ATPnovel Chapter 80 The Confession of the Duke of Cheng'en
Chapter 80 The Confession of the Duke of Cheng'en
It's the third day of the tenth lunar month again.
Shui Rong pushed open the study window, gazing towards the direction of Nanhai Lake, her eyes filled with sorrow. Suddenly, the scene of the massacre at the Cheng'en Duke's mansion flashed through her mind, and a hint of pleasure appeared on her face as she coldly said, "This is just the beginning... I will send them down one by one."
"Your Highness," the steward called softly as he walked to the window with the medicine in his hands.
Shui Rong snapped out of her daze, reached out and took the medicine, then drank it all in one gulp.
The steward took the empty bowl and said with a smile, "The prescription the old steward found is really effective. The prince has been taking it for over a month and has already shown great improvement. If he continues to take it, he will surely be cured completely."
Shui Rong smiled and subconsciously raised her hand to rub her lower back.
The steward hurriedly advised, "Your Highness, you must bear with it. They said the tingling, numbness, soreness, and swelling are all the effects of the medicine. You can't rub or massage it; just bear with it and it will pass."
Shui Rong thought about her future happy life and had no choice but to endure it.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
The butler chuckled, "They've probably succeeded."
Shui Rong smiled and looked up towards the moon gate of the courtyard.
A burly man rushed in, "Your Highness, something has happened!" He hurried to the window and handed over a wax pellet.
Shui Rong took the wax pellet, crushed it, pulled out the paper strip inside, glanced at it, and his expression immediately changed. He muttered, "How could this be... how could this be..."
The steward tentatively asked, "Your Highness..."
Shui Rong snapped out of her daze and handed him the note.
The butler took a look and was also stunned.
"What a daring and audacious Prince Cheng'en!"
Shui Rong paced back and forth a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turning to look at the steward: "Do you still have any old connections at the Ministry of Justice prison?"
The steward smiled bitterly: "Starting from the twenty-sixth year of Longxing, every autumn execution was carried out by the Crown Prince on behalf of the Emperor Emeritus... Apart from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice was the most thoroughly purged, so what connections are left?"
"That old bastard!" Shui Rong cursed angrily.
The man suddenly lowered his voice and said, "The Ministry of Justice is now under the jurisdiction of Prince Yong. On the day of the Prince's joyous occasion, the senior officials of Prince Yong's residence also came to offer their congratulations..." He leaned closer as he spoke, "That man surnamed Gao is greedy and lustful, but the Fourth Prince is a devout Buddhist... So Gao can't make any money off him, and he's very short of cash..."
Shui Rong rolled her eyes and ordered the steward, "Find this person immediately, and drag him down with you even if it costs you money!"
"Yes!" The butler turned and hurried away.
......................
Shui Rong wasn't the only one in a hurry; Dai Quan was equally anxious, stamping his feet and pacing back and forth in front of the Cining Palace, cursing and swearing.
The emperor was a ruthless man. The scourge that was the Duke of Cheng'en had to be eliminated, and the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion had to be eradicated to prevent future troubles.
But who would have thought that the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion actually had a hidden stash of heavy armor?
Dai Quan gave a severe dressing-down to the spies from the Directorate of Ceremonial who had infiltrated the Duke of Cheng'en's residence. They were utterly clueless about such a major event; what a bunch of useless idiots!
Just then, the head eunuch on duty at the Meridian Gate came running up, panting, and handed over an urgent message with three feathers stuck to it: "Your Majesty, it's a 600-li urgent message, just arrived!"
Dai Quan was overjoyed, as he had been looking for an excuse to interrupt the emperor and his mother's feigned display of affection.
Inside the kitchen, dozens of bowls of various dishes were laid out on the long dining table.
Emperor Yankang sat at the head of the table with the Empress Dowager, while Duke Cheng'en sat down next to her, keeping his head down the whole time and not daring to look the emperor in the eye.
The Empress Dowager kept rambling on and on, until Emperor Yankang finally couldn't hold back any longer and slammed down his chopsticks: "Your second son was your own grandson, and he's dead! Dead!"
The Empress Dowager was startled, her face immediately turning red, and she couldn't catch her breath, coughing violently.
The Duke of Cheng'en quickly rose to gently massage the Empress Dowager's back, but his mouth didn't stop: "Your Majesty, why didn't you let the Empress Dowager finish speaking?"
Emperor Yankang's face darkened: "Are you speaking to me?"
Duke Cheng'en paused for a moment, then quickly lowered his head.
