Chapter 38: The King of Guangping Faces the Sage
The Prince of Guangping and his entourage headed north, but this time the emperor had an imperial edict to return to the capital immediately. Therefore, he parted ways with his wife and children, and the Princess of Guangping took the children and a large group of attendants by boat along the waterway back to the capital. The Prince of Guangping brought a team of guards and several followers, riding fast horses on land, hurrying to catch up, and returned to the capital before the end of October.
Upon arriving in the capital, he should have returned to the Wang Mansion to freshen up first, but he was preoccupied with Zhang's entrustment and directly entered the palace. The Emperor was still in the Qianqing Palace discussing state affairs with his ministers when he heard that his son had returned, and he was overjoyed: "Quickly summon the Crown Prince!" He casually instructed the ministers to take back the several matters they were currently discussing, deliberate on a plan, and then come to report.
The ministers knew he was eager to see the King of Guangping, so they retreated one after another according to etiquette. Only Secretary Tian turned his eyes and gave a wink to a small yellow gatekeeper standing outside the door, then walked to a quiet place and waited for the little yellow gatekeeper to follow him quietly, and instructed him like this.
The Guangping King was completely unaware of this, and he rushed into the Qianqing Palace, prostrating himself before the Emperor's throne. The Emperor, who had been thinking about his son, saw that he looked tired and immediately felt a pang of concern: "You must have had a hard journey; are you eating and sleeping well? You look thinner than before."
The King of Guangping smiled and said, "I have worried the Emperor, I am in Jiangnan, but my heart is with the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother, day and night thinking of them, so much that I forget to eat and drink, thus becoming thinner."
The emperor heard that his son was worried about himself becoming thinner, and he felt even more heartbroken: "You silly child, how can I put my mind at ease with you like this? You're also a father now, with a family to support, and yet you're always thinking of your parents - what's the point of that?" Although he said so, seeing his son being filial still made him very happy. He hurriedly asked his son to sit down, then held his hand and asked about his food and lodging on the way, also asking a few questions about his grandson's body. Only afterwards did he ask about the progress of the Shanghai seawall project.
The Prince of Guangping made a detailed response, carefully observing his father's expression while answering, and found that although he had urgently summoned himself back to the capital, he didn't seem to be in a hurry to know the truth about the Zhao family case. What was going on?
He then went on to describe his visit to Zhang's residence: "Madam Zhao looked haggard and worn out, as if she had aged twenty years overnight. The pain of losing her son was truly devastating, and if not for the need to care for her grandchildren, she might have collapsed already. Now, she is like a startled bird, knowing that Zhao Huo lives in the same compound, she doesn't even allow the two children to leave the courtyard, nor does she permit outsiders to enter at will. Even tea, water, and meals are all prepared within the courtyard. She also personally wrote a memorial, which I present to Your Majesty." He then took out the memorial written by Zhang from his sleeve and presented it respectfully.
The emperor stared blankly at the deep blue silk-faced memorial, and after a long time, he sighed faintly: "Sometimes, I really wish I wasn't the emperor, so I wouldn't have to deal with such embarrassing things." As he spoke, he took over the memorial and began to read it.
Guangping King sat quietly in his seat, feeling a bit uneasy. The Emperor seemed to want to avoid the Zhao family's case. Why? Was it that he couldn't bear to deal with Zhao Jiong?
The emperor finished reading the memorial, his eyes were already red, he lifted his sleeve to gently wipe away the tears, and said emotionally: "Madam Zhao is deeply just and has solved a great problem for me!"
The emperor had already issued an edict more than 20 days ago, before Guangping King arrived in Fengxian and met with Zhang Shi. He sent an envoy to Fengxian to have Zhao Jiong escorted to the Liaodong border. The case of Zhao Jiong ordering his family servant to kill his younger brother had already been settled by default. Zhao Jiong was found guilty of murder, stripped of his title as Marquis of Jiannan, demoted to a commoner, and sentenced to exile 1,000 miles away - considered a lenient punishment due to his being the son of the Duke of Jiannan who had rendered great service to the country. At that time, news of his fall from horse and paralysis had not yet reached the capital. In the future, if the emperor issued an edict granting amnesty to all under heaven, he might still have hope to return, but could only remain a commoner for the rest of his life.
The case was settled so quickly that even before the eyewitness Guangping Wang returned to Beijing, it was actually the result of various influences. The people who influenced the case were not only the emperor and the courtiers, or the behind-the-scenes Yingwangfu and Tian Shangshu, but also Zhao Kuang's wife Niu Shi and his son Zhao ?, Niu Shi and Zhao ?'s wife Jiang Shi were all secretly asking their natal families for help. Therefore, before the case was fully clarified and the murderer of the dugout canoe had not been caught, Zhao Kuang was quickly convicted and sentenced.
The Emperor sighed, "How could the Duke's son be like this? It's not worth mentioning how ruthless and cruel Zhao Jiong is. This Zhao ? is indeed his father's son. And his mother, Niu Shi, I heard that she was chosen by Zhao Jiong himself back then. The officials in the capital thought highly of her at the time and didn't pursue the crime of privately granting favors because they thought they were a loving couple. Who would have thought that now that disaster has struck, Niu Shi wouldn't even think about helping her husband beg for mercy? Instead, she used every means to urge him to determine his guilt, just to save their own son. I used to think they were good people, but only now do I see their true faces."
