Chapter Fifty-Two I Laugh at Others Who Can't See Through

  A prosperous year is predicted by the abundant snow, and this year's snow seems to be more than in previous years. Often, as soon as you open your eyes in the early morning, it's a scene of "Suddenly, a spring breeze comes overnight, and thousands of trees are blooming with pear flowers". The silver wrapping mixed with joyful atmosphere makes people feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts.

  As the New Year approaches, all the reports from various provinces and prefectures only mention good things, truly a scene of peace and prosperity throughout the land. The numerous congratulatory messages are so dense that one's eyes cannot keep up with reading them, but it seems that they will overflow, yet the Emperor is actually in a very good mood, perhaps as people get older, they really enjoy hearing auspicious words.

  Following the New Year's celebrations, it was the second grand ceremony after the enthronement of the Heavenly Emperor.

  The noble lady Yin was born into a prestigious family, with both talent and virtue. For several years, she had assisted in governing the imperial harem, earning the admiration of all. The Emperor decreed that she be promoted to Empress, becoming the motherly model for the entire realm. Upon receiving the decree, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Office immediately began preparing the golden book and jade seal symbolizing her new status as Empress. The golden silk crystal, representing the imperial family's emblem of the Empress, was also delivered to Lady Yin's palace. Gu Qian looked at the golden silk crystal with a mixture of emotions, feeling that it was both within reach yet far away.

  The Emperor looked at the memorial presented by the Ministry of Rites and said to Qi Chen, "Pass on my decree, follow the plan proposed by the Ministry of Rites, and have the Crown Prince preside over this grand ceremony." He paused for a moment: "Sun Shi, go to the Eastern Palace to see if the Crown Prince's body is recovering well. This year's Winter Solstice sacrifice at the Temple of Heaven will be performed on my behalf by him." After the Crown Prince moved back to the Eastern Palace, he had been claiming illness and hadn't attended court for several days. Although the Emperor knew that this illness might not be real, he didn't investigate, instead sending imperial physicians to take his pulse every day.

  You dusted off your head and flew away with the text, vaguely hearing some meaning from the Emperor's words. Recently, after the award ceremony, the Emperor has been extremely gracious to King Xuan's mother and son, and the Crown Prince's matter still hasn't had a clear resolution, so it's inevitable that people will speculate that this might be an omen of King Xuan entering the Eastern Palace. However, the country's major events involve sacrifices and military campaigns, and the seasonal rituals have always been performed by the Emperor himself. The Emperor ordering the Crown Prince to take his place in worshiping Heaven is undoubtedly a declaration to the world that the position of heir is unshakeable.

  On the grand ceremony of February 1st, Ye Tian Hao, dressed in a purple robe with a jade belt, looked slightly thinner than before, but his eyebrows and eyes still exuded elegance and refinement. Throughout the day, he followed the rituals and etiquette almost perfectly, presiding over the proceedings with poise. The Emperor's satisfied smile was due to his eldest son finally returning to normal after his previous escapades, nearly forgetting the newly enthroned Empress Yin standing beside him.

  You Xuan stood beside the Heavenly Emperor, always feeling that Ye Tian Hao's calmness hid something unsettling. Standing among the crowd of officials under the starry sky, he seemed to have detached himself from this magnificent Taihe Hall, as if he would step into another space at any moment and drift away. This feeling was so clear, it was almost palpable, as if one could reach out and touch the deep sorrow he had buried, yet all that could be seen was the noble smile on his pale, handsome face, leaving people utterly perplexed.

  In the depths of night, in the grand hall of the Eastern Palace, Ye Tian Hao's lips curled into a faint smile as he watched his three younger brothers and nine younger brothers disappear beyond the palace gates. On the long white snow-covered path, deep and shallow footprints were left behind, winding all the way to the dark depths.

  After a long, long silence, he suddenly raised his head, poured a cup of wine into his mouth, and burst out laughing, as if he had discovered the most interesting thing in the world. He laughed so hard that tears almost flowed out, and stumbled, nearly falling over. The eunuchs beside him were frightened and rushed forward to support him: "Your Highness..."

