Chapter 57: The Scapegoat Consort is Sentenced to Death

"Consort Guang, Zhu Bei, how dare you attempt a rebellion!"

Seeing that the standoff was deadlocked, the Crown Princess decisively and loudly accused Consort Guang and the Seventeenth Prince of rebellion to establish her own moral highness and seize the moral high ground first.

"What is Your Highness saying? With His Majesty on his deathbed, you insisted on guarding the imperial palace, barring us children from seeing our father one last time. For the sake of filial piety, I had no choice but to borrow some troops and force my way in, yet you still unreasonably block me and refuse to let me see my father. Shouldn't I be the one asking what you are playing at? I suspect that you are the one staging a palace coup and holding Father captive, and I am merely doing this to rescue him from your hands."

The Seventeenth Prince, Zhu Bei, also launched a swift counterattack. He was certainly unwilling to shoulder the notorious reputation of a rebel.

Immediately after, the two sides engaged in a verbal battle. After all, neither side possessed enough military force to easily control the situation, so they could only stall, hoping their respective reinforcements would prove more capable.

The civil officials present had initially felt somewhat uneasy. After all, blades had no eyes, and should they be injured, they would likely die in vain without earning any credit for saving the sovereign or supporting the new dynasty. However, seeing that neither side had any intention of resorting to physical violence and were merely arguing, they quickly relaxed and soon joined in the fray, debating with various opinions.

"The Crown Prince is the legitimate eldest son, and the Imperial Grandson is even more undeniably the legitimate eldest son of the legitimate eldest son. Therefore, the throne should naturally be inherited by the Imperial Grandson to maintain absolute legitimacy. This accords with the Rites of Zhou and the patriarchal clan system!"

"Since ancient times, inheritance has passed from father to son; where is the logic of passing it from father to grandson? With the passing of the legitimate eldest son, succession naturally falls to the legitimate second son. Only thus does it conform to ritual law and tradition."

"Have you read your books only to feed them to dogs? When the legitimate eldest son's line dies out without heirs, the succession should fall to the legitimate second son. Now that the Crown Prince has two legitimate sons and three concubine-born sons, the throne naturally ought to be inherited by the Crown Prince's legitimate eldest son."

"Nonsense, you are the one who has never read history books. After King Bo Yikao, the eldest son of King Wen of Zhou, passed away, Bo Yikao still had surviving heirs, yet the throne was ultimately passed to King Wu of Zhou. According to your logic, shouldn't the throne have gone to Bo Yikao's surviving descendants?"

"The Records of the States of Guan and Cai explicitly record that the descendants of Bo Yikao are untraceable in terms of enfeoffment. Does this not prove that his line had no heirs?"

"It is untraceable, not nonexistent!"

"The *Book Formula* states: Master Shi, styled Mengyi, was the son of Bo Yikao and the legitimate eldest grandson of King Wen. Yi begat Di, Di begat Li, Li begat Zhou, and for generations, the major lineage served as the Grand Historian of Zhou."

"What unorthodox history are you reading? I have never heard of it!"

"The *Ancient Text Book of Documents* contains textual research showing that although Bo Yikao had descendants, King Wen nonetheless chose to follow the Yin rites in passing the throne to King Wu. The Yin rites originally dictated that when an elder brother died, the younger brother succeeded him, so there was no real problem. What we follow today is the Rites of Zhou, which dictates that when a father dies, the son succeeds him, and when the son dies, the grandson succeeds him. Only when the legitimate eldest son is without heirs can the succession pass to the second son!"

"I wonder what the Seventeenth Prince is even arguing about here. If we follow the principle of father-to-son succession, the one who should rightly succeed to the throne now is the Second Prince, the Prince of Wei. We should invite the Prince of Wei to the capital to ascend the throne."

"The Grand Son is only twelve years old; a country relies on a mature ruler!"

