bookrandom Chapter 217 The Conflict Between Two Parties
Chapter 217 The Conflict Between Two Parties
Beijing.
After Emperor Jian'an fainted and fell ill in the imperial court, he was unable to preside over the court. In order to stabilize the court officials, he issued an imperial edict ordering the crown prince to oversee the country, with the princes and important ministers assisting him.
Although the Crown Prince was not particularly talented, he had been taught by Grand Tutor Zhen and Empress Zhen since childhood that he was tolerant of others, not stubborn, and willing to listen to the opinions of court officials when handling political affairs.
However, because Emperor Jian'an was of sound mind, many matters of state could not be handled by the Crown Prince, who could not overstep his authority. His role was more like that of a mascot, reassuring the court officials.
Therefore, for any important military matters, the Crown Prince and court officials would submit memorials to Emperor Jian'an for approval.
After another court session, the Crown Prince arrived at the Qianqing Palace with a memorial. Emperor Jian'an was still too weak to move and leaned against his bed, looking at the Crown Prince as he entered.
"My son, I will meet my father."
The crown prince stopped a few steps away from the bed and bowed respectfully to Emperor Jian'an.
Emperor Jian'an raised his hand: "No need for formalities."
The Crown Prince calmly stood up and remained standing. Although he lowered his head and brows, from Emperor Jian'an's perspective, he could clearly see that the other's expression was as usual.
Respectful and humble.
He gradually felt satisfied.
Originally worried that the Crown Prince would become arrogant after taking power, Emperor Jian'an was surprised to find that the Crown Prince remained measured and prudent. What pleased Emperor Jian'an the most was that the Crown Prince was very discreet and kept him, his sovereign, in mind. He would consult the Crown Prince on all important state affairs before making a decision. The slight resentment that Emperor Jian'an had initially felt about delegating power to the Crown Prince disappeared.
Emperor Jian'an tried to sit up, but he was too weak to move. Before Eunuch Wang could help him, the Crown Prince stepped forward and helped him up. Once he was fully seated, Emperor Jian'an patted the Crown Prince's hand and said affectionately, "All done."
The crown prince paused for a moment and then stepped back.
How were the recent court assemblies?
The Crown Prince carefully considered his words and cautiously replied, "With the assistance of several officials appointed by Father Emperor and his frequent guidance, I have not encountered any difficulties."
"It is just that I am young and many government affairs are difficult to handle. I still need Father to lead me. I and all the civil and military officials hope that Father will recover from his illness soon."
The Crown Prince spoke earnestly, and Emperor Jian'an had no doubt about his sincerity.
Unlike other princes who were raised by empresses and concubines, the crown prince was personally raised by Empress Zhen and Emperor Jian'an. When he was with the other princes, Emperor Jian'an's relationship with them was more like that of a ruler and his subjects, but with the crown prince, they were like father and son in an ordinary family.
Emperor Jian'an looked at the Crown Prince, who stood respectfully before the bed, and instructed him: "I know of your filial piety. Those ministers were chosen by me. If you encounter any indecisive matters in the future, humbly consult them. Your third brother is quite talented and has always liked to associate with civil officials. In the future, he can assist you, the wise prince, in handling court affairs."
The two of them knew exactly when the future would be.
The Crown Prince sneered inwardly. His third brother had always regarded him as an enemy, vying with him for the Emperor's attention, but little did he know that the Emperor had never intended for him to succeed to the throne.
But when he thought of his father’s words, which sounded like both an admonition and a reminder, the smile in the Crown Prince’s eyes gradually faded. If his third brother’s family were ordinary and he was honest and upright, he wouldn’t mind giving him an important position. But his third brother had long been at odds with him, and his father still wanted him to get along well with his third brother.
Emperor Jian'an, oblivious to the Crown Prince's abrupt change in thought, continued, "As the heir apparent, you must not only be tolerant and appoint people based on merit, but also be respectful and loving towards your brothers. Don't let the world laugh at the royal family, thinking you can't even tolerate your own brothers."
