Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Chapter 27 Witchcraft

The witchcraft scandal? And it even implicated Empress Wei Zifu?

The text mentions that Wei Zifu gave Emperor Wu of Han a luxurious dowry, but from Chen Ajiao's words, it seems that Wei Zifu was just a singer, so where did the dowry come from?

People before Emperor Wu of Han couldn't understand: no matter how luxurious a singer's dowry was, or how much gold and silver she had, could it compare to the emperor's wealth of the entire country?

When Emperor Wu saw that Tianmu had killed Crown Prince Liu Ju's entire family and even executed his own daughter, the timeline before him seemed to shatter as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over a scalding oil pan.

"Damn it!!"

Emperor Liu Qi was furious. As the first emperor in history to depose the crown prince, Liu Rong was only demoted to a local post. Even when he was forced to commit suicide under some pretext, he did not exterminate him or his entire family.

If it were an ordinary case of deposing a crown prince, the Heavenly Emperor would certainly not have used the word "calamity" to describe it. The fact that this word was used indicates that the implications are very serious.

Liu Qi glared at the young Liu Che with ill intent. He wondered how the child could have done such a thing in the future. He would wait and see what Tianmu had to say and then discipline him properly from a young age.

During the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) snorted, "The witchcraft accusation... Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) was truly senile; he couldn't even see such an obvious frame-up."

"In my opinion, Crown Prince Liu Ju has done nothing wrong. Anyone in that situation would have rebelled."

Li Longji seemed to recall the beginning of his father's reign. He was neither the eldest son nor the crown prince. His elder brother, Li Chengqi, voluntarily relinquished the throne. Otherwise, given Li Longji's merits and prestige, he would inevitably repeat the mistakes of Emperor Taizong.

"Would I be as foolish as Emperor Wu of Han and kill my own son?" Li Longji shook his head, expressing his disdain for Liu Che's actions.

In the twenty-fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, Crown Prince Li Ying, Prince E Li Yao, and Prince Guang Li Ju received a message from Consort Wu Hui: "There are thieves in the palace." The three princes donned armor and entered the palace, intending to kill the thieves and rescue the emperor.

Emperor Xuanzong, accusing him of treason, demoted him to commoner status and forced him to commit suicide at the post station east of the city.

Li Longji killed three of his sons in one day!

The Perils of Witchcraft

Four large, blood-red characters appeared on the sky, exuding a chilling, bloody aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

To discuss the witchcraft scandal, we must go back to the first year of Emperor Wu of Han's reign (Yuanshuo year).

After giving birth to three daughters for Emperor Wu of Han, Empress Wei Zifu gave birth to a prince for the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu welcomed his first son at the age of twenty-nine.

The entire court rejoiced. For more than a decade, the Han Dynasty had been gripped by the fear of having no heir, until the birth of Liu Ju, the eldest son of the Han emperor.

In the scene, the young and valiant Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, holds the baby in his arms high with a broad smile, as if he is holding up the future of the Han Dynasty.

At this moment, Liu Che was overjoyed. He loved this son and was willing to build a peaceful and prosperous empire for him.

At the age of seven, Liu Ju was made crown prince, and the wind in Weiyang Palace fluttered the hem of his robes.

Emperor Wu of Han looked at the still bewildered Liu Ju beside him, and thought back to when Liu Ju was just born. He watched the little baby grow little by little, just like the rise of the Han Dynasty, like the rising sun.

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) placed high hopes on his crown prince, allowing him to engage in military and political affairs and carefully nurturing him.

In the scene, Liu Che, who was beginning to show signs of aging, looked at the growing crown prince with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, but also a trace of wariness hidden in them.

During the Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his eldest son Zhu Biao with pride and satisfaction in his eyes. "Liu Che was old and confused after all. He even had to be wary of his own son. In our view, Liu Che was blinded by power and became senile in his old age. No wonder he was deceived by others."

Zhu Biao replied with a smile, "The trust that a father has in his son is something Liu Ju has never experienced."

"Not to mention that there have never been any like this before, I'm afraid there will never be another imperial father and son like the Emperor and the Crown Prince."

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) expanded his territory, imposed severe punishments, amassed wealth and power; his achievements grew ever greater, and so did his lust for power.

Human desires are like a boulder rolling down a mountain; once started, they can't be stopped. [As he grew older, Liu Che valued the power in his hands more and more, like an old dragon guarding a treasure, fiercely eyeing anyone who dared to reach out.]

