Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 297 Hidden Edict
The warm pavilion of Zichen Palace.

The earthen ceiling was burning hot, but it couldn't dispel the silent smoke.

Emperor Chongzhao leaned against the couch, suppressed coughs escaping from his chest, his ashen face bearing the marks of illness.

"My son, I will meet my father."

Li Zhao entered the hall and paid his respects according to etiquette.

Emperor Chongzhao did not allow him to get up, but stared intently at him with his bloodshot eyes.

After a long while, he waved Wang Chengxi away.

"Flat body."

Li Zhao raised his eyes slightly and met a pair of sharp eyes.

Only the father and son remained inside the hall.

Emperor Chongzhao did not look away, clutching his chest and breathing heavily, his voice hoarse.

"Your Highness...you are truly my good son...you have some impressive skills."

"Your subject is foolish and does not know what Your Majesty is referring to."

Li Zhao's voice was steady, his gaze meeting the emperor's angry and suspicious eyes, his face showing no emotion whatsoever.

"But is someone stirring up trouble in front of Father again?"

"Are you still pretending to be stupid?"

Emperor Chongzhao pointed to the memorials spread out on the table beside his imperial couch, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Those people in the Censorate are pointing their fingers at me, accusing me of raising a tiger that will cause me trouble... They're accusing you of exposing corruption, framing ministers, fabricating charges, and acting cruelly, even causing celestial signs to warn us—"

"When the Purple Star falls and the White Star rises, the Crown Prince has lost his virtue, harming his father and shaking the foundations of the nation... Rumors are flying everywhere, each one piercing the heart..."

Li Zhao frowned slightly.

"Father, you actually believe these baseless accusations?"

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly grabbed the memorial from the table and threw it hard at Li Zhao's feet.

"Take a good look. This isn't enough; there's a whole lot more in my imperial study..."

Emperor Chongzhao pointed at his face, "You used the military supplies case to make veiled accusations, practically pointing directly to that messy old mausoleum swamp, implying that I've been covering up the truth! Whose face are you trying to slap? Hmm?? No wonder the celestial signs are warning. No wonder Venus is invading the palace... With such a filial son and virtuous minister, how can I possibly have the face to sit on this throne?"

An angry roar...

This triggered another bout of violent coughing.

Emperor Chongzhao coughed so hard he bent over, his body hunched over, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Li Zhao quietly looked at the papers scattered on the ground, and at the emperor's heart-wrenching cough. He slowly walked forward, but instead of picking up the memorials, he took a hot towel from the warm copper basin beside him, wrung it out, and respectfully presented it to the emperor with both hands.

"Your son is unfilial and deserves to die. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Emperor Chongzhao did not accept the invitation.

Li Zhao did not move, maintaining his bowed posture.

Only after his coughing subsided did he raise his hands and slowly speak.

"Father, you are wise. Those treacherous officials are utterly depraved and worse than beasts. But what do the crimes committed by these parasites have to do with the Great Liang Dynasty? And what do they have to do with Father?"

He paused slightly, his tone solemn.

"The tragedy of the Old Mausoleum was caused by the deception of treacherous officials and the corruption of parasites, not by the fault of the war, much less by the Emperor. The urgent task is to purge the wicked, rectify the court, and comfort the spirits of the two hundred thousand fallen heroes of the Old Mausoleum, rather than trying to cover up the truth and only bringing shame upon ourselves..."

Each word, powerful and resounding, struck Emperor Chongzhao's chaotic and indignant heart with an undeniable force, laying bare before him the people and events he least wanted to face in his life.

Emperor Chongzhao, panting, raised his eyes and stared at him with a cold smile.

The warm pavilion fell silent once again.

The father and son stood there, one slumped in a seated position, the other standing silently.

They were locked in a silent standoff.

After a long while, Emperor Chongzhao leaned back on the soft pillow, his voice so tired it was almost faint.

"Purge the wicked and corrupt...to rectify the court...I thought so many years ago..."

He closed his eyes slightly.

It's as if he doesn't want to see his former self reflected in the younger Li Zhao.

After a moment, he opened his eyes again, his gaze filled with the scrutiny of an emperor.

"Your Highness, tell me, where should we begin this purge? And who should we kill first? Should we kill Xiao Song, Xie Tingzhan, and Guo Pi? Or... uproot the entire Great Liang Dynasty to quell the tragedy of the old imperial tombs?"

