Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 445: Using son against father
The turmoil at the end of the fifteenth year of Chongzhao's reign was listed as the first controversy over the ritual system in later works such as "A Study of the Ritual System of the Great Liang" and "Unofficial History of the Capital Region," becoming an important basis for later discussions on the boundaries between imperial power and the ritual system.

The emperor wanted to bestow upon Li Yushu the title "Jingyi" and bury her in the imperial concubine mausoleum with the honors due to a princess, so that she could be buried with her birth mother.

The news caused an uproar in both the government and the public.

As the emperor's daughter, the princess was of noble status, but she was a "married-out" daughter. Even if she was unmarried or divorced, according to etiquette, she could not be buried in the imperial mausoleum, let alone a person with a criminal record.
Emperor Chongzhao's actions were no longer about protecting the honor of a disgraced woman, but about upholding his crumbling imperial authority.

Unexpectedly, Marquis Jingyuan, Gu Zhan, a long-established nobleman who had always kept a low profile, was the first to submit a memorial, standing up to confront the emperor's authority.

"Your Majesty! Princess Ping Le was convicted of a crime during her lifetime, stripped of her title, and demoted to a commoner. How can she be buried with the rites due to a princess? This is an overreach of etiquette; where are the laws and ancestral precepts of the state?"

"The princess has kidnapped her own flesh and blood and coerced court officials. The evidence of her crimes is irrefutable and known to all. If she is given a grand funeral, it will not only fail to demonstrate the emperor's benevolence, but will also bring shame to the country and arouse criticism from the people."

"Your Majesty, please think again!"

"Your Majesty! This precedent must not be set!"

He knelt outside the Zichen Palace, snow falling on his shoulders, and denounced Li Yushu's immoral conduct, demanding that the emperor rescind his decree. Under his leadership, a group of nobles and upright officials submitted memorials in opposition.

Students from the capital gathered in front of the Imperial College, holding up wooden signs that read "Uphold etiquette and reassure the people" to petition.

The memorials from the censors poured into the Zichen Palace like snowflakes.

Several elderly officials from the Censorate even kowtowed to the ground, their words filled with vehement anger.

However, Emperor Chongzhao, lying on his sickbed, seemed determined and refused to give in.

It was as if this was not Ping Le's funeral, but the battlefield where he and the Crown Prince were vying for power.

He loudly rebuked the kneeling officials.

"Are you trying to force me to my death? You have no respect for the dignity of a subject!"

"Even ordinary families have the love of parents for their children; how can you not understand my pain at losing my daughter?"

Inside the Zichen Palace, the emperor and his ministers were deadlocked over an absurd funeral.

Emperor Chongzhao was furious.

As the emperor, his decrees could not even leave the palace gates.

His anger at losing power nearly drove him to madness.

He immediately summoned Li Zhao and began to interrogate him.

"I will handle your elder sister's funeral arrangements properly. She should be buried in the imperial mausoleum alongside her mother. What do you think?"

Li Zhaoli stood before the imperial couch, his brows furrowing slightly.

“Father, according to ancestral rules, princesses cannot be buried in the imperial mausoleum.”

Emperor Chongzhao sneered, "I am the emperor, and my words are the rules. Do you think that just because I'm sick, I can't manage things? This Liang dynasty still belongs to me!"

“Father is right,” Li Zhao said calmly. “The country belongs to Father, but the laws and regulations belong to all the people. Father cannot disregard the law for personal feelings and chill the hearts of the people.”

Emperor Chongzhao squinted and sized him up.

"Your Highness, are you now... unwilling to even grant me this small token of my affection?"

Li Zhao bowed respectfully and looked up to meet his gaze with a clear and honest expression.

"Father, it is not that I wish to contradict you, but this action is highly inappropriate. To give Li Yushu a grand funeral is undoubtedly telling the world that the royal family can disregard laws and regulations, and can disregard right and wrong. Ping Le's crimes are too numerous to count. If she can receive such honors, how will future generations judge you, Father, when the historian's pen is like a knife?" "I don't care!" Emperor Chongzhao coughed violently, his old face turning red with anger.