The Empress Dowager quickly changed the subject: "When do you plan to bring back the second prince's remains?"
Emperor Yankang glanced at Duke Chengen: "We must first find out the real culprit behind this, to comfort the spirit of the Second Prince in heaven."
The Empress Dowager opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to start speaking.
At this moment, Dai Quan walked in, hurriedly greeted the Empress Dowager, and then went to the Emperor's side, presenting the urgent message with both hands: "Your Majesty, this was just sent by Prince Teng."
Emperor Yankang snatched the urgent delivery, tore open the seal, and his eyes widened in shock. He then slammed his hand on the dining table, exclaiming, "His intentions are despicable!"
Everyone was startled.
"Tell Prince Zhongshun to come back!" Emperor Yankang gripped the urgent letter and strode out angrily.
Dai Quan hurriedly followed him out.
The Duke of Cheng'en was overjoyed: "It's done?"
The Empress Dowager's expression suddenly changed, and the Duke of Cheng'en hurriedly turned around, only to see the Emperor standing outside the door, coldly turning his head to look at him.
Duke Cheng'en's face turned deathly pale, and his whole body trembled like a leaf.
"Your Majesty..." The Empress Dowager hurriedly stood up, her eyes filled with pleading.
Emperor Yankang's hand, which was holding the urgent message, trembled slightly. He then turned and strode away.
Cheng'en Gong's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling all over: "It's over, it's over... The Emperor will definitely not let me off..."
The Empress Dowager sighed, turned around, and walked out.
"Sister—" Duke Cheng'en scrambled after her, "Sister, you can't abandon me!"
The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, then said, "Go and write a confession."
"Plead...confess?"
"Confess your guilt. Say that as an elder, you were negligent and failed to take good care of the prince, leading to this tragedy, and you are willing to voluntarily resign from all titles and duties..."
"This..." Duke Cheng'en looked reluctant and hesitated.
The Empress Dowager said no more and walked straight out.
"I'll write! I'll write right now..."
......................
Back in the Imperial Study, Emperor Yankang's anger subsided somewhat.
Prince Zhongshun, citing "failure to protect the prince," had all those who had served the prince that night beaten to death, thus confirming that the three eldest sons had nothing to do with the matter. Although this move was a way of smoothing things over, it ultimately shielded him from the cruelest predicament he dared not face directly.
As for using various pretexts to remove the veteran generals left behind by the retired emperor, it suited his wishes perfectly, making it convenient for him to reorganize the Beijing garrison and completely seize military power.
Thinking of this, Emperor Yankang's anger subsided. He picked up his tea, took a sip, and said to Dai Quan, "Have Prince Zhongshun escort the second prince's remains back to the capital."
He paused, then said, "Draft another decree to pardon those old generals, reward them with money, silk, and land, and let them enjoy their old age in peace. Also, grant a descendant the title of centurion of the Southern Garrison."
Seeing Dai Quan's hesitation, he laughed and said, "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. The Southern Garrison is rotten to the core; let's just make use of it."
What else could Dai Quan say? Seeing that the emperor was in a rare good mood, he really didn't want to spoil the mood, but he also dared not hide anything. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell the whole story of what had happened at the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion.
The anticipated thunderous wrath did not materialize.
Emperor Yankang remained remarkably calm, his face as still as water, showing no emotion.
Dai Quan understood: the Duke of Cheng'en was finished!
Footsteps suddenly sounded in the outer hall. The eunuch on duty knelt down outside the door, holding a memorial: "Your Majesty, this is a confession from the Imperial Brother-in-law, just sent from Cining Palace."
Dai Quan quickly stepped forward, took it, turned around, returned to the imperial desk, and presented it.
Emperor Yankang stared at the memorial without saying a word.
The eunuch on duty wisely withdrew.
After a long silence, Emperor Yankang finally spoke: "Since it is a confession, then immediately issue a public notice in the official gazette, informing the Six Ministries, the Nine Ministers, and all provinces..."
Dai Quan lowered his head, waiting for what was to come.
"The imperial court has laws, and those who violate them will be punished accordingly... We must give an explanation to all the subjects and people, and restore justice to those who died unjustly."
"Yes!" Dai Quan looked at the memorial in his hand. No matter what was written inside, the official gazette would only state that the Emperor had acknowledged all the crimes.
After a moment of silence, Emperor Yankang said again, "The Ministry of Justice prison, deal with it tonight."
He paused, then added, "And then there's the Cheng'en Duke's mansion."