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Plan Within a Plan Within a Plan
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
In reality, in the following days, the speed in which the situation changed in the capital seemingly surpassed the abnormal weather phenomenon of the sudden wind and snow in the early winter.
Snowfall in the tenth month, in the history of Great Sheng, can also be considered a very rare occurrence. However, for the nobles, civil and military officials, and even the back manor womenfolk in the capital currently, very few were in the mood to talk about the weather.
Practically everyone’s eyes were all casted towards the Judicial Court, as well as Great Sheng’s inner palace that can be considered to be constantly full of scandals.
Because, exactly two days after the scholars angrily submitted a petition to the court, Qi Ke’s mother fell ill. Under this kind of situation, this was already no longer the mother of an ordinary scholar or commoner. The Head Minister of Justice who was ordered to handle this case submitted a memorandum requesting the Imperial Physicians Court to appoint a physician over to treat her. At the same time, they also needed to ask Qi Ke’s mother whether or not she’d once gotten coerced by Wu Wang Manor or Chang’de Count Manor.
Qi Ke’s mother actually didn’t all of a sudden say anything that would once again shock the world, but the imperial physician’s diagnosis nevertheless led to a new wave of chaos———Qi Ke’s mother’s illness was unexpectedly the exact same as Xun old madam’s, who’d fallen ill in the sixth month. The imperial physicians suspect that it’s due to poisoning, and moreover, the same kind of slow-acting poison.
Amidst the uproar in court, Wen’an Marquis resolutely submitted a memorandum, stating that back then, when Wu Wangfei Qi Pei had just married into Wu Wang Manor, she’d sent a mama to the Xun family. At the time, the people of the Xun family all felt that it was very strange, but Wu Wangfei relied on her authority as a wife of the imperial family, insisting that this was an expert in massage and medicinal cuisine by the empress’s side, and absolutely must give to the old madam. Thus, the Xun family could only accept.
However, a year later, Xun old madam’s body didn’t have any great improvements under her care, instead when the heir’s wife was giving birth to the first child, there was even the major incident of attempting to harm the heir’s wife and newborn child. Looking at it now, this was clearly the empress borrowing Wu Wangfei’s hand to have Li mama sent to the Wen’an Marquis Manor, poisoning Xun old madam to control her, and after failing to coerce the Wen’an Marquis Manor, just attempted to harm the first branch.
Previously, when the incident occurred in the sixth month, Wen’an Marquis Xun Nanheng was still in the military camp in the north, unable to return to the capital in time. The young heir, Xun Che, because of revering the empress, as well as considering for the imperial family’s face, endured again and again. But, now, seeing this kind of means already reaching the scholars, he truly was unable to keep enduring.
Moreover, with Qi Ke as the aide that Wu Wang intended to rope in, and Xun Che as the crown prince’s former study companion, the empress’s various means all were by the various princes’ side, her heart and intentions, as well the reason why she borrowed Wu Wangfei Qi Pei’s name to carry out these means, asking Xuan Emperor to carefully ponder over.
When such a memorandum was put forward, the officials in court practically all fell silent for a few breaths amidst the shock and astonishment. Afterwards, they all somewhat sluggishly gazed towards the ashen-looking Xuan Emperor upon the imperial seat again.
Inside the enormous palace hall, for a moment, the drop of a needle could be heard.
Xuan Emperor slowly gaze towards the crown prince and Xun Che. The usually gentle ruler’s gaze at this time was unprecedentedly stern and angry.
The crown prince slightly bow, his back still perfectly straight, his bright and resonating voice not shaking in the slightest, “Asking your Majesty to please decide impartially.”
Xun Che, on the other hand, lifted the hem of his gown and knelt onto the ground, heavily kowtowing three times before similarly straightening his body and gaze towards Xuan Emperor, “This subject deserves death. Previously, when the matter occurred, this subject solely just thought about having this matter pressed down, assuming that it was just Wu Wangfei having a grudge against this subject’s family, having a grudge against this subject’s wife. This subject didn’t dare to, by one’s humble status, damage the imperial family’s clean reputation. However, now, with Qi Ke’s mother having gotten poisoned, still hope that your Majesty clearly investigate. The scholars and students are the future pillars of the mountains and rivers, if under the attempts to rope in of the imperial consorts and princes, it’s just using gains to lure and coercion, then afraid those with virtue and talent will be unwilling to serve in officialdom, and those that covet wealth and honor will rush over like ducks. To be like this in the long term, the state of the country will be bleak. The death of this subject and one’s family isn’t worth anything in comparison, asking your Majesty to please prioritize the country and Great Sheng’s foundation for the future generations!”
