Chapter 128: The Truth of Zhongnan, Empress Wu’s Mockery

"Why would he do such a thing?"

"It is possible he learned of Helan Minzhi’s plan to kidnap the young lady of the Yang family and intentionally muddied the waters. If he succeeded, it would be a stroke of genius; if he failed, no one would suspect him. However, after reviewing the case files, Assistant Minister Di still identified several suspicious points."

"What suspicious points?"

"Your Highness should not ask about that for the time being. In short, one must not judge matters by their surface. Outsiders see Your Highness as living in splendor, while in reality, your path is fraught with difficulty—though perhaps not as dire as it seems. This period is the most opportune time to investigate the Grand Tutor, Xu." Out of respect for court etiquette, Wei Yuanzhong sometimes continued to address him as Grand Tutor; however, his resentment was so deep that he occasionally called him by name. No one took issue with this, and Wei continued: "Because there are so many rumors circulating outside, even if His Majesty harbors intentions to discipline Your Highness, he cannot act these next few months. This works out perfectly; in a few months, the truth behind Xu Jingzong’s case will be fully exposed. Once the truth is known, His Majesty’s anger will naturally dissipate. In this regard, it is actually a blessing."

Li Wei could not help but rub his temples.

The way things kept circling back and forth made his head spin. First, the Zhongnan assassination attempt, then it became a conspiracy orchestrated by Xu Jingzong—it only grew more convoluted.

Wei Yuanzhong offered a wry smile. The Crown Prince was, at heart, a benevolent soul. Although he occasionally flared up with his true temper, his schemes remained somewhat shallow. As Crown Prince, he had to guard against not only petty villains but also political rivals. While Prince Pei was still young, he possessed great potential; as he grew, if he had any ambition, there would surely be ministers willing to aid him. And these ministers would not necessarily all be villains. Of course, the most critical aspect was the relationship with His Majesty and the Empress. In truth, this itself was a necessary process of tempering.

Without this, as an emperor, one would struggle to manage subordinates, which is equally problematic.

Do not think that being an emperor means one can do whatever one pleases; such a ruler would be either a tyrant or a despot, neither of which benefits the nation. Yet, to be weak is equally terrifying. Thus, an emperor must first learn to employ people, manage talent well, and master the art of seizing and delegating power. Power that must be held must be held firmly, and power that should be delegated must be let go. No one can rule the world alone; what would be the point of having so many ministers? Therefore, some power must be delegated. But if one delegates blindly—well, if they were all virtuous ministers, it might be fine, but encountering even one or two villains who succeed is a harbinger of national collapse.

"In truth, Your Highness, encountering some hardships over these past few years is not necessarily a bad thing."

"There are two reasons for this: first, the Crown Prince is very wise, and intelligence is the prerequisite for all things; with this, other things can be learned in time. Second, the Crown Prince is benevolent and cares for the people. No matter how well a ruler manages his ministers, if he is a tyrannical monarch, the nation’s future is grim. The Crown Prince possesses both these qualities in full. Therefore, do not be anxious; take it slowly and focus on handling the matters at hand."

He added, "Your Highness, with public opinion swirling both inside and outside the court, you must not go out again. Furthermore, remember this: aside from a few ministers who are truly loyal to you, there are others who are merely using this incident to express their dissatisfaction with the Empress or to siphon power away from His Majesty."

"Siphon power from my Imperial Father?"

"Precisely. From the Prime Minister down to the various officials, to accomplish anything, one must minimize obstruction. Ministers with these two agendas are not necessarily villains. Unless one considers someone like Minister Yan, whose philosophy is 'governing by doing nothing'..." Wei Yuanzhong had deep gratitude for Yan Liben, but he felt nothing but disdain for his inaction. He did not elaborate, continuing, "However, most ministers simply observe the shifting tides, indulge in wild speculation, and then shout from the sidelines. These officials are even less trustworthy. In these turbulent times, Your Highness must be extremely cautious in associating with ministers. It is best to avoid such associations altogether. In any case, the young lady of the Yang family is safe."

"Understood."

"Also, regarding Assistant Minister Di, do not visit his residence again. During this period, he must rely on his position as Assistant Minister of the Supreme Court to avoid excessive movement, lest the two Sovereigns take offense..."

"..."

"Actually, Your Highness, keep in mind that filial piety is your primary duty. It is a pity that we officials have little influence." Wei Yuanzhong sighed. There were many ministers who held the Crown Prince in high regard, but they were all cunning individuals who dared not reveal too much. This time was an exception; it was an accident. Helan Minzhi had already stoked resentment among the ministers, and with the addition of the Empress and Xu Jingzong, combined with the Crown Prince’s heavy blow to Ming Chongyan, and the fact that the Emperor and Empress had used unorthodox methods for the sake of 'the greater good,' everyone had joined in the impeachment.

Usually, it was not like this; otherwise, the incident where the Crown Prince submitted a petition regarding the two princesses would never have occurred.

There were quite a few such ministers, like Dai Zhide, Hao Chujun, and Xiao Zhaode. It was unclear how Liu Ren gui would treat the Crown Prince once he returned to the capital to hold an important position. But he had already retired; whether he would hold a key position was uncertain, and even if he did, he would not have the authority that Zhangsun Wuji once wielded.

