Chapter 157: A Prince’s Title to Last with the Kingdom, the Case Is Settled
Chapter 157: Chapter 157: A Prince’s Title to Last with the Kingdom, the Case Is Settled
General Li was more than a little vengeful.
Having been woken up by Pei Shaoqing, it chose to wake Pei Shaoqing up in the middle of the night in return. "Master, Master, the Crown Prince has replied! Wake up, wake up, Master!"
"Well, thank you so fucking much!" Pei Shaoqing threw off his blankets, shot up, and glared at General Li.
In the darkness, General Li, visible only as a pair of glowing eyes, said, "It is merely my duty as your servant."
Pei Shaoqing snatched the letter and kicked out at him.
"Hey, you missed," General Li said, nimbly dodging the blow. In the darkness, it struck a proud pose with its hands on its hips.
THWACK!
But Pei Shaoqing’s slap followed right after.
General Li went flying into the wall, fell to the ground with a THUD, and scurried away, covered in dust.
As a Martial Artist, his vision was excellent, so Pei Shaoqing didn’t bother lighting a lamp. He got out of bed, walked to the window, and used the moonlight to open the envelope. Inside was a letter and a Jade Pendant.
He set the Jade Pendant aside and looked down at the Crown Prince’s reply. The first thing he saw was the name and date at the bottom of the page.
He couldn’t help but smile. ’The Crown Prince certainly has guts.’
"Husband, what does the Crown Prince say?" Xie Qingwu asked, sitting up in bed and yawning, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
Pei Shaoqing answered, "The gist of it is that hard times reveal true loyalty. He’s very moved that I believe in him and made me a grand promise: if he ascends the throne, he’ll make me a king, my title to last as long as the dynasty itself."
"A king!" Xie Qingwu was instantly wide awake.
In the Great Zhou, no one outside the imperial family could be granted the title of king.
The Crown Prince’s promise went against ancestral law.
Pei Shaoqing gave a noncommittal smile. "Without me, he’d likely be imprisoned until his death. Of course he has to make a huge promise right off the bat to keep me on the hook."
The Crown Prince is a prisoner right now. Any promise of a great reward is just an empty gesture. If he didn’t even dare to make his empty promises grand, what hope would he have of fighting for the throne?
"That’s true. He has nothing now, so of course he can afford to be generous," Xie Qingwu said, calming down.
Pei Shaoqing sighed. "Still, to dare promise a kingship shows his boldness."
After all, even when making empty promises, many people still reveal a certain pettiness.
"What else does the letter say?" Xie Qingwu asked.
Pei Shaoqing replied, "The Crown Prince says he’s been imprisoned for five years and knows almost nothing about the current court. He doesn’t know which officials are currently in Shu State. He wants me to take his personal Jade Pendant and this letter to see Scholar Li Yi, who was dismissed from office and is now retired in Jin Guan City. He says Scholar Li will help me."
"Scholar Li once tutored the Crown Prince. Though he wasn’t the Grand Tutor, he was extremely close to the Crown Prince. He was dismissed from his post after the Crown Prince’s failed coup," Xie Qingwu explained.
Pei Shaoqing said thoughtfully, "For the Crown Prince to dare send me to him, he must trust Scholar Li completely. However, His Majesty has spies watching us. We’ll need a long-term plan for how to contact these old followers of the Crown Prince while evading surveillance."
"Let’s think about it later. The sky will be light soon. You should get some more sleep, Husband," Xie Qingwu coaxed softly.
Pei Shaoqing nodded. He resealed the letter, placed it under his pillow, took off his shoes, and got into bed. After lying down, he suddenly asked, "How old is Scholar Li?"
"He was over sixty when he was dismissed. He should be nearly seventy by now," Xie Qingwu replied after a moment of thought.
Pei Shaoqing felt slightly more at ease hearing this. ’A man nearly seventy years old won’t have the energy or mobility he once did. He doesn’t have many years left, so he poses no threat to me.’
"Ah! Husband, what are you doing?" Xie Qingwu cried out in surprise as she was suddenly embraced in the darkness.
Pei Shaoqing chuckled. "My dear wife, didn’t you just say we should... handle things later?"
