Chapter 116
Chapter 116
[After Five of the Prince’s Wives Died – 4]
The coroners did not even need to begin their examinations for Pan Zhenghe to see that all five Princess Consorts had died of poisoning. Whether the same poison had killed them, and whether there were subtle differences between their deaths, would have to be determined one by one by the experienced coroners.
The dead women’s parents had not come, but many elder brothers, sisters, and senior relatives had. Most of them collapsed in tears at the sight. The men barely managed to suppress their grief as they stepped forward to speak with Pan Zhenghe.
By this stage of the investigation, everyone knew the case must be connected to the Prince of Chu. How, then, could they leave their daughters buried there, destined to share a burial ground with the Prince after his death?
The Prince of Chu was still a prince of the imperial family, however, and the women buried there were all Princess Consorts he had properly married. If the families wished to take back the coffins or bury them elsewhere, they first needed the imperial family’s approval.
Ying Zheng had only just left the Empress Dowager’s palace when he learned that the five Princess Consorts who had died so suddenly had all been poisoned. His brows drew together. Without saying so much as half a word about the Prince of Chu, he declared, “The Princess Consorts died violently soon after their marriages, and all were murdered. Plainly, they shared no destiny as husband and wife with the Prince of Chu. Have the Court of the Imperial Clan draw up divorce agreements and dissolve the marriages. Their maternal families may retrieve the coffins and arrange new burials as they see fit.”
Thinking that the five women had most likely suffered this calamity because of the Prince of Chu, he added, “Although the marriages are dissolved by divorce, they may still be buried with the full honors of Princess Consorts. The Ministry of Rites may assist with the arrangements.”
The official thanked him for his grace, then hurried out of the palace to report the decision to Pan Zhenghe. When the Princess Consorts’ families heard, their grief and anger remained, but they had no further objections.
When Pan Zhenghe had first entered the Prince of Chu’s residence, the Prince had worn a cold face and acted like a grand lord. Now their positions had been reversed, and it was the Prince’s turn to humble himself.
The Princess Consorts had all entered the residence through formal marriage rites and lived in the principal chambers afterward. Traces of the final Princess Consort’s residence there still remained. Once the investigators questioned the servants who had attended her, the case progressed smoothly.
Most ordinary people could live their entire lives without encountering a single murder. To the Court of Judicial Review and its skilled investigators, however, murders and criminals were part of their daily work. What seemed rare and extraordinary to others was routine to them.
Working under immense pressure, Pan Zhenghe entered the palace to report to the Emperor three days later.
During those three days, the case of the five Princess Consorts of Chu who had died one after another became the talk of the entire capital. The Censors and remonstrating officials sprang into action as though they had only just awakened. Memorials flooded in, impeaching the Prince of Chu for his disregard of propriety and Talented Lady Wang for overstepping her authority. Even the Ministry of Rites was caught in the backlash.
An ordinary family might spend an entire year’s savings on a single wedding banquet, never mind the wedding of an imperial prince. Who could possibly endure arranging five of them within one year?
And money was only one part of the problem. The Prince of Chu’s residence had held five wedding banquets to welcome principal wives and five funeral ceremonies to mourn those same wives, all within a single year. Did they possess the slightest concept of propriety? Was the entire court expected to revolve around them?!
Damn it!
What in the world had the Ministry of Rites been doing, eagerly arranging such a disorderly farce?!
Oh, the Empress Dowager had forced them to do it?!
No, they still had to submit memorials condemning that old woman-scratch that. Given the circumstances, perhaps they had better endure it after all!
Inside the palace, the Empress Dowager also felt deeply wronged. “Was it We who pressured the Ministry of Rites to make those arrangements? Was it? Was it? Was it? Why don’t We remember any of it?”
Supporting her forehead, she frowned. “Perhaps We have simply grown old. We have forgotten nearly everything that happened in the past.”
When Pan Zhenghe requested an audience, Ying Zheng was bent over his desk reading memorials and speaking with several senior ministers between documents.
In Great Qin, memorials had been written on bamboo slips and piled into small mountains. Ying Zheng had even kept a scale in his sleeping chambers, requiring himself to review a fixed weight of memorials each day before he rested. Eventually, his wrist would ache so badly that he could no longer turn the slips, and he had to suspend his arm from his neck with a strip of silk to keep working.
