Chaрtеr 368: The Вronze Sраrrоw оf Сhаng'an Sings 22
On thе third day of the twelfth lunar mоnth, а banquеt was bеing hеld in thе Еastеrn Раlасe. Аs usual, Li Chong hаd summоned thе musicians and dаncers frоm the Impеriаl Мusiс Вurеаu. Amidst the snоw-сovеrеd wоrld outsidе, the Еаstern Pаlаcе was warm and livеly.
Li Chong hеld а winе cuр, squinting as he watсhеd thе danсеrs реrfоrm. Jin Сang, thе сhief musiсian оf the Impеrial Мusiс Вureаu, sаt bеlоw, playing thе konghou. The melоdy was sorrоwful.
Crown Рrincе Li Сhong wоuld turn forty-two after the New Year. Before the old Shen family case, he had already ascended the throne as emperor. However, due to the Shen family case, Empress Dowager Zhou Zhao at the time launched a coup, demoting the then-emperor Li Chong back to crown prince, while Zhou Zhao declared herself empress, citing Li Chong’s soft-heartedness as unfit for the heavy responsibilities of the throne.
Since his demotion, Li Chong faced internal pressure from Xu Wan and Zhang Baohuan, external threats from the Zhou family’s relatives, and, at the very least, Lai Luozhi.
As for him, only old ministers like Zhang Xingwei secretly supported him. But what use was that? Those old ministers were all too aged, and the one who had pulled him down was his own birth mother.
From then on, Li Chong lost all interest in court affairs. He idled his days away, seeking pleasure everywhere. Even now, as the Empress’s health weakened daily and various factions secretly colluded, Li Chong remained unmoved. He even advised Zhang Xingwei and others not to act rashly and risk their lives.
To die for righteousness—why should they fear death?
Thinking of Li Chong’s current plight and the political situation, Jin Cang’s fingers shifted on the strings. He stopped the decadent "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Dress Melody" and began playing "The Prince of Qin Breaks the Enemy Formation."
Receiving orders from the sovereign, together they march to quell the rebels. Singing "The Breaking of the Ranks," they celebrate the peace-loving people.
This piece was composed and written by Emperor Taizong of the previous dynasty for his soldiers heading to battle. Its melody was stirring and inspiring.
At first, Li Chong listened with his robe open, leaning back lazily. Upon hearing "The Prince of Qin Breaks the Enemy Formation," his eyes snapped open, a sharp gaze falling on Jin Cang. Seeing Jin Cang’s sorrowful and sincere gaze fixed on him, Li Chong sighed and closed his eyes again.
So be it. What was meant to come would come.
Soon, someone from the Crown Prince’s residence reported this to Lai Luozhi. Overjoyed, Lai Luozhi could not wait to rush to the palace and denounce the matter.
The Judicial Affairs Bureau specialized in handling accusations. Lai Luozhi had also been tacitly permitted to monitor the imperial relatives. Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately changed her expression.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is clearly nostalgic for the previous dynasty and plotting rebellion."
The Empress was furious and immediately ordered the arrest of all officials in the Eastern Palace, subjecting them to harsh interrogations. The Crown Prince was confined to the inner court.
As the musician was Jin Cang, he was the first to be singled out. Charged with the grave crime of treason, the Jin family was confiscated and brought into the Judicial Affairs Bureau. Zhu Yan’s mother, Concubine Jin, was Jin Cang’s cousin. However, as a married woman, she was not implicated.
At the time, Zhu Yan had just returned from examining a corpse and was writing her report when she was informed of this devastating news. She nearly fainted but was promptly supported by Shen Du.
The two sat together in silence. Shen Du reached out and placed an arm around Zhu Yan’s shoulder, comforting her softly.
Just a few days ago, he had helped her out of a difficult situation, and now he had been taken into the Judicial Affairs Bureau.
To put it mildly, it was for questioning; to put it bluntly, it was a death sentence. Everyone knew that those who entered the Judicial Affairs Bureau only came out as corpses, and they were tortured to death by Lai Luozhi using the cruelest methods.
Concubine Jin, her face streaked with tears, weakly asked Zhu Yan if she could seek Shen Du’s help. Zhu Yan was momentarily at a loss but comforted her and sent her back. When Shen Du returned, he was already aware of the situation.
