PFC Chapter 237 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (137)
Chapter 237 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (137)
Even as he was being led to the guillotine, he kept shouting, hoping that his parents would come to save him as before.
But no one can save him now! His parents are barely able to save themselves, and no one can escape.
They will have to pay the price for what they have done!
Everyone thought that was the end of it, but no one expected that it was not only not over, but only the beginning!
With the support of the eldest prince, He Shaoqing and the supervisory commissioner began to investigate more deeply.
The investigation began by uncovering the practice of buying easy official positions for others' achievements, and the more they dug, the deeper they went, to the point that it began to terrify many people.
The network of relationships behind this is intricate and complex. Whether it's the former master-disciple relationship, the factional relationship, or the kinship relationship, they are all intertwined. Pull out one thread and you'll find a tangled mess behind it. Those involved even know when they will be dragged out!
How could this not make them restless?
Not only could I not sit still, I was practically unable to eat or sleep.
They were not only wary of the inspectors and junior officials, but also of being used as scapegoats to attract attention and be disposed of at will.
Although everyone is united, there are always those with more connections and stronger backers. When things are good, everyone works together as one, but now that something has happened and it involves themselves and their families, where is the affection? They'll do anything to protect themselves.
After all, many of them did things that were no less extravagant than those of the local gentry.
That day, the bloodied head rolled on the ground, covered in dust and filth, its eyes wide open in death. Who wouldn't feel uneasy? The First Prince gave everyone a strong impression right from the start, putting everyone on edge!
If it's just a matter of making an example of one to deter others, then that would be enough.
The Crown Prince's order and the behavior of that Junior Minister He clearly indicate that this time, things will not go so easily. This sense of pressure hangs over everyone, making everyone suspicious and paranoid...
Since He Shaoqing personally witnessed the beheading at the execution ground that day, he has been extremely calm. Although the people he brought, along with the imperial censors sent from the capital, have been sitting in the yamen all day long, specifically handling cases of grievances from the people, once the news spread, within a few days, the yamen had to find a special room to pile up the petitions.
Not only in the local area, but no one could understand why the news spread so quickly, and people in other places also heard about it!
Some, harboring grievances, made up their minds and, without even a donkey cart, walked for days and nights on the official road until they finally stood before the yamen!
The man stood there, his feet swollen and bleeding, staining the ground beneath his feet red.
He was so strong that he almost knocked a hole through the drumhead outside the yamen, attracting the attention of the surrounding people who stopped to watch.
In recent days, people have been asking others to write their complaints and submit them to the yamen, but no one has bothered to beat that drum.
After all, if you beat the drum at the yamen, you'll first have to endure a beating before you can go to court to plead your case. No one would do that unless they were forced to.
The drum in front of the yamen has not sounded for quite some time. This is not because the local government is well-governed and the people live in peace and prosperity without any grievances, but because these officials in charge are in cahoots with the evildoers. The people who file complaints are worse off than those who do not. Over time, who would be foolish enough to invite trouble upon themselves?
Although they had witnessed an execution that day, the people were still whispering among themselves when they heard that the yamen was holding a trial. Who knew what kind of show it would be this time?
It wasn't until someone set an example that the Censor-in-Chief actually took the case very seriously!
Moreover, the perpetrator was swiftly apprehended, punished according to the law, and thrown into prison.
Only then did everyone truly believe that the upright and just official had descended!
The upright and just magistrate of the capital has arrived!
Outside the government office, the people spontaneously knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the capital, their expressions filled with excitement and gratitude.
They were genuinely moved and delighted, but those who knew the inside story wore rather strange and unpleasant expressions.
The common people may not know the current situation in the capital. The emperor is so ill that he cannot get out of bed and has not attended court for a long time. The one who is in charge of government affairs now is His Highness the First Prince.
So who exactly were they kowtowing to? And who were they shouting "Long live the Emperor!" from?
The fundamental principle of the way of the emperor is that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it; a wise ruler is one who wins the hearts of the people.
Public support is hard to come by, but sometimes... it's also easy to win people's hearts.
