After hearing this, the Youning Emperor's expression turned grim: "Wang Zheng, do you believe all of this was done by the Crown Prince? If so, how could I still be standing before you now?"
This was precisely what Wang Zheng couldn't explain. Perhaps one or two of these incidents were the Crown Prince's doing, but it was impossible for all of them to be his work. Otherwise, the Crown Prince would already have sufficient power to secretly assassinate Your Majesty and legitimately ascend the throne.
"Your Majesty, the incident of the poisoned polo ball was definitely not my grandson's doing." Wang Zheng could only first clear his grandson's name.
"Wang Erlang has killed himself by crashing into a wall in prison." The Youning Emperor said calmly, "Your Wang family is a prestigious noble clan that values reputation above all. With this matter still unresolved, he takes his own life. What do you expect me to think?"
What to think? Other than silencing himself through death, what else could it be?
One must understand that with his death, there would be no witness to confront, making it impossible to thoroughly investigate this matter any further.
"Your Majesty, Erlang would never commit suicide!" Wang Zheng refused to believe it.
"I permit you to find the best coroners and doctors to gather evidence and prove to me that Wang Erlang did not kill himself."The Youning Emperor simply handed the matter over to Wang Zheng, then had Liu Sanzhi bring a letter and pass it to Wang Zheng." "Wang Zheng, take a good look at this."
After receiving and opening the letter, Wang Zheng's face changed dramatically. It was actually an inference about the creation of chaos during the Lantern Festival—a reasonable inference that pointed directly at him. Wang Zheng said calmly, "Your Majesty, I don't know why such a fallacious argument exists!"
This was merely an inference, not concrete evidence.
"Whether it's true or not, I won't pursue it further. Even if I did, we might not find evidence." The Youning Emperor's tone was unreadable. "When others imply it's you, you call it a fallacy. Yet when you imply it's the Crown Prince, you expect me to believe your words without evidence. Wang Zheng, you are not Gu Zhao."
Gu Zhao—a taboo subject for the emperor, a man the emperor had executed only to later exonerate. His Majesty must have mixed feelings of love and hate toward this man.
They had known each other since youth. Back when His Majesty was sent to the northwest, Gu Zhao traveled a thousand miles to see him off.
Later, the previous emperor grew increasingly absurd. At that time, the Gu family was embroiled in internal strife—some advocated overthrowing the Xiao family and establishing a new ruler, while Gu Zhao argued for bringing back His Majesty and Qian Wang, firmly believing that the Xiao imperial family's destiny was not yet exhausted.
It could be said that the Gu family declined under these circumstances. Ultimately, Gu Zhao prevailed, taking control of the Gu family at a young age. The final outcome proved his judgment accurate—though it wasn't Qian Wang who ascended the throne, the result wasn't too far from expectations.
During the years of eunuch tyranny, His Majesty and Gu Zhao were truly united as ruler and subject. Their disagreements began after the court factions were purged, when His Majesty wanted to vigorously promote commoners, even holding Special Imperial Examinations for two consecutive years, bringing wave after wave of commoner scholars into important positions.
Meanwhile, more talented and capable scions of noble families were suppressed. His Majesty's intention to curb the power of noble families grew stronger daily. As the head of the foremost noble family—the very one who had united the noble families to strongly support His Majesty—Gu Zhao now had to answer to the noble families for the emperor's betrayal after crossing the river.
Thus began various conflicts. Gu Zhao bared his sharp fangs, at his most resolute directly ordering the Three Departments to prevent His Majesty's edicts from being sealed with the imperial seal.
At that time, Wang Zheng was merely the overlooked second son of the Wang family. He would never forget the expression on the Youning Emperor's face that day.
An emperor, forced by his minister to do as he was told!
In this contest between ruler and subject, there was no right or wrong—only conflicting interests.Your Majesty endured numerous hardships in his youth. Upon ascending the throne, he found himself besieged on all sides, making it imperative to vigorously support his confidants and cultivate his own loyalists to consolidate the imperial authority.
However, as the leading figure of the aristocratic families, Gu Zhao bore the responsibility of safeguarding their interests and ensuring their power was neither divided nor eroded.