What made the emperor most angry was not this point. He considered that Zhao Lao Gong's body had not been cold, and he did not want the inside story of the case to be spread, but there were already rumors in the capital, and various small messages were circulating, including a statement that Zhao Lao Gong had the highest prestige in the military before his death, and it was his efforts that helped the emperor ascend to the throne. It could be said that he had made great contributions, and the emperor's favor towards him was well-deserved. However, soon after his death, one of his sons died under unclear circumstances, and another son was accused of fratricide. The truth was unknown, as no one had ever heard of their brotherly relationship being so bad before. Now that two sons of the Zhao family were dead or guilty, the emperor would surely seize the opportunity to take away their noble title. From then on, he would no longer have to worry about Zhao Lao Gong's great achievements overshadowing him, and no one would mention Zhao Lao Gong's kindness to the emperor again. The emperor could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The emperor was most concerned about his own reputation, and hearing such remarks made him almost furious. He ordered a secret investigation, but found that it was related to the Duke of Jianan's mansion. Zhao Jiong's crime was no longer an issue, as even his wife and son had pleaded guilty for him. The problem was where the title of Duke of Jianan would go. If it were given to Zhao Jiong's son, the emperor himself could not swallow this, and it would be unjustifiable on moral grounds. If it were given to Zhao Zhuo's son, Tian Shangshu and others repeatedly said that Zhao Zhuo's son, Zhao Wei, had fallen ill after falling into the water and was likely to die young, leaving the title without an heir again.
The emperor sincerely respected Zhao Lao Gong and hoped that his family would live a good life, unless it involved treason, otherwise he would never take away their title. However, he was worried that after the second branch of the Zhao family died out, they would not pass on the title to Zhao Jiong's son, and the rumors outside would become more and more unbearable, making the emperor appear to be a sinister and ungrateful person. Therefore, during this period, he was extremely entangled.
Now Zhang personally memorialized, asking to resign his noble rank and also asking the Emperor to take charge of punishing Niu Shi, Zhao ? , Jiang Shi and others for being disrespectful to their elders, giving him a temporary reason not to decide on a candidate to inherit the noble rank. Only then did the Emperor feel truly relieved.
The King of Guangping was furious after hearing this: "How dare Niu Shi and Zhao An be so arrogant?! Your Majesty, I will order someone to investigate and once we have evidence that they are spreading rumors, how can the truth not be revealed? At that time, no one will dare to speak ill of you!"
The emperor shook his head: "Do you think I haven't had people investigate? There's nothing to investigate, and if I strictly order officials and civilians not to discuss it, I'm afraid they'll think I'm even more guilty. Now I can only let it go, rumors are just rumors."
The King of Guangping furrowed his brow, thought for a moment and also felt it was reasonable. He then said to the Emperor: "In that case, Your Majesty might as well issue an imperial edict ordering Zhao Wei to inherit the title. The rumors will then be self-destroyed. I have just seen the child, although he is weak, but only because he has not fully recovered from falling into the water after his fall. There is no danger to his life at all. The claim that he would die soon after inheriting the title is completely fabricated by malicious people."
The Emperor shook his head: "Niu Shi and Zhao Lian dare to spread rumors about me, at this time I ordered the seal of Zhao Wei, what if they risked it and hurt the child's life? I couldn't bear to see the old Duke's family line cut off."
Guangping King was somewhat anxious: "Can't the emperor eliminate future troubles? The master of Jian Nan Hou Fu is Jian Nan Hou, and Niu Shi and Zhao are no longer the master's relatives. They have no qualifications to live in the mansion again, family property can be confiscated, slaves also belong to the master's family, what ability do they still have to harm others?"
The Emperor said to him mysteriously, "Imperial son, don't be impatient. Haven't you realized that your uncle, the Duke of Jing, is determined to protect Zhao's title? What do you think he has in mind?"
The King of Guangping paused for a moment: "What other ideas can the King of Ying have? His thoughts are simply the heart of Sima Zhao, and everyone knows it." He looked at the emperor's expression and thought of Zhangshi's inference. Could it be that Zhangshi was right? He quickly spoke out: "Father Emperor, is this really what you had in mind?"
The Emperor smiled: "Duke Gong had told me before that his wife was a clever person, and it seems that this is indeed true. The King of Ying has ulterior motives, but I am bound by my oath, so I can only treat him with leniency. He wants to participate in politics and governance, and I have no way to refuse, so I can only let him handle some trivial matters. But how can he be satisfied with that? It would be better to find all his claws and cut them off, and then there will be a good reason to keep him confined in the palace. At that time, as long as I don't kill him, people will say that I am a benevolent ruler, and he won't be able to stir up any more trouble."
The King of Guangping was at a loss for words for a moment. In theory, it's good that the Emperor has this heart, at least he won't be led by the nose by Prince Ying. For the sake of his benevolent reputation, he can do whatever he wants, but the Emperor's heart is too soft. So much effort was put in just to confine someone in the palace? If you don't eradicate the problem from the root, what will happen if there are future troubles?
But then again, the fact that the Emperor had such an idea in the first place was a huge progress. He could use Zhao's desire for a marquis title to his advantage and find out who were working with Prince Ying. This was indeed a surprise. The King of Guangping still remembered how he had been rebuked by the Emperor before leaving the capital, for warning him about Prince Ying, saying that he was not showing respect to his uncle. What had caused the Emperor to change his mind?
There is another thing, dealing with Zhao Jiong is good, letting him be exiled to a distant place is not a problem — although now Zhao Jiong is already paralyzed and cannot go to the exile location — the problem is that originally the Emperor planned to send him to Liaodong, where is the old base of the Zhao family's forces! If the Emperor does not make public the case of Zhao Jiong killing his brother and exiles him there, what will the old forces of General Zhao think? Adding to this are the rumors from the small main house of the Zhao family, the title has been slow to determine a successor...
It's okay, Zhang said that he would write a letter to inform these old colleagues, and it should be possible to avoid some misunderstandings. However, this matter was her own decision, not the emperor's order.
The King of Guangping looked at his father again, and always felt that his plan was half good and half bad, sometimes clever, and sometimes so stupid that it made people speechless. What was he thinking?
