Chapter 253: Chapter 253 Rebellion 3
Mrs. Fang covered Fang Lingjun’s mouth. The guests were all imprisoned in the courtyard, but due to the significant status of Mrs. Fang and Fang Lingjun, they received respectful treatment and were guarded separately on the right side of the courtyard. When Fang Lingjun murmured to herself, only Mrs. Fang heard her, and she broke out in a cold sweat. This secret had to be buried deep inside.
"Junjun, forget it, do not speak of it again." Mrs. Fang’s face was stern, and she sharply scolded, regardless of who killed Emperor Jianming, he was dead!
The Crown Prince was the legitimate heir and was already the successor. Marquis Zhenbei was dead, Xie Zhang was trapped in the mansion, surrounded by twenty thousand Forbidden Army troops, impossible to escape. The powerful Marquis Mansion faced disaster tonight, with the Crown Prince ascending the throne, sweeping over the world. He was the monarch to whom all kneeled. Accusations of patricide and regicide by Junjun alone—who would believe?
Emperor Jianming and the Crown Prince shared a profound father-son bond, well-known throughout the court and the public. The Crown Prince’s position was secure, as Emperor Jianming had delegated power to him, entrusting his own supporters as well, never questioning the Prince, with their relationship being a model of filial piety. No one believed the Crown Prince could commit patricide. They would only think the Fang Family and the Marquis Mansion were close and attempting to frame him.
Speaking out this secret would only harm Junjun.
With the collapse of the Marquis Mansion, how could the Fang family escape this disaster?
Her husband and son were far away in Jiangnan... Fortunately, they were far in Jiangnan, not in the Capital City; otherwise, given Fang Chuning and Xie Jue’s relationship, he would never stand idly by, and things would become more complicated.
Mrs. Fang and the Marchioness were close as sisters. The disaster at the Marquis Mansion broke her heart too, but her husband and son were in Jiangnan, forcing her to protect herself wisely. The Crown Prince sat in the main seat, eyes closed, appearing gentle and jade-like, yet truly deranged. He swiftly executed several military generals.
These were military generals with illustrious achievements in Ningzhou. Given time, they would have become first-rank noblemen. Yet he killed them without care; their identities meant nothing to him.
"Those who follow me will thrive; those who oppose me will perish!"
All guests were fearful and anxious.
A celebration turned into a funeral!
After the Crown Prince killed so many generals, Elder Lin fainted with anger, cursing the Crown Prince’s cruelty and lawlessness. The term cruelty often accompanied the label of a foolish ruler. The Crown Prince lazily propped up his head, dressed in a purple Crown Prince robe embroidered with coiling dragons, with bloody hems. He personally killed a rebelling general and methodically wiped the blood from his face, like an Asura, causing everyone’s hearts to tremble.
Bloodied longsword, standing by his feet, embodied both slaughter and intimidation.
Dark clouds filled the sky, while June’s wild storm raged, causing lanterns across the courtyard to sway. The festively adorned Marquis Mansion appeared especially sorrowful amidst rivers of blood.
Elder Lin was supported by Lin Hongyuan, coming with difficulty. Marquis Zhenbei’s corpse lay exposed in the courtyard. The great war god of Yanyang died under chaotic blades, his blood exhausted. Elder Lin remembered the youthful arrogance of Marquis Zhenbei, raised by a prestigious family, developing a debauched temperament, lofty and arrogant.
Yet this young marquis inwardly harbored a sole devotion to his people with passionate ideals promised to the land. He ventured far to Ningzhou, drove away the Beiman, serving as a sharp blade permanently stationed at the frontier, protecting commoners and fostering peace. He commanded the troops, led by example, shed his blood, and risked his life. Half of his life was glorious, half spent fighting, never complaining as he fought from the prosperous Capital City to the harsh Ningzhou frontier.
Elder Lin was harsh and severe toward him, fearing his arrogance and control of significant military power would tempt him to aggrandize himself, plunging Yanyang into war. Yet for decades, he never coveted the land, only eliminating foreign invaders and quelling internal unrest, laying a solid foundation for peace and prosperity for the people of Yanyang.
