Chapter 130
Chapter 130
[The Prince Consort Brought Home Another Woman – 5]
Princess Linchang truly had loved him, but her hatred was equally real. As a Daughter of the Emperor, pride had been bred into her bones. No matter how deeply she once loved Shen Lin, she could never continue loving him after he abandoned her and chose Princess Jiangyang.
She was the legitimate Grand Princess of the imperial family. Her mother had died young, and a younger brother and sister still required her care. She lacked neither love nor responsibility. How could she bind the entire latter half of her life to a scrap of romantic affection?
Years of coldness and confrontation between her and Shen Lin had long since eroded the tenderness of youth, leaving only numb and icy hatred.
Shen Lin was dead. Princess Jiangyang was dead as well. With the two boulders pressing upon her heart finally removed, Princess Linchang released a long breath and ordered a carriage prepared so she could return to the palace and report the completion of the decree.
Servants naturally went to collect Shen Lin’s and Princess Jiangyang’s bodies. Nurse He glanced inside, lowered her voice, and asked carefully, “Princess, if matters truly were as Princess Jiangyang claimed, and she never committed adultery with the Prince Consort, then might His Majesty…”
Princess Linchang could not help scoffing. “I understand Imperial Father, and I understand Jiangyang. Mu Pei’s death came suddenly, and the child in her belly arrived just as suddenly. Neither matter could withstand investigation. Besides, it is true that she harmed me, and it is true that she harbored illicit feelings for the Prince Consort. Then there is her birth mother. She began as an ordinary palace maid. Only after Zhaoyi Lu recommended her for imperial favor and she became pregnant did she receive a formal rank. If Imperial Father learned that she was actually the illegitimate daughter of a Shen woman, what do you imagine he would think?”
“The imperial decree had already been issued and stated plainly that they were to be put to death. I acted under orders. What fault could I bear? Even if there were some slight error, I would not be afraid. Imperial Father likes me, after all!”
She raised her chin, pride covering her face. She was once again the bright-robed, spirited Princess Linchang of old, radiant as the morning sun.
The eunuch sent by the Emperor had witnessed the entire affair. Princess Linchang was naturally not foolish enough to omit anything. After entering the palace, she honestly related everything that had happened, then said, “This daughter handled matters improperly. Imperial Father, please punish me.”
“What fault is yours? Rise.”
Ying Zheng remained bent over a memorial and did not even raise his head. “Even if you had entered the palace and requested another decree, We would still have ordered their deaths.”
Ying Zheng finally lifted his gaze and smiled faintly. “The only problem is that you truly do not resemble a villain, much less a woman who would willingly marry into the Shen Family to pave a road for her brother.”
Embarrassment entered Princess Linchang’s face. She lowered her head and remained silent for a long while before admitting, “This daughter could not swallow her anger. If he had to die, I wanted him to die without peace!”
Ying Zheng shook his head and laughed despite himself. “If he had truly understood you, he would never have believed those words. You and Ming’an share the same nature. Pride lies deep within your bones. How could either of you use your own marriage to pave a road to power? You would not, and neither would Ming’an.”
Princess Linchang still remembered the fierce quarrel between her brother and father before Ming’an left the capital. Afraid that her father remained displeased with him, she saw the Emperor was in a good mood and ventured carefully, “Ming’an is stubborn. He refuses to turn around until he strikes the southern wall, and on many matters, his views are entirely opposed to Imperial Father’s. But he only argues the issues themselves. He means no disrespect toward Imperial Father…”
The amusement faded from Ying Zheng’s brows. After several moments of silence, he said, “We know.”
Desolation entered his expression, like a lonely lamp burning in the darkness. “He clings stubbornly to his principles, and so do We. Both of us have been wrong.”
The Eldest Imperial Son believed his father’s governance too harsh and severe. The Emperor believed his eldest son too benevolent and too unlike himself. Yet neither father nor son considered himself mistaken. Iron struck iron until both suffered.
After Ying Zheng died in his previous life and descended below, his dream of immortality shattered, leaving him filled with resentment. Then he learned that Zhao Gao and Li Si had altered his edict, placed Hu Hai upon the throne, and forged an order commanding Fusu to commit suicide. Shock and fury consumed him.
Later still, that animal Hu Hai showed not the slightest trace of humanity. He slaughtered every one of his brothers and sisters. Great Qin fell in its second generation, and the imperial line ended…
After the rage and resentment subsided, Ying Zheng reflected. Once he stepped outside the role of the First Emperor and considered Fusu’s words, he could admit that his son had possessed reason.
Great Qin had resembled an immense military machine. Once set into motion, it became extraordinarily difficult to stop.