Although Emperor Jian'an valued the Crown Prince, the other princes were also his sons, and he could not show favoritism to any of them.
After his death, it was a foregone conclusion that the Crown Prince would succeed him as the ruler of the country. The Crown Prince was known for his kindness and tolerance, and for his love for his younger siblings. The princes who were close to him would at least be granted the title of Prince of the County. Emperor Jian'an was not worried. However, the princes who had always opposed him might not have a good ending.
Perhaps it was during his illness that Emperor Jian'an's paternal love grew stronger, and he came to think about things he had never considered before during his recuperation.
Faced with Emperor Jian'an's teachings, the Crown Prince bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject will humbly follow Your Majesty's instructions."
Before the Crown Prince came to Qianqing Palace, Emperor Jian'an had taken medicine. Now, after talking for a while, he felt sleepy and waved his hand to dismiss the Crown Prince.
The crown prince bowed and left.
Back at the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince entered his study and dismissed all the palace servants. His subordinate immediately rose and asked, "Your Highness, what did His Majesty say to you?"
Unlike the low-ranking officials who were unable to attend court and did not witness Emperor Jian'an faint, and who assumed that Emperor Jian'an's long absence from court was due to a cold and being bedridden, the officials of the Eastern Palace were most aware of the reasons. They were somewhat worried when they saw that His Highness the Crown Prince was fine when he went to pay his respects to His Majesty, but his face darkened as soon as he returned to the Eastern Palace.
The Crown Prince sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said to him, "Father Emperor has instructed me to treat my third brother with leniency and give him an important position."
"How does this work?"
The subordinate blurted it out.
Facing the Crown Prince's gaze, the official immediately said, "Since Your Majesty fell ill and you took over the reins of government, all the ministers have worked diligently to assist you. Only the Third Prince, though outwardly respectful to you, is ambitious and constantly promotes those around him."
Within half a month, the civil officials at court, out of consideration for the Third Prince's maternal family, the Xun family, all began to befriend the Third Prince. If you were to entrust the Third Prince with any more important responsibilities, it would be like raising a tiger that will eventually cause trouble!
“I understand what you mean.” The Crown Prince raised his hand to interrupt: “If my third brother did not covet my position and was wholeheartedly pursuing the position of Prince Xian, I am not a narrow-minded person, nor would I hesitate to put on a show of brotherly affection and respect with him in front of Father. But his appetite is clearly more than that.”
The Crown Prince's expression grew cold: "Of the five ministers who assist the emperor, one is loyal to the emperor, one remains silent, one is biased towards me, and the remaining two, though seemingly silent, have received favors from the Xun family."
The third prince's maternal family was the Xun family, so the two ministers who assisted him naturally favored the third prince, who was the grandson of the Xun family. After all, the emperor had personally ordered the third prince to assist him in handling political affairs. This move led many people to speculate whether the emperor was dissatisfied with him as the crown prince and wanted to establish the third prince as the heir apparent.
The official was anxious: "We don't know when His Majesty's condition will improve. If the Third Prince continues to develop his power in the court, even if His Majesty returns to the court, the Third Prince will have already established a lot of connections in the court."
"Your Highness, we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom. We must dampen the arrogance of the Third Prince and his cronies, letting him and the court officials know that you are the true ruler of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty."
The Crown Prince was somewhat tempted by this, but remembering the advice he received from Grand Tutor Zhen, he said, "My father just instructed me that I must not lash out at the Third Prince in the blink of an eye."
He is the Crown Prince, the future ruler of the land, that's true, but Emperor Jian'an is still sitting on the dragon throne.
The official replied, "Your Highness was not instructed to arbitrarily punish the Third Prince."
The crown prince looked at him, gesturing for him to continue.
The official said, "The Third Prince has many followers, and not all of his men are careful. Your Highness can order someone to arrest one of them who has committed numerous crimes and punish him severely."
