Chapter 503: Chapter 503: Filing a Complaint

The Emperor is getting old and increasingly suspicious. For Old Fifth to openly enter the Capital City like this, even if it’s to avenge his son, it violates one of the Emperor’s major taboos.

If the Emperor pursues Old Fifth, all of this will develop into a situation advantageous to him.

Prince Zhuang had not waited long before a little eunuch came over to deliver a decree.

He was very pleased.

His guess was right; the Emperor indeed cared about this matter.

The Emperor was still in the Diligent Governance Hall, standing there with his hands behind his back, adorned in the Dragon Robe, appearing ever more profound and imposing. His gaze carried a timeless, desolate aura that seemed to permeate the air.

Not only was the Emperor in the hall, but the Grandmaster, Imperial Tutor, and the Left and Right Ministers were also present. Earlier, they had refused to see him, partly out of disappointment, "as one grieves over iron not transforming into steel," unwilling to face him. But that was only part of the reason. They were, in fact, discussing important matters with these crucial court officials.

The matter they were deliberating was precisely about deposing the Crown Prince.

At this moment, seeing Prince Zhuang arrive, although they all maintained their well-practiced composure in the face of court affairs, they felt somewhat peculiar inwardly.

This one, being the Crown Prince, had caused a public assassination incident, persistently denying it despite the evidence. Conceitedly unaware of the conspicuous "fox tail" revealing itself, he indeed no longer fit to be the Crown Prince.

Thinking back to the time when the former Crown Prince was deposed and made Prince Liang, and the new Crown Prince was appointed, although the Emperor had intentions for Prince Zhuang, he favored Prince Li more. It was upon their advice, considering Prince Zhuang’s steadiness, scheming mind, adept handling of affairs, and bearing the demeanor of a Crown Prince.

Moreover, as Prince Zhuang was the elder, and Prince Li the younger, and since both sons were virtuous, appointing the elder as Crown Prince was in line with ancestral rules.

Who could have foreseen that Prince Zhuang would deal them such a harsh slap with reality?

It’s only been a little over a year, and how did Prince Zhuang suddenly come into conflict with Prince Cheng’s Heir?

If he had targeted Prince Li, it would have been understandable—seen as a threat to his position as Crown Prince. But why provoke Prince Cheng?

This move against someone unrelated truly seems foolish beyond words.

Upon entering the hall, Prince Zhuang immediately knelt and paid his respects.

The Emperor’s expression was inscrutable, as he calmly asked, "Did you truly see Old Fifth?"

Regardless of whether it’s letters, notes, rumors, or guesses, unless he had seen the person in the flesh, it was unreliable. But if he did see the person, that’s a different matter.

Prince Zhuang raised his head, his gaze resolute and vehemently declared, "Father, after I returned from the palace, before I even entered the mansion, I saw thick smoke billowing from the directions of the mansion; it was ablaze. I was deeply worried and hurriedly organized the servants to fight the fire."

Upon hearing about the fire at the Prince Zhuang Mansion, the Emperor’s face darkened; how could a fire break out in the Capital City?

The four high-ranking ministers present were originally planning to leave, but since the Emperor did not ask them to withdraw, they continued to listen, their expressions also grave.

Prince Zhuang sighed, "I returned too late; ultimately, four courtyards were burned down. Something felt off. First, I usually keep strict management over the mansion, and such mishaps shouldn’t occur. Second, although the four courtyards are adjacent, they are not connected. For them to catch fire simultaneously and burn so quickly, it would have to be someone else’s doing, and they would wait to see the result before leaving. My suspicion was correct."

On hearing this, the Emperor’s eyes slightly darkened as he looked over.

Prince Zhuang, noticing the Emperor’s attention, was filled with delight but still wore an appearance of misery on his face: "I saw Old Fifth and his wife on the rooftop of the Zhuangya Pavilion in my mansion. Old Fifth wore green garments, while his princess wore white robes. They were sneering at me."

The Emperor furrowed his brow and asked, "Are you certain you saw Old Fifth and his wife?"

Prince Zhuang bowed his head and firmly stated, "I saw it with my own eyes, without a doubt. Not only I, but there were also servants in my mansion who witnessed it."

The Emperor responded lightly, "I see, you may leave."

Prince Zhuang was taken aback; is that it?

He came with more than just this goal; he aimed to expose Old Fifth and thus secure his position as Crown Prince.

So, making a final attempt, he resisted, "Father, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have acted against Old Fifth’s son. I’ve realized my mistake and will never do it again! But all this was orchestrated by Old Fifth; he’s harming me. Old Fifth holds no regards for the law, harbors great malice, feigning absence from the Capital City for years but secretly harbors the ambition of a wolf, Father!"

The Emperor’s face darkened: "I told you to step back!"

"Father..."

The Emperor frowned and said, "The matters you’ve mentioned, I will investigate thoroughly. Now, you should step back first!"

Prince Zhuang was helpless; he didn’t want to provoke the Emperor’s wrath, as it would be disastrous and fruitless. After all, this ’nail’ had been driven in; the Emperor now knew of Old Fifth and his wife’s presence in the Capital City. He also revealed their scheme against him, and as long as there’s a shred of suspicion in the Emperor’s heart, there’s still hope for his position as Crown Prince.

He left the Diligent Governance Hall, looking back every few steps.

He didn’t return to the Prince Zhuang Mansion but waited in a small pavilion outside the hall.

Inside, the Emperor took a look at the four senior officials and slowly said, "What do you all think?"

Grandmaster Bao Changyuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "If Prince Cheng truly came from Yunzhou to the Capital City without a decree, it constitutes unauthorized return, and for a Vassal King to return without decree, the nature of the act is severe and could directly lead to the revocation of his Vassal King title!"

Left Minister Jiao Liyun added, "We must first ascertain whether Prince Cheng truly reached the Capital City!"

Imperial Tutor Zhao Yuecheng, in a calm tone, remarked, "The Crown Prince personally witnessed it, likely not false!"

Right Minister Xia Shi’en shook his head, "According to the Crown Prince’s statement, Prince Cheng and his concubine allegedly arrived together at the Capital City. Where would they reside? If only Prince Zhuang witnessed them, further caution is warranted!"

Zhao Yuecheng responded disapprovingly, "The Crown Prince wouldn’t possibly lie, would he?"

Xia Shien remained silent, a smile with profound implications curling at his lips, yet fully comprehensible to everyone. For the sake of profit, for goals, what’s saying a lie?

Within the Imperial Family, disputes over that position are so intense that saying a lie counts as what difficulty?

However, such statements won’t be openly discussed, after all, it constitutes a crime of deceiving the Emperor.

If what the Crown Prince said was true, then the crime of Prince Cheng and his wife would be severe; however, if the Crown Prince, knowing his tenure couldn’t be long, fabricated this to secure his position, then the nature of this becomes entirely different.

The Emperor stated, "Regarding Old Fifth, I will send someone to investigate. Prepare for tomorrow’s ancestral temple ceremony as planned; any changes, I will notify you!"

The four were somewhat surprised; indeed, the Emperor convened them for tomorrow’s ancestral temple ceremony, followed by the promulgation of the decree in the Longyu Hall to depose the Crown Prince, as well as announcing it to the world.

This matter hadn’t been broadly announced yet, so only these four senior officials were summoned. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Unexpectedly, despite the Crown Prince’s claims, the Emperor still intends to proceed with the original plan?