Song Xiu

Chapter 151 Properly Handling the Conviction of the Fu Family
With a coughing sound, Empress Dowager Du gradually awoke from her deep sleep.

"Good daughter-in-law, good daughter-in-law"

Before Empress Dowager Du had even opened her eyes, she instinctively called out to Lady Fu.

At Empress Dowager Du's call, a pair of hands were placed on her chest to soothe her breathing.

Empress Dowager Du initially thought the hands belonged to Lady Fu, but when she opened her eyes, she found that it was Empress Wang sitting by the couch.

"Queen?"

Upon seeing Empress Wang present, Empress Dowager Du turned her gaze to the side and discovered that Zhao Dexiu was brewing herbal medicine.

"Liu Ge'er?"

Empress Dowager Du was somewhat surprised by the sudden arrival of Empress Wang and Zhao Dexiu, but she was not alarmed.

Empress Dowager Du thought that Empress Wang and Zhao Dexiu were innocent and wanted to check on her health.

However, after her cloudy eyes scanned the area, Empress Dowager Du did not find Fu Shi's presence, which puzzled her.

"Where is Lady Donghai?"

Empress Dowager Du looked at Empress Wang with a puzzled expression and asked.

Empress Dowager Du's question put Empress Wang in a difficult position.

Noticing Empress Wang's predicament, Zhao Dexiu sat by the couch with the medicine in her hands and served it to Empress Dowager Du.

Empress Dowager Du did not resist the service of her eldest grandson.

Empress Dowager Du favored Zhao Guangyi, but she still had feelings for Zhao Dexiu.

However, when it came to Zhao Guangyi, Empress Dowager Du's loving heart was always overshadowed by her favoritism.

After feeding Empress Dowager Du a few sips of her medicinal soup, Zhao Dexiu asked softly:

"Grandmother has issued an imperial edict, why didn't you let your grandson know?"

Zhao Kuangyin once told Empress Dowager Du that after he left Bianjing, Zhao Dexiu would be in charge of the country.

From Empress Dowager Du's perspective, she did not think there was anything wrong with the edict, and therefore she had no intention of concealing Zhao Dexiu's true intentions.

When Zhao Dexiu inquired about this matter, Empress Dowager Du asked with suspicion:
Didn't Zhao Pu report this matter to you?

Empress Dowager Du, who was ill, had alternating periods of clarity and confusion.

After Wang Ji'en left, when Fu asked her for the Empress Dowager's seal, she belatedly realized that only Zhao Pu and Fu Yanqing had been summoned.

When Empress Dowager Du inquired about this, Lady Fu replied:
“The King of Jin was busy with state affairs, and Zhao Pu would report it afterward.”

In Empress Dowager Du's heart, the entire country belonged to her Zhao family, and governing the country was like governing her own family.

In managing family affairs, procedures are not important, and it doesn't matter if they are added later.

Furthermore, due to her trust in Lady Fu, Empress Dowager Du had not paid much attention to this matter before.

Empress Dowager Du's doubts filled Zhao Dexiu with sighs.

What to say?

It can only be said that Empress Dowager Du was a woman of destiny, having given birth to an extraordinary son.

After suppressing his sigh, Zhao Dexiu patiently spoke to Empress Dowager Du:
"The grandson has the power to oversee the country, and Zhao Pu is the head of the State Affairs Hall."

If the grandmother bypassed her grandson and sent the edict directly to Zhao Pu, then the edict would be considered a chaotic decree.

If this arbitrary decree is announced, it will cause turmoil in the court and among the people, and may even jeopardize my grandmother's virtuous reputation.

Empress Dowager Du was a person who valued her reputation very much. Upon hearing that this matter would damage her reputation, she gradually sat up straight from her half-lying position.

Is this matter really that serious?

Seeing that Empress Dowager Du had some doubts, Empress Wang quickly chimed in:

“Yuan Ying is absolutely right.”

One was her grandson, and the other was her daughter-in-law; both of them maintained the same attitude, leaving Empress Dowager Du no choice but to believe them.

