In the Imperial Study, the Emperor received evidence sent back to the capital by Prince Jing.
Seeing that Prince Jing had cleverly hidden evidence of the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen’s actions in Jinling within the examination papers of scholars from Jinling, the Emperor praised, "Old Seven is truly clever."
The Emperor did not rush to examine the evidence against the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen, but first reviewed the exam papers from the Jinling county examination.
The chief examiners responsible for the Jinling county examination acted with fairness and impartiality, and the Emperor could find no fault with their reviewing of the exam papers. The Emperor was very pleased with the results of the county examination in Jinling, saying, "Old Seven did well."
Sun Kui brought over freshly brewed tea and, upon hearing the Emperor praise Prince Jing, chid in with flattery, "Like father, like son."
The Emperor reached out to accept the tea Sun Kui handed him and, with a smiling face, said, "Old Seven’s actions this ti were really beyond my expectations." The Emperor had not held much hope when he sent Prince Jing to Jinling. He rely wished for Prince Jing to ensure the smooth conduct of the examinations there, and did not expect him to gather evidence against the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen. However, Prince Jing not only successfully organized the county examination but also collected evidence against the Crown Prince, surprising the Emperor.
"You entrusted Prince Jing with a heavy responsibility, and he naturally did not want to disappoint you, so he handled the tasks excellently." Sun Kui again flattered the Emperor, "This is due to Your Majesty’s good guidance."
"I did not guide him," the Emperor dismissed Sun Kui’s flattery, speaking in a casual tone, "I underestimated him." At this, a knowing smile appeared on his lips, "Each of my sons brings surprise after surprise, and they each hide their true abilities better than the last."
Hearing this, Sun Kui’s heart skipped a beat. He did not dare to respond, lowering his head quickly.
"They’ve all grown up and are showing their fangs now." At this point, the Emperor thought of his youngest son in Jinling and sighed softly, "But that sly Little Ten hides his fangs too well."
Hearing this, Sun Kui relaxed slightly, no longer as tense as before.
"Your Majesty, do you wish for Tenth Prince to reveal his fangs, or not?"
"That little brat is still young; it’s better not to reveal his fangs for now, but..." A bitter smile appeared on the Emperor’s face, "I do hope he shows them to once he returns from Jiangnan."
Sun Kui, looking utterly surprised, said, "Your Majesty, why would you hope for Tenth Prince to show his fangs to you? Aren’t you afraid he might bite you?"
The Emperor chuckled lightly, "I actually hope he does bite . I’m just afraid he might do nothing at all." After speaking, mories of He Lianfang often flaunting his close relationship with Little Ten in front of him made the Emperor feel bitterly jealous. He greatly hoped his youngest son would discuss everything with him directly, rather than hearing about his actions from others.
Sun Kui thought to himself: Your Majesty, your heart is as biased as Tenth Prince often says, as far as Java. When other princes show their fangs, you bla them for hiding too well. But when the Tenth Prince shows his, you want him to bite you.
After reviewing the examination papers of the scholars from Jinling, the Emperor finally started examining the evidence related to the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen’s actions.
The Emperor was already clearly aware of the activities of the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen in Jinling. He also had evidence in his possession, so he didn’t particularly need the evidence collected by Prince Jing. However, since Prince Jing had gathered the evidence, he decided to use it.
Wouldn’t it be more poignant to topple the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen using evidence collected by your own brother and nephew?
Seeing the Emperor’s lips curl into a mischievous smile, Sun Kui felt a chill in his heart.
Every ti the Emperor smiles like this, soone ends up having bad luck. Who will be unlucky this ti?
After finishing the evidence sent back by Prince Jing, the Emperor ordered Sun Kui to summon Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu.
Shortly after, Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu arrived at the Imperial Study.
"Take a look." The Emperor handed the evidence sent back by Prince Jing to Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu for review.
Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu reviewed the evidence collected by Prince Jing carefully, and both were deeply shocked. Even though they were already aware of the actions of the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen in Jinling, seeing the evidence laid out in front of them was startling.
The Emperor propped his face with his hand, looking at Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu who were visibly shaken.
"What are your thoughts after reviewing it, my faithful ministers?"
Furrowing his brows, Pri Minister He remarked, "The Crown Prince and Duke Zhen were indeed audacious."
"They behaved with utter disregard for moral conduct." Grandmaster Liu’s words were much sharper than Pri Minister He’s, "The Crown Prince is unfit to be the heir of Great Zhou."
With both hands supporting his chin, the Emperor said, "Then shall I depose him?"
Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu were already aware that the Emperor wished to depose the Crown Prince and had been looking for an opportunity to do so, but now wasn’t the ti.
"Your Majesty, you should be aware that these matters alone aren’t enough to justify deposing the Crown Prince," Pri Minister He advised, "Now isn’t the right ti to depose the Crown Prince."
Grandmaster Liu continued where Pri Minister He left off, "Although the Crown Prince can’t be deposed, Duke Zhen could be dethroned."
Pri Minister He cautioned, "The title of Duke cannot be stripped at will. It’s an honor bestowed by the late Emperor on the Xie family, and he once stated it couldn’t be rescinded unless the Duke’s mansion rebelled."
"Then let his son inherit the title of Duke," Grandmaster Liu proposed, "The Duke’s son is not as capable as him."
Pri Minister He thought Grandmaster Liu’s suggestion was good and nodded in agreent, "That could indeed work."
"So, should we kill Duke Zhen?"
"Your Majesty, Duke Zhen cannot be killed for now."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with interest, "Why not?"
Pri Minister He replied irritably, "Your Majesty, if you kill Duke Zhen now, how will you force him to rebel later?"
The Emperor gave Pri Minister He an annoyed glare and said seriously, "I would never do such a thing; don’t wrong ."
Pri Minister He quietly looked at the Emperor, with a look that said, "Keep pretending, go on."
Grandmaster Liu, unwilling to look at the Emperor, simply turned his head to the side.
Seeing the two ministers not cooperating with his act, the Emperor felt a bit deflated and, finding it uninteresting, pursed his lips, "You could at least play along with a little."
When it ca to the Emperor’s capriciousness, Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu usually chose to ignore it. Responding to him would only encourage him further.
Fearing the Emperor might beco frivolous again, Grandmaster Liu quickly asked, "Your Majesty, has there been any movent at the Western Garrison?"
"Not for the ti being." The Emperor wiped the frivolous smile off his face, becoming serious, "Duke Zhen is still cautious in his actions."
Pri Minister He noted thoughtfully, "Only when you deposed the Crown Prince would the Western Garrison rebel."
Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu had always supported the idea of deposing the Crown Prince. Logically, deposing the Crown Prince would destabilize the foundation of the country and shouldn’t be done lightly. Once the Crown Prince is deposed, the court would face turmoil, and they should be firmly against it.
Considering the current situation, the Crown Prince had not committed any unforgivable cris nor attempted rebellion. Moreover, the Crown Prince had a gentle nature and was well-versed in the classics of sages; he should not be deposed. However, it was abnormal that Pri Minister He and others supported his removal.
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