“I dare not, Your Majesty!” Wei Chunlin kowtowed quickly as he heard this, saying, “This must be someone slandering me!”

“Slandering? These words came from the mouth of your own son, Wei Hongzheng. Do you say that I am slandering you?” Emperor Yongming retorted angrily.

Wei Chunlin raised his head in astonishment and the court was in an uproar. Wei Chunlin suddenly realized the gravity of the situation, crawled towards Emperor Yongming, and shouted, “Your Majesty! I swear, I never said such treasonous words!” Emperor Yongming kicked Wei Chunlin away.

“Wei Hongzheng said that my throne is just an empty shell and that your Marquis of Hengyuan mansion only needs to seize my wealth, then I would have to obey your commands.”

“Your Majesty! Those were the words of that disobedient son of mine. I truly didn’t know, I swear…”

“He has already confessed! These words were spoken by you to him in your mansion! That’s why he dared to say such things! Do you want me to bring witnesses to prove it?”

“I’m innocent! I’m innocent!”

“Guards!”

“Here, Your Majesty!”

“Arrest him!”

“Your Majesty, I’m innocent! I truly didn’t say that! It was all Wei Hongzheng’s doing, I really didn’t say such things!”

“Take him away!”

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Wei Chunlin was led away. A noble family that had existed for over two hundred years was destroyed because of his son’s false accusations. The ministers who had connections with the Marquis of Hengyuan and had vested interests in the matter did not dare to speak up or seek mercy. Emperor Yongming’s display of ruthlessness and determination sent shivers down their spines. The old generals sat quietly, knowing that they couldn’t afford to be labeled as disrespecting the sacred authority or ignoring the imperial power. 

Regardless of whether Wei Chunlin had actually spoken those words, the fact that they originated from the Marquis of Hengyuan’s household spelled doom for the entire family. While Emperor Yongming might lack wealth and have an unstable grip on the throne, he had ascended through military force, backed by the powerful Dai family controlling the military might of Great Yan, and supported by the scholarly influence of the old imperial tutor.

The entire court remained in a tense silence. Elder Tutor Weng stood up and said. “Your Majesty, the Marquis of Hengyuan has uttered outrageous words, and he must bear the consequences. However, Your Majesty, preservation of the imperial health is of utmost importance.”

The courtiers echoed, “Preservation of the imperial health is of utmost importance, Your Majesty.” Emperor Yongming turned around, still with a furious look.

“You kneel here, all in the name of preserving my imperial health, but do any of you truly regard me as your Emperor? Today, it was Wei Chunlin who uttered such seditious words, but have any of you never entertained such thoughts!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down! We are fearful!”

“Fearful? He was just the son of the Marquis of Hengyuan, yet he dared to speak such treasonous words. Then, what about all of you, the high-ranking officials in the court? How would you secretly wish ill upon me or upon the Empress!”

“We are fearful! We have no such thoughts!”

“Your Majesty, please understand, we dare not have any such disloyal thoughts!”

“Dare not? You say you dare not, but what you truly think is known only to you! Wei Hongzheng cursed the Empress and she was poisoned just yesterday, nearly losing her life. You had better pray that you are not involved in this matter! Whoever is implicated, their entire clan will be executed! I tell you all today! No matter how poor I am, I am still the Emperor of the Great State of Yan! I am the Supreme Ruler! I am your Sovereign!”

Emperor Yongming had displayed his imperial authority in the court that day and it was the first time he had shown such fury since ascending the throne. Originally, some of the officials had wanted to inquire about the Empress’ condition, but with Emperor Yongming’s outburst, they dared not ask. 

Emperor Yongming had revealed that the Empress had been poisoned and nobody was sure if Jing Fei had been involved. Jing Fei’s isolation made it impossible to obtain news, so they could only pray that she was innocent of the poisoning plot. Those who had connections with the Marquis of Hengyuan and vested interests in the matter couldn’t speak up or seek mercy. Emperor Yongming’s wrath had shifted their attention away from the Empress’ condition.

The Empress had been sent to the residence of the Grand Marshal for recuperation. On the surface, it seemed like Emperor Yongming was concerned about his safety, but in reality, he couldn’t let anyone know that he had miraculously recovered. This would not be good for the Empress or for Shao Yunan.

That evening, after having dinner at the Weng family’s residence, Elder Cen, who had been worried, asked his younger brother who had just returned from the palace, “Brother, how is the Empress’ condition?”