"What should we do?"

"Did Zhao Pu and Fu Qing take the imperial edict?"

Empress Dowager Du, with her drowsy mind, recalled that she had stamped the imperial edict with her seal before going to sleep.

If Zhao Pu and Fu Yanqing had already come to take the imperial edict while she was unconscious, wouldn't that mean the die was cast and there would be no way to undo it?

While Empress Dowager Du was feeling anxious, Zhao Dexiu put down the medicine he was holding, took out the imperial edict from his bosom, and handed it to Empress Dowager Du.

"Has Grandmother read the contents of the imperial edict?"

Seeing that the imperial edict had not yet been officially issued, Empress Dowager Du secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu's question, a relaxed Empress Dowager Du shook her head and said:

"Although the imperial edict was not written by me personally, it was written by the Lady of Donghai County according to my wishes, word by word, so of course I know its contents."

Originally, Lady Fu wanted Empress Dowager Du to write the edict herself, but Empress Dowager Du was ill and tired, and after several attempts, she was unable to write a single complete sentence.

Left with no other choice, Fu had to write it on behalf of someone else.

At this moment, Empress Dowager Du still trusted Lady Fu quite a bit.

Empress Dowager Du felt that everything Fu wrote was exactly what she said, without any discrepancy.

Seeing that Empress Dowager Du did not take it seriously, Zhao Dexiu further advised:
"Grandmother, why don't you take a look?"

Zhao Dexiu's advice aroused Empress Dowager Du's suspicion. Could there really be something wrong with the contents of the edict?
Suspicion arose, and Empress Dowager Du instructed Zhao Dexiu to unfold the imperial edict on the couch.

When the contents of the edict came into Empress Dowager Du's view, she was initially quite calm, but when she saw some of the contents that she had never agreed to, her expression became flustered.

“I never agreed to let Fu Yanlin take charge of the palace guards; this was not my intention.”

"It was her, she wrote it herself."

Empress Dowager Du never imagined that Lady Fu would be so audacious as to take advantage of her trust in her and add other content to the imperial edict.

Being betrayed is a terrible feeling.

Noticing Empress Dowager Du's panic, Zhao Dexiu gently comforted her:
"It's alright, it's alright, your grandson is here."

While comforting her, Zhao Dexiu gently patted Empress Dowager Du's back.

Empress Dowager Du, who came from a commoner background, did not anticipate this, which shows that she lacked the wisdom of a politician.

Why did ministers from different factions and the crown prince always have to be by the side of the ruler when he was seriously ill?
This was to prevent some close advisors from forging edicts and launching a coup when the ruler was in a daze or before news of his death was announced.

Although Empress Dowager Du is not an emperor, and the Fu family cannot use her to carry out a coup, it is not difficult for them to use her to achieve many political goals.

Fortunately, Zhao Dexiu had taken precautions and had Wang Ji'en keep watch outside Yanshou Palace at all times, which successfully prevented this incident of forged imperial edict.

Zhao Dexiu's words of comfort gradually calmed Empress Dowager Du down.

Seeing that Empress Dowager Du had seen through Fu's true colors, Zhao Dexiu finally spoke:
"Fu has forged an imperial edict and has been ordered by his grandson to be imprisoned in a side hall."

Zhao Dexiu adopted a gradual approach.

If it had been explained from the beginning that he had ordered Fu's imprisonment, the confused Empress Dowager Du would certainly not have believed it at first, and might have even developed unnecessary suspicions.

Now, under Zhao Dexiu's gradual guidance, Empress Dowager Du is seeing through Fu's true colors step by step. If he were to reveal the matter of imprisoning Fu, he would only gain Empress Dowager Du's support.

As expected, no sooner had Zhao Dexiu finished speaking than Empress Dowager Du said angrily:

"Good riddance to her! I trusted that vile woman so much in the past!"

After Empress Dowager Du finished scolding Lady Fu, Zhao Dexiu continued:

“Fu Yanqing must have been behind the scenes instigating Fu’s act of forging the imperial edict.”

