RPAGF Chapter 322 Lord Xing Died of Anger
Chapter 322 Lord Xing Died of Anger
"Nonsense!" Eunuch Wu shouted. "This is a cause for great joy. Which imperial physician is so incompetent as to make such a mistake?"
Xiao Zhuozi dared not utter a sound.
The Emperor's expression shifted from sunny to cloudy: "Have the head of the Imperial Hospital take care of Consort Rong's unborn child, and ensure its safety and health!"
"Yes!"
The Emperor then looked at Minister Huang: "You tell me!"
Lord Huang said, “Your Majesty, our monitoring has indeed found no problem. Consort Rong is indeed carrying a divine bird. However, precisely because of this, the entire nation must pray for the divine bird so that this pregnancy can be safe and the nation's fortune can be secure.”
"Tell me, what should we do?"
After a moment of contemplation, Lord Huang said, "Your Majesty, please grant a general amnesty. We will arrange for an altar to be opened for a sacrificial ceremony, which will surely ensure the safe descent of the divine bird into the world."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ning's eyes darkened. He did not believe in ghosts and gods, nor did he believe in the descent of any divine bird.
In his daily work, he never believed in supernatural or superstitious things. But the emperor believed it, the court officials and the common people believed it, and he couldn't control other people's opinions.
For example, today, it's said that Consort Rong is pregnant, and that a divine bird has descended from heaven, requiring the whole country to pray for her and a general amnesty to be granted.
What is being pardoned is not the whole country; the only one truly deserving of pardon is the Third Prince.
Prince Ning took a deep breath, feeling powerless but unwilling to be tainted by the foul air here any longer.
He knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I have been working on cases without rest for days and am feeling unwell. I am afraid I must take my leave now. Please forgive me."
"Youchuan, you've worked hard. Go back now." The Emperor couldn't wait for him to leave so he wouldn't say anything more that would make things difficult for him.
Not long after, news spread from the palace that Si Jing'an's lawsuit against the Third Prince had been thoroughly investigated.
The instigators were Yang Yan and Tang Yansen, who were both students in the imperial study. Tang Yansen has already been executed, while Yang Yan's crimes were heinous, especially since he lured the Third Prince into committing a crime, making his offense unforgivable. The Yang family failed in their parenting; direct descendants who became officials were demoted three ranks, while collateral relatives who merely watched were demoted one rank.
The third prince could not resist the temptation and was punished by guarding the imperial tomb.
However, due to the descent of the divine bird, a general amnesty was granted. Therefore, the crimes of the Third Prince and the Yang family were completely forgiven. The only one who was punished was Yang Yan, who was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison and never allowed to leave.
Yang Yan was already at his limit, and the fact that he was able to come to the palace to plead his case today was all thanks to the medicine given to him by Consort Xin.
Before he could be taken to jail, he fainted and never woke up again.
No one knows what his state of mind was before he died, and no one was even slightly affected by his death.
Aside from the Third Prince, after being pardoned in a daze, he heard that Yang Yan, his closest friend, was gone, and he felt as if he had been in another world.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she ran out, wanting to see Yang Yan one last time.
However, the eunuch grabbed her and said, "Your Highness, Yang Yan... is guilty of heinous crimes and is already dead. You must not be misled by him again, and you must not go to see him."
The third prince wept bitterly, feeling that he would never have such a close friend again in his life.
When he realized that Yang Yan had been a pawn from beginning to end, a pawn deliberately trying to harm him, he couldn't even cry anymore.
That's a story for another time.
Where there is punishment, there will naturally be reward.
For his meritorious service in investigating the case, the Emperor bestowed upon Prince Ning a great deal of gold and silver, which was sent to Prince Ning's residence.
Looking at these rewards, King Ning felt only irony. The real criminals were unharmed; who were these rewards meant for?
Si Jing'an, however, remained calm in the face of danger and persisted in investigating those with ill intentions around the Third Prince, earning praise from the Emperor. Not only was he safely escorted home, but the Emperor also bestowed upon him a token.
This token is of little use, but since it was bestowed by the Emperor, showing it to ordinary people is as if His Majesty were personally present.
This matter is now completely over.
On the surface, the Third Prince escaped any punishment. But in reality, his power was completely gone; those who had previously supported him and attached themselves to the Xing family were almost all gone.
Moreover, everyone knows that with the stain on the Third Prince's record, even with the Emperor's favor, there is no possibility of him ascending the throne again.
He's even worse than the Second Prince.
After returning home, Lord Xing pondered the day's events, but something still seemed amiss. Finally, he summoned his trusted confidants and ordered them to investigate the Yang family.
It was soon discovered that the Yang family and the Zuo family had a deep relationship more than ten years ago.
However, none of the Yang family's nephews or nieces have served as officials in the capital in recent years, and it seems that they have no connection with the Zuo family.
Upon hearing this, Lord Xing nearly fainted: "We...we were outmaneuvered by that man surnamed Zuo! That Zuo is quite capable, planting such a pawn next to the Third Prince so early on!"
Lord Xing's son had some doubts: "Father, such news can be found out with a little investigation, so it may not be true!"
Lord Xing shook his head: "How is it easy to investigate? It's because the man surnamed Zuo wants my life that he let me know the news so easily."
After saying this, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Young Master Xing quickly hugged him, saying, "Father, Father, you mustn't get hurt!"
Lord Xing closed his eyes and rested for a long time before opening them urgently: "Go quickly, find a reliable and renowned doctor and send him to the palace so that he can give the Third Prince a proper examination!"
"What... what is this? Consort Xin has reliable imperial physicians in the palace."
Lord Xing gave a wry smile: "Reliable? What can we rely on these days?"
Lord Xing listened to his father and found a doctor to take him to the palace. He received the news the next day.
Many years ago, the Third Prince was secretly drugged. This drug was not fatal, but it would cause mental confusion and a drastic change in personality.
Upon hearing this, Young Master Xing burst into tears: "Father, Father, we were truly outmaneuvered!"
As a child, the Third Prince was so innocent and lively that everyone who saw him loved him dearly.
But then, when did things change?
It's ridiculous that they all thought it was because the Emperor and Consort Xin spoiled the Third Prince too much that he became increasingly arrogant and domineering.
When the Xing family women entered the palace, they repeatedly advised Consort Xin to be ruthless and properly educate the Third Prince.
Now we realize that they underestimated their opponent from the very beginning.
Lord Xing collapsed completely. With his last breath, he pointed at his eldest son and spoke.
"Go to the palace yourself and tell your sister that this matter is settled, and tell her not to think of any other way... Your father... Your father is no longer alive... From now on, inside and outside the palace, you and your sister... be careful... be careful..."
There seemed to be so many more things he wanted to tell him, but he had no energy left. His head lolled to the side, and he breathed his last.
The head of the Xing family has fallen, but young Master Xing has no time to hold a funeral for his father. He rushes into the palace, stops the wailing and lamenting, and demands to see the Emperor's Consort Xin.
Tell Consort Xin what her father said on his deathbed.
"Your Majesty, before Father passed away, he instructed us that everything has settled down, and that Your Majesty should not have any other thoughts..."