At a time when the people were most disheartened, resentful, and in pain, the eldest prince seized the scapegoat and, in front of the people, beheaded the culprit, upholding justice for the wronged.
Sitting high above, one can see the mundane affairs of the world and the suffering of all beings. With a Buddhist heart and thunderous methods, a dignified gaze when raised and a compassionate look when lowered, who could not be moved?
The Crown Prince, what profound thoughts you have! The most ordinary people don't care who sits in that high position; even if they crane their necks until they break, they will never be able to catch a glimpse of the Emperor's face in their lifetime.
But at this moment, they felt the Emperor's grace, so majestic and so compassionate, falling upon everyone, regardless of gender or age, causing their emotions to surge to the point of tears.
Even if we told them now that the one sitting in the capital was not the Emperor, but the Crown Prince, they wouldn't find it inappropriate; they would only hope... that the Crown Prince could sit in that position!
What a cunning and unsolvable scheme! Using the people's hearts as a chess piece on the board, it's so ingenious that it leaves one with no way to retaliate...
As news of events in the south spread, no one in the court dared to underestimate the Crown Prince anymore. Their opinions changed, and at least on the surface, they became much more sensible!
But the eldest prince remained unchanged, continuing his daily routine as if this was nothing more than ordinary and unremarkable to him.
That day, Ji Shuqin was in his palace. After reading several memorials, his brows were tightly furrowed, and he leaned back in his chair, looking exhausted. On the open paper, He Shaoqing's strong and vigorous handwriting described one injustice after another. The further he wrote, the more unrestrained and messy his handwriting became, with a sense of power penetrating the paper...
These days, the post stations have been sending back countless memorials from the censors and vice ministers at breakneck speed. They wrote so much that Ji Shuqin could hardly bear to finish reading them.
He had lost his former almost naive kindness; his hand, which had been writing down one decree after another that cost lives, had never held the pen so steadily.
He picked up a well-worn account book.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the account book that Ji Shumin handed to the emperor when he used the same methods against the second prince to expose his actions.
This is not merely evidence of the Second Prince's collusion with southern forces, nor is it simply meant to anger the Emperor and obstruct his path to the throne.
There's much more to it than meets the eye. By meticulously examining these accounts and records of embezzlement and bribery, one can uncover the intricacies and inner workings of the power structure. When He Shaoqing went to the South, in that environment of collusion and mutual protection, his ability to quickly penetrate the core issues demonstrates his ability to grasp the crux of the matter and prescribe the right remedy, thus breaking apart their seemingly unbreakable relationship.
These ledgers played a crucial role!
After the Empress went to Ji Shumin's residence, the two brothers did not communicate with each other for some time.
It was not that Ji Shuqin was angry with Ji Shumin.
When he left that day, he was not in his right mind and even blamed Min'er in that way...
After being reprimanded mercilessly by Lu Liruan, he was so preoccupied with so many things that he forgot how to speak. The tightness in his chest made it impossible for him to stand still, so he had no choice but to turn around and leave!
Upon returning to the palace, he was filled with remorse. Thinking about what his mother had done to Ji Shumin, and his own actions over the years, he couldn't bear to think about what the deep affection and reunion he had always believed in truly meant to Ji Shumin. Just hearing the truth was unbearable for him...
Over the years, every time Min'er went up the mountain to meet him in his ignorant and unaware state, and listened to his self-righteous and incredibly shallow nonsense, did she feel more pain and more...heart-wrenching pain than she does now?
Min'er is actually willing to acknowledge me, instead of chasing me away as soon as she sees me and severing all ties for the rest of her life. That's truly magnanimous. Ji Shuqin thought with a wry smile.
He tried to force a smile, but no matter what he did, he couldn't manage it.
Ji Shuqin went to the emperor's palace again. This time he did not go in, but just stood at the door. Just listening to the sounds coming from inside and breathing in the murky smell, pain and fear seized his mind.
What will happen to Min'er...?
Will Min'er also become like this? Ji Shuqin felt as if he had fallen into an abyss.
