Chapter 42: Survival
Before daybreak, the fourth prince Yuan Jian stood at the palace gate with a face full of injuries, welcoming the court officials to visit, vowing to make himself a joke.
What did Zhang Erge say? "...This is called putting oneself in a desperate situation in order to survive. Your Highness should not only let the court officials see the evil deeds of the fat man, but also seek death in the court when necessary, so that everyone can see to what extent the fat man has forced the prince. Do you still want to save the face of the royal family? Anyway, the fat man did not hit the prince's face, but the emperor's face. What's the saying? Beating a dog is..."
"Ahem..." Commander Fu's throat felt uncomfortable just in time.
"You have to consider your father's face before beating your son!" Second Brother Zhang changed his words smoothly: "Isn't it a disrespect for the imperial power for the fat guy to humiliate the prince?" She was still afraid that the Fourth Prince would be embarrassed, so she broke it down and explained to him: "Crying, making a fuss, and then hanging yourself sound like the tricks of a little woman in the backyard, but in fact they are applicable to many places. I don't believe that all the ministers who died for their advice were determined to die." Otherwise, what about those who survived and were promoted?
Loyal ministers and capable generals are rare, but there are also many political opportunists.
Court officials gathered at the palace gate one after another. Some saw that the Fourth Prince looked hurt, and those who were close to him looked at each other and asked: What's wrong with this prince?
Colleague: I don’t know.
The left prime minister Jing Huai had a long white beard and a face full of wrinkles from hard work. He saw the young man standing alone as soon as he got off the sedan chair. He walked over with steady steps and asked with concern, "What's wrong with your highness?"
Seeing that someone was asking questions, Yuan Jian remembered what Zhang Erge had told him to do and decided to make a big deal out of it. He thrust his face in front of Jing Huai, looking like he had opened a paint shop, and said bitterly, "I can't live any longer!"
Jing Huai was best at smoothing things over in his life. No matter it was party strife, power grab, border emergency, or even family disputes, as long as the fire did not burn under his butt, he could sit back and relax, stir up the mess with a shovel, and fill the cracks after various contradictions into a complete and decent appearance. For this, he was praised as "benevolent, loyal and righteous". He was a master at adjusting the atmosphere in the court and a good guy in the eyes of his colleagues.
The good old man had his own way of persuading the angry young man: "Your Highness is so young, why do you say that? You still have a long life to live, why don't you wait until after the court session and talk to me, rather than making a scene in the court and letting others laugh at you!" He had many children and grandchildren at home, and there were many fights and quarrels, some of which were brought to his presence, but in the end they were all persuaded by him.
Yuan Jian thought to himself: I was born a joke.
Since she was in the small palace, people have been pointing fingers at her mother, saying that she shamelessly climbed onto the emperor's bed, but how could the emperor be without guards and eunuchs?
He was firm in his attitude: "Old man, there is no need to persuade me. As long as there is a way to survive , I don't have to fight to the death. I have to seek an explanation for myself!"
Seeing the Fourth Prince's stubbornness, everyone exchanged glances, wondering who had started the fight. Logically speaking, this prince had always been like an invisible man, never showing up, never taking sides, and certainly not getting involved in the affairs of the other princes. Whenever they met at a palace banquet, he would sit alone, and even tolerated the perfunctory treatment from the Ministry of Works. He was a person who didn't cause trouble. Who had pushed this honest man into such a desperate situation?
Jing Huai was an expert at maintaining stability, and he insisted on persuading the Fourth Prince to "calm down and don't make a big fuss." While he was persuading him, the Left Prime Minister Weng Xianhe got off the sedan chair and saw that he was trying to smooth things over again. He couldn't help but sneer, "Lord Left Prime Minister is so diligent, he got up early in the morning to start smoothing things over."
"Your Excellency the Right Prime Minister is so angry. Which disciple is causing trouble again?"
The two are old rivals and have had different political views for many years. Weng Xianhe is enterprising, while Jing Huai is a conservative. They always make fun of each other and their views on the same thing are diametrically opposed.
Before the dispute could be resolved, the palace gate was already opened.
Civil officials and military officers lined up to enter the palace. Yuan Jian also followed them in, but waited outside the court. He estimated that the kowtows inside were almost over, so he went straight to the drum to report.
Emperor Yuan Yu of Southern Qi had just entered the court when he heard the drum sound. He swept his majestic eyes over the ministers below and said, "My dear ministers, what's going on outside?"
Jing Huai stepped out of the group and said with the disapproval of an elder towards the chuunibyou boy: "It might be the Fourth Prince. When I entered the palace just now, I saw the Fourth Prince waiting at the palace gate."
The emperor frowned: "Fourth son?" He was even a little vague about what this son looked like. He rarely saw him, and he never came over to say a few nice words at the palace banquets during the holidays. He always lowered his head and said routine blessings. In his impression, he was a timid person, so how could he dare to beat the drum to report to the emperor?
"Bring the Fourth Prince up."
Since the emperor had spoken, the warriors in front of the palace quickly brought Yuan Jian to the palace. But he was a little unsteady when he walked up to the palace, and when he came up, he fell headfirst on the golden palace and burst into tears: "Father, I can't live any longer!"
His action shocked the emperor, who had never seen him cry so bitterly before, and he even made a scene in the Golden Palace: "Raise your head and tell me what happened?"
The fourth prince raised his head, and Emperor Yuan Yu was stunned: "Who beat you like this?"
