Dantai Ji spoke urgently, “Let them in!”
After saying this, Dantai Ji fell silent for a moment before adding, “Summon the Grand Secretary, the Minister of Personnel, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Censor-in-Chief and Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Prince Rui. Have them all come before me!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Inside the Golden Hall.
The atmosphere was cold and oppressive.
The various officials hurried over after receiving the summons.
When they saw the Marquis of Zhenxi in tattered clothes, their eyes widened.
Some looked anxious, while others were visibly flustered.
Yet everyone understood that since the Marquis of Zhenxi had appeared here, the emperor must be reopening the case accusing him of treason and collusion with the enemy.
Before the Marquis of Zhenxi could even proclaim his innocence, the Grand Secretary stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess is a woman of the inner palace and must not interfere in state affairs. She should withdraw.”
Dantai Ji looked displeased. “The Grand Secretary is perhaps unaware that Princess Fuxi is the very reason Gu Fuzhou was able to enter the palace safely and appear before me today. Princess Fuxi is a witness. Since Gu Fuzhou’s case is being retried, the princess must remain here.”
The Grand Secretary paused and glanced at the little princess, who was barely six years old and quite short. Clearly, he did not entirely believe this.
General Guo spoke up. “My lord Grand Secretary, it is indeed thanks to the princess that the Marquis of Zhenxi was able to enter the palace safely today.”
“Very well. Since the princess is an involved party, she may remain,” the Grand Secretary said helplessly, casting a glance at Princess Fuxi.
However, he saw the little princess glaring at him with her round eyes. She crossed her short arms over her chest, turned her tiny body around, and presented him with her back.
The Grand Secretary was speechless.
The emperor ordered Gu Fuzhou to explain the injustice done to him.
Gu Fuzhou knelt in the middle of the hall. His bloodshot eyes fixed fiercely on Prince Rui as he rasped, “I have never committed treason! Someone else leaked the military intelligence, and that person is in this very hall! It is Prince Rui!”
Prince Rui’s legs went weak, and he immediately fell to his knees. “I didn’t! I didn’t! Imperial Brother, I’ve been wronged! I am a prince of Great Zhou. How could I ever harm Great Zhou?”
A mocking look flashed through Gu Fuzhou’s eyes. He straightened his back and pointed at Prince Rui, shouting furiously, “A prince? You? What kind of prince is a man who cares only for pleasure? While we were on the march, you picked up a woman of unknown identity and indulged her day after day, telling her all our military secrets! She was a spy sent by the enemy state!
“And after discovering that our military intelligence had been leaked, you not only failed to inform us, but after we suffered defeat and tens of thousands of soldiers died, you joined forces with Wu and Liu to frame me! You even forced me into the enemy camp! If I had not fought my way out with my life on the line, I would have carried the stigma of treason for the rest of my life!”
After Gu Fuzhou finished speaking, the hall fell utterly silent.
A few breaths later, the emperor abruptly rose to his feet and shouted furiously, “Bring Deputy General Wu and Deputy General Liu into the hall!”
The two men had already been waiting outside.
As soon as they entered, they knelt and began kowtowing, begging for mercy without pause.
They did not even need to be questioned. With tears streaming down their aged faces, they confessed everything.
Deputy General Wu cried, “Your Majesty, please forgive me! I had no choice! It was Prince Rui! He threatened my entire family and forced me to frame the Marquis of Zhenxi. It was all Prince Rui’s doing!”
Deputy General Liu said, “I was coerced as well! Prince Rui had leverage over us and forced us to deceive Your Majesty alongside him. I deserve death! I wronged a loyal subject and deserve ten thousand deaths!”
Once the two deputy generals had revealed the truth, Zhu Yue, who was bound nearby, hurriedly spoke up as well. “I was also acting on Prince Rui’s orders. Prince Rui told me to guard the city gate every day and kill the Marquis of Zhenxi if I saw him. I was deceived by Prince Rui too!”
