Volume 3, Chapter 40: Sincere Mercy, Vanished Enmity (2/2)

Seeing that it was getting late and Li Yuan was becoming a bit tired, Zheng Xia stated, “Your Imperial Majesty, since everything has already been discussed appropriately, then Your Imperial Majesty should rest.”

“We have already made up Our mind,” said Li Yuan, smiling. “In the future, all major affairs of government will be handled by the Prince of Yong. We want to spend a few years in comfort. Lord, do not leave just yet. Draft an edict for Us before you go to rest.”

On the seventh day of the tenth month, Li Yuan returned to the capital, issuing three edicts in succession. First, he ordered the crown prince to commit suicide, granting him the posthumous t.i.tle of Li, meaning “tyrannical,” while the empress was demoted to become a commoner. Second, the Prince of Yong was anointed as the crown prince with supervisory duties over the affairs of state. Third and last, Li Yuan enfeoffed n.o.ble Consort Zhangsun as the empress, picking a day to hold the ceremony. In addition, for her contributions, Princess Changle was bestowed ten thousand households as her income and granted the t.i.tle of Princess of Ning. A residence was specially built for her.

The Yong emperor’s swift and decisive actions shocked many people. The court either believed that the Prince of Yong had seized the opportunity to blackmail the emperor or that Li Yuan had been frightened and had lost interest in the affairs of state. No one knew that this was all a result of the words of Palace Attendant Zheng Xia.

After the Prince of Yong took control of the government, he began what was known in the histories as the “Prince of Li’s Treasonous Incident.” A large-scale purge began. Numerous high-ranking officials and distinguished personages found guilty of involvement in the former crown prince’s rebellion were all imprisoned. Aside from these individuals, the total number of people implicated was innumerable. For a short while, the entire court was filled with dread and worry. Only a few individuals figured out that the Prince of Yong’s purge was well controlled.

The majority of the court ministers implicated came from powerful local aristocratic families. Although these families had made significant contributions to the founding of Great Yong, they now lorded over their territories, seizing land and even going so far as to build a private army. Faintly, one could discern that they were setting up independent regimes. This time, the Prince of Yong was seizing the opportunity afforded by the former crown prince’s rebellion to employ the soldiers under his command to practically completely destroy these families. They employed both subtle and overt methods, frequently annihilating or imprisoning members of those aristocratic families. After all, these families could not avoid having some ties with the Fengyi Sect and Wei Guan. As for the members of the ancillary branches of the families and the commoners who attached themselves to the families, the Prince of Yong did not lightly charge and punish them.

Having undergone the war between the Embroidered Union and the Fengyi Sect, many of these aristocratic families had already been ma.s.sacred. Now that the Prince of Yong was borrowing the nominal purpose of investigating the former crown prince’s treason, it left these families trembling like cicadas in the cold of winter. None of them dared to stick their heads out, allowing the Prince of Yong to break them in turn. Within a month, the Great Yong court had a completely new look. Very quickly, the Prince of Yong’s administration of Great Yong was able to return to normal operation with the officials brought back from Youzhou by s.h.i.+ Yu and those lower ranking officials willing to work. With blood, the dust upon Great Yong’s court was washed away.

Within all of this, there was a type of court officials who were the first to be purged. These officials’ daughters or wives all had relations with the Fengyi Sect. The lightest punishment was demotion. A bit more severe was dismissal. There were those who were sent to the execution grounds. Many of the Fengyi Sect’s disciples were originally young ladies from important families. Most of them entered the Fengyi Sect in order to improve their status and position. As a result, the majority of them completely cut off their ties with the Fengyi Sect. If these women were able to receive their fathers’ and brothers’ protection, then they would be able to spend the rest of their lives in peace. Although there were some wives and daughters who were abandoned, on the whole, the majority of them were able to make fresh starts. But if the women hailed from impoverished households, and able to marry into distinguished or aristocratic families because of the Fengyi Sect, their fates were quite miserable. They were either divorced by their husbands or completely neglected. However, with the appearance of the butcher’s knife, their miserable and resentful cries were completely covered by the b.l.o.o.d.y purge.

