eurekapd Chapter 280 The Majesty of the Emperor
Chapter 280 The Majesty of the Emperor
Chapter 280 280 Imperial Majesty
Inside the vast imperial study, the emperor leaned casually against his throne, flipping through memorials as if he did not see Gongsun Zhan and Feng Ling kneeling before him.
Without the emperor's command, the two men knelt with their heads bowed, not daring to utter a word or make a move. They knew that the emperor was angered by their actions in the palace and was deliberately putting pressure on them to demonstrate his imperial authority.
After about three incense sticks had burned, and having finished reading the memorials in his hands, the emperor raised his head and said to them, "Alright, get up."
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty." Gongsun Zhan breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stand up, but because he had been kneeling for too long, he almost fell to the ground when he stood up. Fortunately, Feng Ling helped him up from behind, so that he did not lose his manners in front of the emperor.
The emperor's gaze swept over him, seemingly somewhat gloomy, and he said indifferently:
"In the blink of an eye, the Left Prime Minister has been by my side for thirty years. In these thirty years, from the Prince's Mansion to the Imperial Palace, the Left Prime Minister has always been by my side, working day and night to manage government affairs for me, and managing everything around me in an orderly manner. He has truly devoted himself to the cause and made great contributions."
Gongsun Zhan felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly said, "If it weren't for His Majesty's appreciation and favor, I would at most be just a minor clerk, and how could I have achieved what I have today? Since His Majesty trusts me, I will certainly share His Majesty's burdens and solve his problems. Everything I do is just my duty, so why talk about hardship?"
The Emperor said, “I heard some time ago that half of the ministers in the court are disciples of the Left Chancellor. After thinking about it carefully, it seems to be true. Feng Ling, Shu Wenda, Xu Songshan, Gao Ling... which one of them is not a good official who holds a high position, is honest and diligent, and serves the country and the people? It seems that this is the result of the Left Chancellor’s exemplary conduct and personal teaching.”
After a pause, the emperor sighed, "Alas, when the Empress gave birth to the Crown Prince, she discussed with me the selection of an imperial tutor and even mentioned that she wanted to invite the Left Prime Minister to be the Crown Prince's teacher. I was a little reluctant to do so, but now it seems that the Empress was more insightful. If the Left Prime Minister had been able to guide him, the Crown Prince would not be in this state now."
Upon hearing this, both Gongsun Zhan and Feng Ling felt a jolt in their hearts.
For some reason, hearing the emperor mention the crown prince at this moment made Feng Ling feel a little uneasy.
Gongsun Zhan remained calmer and said, "Although I have not been able to teach the Crown Prince, his three tutors are my classmates and are also rare and excellent teachers. With their guidance, His Highness will surely become a wise ruler like His Majesty in the future."
"A wise ruler?" The emperor sighed helplessly. "Look at what he's doing now. Is there anything decent he's done? In the flood control efforts across three prefectures, he built a 'tofu-like riverbank,' causing people to be displaced and families to be destroyed. If he knew his mistake, he should at least have thought about resettling the victims after the disaster. But what has he done? Instead, he proposed rebuilding the Qionglin Garden, yet he concealed the whereabouts of the construction funds. I just don't understand. This empire will be his sooner or later, so what is the purpose of all this? And this is only what has been leaked to me. Who knows what other foolish things he has done in places I don't know about!"
The emperor became increasingly agitated as he spoke, eventually coughing uncontrollably. With his graying hair and wrinkled face, he looked no different from an ordinary father worrying about his son, which was truly heartbreaking.
The more he revealed this demeanor, the less Feng Ling and Gongsun Zhan knew how to bring up the Zhao Chengde case. No matter what they said, in the emperor's mind, it might all be seen as kicking the crown prince while he was down. Although they hadn't shown any inclination to be close to any of the princes in court, the emperor was bound to become suspicious, which might not be a good thing for them.
But if we don't speak out, won't the spirits of those girls who died unjustly never find peace?
Feng Ling gritted his teeth, finally raised his head, and said as if he were going to take a leap of faith: "Your Majesty, what I am saying at this time may not be pleasant to hear. But since I have been appreciated by Your Majesty and have taken charge of Shuntian Prefecture, I have no reason to sit idly by and watch the people suffer. Therefore, there is something I must say today."
The emperor looked at Feng Ling, his eyes dark and unwavering: "I know you are doing this for the people. I also know what you want to say to me."
Gongsun Zhan's lips twitched, but his heart remained calmly unsurprised. He had already sensed it when the emperor inexplicably brought up the matter of the "Imperial Tutor."
"Last night, the Crown Prince disregarded my order to confine him to his quarters and rushed from the Eastern Palace to the Taixi Palace to see me. He knelt before me, begging for my forgiveness, saying he had committed another unforgivable sin," the Emperor said. "He said that a few years ago, feeling stifled in the palace, he secretly slipped out, intending to travel incognito. Later, he heard from someone in the Ministry of Works about an elegant and fun place in the city, so he went with them, only to find it was a private brothel. He was momentarily blinded by lust and indulged himself there, but upon returning, he felt guilty towards the Crown Princess and never went again. He thought no one would discover this, until yesterday..."
The Emperor paused, looked at Feng Ling, and said, "Until yesterday, when Shuntian Prefecture sealed off that private kiln and unearthed many skeletons on the mountain, he finally realized what kind of shady business that kiln had been engaged in all these years. He said that although he didn't kill those skeletons, they were related to him, and he was truly uneasy, so he came to me to repent and beg for my forgiveness. When I first heard this, I was also extremely shocked and angry. How could there be such an evil person in this world who would profit from harming innocent girls? Such a person deserves to be torn to pieces and executed by slow slicing!"
Feng Ling's heart sank deeper and deeper. He understood. In order to prevent them from impeaching him, the Crown Prince had already gone to the Emperor beforehand when he learned that Zhao Chengde and the private kiln had been exposed. He had told the Emperor about it himself, and pretended to be full of regret and panic.
To protect the crown prince, the emperor first pressured them, then publicly revealed the prince's repentance, preventing them from pursuing further charges against him in the case. Thus, the blood-stained rubbing that Zheng Yan had risked her life to preserve inside her body became useless, a worthless piece of paper.
Ha, justice? What justice is there before the Emperor? He is the ruler, they are the subjects. Since the ruler commands, how dare the subjects disobey?
Feng Ling clenched his fist tightly inside his sleeve, forcing himself to calm his anger, and said, "Your Majesty is right. Zhao Chengde not only opened an official kiln in secret, damaging the official atmosphere, but also lured the Crown Prince into it and cruelly murdered innocent girls who refused to submit. His crimes are heinous and unforgivable."
The emperor finally showed a satisfied expression. He said, "Zhao Chengde's death was divine retribution, and he deserved to die. But he was just a merchant. Even if he donated money to buy an official position, what power or connections would he have to open an official kiln and lure the crown prince there? You said that the fire was deliberately set up. I'm afraid that someone was afraid that their collusion with Zhao Chengde would be exposed, so they burned the place down in the night to make sure there was no evidence against them."
Feng Ling lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty is right. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly, find out who is colluding with Zhao Chengde behind the scenes, and close this case completely before the autumn hunt."