Chapter 52: The Scapegoat Princess Consort Sentenced to Death

After a long silence, Emperor Tianwu could not help letting out a deep sigh.

"Alas, you are right. Even if we found her, what good would it do to threaten her with her friends and family?"

"We cannot gamble on whether she would soften her heart because of it."

"Nor do we dare to gamble on how she might retaliate!"

The blow to Emperor Tianwu's confidence delivered by an unknown entity possessing near mountain-moving and sea-overturning capabilities was simply too immense. Without the means to deal with such a creature, any attempt to investigate her identity, let alone threaten her loved ones, could only be construed as an act of provocation.

Of course, that unknown entity was undoubtedly provoking him at this very moment, yet he was utterly powerless to do anything about it.

To continue entangling himself in a struggle against her—

He himself, as the emperor, might emerge unscathed, but the fate of his descendants would be unpredictable, and whether the imperial authority remained secure would be even harder to say. After all, if such an incident were to recur a few times and spread throughout the realm, the entire world would likely believe that he had lost the Mandate of Heaven, that his lineage had lost the Mandate of Heaven.

Unified dynasties that perished with the second generation were not entirely without precedent.

"Imperial Father, does that mean we should cancel the thirteenth prince's burial sacrifice?"

Crown Prince Zhu Quan eagerly seized the moment to press the question.

"Return to the East Palace for now; I will ponder on this. Furthermore, continue to maintain a news blackout. At the same time, dispatch fast riders to bring your three younger brothers back to the capital immediately without further delay. Go back, I am tired..."

Although his heart was increasingly inclined toward compromise, figuring out how to compromise with a shred of dignity required careful deliberation. Additionally, he needed to ponder how to mitigate the fallout from the destruction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and Emperor Tianwu intended to handle all of this personally.

After all, there were many matters that even his son dared not make decisions on.

"Understood! This son takes his leave!"

Crown Prince Zhu Quan could clearly discern the inclination revealed in his imperial father's tone. Believing that he no longer needed to worry about being buried alive as a sacrifice for that unknown entity, his steps felt somewhat brisk, and a long-deferred sigh of relief escaped his chest.

Naturally, he immediately bowed and took his leave, returning to the East Palace to arrange for his men to carry out tasks.

...

The next day, the civil and military officials attended the morning court session right on time. Remarkably, everyone showed great tact; not a single person brought up yesterday's events. Private discussions were one thing, but with an event as colossal as the destruction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, no one dared to be the first to spark the topic.

They still had to wait and see what attitude Emperor Tianwu would adopt.

Then they would carefully weigh their words before speaking.

"The renovation of the Imperial Ancestral Temple began yesterday. The commotion has been slightly large, but none of you should overreact or let your imaginations run wild; everything is a normal measure."

Even though Emperor Tianwu knew he was spouting nonsense, he had no choice but to say it. Meanwhile, the hundred officials knew perfectly well that Emperor Tianwu was spouting nonsense, yet they had no choice but to accept it. Not only did they have to accept it, but they also had to diligently search through ancient texts for appropriate phrases to justify the restoration of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

After both sides cooperated with a few knowing remarks, the matter was temporarily glossed over.

At least on the surface, no one dared to discuss it openly.

Immediately following this, Emperor Tianwu continued, "Confucius once said, 'Did not the maker of the first burial figures have no posterity?' The pre-Qin era also had the *Odes of Qin* and the *Yellow Bird*, which specifically condemned Duke Mu of Qin's practice of human sacrifice."

"Our dynasty inherits from the previous dynasty, which frequently practiced human sacrifice. Previously, due to myriad affairs, this was overlooked, and none of you thought to submit a memorial to report it, leading to a vain delay and the loss of many innocent lives. I have decided to follow the example of the sages and completely abolish the vicious legacy of human sacrifice inherited from the previous dynasty. From this day forward, whether it be members of the imperial clan, nobility, commoners, or wealthy merchants, none shall be permitted to be buried alive with the dead."