In reality, the Prince of Yong wasn’t so ruthless and merciless. There were some officials who were part of the crown prince’s faction or students of Wei Guan. As long as there was no clear evidence of their complicity or partic.i.p.ation in the rebellion, and possessing of ability and talent, then they would not be purged. Under the purges guided by the Prince of Yong, the sole force that escaped the purges was the military. The Prince of Yong had issued the order that the officers and soldiers of Great Yong had made heroic contributions on the state’s behalf. As such, the Prince of Yong prohibited the purge from affecting the military. Even if he discovered that some of the generals had intimate relations with the Fengyi Sect, as long as they wrote a detailed repentance letter, they would be absolved. As a result, the Prince of Yong’s purge did not endanger Great Yong’s foundation, and instead actually increased the strength of its military, as many younger individuals of aristocratic families and members of jianghu all joined the military in order to avoid being implicated. After the crisis had pa.s.sed, Great Yong’s military was actually strengthened significantly.

On the ninth day of the tenth month, Zheng Xia took a bottle of poisoned wine, white damask cloth, and a dagger to the Brocade Peace Palace Hall where the crown prince was placed under house arrest. This was the second time that the crown prince had been imprisoned here. Last time, although Li An was also apprehensive, with Wei Ying’s secret help, as well as the Fengyi Sect, Lu Jingzhong, and company’s help, he knew what was going to happen. However, this time, Li An did not have any support to lean upon. Locked within the palace hall, he could neither eat nor drink. He was already at his final breath.

Just as Zheng Xia was about to enter the palace hall, he suddenly caught sight of a group of individuals walking over. Based on the embroidered character on the lantern they carried, they were from the Prince of Yong’s household. As they neared, Zheng Xia saw that Jiang Zhe was at their head. Standing behind him in attendance was Li Shun. Surrounding him was a ring of imperial bodyguards. The security was extremely tight.

Stepping forward, Jiang Zhe saluted Zheng Xia and stated, “On His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Yong’s orders, this lowly official has come to see off the Crown Prince. Palace Attendant daren, please allow it.”

Zheng Xia frowned. “This is in contravention of proper rites. Do you have the Emperor’s edict?”

A hint of murderous intent flared in Jiang Zhe’s eyes. He whispered, “Palace Attendant daren, there is no harm for this lowly official to tell the truth. His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Yong, does not know that I have come. I have used His Imperial Highness’s golden pendant to swindle my way past the Imperial Guard and Imperial Palace Guard to arrive here. This time, I must see the Crown Prince. If Palace Attendant daren does not allow it, then Jiang Zhe can only force my way in.”

Hearing Jiang Zhe’s words, Zheng Xia was greatly startled. He carefully studied Jiang Zhe, seeing the willingness to die rather than yield in Jiang Zhe’s eyes. Although Zheng Xia scrupulously abided by proper etiquette, he was not a completely obstinate man. Could it be that this man had a.s.sisted the Prince of Yong to force the crown prince because he had an irreconcilable hatred towards the crown prince? This man’s scheming was sagacious and vicious. If I am determined to refuse his request and he is to harbor resentment, it would inevitably give birth to future disaster. It would be fine if he seeks to harm me … but in the event that this man seeks to sow discord between the Emperor and the Prince of Yong, then it would be my sin. Thinking of this, Zheng Xia stated, “Since you’ve come on the orders of His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Yong, this official can allow your presence. Major Jiang, come in with this official.”

Revealing a hint of joy on his face, Jiang Zhe gestured, having the imperial bodyguards remain outside. Accompanied only by Xiaoshunzi, Jiang Zhe followed Zheng Xia inside. Originally, Zheng Xia had two eunuchs that knew martial arts by his side to safeguard against the crown prince’s refusal to commit suicide. Now seeing that the situation had reached such a state, in order to prevent these eunuchs from seeing something they weren’t meant to see, Zheng Xia had them wait outside as well.

The three of them walked into the Brocade Peace Palace Hall. Within, they saw Li An curled up and s.h.i.+vering on the bed. Zheng Xia could not help but sigh lightly, while Jiang Zhe’s face was stony.

After Zheng Xia read the edict, Xiaoshunzi brought over the tray that he had taken from the eunuchs and walked over, placing the bottle of poisoned wine, white damask cloth, and dagger on the table. Li An only let out a miserable shriek as he retreated. As expected, he was unwilling to commit suicide.

Walking close to him, I whispered, “Your Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince, does Your Imperial Highness remember Liu Piaoxiang of Southern Chu?”

