Notes on Longevity

Chapter 60 The Prince Dies in Qingqiu, Who Sees Xia Riling?
In the twenty-second year of the Wen Shang era, it was already late autumn. A major event occurred in Yangcheng during this season: a prince died at the hands of a wandering swordsman.

"I heard that even the emperor can't control this person."

"Well, you probably don't know."

"what?"

"I heard this wandering swordsman is named Li Chengru. You know about what happened twelve years ago, right? His whole family died, and he was the only survivor."

"What are you talking about? What does this have to do with the emperor being unable to control him?"

"because."

"Your Majesty, this..." In the imperial palace, in the emperor's bedchamber, a middle-aged man dressed in a purple official robe knelt not far from the dragon bed. His eyes were unfocused, and he looked with trepidation at Emperor Wen Shang of Dayan, who sat on the dragon bed in a black and gold dragon robe with deep eyes.

"It's alright, speak freely." The Emperor Wenshang was about the same age as the man at his lodging, but the majesty on his face and the nonchalant tone of his words made the man lower his head in fear.

"Then I shall speak!" The man lowered his head and gritted his teeth as he listened to the emperor's words: "Second Prince, you deserve to die!"

His voice was as deafening as thunder, making the emperor on the dragon bed turn ashen-faced.

The emperor asked sternly, "Does my prince truly deserve to die?"

"Damn it!" The man gritted his teeth. The thought of the Second Prince fueled his anger, which surged like a waterfall from the heavens: "The Second Prince has been bullying men and women and exploiting the people for many years now!"

"Nowadays, the common people avoid the Second Prince's name as if it were a demon, not just a tiger or leopard."

“As the Vice Minister of Rites, I have repeatedly advised the prince in accordance with the laws of Dayan, but the second prince has set his sights on my daughter. He threatened me, saying that if I interfere again, I will not be able to protect my daughter.”

The man burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

The emperor did not speak upon hearing this, but his face turned ashen.

He had been busy preparing for the national war for years and had neglected the discipline of the princes. He knew that royal children would inevitably do some outrageous things because of their status, but he never expected it to be like this.

"Your Majesty, Li Chengru and Young Master Li request an audience." A soft, feminine voice came from the doorway.

"Summon him." The emperor frowned and said coldly. He was very displeased to hear this name.

"This humble subject greets Your Majesty." After receiving the imperial edict, Li Chengru, dressed in plain clothes and always with a folding fan in hand, stood beside the man and bowed to the emperor.

"Minister Li, how dare you come to see me after killing my prince?" The emperor looked at Li Chengru below, furious, and questioned him.

Li Chengru looked at the emperor with a serious expression and said, "This second prince is of unruly character, and his misdeeds are not new. I remember that eight years ago, Minister Chen of the Ministry of Rites mentioned the second prince's affairs in court, but you thought it was no big deal and let it go. Now he has ended up like this, and you are partly to blame."

Li Chengru no longer concealed his dissatisfaction with the Second Prince and the Emperor, but spoke it out directly: "Sometimes I often wonder, was it really worth it for my whole family to save you?"

"Li Chengru!" The emperor was furious. He stood up, pointed at Li Chengru, and shouted, "Don't think that just because you saved me you can talk to me like that!"

"What? Can't we talk about what the prince did?" The Vice Minister of Rites, who was kneeling on the ground, was drenched in sweat and trembling upon hearing this, but Li Chengru was not afraid at all and his attitude remained firm.

There are probably very few people throughout history who would dare to speak to the emperor like that.

The emperor was so angry he couldn't speak, but Li Chengru showed no sign of stopping. He continued, "As the ruler of a country, you allow your princes to act arbitrarily. Isn't that your fault?"

"Isn't it your fault that the prince acts recklessly and oppresses the people?"

"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners, let alone princes? What? Are the laws of Dayan just a formality?"