"A country cannot go a single day without a ruler. Even if the one who should most rightly succeed is the Second Prince, the Prince of Wei, he is currently far away in his fiefdom. By the time the news reaches him and a round trip is made, even with galloping horses, it would take at least half a month for him to arrive. Who knows how much chaos would erupt by then? We must quickly settle the succession of the Crown Prince. Currently, the Seventeenth Prince is the eldest prince residing in the capital, and his marriage has already been arranged; originally, he was to have his grand wedding in the second half of the year. Upon ascending the throne, he could immediately marry and govern in person. On the other hand, if the Imperial Grandson were to ascend, we would likely have the Empress Dowager ruling from behind the curtain."

"The Imperial Grandson's succession is the only one that accords with ritual law."

"Did you write the ritual law?"

"Ridiculous, there is no logic in letting a concubine-born son succeed while legitimate sons are still alive. The Second Prince, Fourth Prince, and Fifth Prince are all legitimate sons; any of them has more qualifications than the Seventeenth Prince!"

Amidst the chaos, the Seventeenth Prince's expression was exceptionally unsightly, for he discovered that he had the fewest supporters. It seemed his mother's words were true: if he wished to seize imperial power, he could only rely on military force. In terms of ritual law and precedent, he was at an extreme disadvantage.

At present, he could only place his hopes on his maternal uncle proving capable enough to truly incite the majority of the Imperial Guard to support him.

Their plan was for him and his mother to coordinate from within and without, first mobilizing a vanguard of three hundred elite armored cavalry to gain control of the situation. If successful, that would be for the best; if unsuccessful, his uncle was still operating outside with the backing of the majority of the Imperial Guard. If not the throne for him, then whose could it be?

Meanwhile, the Crown Princess was also feeling somewhat anxious.

The soldiers she had mobilized at present were already the absolute limit of what she could summon. Back when the Crown Prince was still alive, to avoid arousing the suspicion of his imperial father, he dared not amass military power in ordinary times, nor could he cultivate overly close ties with high-ranking civil officials, fearing that the Emperor Tianwu would suspect him of forming factions for private gain or plotting a joint seizure of power.

Therefore, practically speaking, the military force the Crown Prince could mobilize was limited, let alone that of his Crown Princess.

Furthermore, her maternal family consisted entirely of civil officials.

Thus, she truly had no subsequent reinforcements.

After pondering a bit longer, the Crown Princess ultimately decided to execute her do-or-die plan, which was meant only as an absolute last resort. At a subtle signal from her eyes, trusted retainers immediately evacuated the Crown Princess's two young sons to a safe place nearby. Simultaneously, feigning an ongoing dispute, she gradually closed the distance to the Seventeenth Prince. When she was merely two meters away from him, she abruptly stepped forward, pulled a hairpin from her hair, and lunged straight at him.

Leaving no room for hesitation, she struck Zhu Bei squarely in the chest.

Her thoughts were crystal clear: if her Crown Prince's faction failed in this power struggle, her entire family would undoubtedly die without exception. At this moment, as long as she eliminated the greatest threat—the Seventeenth Prince—even if she, the Crown Princess, were hacked to pieces by the Seventeenth Prince's faction in return, it would still be worth it. And what would the Seventeenth Prince's faction amount to without the Seventeenth Prince? Could they possibly support Consort Guang or usurp the throne themselves?

The civil and military officials of the entire court, along with the feudal princes across the various regions, would never, under any circumstances, permit such a thing.

One must admit that the Crown Princess's maneuver was truly unexpected. The guards responsible for protecting the Seventeenth Prince had been entirely focused on watching the surrounding soldiers, guarding against those holding blades, swords, crossbows, and bows.

Not for a second did they imagine that someone as noble as the Crown Princess would personally resort to assassination!

Yet, the next second, they swiftly reacted. Two drew their blades and charged at the Crown Princess, while another rushed to check on the Seventeenth Prince. Consort Guang, who had previously felt absolute confidence in her younger brother and maternal family, believing victory was secured and maintaining her composure, now charged over like a madwoman.

The surrounding high ministers, who had been arguing fiercely, were left utterly dumbfounded!

