A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 138 Daily Life Notes

Outside the residence of the Marquis of Pingyang.

Zhang Tang and the other embroidered-clothes officials pointed directly at the censor and were "politely escorted out of the mansion."

The testimony has been changed.

There's not even any final evidence left.

The furious women in embroidered robes wanted nothing more than to arrest the person on the spot.

"Master, their previous testimonies are completely different from their current ones..." the secret envoy hurriedly explained to Zhang Tang.

Zhang Tang waved his hand, indicating to his subordinates that there was no need to say more. As one of the most ruthless officials in the Han Dynasty, what kind of cases hadn't he seen, and what kind of methods of destroying evidence hadn't he witnessed?

Changing one's source of income is nothing unusual.

"We could have brought down the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion in one fell swoop!"

The envoy, still furious, demanded, "Why did they change their testimonies?!"

“They got something they could never have in their entire lives.” Zhang Tang looked at the high threshold of the Pingyang Marquis’s residence and knew that he had met his match this time.

The Marquis's mansion is so large that it has too many resources at its disposal. As long as there is evidence that can be repeatedly verified, it can be used to overturn the verdict.

Zhang Tang turned to look at the group of embroidered women and said with a faint smile, "If you don't believe me, you can go and investigate. The families of those two women named Haitang have undergone earth-shattering changes, changes that were not in their original destiny."

Princess Pingyang could bestow wealth, land, wine, women, and even power upon mortals, to a degree that could be described as "a celestial being touching one's head."

"I'm going to ransack their house right now!"

"Ugh?"

Zhang Tang shook his head, stopping his subordinate's idea. "They have suffered enough. They will definitely seize any opportunity for wealth and status. Why make things difficult for them and their families?"

Since entering officialdom, he has always had a simple compassion for ordinary people. When he was with His Majesty or under the emperor, he often forgave those commoners.

It's not only about gaining a false reputation, but also about being able to feel your heart beating when you touch your chest.

"Sikong, what should we do next?"

"Yeah, what should we do?"

Zhang Tang looked towards the direction of Hanoi County. With Princess Pingyang's methods, she would most likely not leave any flaws in her slander of the emperor's reputation.

With so many refugees in Hanoi harboring resentment towards the court and the emperor, it's quite possible that some of their complaints were overheard and spread widely.

In short, it is virtually impossible to trace back to where the rumors spread, to the Pingyang Marquis's residence in the fiefdom, and then to the Pingyang Marquis's residence in the capital, the Pingyang Marquis, Princess Pingyang, and even more people.

Although they knew who the enemy was, taking them down was not so simple.

"Sikong, witchcraft and similar methods..."

"The Emperor is a benevolent and forgiving ruler who would never resort to such underhanded schemes as framing someone. From the Court of Justice to the Imperial Archives, every case I have handled for the Emperor has been supported by evidence and recorded in history, and can withstand the scrutiny of future generations. What, are you trying to ruin the Emperor?"

Zhang Tang looked at the women in embroidered robes who were tempted with a half-smile.

They still have the same problem with the cruel officials from His Majesty's time. Investigating cases and finding evidence is too troublesome. It's better to just put a "petty person" in the ground, and then they can investigate thoroughly.

It has been repeatedly stated that the Emperor and His Majesty are different. The Grand Historian Sima Tan, by imperial decree, has been recording the Emperor's words and deeds, which is known as the "Daily Records".

In order to glorify, and even surpass, the reputation of Emperor Xiaowen as a wise ruler, this made it impossible for later generations to find any problems in major cases, crimes, and evidence, whether investigated forwards or backwards.

From Princess Pingyang's perspective, it is possible that she secretly prayed to the Emperor, but to frame someone without solid evidence would be no different from His Majesty's actions.
"Once they're in the imperial prison, there will be concrete evidence."

The women in embroidered robes repeatedly said they dared not, but also said that even if Princess Pingyang were in the imperial prison, they would have a way to pry her open and find evidence of her crimes.

Whether you arrest people first or find evidence first, once you have evidence, what does the order of case handling matter?

"You still want to use torture? That's Emperor Xiaojing's eldest princess, His Majesty's half-sister, and the Emperor's aunt. What if she dies in the imperial prison?"

Zhang Tang was determined to select new people. These subordinates were too dependent on established methods and could not be resolved with words alone. If he was not careful, they might cause big trouble.

The women in embroidered robes froze.

This is a blood relative of the Liu family. If he were to die unjustly in the imperial prison, just like at the execution ground by the Wei River, the name of harming a blood relative would haunt the emperor for his entire life. Not only would his reputation as a virtuous ruler be ruined, but even his position as the ruler of the country would be shaken.

This is precisely the unique characteristic of the royal family.

First, there must be evidence before arresting someone. Even if they die before the verdict, it's considered suicide out of fear of punishment.

Arresting someone first, without conclusive evidence, and then having them die—that's called harming one's own blood relatives and shows a complete lack of compassion and forgiveness.

"Sikong, what should we do next?"

"Wait."

Zhang Tang thought of the 40,000 gold coins bestowed by the Emperor. He didn't say much to the women in embroidered robes, but instead said, "A poisonous snake will eventually stick out its tongue, and a fox will eventually show its tail. The princes from all over the country are coming to the capital. With the royal family facing a catastrophe, how can Princess Pingyang possibly stand still? You all keep an eye on the Pingyang Marquis's residence. I need to know who Princess Pingyang and the Pingyang Marquis have met and what they have done."

"Yes!"

The women in embroidered robes accepted the order, and one of them asked, "Minister Sikong, what about Princess Wei?"

