Proud Feather

Chapter 6 Meeting the Saint
Soon, the eunuch came back and told him that His Majesty had woken up.

Zhang Dingyuan gave some instructions and led the ministers inside.

The current emperor, the ruler of Daxiang, is now sitting on the couch, drinking medicine with the help of Concubine Shu.

The emperor is in his early forties this year, and is in the prime of his life in terms of both experience and energy.

Originally, the throne had nothing to do with him. His father was one of Taizong's sons, and his fiefdom was given to him early on, and the throne was passed to his legitimate son, Xingzong.

Unexpectedly, Xingzong's harem was in turmoil, and his two sons, Xuanzong and Xiaozong, were in poor health. When Xiaozong died young, Xingzong's lineage was extinct. The ministers counted the descendants and found that the only one who was of the right age and looked like the right one was from the line of Prince Jia.

Thus, the Duke of Jia, who had just inherited the title and had his rank demoted, was welcomed into the capital and became the emperor.

Now, twenty-one years have passed, and the emperor is no longer the country boy who first came to the capital. His prestige is growing and he holds great power.

The ministers exchanged greetings across the pearl curtain. The emperor raised his hand and took the medicine bowl from Concubine Shu, saying, "It's neither a court meeting nor a meeting in the palace. What's the big deal that allows you all to come to see me?"

Zhang Dingyuan did not answer directly, but only said: "Your Majesty, we just went to Huaide Hall."

The emperor paused and said nothing for a long time.

The prince's body was sent back yesterday. The emperor fell ill after taking just one look at it. I heard that Concubine Shu took care of him all night and crying sounds were heard from the palace from time to time.

Everyone knew that the Emperor was deeply in love with the deceased Empress, and how could he not be heartbroken when one of their two children suddenly passed away, treating them like precious jewels? Not to mention the Crown Prince, whom he had meticulously raised for twenty years, pouring countless efforts into.

Thinking of this, Zhang Dingyuan felt that what he was about to say was too cruel.

"Alright, tell me what you want to say. I can still hold on." The emperor smiled bitterly. "Hasn't the most devastating thing already been revealed?"

This was indeed the case, so Zhang Dingyuan began to speak: "Just now, there was a disturbance in Huaide Hall. Princess Jiahe accidentally pushed open the coffin lid and found some blue spots on the prince's body..."

The emperor didn't understand what he meant: "What?"

Zhang Dingyuan could only continue: "I have asked the imperial physician to examine the prince, and he has confirmed that there are residual toxins in his body."

Toxins, residues.

After a brief silence, there was a "crack" sound, and the medicine bowl flew out and fell to the ground. The emperor stood up suddenly and pulled open the bead curtain.

"Your Majesty!" Concubine Shu was startled.

"What did you say? Say it again!" The emperor stared at the other person.

Zhang Dingyuan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please be at ease! The Crown Prince is extremely filial. If he knew that you were ill because of him, he would definitely blame himself!"

The emperor was originally breathing rapidly, but after hearing this, his mood calmed down a little. He pressed his chest for a long time before he calmed down.

"Tell me what's going on."

Zhang Dingyuan breathed a sigh of relief and slowly told the story of what happened in Huaide Hall.

"...It can be basically confirmed that the prince was poisoned before his death. It is still unknown where the poison came from, and whether the fall into the water is related to it."

"Poisoned..." The emperor found it hard to accept. "You mean someone has been poisoning the prince, and this fall into the water wasn't necessarily an accident?"

Zhang Dingyuan replied, "The matter has not been fully investigated, so I cannot say for sure. However, the poison's arrival is strange, so this possibility does exist."

"Good! Good!" He said so, but who couldn't understand the underlying meaning? The emperor was so angry that his face turned blue and he paced back and forth.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

The emperor, completely furious, turned and shouted, "My crown prince was murdered without my knowledge, and nearly entered the imperial mausoleum without even realizing it. Is this reasonable? Is this right?" Zhang Dingyuan and his ministers had no choice but to plead guilty, "I am incompetent."

"You are incompetent!" The emperor glared at them. "If the coffin had not been accidentally knocked away by A Ling, would the prince have suffered injustice forever?"

Everyone was speechless.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Concubine Tian Shu knelt and begged, crying, "You must seek justice for the Crown Prince! Where did the poison in his body come from? How did he fall into the water in the first place?... Investigate everything. The traitor who poisoned the Crown Prince must not be let off!"

This reminded the emperor, and he turned and asked, "Did you hear everything?"

All the ministers said in unison: "Yes."

Zhang Dingyuan immediately said, "Your Majesty, calm down. I have already ordered the Huaide Hall to be sealed off and the Crown Prince's body to be guarded. A thorough investigation will be conducted of the Eastern Palace, and no one who had access to the Crown Prince will be spared. Also, the personal attendants who patrolled the river, as well as the local officials... We must thoroughly investigate and expose the truth."

Seeing that he was well-organized and had a response, the emperor's anger subsided a little.

"Everyone, get up!" He wiped his face and softened his tone. "Mr. Zhang, since you've made up your mind, I'll leave this matter to you. I'll have the three judicial departments investigate. I will not allow the traitor who poisoned the crown prince to live. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I will do my best to investigate," Zhang Dingyuan replied solemnly. "Now that things have come to this, Your Majesty, please accept my condolences and take good care of your health."

The emperor nodded: "I know, you go ahead!"

The ministers bowed again and left.

As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he heard the sound of something being pushed over from inside, and the emperor's angry voice: "How unreasonable! How unreasonable! Ayi! Who dares to harm my Ayi!" In the end, it turned into sobbing.

They looked at each other, shook their heads and sighed.

No matter how carefully I choose my words, His Majesty will inevitably be hit! Also, if it were me, how could I not be sad and angry if my beloved son was suddenly killed?

The eunuch guard entered cautiously and reported, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess, the Second Prince, and Princess Jiahe are still waiting outside."

The emperor still had tears in his eyes, and Concubine Shu said carefully, "Your Majesty, the children may be frightened. Would you like to see them?"

After a while, the emperor shook his head and said, "Forget it. Now that we've met, aren't we still crying? Tell them to go back first and tell them that I will definitely find the murderer and will never let the prince die unjustly."

"Yes."

Just as the guard turned around, the emperor changed his mind: "Wait."

He asked, "How is A Ling?"

The guard replied, "The princess is extremely sad and has been wiping away tears."

The emperor sighed and said, "Let her come in."

"What about the Crown Princess?"

"Shufei, go and comfort her," the emperor said, turning around. "She and Ayi have always been in love, and she must be heartbroken. Just promise her that I won't let Ayi die unjustly."

"Yes." Concubine Tian wiped the tears from her face, tidied her appearance a little and went out.

The emperor sat silently, watching the palace servants sweep away the broken porcelain and straighten the screen, without saying a word.

Until a voice came from the other side: "Father!"

He looked up and saw a gust of wind blowing in from the palace gate. His daughter, the daughter he held in his palm and loved like a pearl, now had red eyes and a sorrowful voice. She rushed to him, firmly grasped his sleeve, and shouted with deep admiration, "Father!"

(End of this chapter)