"Surprisingly Your Majesty the missing corpse of Her Highness was equally found as well along with her servant." Peng Zishou added and hearing this the Emperor stood up from where he was seated.
"What?" He asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Peng Zishou replied while all the Courtiers immediately exploded into murmurs and disorder while Han Touzhou and Minister Xie surrounded by the emotional mob of officials could certainly tell that there was something very wrong going on at that very awkward and appalling moment.
"Where?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"Her Highness' corpse was unearthed in the backyard of Minister Xie's secret residence." Peng Zishou replied and all eyes turning to the old man immediately the Emperor looked at him nearly teary and furious.
"What?" The Emperor muttered.
"Forgive me Your Majesty but do not heed their words Sire, I couldn't have done that, this is a mistake and I have been framed." He pleaded as he went onto his knees before the Emperor and bowed his head.
"Bring in the documents." Peng Zishou demanded and a set of Eunuchs walking into the room holding a couple of ledgers in their hands and books they halted in front of the rest and bowing to the Emperor they offered the books to him.
"This is an account of all Minister Xie's dealings Your Majesty, this old man embezzled funds and then dealt with the Seigniors to purchase arms illegally, he raised a private army which we have in our custody at Shaoxing and considering the fact that he is a Seignior there's no clearer evidence than this to charge him with treason." Peng Zishou responded.
"That is preposterous." Han Touzhou eventually lashed out.
"Your Majesty has strengthened the merchant clans in the past couple of months and the Seigniors have naturally begrudged you, The Princess Imperial on the other hand colluded with them one way or another it must have been over the death of the Crown Prince Zhao Jun, all the other Seigniors have each been found in possession of arms as well and letters Conspiring against the Princess Imperial's life." Peng Zishou said and Minister Xie at that moment falling quiet the Emperor looked at him.
"What are you going to say to me now?" He asked while the latter bowed his head that the Emperor clenched his fists.
"I am a sinner Your Majesty." He responded weakly.
"You raise a private army next to the Capital, you embezzle funds, illegally deal in artillery and ammunition and worse, are involved whether actively or passively in Her Highness' murder?" The Emperor muttered while the latter barely having the courage to speak up the young man descended the stairs one by one slowly.
"What are we in your eyes Your Majesty?" He asked, "we are slaves that must do your bidding." He remarked when the latter halted right in front of him.
"She was an Imperial Princess, she was my flesh and blood." He muttered.
"Aren't we all surrounded by enemies Sure?" Minister Xie asked on his knees.
"I suppose so too." The Emperor agreed, "but who would have thought that one of those enemies would be right before my very own eyes?" He asked.
"You never get it do you?" Minister Xia asked while Han Touzhou at that moment found it a bit too strange he could hardly understand his old fella.
"Enlighten me." Emperor Ningzong said as he squated down when everyone was seeing him and looked at him in the eye.
"That stupid bitch Yang Guifei, that wench and malicious woman, my daughter entered the harem at roughly the same time that she did eight years ago, but do you even remember that innocent young girl who loved you, did you really care to know if she existed, she vanished without a trace like the wind, flew forgotten as a dream of your infatuation, but what's strange Your Majesty is that she never got the chance to tell you that at that very moment she was with your child." Minister Xie replied and hearing this the Emperor stood up as he recalled the familiar face he'd perhaps talked about.
"Xie Cairen?" He asked.
"We are enslaved by a mandate to heaven entrusted into your hands that we can not see, we break and burn to adorn the Crown, our soldiers who are brothers and sons die on battlefields in the name of it's honour." Minister Xie replied, "for me a daughter that I loved with all my heart died and was buried without even a tombstone, who is to tell if even her remnants never decayed to cause the Imperial gardens to fluorish, what is Your Majesty's excuse?" He asked as Han Touzhou watched everything silently at that time incapable of interfering.
"So you chose to kill the Princess Imperial?" Emperor Ningzong asked.
"Suppose I did Your Majesty, would you even understand the pain of losing anyone you love, in a blink of an eye you lost a mother and a father, two sons and a sister, you don't whimper, you don't shed a tear, you are very cold and heartless, you are the fiercest storm that I have ever seen." He responded.
"Your Sentence........ " The Emperor still saying he was interrupted.