After listening to his subordinates' words, the Crown Prince pondered for a while. He thought that the Xun family and the Zhen family were roughly equal in power, but the Xun family had many more disciples than the Zhen family, so the Crown Prince could not feel at ease.
The official continued, "Your Highness, the suppression of the Third Prince should be done sooner rather than later. The Xun family are indeed civil officials, but Your Highness should not forget that the Xun family has marriage alliances with the military.
The crown prince remained silent, but the furrowed brows revealed that his mind was far from at peace.
He looked up at his subordinate and ordered, "Do as you say, and go quickly!"
A few days later, a shocking case broke out at the court meeting!
As the morning court session drew to a close, the Crown Prince sat regency on the dragon throne, while the Third Prince stood at the head of all the princes and nobles. Seeing that most of the court officials had already presented their important matters, the eunuch behind the Crown Prince announced loudly, "If you have anything to report, please do so; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"
After he finished speaking, an imperial censor stepped forward with his tablet, his expression solemn and dignified. After performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows to the crown prince, he said, "Your Highness, I, the imperial censor Leng Ding, tearfully plead for Your Highness! There are now treacherous officials who, under the guise of imperial lineage, are causing chaos in the capital. I fear that their evil deeds will tarnish Your Highness's reputation and damage your authority as regent. Therefore, I have no choice but to risk my life to plead for Your Highness!"
The court officials remained expressionless, but their eyes held a variety of emotions. The Third Prince raised his eyes to look at the Crown Prince at the head of the table, whose expression was unchanged. He then looked down at the Censor and said, "Speak."
Leng Ding kowtowed and stood up: "The person involved is Tu Shuai, the younger brother of the Third Prince's wife and the heir of the Marquis of Jinning. Last month, he allowed his evil servants to burn down thirteen houses in the southern city, killing thirteen people. The Jingzhao Prefecture, fearing the power of the Tu family, concealed the case and did not report it, causing the families of the deceased to be unable to seek justice. This is one crime."
Tu Shuai's Xishan Villa privately possessed thirty boxes of glazed tiles with dragon and phoenix patterns. Craftsman Li Ergou and others can testify that these were once belonging to a Ming Dynasty prince! Possessing the belongings of a traitor is a double crime! How can such arrogant and rebellious individuals be worthy of being related to a prince by marriage?!
"I know that the Third Prince has a reputation for virtue and would certainly not stoop to associating with such wolves! I humbly request Your Highness:"
The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate shall jointly conduct a public trial of the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Jinning!
As soon as Leng Ding finished speaking, he put down the jade tablet, took out a memorial from his robe, raised it above his head, and bowed to present it to the Crown Prince.
The Third Prince's cronies would not sit idly by and wait for their doom. Tu Shuai was none other than the Third Prince's wife's younger brother, and he had a close relationship with the Third Prince. If His Highness the Crown Prince agreed to Censor Leng's impeachment and ordered the three judicial departments to hold a public trial of Tu Shuai in order to determine his crimes, it would definitely have a negative impact on the Third Prince's reputation. The Third Prince has always been known among scholars for his wisdom and virtue, and they could not allow their prince's reputation to be tarnished in the slightest.
A young official stepped forward and looked coldly at Leng Ding: "Lord Leng, is it too frivolous to accuse the heir of the Marquis of Jinning without any evidence? His Majesty appointed Lord Leng as the Censor to rectify the court and the country, not to let Lord Leng settle personal scores."
After the Jin Ning Marquis's family fell into decline and had no heir, Tu Shuai was able to act with impunity in the capital after his daughter married the Third Prince.
Many officials who previously disregarded the Jinning Marquis's mansion dared not offend Tu Shuai. Tu Shuai was already arrogant, and now he looked down on the small families in the capital even more. Whenever he encountered an official's carriage on the street, if the official's rank was the same as his or lower, Tu Shuai would not avoid it, but instead have his driver drive forward, leaving many officials angry but unable to speak out.
Leng Ding also experienced this.
