Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 395 The Classic of Filial Piety as Witness
Li Huan knelt upright, his clenched fists turning white.

He knew he was completely caught in the eye of the storm, with no way out.

“Father, I believe that what my third brother said makes sense. The Crown Prince is in charge of the country, and his actions are too forceful, which inevitably draws criticism…”

He spoke tactfully, unlike Li Yan who was so blunt, but every word he uttered was sharp and insidious, easily leading people to suspect that Li Zhao had abused his power and done something shady...

Li Yan nodded repeatedly, echoing, "Yes, yes, Father, that's exactly right. Your subject is also worried about Father's safety... and also about Grandmother... Father may not trust others, but surely you can trust Grandmother too..."

As he spoke, seeing Emperor Chongzhao frown and remain silent, he lowered his head sheepishly.

"If Father doesn't believe me, just send someone to search the Eastern Palace and they'll surely find evidence of the Crown Prince's treason! Detain a few more people for interrogation, and they'll definitely find out the truth..."

Li Zhao's departure was rushed.

Having governed from the Eastern Palace for so long, he couldn't believe he hadn't left behind any evidence.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wenyuan, who was kneeling below the steps, seemed to grasp at the last straw and responded with tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty, please be wise... The Crown Prince is the real traitor! He has isolated the inside from the outside world, secretly allied with foreign vassals, and harbored treacherous intentions... We risked our lives to storm the palace, truly to cleanse Your Majesty of your inner turmoil and save Your Majesty from this dire situation!"

Li Yan pressed his advantage, cupping his hands in a solemn manner and saying, "Your subject dares to request Your Majesty... to thoroughly investigate the Eastern Palace in order to reassure the court and the people."

People who were fighting to the death just moments ago suddenly reached a consensus.

The blame was unanimously directed at Li Zhao.

Emperor Chongzhao remained silent for a long time.

He stared coldly at these loyal ministers and filial sons who had "rescued" him, his gaze weary yet sharp...

After a long time, he slowly spoke.

"Someone is coming..."

Wang Chengxi immediately bowed and said, "This old servant is here."

"Search...the Eastern Palace." Emperor Chongzhao's voice was broken, each word seemingly laced with gasps for breath. "Have Chai Ming personally lead men to...search...thoroughly!"

Wang Chengxi accepted the order: "Yes!"

The heavy footsteps quickly faded into the distance.

Xiao Wenyuan, Li Yan, Li Huan, and the others remained kneeling on the cold floor tiles, none daring to rise, and no one paying them any attention...

The emperor had exhausted his strength to speak, and his face grew increasingly pale.

Tian Shu frowned slightly, his fingertips once again touching the emperor's pulse: "Your Majesty's vital energy has been severely depleted. You need to rest and calm your mind, and avoid any emotional outbursts..."

After saying this, he calmly took the emperor's pulse and administered acupuncture.

His touch was gentle and steady, which greatly pleased Emperor Chongzhao. He squinted slightly and murmured, "Doctor Shu... your acupuncture skills are profound... I... actually feel... a little more relaxed..."

He coughed twice and slowly raised his eyes to look at Tian Shu: "I wonder where Doctor Shu's teacher is...? Would it be possible for him to stay in the palace permanently in the future...?"

This is to recruit him for our own use.

Tian Shu lowered his eyes, showing no joy on his face, with a faint shadow beneath his eyelashes.

"Your Majesty, I am a humble man from the mountains and fields, used to a life of leisure, and I am afraid I am not up to the task."

Emperor Chongzhao frowned and glanced at him.

"A doctor's heart is benevolent; saving lives and healing the wounded is a noble duty, and serving a monarch is also a meritorious act..."

"My master has a precept: to practice medicine and help the world, and not to concern myself with court affairs. This time, I have entered the palace at the request of His Highness the Crown Prince to treat His Majesty's serious illness. Once His Majesty has recovered, I will naturally retire to the mountains and forests, and dare not disturb His Majesty's ears."

It is watertight and leaves no room for error.

Emperor Chongzhao remained silent for a moment, then said, “Since you are unwilling… I cannot force you, but if I were to request it… I hope that Doctor Shu would not refuse.”

Tian Shu said, "Your Majesty's command is my duty."

Emperor Chongzhao nodded.

The hall became much quieter, with only palace servants moving about quietly, carrying copper basins to change the hot water, or bringing ginseng soup and medicinal porridge to serve the emperor.

Li Huan, Li Yan, and Xiao Wenyuan knelt there, seemingly superfluous decorations.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Empress Dowager Chengqing slowly woke up and let out a weak groan.

"My head is spinning, someone... help me up..."

No one answered.

She struggled to her feet, only realizing what had happened when she sensed the strange atmosphere around her. In a daze, she saw Emperor Chongzhao's cold gaze, and she gasped in shock, her face turning deathly pale.

"Emperor...when did you wake up?"

"Doesn't Your Majesty long for your son to wake up?" Emperor Chongzhao asked calmly.

Empress Dowager Chengqing's face turned pale as she tried to explain something.

"emperor……"

Emperor Chongzhao raised his hand to interrupt him: "Mother... your son is a little tired."

Empress Dowager Chengqing opened her mouth, but ultimately kept it closed.

She knew her son's personality very well, and saying anything more at this moment would be pointless and would only make him dislike her and arouse his suspicion.

She gave Li Yan a deep look, signaling him to behave himself, and then left with the help of a palace maid.