If there were a high-ranking minister in the court like Zhangsun Wuji who was wholeheartedly biased in one's favor, and people like themselves could follow behind to fill the gaps and make corrections, the Crown Prince would only need to "play the fool" in the Eastern Palace and would not be as exhausted as he was now. The Emperor had enjoyed such support in the past. Alas, by the time it reached the Crown Prince, not only was that support gone, but there was also a formidable Empress. It was undeniably unfair. In truth, His Majesty should sometimes reflect on himself...

Attendant Jin came running over, overjoyed, and said, "Your Highness, it is true that beasts must be fed by hand before they will show affection."

"Attendant Jin, what makes you say that?"

"Your Highness, wait a moment." He trotted off and returned with a birdcage containing two small orioles.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I followed your advice, Your Highness, bought them at the Eastern Market, and fed them for a few days. They recognize me now. Look!" Attendant Jin opened the cage door. The pair of orioles flew a circle around them and then flew back into the cage on their own.

"Attendant Jin, they really have learned human ways." Shangguan Wan’er was still young; she put down her book and ran over to look, with Bier also crowding around to watch.

"It is not that they have learned human ways; it is that Your Highness has learned bird ways," Attendant Jin said gleefully.

*Learned bird ways? I think you’re the silly bird,* Li Wei thought, feeling choked. However, since everyone was happy, he did not point out the flaw in the attendant's phrasing.

Seeing strangers, the pair of orioles became frightened and chirped uneasily, though no one noticed. Their chirping happened to attract an oriole from outside the window, which joined in the chirping. One wondered if it was greeting them, telling them not to stay put but to come out, for there was freedom here. With that, the pair of orioles took flight again, flew out the window, and followed the other bird into the trees, disappearing from sight.

Attendant Jin said, "It does not matter, they will return in a moment."

It was not a moment; a long time passed, and they did not return.

Watching the growing disappointment in Attendant Jin’s eyes, Bier laughed, "You should have let His Highness raise them; you don't have the touch for it."

"Yes, yes, how could I compare to His Highness?"

"What is there to compare? You raised them for too short a time, and they were startled by strangers, which is why they didn't fly back. However, they still have an impression of you. If you go to the tree and feed them at the same time every day for the next few days, they are accustomed to being fed, and foraging in the wild is not easy. See if they recognize you. If they do, they might come back. If they don't, don't count on them returning."

"Yes, yes. But it would be better if Your Highness raised them; they would become tame much faster."

"If I raise them..." Li Wei swallowed the rest of his sentence and said, "In the Western Palace, it’s Bier and the others who feed the swallows; it has little to do with me."

"Yes, yes."

Just as he was speaking, an old eunuch approached and said, "His Majesty and the Empress summon Your Highness to the palace to discuss matters."

*I thought they didn't want to see me? What is there to discuss now?* Filled with suspicion, he arrived at the palace, only to find that this meeting was in Li Zhi’s Imperial Study.

Li Zhi said, "Hong’er, the day after tomorrow is the Dharma Assembly at White Horse Temple. You shall accompany us."

"As you command, Imperial Father." Li Wei answered while observing his father’s expression—it was neither happy nor troubled; he couldn't tell. Even if there were joy or sorrow, he likely wouldn't be able to discern it anyway. But he understood the reason for the White Horse Temple visit. It was being said that he was mistreating himself; a family of three—it was likely his little sister couldn't go—putting on a show of harmony for the ministers and the common people to see.

Li Zhi finished speaking and was about to wave him away when Li Wei prostrated himself on the ground. When it came to playing games, let alone his mother, his father couldn't compare to a single one of his fingers, but he knew how to "play the fool." Besides, playing the fool before his parents was no disgrace. He said, "Your son acted impulsively and without regard for the consequences. Only after hearing the rumors in the streets recently did I realize how much trouble I have caused for Imperial Father and Mother. Please, Imperial Father and Mother, punish your son."

"You are the future of the nation, the vessel of the state; how could your mother and I dare to punish you!" Empress Wu interjected coldly.

Being scolded was better than not being scolded; silence was what he feared most. If they were all smiles, that would be even more terrifying.

Li Wei practically crawled over, buried his face in Empress Wu’s broad embrace, and wailed, "Mother, your son was ignorant and caused you confusion and gave Imperial Father worry. Your son deserves to die a thousand deaths."

Li Shouchi was disgusted. *You, Crown Prince, if you want to cry in your mother’s arms, cry, but why must you rub your head against her? Oh, he did it again, and again, and he’s still doing it...*

This time, the old eunuch was suspicious. Li Wei was desperately squeezing out tears, wriggling back and forth—not intentionally taking liberties with Empress Wu, but thinking to himself, *If only there were some chili peppers; if I could get some chili water in my eyes, the tears would flow naturally. I just don't know if ships are large enough now to sail to South America...*

"Get up."

"Yes." Li Wei half-crawled up without lifting his head, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. Whether he actually wiped away any real tears, even someone as sharp as Empress Wu could not tell.

"You need not put on this hypocritical display. The matter of the two princesses brought shame upon your father and me, and then you submitted a self-report. The matter of Helan Minzhi was even worse—acting first and reporting later. This time, with Doctor Ming, it was even more egregious. It seems you really are a pillar of the nation, becoming increasingly cunning..."

This sentence made cold sweat break out across Li Wei’s back. The sense of relief he felt a moment ago vanished completely. He replied, "Your son would not dare."

"You dare! If you dare again, your father and I will have no choice but to retire to the Western Garden and grow old in peace."