Elder Weng didn’t hide the truth and said, “The Empress is fine. The remaining poison has been expelled and his abdominal pain was caused by the fact that he had been carrying twins, but only one fetus was miscarried, leaving the other as flesh and blood in his womb. This led to his abdominal pain and it has been expelled as well. Perhaps Yunan’s solid paste has some efficacy after all. However, this matter cannot be publicized. Emperor Yongming arranged for the Empress to recuperate in the Grand General’s residence for his safety. This can also be seen as a minor miscarriage and he can convalesce peacefully in the Grand General’s residence.”

Elder Cen sighed with relief and said, “That’s great news. Emperor Yongming’s concerns are indeed valid. If certain people were to learn that the Empress had recovered, they might have ulterior motives. I still have some solid paste left. Brother, take it and give it to the Empress.”

Elder Weng then cautiously said, “You’re not using it yourself? Since I started using the solid paste, I’ve felt much better. It’s remarkable how effective Yunan’s paste is.”

Elder Cen immediately grinned and said, “So you’ve noticed too! Since I’ve been living with Yunan and Shijing, I’ve been feeling healthier by the day. I can sleep as soon as I lie down at night, and I don’t need to get up in the middle of the night. I sleep soundly until morning. Yunan keeps making nourishing congee and stews for me and my wife, and a few days ago, my wife even said my gray hair had decreased. I actually want to go back. The food at your place just doesn’t taste the same. Yunan and Shijing grow the best vegetables. It’s spring tea season now, and I need to return early. Yunan said he’d save the best tea for me.”

Elder Weng, feeling a bit envious, said, “You stay in the capital for me! You’re not going back until you’ve mastered those books. Hmph!”

“Haha,” Elder Cen, unafraid, continued to boast. “Well, that’s because I have a good son.”

Elder Weng replied, “You better save half of the best spring tea for me!”

“Hahaha…”

Back at the Weng family’s residence, Senior Weng wrote a letter immediately and had it sent to Xiushui Village by his servants, to be delivered to Shan Yunan and Wang Shijing. Simultaneously, he delivered all the solid paste and honey pomelo tea he had to the Grand General’s residence, instructing his younger brother to present them to the Empress.

The Marquis of Hengyuan’s residence was being searched and it was unclear how the prominent families and clans in the capital felt about it. The prisons of the Imperial Investigative Bureau quickly filled to capacity. Over three hundred people from the Marquis of Hengyuan’s residence were incarcerated there. 

Simultaneously, the search of the Marquis of Hengyuan’s residence yielded a wealth of gold and silver, totaling millions of taels. This far exceeded the treasury’s holdings of a few million taels of silver. This news sent shockwaves throughout the capital. It turned out that the Marquis of Hengyuan’s wealth was even more abundant than the royal treasury. No wonder Wei Hongzheng dared to utter such seditious words, and no wonder the Marquis of Hengyuan didn’t regard the Emperor as a significant figure.

In an instant, a vast and powerful family had been wiped out, all because of a few words of treason. In modern society, such words might lead to a defamation lawsuit at most, but in a monarchy, these words were enough to bring about a death sentence and the destruction of an entire family. Even if some people couldn’t bear to see the Marquis of Hengyuan’s family suffer, they couldn’t intercede, as doing so would imply approval of those treasonous words.

With limited space in the prison, several people from the Marquis of Hengyuan’s family were held in a single cell, including the Marquis himself and several of his sons. However, there was no sign of his legitimate eldest son, Wei Hongwen, and his legitimate second son, Wei Hongru.

In the area where serious criminals were detained, in the most remote cell, Wei Hongru was held separately. When Wei Hongru learned about what Wei Hongzheng had said, the stripping of his father’s title, and the search of the Marquis’ residence, he understood that even though he and Hongwen were loyal to the Emperor and the Empress, they would be unable to change the fate of the Marquis of Hengyuan.

Around him, he could hear cries for justice, weeping, and cursing coming from the other cells. Wei Hongru sat quietly on a somewhat clean bed with a mattress. A prison guard approached, carrying a food container. He opened the cell door, placed the food container on the table, and turned to leave.

“Wait!”

The guard turned around, and Wei Hongru asked, “Sir, may I inquire about the whereabouts of my family members who have been detained?”

The guard replied, “The Marquis’ cell is up ahead and yours is an empty cell next to it. I’m only following orders from my boss and I don’t know anything else. Please refrain from asking further questions.” With that, the guard left, locked the cell door, and departed.

Wei Hongru watched the guard leave and then approached the table, opening the food container. To his surprise, the food inside, while perhaps not very exquisite, was still hot, containing meat, vegetables, and rice. He wondered what the Emperor and the Empress had in mind. Wei Hongru sat down nervously.

Edited by: Jaisland

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