To Ask the World (Part 2)

“You rebellious son!”

Emperor Qiansheng grabbed the scroll from the table and threw it at Wei Ming's head, practically fuming with rage. He roared, "Are you deliberately trying to anger me to death!"

Wei Ming caught the scroll and held it to his chest, saying calmly, "Father Emperor, please calm your anger."

“Why...” Emperor Qiansheng clutched his chest, panting heavily, his eyes fixed on him. “Why won't you just yield and be obedient! What kind of bewitching potion did that Chi Lian feed you, that you'd give up the throne just to cultivate immortality?!”

Holding the scroll, Wei Ming patiently smoothed out its curled and wrinkled pages until it was flat again. Only then did he speak unhurriedly, "Your son grew up in the countryside and only knew of cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao. I have not read many scholarly classics and do not understand how to govern a country, but I do understand a simple truth in this world: 'good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with evil'."

"To make lawless wrongdoers face justice, to restore the innocence of the wronged, to punish the wicked and eliminate evil, to support righteousness and dispel malevolence—this has been the axiom for governing the world since ancient times."

"The matter of appointing a crown prince concerns the foundation of the state. It should naturally be carefully considered by Father Emperor and the lords of the Imperial Court, establishing the legitimate heir, choosing the eldest, selecting the virtuous and superior, so as to meet the hopes of the people."

"The foundation of the family and state, the righteousness of laws and statutes—these two things are inherently unshakeable. There is no room for choice in either of them. It is not that your son is unwilling to choose, but that they should never have been presented as a choice at all."

"For Father Emperor to have to ask your son about these two matters is my failure. Your son's abilities are insufficient to bear a great responsibility, and I have failed to live up to Father Emperor's earnest efforts. I can only retreat to the mountains, cultivate my character, and act with caution. I implore Father Emperor to show mercy."

After he finished speaking, he performed a proper, formal salute. The Golden Hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Emperor Qiansheng truly hadn't expected Wei Ming to be so stubborn, refusing to yield an inch on matters he insisted upon. But if he were to set aside their father-son relationship and evaluate him purely from an emperor's perspective, he was indeed the most ideal successor.

After all, when faced with a throne within easy reach, how many people would still think of "justice"?

He wanted to test Wei Ming, to tempt him with power and position, to manipulate him into a docile pawn. But what the test ultimately revealed was not any of the answers he had anticipated; instead, it revealed a resolve that was harder and more resilient than any of them.

Emperor Qiansheng's chest heaved. He remained silent for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before sharply rebuking, "Get out of my sight and reflect on your misdeeds in seclusion! Since you've read so few books, go back and read more scholarly classics. Properly learn the principles of being a subject and conducting yourself in the world. If you dare spout any more nonsense about becoming a monk and retiring from the world, I will not let you off lightly!"

Wei Ming replied obediently, "Your son obeys. Thank you, Father Emperor, for your immense grace."

He bowed and left with the scroll. When he was halfway out, he heard Emperor Qiansheng say from behind, "Leave the scroll. Who said you could take it?"

Wei Ming: "..."

After he left, Shang Heng tiptoed in from the outer room, had someone change the tea, and lit fresh incense. Emperor Qiansheng leaned against a pillow and stared blankly for a while, then suddenly said to him, "Go to Prime Minister He's residence. Tell him to find some books for Prince Duan to read. Make a list. Whatever books are needed, go to the Inner Study to pick them out. Once chosen, have them sent to Prince Duan's Manor. Don't let anyone else know."

Shang Heng bowed and assented. Seeing no other orders, he swiftly went out to attend to the matter.

Inner Palace, within Zhaoyang Palace.

Light smoke curled from the Boshan incense burner, filling the room with a warm, deep fragrance. Behind a beaded curtain, Yan Jieyu sat alone, her eyes closed, casually strumming a pipa, playing an unknown little tune. When the incense had burned out and the song was over, she rose gracefully and walked to the desk. She bent down and wrote a short note in fly-head small script, rolled it up, sealed it in a bamboo tube, and called for her maid, Shuangcheng. "Go give this to Eunuch Li Yi of Pixiang Palace. Be quiet, and don't alert anyone."

Shuangcheng pouted and muttered reluctantly, "Everyone in their palace watches us like hawks. I'm afraid the moment I step inside, they'll jump up and pounce on me."