"Husband, I must save them," Zhu Yan said, not daring to grieve for too long. Forcing herself to recover from her sorrow, she looked up, her eyes misty with tears.
"Do not fear," Shen Du said, his expression cold and his voice low. "I am here."Shen Du knew he could not sit idly by and wait for death here; if he did not take action soon, he would become very passive.
He was unsure whether this matter involved him, but he deeply felt it would not be simple.
Despite Shen Du's assurances, how could Zhu Yan simply wash her hands of it? After much deliberation, she went directly to Zhang Xingwei.
Everyone said that Zhu Yan's father, Zhu Kuo, was on good terms with Zhang Xingwei's faction. Although she knew her father's temperament was not like that—he was merely a minor official, not particularly strong-willed, and aligning with Prime Minister Zhang was likely just to avoid being ostracized by others in the officialdom, hardly a sign of any grand ambitions.
But since everyone said so, and even the Empress suspected it, now that trouble had arisen, how could Prime Minister Zhang stand by and watch?
Zhu Yan did not send any formal request for an audience; instead, she intercepted Prime Minister Zhang right at the gate of his residence. The moment Zhang Xingwei saw Zhu Yan, he felt a headache coming on, deeply questioning whether arranging the marriage between the Zhu family and the Shen residence had been a good idea.
"Do you know why I remain unharmed despite the Crown Prince being placed under house arrest this time?"
This was precisely Zhu Yan's question. Everyone knew Zhang Xingwei had always supported the Crown Prince's faction. This time, even the Crown Prince was placed under house arrest, so how was Prime Minister Zhang unaffected?
"Her Majesty is wise. She knows that as long as the Crown Prince's life is not in danger, I will remain obedient. As for that scoundrel Lai Luozhi, he only knows how to report others. Chief Censor Shen oversees the officials, governs the state, and manages the ministers. Her Majesty cannot do without me."
"If I were to step forward, the Crown Prince would surely die, and the Zhu family would not be spared either."
Thus, when forced to choose between protecting the Crown Prince or the Jin family, Zhang Xingwei chose the Crown Prince.
Zhu Yan understood that further words were useless, yet she could not help feeling resentful. Her nose tingled with emotion as she sneered, "Back then, did you also choose the Crown Prince and sacrifice the Shen family in the same way?"
A teacup fell to the ground, shattering upon impact. Zhang Xingwei's aged eyes shot like daggers into Zhu Yan's very being, but in an instant, he reverted to his frail, elderly demeanor and turned his back to her.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan said no more and turned to leave.
After a long while, Zhang Xingwei turned back, dipped his finger in tea, and wrote the character "Shen" on the table.
"Summon someone!"
That night, at the hour of Zi, a surviving member of the Jin family was brought into the Judicial Affairs Bureau. Although the Jin family was not familiar with this person, they still took care of him.
Shen Du entered the Daming Palace three times in one day, pleading with the Empress to transfer the Jin family prisoners from the Judicial Affairs Bureau to the Inner Court or the Ministry of Justice, but the Empress refused each time.
The Empress was determined to make an example of the Jin family and punish the Crown Prince.
As Shen Du was leaving, Princess Chaoyang was rushing to the Imperial Study to see the Empress, with Princess Yongan following closely behind.
Thinking of Zhu Yan anxiously waiting outside the palace, Shen Du quickened his pace. However, just as he was about to exit the palace gate, he was stopped at a side entrance by Xu Zhaorong, Xu Wan.
"Do not bring up the Crown Prince's case again. Otherwise, if the old Shen family case is dragged out, not even Zhu Yan—let alone yourself—will be safe."
Seeing the gloom in Shen Du's eyes, Xu Wan glanced around and added with a hint of warning, "Back then, it was I who recommended you to leave the Ye Court and serve in the military. You may act recklessly or ruthlessly in other matters, but in this case, you must keep your mouth shut and stay out of it. Think of the thousands of your Shen family members who gave their lives for yours. Do you truly intend to destroy everything for the sake of a woman?"
Normally, Xu Wan would never analyze the pros and cons so earnestly. She likely feared Shen Du's rash actions would implicate her, which was why she came to warn him so desperately."Shen Du, you'd best remember what I've said, or else, if you bring down a calamity upon yourself, don't say I didn't warn you in advance."
After a brief glance at her, Shen Du realized this was not the place for detailed discussion. His eyes darkened as he turned and left.
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