Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 470 Even the hardest stone cannot be carved
The imperial mausoleum is desolate and cold; how is it any different from a cold palace?

There were also many convicted concubines being held inside, and they couldn't even get enough charcoal for cooking on a regular basis.

Once she leaves, she can forget about returning to the palace. Forget about using her position to turn things around; she might even face sabotage from those who suffered at her hands in the past.

"I am your imperial grandmother, your own grandmother... Aren't you afraid of being condemned by the world and ending up abandoned by everyone for your rebellious and unfilial behavior?"

Li Zhao remained unmoved and calmly gave instructions to his guards.

"Prepare a carriage immediately to escort the Empress Dowager's imperial carriage to the Imperial Mausoleum. All her needs shall be provided in accordance with regulations. Without my decree, she shall not leave the Imperial Mausoleum even a step, nor shall any outsiders be allowed to disturb her."

"Li Zhao!" Empress Dowager Chengqing shouted sternly, pointing at his nose. Her well-maintained face was deeply wrinkled. "How can you treat your own grandmother like this? You are unfilial and disrespectful. Aren't you afraid that your grandfather in the afterlife will not rest in peace?"

Li Zhao looked up and smiled slightly at her.

"When Grandmother arrives at the Imperial Mausoleum, why don't you ask Grandfather yourself?"

"You—" Empress Dowager Chengqing was so choked that she almost fainted, clutching her handkerchief and trembling all over.

Li Zhao's eyes were cold, but a smile played on his lips. "Grandmother, you always think of Grandfather. I'm just fulfilling your deep affection. How could that be unfilial? Unless... Grandmother's longing for Grandfather is just a pretense, something for others to see?"

These words were venomous and struck right to the heart.

Empress Dowager Chengqing was speechless, her chest heaving violently.

After a long while, she slumped back into her chair, gritting her teeth and snarling.

“Li Zhao, you are so mean-spirited and ungrateful, you won’t tolerate even your own family, you will get your comeuppance sooner or later…”

Li Zhao smiled but remained silent.

If there were retribution in this world, people like Xiao Song would have been dead long ago, so why would he need to take action to settle scores?

As for the royal family...

Whether someone is close or distant, it doesn't matter; it's all just the fickleness of human nature.

Only the power we hold firmly and the peace around us are real.
-
On that day, Li Zhao sent people to escort Empress Dowager Chengqing to the imperial mausoleum.

Empress Dowager Chengqing knew that the situation was hopeless, and that crying and making a scene would only make her lose face, so she did not make any more futile struggles.

As she walked out of Cixi Palace, she glanced back at the vermilion palace walls where she had lived most of her life, her eyes filled with reluctance and unwillingness, which ultimately turned into a sigh.

The news sent shockwaves through both the government and the public.

Someone submitted a memorial denouncing the Crown Prince's filial impiety, but it was quickly suppressed and caused little ripple throughout the entire affair.

Those who knew the inside story were even more terrified and held Li Zhao's methods in even greater awe.

From his father to his grandmother, he acted decisively and without reservation.

After this incident, there was no longer any doubt about the Crown Prince's authority. Li Zhao's control over the Liang court reached an unprecedented level.

But for some reason, Xue Sui's unease did not dissipate.

First, there was the curse from the master, "If he doesn't die, you will," which haunted me day and night, like a cold sword hanging over my head.

Secondly, she always felt that Li Huan was too quiet.

Xie Weilan's death, the Empress Dowager's expulsion, the Crown Prince's growing power... he did not make a single move in this series of events.

An opponent who is accustomed to patience and lying low is far more difficult to defend against than an enemy who is outspoken and aggressive.
-
After dealing with the Empress Dowager's affairs, Li Zhao took some time to visit the Zichen Palace.

Wang Chengxi stood respectfully outside the door, bowing deeply.

"Your Highness..."

"How is Father Emperor doing these days?" Li Zhao asked.

“Your Highness…” Wang Chengxi paused for a moment before whispering, “His Majesty’s condition fluctuates; he is rarely lucid and often confused… When he is lucid, he insists on taking medicine and refuses to eat or drink properly…”

He sighed and didn't say anything more.

He only looked up at Li Zhao, his tone earnest.

"His Majesty's health is truly failing; I implore Your Highness to persuade him to change his ways..."

This old eunuch genuinely hoped for Emperor Chongzhao's well-being.

Li Zhao glanced at him, said nothing, and pushed open the door to enter.

The hall was filled with the heavy scent of incense, mixed with the lingering stench of a chronically ill person, making it particularly suffocating.

Emperor Chongzhao lay on his dragon bed, his eyes sunken and his face ashen. In just a few days, he seemed to have aged considerably.

Li Zhao waved for the palace servants to leave and walked alone to his bedside.

"Father, I have come to see you."

Emperor Chongzhao opened his eyes, saw it was him, and suddenly laughed in a hoarse voice, "You have... achieved your wish, and you still come to see me... this cripple... do you want to see my miserable state with your own eyes... and humiliate me again?"

Li Zhao looked at his once dignified and arrogant father and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Your subject acts only according to his own conscience."

"Heh...cough cough..." Emperor Chongzhao wanted to sneer, but it triggered a violent coughing fit, and he almost couldn't breathe.

Li Zhao bent down and reached out to pat him on the back to help him catch his breath.