"It must be nerve-wracking to be your child," Xie Qingwu said, rolling her eyes. She clamped her legs together, shutting him out. "Just a taste. Quit while you’re ahead."
"Alright, alright, I’ll listen to my wife." Seeing the gates were closed, Pei Shaoqing could only redouble his efforts.
Several times, Xie Qingwu was tempted to open the gates, but in the end, she held her ground.
...............
「Three days after the Mid-Autumn Festival.」
After a two-day joint trial by the Three Judicial Agencies, the evidence for Tang Zhi’s murder of Prince Qi’s Mansion servant Wang Er and his mistress, Liu Qiaoniang, was deemed conclusive. The matter was reported to the Emperor.
Emperor Jingtai was furious. However, considering Tang Zhi was the Tang Family’s only heir, he decided to show mercy. He only stripped Tang Zhi of his scholar title and forbade him from ever holding an official post. As for Tang Fei, for failing to properly raise his son, he was demoted and sent to a small county in Qingzhou to serve as County Magistrate.
Tang Fei, the great Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a high and mighty Standard Third Grade official, had fallen in a single day to a mere Seventh Grade County Magistrate. It was a fall from the heavens into the mud.
Tang Fei received the Emperor’s imperial edict at his home.
He was instantly struck dumb, as if by lightning.
His mind went completely blank.
Just a short while ago, he had been basking in glory, on the verge of entering the Grand Secretariat. Now, in just a few days, he had been demoted, exiled from the capital, and his career was over.
His son was also barred from officialdom for life. It was safe to say that the political future of their branch of the Tang Family was utterly finished.
’Pei Shaoqing... It was all because of Pei Shaoqing!’
"Lord Tang, what are you spacing out for? Receive the edict!"
The Eunuch’s shrill voice finally broke through.
Tang Fei snapped back to his senses, kowtowed respectfully, and cried out hoarsely, "This subject accepts the decree and gives thanks for Your Majesty’s grace!"
His heart was filled with desolate sorrow, yet he felt no resentment toward Emperor Jingtai. On the contrary, he was grateful that the Emperor had spared Tang Zhi’s life, ensuring his family line would not be extinguished.
He only hated Pei Shaoqing and the officials from the Three Judicial Agencies who handled the case. He firmly believed his son was innocent, yet the charges had been made to stick. It was obvious that someone in the Three Judicial Agencies had colluded with Pei Shaoqing.
’His Majesty has been deceived by these treacherous officials!’
’But even while being deceived, he was still willing to show mercy and spare Tang Zhi’s life, merely demoting and exiling me. How could I possibly resent the Emperor?’
Anyone unaware of the inner workings of the case would only sigh and praise Emperor Jingtai’s benevolence. Only a very small number of clever people could see the truth behind it.
"Lord Tang, settle your family’s affairs and head to Qingzhou to assume your new post as soon as possible," the Eunuch said, handing the imperial edict to Tang Fei.
Tang Fei’s hands trembled as he accepted it. "Yes."
Only after the Eunuch’s footsteps had faded away did he shakily rise from the ground, staring blankly into space.
Silent tears streamed down his face.
’Zhi’er, why did you have to provoke Pei Shaoqing?’
With the Emperor’s edict issued, Tang Zhi was soon released from prison.
Gao Xi went to release him personally.
"Ha! Hahaha! I knew my father would save me! You just wait! All of you bastards, just you wait! This Young Master will repay the suffering I endured in here sooner or later! Tenfold, a hundredfold!"
Tang Zhi staggered out, glaring venomously at Gao Xi and the others as he spat his threats.
Gao Xi merely watched him with a look of pity.
"Where’s Pei Shaoqing? Why doesn’t that bastard dare to face me?" Tang Zhi was still basking in the joy of his narrow escape, completely oblivious to the strange looks from those around him. He wanted to find Pei Shaoqing and taunt him.
As he walked out of the prison, he immediately saw Tang Fei waiting outside, but he froze for a moment, unable to believe his eyes.
Though it had only been two days, his father looked as if he had aged ten years. Even his back was stooped.
"Father... you... what happened?"
Realization dawned on him, and he asked with a trembling voice.
