Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 374 The Crown Prince Establishes Authority
Outside the Zichen Palace, the autumn wind was bleak.

On the cold white marble slab, more than ten officials dressed in their robes knelt upright.

The head of the group, Xiao Wenyuan, held his hands high above his head, holding a glaring white linen cloth on which eight large characters were written in blood.

"His Majesty has assumed personal rule, and the Crown Prince has relinquished power!"

The surrounding area was filled with guards, their armor gleaming, creating an atmosphere of solemnity and impending doom.

But they seemed determined to die for their country; the chill seeped into their knees, yet no one moved an inch.

"Since the Crown Prince assumed regency, he has been stubborn and self-willed, appointing cruel officials, fabricating charges, and framing loyal officials... Now he is even taking in a vixen, defiling the palace, disregarding the fate of the nation, and ruining the royal reputation..."

Xiao Wenyuan wept bitterly, his hoarse voice echoing in the empty hall, each word dripping with blood and each sentence piercing the heart, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Several senior officials echoed this sentiment, covering their faces with their sleeves and letting out suppressed sobs.

The scene of utter grief and indignation was both tragic and comical.

Until a cold voice rang out.

"What heinous crime have I committed that requires you all to block my door and die in remonstrance?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Li Zhao walking slowly from the direction of the East Palace, surrounded by a group of black-armored guards with swords. His expression was cold and stern, and he carried an immense pressure.

Xiao Wenyuan bowed stiffly, his back straight, and said without backing down:
“Your Highness! Miaozhen of Shuiyue Nunnery was originally a nun, but she became entangled with Your Highness, ruining her reputation... Now, Your Highness, taking advantage of your position as regent, has openly brought her into the Eastern Palace and hidden her in your bedchamber... Such an act that violates human ethics and desecrates Buddhism will surely be ridiculed by the people of the world!”

"Your Highness—"

Another senior official also spoke up, his voice trembling.

"Your Majesty, weep and beg, please expel this woman from the palace immediately and restore order to the court!"

"Once you've returned to secular life, you're no longer a monk," Li Zhao said casually, a faint sneer playing on his lips. "As for reputation? I'd like to ask you all: when has the reputation of a woman who risked her life to save her birth mother ever needed the opinions of a bunch of incompetent, empty-mouthed fools like you? When has my Great Liang Dynasty ever fallen so low as to depend on a woman's reputation for its survival? How absurd!"

The senior officials were refuted until their faces turned red, their lips moved but they couldn't find a single word to refute them.

A gust of autumn wind blew by, stirring up the fallen leaves in front of the palace.

Silence fell.

Li Zhao's gaze swept over the kneeling officials.

"The so-called enchantress you speak of examined the Empress's health, saved my life, and is a benefactor of the royal family. I brought her into the Eastern Palace because her life was hanging by a thread, and she was nearly killed by treacherous people. As the Crown Prince, am I to stand by and watch a woman who has been kind to me die a violent death? Is this what you call 'integrity'?"

Xiao Wenyuan sneered, "That vixen is adept at bewitching people! Who knows if she's using poison to gain favor with His Highness..."

"Lord Xiao speaks with such certainty, you must have witnessed it with your own eyes, or you must have concrete evidence?" Li Zhao stepped forward and questioned in a cold voice.

"Without concrete evidence, this constitutes blatant slander and framing of the Crown Prince. Censor Wang, how should this crime be punished?"

Imperial Censor Wang was speechless for a moment, and his face turned from green to white.

Xiao Wenyuan was intimidated by his imposing manner, and cold sweat poured down his back.

"Your Highness, this is an unforgivable crime, I... I cannot bear the consequences..."

Li Zhao snorted coldly and said loudly, "As regent and emperor, I have acted in accordance with Heaven's will, and all my actions have been done with a clear conscience. Instead of sharing the nation's burdens, you spread heresy and coerce me. Guards—"

"Gentlemen, please return to your residences and clear your heads. If anyone disobeys orders or utters arrogant words again—" Li Zhao's gaze fell on Xiao Wenyuan's face, "like Lord Xiao, he will be given thirty strokes of the cane as a warning to others!"

"Yes, sir!" The imperial guards responded in unison, their voices echoing throughout the hall.

An aura of slaughter surged into the sky!

Several fierce-looking guards surged forward like a tide, and without a word, they grabbed the limp Xiao Wenyuan and roughly took him away to be executed...

The old ministers were so frightened that they dared not say another word.

Soon, Xiao Wenyuan's desperate roar echoed mournfully across the square.

"Li Zhao...you are tyrannical and cruel...you will surely be punished by Heaven—"

The dull sound of the court flogging striking flesh, mixed with shrill screams, came clearly one after another, like heavy hammers striking the hearts of every official who remained in place.

There have been instances in history of high-ranking officials being publicly flogged.

But since the founding of this dynasty, nothing so cruel has ever happened...

This young regent, in the bloodiest, most direct, and most violent way, tore away all pretense of tenderness, revealing his chilling fangs...

This was solely to warn his court officials that what he wanted was not compromise, but absolute submission...
-
"He's gone mad! Li Zhao has truly gone mad..."

In the study of Prince Duan's residence, Li Huan slammed down the teacup in his hand.

Tea splashed onto his sleeves, and his once gentle and refined face turned ashen.

"To flog Xiao Wenyuan in court? To publicly humiliate a high-ranking official? How dare he... how could he do that? Does he have any respect for ancestral laws, or for his sovereign?"

"Your Highness, please calm down. In my opinion, this may not be a bad thing."