Since returning to the palace that day, the Empress seemed to have lost her soul, not uttering a single word. No matter how Ji Shuqin pressed her for answers, she remained oblivious, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Ji Shuqin asked Granny Ma.
When Ji Shuqin summoned Granny Ma to his palace, he originally thought that Granny Ma would not say anything because of her loyalty to the Empress Dowager. However, to his surprise, when he asked her, Granny Ma told him.
Granny Ma followed the Empress into the palace and has stayed by her side all these years, no matter what happened, from the An family to the palace, from the palace to the mountain temple, and then back to the palace...
Ji Shuqin was cared for by her when he was young, and he also had feelings for her as an elder.
"Your Majesty had long anticipated that you would find out," said Granny Ma, bowing her head.
Years ago, Granny Ma asked her, "Your Highness, the First Prince has feelings for the Third Prince... If he finds out in the future, how will you handle it?"
The empress at the time simply said, "So what if I can't hide it? If I hadn't done this, I might not have lived to see the day he found out..."
Her eyes were icy cold: "I need some hope to keep me alive, right? I need to keep breathing and watch the Emperor die!"
Mama Ma did not try to dissuade her further, as the Empress's spirits were already about to crumble.
"But how innocent is Ke Min'er?" Ji Shuqin listened to Granny Ma recount what had happened, and it seemed that no one could benefit from it.
Granny Ma shook her head: "This old servant is Her Majesty the Empress's servant. All I remember is that Her Majesty has been good to me since I was young. Whatever Her Majesty does, this old servant accompanies her. I can't tell right from wrong..."
Ji Shuqin let her leave, and from her perspective, her loyalty was not wrong.
Ji Shuqin wanted to talk to Ji Shumin, but he didn't know how to face him now.
Until he saw the memorial handed over by Ji Shumin.
Since becoming disabled, Ji Shumin has stopped attending court. In fact, no one told Ji Shumin that he should do so, but at the time he just went with the flow.
Ji Shumin rarely appeared in public anymore, but he could still submit memorials.
Although it's called a folded document, it's actually more like a letter.
Ji Shumin's greeting was just like any other official letter of greeting, full of pleasantries and well wishes. However, since it was written by Ji Shumin, who had been a gifted writer since childhood, even his ordinary greetings were different from those of others, showing his own unique personality. As Ji Shuqin looked at the words, he could almost hear his younger brother's slow, leisurely voice, as if he were wrapped in a thick blanket, leaning back in his usual soft chair, talking to him.
The gist of the letter was roughly: What's wrong? I didn't do anything to you. Are you going to throw a tantrum and never see me again?
Ji Shumin would never normally say such a thing, so how could Ji Shuqin not understand that his younger brother was deliberately offering him a way out? It wasn't his place to do this... he wasn't usually like that.
“Then I, the one with the thick skin, will deliver it…” Before the memorial was brought in, Ji Shumin lowered his eyes and listened calmly as Lu Liruan read what he had written.
"When did you become so good-tempered?" Lu Liruan asked calmly.
Ji Shumin was willing to soften his stance with him, but Lu Liruan still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Although I know it's human nature, why did he get angry at Ji Shumin?
Ji Shumin leaned forward, getting very close, and stared at Lu Liruan's expression, making Lu Liruan laugh out loud: "What are you looking at? Shameless..."
“Waiting for my elder brother to come to me on his own initiative is uncertain, and things are urgent now, so let him take his time…” Ji Shumin said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Lu Liruan also thought that perhaps because of the tense situation, Ji Shumin had no time to care, or perhaps he didn't care at all in the first place.
Just as he himself said, he has a thick skin and would never hold such a small matter against his will.
Sure enough, Ji Shuqin's reply arrived that very day, and by the time the eunuch delivered it, it was already dark.
Not only did they deliver the letter, but they also brought a verbal message.
His Highness the Crown Prince was not delaying his reply; rather, he was simply too busy with palace affairs today and finally managed to find the time to quickly write back.
Lu Liruan was indeed amused by these words: Well, she already knew what kind of person Ji Shuqin was, and between the brothers... there probably wasn't any grudge that lasted overnight, right?