A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 47 Asking God
"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

Intense shouts of battle erupted from the Xuan Shi Hall. The officials of the central and outer courts, standing solemnly on the stone steps, gazed into the deep hall and sensed that the world was about to collapse.

Gongsun Hong and Dong Zhongshu are both veterans of the imperial court. Eight years ago, there was the "Witchcraft Case," eleven years ago, the "Defeat at Mayi," and eighteen years ago, the "Experiment in Honoring Confucianism." So many people fell from power, so many were executed, and so many thrilling events occurred. Yet, His Majesty has never roared like a lion or raged like a madman as he does today!
Some of the younger and less experienced court officials felt that Weiyang Palace was about to collapse!

"His Majesty!"

Another sharp cry came from the Xuan Shi Hall; it was the voice of King Wuqiu Shou.

Even Liu Che, still in a state of impotent rage, was stopped by Wuqiu Shouwang's scream, and his glaring eyes slowly pierced towards him.

Wuqiu Shouwang knelt before Liu Che, his voice trembling with emotion yet forced to be low, "Don't kill him! Don't kill him!"

Liu Che stared intently at Prince Wuqiu Shou, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, if a king and ten marquises utter such arrogant words and commit suicide on the execution ground, and we kill them all, our Great Han Dynasty will be thrown into chaos in an instant."

Wuqiu Shouwang stiffened his neck, raised his head high, and said with tears streaming down his face, "King of Zhongshan, King of Zhongshan, it is because of his death that His Majesty's blood is spilled!"

"how about you?"

Liu Che's ashen face somehow managed a smile as he gently asked Prince Wuqiu Shou, "Tell me, who instructed the Prince of Zhongshan, and who instructed you? It's not too late to tell me now, and I will not pursue the matter."

“No one instructed the King of Zhongshan, and no one instructed me.”

"Without anyone's instruction, would the King of Zhongshan utter such wild words on the execution ground? Without anyone's instruction, would there be sharp wooden stakes on the execution ground? Without anyone's instruction, would the King of Zhongshan commit suicide on the execution ground? Without anyone's instruction, would the Ten Marquises of Du Yan die on the execution ground? What were you doing then, what were you all doing then?" Liu Che's voice was both extremely gentle and extremely chilling.

Wuqiu Shouwang still stubbornly looked up at Liu Che, saying, "According to the rules of ancient and modern times, the punishment does not apply to high-ranking officials. The Prince of Zhongshan went to the capital to be beheaded. Since Emperor Xiaowen, there has been no such case. Whether in the outer court or the inner court, whether in the court of enlightened officials or cruel officials, there has been no history of the murder of a prince. I hope Your Majesty will be aware of any oversights."

Throughout the entire Han Dynasty, apart from the palace coup during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, which resulted in the execution of all the sons of Emperor Xiaohui, no other vassal king ever ascended the execution ground and had his head handed over to someone.

Moreover, the deaths of Emperor Hui's sons were kept secret by Emperor Wen, the founding meritorious officials, and the princes, and have not been deciphered to this day, and may never be deciphered in history.

Other feudal lords who died, such as the recent kings of Huainan and Hengshan, basically committed suicide without being questioned after being convicted of a capital offense.

For example, Liu Rong, the former deposed crown prince and Prince of Linjiang and father of the two kings, was interrogated, but before he could be convicted, he committed suicide in prison.

King Liu Sheng of Zhongshan and Crown Prince Liu Chang surrendered without resistance and were escorted to the capital. It can be said that neither the officials of the central nor the outer dynasties had the experience of personally beheading a prince.

The execution ground at the Wei River grassland was set up hastily, which led to a major mistake, leaving the prisoner with the opportunity to commit suicide. What was even more unexpected was that the Prince of Zhongshan would even splatter His Majesty's blood on his own body.

However, Wuqiu Shouwang did not believe that this was anyone's scheme. Even if Chancellor Gongsun Hong, Grand Marshal Wei Qing, and Crown Prince Liu Ju really wanted to take action, they would not resort to such means that would shake the imperial power.

