Chapter 51: The Scapegoat Princess Consort Sentenced to Death

Having listened to all of this alongside her mother, Ding Shui also felt that they could not afford to let their guard down. Emperor Tianwu was likely quite different from those superstitious and spineless monarchs of the past. Therefore, just to be safe, Ding Shui decided to stay at home for the time being and quietly observe how the situation would unfold.

In the event that Emperor Tianwu refused to give up until he hit a brick wall—
Refused to stop until all his sons were dead—
Staying put would at least allow her to respond in a timely manner!

The Duke of Shu, who had long since dressed in his court attire, had waited for more than two hours. With dusk fast approaching, no imperial decree or oral mandate had arrived. If Emperor Tianwu truly intended to summon them to the palace to discuss this matter, it would not have been delayed until now. Thus, the most probable scenario was either that Emperor Tianwu had no desire to consult anyone, or that the issue would be brought up during tomorrow's morning assembly.

Reflecting on this, the Duke of Shu could not be bothered to wait any longer.
After reviewing the intelligence gathered by his trusted aides and discussing it with his wife for a while, he changed out of his formal robes and went to bed.

And what was Emperor Tianwu doing at this moment?

Emperor Tianwu had just regained consciousness. Ding Shui's previous blunt threat, coupled with the total destruction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple where not a single ancestral tablet had survived, delivered a shock far greater than the misfortune that had befallen his sons. Perhaps it was the final straw that broke the camel's back, but in any case, he had vomited blood.

As soon as he finished vomiting, he had fainted dead away.
The imperial physicians had frantically applied acupuncture and administered various medicines.
It was only with great difficulty that they managed to revive him. Even upon waking, the corners of his mouth were slightly skewed. Although he had not suffered a full-blown stroke, the ominous precursors of one were unmistakably present.

Fortunately, his constitution was remarkably robust, and the physicians' medical skills were quite competent.
Through their diligent efforts, after another hour or so, the skewed corners of his mouth were straightened back to normal. At the same time, the physicians repeatedly cautioned that he must not be subjected to any further emotional shock or violent rage in the near term. Should he become overly agitated and trigger a full stroke, they might prove utterly helpless to save him.

Of course, they dared not phrase it quite so directly, but the warning was conveyed with sufficient tact.
There was nothing they could do if he refused to heed them; compared to the imperial family, these imperial physicians were equally vulnerable after all! Who would dare force the emperor to strictly follow medical advice?

Emperor Tianwu still cherished his life dearly. After drinking two bowls of calming herbal soup and lighting several sticks of mind-soothing incense, he instructed the physicians to wait in the side hall. He kept only the Crown Prince in the main hall, took a few deep breaths, and asked:

"Tell me in detail about the damage to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, what the object that fell from the sky was, and the condition of the capital."

He had lost consciousness rather early and had not yet had the chance to thoroughly investigate what had transpired. Ding Shui had not elaborated on her actions either, so Emperor Tianwu was naturally quite in the dark regarding the specifics.

"Father, perhaps you should rest first. It is getting late. Have another bowl of calming soup and try to sleep for a while."

Although Emperor Tianwu suffering a stroke or sudden death would actually benefit him—perhaps allowing him to act as regent or even ascend the throne outright—Crown Prince Zhu Quan still retained a shred of filial piety. Having listened to the physicians' stern warnings from start to finish, he genuinely felt that his father might not survive hearing the full account, and naturally felt compelled to advise caution.

"Speak! I am not that fragile!"

Despite those words, after speaking, Emperor Tianwu still took a few more deep breaths to steel his psyche. Refusing to admit to old age and illness was one thing, but the physicians' warnings still had to be heeded!