Prince Rui’s face turned as pale as paper, and he collapsed onto the floor of the hall.
The emperor snatched up the inkstone beside him and hurled it at Prince Rui. “Prince Rui! What else do you have to say?”
Prince Rui struggled to get back up. “Imperial Brother! I was deceived by that woman too! The moment I discovered the truth, I had her killed. I was terrified—truly terrified—that you would learn what happened and execute me. That was why I framed the Marquis of Zhenxi! I beg you, for Father’s sake, spare my life! I truly know my mistake now. I am willing to atone! I am willing to atone!”
The emperor’s face was filled with fury. He pointed directly at Prince Rui. “Father? How dare you mention Father! If Father were standing in this hall, he would have already had you dragged out and executed! The law applies equally to the emperor and the common people! You are a prince, yet you disregarded the lives of the soldiers guarding the borders, leaked military intelligence, and framed a loyal subject. Your crimes warrant execution by beheading before the public!”
“Pass down my order! Strip Prince Rui of his title, confiscate Prince Rui’s residence, and execute him publicly at noon tomorrow. His children, wives, and concubines are all to be reduced to commoner status!”
The officials in the hall fell to their knees one after another. “Your Majesty is wise!”
Prince Rui trembled violently, his voice shaking. “Imperial Brother! Imperial Brother, spare me! Please spare your younger brother! I don’t want to die! I’m not ready to die!”
The emperor looked down at Prince Rui from above, his face cold as frost. “All those involved are to be executed publicly at noon tomorrow, as a warning to all!”
Deputy General Wu, Deputy General Liu, and Zhu Yue had originally held on to the faint hope that the emperor might spare their lives. When they heard this, their faces turned ashen.
They begged for mercy until their foreheads were battered and bleeding, yet no one paid them any attention. The emperor did not even spare them a glance.
Naturally, no one pleaded on their behalf.
One was the instigator, and the other three were his willing accomplices. Because of their crimes, so many soldiers had died. They naturally had to pay with their lives.
Soon, the wailing men were dragged away.
Only several senior ministers, Princess Fuxi, and Gu Fuzhou remained in the hall.
The emperor descended from the raised dais and walked over to Gu Fuzhou. He personally helped him to his feet and said solemnly, his eyes reddened, “Marquis Gu, you have suffered.”
When they heard the emperor say this, the Grand Secretary, the Minister of Personnel, and the others looked at Gu Fuzhou with pity.
Gu Fuzhou was a loyal subject and a valiant general, yet Prince Rui had framed and falsely accused him, leaving his family in ruin. The Marquis of Zhenxi’s household had once been large and flourishing, but now only he remained.
It was truly a devastating fate.
No one knew whether the Marquis of Zhenxi would resent the emperor—or the imperial court.
The Vice Censor-in-Chief looked at the Marquis of Zhenxi, whose fury had yet to abate, and stepped forward. “Marquis of Zhenxi, please restrain your grief. His Majesty was forced into his decision as well. He exiled your entire family in order to give the thousands upon thousands of fallen soldiers an explanation. Who could have known that Prince Rui would be so vicious as to ally himself with bandits and—”
At this point, even the Vice Censor-in-Chief found the words difficult to say. He bowed to the Marquis of Zhenxi and continued stiffly, “We were all foolish. It was we who petitioned for your family to be exiled.”
“We offer you our apologies, Marquis of Zhenxi.”
The Grand Secretary led several officials in bowing to Gu Fuzhou.
There was no expression on the Marquis of Zhenxi’s face, as though his soul had been torn from his body. He was in such unbearable pain that he no longer wished to speak.
It was true. His mother, his wife, and his children were all gone...
He had spent two or three years at a time fighting outside the capital without returning home. But now...
Why had he fought for the country? Whom was he supposed to protect?
Could it be this emperor, who could be deceived by treacherous men at any moment?
“Who said that Marquis Gu’s family had all been killed?” the emperor’s imposing voice suddenly rang out.