  "Get out!" Tian Hao suddenly shouted in anger: "All of you, get out!" The originally refined and gentle face showed a few hints of coarseness due to the effects of alcohol. A golden cup with an inlaid pearl was slammed to the ground with a loud "clang", accompanied by several white jade porcelain plates shattering, the piercing sound echoing emptily within the grand hall.

  "Now Father Emperor has conferred the title of Empress on Concubine Yin, I'm afraid he has long forgotten Mother..."

  "Empress Yin and Seventh Brother are now deeply favored, Your Highness doesn't worry at all..."

  "We three brothers born of one mother will certainly assist Your Highness with all our might..."

  "Your Highness, don't hesitate, if you let them get too powerful, it will be hard to control them..."

  "Your Highness, I fear something unexpected may happen..."

  "Your Highness..."

  "Your Highness..."

  "Your Highness..."

  "Shut up!" Ye Tian Hao suddenly shouted, isn't it laughable? This is his own biological brother, who just harmed Luan Fei and step by step plotted to take the throne from the Crown Prince. Everyone has gone mad, from watching Father Emperor's actions years ago to today's brothers openly and secretly attacking each other, everyone around him has gone mad...

  A chill wind from who-knows-where swept through the grand halls and temples, lifting the palace curtains and long canopies. The entire sky and earth seemed to be twisted before one's eyes. In the Daqing Palace, that golden dragon throne, resplendent with jade, drove all people mad with desire.

  Ye Tian Hao burst out laughing uncontrollably, unable to hold back his coughs, but was suddenly pounced on and hugged tightly by someone trembling: "Your Highness... Your Highness, wake up!"

  He looked closely through the tears and mist, only to find it was his own wife, Princess Wei, the Crown Prince's consort.

  The crown prince's consort was frightened by the crown prince and cried out: "Your Highness, what's wrong? Someone come! Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

  He pulled her in front of him with a laugh and said, "Go back and tell Wei Xiang that he's found the wrong person, I'm not interested! Tell him to quickly marry his daughter off to someone else!" And as for the women who served by his side every day, which one wasn't a pawn in the fight for the dragon throne? They all surrounded him cautiously, even Ruan Fei was no exception.

  The crown prince's consort was pushed away by him and fell to one side, crying: "Your Highness, what...what are you talking about?"

  The night sky reflected the bright candles in the hall, clear as a mountain spring: "From today on, there is no more Eastern Palace Crown Prince, nor is there a Crown Princess." He searched around for a moment, picked up the paper and pen from the long case behind the curtain, wrote a divorce letter with flying dragons and phoenixes, and threw it in front of the Crown Princess: "You are free, go quickly, go quickly!" After saying that, he laughed loudly and went deep into the main hall.

  The crown princess sat there in disarray, staring blankly as Ye Tian Hao's figure disappeared into the darkness. The divorce papers fluttered down before her eyes, blown back and forth by the cold wind several times before drifting away. Unaware of how long she had been sitting, her tears had dried, she finally stood up with the support of the side table, adjusted her hairpins, straightened her back, and walked step by step towards the gate.

  The palace gates opened wide, revealing a vast expanse of desolate white snow. A piercing gust of wind howled in, sending the golden curtains dancing wildly. The layered bright candles couldn't withstand the cold wind and were extinguished one by one, plunging the magnificent Eastern Palace into a dark abyss.

  Half an hour later, the little maid serving the Crown Prince's consort brought the medicinal soup to the bedroom, only to see a long white silk hanging from the beam, and the Crown Prince's consort was suspended in mid-air, dressed in a plain white palace attire, already dead.

  The little maid was so frightened that she screamed loudly, the soup splashing all over the floor, and ran out: "Help! The prince...the princess..." But to her horror, she found that in the depths of the palace, a fierce fire had started burning, the entire East Palace was filled with thick smoke, the fire fueled by the wind, quickly spreading along the jade buildings and crystal halls, greedily devouring the beautiful dreams of human luxury.

