“For the sake of the Imperial Brother not being so pitiful, the task my sister-in-law assigned must still be done.”
Xiao Yi sneered, glancing coldly at the Crown Prince. “The one who should be worried is you, Imperial Brother.”
His Yunfeng was like a steamed bun without any holes—utterly guileless—unlike Tang Qingwan, whose heart had as many schemes as a sieve.
The Crown Prince said, “Though my sister-in-law is pure-minded, she can’t help but listen to her sister. If Imperial Brother needs it, shall I have your Imperial Sister-in-law chat with her?”
“…”
Xiao Yi clenched his fingers so tightly he could hear his own bones cracking.
The Crown Prince smirked mischievously. “I’ve already handled the matter of the Cui family son. As for Lord Shen’s affair, it’s left to you, Imperial Brother.”
“…” Xiao Yi frowned in displeasure. “Why don’t you deal with Shen Xiabai’s matter?”
A heavy minister and a rising favorite—those two words spoke for themselves. He was a direct appointment by Father Emperor. Now, with the Gu family and the Empress Dowager watching like tigers, demanding Shen Xiabai’s execution would be like pulling a tooth from a tiger’s mouth.
The Crown Prince looked perfectly agreeable. “That works too. We can swap.”
After all, he had already essentially burned bridges with the Emperor; either task was the same to him.
“…”
Xiao Yi furrowed his brow, a hint of irritability washing over him.
Proposing to recall the Cui family son to the capital was equally a target for everyone’s criticism. Neither task was easy to handle.
Seeing Xiao Yi frowning, the Crown Prince slowly pulled something out from his sleeve. “If worst comes to worst, let’s draw lots?”
Xiao Yi stared at his palm, falling silent.
“Or shall we decide the position of heir apparent by drawing lots too?”
The Crown Prince closed his hand, shot Xiao Yi a glare, and returned to his own spot.
Xiao Yi curled his lip.
Can’t take a joke.
If not for Yunfeng, the Crown Prince would never have been his match.
But recalling last night, when in the heat of passion he had made a promise… Xiao Yi couldn’t help but close his eyes.
A beauty’s temptation is a blade over the head—the sages never lied.
The grand eunuch by the Emperor’s side announced the start of court. The officials in the hall immediately fell silent, kneeling in reverence.
The Emperor’s face was cold and grim, clearly in a foul mood.
First came the reports from various ministries, followed by the officials’ submissions.
The first to step forward was the Empress Dowager’s elder brother, Lord Gu. He seemed to have aged over a decade overnight, his hair white and his steps faltering as he knelt. “Your servant implores Your Majesty to sentence Shen Xiabai to death and bring justice for my innocent son.”
The hall was dead silent. All eyes turned to the Emperor.
“Lord Gu, regarding your son’s matter, it has already been discussed before. His death was not unjust.”
Those crimes would not be excessive even if punished by dismemberment.
The Emperor was adamant about protecting Shen Xiabai. Lord Gu, heartbroken and enraged, said, “Even so, the law should take its course. Without trial, Lord Shen killed my son—that is outright murder.”
No matter how one looked at it, Shen Xiabai bypassed legal procedures and took a life on his own, which was indeed a violation of the law.
The Gu family and the Empress Dowager would not let him off easily.
For three consecutive days at court, everyone demanded the Emperor execute Shen Xiabai. The Empress Dowager blocked the Imperial Study door daily. The Emperor was utterly fed up—exhausted in both body and spirit.
At that moment, he desperately wished for someone to break the deadlock.
Just then, the Crown Prince suddenly spoke. “Your servant reports to Father Emperor—I have a more pressing matter to present. The region guarded by the Cui family son is rumored to be growing increasingly unruly. I request Father Emperor to summon the Cui family son back to the capital to address this, lest rumors stir unrest among the people and spark internal strife.”
Like another boulder crushing down on the Emperor’s heart, he turned to the Crown Prince with a sharply cold gaze.
“Father Emperor,” Xiao Yi also stepped forward, “Your servant believes that the top priority should be ordering Shen Xiabai’s execution. No matter how wrong Gu Xuan was, he was still a member of the imperial family. Lord Shen cannot simply kill him at will.”
The Crown Prince frowned. “Imperial Brother, the most urgent matter now is the border region.”
“It is to execute Shen Xiabai.”
“The border region is important.”
“Execution is important.”
The Crown Prince and the Prince thus began arguing right there in full view of everyone, leaving even Lord Gu unable to interject.
Someone from the Crown Prince’s faction stepped up to echo him. With merely one mouth, Prince An could hardly outdebate several other mouths.