After a night's rest, and with Tang Ying's deliberate "repair" and preventing the eunuch from applying medicine, the wound on Yuan Jian's face looked even more serious.
He shed tears and said, "I went to buy books yesterday and met Huan Yanbo outside the bookstore. He stopped me and made fun of me. I argued with him for a few words, and then he dragged me into the alley with his servants, rode on me and beat me up. Fortunately, a beggar rescued me and I was able to escape from the predicament."
The ministers immediately began to discuss in low voices. Some knew that the eldest princess' son was domineering, but His Majesty had always trusted his elder sister and felt sorry for her as a widow with an only child, so they all felt a little sympathy for the Fourth Prince.
——Maybe this beating will be in vain.
The Fourth Prince's voice turned high and desperate, resounding throughout the palace: "I thought about it last night, and felt that although I was a prince, I was bullied by my subjects at will. I wanted to end my life, but I was afraid that my father would not know the truth and would think that I had done something wrong and committed suicide out of fear of crime. Today, I come to bid farewell to my father. I have been a prince in this life, but I have lost the face of the royal family. I am not worthy of being a prince." He kowtowed again and again: "I wish my father a long life and a strong country!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stood up and rushed towards the Panlong Pillar, determined to crash into the golden palace and die.
The ministers cried out in shock. Those who were closer to the pillars had already rushed over, some hugged his arms, some held his waist, and some held his legs. Finally, they managed to hold back the suicidal Fourth Prince in time. Even so, his forehead was bleeding, and the blood was flowing down, blurring his blue and purple face that was almost unrecognizable. It was a shocking sight.
Weng Xianhe was old and frightened, so he let go of one of the fourth prince's legs and sat on the gold brick. The Minister of Revenue Fang Jian'an supported the fourth prince and leaned on him. The other ministers who were nearby came over, and even the Emperor of Southern Qi rushed down from the dragon throne to see Yuan Jian's injuries.
When the ministers saw His Majesty coming, they quickly made way.
The fourth prince struggled to get up and even tried to bang his head against the pillar. He had nowhere to vent his grief and indignation, so he could only cry loudly: "I have always been cautious and careful, and have always fulfilled the duties of a prince. Just because my mother is of humble origin, should I be insulted and beaten by the ministers at will? I can't even protect the dignity of the royal family? How can I face my ancestors ? The only way is to die to save the face of the royal family!"
"Father, I am an unfilial son!" He struggled with all his might, looking at the Panlong Pillar with tearful eyes, wanting to die. Those who stopped him were all old officials in the front row, and those who could last until the cabinet ministers were not young people. He almost broke free. The Southern Qi Emperor hurriedly shouted, "Gan Jun, hold him down!"
No one knew where the middle-aged man in black came from, and no one saw how he moved, but the Fourth Prince could not struggle at all, just like the chick he was holding in his hands. Only his red eyes and the bulging veins on his forehead revealed his determination to die. He vowed to shed blood in the Golden Palace today.
The crowd was in an uproar, and the buzz of discussion was endless.
"How could Huan Yanbo beat the prince at will?"
"Whose influence does he rely on to be so domineering?" The court officials who are well versed in divergent thinking and accustomed to finding out the mastermind behind the scenes have begun to make inspiring remarks.
Whose power can you still rely on?
All the officials knew that Huan Yanbo was domineering because of the power of the eldest princess. In the past, the eldest princess was in charge of the Imperial Cavalry Division, and no one dared to offend her easily. But now that the eldest princess has been ill for half a year, all the power in her hands has been transferred to others, and Huan Yanbo still doesn't know how to restrain himself, and is even more domineering than before. How can he tolerate it?
If the Fourth Prince committed suicide in the palace because of Huan Yanbo's humiliation, wouldn't it become a huge joke if the news got out?
Weng Xianhe immediately said, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is a humble and obedient person. If he had not been forced into a desperate situation, why would he have done such a drastic thing in the palace? Huan Yanbo has humiliated the prince so much. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely!"
No matter how much Yuan Yu loved his nephew, his son was about to be forced to commit suicide, and the royal family was about to lose face in the court. How could he protect his son any longer? He immediately ordered the warriors in front of the palace: "Go to the princess's mansion and bring Huan Yanbo to the palace for interrogation!" After a pause, he added: "If the Grand Princess wants to protect him, please invite the Grand Princess as well!"
The warriors in front of the palace were ordered to leave the palace. Yuan Yu hurriedly summoned the imperial physician, but the fourth prince stopped him crying: "My son is dying, why bother with medical treatment and medicine? It's just death, why should I be afraid!"
An honest man usually seems to be silent, and he swallows all the grievances he has suffered in one gulp when he really reaches the point of seeking death, he is much more frightening than those who try to commit suicide every day.
The Minister of Works and the Minister of Revenue were both worried, fearing that the Fourth Prince would pour out all the grievances he had suffered before he died, and would also reveal all the good things the two ministries had done when the Fourth Prince set up his government. They were determined to speak up for him to save themselves from their mistakes and avoid the anger of His Majesty.
The Minister of Revenue had a righteous look on his face and said in a very sad voice: "Your Majesty, Huan Yanbo is insulting your Majesty by bullying the prince like this, isn't he showing contempt for your Majesty?"
Tian Zijian, the Minister of Industry, followed suit and said, "Your Majesty, if the prince is humiliated, it means that we, the ministers, are humiliated. Where is the dignity of our royal family? We must investigate thoroughly!"
The ministers expressed their opinions one after another.