"You will die a lonely man, all you'll see is darkness." Minister Xie said furiously and standing up to launch himself towards the Emperor he unsheathed the sword around Peng Zishou's waist and Eunuch Deng seeing everything he picked up one from the nearby guard as well and he threw it towards the latter while the Emperor withdrew a couple of feet behind.
Stabbing the aging man through his chest at once he halted in his advances and blood spilling from his mouth, he fell down while the Courtiers watched him.
The Emperor Ningzong frightened at the moment went silent but in the most dramatic and unexpected way, the Assembly had come to an end.
Yang Guifei arriving in her Chambers she sat down.
"Ma'am, the Seigniors are in the custody of the Imperial State Tribunal and Minister Xie was exposed even before His Majesty and died in the process of intending to harm him." Manyin said.
"How is His Majesty?" She asked.
"He must be devastated, the old Haggard man died cursing at both him and you." Manyin responded.
"And Han Touzhou?" Yang Guifei inquired.
"I heard he was quite surprised." Manyin replied.
"Walking with a man that long and he never seemed to even know the type of person that he really was." Yang Guifei mentioned.
"But how did you know this Ma'am?" Manyin asked.
"Everyone has secrets my dear, our intelligence was erected for this purpose, Han Touzhou supports Cao Zhaoyi but the same can't be said for the rest of the majority." She responded.
"I see." Manyin responded.
"As it is that what has happened has happen but that isn't entirely our main point of concern, as it so seems to me that right now it will be as good as useless if we can not take proper care of His Majesty." Yang Guifei said.
"What about His Majesty?" Xiaoyang asked.
"He is the most important piece in this game, therefore we must move him first if we wish to destroy our enemies." She responded.
"But how are we to do that Ma'am?" Manyin inquired and the latter falling silent with a rather devious expression on her face, she seemed to have been waiting for that very question at the time.
"The current state of affairs is chaotic." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"The future seems to become more unpredictable, just as much as Yang Guifei is." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned.
"Perhaps His Majesty might postpone the Dinner." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"He won't." Cao Zhaoyi confirmed, "Yang Guifei might have done everything but I am sure that couldn't have been the motive at all." She added.
"What is it that you suggest Ma'am, now that we're in a tough spot." He inquired.
"Who would have thought!" Cao Zhaoyi exclaimed, "it is in deed so true." She added.
"Yang Guifei is much harder to contain and over and over again we keep on losing." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"If this goes on, we can never beat her at her game." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned, "everything must be planned, from the day, the hour, the night, it's likely that it's all precise."she mentioned.
"I never thought about that." Han Touzhou said.
"Why would she allow me to have my dinner first before her, I get that she doesn't want an excuse from us in the end, I know it's partly because she'd have to disregard public scrutiny but there's something off about it." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned.
"The Imperial Princess' murder, it couldn't possibly be something coincidental and she'd had too many chances of setting the residence in fire but why did she wait now?" Han Touzhou questioned.
"I still don't get it though, the ones that have been hurt the most in this are the Seigniorage and for Conspiring against the throne all fourteen supporters we have will most likely be stripped of their property and wealth, it shall be transferred into either the hands of the Crown or to another individual." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned.
"It's logical but to get the appointment to the rank of Empress in one single night won't be easy." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"All events in this ruse are sequenced." Cao Zhaoyi said.
"How so Ma'am?" Han Touzhou asked.
"First the proclamation about the appointment of an Empress and then the murder of the Imperial Princess, in a short while and a single whiff our support has been weakened and we lack the backing of the Seigniorage." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned.
"She wants a clean pass." Han Touzhou mentioned.
"Yes." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned, "even if we triunph it shall be laden with resistance from her people but her triumph is to ensure that there's as minimised resistance as people." She asserted.
"Very crafty in deed." Han Touzhou remarked.
"We break the sequence." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned.
"Pardon me Ma'am, and how do you suggest we do that?" Han Touzhou asked.
"Her Grace uses Heaven's will to justify most of her motives publicly, we can as well use our own to justify ours." Cao Zhaoyi muttered as she smiles at herself ghastly.
Emperor Ningzong walking through the gardens he was lost in his thoughts as he so happened to recall everything that had happened before him.
As he moved towards his quarters, he found Yang Guifei who was pacing around in panic and the latter recognizing his presence she rushed towards him.
"Your Majesty?" She said to him.
"Guifei!" He exclaimed much surprised by her presence.