The crown prince wants to obtain the throne, not to depose it; there is a fundamental difference in their behavior and conduct.

As for what he was doing at the time?
Of course, the intention was to use casual conversation to smear the crown prince, making the dukes, marquises, generals, members of the imperial family, and officials of both dynasties believe that it was the crown prince's unwillingness to intervene and save the princes that led to the deaths of the Prince of Zhongshan and the Ten Marquises of Du Yan.

How can the nobles and dignitaries trust a crown prince who shows no mercy even to his own blood relatives?

He created support for His Majesty and enemies for the Crown Prince. As for the others in the court, they were helping him, watching and pressuring the Crown Prince, and were equally oblivious to what was happening at the execution ground.

But what he didn't expect was that the crown prince directly labeled the nobles and relatives who sided with the emperor as enemies, turning the struggle of human nature into a battle between enemies and friends, thus thwarting his evil plan.

Afterwards, the deaths of the King of Zhongshan and the Ten Marquises of Du Yan came suddenly and completely exceeded everyone's expectations. In the second moment after the incident, King Wuqiu Shou looked at the Crown Prince in front of him. The astonishment in the Crown Prince's eyes could not be faked.

In short, it was an accident.

King Wuqiu Shou banged his head on the ground, making a loud thud.

However, Emperor Liu Che did not believe these heartfelt words!

Liu Che, who was naturally suspicious and distrustful, had a premonition that the crown prince would use scheming to seize his throne, but he never expected that it would be at this moment, at the death of a prince, that the label of a tyrannical ruler would be pinned on him, and that his actions over the past twenty years would be defined as tyrannical and immoral.

Shock, rage, disbelief!

When Liu Che saw officials from both the central and foreign dynasties gather at Weiyang Palace on an unprecedented scale, he immediately realized that this was a collective and premeditated coup attempt.

There must be someone behind this who is "united in purpose and colluding with outsiders" to force him to step down!
It is Chancellor Gongsun Hong, Grand Marshal Wei Qing, or even the Crown Prince!
Faced with a political upheaval that threatened the very foundation of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che felt no fear, only an indescribable surge of passion and excitement.

However, after a round of exchanges between the emperor and his ministers, Liu Che saw the unwavering loyalty of Prince Wuqiu Shou, and he became conflicted and even more confused.

Should one trust their own judgment or the loyalty of their subjects?

Liu Che's eyes had rolled back, his black pupils gone, leaving only the whites of his eyes. "I know, I know, I know..."

Wuqiu Shouwang, who had been kowtowing incessantly, froze at this moment. He raised his swollen head, his eyes glistening with tears, and knelt down to approach, saying, "Your Majesty, the only thing we can do now is to pray to the gods. Please, Your Majesty, be free from illness."

The blood of relatives.

It's something that no mortal can wash away.

Only the gods can bestow blessings.

A serious illness, incurable by medicine, will inevitably lead to widespread rumors of divine retribution both inside and outside the palace. Then, the emperor's body will suddenly recover, which is divine punishment.

Heaven has already punished the emperor, but it hasn't taken his life. What else can the people say?
The ideas of "harmony between man and nature" and "the theory of natural disasters" that he had followed in Dong Zhongshu's footsteps had blossomed and borne fruit at this moment.

"If Heaven punishes, then humanity cannot punish."

Liu Che's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he used the mandate of heaven to resist the rumors and gossip. "A good idea! A good idea..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Che closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and fell backward.

Wuqiu Shouwang suddenly stood up, hugged Liu Che tightly, and shouted with tears streaming down his face, "Someone! Someone come quickly! Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician immediately!"

The palace doors were wide open, and Wuqiu Shouwang's words were clearly heard. The officials from both dynasties, who filled the palace steps, revealed a deep joy amidst their surprise and panic, their eyes seemingly waiting for the inevitable end...

(End of this chapter)