Emperor An’s anger subsided slightly, and he leaned back against the pillows, his expression weary.
“The Crown Prince is defiant, and that traitor Xiao Yan holds the tiger tally. If you could cast doubt on their actions, even with mere rumors, I could find a way to limit the He family’s case to clearing only He Wenzhuo’s name. But now, the old case in the southern lands has implicated the entire He family, and the noble families have likely sided with the Crown Prince.”
“The He family has the people’s support, and Xiao Yan has used the edict of self-condemnation to tarnish the imperial name. If I don’t clear the He family’s name, I can’t appease the public. But if I do, I must offer compensation for the past.”
Emperor An sighed heavily. “The He family is all but extinct, leaving Xiao Yan as the sole recipient of any compensation. He already holds the tiger tally and is colluding with the Crown Prince and the Dragon Court Guards. If he gains a noble title with the He family’s冤屈 as his shield, I’ll have no way to check him in the court moving forward…”
Liu Tong’en, ever loyal, had felt wronged by the earlier scolding, but seeing Emperor An’s defeated demeanor, he grew anxious. “Your Majesty, it’s my fault. My negligence allowed the Crown Prince and Xiao Yan to exploit the situation.”
Emperor An waved a hand. “It’s not your fault. You suspected Xiao Yan’s treachery multiple times, but I trusted him too much, letting that traitor push me to this point.”
Liu Tong’en had served Emperor An for many years and rarely saw him so dejected since his ascension. Seeing him mention Xiao Yan with such helplessness, Liu Tong’en said firmly, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. I will protect you and find a way to deal with that traitor Xiao Yan. He and the Crown Prince, with their rebellious actions, will surely meet a bad end!”
Emperor An felt slightly reassured. No matter what, Liu Tong’en could not afford any more mistakes.
“Have you contacted Wei Ming during this time?”
“No.”
Liu Tong’en shook his head. “With Your Majesty unconscious and Xiao Yan’s spies everywhere in the capital, I didn’t dare contact Wei Ming for fear of alerting Xiao Yan…”
The private army was their last trump card, Emperor An’s final fallback. Unless absolutely necessary and with the Emperor’s explicit order, Liu Tong’en wouldn’t dare act. Once mobilized, it would be impossible to conceal again, and if they failed to eliminate Xiao Yan and reclaim power in one strike, Da Wei would descend into chaos.
Emperor An nodded. “You did the right thing. It’s not yet a desperate situation, so there’s no need to go all out.”
His health required rest, and the edict of self-condemnation had already been issued. The He family’s exoneration was inevitable. Instead of risking everything to fight Xiao Yan to the death, dragging in even more issues, perhaps even the rebellion of the late Crown Prince, it was better to take a step back and feign weakness.
If the He family wanted exoneration, so be it.
If Xiao Yan wanted a noble title, fine.
He would elevate Xiao Yan to the heights, letting him bask in glory and splendor.
As long as he agreed to clear the He family’s name, as long as he still sat on the throne, he could grit his teeth and admit to the “mistake” of twenty years ago. With the Lu family taking the blame, his fault was merely oversight. The ones who killed He Wenzhuo were the Lu family, and it was the late Emperor who wrongly accused the He family of treason.
By enduring for now, the He family could be vindicated, but Xiao Yan wouldn’t be able to overthrow him. In fact, Xiao Yan and the Crown Prince would still have to respectfully address him as “Your Majesty.”
Emperor An despised Xiao Yan, but he knew confronting him now would be more costly than it was worth. First, he needed to deal with his rebellious second son, find a way to reclaim court authority, and then handle Xiao Yan. With some patience, once the grievances of the old case faded, what would he have to fear?
“Your Majesty,” a voice called from outside the hall.
“Get up first.”
Emperor An glanced at Liu Tong’en, signaling him to rise, before allowing the person outside to enter.
“Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is here, along with several court officials requesting an audience.”
Emperor An frowned. “Who from the court is here?”
