Tang Ning lowered her head, clutching the sachet at her waist, which had been given to her by Xiao Yan during the interrogation by King Cheng.
On the opposite side, Old Master Tong didn’t notice the strange look on her face and instead was gently stroking the tea bowl, reminiscing about some old events he hadn’t thought of for a long time.
“When the late Emperor first ascended the throne, he was gentle in nature and had a deep father-son bond with the Crown Prince. He only had the rebellious Crown Prince as his legitimate son and wasn’t particularly close with the other imperial princes,” Old Master Tong began.
“At that time, the court was dominated by the powerful families, but the Taizu Emperor's authority was immense, and he had long realized the dangers of the noble families. He intended to eliminate them. Aside from the He family, who had shown early loyalty, the Lu family, the Cui family, and others were heavily suppressed.”
“The rebellious Crown Prince was naturally raised by the Taizu Emperor. After his death, the Crown Prince continued to follow the Taizu Emperor's will, seeking to cleanse the imperial court and maintain its integrity.”
The rebellious Crown Prince was naturally a wise ruler, his governance was clear, and there were signs of prosperity for the Wei Dynasty. Furthermore, the Taizu Emperor had left behind many supporters, so even after his passing, the Eastern Palace still had many loyal followers in the court.
At that time, the Crown Prince’s word was like the Emperor’s decree, and his intentions were considered as the Emperor’s own. But everyone forgot that the late Emperor was still the ruling monarch, the true sovereign of the people.
As an emperor, the late Emperor should have been above all others, but his legitimate son was above him in status and wielded greater authority.
How could the late Emperor tolerate this?
When the Taizu Emperor was alive, he could endure it.
When he first passed away, the late Emperor could still tolerate it.
But as time went on, and the Crown Prince’s power continued to grow, even overshadowing him, how could the late Emperor not harbor resentment?
Tang Ning couldn’t help but frown. “Since the Taizu Emperor favored the Crown Prince, why didn’t he directly pass the throne to him?”
The Taizu Emperor had favored the rebellious Crown Prince, yet allowed the former Emperor to ascend the throne. Wasn’t that pushing the father and son to turn against each other?
Old Master Tong sighed lightly. “Perhaps the Taizu Emperor did want to, but at that time, the Crown Prince was still too young. A nation cannot be ruled by a child. And while the noble families were being suppressed, they still had a strong presence in the court. When the Taizu Emperor abdicated due to illness, he was unsure how long he had left to live.”
The ten-year-old Crown Prince might have been fine, but a ten-year-old ruler could never control the scheming officials of the court.
At the time, Old Master Tong was also young and unaware of the full details. However, he speculated that the Taizu Emperor’s illness must have been severe when he abdicated. He feared that he might not survive much longer, so he hurriedly passed the throne to the former Emperor and named the Crown Prince, but after surviving for another four years, the Taizu Emperor finally passed away. By then, the imperial edict had already been issued, and the former Emperor couldn’t be replaced.
Tang Ning seemed to understand these things and didn’t know what to say in response.
The tea water in the pot began to bubble, and steam rose in fine wisps.
The fragrance of the tea filled the room. After a long silence, Tang Ning asked, “So, the rebellious Crown Prince really died because of treason?”
Old Master Tong shook his head. “The rebellious Crown Prince was like the rising sun. He was born to be the Crown Prince, and as long as he followed the proper steps, the throne would eventually be his. Why would he take such drastic, self-destructive actions?”
The rebellious Crown Prince was not someone who sought power. He had realized the late Emperor’s coldness and, not wanting to fall out with his father over external matters, willingly ceded some of his authority. Even after noticing that the late Emperor was supporting other princes in an effort to disperse the Crown Prince’s influence, he didn’t react too strongly.
He wasn’t naive. He understood the suspicions of a ruler and tried to reassure the late Emperor, but the late Emperor never felt his gestures of submission and only grew more suspicious of the growing power of the Eastern Palace.
Everyone claimed that the Crown Prince had conspired against the throne, but who would believe such rumors with clear eyes?
After the massacre in the Eastern Palace, many people tried to plead for the rebellious Crown Prince, but the late Emperor didn’t believe a word of it. Anyone who petitioned was also accused of treason.