Naturally, the guards protecting the Crown Princess reacted with equal speed, engaging in a desperate life-and-death struggle against the guards protecting the Seventeenth Prince. The soldiers and guards who had previously been deadlocked now plunged fully into a murderous frenzy.

At that very moment, the Crown Princess, who had only sustained a minor scratch, hastily cried out at the top of her lungs: "The Seventeenth Prince is dead! All of you, lay down your weapons and submit immediately. I swear in the name of the Crown Princess that we shall only punish the principal ringleader, and the rest of you will be pardoned. Drop your weapons and surrender at once!"

"Wretch, I'll kill you!"

Amidst the cries of battle, although the Crown Princess's voice was loud, it was far from matching the piercing, shrill shriek of Consort Guang.

"I'm not dead yet! Never mind the Crown Princess, hurry up and kill those two little runts!" Though panicked to the core, the Seventeenth Prince—who had survived the stab only because he was wearing a protective mirror under his robe—struggled to his feet and roared.

Hearing him shout thus, the Crown Princess's pupils contracted sharply. The members of the Seventeenth Prince's faction, who had already been wavering in retreat, instantly regained their fighting spirit and renewed their attack.

"What is this? So lively?"

Just then, the crowd suddenly heard a low, familiar voice that instantly sent chills creeping up their spines.

Following the sound, someone who should never have appeared stepped forward.

Indeed, Ding Shui, controlling the body of Emperor Tianwu, walked leisurely out from behind the Zichen Hall, accompanied by the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Superintendent of the Imperial Guard.

Imperial prestige still held immense weight; the fainter-hearted collapsed limply to the ground the moment they saw Emperor Tianwu emerge, while others stealthily retreated into the background, hoping no one would notice them. The Crown Princess, the Seventeenth Prince, Consort Guang, and others also felt their hearts skip a beat. The Crown Princess hurriedly dropped to her knees to plead guilty—or rather, to lodge an accusation: "Your Majesty, the Seventeenth Younger Brother and Consort Guang colluded from within and without, leading three hundred elite cavalry into the palace without authorization. The situation was critical, and there was no time to report and await your decree. I beg Your Majesty to forgive us."

Compared to the Seventeenth Prince, the Crown Princess's legitimacy here was undeniably much stronger. Thus, Zhu Bei truly found himself unable to retort; breaking out in cold sweat down his back, he stood at a loss, praying for external support.

Things had already reached this point. Kneeling and begging for mercy would be utterly useless.

"How could you be completely fine? This... this is all a conspiracy! You were intentionally faking your illness to trick me!"

A moment later, Consort Guang was the first to break down and roar.

Ever since giving birth to a deformed child resembling a pig's head last time, Consort Guang had completely lost favor. Although she was neither deposed nor demoted in rank, Emperor Tianwu had truly never set foot in her palace again. Having originally thought she could risk her life and gamble the lives of her entire family to stage a final struggle and rise to become the Empress Dowager, the sight of Emperor Tianwu walking out sound and well made her realize instantly that they had been played.

An emperor on the brink of death and an emperor full of vitality were clearly two entirely different concepts.

Facing the latter, there was simply no prospect of victory whatsoever.

Of course, what truly caused Consort Guang to break down was the sight of the Imperial Guard Superintendent standing right beside Emperor Tianwu. With the commander standing safe and sound by the Emperor's side, it was obvious that Emperor Tianwu could not possibly have been unaware of the Imperial Guard's movements, nor could the Guard have been swayed by her younger brother.

Forget waiting for reinforcements now. Whether her younger brother was even still alive was a pressing question!

"So what if it is? The few of you have truly disappointed Us. Drop your weapons, every last one of you. Considering that you haven't caused massive chaos, We shall spare your lives—at most, you will be exiled. Step outside in an orderly fashion shortly; the Embroidered Uniform Guard are waiting outside."

Emperor Tianwu's years of accumulated majesty were far more effective than any token or imperial oral decree, especially with his promise not to execute them. The crowd completely lost any remaining will to resist.

