Although the entire north belonged to the Beiting Protectorate, under the command of Vice Protector-General An Sishun, the Beiting Protectorate had also established many forts on the extensive border, with important generals holding them down.
These generals would normally not be under the command of Beiting, and were only responsible for defending their own areas and sending information to the Beiting Protectorate. Once something happened, the Beiting Protectorate would immediately send out reinforcements.
In this aspect, these forts were actually their own miniature courts, with their own independent politics and militaries.
For this reason, the generals in charge of these military forts had a great deal of influence. In addition, the importance of the areas they guarded meant that these generals were also quite powerful. They were all titled generals at the minimum. These two traits meant that all the princes of the palace wished to draw them close.
This Zhang Yang was this kind of border general.
This letter seemed very ordinary, and it discussed a few battles on the border. But in various places, Zhang Yang described his admiration and willingness to follow a certain prince.
Li Heng was quiet for a few moments and then turned to the second letter. But the moment he saw it, his pupils constricted and his complexion paled.
"Unfilial son, is that letter your handwriting?"
The Sage Emperor's voice came from the upper reaches of the hall like a peal of thunder.
Li Heng straightened his body and calmly said, "It truly does appear very similar to this son's writing."
"Hmph, Fifth Brother, you're truly very stubborn. You still dare to argue in front of Imperial Father. Can you not even recognize your own handwriting?"
Third Prince Li Ju sneered and took two steps forward, his face filled with disdain.
"Fifth Prince, just confess. While it's true that forming factions and colluding with officials and generals of the court is a serious crime, lying in front of His Majesty carries the charge of deceiving the sovereign, a much heavier crime. Why does Your Highness insist on deceiving yourself and deceiving others by keeping up this resistance?"
The Third Prince's teacher, Yao Zongping, also spoke up at this time.
"Why should this Li Heng have to admit to something he did not do?" Li Heng sternly said.
"Your Highness, the evidence confirms without a doubt that you were exchanging letters and colluding with the Fort Inspector General Zhang Yang. Even your objections are useless. Zhang Yang has already been stripped of his rank and is currently being sent back to the capital. Your Highness should stop with the denials… In truth, His Majesty is still giving you a chance!"
Grand Tutor Chen Yong shook his head, his face filled with disappointment.
A gentleman did not treat their words lightly, and even though princes had committed offenses in the past, the majority of the time, they had admitted their wrongs, allowing the Sage Emperor to lighten the punishment. No one had ever been as confrontational as the Fifth Prince.
And this was certainly no wise course of action.
He originally still had a good impression of the newly-ascendant Fifth Prince, but even that last shred of optimism was now gone.
"There is no need for Grand Tutor to say any more. We shall handle this."
The Sage Emperor's voice was devoid of emotion.
"Unfilial son, these letters serve as unimpeachable evidence of your crime of colluding with a border general and attempting to form a faction. Since you are not willing to confess, then We will not force you. We ordered someone to search your study for this list of names. Do you recognize the handwriting?"
Thwish! A third sheet of paper cut through the air like a knife as it flew toward Li Heng.
Li Heng extended both hands and took the letter. In an instant, that mighty energy carrying the letter along vanished into nothing.
Li Heng lowered his head and saw that the paper was covered in names. This was the same list of officials that he had given to Wang Chong to review.
"Zuo Honglin, Su Guosheng, Qi Haiqing, Wei Shaoyou, Cui Yi, Lu Jianjin, Li Han, and even Wei Lan and Wei Zhi of the Wei Clan… Unfilial son, just what are you up to?"
With these last words, the Sage Emperor thumped a palm down. For a moment, the entire hall quaked. All the princes and teachers, even the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor, paled and fell silent.
After spending so many years at the Sage Emperor's side, the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor were both well aware that in this situation, the Sage Emperor was truly furious.
If Fifth Prince Li Heng maintained his denial and remained insensible to reason, then what awaited him was a punishment far more severe than the one for forming factions.
Fifth Prince Li Heng might not only end up being imprisoned. His future prospects would all be ruined, and he might not even be able to live as a normal commoner. Even his teacher and his servants could be punished.
In the worst situation, Li Heng might not even be able to keep his life.
And all this depended on Li Heng's next few words.
"Imperial Father, this son knows that no matter what I say, you will not believe it, and if Imperial Father says that this list was found in my study, then this son knows that this must be true."
Li Heng's voice rang out in everyone's ears.
