The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 175 - Wish Fulfilled

Old Lady Du managed to hold it together and keep things organized, but the moment she turned to leave, she fainted, developing a high fever. Her age and the shock had taken a toll, almost costing her half her life. The Empress personally assigned an imperial doctor to check on her, and arrangements had to be made for the other injured young ladies as well. This incident was far too serious; almost everyone at the hunting grounds had suffered in some way. Although the assassins hadn't killed many, the chaos of falling, getting trampled, and other injuries left countless casualties. The Empress, maintaining a grave expression, called for all available imperial doctors to tend to the injured and ordered Secretary Xie to oversee the distribution of medicinal supplies.

Once the chaos had subsided, the Empress finally began to feel her own fatigue. Her eyes stung with exhaustion, but there was no time to rest. Just as she was about to gather her strength to check the casualty report, a servant announced the arrival of the Emperor.

Emperor Jianzhang entered in haste, clearly having come straight from Sizhi Hall, where he'd been informed of the incident. Without waiting for her to bow, he helped her up, noting the dark circles under her eyes. His first question was, "I heard Weizhao was there too—is he alright?"

With Weizhao present, this incident took on a new level of severity, rising to the level of an assassination attempt on the imperial family. Emperor Jianzhang had already expressed his fury at Shizi Hall, ordering the King of Zhennan and Prince Consort Ye Jingkuan to fully investigate the matter.

This was clearly a show of defiance directed at him, coming right after his investigation into the Yangzhou corruption case. If the daughters of the high-ranking ministers who attended this hunt had truly been harmed, his own position as emperor would be untenable; he'd lose face utterly. Almost all the daughters and wives of his most trusted ministers and noble families had nearly perished—he'd be remembered in history as a laughingstock.

The Empress, red-eyed and frightened, couldn't stop her palms from sweating. She was overwhelmed with regret and dread. Her original intention was just to give Weizhao, who was now at an appropriate age, more opportunities to interact with noble ladies, thinking it would help him, raised in the strict confines of Mount Longhu, to become more familiar with the world. Who could have foreseen such a disaster?

It had been many years since she'd shown such vulnerability, and Emperor Jianzhang couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia as he saw her like this, reminded of the young woman he'd first met in the gardens of Jiangnan, who had shyly leaped from the swing and trembled nervously at the sight of others.

Clasping her hand tightly, the Emperor's eyes glinted with an emerging fury. "Don't worry—I'll make sure those responsible pay."

The King of Zhennan and Ye Jingkuan worked quickly. Given that the attack occurred within the hunting grounds, it was impossible for the culprits to leave no trace, especially since the assassins came down from the hillsides, making the area to search smaller and the investigation easier.

Shizi Hall was lit all through the night, though Emperor Jianzhang hadn't stayed there the entire time. He'd spent the latter half of the night by himself. He remembered the years when he'd been a prince, overshadowed by the Empress Dowager's legitimate son, the Crown Prince. All the ministers had lived in fear under the Crown Prince's watch. Later, when Consort Rong, who raised him, became Empress, and the Crown Prince was deposed, things hadn't improved. On the contrary, life only grew harder. When there was no competition, he, Prince Tai, and Prince Zhuang had enjoyed a harmonious brotherhood. But once things improved, they had more things to fight over.

He'd wanted to spare his sons from repeating his own hardships, so he'd chosen his Crown Prince early and assigned the other sons their own territories as vassal lords.

Among them, he had always felt especially guilty toward Prince Duan. This quiet, reserved son had never complained, unlike the others who voiced dissatisfaction about their fiefdoms. Prince Duan had obediently packed up and moved to Zhangzhou, which constantly faced the threat of pirates.

The Emperor felt he owed him, which led him to indulge him more. Even when Prince Duan requested additional guards or funds, he approved them without question. In hindsight, he saw that his indulgence had only inflated Prince Duan's ambition, leading to this disastrous outcome.

The facts were clear. This incident undeniably implicated Prince Duan. If Chen Xiang had made a move, it was as if Prince Duan himself had acted. To think Prince Duan was unaware would be absurd. Even if he wanted to believe it, no one else would—not his ministers who had nearly lost their daughters, and certainly not the victims themselves.

He looked at the desk piled with statements sent from the capital, sitting in silence for a long time.

Before dawn the next day, the entire contingent of Jinyiwei who had been on duty at the hunting grounds was arrested on charges of dereliction of duty, causing a catastrophe. Even Chen Xiang wasn't spared; the Emperor, in a fit of rage, reportedly shattered a cup over his head.

The King of Zhennan and Ye Jingkuan swiftly captured those responsible for the attack. Rumor had it that they were all Japanese ronin, who had infiltrated under the guise of Japanese envoys. After the actual envoys were detained, they had supposedly decided to go out in a blaze, taking drastic measures.

Those with insight knew this explanation was merely a public cover. After all, who was Chen Xiang? He commanded the Jinyiwei, a fearsome force known for its vigilance. How could it be possible for these Japanese infiltrators to escape his notice?

But while people knew the truth, they kept silent in unison, as if sharing a single mouth. Everyone understood what was to be spoken of and what was better left unsaid.

Song Chuyi, nursing her elbow wrapped in layers of gauze, merely smiled upon hearing the news. Emperor Jianzhang would never publicly acknowledge that his own son colluded with the Jinyiwei to commit such a scandalous act; he had to find a more palatable reason to quell public outrage.

Yet his scolding of Chen Xiang and the accusation of negligence showed that he had reached his limit. Chen Xiang and Prince Duan would never recover from this.

By the time they returned to the capital, Emperor Jianzhang would likely arrange for both men to quietly "fall ill" or pass away for plausible reasons.

In fact, things moved faster than Song Chuyi expected. This time, the investigation in the capital advanced with surprising speed. Not only did it avoid dragging on for months, but it also wrapped up in less than two weeks. Just as Emperor Jianzhang suppressed the scandal at the hunting grounds, a memorial arrived.

Chen Xiang didn't even make it back to the capital; he was bound by the newly appointed Lai Chenglong and detained with the Japanese envoys and "ronin."