Speaking to here, the cabinet ministers and high ministers of the Central Secretariat, after a moment of silence, also knelt down to second the motion, “Your Majesty, this is no small matter, asking your Majesty to please investigate clearly.”
Xuan Emperor was boiling in anger, his eyes even somewhat going blurry. Just, at present, this esteemed ruler was also unable to completely tell exactly where this overflowing anger came from. Was it being shocked at the fact that his seemingly virtuous and dignified empress actually extended her hand to this degree, wanting to have all the princes aside from Zhao Wang schemed to death?
Or was it that as an emperor, also a husband and father, he actually again and again saw his own consorts and sons commit such disgraceful and wicked acts, and get denounced to his face by the subjects?
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
He wasn’t a cruel and tyrannical ruler. In fact, the exact opposite. It was precisely because he was too gentle and benevolent, in the more than ten years of peace and prosperity previously, his indulgence led to this kind of situation.
That’s why, at this time, Xuan Emperor also didn’t know, in this immense rage, exactly how much of it was disappointment towards the empress, Li Consort, and the princes, and how much of it because of his failure as an emperor, a husband, and father.
Seeing Xuan Emperor’s complexion, the eunuchs and personal attendants at this time were already incomparably scared. Fortunately, after half a cup of tea of silence, Xuan Emperor finally forcibly suppressed all the intense fury, even sensing faint fishy sweetness in his throat. Opening his mouth, he issued a decree, ordering the Central Secretariat and Imperial Censorate to jointly investigate together with the Shangwu Bureau. Regardless of exactly who was involved in this matter, all must be investigated clearly!
This decree can be considered to have this disturbance in the final years of the Tianxu era once again pushed to the peak of the tides. Although the crown prince had long, for the crown princess Ming Jinrou’s sake, produced clear division and disagreement with Zhaoyang Hall back then during the wedding, but no matter what, the crown prince had still been raised by the empress’s side since childhood.
That’s why, prior to the Wen’an Marquis Xun Nanheng putting forward this memorandum, there were still quite a few people that thought that the state of the court has already gradually settled down. Wu Wang, Wei Wang, and also Li Consort, even if not having the matter of re-questioning Qi Ke, due to the scandal during the mid-autumn palace banquet, will all have a hard time turning the tables. And after re-questioning Qi Ke, what was dug out was how Wu Wang drugged Qi Ke, coercing his mother, and such crimes. It can be said that it was having the mother and son pair that once were the most favored for more than ten years among the six palaces, receiving all of Xuan Emperor’s love, struck into the abyss.
Then, very naturally, the crown prince’s position as the heir apparent will be increasingly stable. And Empress Wen naturally can also steadily wait for the empress dowager position after Xuan Emperor pass away. As for the weak and sickly fourth prince Zhao Wang, having an inheritable qinwang title was also considered fitting.
As for whether or not the empress really was willing to have someone else’s son that she singlehandedly raised supported onto the throne, can only say that opinions differed.
But, all the ‘balance’, or ‘conclusion’, that everyone assumed all got thoroughly shattered following this memorandum from the Xun family.
Once the matter that the Xun family has presented to the court solidify, then Empress Wen’s means of harming titled madams and commoner women, thereby attempting to manipulate important ministers and scholars, and from there influence the princes, it can already be considered stirring up the law and order of the imperial court. If to compare, Li Consort’s two sons having some messy relationship with one another, it was merely not being strict in disciplining the children, lacking moral character in private, instead not considered too serious.
That’s why, at this time, who would still care about the weather changes?
Everyone were all waiting to see exactly how the female master of Zhaoyang Hall, who has presided over the phoenix seat for sixteen years, and although seemingly wasn’t favored by the emperor, still never once swayed from her position, will respond.
