Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 476 The Phoenix Appears
The fighting outside the palace had just ceased when turmoil arose again inside.

Li Zhao raised his hand, signaling the guards behind him to put down their weapons and leave the hall. Then he calmly looked at Jing Shan before turning to Tian Shu.

"Brother Shu, you are a doctor who helps the world, so what is your intention in sneaking into the palace and taking His Majesty hostage?"

The dagger in Tian Shu's hand remained motionless against Emperor Chongzhao's neck, his eyes cold and silent.

Jing Shan slammed her ebony cane down heavily, her gray eyes “looking” at Emperor Chongzhao on the couch, her voice as cold as ice.

"Li Qi, you speak."

Emperor Chongzhao was on his deathbed, but his mind was unusually clear.

He opened his cloudy eyes, scanned the entire room, and finally fixed his gaze on Jing Shan's face. His chapped lips trembled as he squeezed out a few words.

"So...you're still alive..."

Jing Shan's lips curled into an almost mocking smile, and her weathered face was hard to recognize.

“Li Qi, of course I want to live. I have endured humiliation and lived for decades just to see with my own eyes how your Li family will gradually head towards ruin and fall off the dragon throne.”

Emperor Chongzhao's throat bobbed, but he remained silent for a moment.

“Old man,” Li Zhao began, his posture extremely humble, “the injustice of the Old Mausoleum Swamp has been redressed by imperial decree. The spirits of two hundred thousand soldiers will be able to rest in peace, and their families will receive compensation. Xiao Song and the other masterminds have also been brought to justice… The justice you seek is on its way. Why take such a risky step now, only to add to the bloodshed?”

Jing Shan suddenly turned her head to face Li Zhao.

"So you're Li Zhao, the crown prince whom the Li family raised with lavish wealth?"

Li Zhao nodded. "Replying to the old man, I am Li Zhao."

"Very well." Jing Shan sneered, "Since you've stepped forward to talk to me about justice, you should know that some debts can't be settled by killing a few scapegoats..."

"What does the old man want?" Li Zhao remained calm and composed throughout.

"I demand that the Li family pay for their crimes in blood." Jing Shan pointed her ebony staff directly at Emperor Chongzhao, her voice suddenly rising, "Li Qi, even now, do you still want to shift the blame onto Xiao Song alone? If it weren't for the machinations of you and your father behind the scenes, how could Xiao Song, a mere civil official, dare to betray his ancestors and harm his elder brother? How could he cover up the truth and smear two hundred thousand lives as traitors?"

Emperor Chongzhao's face was ashen.

As if he hadn't heard Jing Shan's words, ignoring the dagger at his neck, he laboriously pulled out a roll of bright yellow silk from under his pillow, and opened it with trembling hands—

"Look...look at this..." He handed the item to Jing Shan, his hand still trembling.

"Take a look at this...we'll talk about it later..."

That's a portrait.

It must have been rubbed frequently, as the edges and corners are already worn.

The painting depicts a woman in palace attire, with exquisite features and a charming smile. At first glance, her features bear a striking resemblance to Princess Ping Le. However, the woman in the painting possesses a dignified and gentle demeanor, lacking any of Ping Le's arrogance, and instead exudes a calm and refined elegance.

On one corner of the scroll, a line of small characters was written—

"Painted in the late spring of the twentieth year of the Yongxi reign at Changchun Palace..."

People in the palace used to see the emperor gazing intently at this portrait, and they would secretly speculate that the emperor doted on Princess Ping Le so much that he couldn't get enough of looking at it on ordinary days and would keep it by his pillow to examine it closely...

At this moment, everyone realized that there was another meaning behind it.

The person in the painting is young and vibrant, while the old woman in front of me is already weathered and no longer possesses any of her former beauty.

"Li Qi, you're about to die, what tricks are you still trying to pull?"

Jing Shan listened intently to the subtle sound of the silk fabric rubbing together and let out a cold laugh.

Emperor Chongzhao said, “That is your portrait… painted by a court painter in the spring of the twenty-third year of Yongxi… back then… back then… we made a promise to go to the Imperial River to pick lotus flowers together in midsummer… you complained that the jade hairpin in your hair wasn’t bright enough in the painting, so I broke off a crabapple blossom and put it in your hair…”

"Ridiculous!" Jing Shan's fingers tightened suddenly around the ebony staff. "I've long been blind; I can't see through your hypocritical tricks..."

"Or are you using our past relationship as leverage, trying to beg for leniency so I'll let you off the hook..."

Emperor Chongzhao's pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the portrait, then at her cold, empty eyes. As if all his strength had been drained, he collapsed onto the dragon bed, murmuring something.

"Since you... hate me so much, then kill me. Qihuang..."

Qihuang?

Everyone in the hall was shocked. The old prime minister, Lu Jing, staggered forward, staring incredulously at the blind old woman before him, his voice trembling slightly.

"Your Excellency is... Princess Qihuang, the only legitimate daughter of the last Emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty?"

Jing Shan slightly raised her head.

Although she is blind, she possesses an aura of dominance that commands respect, as if she were still the princess who received homage in Changchun Palace years ago.

"Who are you?"

"This old minister, Lu Jing, whose father, Lu Wenyuan, once served as the Minister of Revenue during the Great Yong Dynasty."

"So it's Lu Jing." Jing Shan said indifferently, "It's rare that there are still people in this world who remember my name. Lu Jing, back then you were just a Hanlin scholar. When you presented your memorial to my father, he appreciated you and praised you for being mature beyond your years and capable of taking on great responsibilities. He not only let you enter the Eastern Palace to accompany the Crown Prince and assist him, but also promoted you to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of the assessment and appointment of officials... I never expected that you, Lu Jing, would switch allegiance to the new dynasty and rise to the position of Prime Minister. You have truly brought glory to your family."