The Youning Emperor's willingness to rehabilitate Gu Zhao was partly due to the schemes of the Consort of the Prince Xin and partly because of his personal recognition of Gu Zhao's merits.
Yet, the Youning Emperor undoubtedly harbored deep apprehension toward Gu Zhao. From the sixth to the seventeenth year of his reign, a full eleven years, Gu Zhao monopolized power in the court. The Youning Emperor bided his time for eleven years, avoiding direct confrontation, before finally dismantling the Gu family in one decisive move.
"Your Majesty, I beg for your forgiveness. Your servant is filled with trepidation," Wang Zheng kowtowed deeply.
"Dismissed," the Youning Emperor said sternly.
Wang Zheng dared not say another word and could only withdraw obediently.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger," Liu Sanzhi immediately offered a cup of hot tea to the Youning Emperor.
The Youning Emperor trusted Liu Sanzhi above all others. After accepting the tea, he asked, "What do you think? Was this the Crown Prince's doing?"
Liu Sanzhi dared not speak recklessly. "Your Majesty, whether this was the Crown Prince's doing depends entirely on whether the injury to His Highness's eyes is genuine or feigned."
Holding the teacup, the Youning Emperor pondered thoughtfully. "Go and invite Master Xuqing to the palace. Tell him I am deeply concerned about the Crown Prince's eyes and request his examination."
Xuqing was a monastic, and monastics do not speak falsehoods. Moreover, Xuqing was well-versed in medical principles.
The Crown Prince had grown up in a Taoist temple. Buddhism and Taoism were two distinct schools, often in contention with each other. Under no circumstances would Xuqing help the Crown Prince deceive the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, Master Xuqing is currently restoring the Buddhist statues, and the Buddhist incense was prepared by Zhaoning County Princess," Liu Sanzhi felt compelled to remind him.
"It is of no consequence. Master Xuqing is a man of virtue and prestige; he would not deceive me over such matters," the Youning Emperor replied. He had appointed Xuqing as the master of Xiangguo Temple precisely because he valued his noble character and his dedication to spiritual cultivation.
Liu Sanzhi personally went to extend the invitation.
In the Eastern Palace, Xiao Huayong finished the final stroke of his brush, set it down, and invited Shen Xihe to take a look. "Youyou, this painting is for you."
Shen Xihe approached and, upon seeing it, was momentarily taken aback.
The painting depicted apricot blossoms in a light drizzle, with a graceful young woman beneath an oil-paper umbrella. She extended her hand slightly, allowing the fine rain and falling petals to drift onto her fingertips.
Her expression was gentle, her eyes filled with joy—clearly, the person in the painting delighted in watching the rain.
"Your Highness..." How did he know she enjoyed watching the rain?
Shen Xihe loved rainy days. She would stand by the window, watching the pitter-patter of the falling rain, and she also loved to sleep to the sound of rain. To her, on such days, even the air seemed to carry a subtle sweetness.
"Everything about you, I know," Xiao Huayong turned his gaze to her, his eyes tenderly fixed on her. "And if there is anything I do not know now, I will come to know it in the future."
"Thank you for the painting, Your Highness. Zhaoning would also like to present you with the painting I completed today," Shen Xihe brought forth her own work.
Her painting was simple and had been finished earlier; the ink had already dried.
It depicted two koi fish, one black and one red, forming a Taiji Yin-Yang symbol. Thinking of Xiao Huayong's upbringing in a Taoist temple, she believed such a Taoist-inspired painting, meant to nurture the heart, would be appropriate even if he requested it.
"These fish..." Xiao Huayong's smile was peculiarly subtle.
Shen Xihe had a strong intuition that his unfinished remark was not something proper, and she waited for him to continue.
Instead, Xiao Huayong first rolled up the painting and carefully stored it away before turning back to Shen Xihe with a suggestive smile. "They seem to be rather intimately intertwined at the necks..."
"Xiao Beichen!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Huayong grabbed the scroll and dashed away.
He feared that staying a moment longer would not only risk a beating but, more importantly, that Shen Xihe might snatch the painting back and retract her gift.Shen Xihe chased after him for two steps, but how could she possibly match Xiao Huayong's speed?
Moreover, if she kept chasing him, it would seem like the flirtatious banter between lovers.
Xiao Huayong always knew how to infuriate her!
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