The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 98 Gathering of the Crowd to Plead a Petition

The Imperial College (Guozijian) was a dormitory for students from poor families.

After Chen Zijian's blood-curdling roar subsided, the entire prison cell fell into a long silence.

The students in the room all bowed their heads, their faces burning, their knuckles clenched tightly, their hearts filled with shame and struggle.

They all understood Chen Zijian's words; every word was true and every sentence pierced their hearts.

The imperial grandson, at the tender age of ten, risked his life for the sake of the poor and imprisoned, while those who had been indebted to him were confined to their cells, timid and hesitant, waiting for their benefactor to be punished.

Even though I understand, fear still lingers in my heart.

For a century, the five clans and seven powerful families have held sway in the court, wielding immense power and deep-rooted influence. How could a group of poor scholars with no official position, no connections, and no support possibly stand against them?

For a moment, everyone looked at each other, their blood boiling, yet they were caught in a dilemma, and no one dared to take the first step.

"Well said!"

Just as the entire room fell silent and everyone hesitated, a clear and steady voice suddenly boomed in from outside the cell door.

The creaking old wooden gate was pushed open from the outside, and a breeze carrying the dust of the long street rushed in, dispelling the gloom that filled the room.

A tall, upright figure in a blue robe strode into the prison cell, his steps firm and his expression stern.

This man had clear and bright eyes, a calm demeanor, and was dressed simply yet with an upright posture; he was none other than Wang Xuance.

As the most outstanding among the poor students of this year's Imperial Academy, he is also one of the few poor newcomers who successfully passed the imperial examination and were appointed to the Ministry of Personnel.

Unlike the others who were still naive and inexperienced, Wang Xuance had already glimpsed a corner of the court. His temperament, vision, and courage far surpassed those of his peers.

"Brother Wang? Why are you back?"

Some people in the crowd looked up and, upon seeing it was him, all showed surprise.

Now that Wang Xuance has left his status as a student of the Imperial Academy, he only needs to wait for the Ministry of Personnel to grant him an official position. He doesn't need to get involved in this turmoil anymore, nor does he need to wade into this dangerous and muddy water.

Wang Xuance's gaze swept over his classmates, who were filled with shame and emotion, and he said in a deep voice, "I just returned from gathering information at the Ministry of Personnel and received definite news. At today's court assembly, the Zheng family of Xingyang took the lead, and the five clans and seven noble families all joined forces to launch a general attack on the imperial grandson."

"I imagine that the powerful officials will disregard everything and insist that the grandson of the emperor is disloyal and disruptive to the court, and will insist that His Majesty issue an edict to punish him and eliminate him completely."

The moment those words were spoken, the already tense prison cell was instantly chilled to the bone.

The crowd's expressions changed drastically, and the passion that had just been ignited was instantly extinguished by a large amount of cold water.

"It's over—the powerful families are going to fight to the death today!"

"The imperial grandson was already imprisoned and had no one to protect him. Now that the powerful families have launched a collective attack, he probably has no chance of survival."

"What can we do? We are just a group of poor scholars, powerless and without influence. How can we possibly contend with an entire aristocratic family?"

Desperate whispers rose and fell, and the passion that Chen Zijian had just awakened was once again suppressed by the heavy weight of reality.

Wang Xuance listened quietly to the dejected words of the crowd, without panicking, and simply said in a deep voice: "It's not that there's no way out."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up, a faint glimmer of hope igniting in their eyes.

"The imperial grandson once taught us a path," Wang Xuance said with unwavering determination.

"We knock on the heavens, we voice the people's wishes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions instantly turned serious, and someone immediately shook their head to dissuade him: "Brother, you are foolish! In the past, when you went to the palace to petition, there were always imperial grandsons leading the way, which is why the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Guards were hesitant to act!"

"Now that the imperial grandson is imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison, with no one to guide him, we have made thorough preparations and are determined to succeed."

"If only a few of us go to petition the emperor, we won't make any noise whatsoever!"

"In the end, not only will they fail to save the imperial grandson, but they will also be captured on the spot by the palace guards, ruining their own future in vain! It will all be for naught!"

The people around them echoed their sentiments, their eyes filled with fear and helplessness.

To go alone to the capital is like throwing an egg against a rock.

Without the support of the emperor's grandson's prestige, their petition was nothing more than a farce that no one paid any attention to.

Wang Xuance surveyed the crowd, and facing the barrage of questions, he shook his head: "Do you think that only a hundred or so students from humble backgrounds at the Imperial Academy are dissatisfied with the current unfairness of the imperial examinations and the monopoly on official positions?"

"Within Chang'an, countless ordinary people, whose family doesn't have children who want to study and advance in the imperial examinations? Whose children and grandchildren don't hope to pass the examinations and rise in the ranks? But powerful families monopolize the examination halls and control official careers, while poor students study diligently for ten years, only to find themselves with no way out!"

"Countless impoverished scholars and hardworking students from the countryside are blocked from officialdom year after year by the barriers of powerful families! There are also those marginal branches of powerful families and small and medium-sized aristocratic families whose interests are squeezed and eroded by the top aristocratic families. They are also dissatisfied with the five clans' monopoly of power in the court."