As the saying went, a tiger's might lingers even in old age. Moreover, Emperor Tianwu was not yet all that old; with just a low, stern rebuke, he startled Crown Prince Zhu Quan into a shiver, silencing any further attempts at persuasion. With no other choice, the Crown Prince began to recount the findings of their investigation:

"Father, the Imperial Ancestral Temple has been completely destroyed. Furthermore, a vast number of buildings in the vicinity of the temple were also reduced to ruins. At present, only a small portion of the debris has been cleared, but even that is enough to identify what fell from the sky. If our judgment is correct, they should be the mausoleums of your early-deceased younger brothers, though the exact number cannot yet be determined.

"However, judging by their surface area and height, it is highly likely that several of our late uncles, including the yet-uncompleted mausoleum of the Prince of Lu, were transported into midair by that unknown entity and smashed down upon the Imperial Ancestral Temple. In addition, the outer coffin of our late uncle, the Prince of Huai, has been found. It is now suspected that the coffins within the other royal mausoleums were likely hurled down right along with their tombs, just waiting to be discovered.

"As for the capital, Your Son has already ordered the Imperial City Garrison and the Dali Temple to restore order, so there should be no major issues there. However, the destruction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple is simply impossible to conceal. The commotion was so massive that it felt as though an earthquake had struck the entire capital.

"As to what specifically caused the destruction of the temple, the news has hopefully not leaked out, as Your Son acted promptly to seal off information. But regardless of the cause, this is by no means an auspicious omen. If it was destroyed by a natural disaster, then it is heaven's punishment; if it was destroyed by human agency, then it is also... Ah, Your Son truly dares not make a judgment on the specifics and awaits only Your Majesty's sacred decree."

As he spoke, Zhu Quan did not forget to periodically glance at his father's complexion, terrified that he might vomit blood or suffer a stroke.

Although Emperor Tianwu's expression was grim, and he was deeply shocked to learn that the objects falling from the sky to smash the ancestral temple were the mausoleums of his early-deceased sons, his psychological threshold had likely been raised by the earlier events. Thus, he managed to hold his ground, though he soon closed his eyes and took a few more deep breaths.

Striving to calm himself down, he said:

"If my memory serves me correctly, the Estate of the Prince of Qi, the Estate of the Prince of Han, and the Estate of the Prince of Jin have all inexplicably vanished. Previously, I was somewhat skeptical; now it appears that the reports from the prefects across various commanderies were no falsehoods. That entity... even if she cannot move mountains and drain seas, her power is at most only a fraction weaker."

"Moving mountains and draining seas! Why on earth does this damned monster have to pit herself against me, and why is she pushing things so relentlessly? Burial sacrifice! Neither the previous dynasties nor those barbarian invasions of the past were short on burial sacrifices. Why did we never see her emerge to uphold justice then? Could it be that she bullies the soft and fears the hard?

"Right, Quan'er, tell me: is it possible that this unknown entity has relatives or friends among the list of those slated for your thirteenth brother's burial sacrifice, which is why she rushed over in such a desperate, almost flustered manner to threaten me? Her voice back then was far less composed than it was previously."

"Father, it is also possible that she simply does not wish to see innocent people die a tragic death. Besides, even if she truly does have relatives or friends among this batch of sacrificial victims for the thirteenth brother, so what? Even if we eventually managed to find her, what then? Can we possibly deal with her?"

It was rare for the Crown Prince to offer such heartfelt advice, urging Emperor Tianwu to abandon the practice of burial sacrifices. After all, that unknown entity had explicitly stated that should His Majesty persist in conducting burial sacrifices, she would, upon his death, round up all of his descendants and force them all to be buried alive with him.

His descendants undoubtedly included him, the Crown Prince. He certainly did not dare to gamble on whether the entity would spare him so he could inherit the throne; what if she slaughtered them all together? To whom could he appeal his grievance then?

Although it currently appeared that the creature dared not lay a hand on the emperor directly—meaning that perhaps succeeding to the throne right before the coffin might narrowly preserve his life—could the lives of his four children be safeguarded?

In any case, he was terrified. Yet he could not simply urge his father to capitulate and immediately execute his three brothers—who were already entirely devoid of human form—by slow torture, so he could only strive to lay bare the stark reality of their predicament, making his father realize their utter powerlessness.