In this world, paper and writing brushes were commonplace, providing a workaholic with tremendous convenience.
A eunuch entered to announce Pan Zhenghe. Once permission was granted, he led the Vice Minister inside. Pan Zhenghe hurried through the door with lowered head and short steps, only to hear the Emperor say, “The officials have grown far too indolent. Why do they need so much leave? Cut it in half. No, even half is too much. Cut it by three quarters!”
Pan Zhenghe: “?????”
His mind filled with question marks. When he looked up after entering, he saw several chief ministers standing below the dais, their complexions green. They clearly found the prospect of losing so much leave difficult to accept.
All of them knew the Emperor’s temper, however, and no one dared speak. Only the heir of the Prince of Yong, who had always enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, ventured in a low voice, “Imperial Uncle, that cut is far too harsh. You are taking away three quarters at once.”
Ying Zheng seemed not to hear him clearly. “What was that? You can work year-round without a single day off, just like Us?”
The Prince of Yong’s heir nearly split apart on the spot. “That’s not what I said! I never said that!”
A hint of mischief appeared in Ying Zheng’s eyes. “And work overtime in the evenings as well?”
The young man recoiled. “I don’t like working overtime!”
“No. You do.”
With a single sentence, Ying Zheng turned the Prince of Yong’s heir into a bitter gourd. He looked back at the chief ministers below and became solemn once more. “The amount of leave must be reduced, by no less than three quarters. That is Our bottom line. In return, salaries will rise accordingly. As for the precise increase, the chief ministers may consult with the Ministry of Revenue and draw up a proposal.”
He closed the memorial before him and placed it on the pile he had already finished. “That is all. You may withdraw.”
A raise was certainly a good thing, but overtime was an exceedingly bad thing. For most court officials, moreover, the lure of money could not compare to freedom.
The chief ministers walked out dejectedly, their faces ashen. In the System space, Zhu Yuanzhang cracked sunflower seeds and pontificated. “See that? Did all of you see that? You can’t let officials get too comfortable. When Old Zhu was emperor, they got only three days off a year. Give them one extra day and they’d be happier than if it were New Year’s. Look at this lot! They have almost a hundred days of leave every year. Even after cutting three quarters, they still have twenty-five days. Round that up, and it’s still more than a hundred. Has anything really changed? What do they have to complain about?!”
He sought agreement from Ying Zheng. “Shi Huang, you agree, don’t you?”
Ying Zheng: “…”
The emperors: “…”
Ying Zheng badly wanted to say that he was different. He was willing to spend money, and he was willing to grant noble titles.
But then he considered how relaxed the other three emperors had been about taking time off. In the end, he held his tongue and said nothing.
Emperor Gaozu, Li Shimin, and Liu Che had all granted fairly generous holidays during their reigns-sixty or seventy days at minimum, and more than a hundred in Li Shimin’s case. As Zhu the Skinflint expounded in the group on his theory of exploitation, they said nothing and pretended not to hear.
Only Liu Che remarked sarcastically, “Old Zhu, your family is certainly good at rounding up. Twenty-five can become a hundred. If you round money that way, do you round everything else too? If someone embezzles twenty-five taels of silver, does that count as no embezzlement at all?”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “????”
Zhu Yuanzhang rolled up his sleeves and stalked forward. “Zhi’er, you’ve gotten cocky, have you? No matter. Watch Old Zhu drag you back down!”
Liu Che turned and ran. Zhu Yuanzhang gave chase, while Emperor Gaozu and Li Shimin cracked melon seeds on the sidelines and enjoyed the show. The air filled with merriment.
The corner of Ying Zheng’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. When he saw Pan Zhenghe step forward and salute, he suppressed the smile and asked solemnly, “Well? Has the case reached a conclusion?”
“Yes.” Pan Zhenghe answered gravely, “This subject visited the natal families of the Princess Consorts, questioned their personal maids, trusted household servants, and attendants from the Prince of Chu’s residence, then compared their testimony with His Highness’s circle of acquaintances and the autopsy findings. At last, this subject reconstructed the truth. The Princess Consorts did not die from a witchcraft curse. Someone murdered them.”