  In the depths of the palace, the crown prince wore white clothes and a jade crown, holding a burning long candle in his hand, standing smiling amidst the bright smoke and fierce flames, his clear eyes filled with the soaring flames, where there was a calmness and satisfaction that belonged to death.

  The Minister of Justice, Wu Qijun, walked out of the Zhiyuan Hall and into the darkness before dawn. The sky was still a cold, dark blue, with a biting chill that cut to the bone, but he was already drenched in sweat. He stood at the foot of the stairs, calming his nerves, before slowly making his way out of the palace.

  The night before the East Palace fire, a big fire almost burned to the Daqing Palace. Fortunately, the rescue was timely, but the intact East Palace had become a scorched earth. The guards risked their lives to save the prince, but the princess died miserably in the fire. The Ducha Si followed the imperial edict and investigated all the way down, and unexpectedly, some palace people said that the princess died of self-immolation, and this big fire was also set by the prince himself.

  The matter is not trivial, and no one dares to be slow. Immediately after that, the report was made to the Heavenly Emperor. Now in this palace, there is still a bit of New Year's Eve joy, everyone is silent as if they are afraid of saying something wrong and bringing trouble upon themselves.

  Wu Qijun had not yet left the Zhiyuan Hall when he saw several inner court guards accompanying the Crown Prince in this direction, and he stepped aside: "Your servant Wu Qijun pays his respects to Your Highness."

  Ye Tian Hao's expression was distant, and in the hazy dawn light, it was hard to see clearly, but it seemed that he had stood still for a moment with a faint smile: "Lord Wu, what prince, now I am just a prisoner waiting for punishment in your Ministry of Justice."

  Wu Qi's forehead broke out in sweat as he hastily said, "Your Highness speaks too seriously, I dare not."

  Yitian Hao burst out laughing and went straight into the Xuan room.

  Qing Chen and Sun Shimou stood silently beside Tian Di, neither of them slept for a day and a night, nor did they feel any drowsiness.

  After Wu Qi Jun left, the Emperor's face was gloomy and he didn't say a word as he stared at the memorial report about the East Palace catching fire. The Crown Prince confessed to setting the fire himself and also took responsibility for the death of his wife. It wasn't their first day serving the Emperor, both of them knew that the Emperor was furious now, and must have been heartbroken too, but had calmed down instead.

  Although the golden brazier in the room was burning brightly, the Western Chamber was filled with a suffocating chill and silence. It wasn't until the Crown Prince entered and knelt on the ground that the Heavenly Emperor finally looked up, but he didn't know how long it had been. He put down the memorial in his hand, nodded and said: "Good, good, good." He repeated the word "good" three times: "You've even learned to kill people and set fires, my good son."

  Ye Tian Hao deeply bowed his head, removing the white jade seal symbolizing his status as Crown Prince and placing it on the bluestone ground in front of him: "Please, Your Majesty, fulfill your son's wish."

  The Emperor gazed coldly at the white jade crown: "What are you trying to achieve? Doing something like this, shouldn't you be dragged out of the Meridian Gate and executed?"

  Ye Tian Hao smiled faintly: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

  "You!" Tian Di suddenly stood up, pointing at the crown prince, his body trembling with rage, his head spinning, and he almost fell over.

  Qing Chen and Sun Shi were shocked, hastily stepped forward to support: "Your Majesty!"

  Two men supported Tian Di as he sat down. Qing Chen knew it was a sudden attack of anger, and advised: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take care of the dragon body."

  Ye Tian Hao knelt there, his hands clenched into fists, for a moment his eyes couldn't hide his concern, but soon returned to that calm indifference.

  The Emperor sat on the dragon bed, rubbing his forehead, with a tone of disappointment: "I have spent so many years and so much effort on you, only to end up with this today!"

  Ye Tian Hao's expression was sorrowful: "It is the son's fault, if it weren't for the son being the crown prince, Emperor Xian of Yan and Emperor Wu of Yan might not have died. This position as crown prince should have been theirs."