Once his breathing had calmed down a bit, she picked up the medicine on the table, tested the temperature with a silver spoon, and then fed it to Emperor Chongzhao.

"Father, drink your medicine."

Emperor Chongzhao turned his head away. "Don't worry, there's no poison," Li Zhao said.

"I have many ways to ensure that Your Majesty passes away peacefully. Why come in person and invite criticism?"

Emperor Chongzhao's throat itched, and he coughed again in anger. He finally calmed down and reluctantly opened his mouth to drink two mouthfuls of the medicine. He looked at Li Zhao with a complicated expression, panting.

"You suppressed your elder brother, imprisoned the emperor and father, and expelled the empress dowager... are you trying to exterminate the Li clan so that you can sit securely on the throne?"

Li Zhao looked back at him with a clear and honest gaze, his tone calm.

"What I have done is to eliminate treacherous officials, purify the court, and fulfill my filial duty as a son."

"You...don't need to...feign kindness before me." Emperor Chongzhao's eyes were filled with resentment. "If I fall, the most smug person in the entire court will be you..."

Li Zhao didn't want to say more, so he put down the medicine bowl and smiled faintly.
“If Father had been more aware of the situation sooner and had severely punished Xiao Song and restrained Ping Le, I would not have ended up like this today.”

"You...unfilial son! You disregard human ethics and dare to argue your way out of this..."

“Scolder if you want, hate if you want.” Li Zhao raised an eyebrow and retorted, “Does Father Emperor think I would care about such empty titles?”

This undisguised arrogance and sharpness startled Emperor Chongzhao.

Then, he chuckled softly.

"Good, very arrogant... Such arrogance, ruthlessness and decisiveness... are quite like my younger self."

Li Zhao looked at him quietly, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Father, you jest. No matter how ruthless I am, I can't be as ruthless as Father..."

Emperor Chongzhao laughed as if he had heard something extremely funny, tears streaming down his face. "...This dragon throne is a monster. The person who sits on it never has any say in the matter. Sooner or later...you will become just like me..."

He laughed and coughed at the same time, "Suspicion, paranoia, ruthlessness...this is the...fate of emperors..."

Li Zhao frowned slightly. "Your subject is not the Emperor, nor will I become the Emperor."

Emperor Chongzhao finally finished laughing, took a moment to catch his breath, and then laboriously raised his trembling hand, pointing to the table in the distance.

"There... there are also the golden pills refined by Xuanjizi... They refuse to give them to me... Crown Prince, if you are truly filial... then give them to me..."

A flicker of pain crossed Li Zhao's eyes.

"Father, do you know that if you hadn't taken those pills from Xuanjizi, you could have lived for several more months? Now that all your internal organs are damaged, even Hua Tuo himself couldn't save you... He wasn't prolonging your life at all; he was hastening it."

He walked to the table, picked up a "golden pill," and returned to his bedside.

"Guards, bring Xuanjizi into the hall."

A moment later, Yuan Cang dragged Xuanjizi inside.

Li Zhaodao: "Tell the truth—"

The Taoist priest had long lost his former air of otherworldly elegance. His robes were tattered, and his face was bruised and swollen, clearly indicating that he had suffered greatly in the imperial prison. Upon seeing Emperor Chongzhao, he knelt down with a thud and burst into tears.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I deserve to die! I deceived Your Majesty! That was not some elixir of immortality, but an evil substance made from potent medicinal herbs. When taken, it may make one feel euphoric, as if ascending to heaven, but in reality, it depletes one's vital essence. Long-term use will corrode the internal organs and exhaust one's blood and energy..."

Emperor Chongzhao's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stared intently at him, his lips trembling.

"You...what are you talking about?"

Xuanjizi kowtowed repeatedly.

"It's all fake, Your Majesty. There is no elixir of immortality, no magic formula for eternal life... It's all a lie told to you by a villain... I coveted wealth and power, and deserve to die... I beg Your Majesty for mercy, I beg Your Highness for mercy..."

To save his own life, he exposed the lie himself.

This also shattered Emperor Chongzhao's last hope.

Emperor Chongzhao was struck dumb, his body trembling violently. He pointed at Xuanjizi, the light in his eyes gradually fading, and finally he coughed up a mouthful of black blood, which splattered onto the bright yellow brocade quilt.

Wang Chengxi immediately shouted.

"Imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly..."

Li Zhao threw the pill on the ground and crushed it with the sole of his boot.

"Go and fetch Doctor Shu..."

Emperor Chongzhao lay slumped on the couch, staring blankly at Li Zhao, his eyes lifeless and empty.

"Why save me? Let me... die after taking this elixir, wouldn't that... suit your purposes perfectly? If I die, you can... rightfully... ascend the throne as emperor..."

"Your Majesty, I do not wish to marry during the period of mourning." Li Zhao's tone was calm, yet cruel. "Ping An has waited so long, and I wish to give her a dignified wedding. Father, please live well and see your son take his wife."

Emperor Chongzhao choked.

I tried to find any trace of hypocrisy on his face, but all I saw was complete composure.

He suddenly felt an overwhelming pain, fell heavily back onto the pillow, closed his eyes, and waved his hand weakly.

"Get out...I...don't want to see you again..."

Li Zhao looked at him for a moment, then bowed and paid his respects.

"Your Majesty, I take my leave. May Your Majesty take care of your health."

(End of this chapter)