"Only meritorious officials who have died a natural death shall be allowed the privilege of accompanying a ruler in burial."

"This decree shall be promulgated throughout the realm. Henceforth, anyone who dares to practice human sacrifice shall be dealt with as committing an unpardonable crime, their graves dug up and their bones scattered to the winds. I expect all of you to thoroughly implement this."

"Furthermore, the sacrificial burial of the Prince of Lu is canceled."

As an emperor, one had to be thick-skinned and hard-hearted. If one could not even manage to lie with a straight face, one would not even be qualified to be an ordinary official or a petty clerk.

Let alone an emperor.

At this moment, Emperor Tianwu simply believed in shifting the blame as far away as possible. The matter of human sacrifice had little to do with him; he had merely inherited the malicious customs of the previous dynasty wholesale, and the fault lay primarily with the former dynasty. At worst, he was only guilty of negligence, but he had far too many matters demanding his attention day and night.

How could he possibly notice such a minor detail?

Thus, his negligence was also due to the officials' failure to report it.

As for a few years ago, when he demanded that all attendants serving the Prince of Huai be buried alive with him, and had beaten to death a minister who attempted to use these very arguments to dissuade him—that matter had long since been cast to the back of his mind.

If it was not remembered, then it had never happened!!

If he were a weak-willed emperor acting shamelessly, the officials would have spat right in his face. But facing an iron-fisted emperor like Emperor Tianwu, who executed officials without batting an eye, no matter how shameless he was, the entire court could only swallow their grievances and endure.

After all, those who could not endure and those who dared to speak out had basically already been beheaded!

Therefore, no matter how much it violated their consciences, they could only chime in together, praising His Majesty's benevolence as an enlightened ruler unseen in three generations, a benevolent sovereign for the ages!!

Whether they believed it or not, the words had to be spread this way, and they had to be recorded as such in the national history and court diaries.

Of course, this applied only to official histories.

Private unofficial histories were another story entirely.

Only then did they begin to discuss other state affairs. Regardless of what the civil and military officials thought, Ding Shui was relatively satisfied. No matter how shameless Emperor Tianwu was, at least her sister's life was now saved, and she would not have to be buried alive.

After the court dismissal, relevant news—especially Emperor Tianwu's decree abolishing human sacrifice—was rapidly disseminated.

While the majority expressed praise, a tiny minority secretly cursed and even harbored resentment toward Ding Shui for meddling in other people's business.

They knew very well that had it not been for the threat posed by yesterday's unknown entity, His Majesty would most likely not have abolished human sacrifice with such decisive firmness. Therefore, the unknown entity that spoke yesterday was the true culprit.

Once human sacrifice was abolished, the value of their sisters and female relatives—who might otherwise have entered the burial rosters—plummeted overnight. With good fortune, such a woman could have secured them a position as a company commander; with bad fortune, she could still have fetched dozens or even hundreds of taels of compensation silver. Ordinarily, one could not buy a girl—let alone a boy—for such a high price.

Yet once human sacrifice was abolished, all of these benefits naturally vanished into thin air.

How could they not harbor resentment?

Of course, these dark thoughts were only ever muttered in private, hidden away in the dead of night. Singing praises to the decree remained the absolute mainstream.

A few days later, the Princes of Qi, Han, and Jin, along with the evidence of their crimes, were rushed to the capital by swift couriers.

When Emperor Tianwu looked upon their miserable states, he truly could not bear to look a second time.

Or rather, he could not bring himself to look a second time.

Without hesitation, he decisively ordered them poisoned to death. Once they were deceased, he dispatched executioners to carry out the punishment of *lingchi* (slow slicing), followed immediately by broadcasting their crimes across the realm. Once again, he solemnly declared that the Son of Heaven commits crimes on the same footing as commoners, and that the three regional princes who had violated state law had now met justice and been executed by *lingchi*.

Lingering affection for his sons still dwelling within his heart, he wanted to play a game of semantics with Ding Shui, likely figuring that there was little difference between being executed by *lingchi* and being subjected to *lingchi* after execution—dead was dead either way.