Reborn Together: The General and I Reach for Power-Chapter 458 - 455: No One Is Trustworthy
The title of Prince Yingchuan was given by the Emperor to his fourth younger brother, who was also the Fourth Prince of the late Emperor.
Yingchuan was once a county during the former dynasty, but after many tribulations, the name of Yingchuan County had long been abolished. To use an abolished county name as the title for the Fourth Prince meant that even if the Fourth Prince was crowned a prince, he was merely a prince in name only.
Prince Lu resurrected the matter of Prince Yingchuan’s death, accusing the Emperor in his proclamation of being cold-hearted and jealous of the late Emperor’s fondness for the Fourth Prince, thus secretly poisoning him. After his death, he was accused of treason and given an insulting title posthumously.
Prince Guangyang’s death was also linked to Prince Yingchuan. The Emperor suspected that Prince Guangyang colluded with Prince Yingchuan, deliberately borrowing Prince Guangyang’s soldiers, and divulged the deployment of troops in the eight states to remnants of the previous dynasty and the Liao people.
That’s why the Emperor hurriedly executed Xiao Xingzong and Gao Yu, and guarded against the descendants of Prince Guangyang, dispatching more than a dozen spies to the eight states within half a year, being acutely aware of their every move.
Witnessing all of this, Prince Lu lived in daily trepidation, even sending his son to the capital as a hostage, yet couldn’t earn the Emperor’s peace of mind.
The Emperor resorted to lies and repeated his old tricks, turning against his own kin once more, leaving Prince Lu with no choice but to rebel.
In his proclamation, Prince Lu lamented for Prince Yingchuan, recounting how after his death, blood oozed from every orifice, and even seeped from his coffin as it was lowered into the grave, visible to all who carried it. As the elder brother, his heart was torn to pieces, yet he dared not utter a word. Today is the time to seek justice for the Fourth Brother.
Prince Lu also questioned the death of the late Emperor, noting that the Imperial Hospital declared his condition improving before his sudden critical relapse and demise.
The Emperor, in his quest for the throne, committed patricide, fratricide, and harmed loyal subjects, thus defying heaven and earth. For this, he remained childless for years.
If this continues, the entire Daqi will perish at his hands.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s face turned ashen. He realized why Du Zheng delayed handing him the proclamation, as everything was now clear.
The Emperor’s eyes were filled with murderous intent: "To secure the throne, he has become this deranged. Even with eunuchs and officials from the Central Secretariat present at the late Emperor’s passing, were we all conspiring against the late Emperor?"
"I want to capture him, cut out his heart, and see if it’s truly black."
The officials in the grand hall hurriedly urged, "Your Majesty, please quell your anger."
The Emperor inquired, "Aside from Qingzhou and Jingzhao Prefecture, which other officials are colluding with Prince Lu?"
Xie Changshen presented a document, stating, "There is unrest in Wenzhou and Taizhou, but other areas have not yet sent reports to the capital."
Wenzhou and Taizhou, being close to Yuezhou and with Li You and others present there, are unlikely to escalate into a disaster quickly. The Emperor was more concerned about the further regions of the Western and Eastern Guangnan roads.
If this outbreak of warfare is not quickly quelled, will Prince Qi seize the opportunity to act?
The only solution right now is to promptly mobilize troops and swiftly take down Prince Lu to stabilize the situation.
While the Emperor was contemplating, Du Zheng received a message from a eunuch, turning pale instantly.
Noticing something amiss, the Emperor asked Du Zheng, "What happened?"
Du Zheng approached and whispered, "The people Prince Lu left in the palace attempted to rescue the Heir of Prince Lu. Caught by the patrolling imperial guard, the Heir of Prince Lu wounded the Empress and the Heir of Prince Qi, then, finding no escape, poisoned himself as well."
The Emperor immediately rose from the dragon throne and strode out of the grand hall.
The ministers in the grand hall whispered among themselves upon witnessing the situation.
Du Zheng hastily instructed people to escort the Emperor, then returned and said to Xie Changshen, "Prime Minister Xie, there’s been an incident in the palace, I’ll leave this to you."
Xie Changshen acknowledged, turning to observe the officials, noting the apprehensive expressions on their faces, he let out a long sigh in his heart. The very fears he had harbored for years had finally come to pass.
He wondered if Daqi would descend into further chaos, and when peace would be restored.
...
On his way, the Emperor’s mind was filled with images of the naive look of Prince Lu’s heir. He always assumed that Prince Lu and his son were foolish and lacking in schemes.
He was wrong; the current situation felt like a harsh slap in the face.
He had placed his trust in Prince Lu, even allowing Prince Lu’s people to incite suspicion against Song Xian. If he really moved against Song Xian, Prince Lu would undoubtedly exploit the chaos to his advantage.
Prince Lu was one thing, but even a mere child dared to make a fool of him.
The Emperor stepped into the courtyard, seeing the Heir of Prince Lu collapsed on the ground, clutching his stomach in a fetal position, blood staining his lips.
Upon seeing the Emperor, the Heir of Prince Lu suddenly laughed, his chubby face making his grin appear all the more foolish, trying to speak but only managing to spit out more blood.
The Emperor coldly asked, "Where did he get the poison from?"
A eunuch stepped forward, "It should... have been hidden in his boot. In the chaos, we didn’t see clearly, only that the Heir of Prince Lu touched his boot and swallowed a pill."
The Emperor didn’t need to think to know that Prince Lu would blame his son’s death on him, adding another crime to the proclamation.
The initial plan of bringing the heirs into the palace was the Emperor’s strategy, but little did he anticipate that Prince Lu had already made arrangements before the heirs had even entered the capital.
"Can’t he be saved?" the Emperor asked the Imperial Physician.
The Imperial Physician shook his head.
As they spoke, the Heir of Prince Lu suddenly struggled violently for a few moments, then lay still.
The Emperor squinted slightly, his voice growing colder, "What about Prince Qi’s heir and the Empress?"
"They’re in the room," said a female official, "The Imperial Physician is tending to them inside."
The female official’s face was tear-streaked, her hands clenched tightly together, looking distraught.
The Emperor walked towards the room, finding it in disarray with bloodstained cloths scattered on the floor.
The Heir of Prince Qi stood trembling beside, not yet fully recovered from shock.
"What exactly happened?"
The Emperor’s voice cut through the air, prompting the Heir of Prince Qi to kneel instinctively, sobbing before managing to speak, "I caught a cold yesterday, and the Empress came to visit. She happened to encounter the Heir of Prince Lu leading people in, intending to kill me... It was the Empress... she shielded me..."
The blade of Prince Lu’s heir had brutally pierced the back of Empress Hang.
The Heir of Prince Qi watched as blood gushed forth. When Prince Lu’s heir attempted to withdraw the blade for another strike, palace attendants and eunuchs intervened. The Heir of Prince Qi felt immense gratitude towards Empress Xu. After being placed under house arrest, Empress Xu had sent things to him several times, and now, upon hearing he was ill, even came to comfort him, and now she was injured on his behalf.
He silently vowed to repay the Empress’s kindness when the opportunity arose.
From the inner chamber, Empress Xu’s suppressed cries of pain could be heard. Before long, the Imperial Physician emerged to report, "The Empress’s wound has been treated, but she will need careful nurturing for some time."
"Your Majesty," the Heir of Prince Qi knelt, "it is all because of me. I request to stay and brew medicine for the Empress and take care of her."
The Emperor looked at the Heir of Prince Qi, silent for a moment. After Prince Lu’s rebellion, he realized there was even less trust around him.
Prince Lu had done this, but what about Prince Qi?
