The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 78 - 77
Chapter 77
Seeing the Eldest Prince’s faction being disadvantaged by the unfolding events, the Third Prince’s side, along with the Left Side Chancellor, couldn’t help but feel a sense of schadenfreude. They chose not to intervene in this conflict, instead waiting silently to reap the benefits later. Little did they know that their own misfortune was about to arrive as well...
"Since the Crown Prince has settled this matter, Your Highness, you should now accept the punishment as you stated earlier," San Yan lowered his gaze to conceal the cold gleam in his eyes. He did not forget to urge the Crown Prince to follow through on his earlier words. Since his side had been disadvantaged, it was time to retaliate!
"The Right Side Chancellor is too hasty," Lu Jiu replied in a measured tone, a mysterious smile forming at the corner of his lips. "I have another gift prepared specifically to present to His Majesty..."
At Lu Jiu’s words, the officials in the throne room felt a collective shiver down their spines uncontrollably. A strong sense of foreboding gripped them. Even the Third Prince’s faction furrowed their brows tightly.
San Yan was slightly taken aback before regaining his cold composure. He didn’t expect his enemy to continue attacking so relentlessly. Although it was called a gift, he knew it would likely be anything but pleasant...
Ignoring the various gazes upon him, Lu Jiu reached into his sleeve and pulled out a thick book of petition, handing it to the eunuch in front of him. The eunuch hurriedly took the petition book and presented it to the Emperor. As the Emperor read through the document, his previously calm face darkened. The atmosphere in the throne room suddenly became tense, and the officials turned pale, sensing the Emperor’s rising anger.
Lu Jiu’s cold smile remained as he spoke languidly, taking this opportunity to report loudly for everyone to hear, "Your Majesty, during my journey back to the court, I encountered no fewer than a hundred assassins. The bodies left in my wake could probably form a small hill."
"Even though I had been missing for more than six years, not a single official in the court reported any efforts to find me, as if they were certain I was dead. Yet, despite this certainty, assassins were sent to ambush me throughout my journey back to the court. This, naturally, puzzled me greatly..."
Lu Jiu glanced at the alarmed faces of the officials for a moment before continuing leisurely, "As a result, when I encountered another assassination attempt, I captured one of the assailants to interrogate them. Each time I was attacked, I captured another. By the time I reached the capital, I had come to realize that I already had more than twenty assassins to interrogate!"
"Actually, I should have been considered a missing person, why were dozens of assassin groups repeatedly sent after me? This question has always lingered in my mind. I fear that this time, it is up to Commander Ou of the Special Royal Page Unit to report to Your Majesty on my behalf."
With that, Lu Jiu stepped aside to allow a middle-aged official from his faction to step forward and present his report to the Emperor. Lu Jiu’s sweeping gaze around the throne room caused all the officials to tremble with fear.
Commander Ou clasped his hands and bowed to show his respect before delivering his report in a firm voice.
"Your Majesty, after the Crown Prince returned to the capital, he handed over the twenty assassins to the Special Royal Page Unit to investigate the truth from the culprits. I, along with several officials, witnessed this interrogation."
"Through our investigation, it was revealed that several court officials were involved in these assassination attempts. Various parties hired these assassins to ambush the Crown Prince in every city before reaching the capital, to prevent his return to the court. We have not only obtained written testimonies from the culprits but also corroborating evidence that implicates the true masterminds behind these plots!"
As soon as Commander Ou’s report ended, over a hundred officials in the throne room collectively held their breath unknowingly for a moment. Their faces showed a look of terror, as if they had seen a ghost. Many collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. This single petition had shaken the court to its core, shattering the balance that had once existed!
It wasn’t just the officials who were affected. Both princes also turned pale. Both factions were deeply involved in this matter!
Although they were confident that their involvement couldn’t be traced back to them, if what Commander Ou said was true, with evidence and witnesses ready, they would undoubtedly lose a significant number of their supporters!
"Your Majesty! It’s not that I don’t believe it, but it has only been one night. No matter how skilled the Special Royal Page Unit is, they couldn’t possibly complete such a significant investigation in such a short time. I fear this might be a hasty action leading to misunderstandings!"
Zhou Dongyu pressed his lips together and protested with a serious expression. He couldn’t believe the enemy could act so swiftly and decisively. Gathering evidence and witnesses in less than a day seemed like a fantasy!
The Crown Prince must only be trying to intimidate them...
Lu Jiu stood still, not arguing or explaining further. He merely cast a glance at the old official as if he were looking at a fool. He knew what Left Side Chancellor Zhou was thinking, but just because you couldn’t accomplish something didn’t mean others couldn’t either!
From the very first step Lu Jiu set foot in the land of Basui Region, he had long prepared himself to deal with the assassins sent to eliminate him throughout his journey. Determined not to be at a disadvantage, he thus devised a counterattack plan to repay his enemies in kind.
Lu Jiu instructed the two imperial guards who had gone to inform him in Qingzhou Region to advance to the capital first. They were to inform Commander Du and their allies to secretly deploy their private forces to deal with the assassins lurking in various cities around the capital. They also sent all available troops to swiftly investigate and gather evidence and witnesses to incriminate their enemies within the limited time frame.
Commander Du also mobilized thousands of his personal troops for this mission. The operation had to be conducted with the utmost secrecy to avoid alerting the enemies. By attacking when the enemies were off guard, they hoped to find exploitable weaknesses.
Throughout his journey to the capital of Basui Region, Lu Jiu did not rest. He fought assassins and simultaneously gathered evidence and witnesses. This left him physically and mentally exhausted. However, when he saw the pale faces of his enemies in the throne room, all the hardships he endured seemed worthwhile.
Thud!