They strode about the place together in silence and Yang Guifei out of 'concern' she spoke up to him.
"I heard that very many things went down at the Imperial Grand Hall." She mentioned.
"Yes." He responded in a sombre tone.
"What's wrong Your Majesty?" Yang Guifei inquired from him.
"Do you think that I'm a bad Emperor?" He asked.
"What makes you say that Your Majesty?" Yang Guifei asked.
"An old Courtier, an influential one died in the Court hall." He responded.
"He was attacking Your Majesty." She responded.
"He had a reason to do so." The Emperor Ningzong muttered.
"No." Yang Guifei said.
"This Country that I inherited was Great when I came to the throne but all that has happened ever since on my watch was to see it fall apart." He remarked.
"Surely." Yang Guifei replied, "how many people have been sacrificed for this Monarchy?" She asked and the Emperor looked at her while she smiled at him.
"I don't know." He responded.
"You are an Emperor, you are trying, you can not meet people everywhere they want you, you can not give them everything that they want." She remarked.
"But if I can not give people....." He was saying when she interfered.
"You are a mortal man and you are not God, you are the son of heaven and the light of the people not what they need." She said.
"But when I falter, my enemies harm those that are closest to me, I can't help but wonder why bad things happen to the people that I love." He mentioned.
"You have me." Yang Guifei said, "I'll never leave you and it's not like anything will happen to me." She mentioned.
"But I worry." He said.
"Of course you do." Yang Guifei muttered as she hugged him tightly and he caressed her back.
"For a moment there I didn't know what it is that I could have done in this world without you." He muttered.
"The Imperial Princess has to be granted a proper funeral as a member of the Dynasty, Shi Miyuan I had is having a hard time, all in all if Your Majesty wishes, you can have the day for the dinner extended." She muttered.
"Perhaps." Emperor Ningzong remarked, "but Everytime that the elevation comes around why is it that someone must die?" He inquired.
"What makes you think that Your Majesty?" Yang Guifei asked.
"First the Crown Prince and now Her Highness." Emperor Ningzong replied.
"Do not worry." Yang Guifei mentioned as she tightly held onto him yet again, "we'll get through this." She assured the young man who at the moment broken was wrapped within her finger herself smiling behind his back.
Han Touzhou arriving in his Chambers while accompanied by Lin Xue he sat down before the latter that seemed to notice how unsettled he was.
"What's the matter Your Excellency?" He asked.
"Cao Zhaoyi must have a move against Yang Guifei, meanwhile, it is my earnest wish that I prepare for the worst." He responded.
"What should I do Your Excellency?" Lin Xue inquired.
"I need you to prepare a series of those emergency reports from the North." Han Touzhou responded.
"Yes Sir." Lin Xue agreed as he bowed his head before withdrawing from the room.
Yang Guifei returning to her secret room, she found most of her supporters waiting on her but ignoring them she sat down quietly and with her right hand she chose to support her head.
"Ma'am?" Yang Cishan said to her after he noticed that she was absent minded while she responded with silence.
"Please say something Ma'am?" Master Bao pleaded with the latter that she in turn raised her eyes and looked at him.
"We have minimized opposition, His Majesty shall strip all those Seigniors of their property, they were no different from rebels as it is, everything that they owned and found pride in we should control." She responded.
"I heard that they were furious about the growing influence of the merchant clans." Jinglan mentioned.
"Ma'am, we can not give the economy straight away into the hands of those greedy merchants as well." The Grand Chancellor remarked.
"Surely." Yang Guifei replied, "but much of the land that is owned in the Empire is occupied by those wealthy land owners and a majority of it is idle while the poor are no different from serfs and squatters on their land." She pointed out.
"We won't cause the Seigniors to give up their land to that easily." Master Bao mentioned.
"Then we shall buy it from them at a very good price because eventually they shall give up that fight and bend." She responded.
"Suppose they don't Ma'am?" The Grand Chancellor Zhao Zizhi inquired.
"They will break." Yang Guifei responded as she smiled at herself ghastly.
YOU ARE READING
ROSES OF BLOOD
Ficción históricaThe Empress Wu fostered a daughter within the Crimson walls of the Cifu Palace who with altered and faint origins she became the sister of a Marquis. Bound to her filial piety and the path of hardship, a "seductress" is what she must become poisonou...