"I want my daughter to leave this world with dignity, with respect... I want the Li royal family not to be disgraced because of her..."

“Father!” Li Zhao’s voice rose, his gaze sharpening. “That is not glory, nor is it the dignity of the royal family. It is incompetence, a self-deceiving joke. It tells the world that the royal family can disregard the law of the country, and even if… they are wrong, they can force the public authorities to give in.”

Emperor Chongzhao's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You... arrogant!"

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze.

The palace servants and eunuchs all lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.

Li Zhao stepped forward and slowly said, "Whether your son has acted presumptuously or not, Father Emperor will have his own judgment."

He exuded an imposing aura, no longer the obsequious crown prince to the emperor. In front of everyone, he slowly revealed the sharp edge he had been suppressing for so long.

"There are some things I didn't want to say, but now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to say them."

"Since Father fell ill, this is not the only thing he has done that was stubbornly insistent on his own way."

"The thirty-six villages of Yunling, though fierce in nature, have no history of rebellion and have even helped the court to suppress the rebel Xiao Yan, thus contributing to the country. Yet, Father Emperor has repeatedly issued decrees ordering his son to forcibly suppress them at all costs, which nearly caused further turmoil on the border... This is the first point."

"The wronged souls of 200,000 soldiers in the old mausoleum have not been redressed. The case of Xiao Song is irrefutable and the evidence is conclusive. However, the Emperor has avoided the important points and tried to cover them up. He even issued an edict to silence them and forbade court discussions, which has allowed loyal officials to be tarnished and treacherous officials to go unpunished! This is the second point."

"The deposed Princess Li Yushu was arrogant and reckless, harming loyal officials and disrupting the court. Each and every one of her crimes was outrageous... Yet the Emperor repeatedly protected and indulged her, even allowing her to sneak back to the capital after her deposition, which ultimately led to the abduction of a child and nearly killed the Lu family's bloodline! This is the third point!"

"Now you are going to hold a grand funeral for a daughter who has committed a grave sin, to show your fatherly love. But who will comfort the souls of the two hundred thousand soldiers who have perished? How will you silence the gossip of the people?"

Li Zhao's voice grew deeper and colder with each word, like a heavy hammer striking the deathly silent palace.

Emperor Chongzhao's face was ashen, and his finger trembled as he raised it, pointing at him.

"You...you...Crown Prince...how dare you...be so disobedient?"

Li Zhao's gaze was sharp and unwavering as he asked the final question.

"Your Majesty, I dare to ask you—if it weren't for your repeated indulgence, how could the Xiao family and Princess Pingle have dared to frame loyal officials, slaughter meritorious ministers, and disregard the laws and regulations of the country?"

"Crown Prince!" Emperor Chongzhao's eyes widened in fury. "Are you planning a rebellion?"

Li Zhao slowly knelt down, his back straight, and took out a prepared memorial from his sleeve. He raised it above his head and spoke in a clear and resonant voice that echoed throughout the palace.

"Your Majesty, I dare not. Today, I only wish to implore you, Your Majesty, to issue an edict of self-reproach for the two hundred thousand unjustly murdered souls of the 200,000 who perished in the Old Mausoleum Marsh, and for all the innocent people harmed by the Xiao family and Ping Le. To clarify right and wrong, and to announce this to the world, so as to appease the loyal souls and set the record straight!"

An edict of self-reproach?
The words exploded like thunder in Emperor Chongzhao's ears.

He stared in disbelief at his son kneeling before him, at the memorial in his hand, as if the blood in his body had frozen instantly.

Use your son to offend your father!

He intends to trample the dignity and authority of the emperor underfoot.

"You unfilial son...you...unfilial son!" Emperor Chongzhao felt a sweet taste in his throat and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his bright yellow nightgown.

(End of this chapter)