One after another, they laid down their weapons and stumbled trembling outside.

"Fortunately, none of those feudal princes were in the capital, otherwise We shudder to imagine what kind of chaos would have ensued. We barely hid away for a few days, and all these freaks and monsters crawled out of the woodwork. Consort Guang, along with her maternal family, are demoted to commoners and exiled to Liaobei. Zhu Bei is struck from the imperial genealogy and clan registry, to be exiled together with them."

"The Crown Prince is demoted to the Prince of Qin, and the Crown Princess is demoted to the Princess of Qin, but they are specially permitted to be buried according to the specifications of a Crown Prince. Furthermore, let the Ministry of Rites draft a decree summoning all feudal princes of the realm to the capital; We shall re-establish the Crown Prince, and they had better prepare themselves properly!"

Once Ding Shui spoke these words, the underlying implication was abundantly clear: the notion of making the Imperial Grandson the Crown Grandson was completely off the table, and the throne would not skip a generation to pass directly to the grandchildren. Demoting the Crown Prince to the Prince of Qin at this juncture was actually equivalent to protecting his family. After all, if none of the Crown Prince's offspring inherited the throne, letting their household retain the title of descendants of the Crown Prince would bring them a miserable existence once the new emperor ascended.

Being demoted to a prince earlier meant breaking away from the vortex earlier.

Though disappointed, the Crown Princess dared not harbor any complaints and hastily lowered her head to kowtow and express gratitude for the grace.

Immediately following this, Ding Shui punished the nobles who had led troops into the palace without authorization. The Embroidered Uniform Guard rounded up numerous individuals within the capital, and many eunuchs and palace maids within the palace were arrested and thrown into prison, thoroughly purging the capital once more.

Having accomplished all this, he incidentally reined in the civil and military officials and dismissed them.

It was only after they had completely left the imperial palace that the officials finally let out a collective breath, feeling as though they had just narrowly escaped death.

Upon returning, they gathered in small groups of three or five to privately deliberate.

"His Majesty seems to have changed a great deal."

"Indeed, he has changed immensely. I originally thought my life was forfeit, but to my surprise, I walked out alive."

"I'm not joking with you, I mean it truly. Consort Guang and her family attempted a palace coup, an unpardonable crime of the highest order. In the past, even for lesser crimes, His Majesty would most likely have executed their entire clan. Yet this time, they were merely demoted to commoners and exiled—it's utterly bizarre. It's one thing to spare his own son, but when has he ever been so merciful to others?"

"Indeed, in the past, eunuchs and maids who made mistakes were beaten to death on the spot, but this time His Majesty didn't execute a single one, merely dragging them off to the Department of Reforming Criminals."

"Could it be that with age, his heart has softened?"

"Perhaps he was frightened by the Crown Prince's death."

"Who knows what faction was so daring as to assassinate the Crown Prince? I suggest you all not be too optimistic; this is likely the calm before the storm."

"I agree with that sentiment. The assassination of the Crown Prince will by no means be swept under the rug. You gentlemen, and the factions behind you, had better have nothing to do with this matter. If you were involved, we had best sever ties early or send a few children away under assumed identities, or even change their surnames and place them with other families."

"Uninvolved, uninvolved, certainly uninvolved."

"It shouldn't be us who carried this out. The Crown Prince's reputation for benevolence is widespread, and everyone believed that once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would at least be a benevolent and accomplished sovereign. If we truly wanted to plot something, we would certainly want the Crown Prince to ascend the throne sooner; there is no earthly reason we would assassinate and murder the Crown Prince."

"Wait, I have a bold idea. Could the murderer of the Crown Prince be one of the other princes?"

"His Majesty has always believed that his sons were brotherly and harmonious, with exceptionally close relationships. If he discovers that a certain prince assassinated and murdered the Crown Prince, the blow to him might be even greater than the passing of the Crown Prince himself. Isn't that right?"

