CH 64: The Unbelievable Truth

“An entire day.” Chancellor Yin Wuhai sighed, “Causing fright to the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty. We, your subjects, deserve death.”

“You are all innocent, and you have rendered meritorious service in protecting the Emperor,” said the Empress Dowager, and her words determined everything. Over ten senior officials bowed together to express their gratitude.

Han Ruzi was brought to sit beside the Empress Dowager. He turned his head and glanced at his mother. Maiden Wang nodded slightly at her son, indicating that all was well.

Han Ruzi’s heart, however, could not be completely calm. Just as the Empress Dowager was about to speak, he asked first, “Who can tell Us what exactly happened?”

Chancellor Yin Wuhai, receiving a hint from the Empress Dowager, smiled at the Emperor and said, “Yesterday, the Grand Consort forged an edict to enter the Hall of Diligent Administration to participate in government affairs. I, your humble subject, was fortunate to escape…”

“I am aware of all these matters. We want to know what happened last night.”

Yin Wuhai glanced at the Empress Dowager again, “Last night, Captain of the Palace Gates Liu Kunsheng and Guo Cong, the former Provost of the Imperial University, found me and showed me the Founding Emperor’s treasured sword. I immediately took the two of them to see Chief Commander Han. Of all the senior officials, he would be most likely to recognize the sword.”

The following events were relatively simple. The Chief Commander had no troops under his direct command but possessed an insignia token for mobilizing troops. However, without official documents from the Ministry of War, the token itself was useless, and Chief Commander Han Xing could not mobilize the army. Thus, he took the treasured sword and token to the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Capital Prefectural Office,[1] assembling the officials and soldiers from these three institutions.

The officials from these three institutions formed the main body of the “Tigers of the Pavilion of Expansive Literature”, known for being particularly loyal to the Empress Dowager. However, they lacked official orders and dared not act recklessly. The Founding Emperor’s treasured sword provided them with the urgently needed “edict”, so they broke with customary procedures and sent soldiers under their command to follow Han Xing and Yin Wuhai.

The two ministers led hundreds of soldiers directly into the inner palace, which proved to be easier than expected. The newly appointed Captain of the Imperial Guards, Hua Bin, had fled in the middle of the night, leaving the imperial guards leaderless and fearful. They dared not act rashly, but upon seeing the Chancellor and the Chief Commander, they immediately opened the gates, joining the two ministers in storming the inner palace.

The few blade-wielders who had infiltrated the palace were no match for the hundreds of soldiers. They were annihilated shortly after contact. Several blade-wielders retreated to Cishun Palace, intending to kill the Empress Dowager before making a desperate last stand. But they were stopped by Luo Huan-zhang. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he chose to surrender.

After being captured, Bu Hengru was a completely different person, kneeling before the officials and soldiers, begging for mercy. He was quickly persuaded by Luo Huan-zhang and volunteered to be an insider to save the Emperor.

Han Ruzi asked, “Did Captain of the Palace Gates Liu Kunsheng not say where the treasured sword came from?”

“He did. The sword was secretly sent to him by the Empress Dowager. Indeed, it was a miraculous achievement,” answered Yin Wuhai.

“Eh?” Han Ruzi could hardly believe his ears. He had risked great danger and sacrificed three eunuchs to bring the treasured sword out of the inner palace and hand it over to Liu Kunsheng. Yet his merit was so easily erased. Just as he was about to speak, he turned his head to look at his mother. After doing so, he closed his mouth.

Maiden Wang narrowed her eyes, warning her son with a stern expression not to speak recklessly.

Han Ruzi trusted his mother and nodded, “So that’s how it is… We have… no more questions.”

Chancellor Yin Wuhai bowed and retreated back into the ranks of his colleagues. The Empress Dowager spoke to Luo Huan-zhang, “Teacher Luo, you have spent your life preaching benevolence and righteousness, yet you have committed such an unkind and unjust act. Do you have anything to say?”

Luo Huan-zhang shook his head, his expression as proud as usual.

“Considering that you stopped the rebels from spilling blood in the inner palace at the last moment, it counts as a merit. You are spared from death, but you will be imprisoned for life.”

Chancellor Yin Wuhai stepped forward again and said, “Empress Dowager, plotting a rebellion is an unpardonable crime. Even if one has rendered meritorious service, it is not appropriate to grant leniency.”

It was not a simple matter to convict traitors. The senior officials would usually raise objections repeatedly to gauge the intentions of the higher-ups, to determine whether it was leniency or a show of leniency that was truly desired. After the Chancellor, other senior officials also expressed the view that Luo Huan-zhang’s crime was unforgivable. The Empress Dowager insisted on her own view, and only then did the officials cease their discussion.