"But this son can confess to Imperial Father that this list was not written by your son. I do not know who is framing your son, nor how they entered my study and placed this list within. However, no matter how much thought they put into it, all the safeguards they had planned, even the wisest sage pondering a matter one thousand times can still make a single mistake and leave behind a flaw."
"Oh?"
Li Heng's words immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, and the solemn air also began to waver. A few of the princes standing by the walls began to look a little uneasy.
"Your meaning is that this list and these letters were forged?"
The Sage Emperor seemed pensive.
It was clear that no one had predicted this sight.
"Precisely!"
Li Heng straightened his body and raised his head to that majestic figure above, his expression carefree and fearless.
Buzz!
The Fifth Prince's words were like a stone cast into a pond, making the entire hall restless. The grim and frowning figures of the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor looked at each other, the stern faces slightly relaxing.
Although the Sage Emperor could not have made a mistake, Fifth Prince Li Heng also did not seem like he was lying. Moreover, princes had been framing each other throughout all the dynasties.
For a moment, the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor both glanced at Third Prince Li Ju.
"Li Heng, you're speaking nonsense! You dare commit the crime but not dare to admit it!"
Li Ju's face turned red.
"Since you were so bold as to do such a thing, why do you lack the boldness to confess?"
"So, all this was the work of Third Imperial Brother, correct?"
Li Heng turned to Li Ju. If he still didn't know who the culprit was at the start, everything became clear the moment the Third Prince spoke up. The orchestrator behind the curtains had to be Third Prince Li Ju.
Li Ju paused for a moment, immediately knowing that he had made a misstep. However, he quickly began to laugh.
"Fifth Brother, anything you say now is useless. Everything depends on Imperial Father's divine judgment."
Li Ju turned and gave a deep bow to the Sage Emperor. He wasn't worried about the matter being exposed and Li Heng holding a grudge, but if the Sage Emperor misunderstood this as him framing his own brother, then it would be no laughing matter.
The Sage Emperor said nothing, did not even glance at Li Ju. His gaze remained fixed on Li Heng.
Li Ju's face turned red and he hurriedly retreated back to the wall and shut his mouth.
"Speak!"
The Sage Emperor spoke only a w
ord, neither too loud nor too soft, yet it resounded in everyone's ears with a supreme majesty.
"Imperial Father, with regards to Third Brother framing me of colluding with Fort Inspector General Zhang Yang, I have nothing to say nor any means to clear my name. As for this list of officials that Third Brother has forged, if it were true, your son would just confess, but one can be too intelligent for one's own good. No matter how diligent and careful one is, they still made a mistake."
Li Heng's lips curved into a confident smile.
"Li Heng! Don't slander others! What does your making of a list with an intention of colluding with the officials of court have to do with me?" Li Ju fumed. If the Sage Emperor had not been present, he would have already charged over.
"Hmph, the honest don't do anything underhanded. You yourself know if you did it or not."
Li Heng raised his head and sneered at his older brother. In the past, he might have been more reserved and admitted to the crime, but since they wanted to force him into desperate straits, he would not give a single concession.
"Continue!"
The Sage Emperor's voice was as flat as the water of an ancient well. Nobody could tell what he was thinking.
"Yes!"
Li Heng gave a deep bow and then raised his head to continue speaking.
"Senior Official Zuo Honglin, Deputy Secretary Su Guosheng, Border Cavalry General Wu Yanqing, Grand Judge Supervisor Cui Yi, Transportation Legate of the North Wei Shaoyou, and Wei Lan and Wei Zhi of the capital's Wei lineage… this son has nothing to say about these names. Alas, even the wise can make mistakes, and no matter how cautious the creator of this list was, he still made an irrecoverable mistake: the last name on the list, Palace Library Director Chen Wenxiao!
"A few days ago, Master Xu was discussing the imperial curators with your son. If this son remembered correctly, of the twenty-four Directors of the Palace Library, none of them is called Chen Wenxiao."
As he reached the end of his words, Li Heng's posture grew more erect, his expression more confident. For an instant, everyone in the hall couldn't help but be captivated.
The princes standing to the left and right as well as the assembled teachers all widened their eyes. Third Prince Li Ju in particular turned ghastly pale.
The post of Director of the Palace Library was a minor post, lower-grade rank three1. It didn't have much status in the court and did not have the authority to participate in court sessions. As a result, no one in the court paid it any attention, much less remembered any Imperial Curator Chen Wenxiao.