The Third Prince knew Tu Shuai's bad nature; the latter always fawned on the powerful and belittled the weak. However, he knew who he could mess with and who he couldn't. When facing important officials or those favored by the Third Prince, he was humble, so the Third Prince didn't pay him too much attention. After all, he still needed the Tu family to do things for him.
I don't want to be caught doing something wrong.
Leng Ding straightened up and replied, "I don't understand what Lord Qi is saying. I am trusted by His Majesty to serve as an Inspector, responsible for monitoring the reports and rumors submitted by all officials. Moreover, this time, we have all the witnesses and evidence waiting outside the palace gates."
The Crown Prince raised his hand, and the two fell silent, ceasing their argument. He then turned to the Third Prince and asked, "What is your opinion on this matter, Third Brother?"
The Third Prince bowed and said in a gentle tone, "Your subject should not speak recklessly. Since Lord Leng has all the witnesses and evidence, your subject humbly requests Your Highness to order the three judicial departments to conduct a joint trial and investigate thoroughly without any leniency."
The Crown Prince said, “My third brother has shown great righteousness by sacrificing his own family for the greater good, which greatly comforts me.”
After the morning court session, the three departments of the Ministry of Justice immediately went to the residence of the Marquis of Jinning to arrest the heir of the Marquis of Jinning for joint trial. Because there were both witnesses and physical evidence, the heir of the Marquis of Jinning was sentenced and ultimately exiled three thousand miles away.
The Crown Prince had thought that after this warning, the Third Prince would be free from trouble for a while.
Before long, rumors spread throughout the capital that the Crown Prince was incompetent and immoral, and that since he had assumed the regency, auspicious omens had decreased in various prefectures and the autumn harvest had plummeted, which must have angered Heaven.
The Jingzhao Prefecture sent people everywhere to search for those who spread rumors, but they only caught a few hooligans and scoundrels.
When the rumors grew louder and Emperor Jian'an heard about them, he ordered the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to come to the Qianqing Palace.
On the spot, his face darkened as he reprimanded the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. Faced with the Emperor Jian'an's thunderous rage, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince immediately knelt down: "Father, please calm your anger!"
Emperor Jian'an calmed his anger and stared at his two sons in front of him, saying, "I don't care how many ulterior motives you have, but I am not yet gone, and I will not tolerate your repeated power struggles. If there is a next time, I will not let you off easily!"
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince practically pressed their faces to the ground: "Father, please forgive us! Your sons dare not!"
"Get out of my sight! If I hear any more rumors about this tomorrow, you have no need to attend court or handle state affairs."
The Crown Prince felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had made a mistake. He bowed to Emperor Jian'an and left, with the Third Prince following closely behind.
The following day, the rumors circulating in the market that were unfavorable to His Highness the Crown Prince gradually disappeared, and the entire court gradually returned to calm.
Perhaps angered by the actions of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, Emperor Jian'an suffered a stroke the following evening, coughing incessantly until he coughed up blood in front of the palace servants.
Eunuch Wang was shocked and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Quickly summon the imperial physician!"
"Don't go!"
Emperor Jian'an rebuked him.
He kept coughing, and Eunuch Wang stepped forward and gently patted his back.
After his cough subsided, Emperor Jian'an looked up, his face, sallow and weary from the torment of illness, and declared: "If even the slightest word of tonight's events gets out, everyone in the Qianqing Palace will be executed without exception!"
Seeing the emperor's murderous eyes, Eunuch Wang felt a chill run down his spine, but his face remained impassive: "This servant obeys!"
That night, there was a slight disturbance in the Qianqing Palace, but it soon calmed down. Emperor Jian'an thought that no news had spread, but what he did not know was that because of his old age and frail health, his illness had worsened, and many court officials had developed their own ideas. The palace had long been infiltrated with spies, and his every move could not be hidden from anyone.
Seeing that the emperor was getting worse and worse, and that the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were fighting to the death, some politically astute families in the capital sensed that the capital was about to undergo a major change. After careful consideration, they decided to send their outstanding sons to other places, just in case, so as to preserve their bloodline.