However, Luo Huan-zhang showed no gratitude. As two guards were about to take him away, he said, “I stopped them from killing, not for you, Empress Dowager, but because I didn’t want the Chu Empire to be leaderless and fall into chaos… Alas, scholars are useless in a hundred ways; I have nothing more to say.”

As Luo Huan-zhang was led away, the Empress Dowager looked at the Grand Consort.

She was her own younger sister, who had been her only trusted confidante over the past few decades. Now, she had become the person who betrayed her most completely.

The officials looked at each other, feeling it was inappropriate for them to stay and listen to the Empress Dowager’s family affairs. However, the Empress Dowager did not allow them to leave and coldly said, “Grand Consort Shang-guan Duan, you are of noble status, yet you colluded with traitors and caused chaos in the inner palace. Do you know your crime?”

The Grand Consort had been staring at the ground all this time. Now, she raised her head and looked at her sister, “This consort knows her guilt, which is the same guilt that you bear.”

The officials all remained silent, feeling even more awkward.

The Empress Dowager said, “You claim that I am guilty. The Trusted Officials appointed by the late Emperor are all here. If you have anything to say, just say it.”

The Grand Consort’s gaze swept across the faces of the officials one by one, “Trusted Officials? They only care about their own lives, and not the Emperor’s. Fine, since you want me to speak, I shall speak. It was you who poisoned the Graceful Emperor.”

At this point, it was inappropriate for the officials not to speak up. They all started to scold the Grand Consort. The Empress Dowager raised her right hand to silence the ministers, “Let her speak.”

The Grand Consort knew the Empress Dowager better than anyone and sneered, “You are trying to use offense as your defense, thinking that by letting me speak in front of the officials, you can clear away the rumors. But I will still tell the truth. Even if no one believes it for now, someone will remember it later.”

The Grand Consort looked at the officials again, not pausing her gaze on any of them, and finally stared at the Emperor, continuing, “The Empress Dowager poisoned the Graceful Emperor. No, I should say that we, the Empress Dowager and I, poisoned the Graceful Emperor together. So we both committed the crime of regicide.” She revealed a disdainful smile, “She added the poison, and I carried the soup. We watched together as the Graceful Emperor drank it, and as his breath grew weaker and weaker…”

Han Ruzi felt chills down his spine, as if three sharp blades were pressing against his chest again.

The Empress Dowager remained silent, and the officials dared not make a sound. At this moment, saying anything would be a mistake. Those officials who were not qualified to enter the inner palace were truly lucky.

The smile on the Grand Consort’s face slowly faded, her gaze still fixed on the Emperor, “Your Majesty, do you want to know why we did such a thing? Of course, it was for our common son, your elder brother. The only one who is qualified to be emperor and the most suitable person to be emperor.”

That person was, of course, the Thoughtful Emperor. The Grand Consort’s affection for him seemed to surpass even the love Maiden Wang had for her son.

Chancellor Yin Wuhai coughed, feeling the need to say something, or else it would seem like he was neglecting his duty, “The Thoughtful Emperor was the eldest principal son of the Graceful Emperor. His succession was only a matter of time. Why would the Empress Dowager… do such a thing?”

“Because the Graceful Emperor changed his mind. When he first ascended the throne, he was determined to eradicate the influence of the Cui clan. But after a period of governance—” The Grand Consort’s gaze finally left the Emperor’s face and coldly looked at Yin Wuhai, “The Graceful Emperor found that the ministers were his most persistent enemies. You were a system unto your own, recommending each other, and protecting each other. On the surface, you were loyal to the Emperor, but in secret, you sought to erode his authority.”

The senior officials were visibly embarrassed, but Yin Wuhai remained composed, shaking his head as he spoke, “Grand Consort, your words are mistaken. The Graceful Emperor was a wise ruler. Although there were some disputes with the senior officials, a consensus could always be reached…”

The Grand Consort burst into laughter, her gaze fixed on the Emperor once more, “‘Wise ruler’—remember this, Your Majesty. If you are to continue being an emperor, you will also be called a ‘wise ruler.’ This is how the senior officials will undermine you. What is a ‘wise ruler’? Only an emperor who meets the requirements of the senior officials can be called a ‘wise ruler.'”

Yin Wuhai shook his head in silence, expressing his stance through a series of sighs.

Han Ruzi asked, “What do you mean when you say the Graceful Emperor changed his mind? Did he not want to be a wise ruler anymore?”