Liu Yin stood by with his hands at his sides, stroking his goatee, his eyes gleaming with shrewd calculation.

"While the Crown Prince's actions have certainly established his authority, they have also placed him in a precarious position... Forcibly taking a nun into the Eastern Palace is already a grave offense, and now he has gone so far as to have a high-ranking official flogged in court for a few words of advice... His willful and reckless behavior is simply digging his own grave..."

Li Huan shook his head, pacing anxiously in his study. "When has he ever cared about criticism? Mr. Liu, you're still too naive. He's not being willful at all; he's clearly using this as an excuse, using Xiao Wenyuan's blood to force people to take sides... to tell everyone that with the power of regent in his hands, those who obey him may not prosper, and those who oppose him will perish... It's either kneel or die!"

Liu Yin said, "Public anger is hard to defy. The more the Crown Prince acts perversely, the more disloyal and dissenting people will become. The upright officials will be disheartened, the nobles will feel insecure, and the imperial family will look on with suspicion... As one group rises and the other falls, these are all the foundations for Your Highness's future."

“That was before,” Li Huan said. “Has Mr. Liu ever considered what might have happened if Father… truly never woke up?”

His voice lowered, carrying a chilling calmness.

“I have yielded step by step, patiently enduring and allowing him to use his power as regent to eliminate all unruly rivals in the court, one by one. Once he has thoroughly purged the Xiao faction, suppressed the Qingliu faction, tamed the imperial clan, and firmly grasped the power of the Great Liang in his hands... then, what path will I have left to take?”

Liu Yin felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat.

If the emperor were to pass away, Li Zhao, holding absolute power, could rightfully ascend the throne.

"What should we do?" Liu Yin's heart trembled, his worry deepening. "Prime Minister Xiao is imprisoned, and the prison is as secure as an iron barrel; not even a fly can get in. The Grand Princess has submitted her petition several times, but it has been turned away each time... Even the Empress Dowager herself went to the Zichen Palace, but was refused entry... Is this Crown Prince determined to go down this dark path..."

A suffocating silence fell over the study.

Li Huan remained silent for a long time.

Only the wind howled past the window, like the wailing of ghosts.

"If I do not make a decision soon, I will only be left to be slowly tortured to death by the Crown Prince's blade..."

He walked to the window and gently pushed open the carved wooden window.

The chilly autumn wind swept in, making his robes flutter loudly.

With his back to Liu Yin, he gazed towards the imperial city, his eyes seemingly piercing through the layers of buildings to see the supreme throne...

"Instead of waiting to die, we might as well... take a gamble."

Hearing his resolute voice, Liu Yin's spirits lifted.

"Your Highness is wise..." Liu Yin looked at Li Huan's unusually cold and hard back, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Our great undertaking is not yet complete; how can we allow it to fail at the last hurdle? The Crown Prince's perverse actions have already alienated the people. He was unrighteous first, and we are unjustly following suit, but we are forced into this situation and have a legitimate reason to act—"

Li Huan raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

"The cause of the attack is justified. What is it?"

Liu Yin stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “The Crown Prince has held the Emperor hostage, isolated the country from the outside world, persecuted loyal officials, and disrupted the court. He is a traitor to the country… With the capital in turmoil and the Emperor’s inner circle in disarray, how can Governor Xiao, as a pillar of the nation, sit idly by… As long as Your Highness raises your voice, Xiao Yan will surely send troops to the capital to defend the Emperor… to cleanse the court of corrupt officials.”

He emphasized the last four words very heavily.

Li Huan listened, but remained expressionless.

"Therefore, there is no turning back for me."

Liu Yin took a deep breath and said, "Your Highness, the Xiao family wants the merit of supporting the emperor, while Your Highness wants this vast empire. Both sides get what they need; it's a perfect match..."

Li Huan said, "Xiao Yan holds military power and is unpredictable. How could he be willing to be subservient to others? This knife is indeed sharp, but it can also kill its master... This knife cannot be drawn by my own hands."

After saying this, he walked back to his desk, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, but did not write anything.

It took a long time for the ink to condense into individual characters at the tip of the pen.

"Send a message to our people in Longyou, making sure Xiao Yan knows about the terrible situation in the capital... Tell him that the Crown Prince has imprisoned his father and is torturing his father, Xiao Song... Not only will he exterminate the entire Xiao family, but he will also eliminate all forces that are disloyal to the Eastern Palace... The Liang Dynasty is already on the verge of collapse!"

Liu Yin asked in surprise, "Your Highness means..."

Li Huan paused slightly, looking at him, "I only need to wait for the royal army to enter the capital and restore order."

No need to lift a finger, no need to get involved in bloodshed.

If the Xiao family wins, Li Huan will be the new emperor whom everyone hopes for.

Even if Xiao Yan loses, he will still be the innocent Prince Duan.

Watching from the sidelines and reaping the benefits is far better than going into battle bare-chested and inviting trouble...

Li Huan sealed the secret letter with sealing wax and handed it to Liu Yin.

"Go."

"Your Highness is truly insightful and far-sighted. I am deeply impressed..." Liu Yin bowed deeply, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He carefully tucked the secret letter into his robes and quietly withdrew.

Only Li Huan remained in the study.

He stood by the window.

The chill of late autumn enveloped him, but he felt no cold.

The sky is about to clear.

He slowly raised his hand, clenching it into a fist, as if he wanted to grasp the distant imperial city, along with that supreme power, into his palm...

　See you tomorrow!

　　(End of this chapter)