He had one daughter and three sons, his daughter gentle and serene, understanding great principles. His sons viewed him with pride, outstanding in integrity and loyalty. He had one wife and two concubines, living harmoniously like sisters. Despite years of battlefield engagements, his household remained peaceful. To the Beiman he was a terrifying war god, yet in his wives’ hearts, he was the gentlest husband. To Yanyang, he was an authoritative marquis, both firm and kind in his sons’ eyes.
All his life, he dedicated his blood, youth, and life to Yanyang. What did Yanyang return to him?
"Beast!" Elder Lin knelt in the storm beside Marquis Zhenbei’s body, his aged, dry hand closing the marquis’s eyes that refused to rest in peace. He removed his overcoat to cover the marquis’s body, granting his step-son his final dignity. Elder Lin was filled with sorrow. "Crown Prince, even if Marquis Zhenbei was guilty, he should be tried by the Three Judicial Offices. You treat human life with contempt and commit indiscriminate slaughter. What place has propriety, law, and precedent?"
After Xie Zhang and Feng Shu’s wedding ceremony, Elder Lin, feeling unwell due to his age, was taken to rest by the Marchioness. By the time he awoke, the wedding had turned into a funeral. Emperor Jianming and Consort Xie had been killed, Marquis Zhenbei executed, the Marchioness and concubines, and Xie Zhang imprisoned, the generals slain, and all guests trapped.
In over a hundred years of Yanyang, such calamity had never occurred.
The Crown Prince slightly opened his eyes, faintly smiling, "Marquis Zhenbei Mansion committed regicide and rebelled. All of you witnessed it firsthand. After the regicide, they resisted arrest and were killed. What law have I broken? Elder Lin, you are old and kin, inevitably biased. But let me advise, do not absolve these traitorous ministers and criminals. Those who commit regicide shall have their nine clans exterminated, and the Lin Family is one of the nine clans of the Marquis Mansion!"
Elder Lin laughed to the sky. At seventeen, he achieved first place in the imperial examination, entered Hanlin, formed the inner cabinet, and withstood three reigns steadfastly. How could he be frightened by a few words from the Crown Prince?
The Crown Prince’s smile slightly faded, while Elder Lin’s expression was furious, "Can you silence the murmuring voices by executing the nine clans of the Marquis Mansion? Yanyang belongs to the Yuwen Family and to countless common people. Water can carry a boat and capsize it. If you kill all the meritorious ministers and the civil and military officials, and all the aristocratic families who defy you, whom will you kill? If you eliminate all the scholars, who will help you govern the realm, assist with reforming policies, and manage the regional state mansions? If today you kill all the generals, who will suppress bandits and repel foreign enemies in days to come? If killing brings peace, why need laws? Whether Marquis Zhenbei committed treason should be judged by the Three Judicial Offices. Even as emperor, you cannot arbitrarily kill the innocent. Even if Marquis Zhenbei committed regicide, what wrong did these generals do? They fought for the country for decades, not dying on the battlefield but becoming the dead souls of the monarch they served. How can the soldiers across the world have peace, the nation be a nation, and your throne remain stable?"
"I killed them, so what?" The Crown Prince asked idly, "Should I pay with my life for traitors and criminals? I am Yuwen Jing, the Crown Prince of Yanyang. With the emperor’s passing, I am the sovereign of Yanyang. When the monarch commands death, the minister dies. Marquis Zhenbei committed regicide and deserves death. Killing him a thousand or ten thousand times is not excessive, but have you forgotten whose world Yanyang is? The Yuwen Royal Family has been overshadowed by your noble families and the Marquis Mansion for many years. Did you assume all of the Yuwen Royal Family had perished?"
The tension between imperial power, noble families, and the Marquis Mansion was brought to light. The Crown Prince pointed outside, where the sounds of slaughter approached, laughing maniacally, "Marquis Zhenbei Mansion’s regicide and rebellion—proof is coming!"