  At that time, Emperor Mu died of illness. His eldest son, Yan Zhao, was only ten years old, and his second son, Yan Chu, was still in swaddling clothes. The Empress Dowager, due to the young master's ascension to the throne, feared that there would be political chaos, so she joined forces with Feng Yan, Wei Zongping, and other high-ranking officials to support the current Emperor's accession to the throne. They enfeoffed Emperor Mu's eldest son, Ye Yan Zhao, as the Crown Prince. However, after only a few years, Ye Yan Zhao died of self-inflicted injuries, and Ye Yan Chu died of illness. The position of Crown Prince eventually fell to Ye Tian Hao.

  The Heavenly Emperor slowly stood up: "What did you say?!"

  "In the tenth year of Saint Wu, Emperor Yingzhao's brother put down the rebellion of the Western Qiang tribe and returned to the capital. However, his subordinates were repeatedly demoted, and he himself was stripped of his title as General-in-Chief, leaving him with only the nominal position of Crown Prince. How could Emperor Yingzhao, who had always been proud and arrogant, tolerate such humiliation? Emperor Yingshuang's brother and I are about the same age, and he has always been in good health. In the fifteenth year of Saint Wu, at the autumn banquet in the Qingming Hall, he suddenly fell ill and died after returning home. And then there was Third Uncle..."

  "That's enough!" He was about to say more when the Heavenly Emperor slapped him hard on the ear, with such great force that even he stumbled sideways.

  Yè Tiān Huá's mouth corner immediately overflowed with a strand of deep red fresh blood. The Heavenly Emperor looked at his son kneeling in front of him: "You really, wasted my painstaking efforts."

  A bright red trail of blood flowed down the pale face like white jade, dripping onto the bluestone ground, with a faintly scornful and sorrowful smile at the corner of his mouth: "Your son thanks Your Majesty for your kindness."

  The Emperor's face turned pale with rage, and he was supported by Sun Shi as he shouted: "Get out! Get out of here!"

  Qing Chen and Sun Shi exchanged a glance, then hastily stepped forward to support Ye Tian Hao: "Your Highness should return first." Ye Tian Hao gazed at his increasingly aged father, deeply bowed three times, and silently stood up, leaving the place without any hesitation.

  "Your Highness and the Emperor are father and son after all, why must you be so hard on each other?"

  "My emperor, the one I love, my brother - which of them is not a source of worry? Why not grant their wishes and let everyone be happy?" He then sang loudly: "Others laugh at me as a madman, but I laugh at them for being blind..." With his hair disheveled and his head thrown back, he laughed loudly and left.

  You gazed at his back, the corridor in front of him was blown by a long wind, and the remaining snow flew up. He thought that he had just intentionally provoked Tian Di to seek death, turned around and ordered several inner court guards: "Follow him and take good care of Prince Taizi, remember, if there is any mistake, you are the ones to blame."

  The leader of the guards was Ming Zhi, who nodded slightly and followed Ye Tian Hao closely.

  You returned to Xuan Shi's room and saw that Tian Di's expression had improved slightly. He stepped forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, the prince is just temporarily confused, he will be fine once he comes to his senses."

  The Emperor's voice was tired and painful: "You draft the edict for me..." After a long pause, he continued: "Since the Crown Prince entered the Eastern Palace, he has not followed his ancestors' virtues, nor obeyed my teachings. He is licentious and evil, it is difficult to speak of him. From this day on, he will be demoted to a commoner and exiled to Zhuo Zhou..." Every word was spoken with a heavy heart, and by the end, tears were streaming down his face.

  Your heart is filled with a chill, the land of Zhuo is cold and barren, the mountains are high and the road is far. This time, I fear it will be difficult to return: "Your Majesty, think thrice..." Sun Shi was already kneeling on the ground: "Your Majesty, Zhuo is a place of bitter cold..."

  The Emperor interrupted them, saying: "My mind is made up, you don't need to say more, draft the imperial edict!"

  You walked to the case, the pen in your hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, the yellow silk was dazzling, and the red ink looked like blood. After finishing, he presented it to the Emperor of Heaven, who waved his hand without looking: "Go and proclaim the edict."

  The relationship between father and son, the righteousness between ruler and minister, all turn into nothingness in this single edict.

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