Fu Yanqing's treasonous intentions are blatantly obvious and he must be severely punished, otherwise the nation will be in turmoil. The edict personally written by Fu Yanqing was almost entirely for the benefit of her paternal clan; who could believe that Fu Yanqing wasn't behind this?
The facts are in black and white, leaving Fu Yanqing no room for denial.

Zhao Dexiu's deduction was strongly agreed upon by Empress Dowager Du.

"Quickly send troops to arrest Fu Yanqing!"

At this point, Empress Dowager Du no longer considered Fu Yanqing a "virtuous in-law"; she felt that Fu Yanqing was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

After Empress Dowager Du finished speaking, she looked at Zhao Dexiu, hoping that he would take action quickly.

Empress Dowager Du felt that with the forged edict personally written by the Fu family as evidence, the proof was irrefutable and enough to condemn the Fu family to eternal damnation.

Empress Dowager Du was right about this, but she overlooked one point.

If the truth were revealed to the world, the Fu clan would be destroyed, but the dignity of the royal family would also be damaged.

Because the world will learn from the truth that the seemingly unapproachable royal family is actually so easily deceived.
If this idea takes root in people's minds, then the great prestige that the Song Dynasty imperial family has painstakingly accumulated in the world will develop many cracks.

These numerous cracks will directly damage the foundation of the Song Dynasty.

As for abandoning the charge of forging the imperial edict, Zhao Dexiu was unable to produce any other conclusive charges that could completely destroy the Fu clan.

The Fu family has many old friends and acquaintances in the imperial court alone.

As the Crown Prince and regent, Zhao Dexiu had to find a way to achieve the best of both worlds.

This would neither damage the imperial dignity nor undermine the fact that the Fu family had forged the imperial edict.

The one who tied the knot must untie it. Zhao Dexiu took out a blank silk scroll from behind him and said to Empress Dowager Du:
“Please have Grandmother write on the silk scroll: Fu Shi stole the imperial seal and forged an imperial edict.”

"Once Grandmother has finished writing it, I will summon all my ministers to announce it, and at the same time send troops to arrest the Fu family."

Zhao Dexiu's words made Empress Wang's eyes light up.

As early as when Empress Dowager Du was in a coma, Zhao Dexiu had discussed with her how to properly handle the matter of Fu's forged imperial edict.

Through Zhao Dexiu's explanation, Empress Wang realized the harm of rashly revealing the truth to the world.

Empress Wang had been worried about this, but she never expected that Zhao Dexiu would come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides in such a short time.

If Empress Dowager Du had a personal edict, then the truth that would be revealed to the world later would be as follows:
Fu, who was favored by Empress Dowager Du, took advantage of her status as a member of the imperial family to steal the Empress Dowager's seal with ulterior motives, intending to carry out a forged imperial edict.

Fortunately, although Empress Dowager Du was ill, she was able to keenly detect the abnormality. After she sent Wang Ji'en to contact Prince Jin, the two of them worked together to thwart this political conspiracy orchestrated by Fu Yanqing, which aimed to disrupt the court.

This "truth" not only ensured that the Fu family could not escape the law, but also demonstrated the keen insight of Empress Dowager Du and the Crown Prince Regent.

When the people of the land learn of this, they will condemn Fu Yanqing's wolfish ambitions on the one hand, and on the other hand, they will have even greater awe for the Song Dynasty's imperial family.

Isn't this the best of both worlds?
Upon learning that Zhao Dexiu's handling of the matter was impeccable, Empress Wang repeatedly chimed in:
“What the Prince of Jin said is very true. Please, Your Majesty, write it down.”

Empress Dowager Du could not understand Zhao Dexiu's intention to help her take off.

But considering that she was the one who started this whole thing, she didn't refuse.

Empress Dowager Du couldn't write long passages, but six words were no problem for her.

After Empress Dowager Du finished writing, she gestured to Empress Wang to bring the Empress Dowager's seal and personally stamped it on the edict.

After affixing the imperial seal, Empress Dowager Du belatedly remarked:
"Will this matter affect the Marquis of Donghai?"

