The Crown Prince was breathing with difficulty, looking as though he was on the verge of losing his breath. With great effort, he slid from the chair beside him onto the floor. “Royal Mother, when you say that, your son has nowhere to hide his shame!”
His health truly was poor. Over the years he had suffered one calamity after another without end. Now, in a surge of agitation, even his voice had grown much weaker.
Empress Feng had originally been holding in a bellyful of anger, ready to vent it. But seeing him like this, she found herself unable to let it out after all, and could only give a bitter smile. “Get up! You’re almost a grandfather, yet you can deceive this Highness if you like, just don’t truly deceive yourself as well.”
The Crown Prince choked back tears, unable to speak smoothly. “Royal Mother, your son truly has no such intention. As you said, he is also my son, representing the line of the Eastern Palace. How could I not hope for his well-being?”
Empress Feng looked at him deeply for a long while before rubbing her brow. “No matter what you are thinking, you must understand, Yunting is the Emperor’s favorite grandson!”
She let out a breath and waved her hand. “Enough. Get up.”
As she spoke, she could not help adding, “Once Yunting returns, the Emperor should bestow a marriage upon him. After he is married, he will naturally have more assignments. By that time, the position of the Eastern Palace will also become more secure.”
The relationship between this father and son was simply too distant and cold.
And their problem did not lie with Xiao Yunting, Empress Feng knew this clearly in her heart.
After the matter with Feng Caiwei, Empress Feng understood very well that Xiao Yunting was not the sort of person who adhered to rules in every respect, nor was he someone who would repay grievance with virtue.
If the Crown Prince continued to treat Xiao Yunting with the attitude of “I am your father; if I want you to die, you die; if I want you to live, you live,” then in the end this father and son would likely become like Emperor Taizong of Tang and Li Chengqian.
Or directly become Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Li Shimin.
This was not what Empress Feng wished to see.
Yet the Crown Prince could not understand his mother’s painstaking intentions, especially after receiving the eight-hundred-li express memorial sent from Jiangxi. He asked in disbelief, “What? Who died?”
Xiao Jingzhao’s tone was somewhat low. Hearing the Crown Prince’s question, even he himself could not describe what he was feeling at this moment.
But in the end, he steadily repeated, “Royal Father, it is Qi Wang. Qi Wang is dead.”
When Xiao Yunting had gone to Jiangxi, the Crown Prince had always watched with cold detachment.
After all, Jiangxi was Qi Wang’s territory, and Qi Wang’s attitude toward Xiao Yunting needed no elaboration, everyone knew it clearly.
He had originally been waiting to see this son suffer a heavy loss and return in disgrace.
But who could have expected that Xiao Yunting would cut his way through from Xunyang all the way forward, using thunderous methods, killing off almost all the officials and great clans of Xunyang?
Still less had he expected that now even Qi Wang was dead!
He let out a snort of laughter and asked with a half-smile, “How did he die?”
If Xiao Yunting had also killed him, then that would truly be interesting.
The old master kept saying he would no longer concern himself with Qi Wang, but how could so many years of affection truly be discarded overnight?
Moreover, when Qi Wang was young, he had been personally raised by Emperor Yongchang.
Though the old master did not speak of it, if Qi Wang had died, it would absolutely be a devastating blow to Emperor Yongchang.
Especially if Xiao Yunting had killed Qi Wang, even if Qi Wang had intended rebellion, Emperor Yongchang would certainly blame Xiao Yunting in his heart for being too cold and ruthless.
With a trace of expectation, he looked at Xiao Jingzhao.
Xiao Jingzhao’s lips moved, but he did not utter the three words “Xiao Yunting” as the Crown Prince had hoped.
He only said softly, “Royal Father, an epidemic broke out in Jinxian County near Hongdu. Qi Wang agreed to the proposal of Jiangxi’s Governor Xiong Liangyong and the Prefect of Hongdu to burn the villages. They intended to burn two villages of commoners to death in succession…”
“He also withheld grain and refused to open the granaries for relief, which ultimately triggered a bandit uprising. It was the bandits who blew up Qi Wang’s residence.” Xiao Jingzhao was equally shaken.
He and Xiao Yunting were about the same age.
Xiao Yunting handled such matters with ease already.
He did not believe that Qi Wang’s death had nothing to do with Xiao Yunting.
After all, when those two were in the capital, they had already been locked in a struggle to the death.
Yet Xiao Yunting was able, on the surface, to keep himself completely clean of involvement.
Everyone in the imperial commissioner’s entourage could testify for Xiao Yunting: before their party had even entered Hongdu, they had already heard news that bandits were attacking Qi Wang’s residence, which was why they had hurried into the city to maintain order.
And the correspondence found in Qi Wang’s residence between him and court officials, along with the concealed firearms, as well as the evidence seized from the Governor’s office showing their bribery of Qi Wang, had all been delivered together onto Emperor Yongchang’s desk.
Xiao Jingzhao’s lips were somewhat dry. In the end, he gave a bitter smile. “All the evidence has been laid out on Royal Grandfather’s desk. Royal Father, at present Royal Grandfather is probably more angry than anything else.”
It was just that this anger was not directed at Xiao Yunting.
But at Qi Wang.
After all, this great calamity was one Qi Wang had brought upon himself.
The Crown Prince coldly smashed the cup in his hand onto the floor.
Emperor Yongchang likewise swiftly hurled the teacup on his desk to the ground, so enraged that his chest ached. “Utterly outrageous! Outrageous!”
Eunuch Xia, seeing that his complexion had even turned somewhat pale from anger, hurriedly knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, calm your anger, calm your anger! You must take care of your dragon body!”
He also hastily ordered someone to summon Imperial Physician Hu and Court Official Sun of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Emperor Yongchang was indeed furious.
That very night he convened the Grand Secretariat for deliberations.
None of them had expected that Qi Wang would also die; for a moment they looked at one another in dismay.
As Grand Secretary, Chu Bo had no choice but to speak: “Your Majesty, Xiong Liangyong and Huang Hongzhong bewitched Qi Wang. They truly deserve ten thousand deaths!”
After all, Emperor Yongchang had lost a son. Although Qi Wang himself had been utterly absurd in this matter, the man was already dead. Naturally, they could not continue to sprinkle salt into Emperor Yongchang’s wound by criticizing Qi Wang further.
Emperor Yongchang took a deep breath and frowned coldly. “They indeed deserve death, but Xiao Ling is also muddle-headed! He took no measures whatsoever, allowing the officialdom of Jiangxi to descend into chaos. He truly was unworthy of being my son!”
Only Emperor Yongchang himself could say such words. No one else dared to echo them. All they could do was rise under Chu Bo’s lead and request that Emperor Yongchang calm his anger.
Emperor Yongchang’s chest throbbed with pain, yet he still waved his hand. “Have the Ministry of Rites first draft the regulations for Qi Wang’s funeral rites. Everything is to be kept simple! As for his posthumous title, use the character ‘Li’ (Cruel).”
This was an evil posthumous title, showing that Emperor Yongchang was indeed extremely dissatisfied with Qi Wang.
When Censor Tie learned of this matter, he spoke bluntly: “Your Majesty is wise! The people are water, the ruler is the boat; water can carry the boat, and it can also overturn it. As a prince, Qi Wang enjoyed the sustenance of all under Heaven and was raised from childhood reading the sages’ books, yet he had not the slightest pity for the common people. He truly deserved to die!”
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