Lu Jing's face turned deathly pale. He knelt down, his robes billowing, tears streaming down his face.

"This old minister...this old minister is ashamed! Back then, Emperor Yong's massive construction of the imperial mausoleum caused widespread resentment among the people...My late father risked his life to submit a memorial, advising the late emperor to stop the construction of the mausoleum, but his advice was not heeded, and he fell seriously ill and was bedridden...When the capital fell, my late father passed away, and this old minister observed mourning in his hometown. After three years of mourning, I returned to court, only to find that the new dynasty had already been established..."

Jing Shan had no intention of listening to his explanation; her voice was desolate and cold.

"So today, will Prime Minister Lu stand with the usurper Li family and aid and abet their evil deeds? Or will he set things right and restore the Great Yong Dynasty?"

There was dead silence in the hall.

This seemingly casual remark carries a weight heavier than a thousand pounds, making it hard to breathe.

Even Li Zhao remained silent for a long time.

After the establishment of the Great Liang Dynasty, the government reduced taxes and levies, allowed the people to rest and recuperate, and tried its best to appease the old officials. It was claimed that Emperor Yong had emptied the national treasury and built a large imperial mausoleum, which had angered the heavens. Furthermore, there were treacherous officials who misled the country and Xiao Chong had rebelled, which led to the collapse of the government and the destruction of the state.

Even the compiled "Veritable Records of the Founding of the Nation" deliberately downplayed the achievements of the Dayong Dynasty in governing the country, only talking about the chaos of the people's suffering and the corruption of officials at the end of the Dayong Dynasty, and the rise of the Li family was "in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people, saving the people from water and fire" and "the Li family obtained the country not by force, but because it was the will of the people".

Now, a former dynasty princess is standing right in front of us, accusing the Li family of usurping the country and demanding the restoration of the old dynasty... If this news gets out, the resulting turmoil will be unimaginable.

Lu Jing lay prostrate on the ground, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Princess, back then, this old minister stayed in seclusion in the countryside to guard my late father's coffin, and I truly do not know the reasons behind it."

“Back then…” Jing Shan’s voice was heavy with sorrow, as if she were lost in distant memories.

“Li Huo, the Prince of Pingnan, is the only prince of a different surname in the Dayong Dynasty. He enjoys the deep trust of my father, the emperor, and commands a large army. His achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor’s position. His son, Li Qi, and I have known each other since childhood. We were childhood sweethearts and often visited the palace. He would read and play chess with me, and we gradually developed feelings for each other… My father valued his talent and, before I even came of age, issued an edict to betroth me to him…”

She paused, her throat tightened, and then her voice turned cold again.

"Who knew that the Li family harbored treacherous intentions, secretly colluding with Xiao Song and other treacherous officials to plot a rebellion. At that time, General Xiao Chong, the Protector of the State, commanded 200,000 elite troops and was extremely loyal, making him their biggest obstacle—"

"Li Huo, taking advantage of my father's trust, falsely issued military orders, luring his close confidant, General Xiao Chong, and his 200,000 soldiers into the newly completed, heavily fortified imperial mausoleum... Then, he sealed off all exits, flooded, set fires, and smoked them... suffocating and burying them alive..."

"The corpses were piled up like mountains, and the blood was so abundant that it overflowed from the underground palace, covering the entire mountainside..."

Her voice became shrill, and tears seemed to well up in her blind eyes.

"Two hundred thousand soldiers died unjustly, and even after their deaths they were falsely accused of treason. They deserved it. Two hundred thousand people became traitors, bringing shame upon their families and generations..."

"My father was shocked and heartbroken upon hearing the devastating news, and fell ill and never recovered... It wasn't until Prince Li Huo of Pingnan trampled through the imperial city and donned the yellow robe that many people finally awoke from their daze..."

Jing Shan's voice gradually lowered, her tone filled with sorrow.

"But my life was not meant to end there. The day before the palace coup, I happened to be at Puji Temple praying for my father. I received a secret report and managed to escape from the temple... but I was relentlessly pursued by the Li family's secret guards, barely escaping with my life..."

“Li Qi…” she murmured the name, facing the trembling Emperor Chongzhao, her voice filled with deep-seated hatred and contempt.

"The son of the Prince of Pingnan, with whom I shared romantic moments and vows, personally led his troops to besiege the imperial city. My father, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide in the Xuanzheng Hall, my mother hanged herself to die for her country, and my brothers and sisters were all slaughtered... The imperial family was almost entirely wiped out... Although I escaped, I begged and hid all the way, like a stray dog... until I encountered a contingent of General Xiao Chong's personal guards who had survived while on a mission, and only then was I able to save my life..."

"We hid here and there, watching helplessly as the Prince of Pingnan ascended the throne, changed the era name and established Liang, watching Xiao Song rise to the highest position and wield immense power, watching you treacherous officials divide up our Great Yong land and enjoy all the riches and glory..."

"I went blind from crying back then."

Her tone suddenly became calm, yet every word she spoke was filled with anguish.

“From that moment on, I swore that I would make the Li family pay for their blood debts and restore the Great Yong dynasty. We took in orphans, trained assassins, and led countless people who had been driven to desperation by your ‘peaceful and prosperous world’. Peddlers, servants, even prostitutes… We cultivated the Seven Gates of the Big Dipper, infiltrated the court and the martial arts world… For decades, we lay low and endured, just waiting for the right opportunity.”

(End of this chapter)