Yan Jieyu gave a gentle smile, her eyes glimmering with an indescribable tenderness and charm that made even Shuangcheng swoon. She said softly, "Go on now."

Shuangcheng blushed, lowered her head, and ran off.

Yan Jieyu's smile deepened. She slowly paced to the window, pushed it open a crack, and let the cold wind sweep away the room's heavy incense.

Wherever she walked, fragrant powder sprinkled from the hollows of her shoe soles, leaving a trail of lotus-shaped imprints on the stone floor.

Within Prince Kang's Manor.

At the year's end, the weather was cold, and Emperor Qiansheng had not yet recovered, so court was still suspended. Prince Kang was enjoying his freedom. Unable to go out hunting, he was in a warm pavilion at home, drinking and making merry with his concubines. Just as he was flushed with wine, a servant suddenly announced the arrival of Minister Wu. Prince Kang grabbed an outer robe, threw it on, and swayed out to greet him, laughing before he even entered the door, "What wind has blown my maternal grandfather here?"

The moment Wu Fuyong saw his disheveled appearance, his eyelid twitched. Smelling the reek of alcohol on him, he couldn't help but admonish, "His Majesty is unwell and recuperating. Yet Your Highness is feasting at home. If His Majesty were to find out, wouldn't it damage the bond between you as father and son, as ruler and subject?"

“It's fine. The servants at home are all very tight-lipped. Father Emperor won't find out.” Prince Kang was unconcerned. “In this freezing weather, is he really going to drag his ailing body all the way to my manor just to see what I'm doing?”

Wu Fuyong thought that made sense, and besides, he couldn't persuade Prince Kang anyway. He had no choice but to turn to the main topic: "News came from the palace yesterday. His Majesty summoned Prince Duan."

Prince Kang leaned back lazily in his chair and said listlessly, "It's about that Fang Tianchong case, isn't it?"

“No.” Wu Fuyong's brows were deeply furrowed as he whispered, “His Majesty has had the thought of appointing a crown prince. He promised Prince Duan that if he dissolved the Zixiao Academy and banished the State Preceptor after ascending the throne, he would be made Crown Prince.”

“Huh?”

Prince Kang suddenly laughed, suspecting he had had too much to drink and misheard. "Banish the State Preceptor? What does this have to do with the State Preceptor? Father Emperor wants him to ascend the throne just to dissolve the Zixiao Academy? Grandfather, where did you get this news? Is it reliable?"

“Your Highness!” Wu Fuyong said urgently. “The news is not wrong. Has Your Highness not seen clearly this past year? His Majesty has long favored Prince Duan. It's just that Prince Duan has not yet given up his thoughts of pursuing the Dao and is also overly close with the State Preceptor of the Zixiao Academy. In order to completely crush his obsession with Daoist arts, His Majesty is forcing him to make a choice! Your Highness, the current situation is extremely disadvantageous for us. We must think of a solution!”

Prince Kang asked with great interest, "So how did Prince Duan choose?"

Wu Fuyong fell silent for a moment, as if still processing the answer himself. "Prince Duan... did not agree. He requested to retire to the mountains, was scolded by His Majesty, and ordered to reflect on his misdeeds in seclusion at home."

“Hahahaha!”

Prince Kang burst into loud laughter, rocking back and forth until tears almost came out. "To think there's such a fool in this world! I think his cultivation has made him possessed. He's actually taken all that superstitious nonsense as his life's calling, willing to give up the throne but not cultivation... Hahahaha!"

Wu Fuyong sighed. "Prince Duan's actions are indeed unconventional and unexpected... But Your Highness must not let down your guard. Now that Prince Duan has been reprimanded, it is the perfect opportunity for Your Highness to prove yourself before The Emperor."

Prince Kang stroked his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "Grandfather, where did you obtain such confidential information?"

Wu Fuyong said, "After The Emperor fell ill, Yan Jieyu has been attending to him at his bedside. Your cousin used some methods to subdue this woman and ordered her to pass messages for us."

Prince Kang's face darkened abruptly, and he said hatefully, "That wretched maid..."