His accomplishments had surpassed the Three Sovereigns and his virtue towered above the Five Emperors, but at the same time, he had bound Great Qin to himself. While he lived, no one dared contend for the realm. Once he died, the empire collapsed and could no longer sustain itself.
Yet given Ying Zheng’s position at that time and everything he had experienced and believed, even if he could live it all again, he still would not choose differently.
From Fusu’s position, he had not been wrong. From Ying Zheng’s position, Ying Zheng had not been wrong either.
Human beings were complex, just as politics itself possessed countless faces.
Ying Zheng had rarely experienced paternal love. In turn, he had been unable to pour a father’s tenderness into his eldest son. He had been disappointed in that son and doubted him, but in the end, Fusu used his life to prove his loyalty, filial devotion, and reliability.
They had shared the bond of sovereign and subject but lacked the love of father and son. Ying Zheng had never wanted such an outcome.
Ying Zheng remained lost in thought. Amid the silence, anxiety arose within Princess Linchang. Afraid her father still resented her brother’s actions, she called softly, “Imperial Father? Imperial Father?”
Ying Zheng came back to himself and sighed. Then he smiled in release. “When the canal is complete, summon him home. No resentment between father and son should last overnight.”
Delight illuminated Princess Linchang’s face. She kowtowed in thanks on her brother’s behalf. “Yes.”
First came the death of the Prince of Chu, followed by the deaths of Princess Jiangyang and the Grand Princess’s Prince Consort, Shen Lin. Many people had died in the capital recently. Before the court officials could discover the hidden connections among those deaths, the extermination of the Shen Family for treason seized all their attention.
The Shen Family had produced generations of officials and controlled the northwestern army for several generations. Their sudden execution down to the last member for plotting rebellion naturally provoked shock and suspicion. However, the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice presented detailed physical evidence, from letters between the Shen patriarch and foreign enemies to weapons and armor hidden by the clan. The list went on and on, establishing beyond dispute that they intended to rebel.
When Princess Linchang entered the palace to make her complaint, she had detected several hints in her father’s words. That was why she used the Shen Family’s fate to make Shen Lin die without peace. She had expected the clan merely to lose office and face exile. Instead, the entire house was executed without a single survivor, while every relative across the nine clans was sent to build the Great Wall.
Princess Linchang simmered a pot of chicken soup and carried it into the palace to investigate.
Ying Zheng understood her purpose perfectly and went directly to the point. “The Shen Family genuinely intended to rebel. Executing the entire house did them no injustice.”
Princess Linchang asked in horror, “Did the entire Shen Family take part, or…”
Ying Zheng replied, “Only the family head.”
Then he added, “But he alone was sufficient to represent the Shen Family.”
Princess Linchang’s lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing. She respectfully bowed to her father, left the chicken soup behind, and withdrew.
The emperors in the System’s space sighed endlessly over the affair.
Emperor Gaozu said, “Good thing Shi Huang arrived early. Otherwise, she and the Prince Consort would definitely have spent ages tormenting each other. Perhaps the Prince Consort’s father intended to rebel, so the Prince Consort had to appear to break with his wife to protect her. He would treat her with icy coldness and deliberately take a concubine-or get involved with Princess Jiangyang…”
Zhu Yuanzhang said, “By custom, the concubine or Princess Jiangyang herself would definitely visit the wife and flaunt her triumph.”
Liu Che idly tore paper into pieces. “Perhaps she would miscarry once, fall into despair several times, suffer several times, and regret everything several times.”
Li Shimin said listlessly, “Whatever happens, they would reconcile in the end!”
Ying Zheng shook his head and opened the next memorial. With genuine feeling, he remarked, “What a pity none of you writes storybooks.”
The emperors in the System’s space burst into laughter together.
Three days later, Ying Zheng issued a decree bestowing marriage upon the Sixth Princess and Jiang Yingchen. At the same time, the Eldest Imperial Son, Zhuang Ming’an, completed the canal and set out for the capital.
The five older princesses had all married, so the Emperor arranging a marriage for the Sixth Princess was hardly unusual. However, the chosen Prince Consort held neither office nor rank, and his father had lost the family’s title through criminal conduct. In terms of family status, the match appeared exceedingly unequal.
Combined with the sudden death of the eldest Prince Consort, Shen Lin, and the punishment of the entire Shen clan, this engagement became even more thought-provoking.
Some people secretly aligned themselves with the Second Imperial Son. Some swore allegiance to the Third Imperial Son. Some believed the Eldest Imperial Son was benevolent and filial and should inherit as the legitimate eldest son. Others watched coldly from the sidelines, serving solely as loyal officials of the throne and refusing any involvement.
