The Crown Prince looked suspicious. Before leaving, he quietly instructed the young eunuch who served him to hasten to the Xiangyun Palace to inform his mother, the Empress.
The young eunuch glanced at Wang Chun and then sped away.
The Crown Prince knelt before the Emperor. The Emperor, his face ashen, grabbed a stack of memorials from the table and flung them at his son.
The Crown Prince was greatly alarmed.
"Imperial Father! Imperial Father, please calm your anger. What wrong have I committed? Please enlighten me, Imperial Father!"
"Enlighten you? Do you not know what you have done?! Stop playing coy!" The Emperor strode to the Crown Prince, kicked him violently, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The Crown Prince immediately crawled back to his knees, his face a mask of terror. "Imperial Father, please calm your anger. I truly do not know." In truth, he had a vague idea of what had caused such fury; it must be a matter of great importance.
However, he had to pretend ignorance!
The Emperor, with precision, picked out from the scattered memorials those impeaching the Crown Prince for privately excavating iron ore in Bianzhou, illegally manufacturing weapons in Lizhou, and recruiting soldiers and amassing troops. He threw them at the Crown Prince's face.
"Look! Look at the good deeds your unfilial son has done!" The Emperor's expression was ferocious, as if he wished to strangle this ungrateful son.
The Crown Prince's face turned deathly pale as he looked at the memorials, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"The human and material evidence are both present! What more can you argue?" The Emperor kicked the Crown Prince again.
The Crown Prince trembled, crawling on the ground, and said, "I beg Imperial Father to investigate carefully. I know nothing of these matters. My maternal uncle, Duke Rong, must have acted under my name!
Uncle has told me many times that after I ascend the throne, he wishes me to immediately attack the Northern Qiang and the remnants of the Qinghuang Kingdom, to unify the Yun Continent.
However, because Imperial Father and many ministers in court did not wish to wage war, my uncle privately took these actions, hoping that upon my succession, I would strengthen our military. Although these actions violated our dynasty's laws, my uncle's heart was for the nation, wishing to expand the Great Xia's territory across the Yun Continent. Hence, he resorted to this desperate measure. I implore Imperial Father to spare my uncle. I am willing to accept punishment!"
"Unfilial son! You still quibble! Do you take me for a fool? Do you think the Crown Prince's seal within those documents could have run out on its own?" The Emperor pointed at the Crown Prince and roared.
"Uncle has free access to the Crown Prince's residence. The Crown Prince's seal was kept in my study..."
At this moment, the Crown Prince could only push the blame entirely onto Duke Rong. This matter had been instigated by him and the Empress. Moreover, if his uncle bore all the responsibility, he and the Empress would do their utmost to save his uncle's life. Once he ascended the throne, he could find a way to exonerate his uncle and restore him to his official position.
Patience in small matters prevents a great undertaking. His uncle, having navigated officialdom for many years, would naturally understand this principle.
It was too late to send word to his uncle now. He hoped his uncle would understand his intentions.
The Emperor glared hatefully at the kneeling Crown Prince, scolding, "You unfilial son, do you truly take your father for a fool? Do you think I cannot see how much of your doing this is? I am old, but I am not senile!"
"Your son dares not! Your son is loyal to Imperial Father, as the sun and moon bear witness, as heaven and earth attest! This truly was not my doing!" The Crown Prince kowtowed three times towards the Emperor, causing the floor to tremble.
Seeing him continue to argue, the Emperor felt as though his teeth would shatter. A father knows his son best. Looking at the irrefutable evidence, what else could he possibly not understand?
"Unfilial son! Speak! How have I treated you! I bestowed the position of Crown Prince upon you. To prevent you from becoming suspicious, I banished the Fourth Prince to the remote frontier. Have I ever wronged you in any way?! You have sat firmly on the throne of Crown Prince, why must you engage in so many clandestine activities? Could it be that you unfilial son can no longer wait, wishing to raise an army, rebel, and usurp your father to ascend the throne?!"
The Crown Prince's face changed drastically. He immediately pressed his forehead to the ground and said with a tremor, "Your son dares not. Your son has never harbored such thoughts! This is all a misunderstanding, orchestrated by my uncle. I implore Imperial Father to investigate!"
Just as the Emperor was about to kick him again, Wang Chun's voice announced from outside the hall, "Her Imperial Majesty the Empress requests an audience."
"Announce! Announce her in! Let her see the good deeds her good son has done!" the Emperor roared.
The Empress entered in a hurry, her expression flustered, holding up her hem.
The Crown Prince, lying on the ground, shielded himself with his arm and secretly exchanged a glance with his mother.
"Your humble consort pays respects to His Imperial Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years." The Empress knelt before the Emperor, her eyes red-rimmed, forcing back tears.
Normally, such an appearance would have garnered the Emperor's pity.
However, today, seeing her like that, the Emperor felt only deep disgust and irritation.
The Emperor let out a cold snort. "Your news is indeed swift! You have come quickly!"
The Empress's face was filled with alarm. "Imperial Father, what exactly has happened? What has Xian'er done to make you so angry?"
"What has he done? Ask your good son!" the Emperor retorted angrily.
Seeing his mother arrive, the Crown Prince immediately felt a surge of relief. With a tearful voice, he said, "Mother, it is all Uncle's fault. He insisted on privately excavating iron ore, manufacturing weapons, and attacking the Northern Qiang and remnants of Qinghuang. Furthermore, he improperly used my Crown Prince's seal. Imperial Father mistakenly believes these are my doing, and thus is very angry with me."
With the Crown Prince's explanation, the Empress understood everything immediately. She crawled forward a few steps on her knees, her expression sorrowful, and pleaded, "Imperial Father, what Xian'er says is the truth. My brother sometimes worries too much about state affairs, wholeheartedly wishing for my son to expand the Great Xia's territory in the future. Hence, he used my son's name to commit these rebellious acts.
I implore Your Majesty to spare Xian'er this once. As you can see, on normal days, Xian'er is always well-behaved, his words and actions always fitting the exemplar of a Crown Prince.
This time, it was merely his uncle instigating him and implicating him. Moreover, he is, after all, your own flesh and blood, the Crown Prince you personally selected. If this matter were to be pinned on Xian'er, it would undoubtedly cause turmoil in court and diminish Your Majesty's divine prestige. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider!"
After speaking, the Empress placed her hands on the floor and bowed her forehead heavily to the ground.
She could no longer care about anything else; saving her son was the priority. As for her brother, he would understand. As long as Xian'er ascended the throne, they would surely benefit, they only needed to endure for now.
"You know to beg me now? These are the good teachings you've given your son!" Although the Emperor was enraged, the Empress's words held some truth. Should he really kill the Crown Prince? No matter how grave his mistakes, he was, after all, his own son.
If Duke Rong could bear the blame for this matter, it could be glossed over. Furthermore, Duke Rong was himself one of the masterminds behind this affair. Punishing him would not be unjust. If he were to blame anyone, it would be that he was not his own son!
The Emperor closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.
"Wang Chun, convey my decree! Summon Duke Rong, Jiang Pengju, and the Censorate Grand Secretary, Yan Mingkun, to the palace for an audience!"
Wang Chun respectfully acknowledged the order and immediately left to summon those two esteemed individuals.