A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 7.2

The next day, when Chen Liangyu was summoned to the Chongzheng Hall, a crowd of people was kneeling on the floor, including the Crown Prince, Prince Shen Xie Yuan, the Right Prime Minister Zhang Diancheng, as well as her father and older brother. Princess Jiangning was also present, standing beside the Crown Prince, not particularly noticeable.

Directly below the Imperial Seat, Chen Yuanqing and Zhang Diancheng were locked in a tense confrontation.

Zhang Diancheng seemed to have reached his limit. He was hunched over, clutching the robe over his chest, two lines of muddy tears tracing down his furrowed face as he complained to the Emperor, “This old official and his wife were only blessed with this one son late in life, and he was premature. He has been physically weak since birth, and the family held him in the palms of their hands for fear of dropping him. He left home well this morning, so how could he be gone now?”

Zhang Diancheng’s temples were already flecked with white. Unlike some corpulent officials, his physique was lean and robust, which clearly indicated that he was indeed a diligent servant of the Lin Dynasty, living up to his reputation for integrity. Now, having lost his son in old age, he had aged considerably.

Truly, fate is unpredictable. Chen Liangyu had never imagined that the weeping old man on the hall had, only days before, championed her during a public debate, saying: Talent should be employed, regardless of gender.

Yet, the situation had deteriorated into this state today.

Although Chen Yuanqing was famous for his military prowess, he was, after all, a noble young master meticulously raised by a prominent family in his youth, devoid of any trace of crudeness. “Your Majesty, my daughter’s conflict with Young Master Zhang arose because Young Master Zhang rode his horse recklessly in the marketplace, injuring someone. My daughter was merely performing her duty, intending to lawfully punish him with ten strokes of the rod. Young Master Zhang refused the punishment. The Imperial Physician also stated that the young man’s death was caused by a surge of anger leading to an internal reversal of vital energy, which caused him to vomit blood and die. If my daughter is to pay for this with her life, wouldn’t that be an injustice to her?”

So he essentially brought his death upon himself out of sheer anger. What a temper.

Emperor Xuanyuan’s head ached dreadfully. On one side, Zhang Diancheng and Chen Yuanqing were deadlocked over their children’s dispute. On the other side, Crown Prince Xie Yu chose this moment to report the massive embezzlement in the Yanzhi Mountain construction project.

Already frustrated, he saw Xie Wenjun behind the Crown Prince, and his temper flared even more.

After the former Crown Princess passed away, the Crown Prince harbored considerable resentment toward him. Although the Crown Prince made conscious efforts to conceal his resentment and maintain a facade of peace, he adamantly pushed forward a Princess, permitting her to discuss national affairs openly, and multiple reprimands proved ineffective.

The Crown Prince’s influence was growing, and it was already very difficult for him, the Emperor and father, to suppress him with imperial authority.

Emperor Xuanyuan’s tone was severe as he addressed Xie Yu, “Crown Prince?”

The Crown Prince stepped forward, paid his respects, and presented a stack of accounts. He said, “Your subject has some accounts here for Father to review.”

Eunuch Sun shuffled over to take the accounts and presented them on the Imperial Desk. As Emperor Xuanyuan flipped through them, the Crown Prince continued to report, “Two ships carrying nanmu timber, two hundred thousand taels of silver—the report of loss merely stated, ‘Sunk and buried in sand, untraceable.’ The Director of Boats, Zhou Yonglu, who colluded with the Ministry of Works to deceive his superiors, is from a merchant family, and he has presented a substantial amount of silver to the palace over the years.”

As he spoke, an inner attendant, bound by rope, was dragged onto the hall.

The attendant’s lips were pale, trembling as he stuttered, completely forgetting how to speak.

The Crown Prince looked at the attendant and spoke clearly, “Say what you just said again to His Majesty, completely and word for word.”

The attendant violently slammed his head against the ground, his forehead bloody and bruised. “Consort De forced this servant to do it! This servant was forced, Your Majesty! Have mercy, I beg Your Majesty to spare my life…”

The Emperor sat solemnly on his throne, his face gloomy. He knew that corruption was inevitable in the court, but he never thought they would dare to embezzle the Emperor’s money, right under his nose.

The Crown Prince turned back to the attendant and shouted sternly, “Continue speaking!”

The attendant kowtowed again, tears and snot streaming down his face. “Consort De’s palace had high expenses, and people sought connections outside. The Consort then had this servant act as a go-between, arranging positions for those seeking office through Minister Yao’s second son. There was always a substantial ‘token of respect’ involved.”

“Consort De, very good.” The Emperor spoke without inflection, making his current mood impossible to guess, but it was certainly extreme rage. “Does this matter have anything to do with Prince Qi?”

The eunuch vehemently shook his head. “No, no! His Highness would not allow it. The Consort specifically instructed this servant to keep it secret from His Highness.”

“Bring that vile woman here!”

A moment later, a plump woman adorned with jewelry rushed in, bowed down at Emperor Xuanyuan’s feet, and immediately began to cry out her innocence and grievance.

“Then tell me, what have you been wronged by?” Emperor Xuanyuan stared at her. Consort De felt as though she had fallen into an ice cave. The well-rehearsed excuses she had prepared on the way instantly failed her, and she could only repeatedly cry out her innocence.

“I have been wronged… I… have been wronged…”

The Crown Prince pointed to Zhou Yonglu, who had been scared out of his wits. He said, “Consort, do you recognize this person?”

Consort De looked up at the Crown Prince. Xie Wenjun was hiding in the shadow behind the Crown Prince’s robe. The moment Consort De looked over, she precisely timed a smile for her.

She had cleverly avoided the vision of everyone except Consort De. Only from Chen Liangyu’s perspective could she see the half of her face that blossomed into a smile. Her little action, an attempt to provoke Consort De, was undoubtedly fully seen by Chen Liangyu.

Consort De, naturally, saw it as well.

With a crash like thunder in her ear, Consort De awoke from her daze. “You bastard raised by a madwoman! It’s her! She holds a grudge against me for exposing how she and her mother disrupted the inner palace, and she is deliberately taking revenge!” She then pointed at Zhou Yonglu. “I don’t know this person! I don’t know him!”

In an instant, Xie Wenjun’s expression had returned to normal. She stood quietly on the side, modest and submissive, looking like a person easily bullied, neither responding to nor defending herself against Consort De’s accusation.

The Crown Prince said, “It’s normal not to recognize him. Such a minor figure certainly wouldn’t merit the attention of Consort De. It’s enough that the Consort recognizes the silver. The hundred thousand taels of glistening silver that entered the Consort’s palace at the end of summer—surely the Consort still remembers that?”

A cup of clear tea, including the lid, was smashed onto the floor in front of Consort De’s knees, shattering into pieces. Emperor Xuanyuan’s voice echoed through the empty hall, “At a time like this, you are still thinking of biting others.”

Consort De’s entire body trembled in terror. Panicked, she desperately kowtowed, striking her forehead against the broken porcelain, which immediately drew blood.

The situation had reached a point where trivialities like her appearance no longer mattered. She could only hope that the Emperor, considering their many years as husband and wife, would take pity on her and spare her life.