He paused briefly before continuing. “The killer’s surname is Qiao, and her given name is Baifeng. She was originally a woman of the jianghu and once saved His Highness the Prince of Chu, earning his profound regard and a place in his residence. After spending so much time with His Highness, Qiao developed feelings for him and grew jealous of the Princess Consorts. She poisoned them one after another. The poison acted slowly and revealed its traces just as slowly. For seven days after death, the bodies showed no sign of poisoning. That was how the crimes remained concealed and the Princess Consorts were believed to have died suddenly without cause.”
Ying Zheng: “…”
The emperors: “…”
“Wow, what is going on here?”
Rubbing his backside, Liu Che said, “Are all male leads this useless? Do they absolutely have to be rescued by the female lead first? I’ll bet the court officials’ last quarter of annual leave that this Qiao woman was definitely not the Prince of Chu’s true savior. The real female lead was!”
Emperor Gaozu said, “Hard to disagree!”
Li Shimin said, “Hard to disagree!”
Zhu Yuanzhang said, “Hard to disagree!”
Ying Zheng… found it hard not to develop a headache!
He propped his cheek on one hand and remained silent for several moments before asking, “Was the Prince of Chu involved?”
Pan Zhenghe’s gaze turned subtle. He answered respectfully, “His Highness is an imperial prince, so this subject did not dare interrogate him without authorization. After Qiao was captured, His Highness refused to say a single word. This subject therefore had no way to determine what role he played in the case. Furthermore…”
He paused, lowered his eyes, and continued quietly, “This subject specifically sent experienced matrons to examine the bodies. All five Princess Consorts died virgins.”
Ying Zheng: “…”
The emperors: “…”
Liu Che grew even more excited. “I understand! Before the female lead appears, the Prince of Chu can’t sleep with any other woman. That’s a fundamental rule!”
Ying Zheng’s headache worsened.
After calling in an on-demand beating to make Zhi’er shut up, he instructed the attendants, “Bring the Prince of Chu here.”
Pan Zhenghe’s thoughts stirred. He stole a glance at the Emperor’s face, only to find it utterly impassive, revealing not a trace of emotion. He lowered his eyes and waited in silence.
Since Pan Zhenghe had entered the palace to report on the case, all the relevant parties were naturally waiting outside the Imperial Study in case the Emperor wished to question them. Once the summons was issued, it was not long before the Imperial Guards escorted the Prince of Chu, Zhuang Mingde, into the Imperial Study.
This was Ying Zheng’s first time seeing the son whom the body’s original owner had once favored so deeply. Perhaps it would also be the last.
As a eunuch led the Prince of Chu into the Imperial Study, Ying Zheng was drinking tea with his head lowered. He caught sight of the young man behind the eunuch from the corner of his eye, and his expression changed violently. Even with his customary self-control, his pupils contracted for an instant. His face turned so sinister that it was terrifying.
The emperors in the System space craned their heads to look. Their expressions changed as well.
Ying Zheng set down his teacup and tucked both hands back into his sleeves. His gaze was cold and razor-sharp as he breathed two almost inaudible syllables.
“Hu Hai.”
“He’s completely screwed,” Li Shimin gloated. “Just one look across the crowd, and he’s already dead through and through.”
Ever since the Prince of Chu had been confined to his residence, he had been thinking about how to escape his predicament and how he should argue his case once he saw the Emperor.
He had always been the Emperor’s beloved son and the Empress Dowager’s favorite grandson. His birth mother was the unrivaled Noble Consort, mistress of the inner palace. He refused to believe such a trivial wave could capsize him!
Now that he finally stood before the Emperor, the Prince of Chu’s eyes reddened without another word. He dropped to his knees with a thud and choked out his confession. “This imperial son has been unfilial. Through a terrible twist of fate, this son committed such a grave error, causing Imperial Father distress and provoking condemnation throughout the realm. This son deserves ten thousand deaths. Imperial Father, please punish this son. This son will accept it without the slightest resentment!”
Pan Zhenghe heard the Prince retreat in order to advance. Every word proclaimed his remorse, yet he never once mentioned the five Princess Consorts who had died unjustly or the role he himself had played in their murders. Pan Zhenghe sneered inwardly, and a hint of contempt entered his expression.
Then he heard the Emperor laugh approvingly from the throne. Ying Zheng nodded with satisfaction. “Since you understand righteousness so well and place the realm above yourself, how could We deny your wish? Guards, take him away and execute him.”