He glanced sideways at the few blockheaded ministers behind him and frowned.
Those ministers were equally bewildered. Yesterday afternoon’s council hadn’t mentioned any of this.
Anyone with eyes could see that the Emperor intended to protect Lord Shen. Wasn’t the Prince’s move a direct opposition to the Emperor?
Prince An’s sudden shift caught his followers completely off guard.
But upon receiving the Prince’s cue, they still stepped forward one by one.
Thus, the court descended into chaos. The Crown Prince and Prince An, along with their factions, argued endlessly, making dust fall from the rafters.
The Emperor started off cold and stern, but by now, he was deeply indifferent. He leaned back on his dragon throne, watching the two sides bicker.
At least, no matter how fierce the quarrel, no one came asking him for a decision.
His gaze swept across the hall, a cold smile curling on his lips.
The Crown Prince’s faction, Prince An’s faction, the Cui-Tang family, the Gu family—
His Great Liang court had been so divided. At this rate, what difference was he, the Emperor, from a puppet?
Shen Xiabai absolutely could not die.
Lord Gu looked from one side to the other, unable to wedge a single word in, growing increasingly frantic. Whenever he did speak, he could only echo Prince An.
Before long, the Gu family unwittingly aligned themselves with Prince An’s camp.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes, neither interrupting nor stopping, just watching silently.
He dreaded the Crown Prince precisely to prevent the Cui-Tang clan, as the Empress’s relatives, from monopolizing power. The Consort Liang’s maternal family already had considerable influence. If the Gu family and the Empress Dowager sided with Prince An, then his reign as Emperor would be over.
So, he would not allow Prince An to bestow such a favor upon the Gu family.
Though the empire would one day pass to his sons, that day would only come when he had grown old and frail.
“Enough.” The Emperor spoke calmly, cutting off the clamor.
“What the Crown Prince says concerns the nation’s fortune. All trivial matters must yield to the state’s priorities. Let it be as the Crown Prince proposes: first, summon the Cui family son back to the capital.”
A mere brat without any meritorious service—the Emperor thought little of him.
After all, having been stationed far away for years, no one knew what kind of person he had become. Besides, here in the capital, trampled beneath the Emperor’s feet, an empty, powerless sinecure would be enough to be rid of him.
The Crown Prince’s face relaxed slightly. He exchanged a quick glance with Prince An. “Father Emperor is wise.”
Lord Gu hadn’t even caught what the Crown Prince had said; his entire mind was fixated on executing Shen Xiabai.
“Your Majesty, please grant justice to this old servant,” he pleaded.
His voice was hoarse and tearful, weak within the hall.
But the scene that had been a storm of argument just moments ago now turned remarkably quiet.
Lord Gu lifted his head, looking bewilderedly at Prince An, Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi echoed faintly, “Lord Gu speaks rightly.”
“…”
That hadn’t been Prince An’s attitude just now. Lord Gu was utterly baffled.
During the quarrel with the Crown Prince, Prince An had been adamantly demanding Shen Xiabai’s execution.
But now, Prince An’s faction had fallen silent, with the Prince only occasionally chiming in, “Lord Gu is absolutely correct, Lord Gu’s reasoning is sound.”
“…”
Gu Xuan’s arrogance was not without Lord Gu’s complicity. Many officials found it disgraceful. Apart from Xiao Yi, no one spoke for him.
And neither did the Emperor, who was unwilling to let the Gu family become entangled with Prince An.
The Crown Prince, having achieved his goal, began to act as a proper heir to the throne. "Minister Gu, your reasoning is flawed. Although your son is a relative of the imperial family, Minister Shen oversees the Judicial Review Office by the Emperor’s own decree. That office operates directly under His Majesty’s authority, with the power to execute first and report later. If we are to be precise, Minister Shen should not be punished but commended for defying powerful interests and upholding integrity in governance."
In recent days, the Emperor had looked upon the Crown Prince with a newfound approval.
"I did indeed grant Minister Shen the authority to act in urgent matters and execute first before reporting," the Emperor said.
Minister Gu, who had spent years maneuvering through the imperial court and considered himself quite shrewd, found his mind struggling to keep up. "Your Highness, was it not you who personally ordered Minister Shen to be escorted to the Grand Court of Justice that very day?"
How could he suddenly change his stance so easily?
Given the Emperor’s attitude, there was no way Shen Xiabai would be put to death. At worst, he would face some severe punishment. Such a high-ranking official, anyone would want to seize the chance to do him a favor.
Prince An looked at the Crown Prince with undisguised contempt and disgust.
For the first time, he realized how thick-skinned his elder brother truly was.