Emperor Chongzhao sighed softly, "Wang Chengxi, summon the imperial physician to Cixi Palace to treat the Empress Dowager's injuries."

Wang Chengxi bowed and agreed.
-
The water clock dripped slowly, and the night grew darker.

The entire palace fell silent...

Xue Sui quietly left along the route he had come from while the emperor was coughing and shouting loudly.

Yao Guang and Xiao Zhao were waiting for her at the alley entrance.

Seeing her emerge from the shadows, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "What's the situation in the palace?"

Xue Sui nodded, his expression very solemn.

Xiao Zhao glanced at his expression, somewhat puzzled.

"Young lady, has it gone smoothly?"

Xue Sui nodded again, raising his eyes to look at Yao Guang.

"Do you know what the eldest brother and the crown prince are planning, what tricks they have up their sleeves...?"

Yao Guang exclaimed, her expression completely innocent, "I don't know either."

Seeing Xue Sui frown at him, he smiled rather awkwardly, "Little Thirteen, don't wrong me. You know what kind of person the eldest brother is... He always acts unilaterally, and no one can figure him out..."

Xue Sui remained silent.

Seeing this, Yao Guang laughed and teased, "You're really not cute. If it were Senior Sister Yu Heng, she would definitely pester me and insist on getting to the bottom of this..."

Xue Sui gave him a cold sidelong glance.

"Are you serious?"

Yao Guang quickly stopped talking, smiling ingratiatingly.

"No, no, no, I wouldn't dare trouble you. Thirteenth Junior Sister, please don't worry. When we see Senior Brother later, I'll help you scold him, okay?"

Xue Sui pursed his lips slightly and urged his horse to speed up.
-
It was two hours later when Chai Ming, the head guard of Zichen Palace, returned from the search of the East Palace...

The head guard had a solemn expression.

He held a sandalwood tray in both hands and stood with his head bowed.

"Your Majesty, we were ordered to search the Eastern Palace. We searched it thoroughly, inside and out, but found nothing unusual. We only found this..."

He knelt on one knee and presented a thick stack of booklets with both hands.

The binding is neat and the pages are flat.

Li Yan's eyes lit up slightly.

Seeing his solemn expression, and the fact that he brought along a young eunuch from the Eastern Palace for questioning, it must mean that they have found evidence of the Crown Prince's treason...

At Emperor Chongzhao's signal, Wang Chengxi took the stack of books, walked to the bedside, and slowly opened them.

"...A gentleman serves his parents with filial piety, therefore loyalty can be transferred to the ruler...Your Majesty...Your Highness, this is...this is a copy of the Classic of Filial Piety..."

The young eunuch summoned from the Eastern Palace seized the opportunity to kneel down, sobbing and choking as he reported:

"Your Majesty is wise... His Highness the Crown Prince truly has no disloyal thoughts... Since Your Majesty fell ill and has been bedridden for so many days, His Highness, after finishing his duties each day, no matter how late, whether it's windy or rainy, washes his hands, burns incense, and personally copies a scroll of the 'Classic of Filial Piety' for you, respectfully placing it before the Buddha, hoping that Your Majesty will recover... Every stroke of this scroll is a testament to His Highness's filial piety, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Chongzhao took it and looked at it.

The handwriting is neat and vigorous, penetrating the paper, conveying a heart-stirring respect and piety.

At the end of each volume, it is written in neat small regular script:

Your son Zhao humbly prays for Your Majesty's good health.

Emperor Chongzhao was skilled in calligraphy and could also recognize Li Zhao's characters.

One volume after another...

A thick stack, all made by him...

The ink marks were a mix of new and old, thick and thin, yet not a single one was wrong. They weighed heavily on the desk, and even more so on his heart.

The Zichen Palace was completely silent.

Xiao Wenyuan and Li Yan, who had just been trying to bite each other, now looked extremely ugly.

Li Huan's composure, which he had maintained, began to crack, turning into extreme shock and... indescribable frustration.

Those stacks of the Classic of Filial Piety were like silent yet resounding slaps to their faces, tearing their framing words to shreds.

What a Li Zhao...

Such a hidden piece was buried in the Eastern Palace.

A decisive and swift solution!

He, on the other hand, was completely put in a precarious position by the foolish Xiao Wenyuan, with no way to advance or retreat...

Li Huan's throat tightened, and he felt a chill creep up from the soles of his feet, making his body shiver.

"Your Majesty..." Wang Chengxi reminded him.

Two hours have passed.

Prince Duan and Prince Wei, kneeling inside the hall, had not yet eaten or drunk anything. This matter needed to be addressed…

Emperor Chongzhao remained silent.

A pair of cloudy eyes stared intently at the thick stack of filial piety classics, their emotions complex—

There was shock, and also doubt.

Suspicion is an instinct ingrained in the bones of emperors.

He spent his entire life weighing options and being wary, even of his own blood-related son. Yet, even with a heart of stone, he couldn't help but think of the son he feared, neglected, and even suppressed, who, while he was unconscious, worried about his safety, arranged for skilled doctors to examine him, and silently copied scriptures to pray for his well-being…

His beloved son, however, coveted the throne, stormed the palace to force the emperor to abdicate, and engaged in mutual accusations, revealing his ugly side...

　Li Zhao: Ping An, don't guess what I'm thinking. If you guess, it's that I want to marry you.

　　Xue Sui: ...How promising!
　　(End of this chapter)