“This… it is but a trumped-up charge…”
The Emperor slapped the table, pointing at Wu Song with fury: “Trumped-up charge! Do you feed yourself nothing but filth every day? Xing Muzheng only feigned capture—how could he possibly admit to such a crime? How then could his plan proceed? You come before Zhen with only three words, ‘trumped-up charge,’ and would condemn Our ever-victorious general? Wu Song, what punishment do you deserve!”
The Third Prince had always been the most favored son of the Taikang Emperor. It was for that reason the Emperor had never sent him off to his fief but kept him in Yongan. Never had Wu Song suffered such wrath and scolding. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Please, Royal Father, calm your anger. Your son knows his guilt!”
Taikang Emperor gave a heavy snort. Still not appeased, he stretched out a leg and kicked at him in the air. “Who else have you told of this matter?”
Naturally, Duke Xu and the Xu family could not be left out of such a matter, but Wu Song dared not admit it at this moment. “Your son… your son thought this matter too grave, so I told no one.”
“Not even Hang Zhi and the Grand Secretariat?”
“…No.”
The Taikang Emperor truly did not know whether to be angry or to laugh. “Old Three, oh Old Three, do you mean to become an emperor for the ages?”
Taikang Emperor himself was not particularly capable, yet in the matter of drawing in talent, few emperors could match him. But this son of his—even a general who had already surrendered the tiger tally, Xing Muzheng, he still could not tolerate. Did he think that if he killed him, his own position as Crown Prince would be secured?
“Royal Father, you flatter your son too much!”
“I flatter you? It is you who ruin me!” The Emperor glared. “Look at you just now, so flustered and impatient—eager to brand Xing Muzheng with the stigma of traitor, eager to drive him straight to his death! What offense has he ever given you, hmm? Did he block your succession as crown prince? Did he kill your wife and children?”
Wu Song’s face flushed red, then pale. “He has not hindered your son from becoming crown prince, nor killed my wife or children. But—Royal Father! Do you know what the common folk outside the palace are saying? They all know Xing Muzheng’s name, yet do not know the royal house of Great Xie! With such foundations, if he one day harbors ambition, he is bound to rebel!”
Taikang Emperor laughed. “So this too is another groundless charge, is it?”
“Royal Father, your son only considers the ten-thousand-year legacy of Great Xie. Xing Muzheng’s merits overshadow his lord—he will surely rebel sooner or later!”
“You—a Crown Prince, you are ruler, he is subject. You do not think of how to win the allegiance of a subject, but instead fear that he might one day rebel, and thus want to kill him early? Then who will dare stand forth for Great Xie, who will lift weapons and sell their lives for the dynasty? I fear that before the day Xing Muzheng ever rebels, the barbarians beyond the passes will already have broken through our rivers and mountains!”
Taikang Emperor’s disappointment was deep. Thankfully, this time Xing Muzheng had secretly sent letters on imperial business. Had it truly been the ex-dynasty rebels trying to sever the backbone of Great Xie, and this sharpest sword of the realm were broken so easily, would that not wound kin and delight enemies alike? Would other loyal subjects not also be imperiled? Would Great Xie’s towering edifice not collapse in an instant?
“Old Three, the royal house is the dragon’s head; the officials are the spine of Great Xie. You must show courtesy and humility to your ministers—only then will they cleave to you.”
With a sigh, the Emperor said: “This matter, I shall handle. You—return to the Eastern Palace and reflect behind closed doors!”
Wu Song rose in dejection, clearly unwilling to accept. Mao Qi’s eyelids drooped the whole time, never lifting, as if he had heard nothing.
Wu Song slowly turned to go. After two steps, he turned back, knelt rigidly before the Emperor. “Royal Father! Your son has already offended Xing Muzheng over this matter. If he is not removed now, he will surely grow a traitor’s heart in the future! For your son’s sake, please strike down this meritorious minister!”
The Taikang Emperor finally lost patience. He hurled the letter box at Wu Song’s forehead. “Get out! One more word, and I shall depose you!”
