Just now, there had at least been some justification.
Arresting disruptive elements.
But Song Jing?
As a prince, personally interfering with a Court of Judicial Review prison case—this was indisputably overstepping bounds.
"What were you thinking?" the Emperor asked.
He slowly raised his head, showing none of his unease on his face. After composing himself, he stood up, slowly knelt on the ground, and said: "That day in court, the officials nominally targeted Song Shi'an, but in reality they were aggressively pressuring Wusheng, pressuring Imperial Father. They didn't want Imperial Father to fight this war. Your son knew Imperial Father wanted to fight this war, so I took it upon myself to intimidate Wang Chen. Please, Imperial Father, punish me!"
The most powerful weapon is the most sincere emotion.
"Zisheng, rise." Looking at this good son, the Emperor smiled and extended his hand.
The Prince of Wu slowly stood.
"I know that among all my princes, Zisheng is the most filial. And also the one most able to resolve my worries."
There was a trace of gratification in the Emperor's tone. Then he decided: "When Song Shi'an returns, have him serve as a retainer in the Prince of Wu's estate. He can also teach the heir apparent."
This sentence made the Prince of Wu's pupils dilate.
But quickly, he suppressed this excitement.
Quite naturally and confidently, he accepted: "Your son respectfully receives Imperial Father's command."
"Zisheng, you may return to your estate."
"Yes."
The Prince of Wu withdrew from Xuanyu Hall.
Accompanied by attendants, he walked out through the palace corridor.
The moment he left the palace, he clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and used the air as a stand-in for the Prince of Jin—beating the Prince three times!
Then he revealed a radiant smile.
………
The Prince of Jin entered the palace, into Xuanyu Hall.
Upon entering, he saw that before the dragon throne, there was a chair that had not been removed.
"Your son pays respects to Imperial Father."
The Prince of Jin prostrated himself in kowtow before the Emperor.
"Rise." The Emperor said these two words quite calmly.
Moreover, he didn't invite the Prince of Jin to sit.
So this seat wasn't set for him.
Or rather, the person invited earlier had already sat in it.
"What have you been doing these past days?" the Emperor asked.
"Reporting to Imperial Father," the Prince of Jin said, "preparing for the jinshi examination that Imperial Father assigned to your son, to be held this coming March."
"Why did I have you oversee the imperial examinations?" the Emperor asked.
"Reporting to Imperial Father, to select talented people for Your Majesty."
"Since it's a matter of selecting talented people for me, why not have Zisheng do it?"
"Your Majesty is sagely wise and must have your considerations..."
"Then let's hand it over to him, shall we!"
Suddenly, the Emperor flew into a rage.
The Prince of Jin immediately knelt on the ground, trembling: "Imperial Father... please calm your anger."
"You're different from Zisheng and the other princes—you two are blood brothers from the same mother."
The Emperor's voice began to shake.
The Prince of Jin, somewhat panicked, slowly raised his head.
Then he saw Imperial Father with both hands on the armrests, leaning forward, speaking almost pleadingly: "Ziyu, protect this Great Yu realm together with Zisheng. All right?"