Xiao Yan had warned him. He had told him repeatedly not to meddle in the Lu family’s affairs, to steer clear to avoid trouble. But he never took it to heart.
The Second Prince’s lips trembled.
He had brought this upon himself, and no one else was to blame.
Listening to Xiao Yan’s words, Emperor An was so furious that he couldn’t help but deliver another kick to the Second Prince.
“You think you’re the only clever one in the world? That you’re the most capable in the court, you idiot!”
“Full of ambition but no sense of restraint, absurdly foolish yet arrogant. A brainless, venomous, unfilial wretch like you dares to covet the throne?”
Emperor An’s curses were venomous. After venting, he declared in a rage, “By my decree, the Second Prince, Xie Pingjia, is foolish, unfilial, colludes with court officials, and disrespects his sovereign. He is stripped of his princely status and demoted to a commoner…”
“Father!”
The Second Prince hadn’t expected Emperor An to be so ruthless as to strip him of his title outright.
He lurched to his feet to plead for mercy, but suddenly his vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious.
Emperor An, unable to dodge in time, was splattered with blood from the prince’s head.
Xiao Yan glanced at the hem of his robe, neatly tucked by his legs, relieved he had moved far enough away.
The others in the hall were startled by the Second Prince’s sudden collapse. Seeing Emperor An’s fury freeze on his face, Xiao Yan, despite his disgust, stepped forward. He crouched beside the Second Prince, checking his pulse at the neck through his collar.
“Your Majesty, the Second Prince has likely fainted from blood loss. Shall I summon the imperial physicians?”
“Let him die for all I care!”
Emperor An, a man who loved fiercely and hated just as fiercely, was truly enraged this time. The Second Prince had provoked his murderous intent.
Already prone to volatile moods, he was consumed with hatred for the Second Prince, who had made him lose all imperial dignity and turned the royal family into a laughingstock.
How could he remember this was his own son? Even if the Second Prince died before him now, he wouldn’t care.
Grand Tutor Liang didn’t dare plead for leniency. Cui Lin, still waiting outside, was no less culpable than the Second Prince, and Liang feared that speaking up would turn Emperor An’s wrath on him.
Cao Dejiang, however, stepped forward. “Your Majesty, though the Second Prince acted improperly and meddled in the Privy Council’s investigation, he is still a prince. Moreover, he exposed the Empress and her son’s scandal in court today. If you punish him harshly now, it may stir gossip.”
Emperor An whipped his head around, glaring at him.
As a censor, Cao Dejiang was used to the Emperor’s glares, having faced them countless times. Unfazed, he continued, “To be fair, the Second Prince’s discovery of the Empress and Prince Cheng’s affair was a service to the court. Though exposing it in court was improper, the imperial clan would likely approve of his efforts to clear the confusion over Your Majesty’s bloodline.”
“While Your Majesty is rightfully furious, you cannot let the Second Prince bleed to death here, nor demote him to a commoner over this. Otherwise, by tomorrow, everyone will say you’re venting your anger over the Empress’s scandal on him. The old princes of the clan will come knocking, accusing Your Majesty of unbefitting conduct as a ruler…”
“Cao Dejiang, you’re insolent!” Emperor An’s anger flared at Cao’s words.
Having checked on the Second Prince, Xiao Yan stood to the side, too lazy to kneel again.
Seeing Emperor An’s rage, he spoke up, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger.”
“Though Lord Cao’s words are blunt, they’re not without reason. The Second Prince claimed he intervened out of fear that the Lu family was deceiving Your Majesty. If you punish him for this, loose tongues might say you’re unmerciful or acting out of embarrassed rage against him.”
“The Empress’s affair makes Your Majesty the victim. The Lu family deceived and betrayed you, the Empress acted shamelessly, and Prince Cheng deliberately concealed the truth, keeping you in the dark for years.”
“Though the scandal’s exposure harms the imperial family’s reputation, the fault lies with others. Your Majesty can openly punish those who deserve it—execute those who must be executed, condemn those who must be condemned—and the clan will have no grounds to object.”
“If anyone dares use this to attack the imperial family or mock Your Majesty, they are the ones who deserve death. The court officials should know what to say and what not to.”
“But if something happens to the Second Prince or he’s demoted entirely, it will give others a handle to criticize. The clan alone would be enough to trouble Your Majesty.”
At first, Emperor An was livid at Xiao Yan’s words, but as he listened, his anger subsided slightly.
He knew the imperial clan too well. They seemed idle and harmless most of the time, but the moment an emperor made a misstep, they’d leap at the chance to criticize, leveraging their status—many of them his elders.
Unless he disregarded public opinion entirely and eliminated them, any “overstep” would lead to their incessant complaints.
And as for the matter of Empress Lu and her son…
Most people in this world love to pry into secrets. The more he tried to conceal this matter, the larger it would grow.
If it had been suppressed before the morning court, it might have been contained. But after today’s court session, it was clearly impossible to keep it hidden.
Rather than covering it up and letting outsiders speculate wildly, it was better, as Xiao Yan suggested, to openly expose the crimes of Empress Lu, her son, Prince Cheng, and the Lu family.
Though it would spark discussion, who would dare speak out of turn about imperial matters?
Emperor An began to see reason, but his disgust for the Second Prince, lying on the floor, remained. “And what about him?”
Xiao Yan replied, “Your Majesty entrusted the Lu family matter to me, explicitly ordering that no one else interfere. The Second Prince defied your decree, meddled in the Privy Council’s investigation, and secretly harbored a palace maid…”
Emperor An’s gaze flickered, his anger subsiding slightly.
“Feng Lai.”
“Your servant is here.”
“Take Prince Zeng out and summon the imperial physicians.”
Prince Zeng?
Eunuch Feng paused, then realized Emperor An was referring to the Second Prince.
In the Wei Dynasty, imperial princes were typically granted princely titles, with only younger, unmarried ones starting as county princes. Moreover, until an heir apparent was named, princes were generally not given titles to prevent them from leveraging their status to rally court officials with ulterior motives.
The Second Prince was the only prince in the court with a title, and though it was only a county prince title, it was considered an honor.
But this honor…
“The Second Prince served me by uncovering the Empress and her son’s crimes, and granting him a title is his due reward. However, his reckless actions defied my will, disregarded my decree, interfered in court affairs, and meddled with the Privy Council’s work, truly despicable conduct.”
“I bestow upon him the title ‘Zeng’ (meaning ‘to loathe’ or ‘to resent’) so that he may remember today’s mistake and serve as a warning to other princes and officials about what should and should not be done.”
Zeng—loathed for defiance.
Eunuch Feng cast a pitying glance at the unconscious Second Prince—no, Prince Zeng—lying on the ground.
With this title, his future was utterly ruined.
Emperor An, still unsatisfied, added, “Prince Zeng is unstable and unfit for significant responsibilities. Strip him of all his court duties and let him reflect and reform in his residence. Henceforth, he need not attend court.”
Eunuch Feng: “…”
Adding insult to injury, nothing less.
“Your servant obeys the decree.”
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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