“He wanted to be a wise ruler, but not the one the senior officials had in mind. Therefore, the Graceful Emperor decided to take a risky approach—first using the Imperial In-laws to suppress the senior officials, then turning around to deal with the Imperial In-laws. To this end, he made the decision to depose the Empress and the Crown Prince, bestow the title of Empress on Consort Cui, and appoint Prince Donghai as the Crown Prince.”

A surprised scream came from the side-chamber—it was Prince Donghai. He did not run out, and nobody paid attention to his cry.

Yin Wuhai spoke, “Grand Consort, your words are becoming more and more inconceivable. Such important matters would surely be known within the court. Yet during the Graceful Emperor’s reign, he never showed any favoritism toward the Cui clan, even choosing to suppress them on numerous occasions…”

“Don’t you understand the principle of suppressing before elevating? The Graceful Emperor had to suppress the Cui clan first, so that when he changed Empress and Crown Prince, the Cui clan would be grateful and willingly serve him.”

Yin Wuhai shook his head with a bitter smile, exchanging glances with the other senior officials. Their expressions clearly said: These were nonsensical words and needed no refutation.

Chief Commander Han Xing had been holding the Founding Emperor’s treasured sword. He stepped forward and said, “So, even the Cui clan did not know of the Graceful Emperor’s intentions?”

Of course, the Cui family did not know; if they did, they would have used rumors to boost their influence.

The Grand Consort lowered her gaze, and when she looked up again, her eyes met the Empress Dowager’s. “Truth is stranger than fiction, so no one believes it. You are still so clever. I can never outwit you, but eventually, someone else will. You can depose and establish emperors time and time again, but you will never dispel the fear in your heart. Any Emperor who grows older will eventually develop ambitions, igniting fear within you.”

The palace coup had failed, yet a victorious delight appeared on the Grand Consort’s face. “The Thoughtful Emperor was suspicious about the Graceful Emperor’s death and wanted to confronted you for the truth. You quarreled, and in his anger, the Thoughtful Emperor cut your wrist with a dagger, which drove you to harbor murderous intentions toward your own son. You committed regicide for the second time, but this time it was you alone. For you knew I would never participate and would do everything to stop you.”

Her joy turned to despondence as the Grand Consort swayed on the spot. “You killed the Thoughtful Emperor, your own son. Did you not understand that from that moment on, there would be no one you could trust to be emperor? Execute me, for I would rather accompany the Thoughtful Emperor in the netherworld than live to see you gleefully wield power.”

Faced with the Grand Consort’s “nonsense”, the Empress Dowager remained silent, her expression unchanged. She slowly raised her right hand, revealing a clearly visible scar on her wrist. “Zuo Ji, tell everyone how this wound came about.”

Han Ruzi had not seen this eunuch since entering the room. He saw Zuo Ji shuffle forward on his knees from behind the guards, his hands tied behind his back, tears and sweat mingling. First, he kowtowed forcefully to the Empress Dowager, then he tried to speak in the loudest voice possible, “Upon the Thoughtful Emperor’s demise, the Empress Dowager was overcome with grief and cut her own wrist with a dagger. I witnessed it… I witnessed it with my own eyes…”

The officials nodded. Though they did not agree with the Empress Dowager’s actions, they could understand a mother’s love and grief.

Han Ruzi had previously heard another version of the story from Zuo Ji, and he knew which one to believe.

The Grand Consort was utterly defeated. She smiled at the Emperor and said, “Be careful, Your Majesty.”

With a wave of the Empress Dowager’s hand, two guards approached and escorted the Grand Consort out of the room.

No one dared to ask the Empress Dowager how she would deal with the Grand Consort.

Chancellor Yin Wuhai breathed a sigh of relief, “Heaven blesses Chu, and the rebels have been eliminated. The Empress Dowager can rest easy now. The Grand Consort’s bewitching words are full of holes, and no one will believe them.”

“The Grand Consort believes it herself. Since the Thoughtful Emperor’s passing, she has been depressed. I had thought that she would get better over time, but she… had to find a reason to put her mind at ease.” The Empress Dowager sighed deeply, and the officials knelt down, expressing their sympathy.

“With the premature death of the late emperor and the youth of the new emperor, I, as Empress Dowager, would naturally prioritize the well-being of the Chu Empire. Lord Chancellor, you wish for me to be at ease, but with no news coming from the Southern Army outside the Capital, I’m afraid I still cannot rest easy.”

[1] The Capital Prefect essentially functions as a mayor for the Capital. Usually, Prefects are appointed for entire provinces, which would be larger in size than the Capital, but due to the importance of the Capital, a Prefect is appointed to manage it.