"These people are all oppressed, betrayed, and plundered."

His gaze was intense as he scanned the students.

"A petition by a hundred people is tantamount to rebellion!"

"Thousands of people from all walks of life are petitioning together, which is the will of the people!"

"The powerful families dare to kill a hundred students and suppress the voices of a hundred people, but do they dare to oppose the poor and humble families of the world? Do they dare to slaughter countless resentful scholars and ordinary people, turning Chang'an into a river of blood?"

"Does Brother Wang mean that we should incite the people?" Someone asked in shock, their heart trembling with fear.

"Wouldn't this be seen as inciting a civil unrest? Besides, the situation is already urgent; how can we rally the people?"

As soon as everyone finished speaking, the cell fell silent again, many of them pale-faced with deep fear in their eyes.

The words "gathering the masses" and "uniting the people" carry too much weight.

In the Tang Dynasty, if scholars formed alliances and gathered to petition, even slightly overstepping the boundaries would be considered a serious crime of inciting unrest and criticizing the government. The punishment ranged from expulsion from school and permanent ban from employment to exile and trial.

No one is afraid.

Wang Xuance, however, remained calm and composed, saying, "It's not about inciting unrest, but about gathering the will of the people!"

"The imperial grandson never taught us to rebel; what he taught us was justice, righteousness, and the responsibility of a scholar!"

He took a step forward, his blue robe standing tall and straight, his gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping over the hesitant and timid faces.

"It's urgent, that's true, but it might not be too late!"

"Have you forgotten? These past few days, the imperial grandson has been vying for places for those from humble backgrounds, even knocking on the imperial palace. How many diligent scholars in and around Chang'an are grateful for his kindness? How many ordinary people have seen it all and remembered it in their hearts?"

"The bookstore apprentices in the East and West Markets of Chang'an, the copyists, the failed scholars from the countryside who came to take the imperial examinations, and the sons of lower-middle-class gentry who were ostracized by powerful families—these people were exploited by aristocratic families every day and trapped by the barriers to officialdom year after year!"

"They have long harbored resentment, but no one dared to take the lead or speak out! Now all they need is a pretext, a call to action!"

'

Some remained fearful, their voices trembling as they pressed on: "But we are merely students of the Imperial Academy, without official rank or power. How can we expect millions of people to trust and follow us? If we lose control, it will be utter ruin!"

"Based on justice! Based on the will of the people!"

Wang Xuance's voice suddenly rose, making the whole room buzz.

"Because the imperial grandson is completely innocent and utterly loyal! Because he risked his life and was imprisoned for the sake of the poor families of the world!"

"We will not gather crowds to cause trouble, nor will we storm the palace gates, nor will we criticize imperial power! We only kneel before the palace to plead our case, only beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly, only beg to preserve the new policies, and only beg to save the innocent imperial grandson!"

"With reason and evidence, and with good intentions and righteousness, how can this be considered rebellion?"

His words left everyone speechless, and most of their fear dissipated. The remaining hesitation teetered on the brink of collapse in the face of his forthright and confident demeanor.

Chen Zijian clenched his fists, his eyes red-rimmed, and spoke first: "Brother Wang is right! The Imperial Grandson dared to risk his life for justice, why shouldn't we repay him with our own lives!"

"At worst, I'll be expelled from prison! At worst, my future will be ruined! It's better than watching my benefactor die unjustly, and spending the rest of my life feeling ashamed every night!"

With one person taking the lead, passion instantly spread like wildfire.

The students who had been hesitant earlier gritted their teeth and looked up, their timidity fading away, leaving only determination in their eyes.

"Let's give it our all!"

"I will go with my elder brother!"

"Even if my future is ruined, I will seek justice for the imperial grandson today!"

More than a hundred people chanted in hushed tones, their voices growing stronger as the long-suppressed resentment and righteous energy finally surged forth.

Seeing this, Wang Xuance nodded emphatically and quickly assigned tasks in a clear and organized manner: "There's no time to lose, divide the work immediately!"

"Fellow students, split up! Some will go to the East and West Markets to inform all those from humble backgrounds who are studying that the Imperial Grandson has been punished for paving the way for the poor, and today the aristocratic families will eradicate him completely!"

"Some went to the inns and gathering places for candidates in the southern part of the city to contact the unsuccessful candidates who were stranded in Chang'an!"

"The rest of you, follow me straight to the Vermilion Bird Gate!"

"We do not seek to cause chaos or uproar, but only to kneel before the emperor and plead our case! One person's voice may be weak, but the voices of thousands upon thousands can shake the court and move the heart of Heaven!"

Some people still had concerns, whispering, "What if we can't gather enough manpower in a short time?"

Wang Xuance's gaze was firm, and he said in a deep voice, "Then let's begin with the hundred of us!"

"As long as we dare to speak out, dare to die, and dare to uphold justice, people of goodwill throughout the land will surely come to our aid! The will of the people is not built overnight, but is guided by righteousness!"

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