The Emperor, enraged, threw the petition report at Zhou Dongyu with a furious expression. His stern face twisted with unbridled anger. When Zhou Dongyu glanced at the contents of the petition before him, his heart immediately sank.
So...the Crown Prince was not bluffing!
They had both witnesses and evidence ready!
"Misunderstanding? Everything is this clear, and you still call it a misunderstanding?" The authoritative voice boomed with contained fury. All the officials hurriedly kowtowed, begging for mercy. The Emperor’s wrath had been ignited!
"I deserve death! Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!"
"Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!" The Emperor repeated the word with dwindling patience before standing and pointing angrily at the hundred officials. His voice thundered.
"You all are good at begging for mercy from me, but look at the disgraceful deeds you’ve committed! Mere officials but dare to hire assassins to kill the Crown Prince, how audacious of you!"
Seeing the dire situation, the Eldest Prince quickly intervened to defuse the situation. "Father, perhaps there really is a misunderstanding here."
"As Commander Ou mentioned, this investigation was conducted independently without prior approval from the court. Furthermore, the witnesses are all officials from the same faction. Who can say there isn’t some hidden agenda...?"
Ke Nanlong attempted to suggest that Commander Du’s faction orchestrated this misunderstanding to eliminate their enemies. However, Du Chisuan, who had been waiting for this moment to counterattack, was not about to let himself be put at a disadvantage.
"Your Highness, words cannot be spoken carelessly. While it is true that this matter was conducted independently, according to the laws of the land, matters concerning the Crown Prince take precedence over protocol. Since there was an attempt on the Crown Prince’s life, as an official serving the nation, it is my duty to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
“Otherwise, if we let this go, in the future, if someone hires assassins to kill the Emperor instead of the Crown Prince, who will take responsibility for such a risk!?"
Ke Nanlong glared at the elderly official who had sharply retorted against him, seething with anger. He had not expected Commander Du, who had been silent for many years, to turn out to be a dormant tiger waiting to rise again.
Lu Jiu watched the anxious and panicked reactions of his enemies with amusement. Since his enemies relished bloodshed, he would reciprocate this bloodshed in kind!
"Whether this is a misunderstanding or not, I believe His Majesty is well aware. The country has laws, and I request His Majesty to punish the evildoers without exception!" Lu Jiu reported to the Emperor with a firm voice, clasping his hands together. Commander Du’s faction echoed his words to press the Emperor to act as they wished.
"We request Your Majesty to punish the evildoers!"
San Yan glanced at the Eldest Prince, nodded slightly as a signal for him to remain silent and step back from this matter. It was clear they were at a significant disadvantage and retreating one step to regroup was better than being cornered...
The Emperor, pressured from all sides, made an immediate decision. With such clear evidence and witnesses, there was no way to mitigate the situation to maintain balance in the court. The best course of action was to set things right! 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"Draft an imperial decree! All officials involved in this matter are to be executed along with the nine generations of their families!"
Upon hearing the judgment, the officials went weak and collapsed to the ground. Although the list of those involved had not yet been officially announced, those who knew they were guilty were already fainting from panic.
The morning court session concluded with a massive storm enveloping the entire capital of Basui Region. Numerous imperial decrees were issued, causing great turmoil in the capital. There were no fewer than ten noble families that faced the execution of nine generations of their families.
The stench of blood permeated the capital, instilling fear among the populace. Not only did many officials meet their demise, but there was also a massive reshuffling of official positions. Those who suffered the most were the factions of the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince.
They lost significant power as more than tens of their officials were sentenced to execution or exile. Others were demoted and sent to serve as minor local officials in remote areas, which undermined the power in the hands of both factions, severely weakening their influence.
Especially for the Eldest Prince’s faction, not only did their plan to frame the late Empress Du fail, but they also lost many key personnel. The funds spent hiring assassins were wasted. This time, they had nothing but losses!
The Right Side Chancellor’s Manor, San Family.
In a secluded study, two men sat discussing matters with grave expressions. Ke Nanlong, who usually wore a gentle demeanor, now had a dark, brooding look, his eyes looked as if they were burning with smoldering anger.
"I never imagined things would turn out this way! This time, we’ve been struck hard by our enemies!"
"We underestimated our adversary..." San Yan said in a stern voice, recalling the Crown Prince’s demeanor that morning. "I’m afraid this Crown Prince is no ordinary opponent."
"Hmph! To have survived this long, he must indeed be quite formidable. And then there’s that old man Du Chisuan! Once the Crown Prince survived and came back, he openly opposed us."
Ke Nanlong exhaled in frustration. It was already difficult enough dealing with his Third Brother, and now the Crown Prince had entered the fray. The entire game had to be reset and played anew.
"Grandfather...judging by Father’s behavior, it seems he has willingly accepted the Crown Prince’s return and his position. What should we do next?"
He turned to the elder for advice, his expression tense. Today, his father had shown no suspicion or wariness towards the Crown Prince. Moreover, the Crown Prince still had not received any punishment. This clearly indicated how much the Emperor valued the Crown Prince.
San Yan lowered his gaze slightly and spoke in a chilling tone, "Actually, there are many ways we can strike back at our enemy. Since he has just returned to the capital after being missing for over six years, he doesn’t have any reputation among the populace. If we spread some malicious rumors, it wouldn’t be difficult to tarnish his name. Once his reputation is tainted, how could the people accept him as their Crown Prince...?"
Ke Nanlong’s eyes lit up at this. No matter how capable the Crown Prince was, he still had a weakness that could be exploited—public trust!
The Crown Prince’s reputation was crucial for building trust and gaining the populace’s acceptance and support to become the next ruler. However, if the Crown Prince had a bad reputation, the people would never accept him.
When the people do not accept the Crown Prince, it would put pressure on the court and the Emperor, ultimately leading to the replacement of the Crown Prince with a more suitable prince...
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