"Father." Li Zhao slowly raised his head, solemnly lifted the hem of his brocade robe, and knelt down properly three steps away from the imperial bed.

"What I seek is not the power of one family or clan, nor is it a bloody reckoning. What I seek is only justice."

His forehead touched the ground, making a faint sound.

Emperor Chongzhao sneered, "Fairness?"

He stared intently at Li Zhao, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "If you want the Great Liang to be governed according to your principles of fairness, then you will have no choice but to completely shatter the court order that I have painstakingly maintained. Everyone who stands in your way to becoming the Crown Prince—regardless of loyalty, treachery, virtue, or folly—must be wiped out! Only then will you achieve your goal!"

The last sentence is a veiled attack on the heart.

These are accusations that could condemn the young crown prince to utter ruin...

A chill spread, almost freezing the air.

Li Zhao stared directly at the emperor on the imperial couch, his eyes blazing and his expression solemn and dignified.

"Father! I dare to speak frankly: the two hundred thousand heroic souls of the Old Mausoleum Swamp deserve justice. The soldiers who fought and bled on the frontier, whose provisions were embezzled, deserve justice. The common people, exploited and suffering under the corrupt officials, deserve justice. The bright and clear heavens and the glorious laws of the Great Liang Dynasty deserve justice even more. This justice does not lie in my hands, but in Father! In the laws of the court! In the glorious annals of history!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was as resonant as a bell...

The sound slowly echoed in the quiet, warm room.

"As for my heart, heaven and earth, the sun and the moon, can all bear witness! How can there be any talk of someone blocking my way?"

Li Zhao's lips curled up slightly, carrying a disdainful arrogance.

Each word was like a declaration.

"The path beneath my feet is a gift from Father. It has long been laid out across the court and the countryside. Why should I deliberately clear it? Father should understand that only those who cannot obtain what they desire will harbor wicked intentions and covet imperial power. I have acted uprightly and sat honestly, so why should I fear what others say?"

Emperor Chongzhao's body trembled violently.

His cloudy eyes stared at his kneeling son.

This spirit...

This openness and confidence...

So much like him in the past.

A wave of immense fatigue washed over me...

Emperor Chongzhao seemed to have all his strength drained away, and slowly closed his eyes...

After a long pause, she coughed and waved at him.

"You...you may step back now. Allow me...to think about it."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave. May Your Majesty take care of your health."

Li Zhao bowed again, then turned and left with clean and decisive movements.

The palace doors slammed shut.

Only the flickering candlelight remained in the warm chamber, and all was silent.

Wang Chengxi entered quietly and carefully served a cup of warm ginseng tea.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has left the Zichen Palace..."

"Your Majesty is coughing quite badly today. Have some ginseng tea to soothe your throat..."

Emperor Chongzhao did not speak, but simply closed his eyes, his chest heaving.

After a good while, he slowly opened his eyes, his hands trembling, and groped out a bright yellow scroll from a hidden compartment in the imperial bed.

The heavy scroll was placed on the couch.

The jade axle head was cold, tied with a bright yellow silk ribbon.

Under the candlelight, it gleamed with a restrained yet dazzling light.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chengxi's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Even from a distance, he could sense the aura emanating from the scroll…

Deathly cold.

Emperor Chongzhao's voice was hoarse, as if he had used up all his strength; each word was light and airy, yet weighed a ton:

"I have kept this edict to depose the crown prince for ten years. Now that things have come to this, I don't know whether I should open it or not."

The bright yellow scroll rustled in my palm.

His dark eye sockets were as deep as ancient wells.

"Wang Chengxi, tell me, is the Crown Prince the foundation of the Great Liang dynasty, or a harbinger of disaster that threatens the very foundation of the nation?"

Wang Chengxi turned pale with fright and knelt down with a thud.

"Your Majesty, this old servant dares not speak presumptuously..."

The warm pavilion was completely silent.

The charcoal fire seemed to have stopped burning.

The cold wind outside the window howled and swept across the heavily guarded palace, emitting mournful cries, like the lamentations of countless wronged souls. Twisted and stretched, it seeped through the heavy palace doors, as if playing a desolate elegy for a silent and tragic imperial coup...

　See you tomorrow, sisters! Let's link hands and go to bed early...

　　(End of this chapter)