But, the results more or less were a bit lacking. Empress Wen’s response was actually very quick, practically in less than two hours after the court discussions in the front ended, a plainly dressed Empress Wen already knelt outside Ganxi Hall, expressing that she will go to the imperial tombs to recite sutras, letting the ancestors prove her innocence.
As for those specific accusations, Empress Wen naturally also gave an answer.
To put it simply, it was just not denying, also not questioning anything about Qi Ke’s mother’s poisoning, as well as Xun old madam’s poisoning, just very simply and directly having all of Li mama’s conduct all pointed towards Qi Pei.
At the end of the day, although Li mama was once Zhaoyang Hall’s servant in the past, after bestowing to Qi Pei, this Wu Wangfei, she already no longer took orders from Zhaoyang Hall. The empress even expressed that Li mama in the past indeed never had any problems in the palace. It was only after this person was given to Qi Pei when all the problems occurred.
She herself didn’t have any grudges with the Xun family, but Qi Pei, prior to marrying, was already at odds with Yu Lingxin, and roping in Qi Ke was further for her husband, Wu Wang’s sake. That’s why, this matter, from beginning to end, all didn’t have anything to do with Zhaoyang Hall. As a weak empress who has not been favored by one’s husband for many years, she is completely innocent.
Rather, the Xun family, to not pursue Wu Wang and Wu Wangfei on this matter, just basing on the fact that Li mama initially came from Zhaoyang Hall, just heartlessly questioned her, this Empress of the Central Palace who has never made any mistakes for many years, where is the justice?
At present, for her whose son was sickly, who had no love from her husband, whose maiden family had no military power, she can only personally request to go to the imperial tombs to recite sutras. The ancestors above ultimately will be able to see her innocence.
Once such words came out, both weakly pitiful, while also awe-inspiringly righteous, Xuan Emperor who was endlessly headaching, for a moment, didn’t know what to say. Of course, he didn’t permit Empress Wen’s request to go to the imperial tombs. He could only toss back to the cabinet ministers and Central Secretariat, ordering to keep investigating, keep investigating, and keep investigating.
For a time, the discussions outside were also increasingly intense. There were those that believed that this was Changchun Palace and Wu Wang Manor’s strategy, while there were also those that believed that this was the empress lending a knife to kill, and afterwards, wash her hands clean of it, a plan within a plan.
Of course, there were also those that believed that the Xun family had long seen through everything, thus indulged the empress’s plan of using Wu Wang Manor to kill, and afterwards bite back, a plan within a plan within a plan.
But, at the same time, there were plenty of other sayings too. Some say that the skies were abnormal, perhaps the empress or the princes had gotten possessed. Some also say that after North Rong and West Di failed in colluding with the Qii family to scheme against Great Sheng, they sent more spies to the capital to incite disharmony and stir up trouble. There were even those that say that a certain flower, plant, tree, rock, or statue in the imperial household or imperial shrine had become sentient, thus causing this many disturbances, and so on.
And amidst the various lively discussions, the third prince, Wei Wang, who originally was set to leave for his fief from the capital in the tenth month with his family, surprisingly didn’t have any intention of delaying, even reporting up as scheduled, preparing to head out.
Just, that very night after Wei Wang entered the palace to tearfully bid Xuan Emperor and Li Consort farewell, and at the same time, somewhat awkwardly cupped his hands to bid his older brother Wu Wang farewell, preparing to leave the capital, Wei Wang Manor suddenly caught on fire. Half of the capital got startled and disturbed because of this, everyone all alarmed.
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typo: “an emperor, a husband and a husband” I assume one of those is supposed to be father. I feel bad for the emperor. I think he has the spirit of someone that shouldn’t be in any kind of politics. genuinely think he should be somebody’s neighbour, bumbling about and enjoying life. maybe some kind of artsy job, idk. I really find it hard to believe that he’s been emperor for a decade or 2 and has never once figured out what kind of people are in his harem and the personalities of his children. did emperors not have spies to bring them info outside of what people tell them or is it just this outlier emperor who just believes what people tell him at every turn?
Fixed!
The emperor was the sheltered second child that was never meant to be emperor 😅 but also he chose to be willfully ignorant, because he wanted to indulge in the pretty lies.