Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 611: Winning Over (Part 2)

As these words were spoken, all the ministers were taken aback.

Prime Minister Wang was recuperating from injuries, Duke An was also recuperating, Minister Li was dead, and among the remaining key ministers, Minister Dai, being old, was reluctant to step forward, Minister Zhou was a little inexperienced, and Minister Zhang, as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, felt it was his duty to uphold the Prime Minister Faction’s banner and said unabashedly, "Empress Dowager, please calm your anger."

"Prince Dongping and his son have committed the grave crime of treason and are destined to die. However, the nation has laws, and they must be interrogated, judged, and punished accordingly. It’s easy to kill them now, but it does not comply with the court’s laws..."

"Audacious!" The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng was furious, pointing at Minister Zhang’s nose and scolding him harshly, "I have lost my eldest grandson, the Emperor of Da Liang died at the hands of Prince Dongping and his son. I wish to dismember them by a thousand cuts. Even a single cut would be too lenient."

"What do you mean by stopping me! Do you wish to plead on their behalf? What connection do you have with Prince Dongping and his son?!"

Minister Zhang was astounded and immediately defended himself, "I am loyal, as clear as the sun and moon and would never associate with rebels. I merely think that we should not execute them in private but instead interrogate and convict them openly and righteously..."

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng snorted, "I am indeed righteously executing them, the father and son! If you utter another word, I will immediately expel you from the mourning hall!"

Minister Zhang often saw Prime Minister Wang and the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng argue strongly without being outdone and even able to suppress the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng. Now it was his turn to step up, and he realized how arduous a task this was.

Minister Zhang instinctively glanced at Minister Dai, who remained unmoved. He then looked at Minister Zhou, who kept his head down and never raised it.

With Prime Minister Wang down, the Prime Minister Faction’s resolve was scattered, and they seemed on the verge of disbanding and collapsing.

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng was now taking a strong stance, using the punishment of Prince Dongping and his son to suppress Prime Minister Faction officials. In the future, the court would be under the Grand Empress Dowager’s Faction’s control.

What should he do? What could he do?

Minister Zhang’s complexion was unsightly, and he closed his mouth angrily.

Prince Dongping and his son, knowing there was no escape from death, courageously presented an attitude of resignation. Their mouths were stuffed with foul-smelling cloth, making it impossible to defend themselves.

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng majestically waved her hand, and Mr. Zhao immediately ordered several tall Imperial Guards to step forward and drag out Prince Dongping and his son.

"Hold on."

No one expected that the one to speak at this moment would be Jiang Shaohua.

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng looked over with displeasure, "Do you also intend to stop me?"

Jiang Shaohua stepped forward amidst the curious gazes of everyone and spoke unhurriedly, "There are witnesses and evidence for Prince Dongping and his son’s rebellion; they deserve to be executed by a thousand cuts. However, how they conspired with Jiang Yi and whether there are any accomplices have yet to be clarified. They should be temporarily imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison and interrogated thoroughly later. In this way, no good person will be wrongfully killed, nor will any fish escape the net. This is how we can avenge the Emperor and explain to the ministers and the people."

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng’s aura diminished somewhat upon hearing the word "accomplice."

How many accomplices Prince Dongping and his son had, no one knew, but Zheng Chen was undoubtedly involved. As long as Zheng Chen was implicated, the Zheng Family could not wash their hands of it.

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng seemed to have had her weak point seized, and her aura quickly deflated by more than half.

Jiang Shaohua still maintained his sincere and thoughtful demeanor, "Furthermore, there is unrest in the palace; many have died inside and outside Zhaohai Palace, and the Emperor lies in the coffin, likely disturbed by the bloodshed and unable to rest in peace. Nothing is more important than the Emperor being laid to rest."

"Let’s wait until after the funeral to judge them."

"Empress Dowager, rest assured, those who deserve to die will not escape."

This last sentence carried a sense of sternness and chilling intent.

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng felt an inexplicable chill in her heart and instinctively stepped aside, "Very well, let it be as you say."

She immediately found her demeanor too weak, quickly hardened her expression, and ordered loudly, "Come, imprison Prince Dongping and his son in the Heavenly Prison, and no one is allowed to visit them. Anyone who dares to approach will be treated as an accomplice."

Prince Dongping and his son were dragged out like dead dogs.

Jiang Shaohua stepped forward to support the Grand Empress Dowager and said softly, "It’s late, madam, please rest. I shall stand guard here."

The Grand Empress Dowager patted Jiang Shaohua’s hand, "You have worked hard these days."

Jiang Shaohua replied softly, "It is what I should do."

Sustaining stability and morale is easy to say but extremely challenging to achieve. The enormous pressure Jiang Shaohua had been under these past days was unimaginable.

However, this is the price that must be paid to achieve great things.

There is no good fortune without effort. As the saying goes, to wear the crown, one must bear its weight.

The Grand Empress Dowager was gratified by Jiang Shaohua’s statement and again patted the back of Jiang Shaohua’s hand. Some things were inconvenient to say in front of everyone, and only the two understood the hidden meanings.

...

Clank, clank!

Clang!

The iron chain clattered as the heavy iron door was pushed open, and two disheveled figures were thrown into the cell.

Ugh-ugh!

Prince Dongping’s heir desperately tried to shout, only to produce muffled sounds.

The Imperial Guards guarding the prison paid no attention.

Both father and son were of nobility, accustomed to luxury but had suffered immensely in recent days, laying one on the ground and one leaning against the wall, enduring hunger.

At dawn, emotionless Imperial Guards entered to untie the two.

With a thud, a bowl of cold water was set on the ground, along with two hard, cold buns.

In the past, even Prince Dongping’s dogs wouldn’t eat this. But now, circumstances had changed, and the famished Prince Dongping hastily tore off the rag in his mouth, devouring the bun like a ravenous wolf.

Prince Dongping’s heir, a step slower, also ate voraciously.

Having fasted for a day and night, a cold bun hardly sufficed.

Prince Dongping’s heir drank some cold water and then shouted, "Bring two more buns."

Still, no one paid attention.

Prince Dongping drank the remaining cold water, barely suppressing his stomach’s rumblings, and sighed deeply, "Stop shouting; take this time to rest your hands and feet and conserve some energy to talk."

During mealtime, the father and son could whisper a few words to each other.

"So close yet so far!" Prince Dongping’s heir resentfully whispered through gritted teeth, "Jiang Song died quickly, and Jiang Yi was utterly useless; with such a great opportunity, he failed to hold on and was stabbed to death by Jiang Shaohua."

The palace’s turbulent upheaval happened days ago. Prince Dongping and his son had heard much during their journey to the Capital City and into the palace.

Their grand ambitions were ruined by a single woman, leaving them deeply regretful and unwilling.

Prince Dongping was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed.