Chapter 114

Edited By: Mim

“Six years ago, my younger twin sister, Li Xia, bled to death in our home, her eyes unclosed even in death,” Li Zhi said, her voice firm, her words deliberate. “The cause of her death was the excessive use of abortion-inducing medicine, which led to the expulsion of a fully-formed male fetus.”

“When Li Xia died, she was not yet thirteen years old.”

Each word landed heavily, reverberating through the air.

The Li family’s twin daughters were insignificant figures in the grander schemes of the court. One of them had died quietly six years ago, unnoticed even in casual gossip.

But when the full truth was revealed six years later, it sent shockwaves through the gathered officials outside the palace hall.

Xie Shencong’s panicked eyes darted through the crowd, searching desperately for someone—anyone—he considered loyal. Finally, he spotted Xie Fengshao. Relief flashed across his face as he leaned in the direction of Prince Feng, attempting to call out through his paralyzed lips, his body trembling with agitation.

Xie Fengshao, however, stood frozen, his face weary and haggard, his chin shadowed with stubble. He gazed at the emperor with a complex mix of emotions—grief, regret, and disdain.

Xie Shencong’s relief quickly turned to rage.

But his attempts to shout only resulted in incomprehensible babbles, his voice nothing more than gasps and groans.

Behind him, Lu Yao gently steadied him and said in a soft, mocking tone, “Your Majesty is always so delighted to see Prince Feng. But for now, let’s hear what Li Zhi has to say.”

One of the ministers hesitantly asked, “What’s happened to His Majesty?”

Lu Yao smiled, her delicate features soft but her tone sharp.
“His Majesty insisted on holding court today. The imperial physicians may have made the medicine too strong.”

“Will he be alright?” the minister asked cautiously.

“What do you think?” Lu Yao retorted with a pointed smile, her words laden with hidden meaning.

In her luxurious attire, Lu Yao looked no less majestic than the empress herself. Her phoenix crown, made of pure gold and adorned with lifelike engravings, seemed to soar above her dark, glossy hair. Standing beside the weak and pale emperor, she exuded the authority of a true ruler—no, the master of the imperial palace.

The questioning minister glanced at the silent Prince Feng and the composed Xie Lanxu, quickly deciding it was better to remain quiet.

“Li Zhi, please continue,” Lu Yao said with a smile, her slender hands resting on Xie Shencong’s trembling shoulders, making him flinch.

Li Zhi bowed slightly and resumed, “According to the laws of this dynasty, if a girl under the age of twelve dies as a result of being defiled, the perpetrator is to be beheaded. If the girl is between the ages of ten and twelve, the punishment is death by strangulation. In cases of consensual relations, the punishment for the offender remains the same.”

She turned to the Minister of Justice and asked, “Lord Minister, have I recited the law correctly?”

The Minister of Justice, who had been listening intently, snapped out of his trance and stammered, “Yes—yes, you are correct!”

Li Zhi continued, her voice unwavering, “Before her death, my sister Li Xia was not engaged to be married. She had no opportunity to interact with any man outside of the guests our family entertained. Over the years, I have secretly investigated the one responsible for my sister’s death. And now, I have found the truth.”

From her robes, she pulled out a tightly rolled scroll.

Seeing this, Lu Yao had to press harder on Xie Shencong’s shoulder to stop him from struggling.

Li Zhi unfurled the scroll in front of everyone.

The sight left some officials dumbstruck, their faces flushing red with embarrassment as they averted their eyes. Others closed their tear-filled eyes, their bodies trembling with grief and indignation.

“This is a portrait of my sister, Li Xia, drawn by the hand of her killer,” Li Zhi said, her voice filled with quiet fury.

The scroll in her hands felt as heavy as a mountain. It had altered the lives of both sisters, and she had to muster every ounce of strength to hold it steady.

The palace courtyard fell deathly silent.

Some recognized the emperor’s unmistakable calligraphy and pigments, their faces turning pale with terror.

“Li Zhi, daughter of a convicted criminal, humbly petitions His Majesty to order the Ministry of Justice to uncover the truth behind this case and deliver justice for my sister!”

Her voice, unwavering and resolute, echoed through the silent palace.

“Just the death of a criminal’s daughter…” one official muttered under his breath. “Isn’t this matter too trivial to bring before the emperor?”

Before anyone could respond, a calm and deep voice cut through the murmurs.

“What if she’s not the daughter of a criminal?”

All eyes turned to Xie Lanxu.

Amid the crowd, he stood tall in his pale robes, his demeanor as serene as pine trees in the wind. He walked forward with measured steps, stopping beside Li Zhi, and faced the wide-eyed Xie Shencong.

“Four years ago,” Xie Lanxu began, “a single letter exposed a conspiracy to rebel against the crown. Crown Prince Xie Songzhao and Grand Chancellor Li Qiaonian were executed one after the other, and their families punished accordingly.

“By the grace of the emperor, my life was spared, as I was young and sickly. I was exiled to Mingyue Tower. There, by sheer chance, I met Li Qiaonian’s eldest illegitimate son, Li Jinzhi. Before his death, he told me a shocking truth.”

Xie Lanxu’s voice grew sharper, cutting through the tense silence like a blade.

“Li Qiaonian was innocent. He had no knowledge of the conspiracy. The letters between the Li family and the Crown Prince’s household—the so-called evidence of treason—were all forged by Li Jinzhi alone.”

The crowd erupted into chaos.

One official from the Prince Feng’s faction stepped forward and said, “Prince Langya! Such an accusation is serious. Do you have proof?”

Xie Lanxu remained composed. “At first, I didn’t believe Li Jinzhi’s claims. But after I was pardoned and returned to the capital as the Minister of Judicial Review, I reviewed the case files. Comparing the handwriting in the evidence to that of Li Jinzhi and Li Qiaonian, I found that the incriminating letters were merely imitations—similar in form but lacking the essence.”

“Not only that,” he added, “even the Crown Prince’s handwriting was forged!”

The officials gasped in unison.

“Are you saying the Crown Prince and the Grand Chancellor were framed?” someone asked.

“The rebellion case of that year relied solely on the forged correspondence between the Li family and the Eastern Palace. The evidence was flimsy and full of inconsistencies, yet the case was hastily closed. Clearly, someone was orchestrating it from behind the scenes!”

Xie Lanxu knelt down, his posture dignified as he performed a grand salute.

“Your servant, Xie Lanxu, as the surviving son of Crown Prince Xie Songzhao, humbly requests His Majesty to reopen the investigation into the rebellion case. Let the innocent be exonerated, and the guilty be punished, so that the Great Yan Dynasty may see justice once again!”

Li Zhi knelt beside him and echoed his words with conviction. “I beg His Majesty to exonerate the innocent and punish the guilty! Restore justice to the Great Yan Dynasty!”

In the sunlight, Xie Lanxu’s noble bearing and clear-eyed determination made it seem as though Crown Prince Xie Songzhao himself had returned to life.

“Your Highness…”

An elderly official who had once served alongside Xie Songzhao was moved to tears.

Even the younger officials, who had benefited from the late Crown Prince’s patronage, looked deeply moved.

The Crown Prince might have had personal flaws, but his devotion to the empire was undeniable.

His reputation had never truly faded—it had simply laid dormant, waiting for this moment to rise like a tidal wave.

As the first official knelt to join their plea, more and more followed, until a sea of officials were bowing, their voices united in a powerful crescendo:

“Restore justice to the Great Yan Dynasty!”

The situation in the court had reached a boiling point.

The emperor, Xie Shencong, now bedridden and unable to speak, sat slumped in his throne, his face twisted with anger and humiliation. His feeble attempts to shout devolved into incomprehensible grunts and wheezing gasps, all while his court stood before him in tense silence.

Behind him, Lu Zhaoyi—now Consort De [Virtuous Consort]—sighed softly and stepped forward. Her voice, sweet yet commanding, carried through the hall like a blade slicing through the heavy air.

“The emperor is gravely ill and unable to manage state affairs. However, the empire faces both internal and external crises. Might the esteemed ministers here offer this consort some guidance?”

The officials exchanged uneasy glances, each gauging the others’ reactions.

Zhang Zhizhen, the cautious and cunning Grand Chancellor, was the first to step forward. His sharp eyes darted among the officials, subtly gauging their loyalties. He wasn’t blind—he could see that the emperor was essentially a puppet now, entirely in the hands of Xie Lanxu, Consort De, and the former Palace Director, Li Zhi.

He was no loyalist.

Zhang Zhizhen had long since learned that Xie Shencong valued his own power more than the lives of those who served him. The fate of Li Qiaonian—the former Grand Chancellor, executed despite his innocence—was a lesson Zhang had not forgotten.

Why risk his own neck to protect a dying emperor?

With deliberate calm, he cupped his hands and bowed.

“The most urgent matter at hand is to establish a Crown Prince, so that he may govern on behalf of His Majesty during this critical time.”

Consort De’s lips curved into a faint smile. “And who does Grand Chancellor Zhang believe would be most suitable to inherit the position of Crown Prince?”

A storm of murmurs erupted among the officials.

“Prince Feng, of course! His Majesty’s most favored son—”

“Yet the Eastern Palace should rightfully belong to Prince Langya! His contributions in war and governance far exceed anyone else’s!”

The debate grew heated, and slowly but surely, all eyes turned toward the two key figures in the hall: Xie Fengshao, the disheveled Prince Feng, and Xie Lanxu, the composed Prince Langya.

Xie Fengshao looked nothing like the radiant figure he once was. His face was haggard, his clothes wrinkled, and his eyes empty. The once-proud Prince Feng now stood with his shoulders slumped, utterly devoid of his former fire.

Yet his supporters, eyes burning with hope, cheered him on.

Xie Fengshao turned toward Xie Lanxu, meeting his serene gaze. There was no malice in Xie Lanxu’s eyes—only quiet certainty, as though the outcome of this battle had already been decided.

The Prince Feng’s lips twitched into a bitter smile. He took a step forward and knelt before his father’s throne.

“Father,” he began, his voice hoarse and trembling, “I, your son Xie Fengshao, humbly implore you to clear my brother’s name, restore his honor, and appoint Prince Langya as Crown Prince.

“Furthermore, I beg you to reopen the investigation into the treason case and Li Xia’s death. Only by uncovering the truth can we bring peace to the hearts of the people.”

The words left the court in stunned silence.

Xie Shencong, his face contorted with rage and disbelief, let out a strangled cry. His body convulsed violently, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his royal robes.

“Your Majesty!”

The court erupted in chaos as attendants rushed forward, but the emperor’s wrath was not yet spent. His bloodshot eyes burned with hatred as he stared daggers at the gathered officials.

Consort De, unperturbed, stepped forward and placed a calming hand on the emperor’s trembling arm. Her voice was gentle, yet carried a steely resolve.

“His Majesty’s grief for the late Crown Prince has overwhelmed him,” she said with a sigh. “Surely, this is proof enough of his wish to see Prince Langya inherit the Eastern Palace.”

With even Xie Fengshao openly supporting Xie Lanxu’s claim, the debate over the Crown Prince’s position was effectively over.

One by one, officials began to kneel in submission.

“His Highness, Prince Langya, is most deserving of the Eastern Palace!”

“For the sake of the empire, Prince Langya must take on this heavy burden!”

The chorus of voices grew louder, swelling with support for Xie Lanxu.

After several rounds of feigned reluctance, Xie Lanxu finally allowed himself to be persuaded.

“If it is truly the will of His Majesty and the court,” he said with an air of solemn duty, “then I shall humbly accept.”

Gao Shan presented the jade seal of the Crown Prince, and Xie Lanxu stepped forward to receive it.

As Crown Prince, Xie Lanxu’s first decree was swift and decisive.

“Reopen the investigations into the treason case and the death of Li Xia. Let the truth come to light.”

The officials responsible for overseeing the cases—headed by the Chief Justice of the Imperial Court—bowed deeply in unison.

“Your Highness, we shall not rest until justice is served.”

Xie Fengshao approached his nephew, his weary eyes meeting Xie Lanxu’s calm gaze.

“You promised,” he murmured, his voice low and strained. “You promised to spare him.”

“Rest assured, my brother,” Xie Lanxu replied, his tone serene.

Xie Shencong would live.

But Xie Lanxu knew all too well that sometimes, living could be far crueler than death.