Upon hearing Li Chengru's words, the Vice Minister of Rites immediately prostrated himself on the ground, trembling with fear. Although he also harbored resentment towards the Second Prince, it was only directed at the prince. But Li Chengru had directly insulted the Emperor as well. This was something he would never dare to do. Moreover, in the entire dynasty, he was the only one who dared to publicly insult the Emperor in this way.

"Li Chengru! If you continue to spout such nonsense, believe me, I will kill you with one sword!" The emperor was furious. He forcefully drew the short sword hanging on the side of the dragon bed, walked aggressively in front of Li Chengru, and pressed the tip of the sword against Li Chengru's chest.

An ordinary person in this situation would probably have already begged for mercy, but Li Chengru glanced at the sharp blade without caring and shouted to the emperor with a smile, "Then, this humble subject Li Chengru begs the emperor to grant me death."

"You!" Blood dripped from the blade, the blood was fresh and red, like the blood on the hand of a young man with a pure heart who spoke frankly to the emperor, only to be stabbed in the back by a treacherous minister.

The emperor frowned, his hand holding the sword trembling. It was this place again! The same place twelve years ago! In the end, he pulled the sword from Li Chengru's body, turned away with a furious frown.

Li Chengru looked at the emperor with a cold smile: "I should have died today, but I thank the emperor for sparing this humble subject out of past kindness."

"You're right. It was my fault." The emperor sighed deeply with his back to Li Chengru, waved to him, and said this.

Li Chengru glanced down at the shallow sword wound on his left chest, then knelt down, arms outstretched, his upper body prostrate on the ground, his head touching the emperor's heels. He shouted, "The emperor's actions have profound meaning. This humble subject was reckless and offended Your Majesty. But! Your Majesty cares for the people and loves all subjects, sparing this humble subject's life. This humble subject is terrified and thanks Your Majesty for your divine grace!"

"What are you doing?" The emperor, sensing something was wrong, immediately turned around, only to see Li Chengru already prostrate on the ground, uttering sarcastic remarks. But that wasn't what concerned him; what he wanted to know was what Li Chengru was up to.

However, Li Chengru did not answer the emperor's question. Instead, he stood up, glanced at the emperor, and said calmly, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, this humble subject will take his leave."

The emperor looked at Li Chengru's bleeding chest, then glanced down at the pool of bright red blood on the ground, and shouted loudly towards the door, "Summon the imperial physician! Quickly!"

"No need!" Li Chengru roared back.

“My sword is incredibly sharp; though it only pierces the skin a fraction of the way, it injures seven-tenths.” The emperor stared at Li Chengru with worry, doubt, and confusion, and asked, “Why didn’t you have the imperial physician treat your wound?”

"Your Majesty, I have been traveling the martial world for over twenty years. Besides martial arts, I am also quite skilled in medicine, so there is no need for Your Majesty to trouble yourself. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave!"

Having said that, he turned and left with an indifferent expression. The emperor, however, watched his departing figure with regret and called out, "Minister Li, would you like to serve as an official?"

“I am illiterate, so there’s no need for that,” Li Chengru replied. “From this day forward, there will be no more favors between us. If I ever commit a crime, I hope Your Majesty will act in accordance with the laws of the Great Yan.”

Inside the palace, the emperor watched Li Chengru's departing figure, his mind filled with countless thoughts. He turned around, looked at the Vice Minister of Rites lying on the ground, bent down, and helped him up amidst the minister's shock: "Lord Wu, are you alright?"

Wu Zixu looked at the emperor with fear and hurriedly replied, "No, it's nothing, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright," the emperor's voice grew softer and softer. "Summon Chen Youzhi, Minister of Rites, and Wei Da, Minister of Justice."

"Summon Chen Youzhi and Wei Da, the Ministers of Rites and Justice, to an audience!"

"The Second Prince's crimes are heinous and unforgivable. He is hereby executed according to the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty! This is hereby proclaimed to the world as a warning to the descendants of high-ranking officials and princes of the royal family! The emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people! This is the imperial decree!"

(End of this chapter)