The Eldest Imperial Son, Zhuang Ming’an, arrived in the capital amid these treacherous political currents.
One day beforehand, Princess Linchang brought the Sixth Princess out of the palace. On the day the Eldest Imperial Son arrived, the two sisters went to the city gate to welcome him.
What they did not know was that Ying Zheng had gone as well. He created no grand display, merely standing atop the city wall and watching from afar.
The Eldest Imperial Son was tall and straight. His features resembled his father’s, but the air between his brows was much gentler. Those who had never met him heard only that he was a graceful gentleman, warm and refined as jade, and imagined a frail scholar. In truth, *gentle yet resolute* described him far better.
After several months apart, the Eldest Imperial Son’s complexion seemed somewhat darker, but his expression remained open and cheerful. He exchanged greetings with his elder and younger sisters, then soon asked about the death of the Prince Consort, Shen Lin, and his little sister’s engagement.
Princess Linchang reported only good news and concealed the bad. “You know my relationship with Shen Lin had cooled long ago. He conspired with Jiangyang, scorned the imperial dynasty, and harbored disrespect, so Imperial Father bestowed death upon them both… As for Jiang Yingchen, he appears to be a good man. After the marriage decree, he visited my residence with his younger sister. He was gentle and generous and should suit your temperament.”
A pleasant breeze stirred around them as the brother and sister walked and talked. The Sixth Princess clasped her hands behind her back and skipped along, stepping on the swaying shadows of willow branches. The atmosphere was harmonious and relaxed.
The Eldest Imperial Son suddenly sensed something and looked toward the nearby city wall.
It was empty. A line of birds swept past, but not a single person could be seen.
Princess Linchang followed his gaze in surprise. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” The Eldest Imperial Son smiled. “Perhaps I was mistaken.”
He had left the capital under imperial orders. After speaking briefly with his sister outside the city and smiling as he ruffled his little sister’s hair, he bade them farewell and entered the palace to report.
The Emperor appeared exactly as he had before his eldest son departed. He was solemn and rational, like a deity enshrined in a temple hall, untouched by mortal concerns and unable to commune with ordinary men.
Yet the Eldest Imperial Son vaguely sensed that Imperial Father was… different from before.
He presented his memorial and described everything he had seen and heard along the journey. The Emperor remained silent throughout. Behind the twelve strands of beads suspended from his crown, his gaze rested quietly upon his son’s face.
As though lost in thought. As though remembering someone.
Surprise arose within the Eldest Imperial Son. Yet knowing he had committed neither fault nor offense, he felt no panic. He merely stood respectfully in place and waited for whatever questions his father might ask.
Ying Zheng gazed at the tall, steady young man below. Grief and remembrance briefly flashed through his eyes. Yet after enduring death, separation, and the fall of his empire, the chance to see a familiar person again could only be a gift.
He sighed soundlessly, shook his head with a faint smile, then composed his expression. “Come closer.”
…
After parting from her brother, Princess Linchang remained uneasy. Afraid he might quarrel with their father once again after entering the palace, she brought the Sixth Princess there as well, intending to intervene if anything happened. When they reached the Hall of Diligent Government, however, they found their father’s trusted officials waiting outside. Even the palace servants and eunuchs had been dismissed.
Alarm entered Princess Linchang’s heart. She was just about to approach and quietly ask a question when the doors opened and her brother emerged, tear tracks upon his face.
She was horrified, but she could not reveal it immediately. Only after drawing him some distance away did she ask, “What happened?”
Had their father scolded him?
That seemed impossible. Her brother was gentle, but not weak. He would not burst into tears over an ordinary rebuke. He was no longer a child!
Had Imperial Father scolded him terribly?
But as far as she remembered, Imperial Father never scolded anyone. When angry, he only stared at a person with icy eyes, which was far more terrifying than any curse!
While Princess Linchang’s imagination raced, the Eldest Imperial Son said, “Imperial Father did not scold me. We merely set everything else aside and spoke honestly from our hearts for a while.”
Princess Linchang asked, “What did you discuss?”
The Eldest Imperial Son smiled and shook his head without answering.
How could he explain it?
In the past, he had always considered his father a deity-omnipotent, beyond the reach of anyone or anything in the world. Looking at him today, however, he discovered that his father was mortal too.
Imperial Father merely stood too high and saw too far. Alone at that height, with no one by his side, he seemed to exist beyond the human world.
The Eldest Imperial Son recalled the first time he saw his own eldest son: a red, tiny creature, soft and noisy, wailing in his wet nurse’s arms as she carried him over. Ming’an had possessed no idea where to place his hands.
That baby was his eldest child, his first son.
And he himself was his father’s eldest child, his first son.
Imperial Father had also been a father for the first time.