Li An’s eyes were filled with confusion. It was only some time before he replied, “We remember. We once had the fortune of copulating with her. Didn’t Liang Wan send her back long ago? Jiang daren, please plea for leniency on Our behalf to second brother. As long as Our life is spared, We are willing to spend the rest of Our life in imprisonment or leave home and become a monk.”

I felt blood and qi seethe in my chest. Who could have expected that Liang Wan had still managed to lie to me that day? So the true murderer who had killed Piaoxiang was actually her. As for this Li An, although he had brought about her death, he was not the murderer. However, the more I pondered, the more resentment I felt. If it weren’t for his l.u.s.t, if it weren’t for Liang Wan’s desire to ensure that his ident.i.ty remained secret, how could Piaoxiang have been murdered? Reaching this conclusion, I turned to glance at Xiaoshunzi. I stated, “His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince, is unwilling to be on his way. Help him.”

Xiaoshunzi glanced at Zheng Xia. In pa.s.sing, he picked up the bottle of poisoned wine, walking forward and grasping onto Li An. With ease, he forced Li An to drink all of the poison. Very quickly, Li An stopped breathing, his complexion the color purple, with expressions of defiance and remorse on his face. No one would know what he regretted.

I only felt empty inside. Having avenged Piaoxiang, I surprisingly was at a loss of what to do next. Just then, Zheng Xia spoke significantly, “Jiang daren, the past is the past, while the future can still be shaped. Do you understand?”

I glanced at Zheng Xia. Stepping forward, I saluted him, stating, “Zheng daren, do not worry. Although Zhe has some selfish motives, I have never sought to incite His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Yong, to ignore the relations.h.i.+p between brothers. It is only that the Crown Prince was guilty of monstrous crimes, thus Zhe had to personally see my enemy off.”

Although Zheng Xia only heard just the few words of what I said, he could tell what was true and what wasn’t. However, he also knew that was done today could not be undone. There was no point for him to meddle; it was enough to warn this youth to not cause harm upon the situation for the sake of personal vengeance.

Just as the three were about to depart, commotion came clamoring from outside. Arriving outside, they discovered the Prince of Yong hurriedly rus.h.i.+ng over. After seeing Zheng Xia and Jiang Zhe, Li Zhi’s facial expression relaxed and he stated, “Zheng daren, this Prince dispatched Jiang daren to see off the Crown Prince to exhaust the last of our brotherly affection. Zheng daren, please do not take offense.”

Zheng Xia could not help but find all of this a bit ridiculous. However, he knew better than to expose all of this, only replying, “This is normal. Why would this subject take offense? His Imperial Majesty is still waiting for this subject’s report. Your Imperial Highness, please …”

Once Zheng Xia had departed, the Prince of Yong walked over and grimly glared at Jiang Zhe. Li Zhi said, “Suiyun, you’re truly extremely daring, having the impertinence to fake my command. There will be a reckoning after we’ve gone back.”

Then he whispered, “Suiyun, for you to have some a load on your mind, why didn’t you tell this Prince? You are truly … alas …”

Feeling warmth infuse my body, I turned my head away, hiding the tears spilling from my eyes. In a low whisper, I returned, “This subject dared not allow my selfishness to harm Your Imperial Highness’s interests. Your Imperial Highness’s love and protection moves this subject to tears. In the future, I do not dare to hide anything from Your Imperial Highness.”

Li Zhi sighed. “Let’s go.… If it weren’t for Xiahou Yuanfeng seeing you enter the palace this late at night, this Prince would not yet have learned of your rash actions. Fortunately, Zheng daren did not blame you.”

After saluting again to express my apology, I followed His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Yong, out of the palace grounds. The entire journey, I felt great grat.i.tude. I would never be able to completely repay His Imperial Highness, the Prince of Yong, for his great grace.

Footnotes:

<ol><li>甘之如饴, ganzhiruyi – idiom, lit. as sweet as syrup; fig. to endure hards.h.i.+p gladly</li><li>汗马功劳, hanmagonglao – idiom, lit. to ride a laboring horse to great deeds; fig. heroic contributions</li><li>往事已矣, w.a.n.gs.h.i.+yiyi – idiom, lit. the past is dead; fig. that was then, the past is in the past</li><li>来者可追, laizhekezhui – idiom, lit. what is to come can still be overtaken; fig. the future can still be shaped</li><li>恶贯满盈, eguanmaning – idiom, lit. strung through and filled with evil; fig. guilty of monstrous crimes, filled with extreme evil</li></ol>