The streets of the capital were stained with blood, and many officials in the court died. Eventually, no one dared speak up. The Crown Prince’s alleged crimes were spread far and wide, and with the public clamor, even the falsehoods became accepted as truth.
Old Master Tong took a sip of tea, suppressing the unease in his heart.
“Back then, the rebellious Crown Prince wanted to eliminate the powerful families. He almost drove them to the edge of destruction. He had even carried out a recruitment of scholars to serve the court, a move that many of the lower-born officials in the court today owe their positions to.”
“But afterward, the Eastern Palace started experiencing frequent issues. Many affairs were handled poorly, and the rebellious Crown Prince suddenly became violent and bloodthirsty. Just a year before his supposed treason, he had massacred officials without the Emperor’s consent over trivial matters and even personally killed a prince and a marquis.”
“The capital was in an uproar. The late Emperor had considered deposing the Crown Prince, but out of father-son affection and in consideration of the Taizu Emperor’s wishes, he held off and only imprisoned the rebellious Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace. But then, who would have guessed that the Crown Prince suddenly went mad, not only setting fire to the Forbidden Palace but also sending assassins to kill the late Emperor, trying to seize power? After that, the Eastern Palace was burned down, and the rebellious Crown Prince perished in the fire.”
Tang Ning furrowed her brows tightly. “Did everyone in the Eastern Palace die in the fire?”
Old Master Tong lowered his eyes. “Everyone. The Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, the eldest grandson, and even the bodyguards—none survived.”
“…”
Tang Ning could only feel how absurd this all seemed. Even though she hadn’t experienced those events, she could tell there was something wrong with this story.
If the rebellious Crown Prince truly intended to rebel, with the foundation left by the late Emperor, even though his power had been diminished by the former Emperor’s actions, he wouldn’t have been powerless.
He could have killed the late Emperor and even burned the Imperial Dragon Platform if he wanted, but why burn down the Eastern Palace? Why kill everyone there, including himself, in such a way? Even if the rebellious Crown Prince had truly gone mad as everyone said, wouldn’t the Crown Princess and the eldest grandson have reacted? Would they really have just stood still and allowed themselves to perish in the fire?
Seeing the disbelief on Tang Ning’s face, Old Master Tong drank the tea in his cup and sighed. “It does seem absurd, doesn’t it? But at the time, the late Emperor firmly believed in his son’s treason. The noble families presented their supposed evidence of the Crown Prince’s rebellion.”
He seemed frustrated, but in the end, it only turned into a long sigh.
“This matter happened many years ago, and it’s no use bringing it up again. The current Emperor is very cautious about the rebellious Crown Prince’s case. You can listen to it, but don’t discuss it with others.”
Tang Ning nodded. “I understand.”
The conversation became heavy, and the atmosphere in the room was thick with tension.
Old Master Tong had only shared these words out of his own frustrations. Seeing Tang Ning deep in thought, he paused for a moment before shifting the conversation to the academy.
“These last few days of examinations have resulted in more than five hundred students being admitted to the academy. There will likely be a few more in the next couple of days. After tomorrow’s exams, we should have around six hundred students. Once they enter, they won’t be divided into classes immediately but will attend the same classes and have the same teachers. After a month, there will be an exam, and based on the results, they will be divided into classes.”
“As you mentioned before, the classes will be divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D, with different courses and treatments for each. There will be exams every two months, and students will be reassigned according to their results, with a system of survival of the fittest.”
Tang Ning pushed aside her complex thoughts, regained focus, and said, “Add one more rule: If a student in level D fails to place above the last position in two consecutive exams, they will be expelled from the academy.”
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T/N: the story is a little confusing but here’s a summary: the Taizu Emperor is the ruler before the most recent Emperor who died (aka the father of the current emperor). He favored his grandson the Crown Prince instead of his son the Emperor at the time because he raised his grandson himself. The late emperor was jealous that his father loved his son more and had his son had more power than him. Eventually the crown prince went mad and killed everyone in the eastern palace. The current emperor is a brother to the crown prince and the person who benefited the most from the crown prince going mad. Spoiler alert; Xiao Yan is most likely the son of the late crown prince
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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