Deep down, Empress Dowager Du still wanted to protect Zhao Guangyi.

Empress Dowager Du's belated realization once again made Empress Wang laugh helplessly—thankfully, the royal family had Prince Jin.

In response to Empress Dowager Du's concerns, Zhao Dexiu reassured her:
"My uncle is praying for blessings with my father at Mount Song. How could he be involved in this matter?"

Grandmother, don't worry.

After comforting her, Zhao Dexiu asked Empress Wang to stay and take care of Empress Dowager Du, while he got up and walked out of the hall.

When Zhao Dexiu arrived outside Yanshou Palace, he first called Zhang Qiong to his side.

"By order of Gu Jun, the entire city shall be placed under martial law, and all officials of the fourth rank and above shall be summoned to Chongyuan Hall."

As the Crown Prince who was in charge of the country, Zhao Dexiu had the authority to impose martial law on the entire city.

Then Zhao Dexiu gave the following order:

"You lead your troops to Fu Yanqing's residence and arrest the Fu clan members and imprison them."

Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!

Upon receiving this order, Zhang Qiong looked up in surprise.

Fu Yanqing's residence?

Fu Yanqing is no ordinary minister.

Seeing Zhang Qiong hesitate, Zhao Dexiu produced Empress Dowager Du's edict and Empress Wang's seal.

Zhao Dexiu was already the regent and crown prince, and with the support of the two palaces, his power had reached its peak, just as if Zhao Kuangyin were present.

Upon seeing the imperial edict stating that "the Fu family stole the imperial seal and forged the edict," Zhang Qiong's face showed indignation.

"promise!"

Zhang Qiong's "I accept the order" was filled with murderous intent.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, many ministers who were summoned to the Chongyuan Hall were unaware of what had happened.

After Zhao Pu entered the hall, many ministers subconsciously moved closer to him.

As the head of the Political Affairs Hall, Zhao Pu might be able to glean some information from him.

What the ministers didn't know was that, not only them, even Zhao Pu was somewhat confused.

Despite his confusion, Zhao Pu believed that something serious must have happened, otherwise Zhao Dexiu would not have gone to such lengths.

After all the officials arrived, Zhao Dexiu, led by Wang Ji'en, entered the hall.

As soon as Zhao Dexiu entered the hall, all the officials inside stood at attention.

After Zhao Dexiu stood before the assembled officials, he recounted in detail what had happened at Yanshou Palace.

As soon as Zhao Dexiu finished speaking, the entire hall was plunged into an uproar.

The laws of today don't distinguish between "you" and "I".

As Fu Yanqing's legitimate daughter, even though she was already married, Fu's every move was related to Fu Yanqing.

Because the matter of the forged imperial edict involved Fu Yanqing, and his position was extremely important.

Among the current court officials, many were old acquaintances of Fu Yanqing, and they were the first to express their doubts about Zhao Dexiu's words:
"Fu Gong is renowned throughout the land; how could he possibly forge an imperial edict?"

Zhao Dexiu had long anticipated that someone would suspect this matter, but fortunately he had irrefutable evidence in hand.

Zhao Dexiu took out two imperial edicts from his bosom: one was an official edict from Empress Dowager Du, and the other was a forged edict written by Lady Fu herself.

Zhao Dexiu handed the two imperial edicts to Zhao Pu and Zhang Zhao.

In terms of status, Zhao Pu was the head of all officials; in terms of prestige, Zhang Zhao was the head of all officials.

If neither of them objects, then the matter of Fu's forged imperial edict is a foregone conclusion.

With the written agreement in hand, what objections could Zhao Pu and Zhang Zhao possibly have?

After reading it, Zhang Zhao was the first to open his eyes wide with anger and shout:
"You audacious thief!"

After shouting, Zhang Zhao, holding the forged edict, approached the ministers who had previously expressed doubt and demanded in a stern voice:

"Do you want to join the rebellion?"

As soon as Zhang Zhao uttered his question, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

This shout was the clarion call to convict Fu Yanqing.

(End of this chapter)