"That Lady Yan has parents and younger siblings at home; her entire family is in our hands. Pingnan just sent someone to rap her knuckles a bit, and she obediently submitted." Wu Fuyong stroked his beard. "There are plenty of ways to handle a consort who started as a palace maid. But Her Ladyship, the Noble Consort, can't tolerate a single grain of sand in her eye. She just had to try and punish her when she was at the height of favor, and ended up losing out herself."

After hearing this, Prince Kang connected the dots and pondered for a moment before musing, "I, however, feel that Prince Duan's willingness to give up the position of crown prince rather than agree to banish the State Preceptor isn't because he is devoted to cultivation... Perhaps it's a smokescreen. He can cultivate under anyone, so why must it be the State Preceptor? Could there be some private affair between the two of them?"

Wu Fuyong: "..."

“Back when there was trouble with a demon in the palace, the two of them investigated the case together. They must have hooked up back then. Grand Preceptor Chi Lian is exceptionally beautiful and doesn't give anyone the time of day, yet he looks upon Prince Duan with special favor...”

The more Prince Kang thought about it, the more he believed it to be true. He slapped his thigh hard. "I knew something was off! Prince Duan isn't possessed by ghosts, he's possessed by lust! Choosing beauty over the kingdom! To think the royal family has produced an infatuated fool who fancies men. And Father Emperor wants to make such a person the Crown Prince! It's the greatest joke in the world!"

Whether it was the emperor or the court officials, they might disapprove of absurd behaviors like debauchery, merrymaking, or even believing in alchemists, but if one insisted, it wouldn't cause an earth-shattering scandal. However, on the matter of "fancying men," there could be no compromise. This was especially true for a prince like Prince Duan, who had neither a principal consort nor a legitimate son, and might as well have "one love, one life, one couple" written on his forehead. If he couldn't produce heirs to continue the royal bloodline, who would be the empress to mother the nation in the future? Who would inherit the throne?

After fighting tooth and nail to secure the throne, would it just fall back into someone else's hands after a hundred years?

Even Wu Fuyong couldn't help but be startled upon hearing this. This method was indeed the most powerful way to strike at Prince Duan, but it was also incredibly vicious. If it were true, then it wouldn't be an injustice. But if there was no private affair, who could ever explain it clearly? What could one use to prove one's innocence? Vicious rumors could kill without a trace. For the rest of his life, and even in the history books for a thousand years to come, this infamous reputation would be forever branded on Prince Duan.

“Grandfather, I have a plan, and I need your and my cousin's cooperation.”

Prince Kang leaned over and explained the various details to him. Wu Fuyong listened with a furrowed brow, still somewhat hesitant. "This concerns the face of the royal family. If we just tear down the paper window screen in public like this, I'm afraid The Emperor will lose face."

“In any case, it's Prince Duan's reputation that will be ruined. Besides, we'd be acting on behalf of the Crown Prince, so none of the blame, good or bad, can be placed on me.” Prince Kang sneered. “If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they'll grow back when the spring wind blows. Since Father Emperor has already thought of appointing a crown prince, we must strike Prince Duan so hard this time that he can never recover.”

Wu Fuyong's gaze met his, and it was as if the clang of metal striking metal rang out in the air. He steeled his resolve and said in a low voice, "I will arrange the manpower at once. Please rest assured, Your Highness."

In the evening, at the manor of the deposed Crown Prince, Prince Anshun.

After Empress Zheng died of illness, the Crown Prince was deposed for practicing witchcraft, his title changed to Prince Anshun, and his entire family was moved to a residence in Jianning Ward. Emperor Qiansheng seemed to have forgotten how much he once doted on this son. For a year, he neither asked after nor showed any concern for him. Although he still held the title of prince, he received no favor and was even forbidden from setting foot in the palace again. The officials who had once attached themselves to the Crown Prince had all scattered like birds and beasts. Now, his gates were deserted and the scene was desolate.

The Crown Prince was once a young prodigy. He had also racked his brains to fight and struggle in the whirlpool of power. However, his life took a sudden, drastic turn, and he fell from the clouds overnight. He had tried to make a comeback and had been driven to madness and resentment, but fortunately, he eventually managed to compose himself. Accompanied by his family, he gradually adapted to a life no longer in the limelight.

He was sitting under a lamp copying a book, preparing a calligraphy model for his child to use the next day, when Jiang Huaixin suddenly knocked on the door from outside and reported softly, "Prince, a guest has arrived."