This is the person Zhang Tang has been avoiding mentioning. The eldest daughter of His Majesty and Empress Wei, the elder sister of the Supreme Ruler, and the Grand Princess of the Han Dynasty.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Tang gritted his teeth and said, "Let's keep an eye on them together!"

"Yes."

……

Inside the mansion.

When Marquis Cao Xiang of Pingyang went to see his mother, Princess Pingyang, she slapped him hard across the face as he approached to pay his respects.

Cao Xiang stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

"Do you know why?" Princess Pingyang withdrew her reddened palm, her gaze towards her son filled with disappointment.

Cao Xiang knelt down and replied, "Your son shouldn't have gone to find Haitang."

His father died young, on the belly of a crabapple tree. His mother, Princess Pingyang, heartbroken, ordered that no member of the clan should go to the crabapple tree or have any fun.

However, the crabapple blossoms are truly beautiful. Every move he practiced from childhood was for the purpose of bringing joy to others. Strolling among the flowers, Cao Xiang felt that even the emperor was no more beautiful than this.

If there's a ban, then it'll be even more exciting.

Princess Pingyang remained seated, her body perfectly still, and slapped Cao Xiang across the face again. Cao Xiang instinctively tried to dodge, but remembering the punishment of her mother's slap landing on empty air, she forcibly restrained herself. With a "smack," her other cheek also stung.

"wrong."

Cao Xiang was startled by his mother's voice. He looked up at his mother, not understanding what she meant.

If it wasn't because of violating the ban, why would my mother be so angry?

"You're the one who exposed things."

Princess Pingyang gave her son the answer.

How could she possibly hide the joy she shared with the crabapple blossoms from her? Flower Maiden was her person, body and soul, and had told her about her son's actions long ago.

As the child grew older, she didn't think about interfering too much, only instructing Hua Gu to control the frequency and intensity of the young marquis's pleasures, lest he follow in the footsteps of the old marquis.

Therefore, her son's every action, even his moves, were under her "watchful eye".

Unfortunately, the son didn't like those compliant flowers. He took a liking to the crabapple blossom named Liang Pingjun. After several attempts to force himself on her, Liang Pingjun still refused to submit. But Cao Xiang seemed to enjoy the feeling and kept pestering her.

It wasn't until the incident of the Prefect of the Capital visiting the residence and Liang Pingjun committing suicide by drowning that the vicious dog Zhang Tang took notice. If she hadn't reacted in time, the ugliness of the Marquis's residence would have been exposed to the world.

She didn't care whether Haitang lived or died; she only cared about the reputation of the Marquis's mansion.

She cannot give it to that cheap nephew of hers, lest the Emperor of the Great Han have no leverage over her.

The thought of this Crown Prince Wei made her grit her teeth in hatred.

Wei Zifu and Wei Qing both came from the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, but they didn't get any of the glory.

Even when she condescended to curry favor with the Crown Prince of Wei and spread rumors that she wanted Wei Qing to be her new husband, she was repeatedly rejected.

On one occasion, the General's office politely refused, but she retorted by scolding Wei Qing based on his former background.

On one occasion, she lowered herself again and, through the emperor, attempted to persuade Wei Zifu to issue an edict for marriage by "proposing marriage." However, the Crown Prince of Wei simply launched the "Chang'an Night," destroying all possibilities of a marriage between close relatives.

She had no love for Wei Qing; what she valued was the stable position of the Wei family's crown prince and the fact that the Wei family had many marquises. It was all for her own and her son's future. Wei Qing and Liu Ju, this uncle and nephew, were not given any chance at all. It was simply too much!
If you can't have it, then destroy it completely.

The previous eldest princess interfered in the succession to the throne, so there's no reason why she couldn't do what Princess Dou could do.

She was the one who stirred up the public sentiment. If this incident were to attract the attention of the Crown Prince of Wei to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, leading to the ultimate failure, she would be tempted to kill her own son.

"Your son knows he was wrong," Cao Xiang readily admitted.

Over the years, he's gotten used to whatever his mother says. Whether he understands her meaning or not, he just admits he's wrong first.

Princess Pingyang couldn't understand why her son was always so spineless. Except for his lustful audacity, which didn't need any teaching, he only moved when instructed. She angrily said, "Go and apologize to Princess Wei Chang, and beg her to forgive you and save you this once!"

"what?"

"Ah for what?"

The slap rang out again, and Princess Pingyang's hand trembled slightly. Slapping someone takes effort, and the recoil hurt a bit. She frowned and glared, saying, "You think you can hide this from Princess Wei?"

Although Haitang's death was attributed to her being a virtuous woman, it could be kept secret from both those outside and those inside the mansion. After all, Princess Wei Chang came from the palace and had sharp eyes, no less so than Haitang.

Blood seeped from the corner of Cao Xiang's mouth. The smell of rust changed his mindset. The former Princess of the Han Dynasty was his mother, but now she was his wife. She was not like a mother, but she was even more like one.

Marry anyone, just don't marry a princess, and especially not the eldest princess of the Han Dynasty.

If his mother hadn't insisted that he marry his cousin, Princess Wei, and if his wife hadn't been so uninteresting, he wouldn't have been lingering among the crabapple blossoms, wouldn't have fallen for the "fiery" Liang Pingjun, and wouldn't be where things are today... Perhaps none of this would have happened.

"Go now!" Princess Pingyang roared in fury.

Cao Xiang's mind went blank for a moment, and he got up from the ground. "I'll go right away!"

(End of this chapter)