The young eunuch quietly listed the names of Liang Guangyi, Cao Dejiang, and a few senior officials, then added that Prince Ji, Prince Huan, and others were also waiting outside. After finishing, he glanced at Emperor An and hesitantly added, “Governor Xiao is here too.”
Emperor An scoffed. “He’s quick to show up!”
Liu Tong’en lowered his voice. “Should I block them?”
Emperor An replied coldly, “Why block them? Let them in.”
After the inner hall’s eunuch relayed the permission, the Crown Prince glanced at Xiao Yan. Seeing Xiao Yan’s calm demeanor as he strode into the hall, the Crown Prince gritted his teeth and followed, inwardly cursing the incompetence of the eunuchs he had bribed.
With so many hands involved, they still let his father wake up. Useless fools.
The Crown Prince fumed, wishing he could lash every one of those eunuchs. Though his heart brimmed with malice toward Emperor An, his face showed only concern as he entered and knelt alongside the other officials.
“Your son pays respects to Father.”
“We pay respects to Your Majesty.”
Emperor An’s gaze lingered on the Crown Prince, clad in a bright yellow robe adorned with a four-clawed dragon, before sweeping over the others. In a weak voice, he said, “Rise.”
“Thank you, Father/Your Majesty.”
After everyone stood, the Crown Prince stepped forward with apparent concern. “Father, you’ve finally awakened. That night, when you suddenly fell ill and fainted, I was beside myself with worry. Seeing you suffer, I wished I could take your place and bear your pain. I prayed daily to the heavens, hoping for your recovery. Thank the gods you’re awake now.”
Emperor An’s eyes darkened slightly. “Quite the filial son.”
The Crown Prince, as if oblivious to the sarcasm, red-eyed and anxious, asked, “How do you feel? Is your health alright? Have Jiang Tian and the others checked your pulse?”
Liu Tong’en, watching the Crown Prince’s hypocritical display, felt a surge of disgust.
During this time, the Crown Prince had occasionally visited the Yulong Pavilion, but only to “check” on Emperor An’s condition, secretly hoping he’d never wake. After being blocked by Liu Tong’en twice, the Crown Prince dropped his filial pretense, focusing solely on seizing power in the court, completely ignoring his ailing father. Everyone in the court whispered about the Crown Prince’s callousness, none wished more than he for the Emperor to stay unconscious.
Liu Tong’en said coldly, “Your Highness need not worry. Imperial Physician Jiang has already examined His Majesty. It was merely a temporary imbalance of qi and blood that caused his coma. Now that he’s awake, there’s no further danger.”
“Really? That’s wonderful.”
The Crown Prince gave an awkward smile.
Emperor An, uninterested in the Crown Prince’s pretense, turned to the others. “Though I was unconscious, I’ve been concerned about matters before my collapse. Has He Wenzhuo’s case been thoroughly investigated? Have the events of the fire in the southern lands twenty years ago been clarified?”
“Cao Gong, you speak.”
Cao Dejiang was surprised that Emperor An would bring it up himself. Without concealing anything, he recounted how, during the Emperor’s coma, the Crown Prince had ordered the Three Judicial Offices to investigate the old case. He mentioned the “blood letter,” Xi Weifang’s testimony, and subsequent findings.
Emperor An’s face was full of guilt. “So it was indeed my oversight. I never imagined Lu Chongyuan and his ilk could be so depraved, betraying the late Emperor’s trust. I accompanied the disaster relief efforts back then, yet I failed to notice their greed and ambition.”
“I’ve wronged He Sanlang of the He family and the innocent people who perished in the southern lands.”
His face pale with illness, his eyes slightly red, he continued, “Xiao Yan, you were right. I’ve been utterly muddled, unworthy of being a ruler.”
Xiao Yan’s eyelids flickered as he glanced sideways, watching Emperor An’s performance.
The Crown Prince, however, was inwardly thrilled, hoping Emperor An’s next words would be to abdicate in his favor.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 770 (100+ extra chapters) here
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