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) favored harsh laws and severe punishments, while Liu Ju (Liu Ju) was kind and lenient towards others. The two often argued, and Emperor Wu once said, "The son is not like his father."

In ancient autocratic societies, when an emperor told his crown prince that he was not like his father, it was a blatant sign of danger.

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) made several imperial tours and travels, while Crown Prince Liu Ju oversaw the state affairs. During these tours, he repeatedly revised harsh punishments and privately overturned serious cases.

"Ju'er," Wei Zifu advised Liu Ju with a worried expression, "Although your father has appointed you to oversee the country, you cannot act on your own and grant leniency or pardons."

"Although it was a good deed, it was ultimately an overstepping of boundaries."

Liu Ju looked up, and through the sky, later generations seemed to see the worry for the Han Dynasty in his eyes, as well as that firmness, that unquestionable gaze, which was very similar to that of Liu Che.

"Mother, Father's punishments are too harsh, and his exploitation is excessive. The people need time to recuperate."

"As a son, you cannot sit idly by and watch your father make mistakes without making amends. As the crown prince, the Han dynasty was passed down from Emperor Gaozu, and we, father and son, must not squander it."

On the surface, Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) was tolerant and magnanimous, not taking the matter to heart, but inwardly he was already dissatisfied with the Crown Prince, feeling that his authority had been challenged.

With the deaths of Huo Qubing and Wei Qing, and the departure of Crown Prince Liu Ju's biggest supporter, Liu Che used various means to exclude the remaining generals of the Wei faction.

[Emperor Wu personally cut off the wings of Crown Prince Liu Ju, one by one, until he felt safe.]

Emperor Wu of Han, driven by his lust for power and unwilling to relinquish it, began seeking immortality through alchemy and the pursuit of immortality.

In their quest for the emperor's favor, the concubines of the imperial harem resorted to witchcraft and sorcery, sparking a trend throughout the court of seeking immortality through sorcery and framing others in the struggle for power.

"Incompetent!!!"

Liu Bang was so angry that he jumped up, "How come this grandson is even more senile than the First Emperor in his old age?"

"Life, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order of things; how could anyone possibly live forever?"

"When you were old, you didn't seek immortality or ask about the Dao. Why don't you learn from you and take life and death lightly!"

"Why didn't he learn that?" Lü Zhi subtly taunted Liu Bang from the side. "Wouldn't it be better if he learned your cold-heartedness and ruthlessness instead?"

Liu Bang, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, was about to explode when Lü Zhi glared at him and muttered a few words, "Why do you still remember what happened before? I didn't kill you."

"Yes, your junior is stronger than you, not only in fighting the Xiongnu, but also in terms of ruthlessness."

Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) himself sought immortality and was most averse to witchcraft. In the first year of the Zhenghe era, the witchcraft case broke out in Chang'an. Empress Wei Zifu's brother-in-law, Chancellor Gongsun He, and his son died in prison, and their clan was exterminated. Wei Qing's son, Wei Kang, and Empress Wei Zifu's daughters, Princess Zhuyi and Princess Yangshi, were executed for witchcraft.

[Crown Prince Liu Ju's power suffered another heavy blow, and Emperor Wu appointed his favorite minister Jiang Chong to thoroughly investigate the witchcraft case.]

Jiang Chong believed that the Empress and the Crown Prince were hostile to him, so he began to frame them in advance, claiming that he was ordered to thoroughly investigate witchcraft, starting from the concubines' rooms and going all the way to the Eastern Palace.

[They claimed to have unearthed a wooden puppet from the Crown Prince's palace, engraved with Liu Che's birth date and name.]

During the Zhenghe era of Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Wu stared at Jiang Chong with horrified eyes. His eyes were bloodshot with rage. Jiang Chong, stared at by Emperor Wu's blood-red eyes, felt a chill run through his body and his heart sank.

"Framed the Crown Prince!!!"

"How dare you frame the Crown Prince!"

"There must be someone behind this, trying to disrupt the Han Dynasty."

Although Liu Che was senile due to old age and constantly suppressed the crown prince and his power, he knew that he was no longer young. If he could not achieve immortality, apart from the crown prince, his other sons would either be unfit for great responsibility or too young. Only the crown prince could protect the Han dynasty.

"Guards! Guards!"

"Pry his mouth open and get him to confess who ordered this, who dared to be so audacious!!"

Liu Che's face was contorted with rage, his entire body radiating a violent aura, resembling a wounded old pig.