"It’s nothing. Come home with me," Tang Fei said, forcing a smile onto his aged face as he reached out to support his son.
Tang Zhi shook his head. "No! Father, tell me what happened! What happened?"
"After the joint trial, the case against you was confirmed," Tang Fei said. He couldn’t bear to tell him, but seeing his son’s insistence, he had no choice but to be honest. "But His Majesty showed mercy beyond the letter of the law. He only stripped you of your title and barred you from official life. I... your father... have been demoted to County Magistrate in Qingzhou."
BOOM!
Tang Zhi’s mind went completely blank.
The world spun around him, and he almost fainted on the spot.
"How could this happen? How could this happen?" he murmured to himself, then violently threw off his father’s hand and shrieked, "I was framed! I was framed by Pei Shaoqing! I didn’t kill anyone! I didn’t!"
He fell to his knees with a THUD and began to wail.
"It’s over now, it’s all over," Tang Fei said, his heart aching. He went forward to hug his son, his voice choked with sobs. "Even if you can’t be an official, you’ll never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your life. It’s not the end of the world."
"Treacherous officials have deceived the Emperor! Pei Shaoqing and his ilk have deceived the sovereign!" Tang Zhi wailed, his cries heart-rending.
He regretted it. He truly regretted it. ’Why couldn’t I just endure it? Why did I have to offend Pei Shaoqing?’
Gao Xi watched this scene from a distance, a touch of sorrow in his heart. But what he felt more strongly was a deep sense of awe and fear toward Pei Shaoqing. ’Look what he did to a dignified third-rank official. I must never offend him. I would never dare.’
Meanwhile, Pei Shaoqing was at the Northern Garrison Command, reporting to Wei Yue. "Uncle Wei, your nephew has successfully carried out his mission."
Wei Yue looked down at him, silent for a long time.
He had originally intended to use this case to test Pei Shaoqing’s abilities, but he never expected it to end like this.
But regardless, he had seen Pei Shaoqing’s capabilities. They were far greater than he had imagined. No wonder he had won the Emperor’s favor and was so heavily relied upon and rewarded.
"You... you..." Wei Yue clicked his tongue, his expression complex. "Try to do fewer things that weigh on your conscience."
’I thought the boy had turned over a new leaf.’
’Who knew he’d actually gotten worse than before!’
"Your nephew thanks you for your guidance, Uncle Wei," Pei Shaoqing said respectfully. ’I never do things that weigh on my conscience, because I never feel a guilty conscience after doing bad things.’
Just looking at him gave Wei Yue a headache. ’He dares to scheme against a third-rank official now. What will he be capable of in the future?’
He waved his hand. "Get out of here."
"Your nephew will be returning to Tongzhou soon. I don’t know how long it will be until I see you again, Uncle Wei. I hope you’ll take good care of your health and not work too hard," Pei Shaoqing said, looking up with concern.
Wei Yue’s expression softened slightly, and he nodded. "I know my own limits. You should also learn to hold back a little."
"Yes. Your nephew will take his leave," Pei Shaoqing replied.
After returning home, he told Xie Qingwu that the dust had settled on the Tang Family’s case. Xie Qingwu’s eyes darted about as she said, "Should we arrange for them to run into ’bandits’ on the road?"
If Wei Yue had heard that, his expression would surely have become even more complicated. Birds of a feather truly do flock together.
"Forget it. Letting them go was the Emperor’s intention. If I were to annihilate them completely, it would displease His Majesty," Pei Shaoqing said, shaking his head.
Tang Zhi could never be an official, and at his age, Tang Fei would likely never return to the Imperial Court. The Tang Family was already doomed; they could no longer pose any real threat to him. So, it was best to just let them be.
Pei Shaoqing had returned to the capital simply to celebrate a festival, and in the process, he had brought down a third-rank official. This struck fear into the hearts of countless officials in the capital, who all warned their children to never, ever offend him. If they ever ran into him, they were to give him a wide berth.
But in the eyes of the common people in the Capital City, Pei Shaoqing had solved a murder case in just a few days that the Yong’an County Hundred Households had been powerless against. Even though the killer was the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he had enforced the law impartially, refusing to shield him.
What impeccable justice!
He was truly a prodigal son returned!