"This is getting more and more terrifying."

"Since the assassination has nothing to do with us, let's stop worrying about it and quickly discuss whom we should support after the various feudal princes arrive in the capital."

"It basically comes down to a few older legitimate sons; the others shouldn't need consideration. But none of those older legitimate prince-regents are pushovers, and every single one of them has military experience commanding troops in external campaigns, meaning they likely lean closer to military generals and nobles. If they ascend the throne, it won't be good news for us civil officials."

"It's a pity that His Majesty has already explicitly vetoed the possibility of making the Imperial Grandson the Crown Grandson; otherwise, we might have pushed for the Imperial Grandson to take the role. Even if he is a bit young and might require the Empress Dowager to rule from behind the curtain, the Crown Princess's entire family is of one body with us civil officials—still far better than having those princes who are closer to military officers and nobles ascend."

"Not necessarily. Now that the Emperor has vetoed making the Imperial Grandson the Crown Grandson, from the standpoint of ritual law, the Second Prince, the Prince of Wei, is undoubtedly the most qualified to become the new Crown Prince. We only need to find ways to smear the Prince of Wei, or even forge clues so that His Majesty suspects the Prince of Wei is linked to the Crown Prince's death. At that point, His Majesty will surely feel that the Prince of Wei cannot be made Crown Prince. But if we bypass the Prince of Wei and make another prince the Crown Prince, that undoubtedly shatters the system of primogeniture, turning succession into a selection based on virtue and capability. However, once the succession is based on virtue and capability, it becomes far too dangerous. After all, the standards for determining whether someone is virtuous and capable are far too numerous and imprecise; the imperial princes will inevitably engage in endless infighting, damaging brotherly bonds and planting the bitter roots of future succession struggles. From this, we can make the case for strictly adhering to primogeniture. After all, while it is hard to discern whether someone is virtuous, whether someone is the legitimate eldest son or eldest grandson is undeniably quite easy to tell! Since the Prince of Wei—the new legitimate eldest son now that the Crown Prince is dead—won't do, and bypassing him ruins primogeniture, we can then push hard for the Imperial Grandson, the most orthodox and legitimate eldest son of the eldest grandson, to become the Crown Grandson. The obstacles we encounter should be much fewer. What do you all think of this plan?"

"Rather interesting."

"Perhaps we can give it a try. If another Martial Emperor comes to power, our lives will truly become unbearable."

Many officials had simply grown sick of working under Emperor Tianwu, but because the Crown Prince performed well, their core motivation to persevere was the knowledge that once the Crown Prince ascended in a few years, everyone would enjoy good days ahead.

Yet now the Crown Prince had been abruptly assassinated and killed.

With Emperor Tianwu seemingly wishing to place a horse-riding prince on the Crown Prince's throne, how could they not panic and scheme to disrupt it?

Of course, these were primarily the thoughts of the civil officials; the views of the military generals and nobles did not align with theirs. The military felt that having a prince who understood troops, warfare, and had even been on the battlefield as Crown Prince was rather good—at least he wouldn't treat them too poorly.

The thoughts of the nobles were somewhat more complex.

Because many nobles had intermarried with various regional princes, they naturally leaned toward supporting their own sons-in-law. Consequently, quite a few nobles eagerly dispatched messengers to the various princely estates to inquire about their sons-in-law's intentions and whether they needed any assistance. After all, it was a win-win situation for everyone!

However, the speed of information transmission was far too slow. It was only six or seven days later that the various feudal princes successively received the news.

First came the news of the Crown Prince's assassination and death, along with reports that Emperor Tianwu had suffered a stroke and was failing.

Before they could even discuss whether to violate the rule forbidding feudal princes from entering the capital without an imperial decree and lead an army back to seize the throne, the decree from Emperor Tianwu arrived—stating that he was fine and summoning them to the capital for a re-selection of the Crown Prince. The contrasting content between the earlier reports and the decree left many feudal princes filled with apprehension, even suspecting that a major crisis had erupted in the capital.