(TN: In truth, lower-grade rank three isn't a minor post at all. Chinese officials were divided into nine ranks, each rank further divided into upper and lower. Director of the Palace Library was lower-grade rank three, but one must consider that a minister of one of the Six Bureaus was upper-grade rank three, only one sub-rank better.)
But no one could have ever imagined that the Chen Wenxiao named on that list simply didn't exist. If Chen Wenxiao didn't exist, then the list wasn't trustworthy at all.
In other words, it meant that someone was trying to frame Li Heng.
If this was the case, then this was no trifling matter. In a flash, many gazes turned toward Third Prince Li Ju.
______________
1. In truth, lower-grade rank three isn't a minor post at all. Chinese officials were divided into nine ranks, each rank further divided into upper and lower. Director of the Palace Library was lower-grade rank three, but one must consider that a minister of one of the Six Bureaus was upper-grade rank three, only one sub-rank better.
Chapter 690: Victory and Defeat! I
Chapter 690: Victory and Defeat! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
It was clear that the Third Prince was only so pale because he had also understood the implications of the forgery.
"Master Xu?"
The Sage Emperor's voice echoed through the hall.
Xu Shao lowered his head and earnestly said, "Yes, Your Majesty, this lowly subject truly did bring up the Directors of the Palace Library with the Fifth Prince several days ago."
"Grand Tutor?"
Grand Tutor Chen Yong thought for a few moments before earnestly replying, "Indeed, Your Majesty, of the twenty-four Directors of the Palace Library, there truly is no one called Chen Wenxiao."
In terms of erudition, no one could surpass the Grand Tutor, and in terms of understanding of the court officials and the bureaucracy, still no one could surpass the Grand Tutor. If even he said that there was no one called Chen Wenxiao among the Directors of the Palace Library, then there truly wasn't.
It was precisely because he understood this that Third Prince Li Ju's complexion turned even paler.
"Third Brother!"
First Prince Li Ying and Second Prince Li Yao both turned to Li Ju and grimaced.
The Grand Tutor's words were fatal to Li Ju.
"Imperial Father, if even a name of an official on an important list like this was fake, with the person in question not even existing, how could one believe that this list was real? And if this really was written by your son, how could such a mistake be made?"
Li Heng got up, his eyes blazing and his expression relaxed.
"So, Heng-er, your meaning is that all of this was forged?"
The Sage Emperor's voice had clearly grown much warmer.
"Yes! Although this handwriting truly is very similar to your son's, with the forger truly being diligent, there is still a noticeable difference in the writing. In this aspect, one only needs to look at any of your son's calligraphy copybooks. Both Master Xu and Grand Tutor should have them," Li Heng sternly said.
The hall was quiet, and people began to turn toward Li Heng's teacher.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this lowly subject truly does have a significant number of copybooks from the Fifth Prince. These can be taken from my study. Whether the statement is true or false can naturally be easily determined."
Xu Shao lowered his head and gave a deferential bow.
Golden-armored guards were quickly dispatched, and only five minutes later, a thick stack of copybooks was brought into the hall.
The teachers gathered and began to compare the copybooks to the writing on the list of names.
After a long time, Grand Tutor Chen Yong finally raised his head from the stack of copybooks and gave his judgment. "Your Majesty, this writing truly is very similar to the Fifth Prince's, but there's still a rather large difference in style. In other words, these letters and list truly are fake."
"Your Majesty, this subject agrees! This really is not His Fifth Highness's writing," Grand Preceptor Pei Guangting added.
"That means that the letter to the general and Heng-er's reply were both fake as well?"
The Sage Emperor's dignified voice rang out through the hall.
"Precisely!"
Grand Tutor Chen Yong and Grand Preceptor Pei Guangting answered as one.
In an instant, everyone in the hall turned to Third Prince Li Ju. And when those divine and dignified eyes looked toward Li Ju, the ashen-faced Li Ju went limp. Trembling in fear, he got down on both knees and bowed.
……
"Your Highness, how did it go?"
The moment Fifth Prince Li Heng left Yongfu Palace, Li Jingzhong immediately strode over in worry. He had been waiting outside for a very long time. Alas, even though he had been the Fifth Prince's attending eunuch for ten-some years, he was still not qualified to enter the hall.
So he could only wait outside with his anxieties.
While Li Heng had been inside Yongfu Palace, Li Jingzhong had made several hundred rounds of the hall's perimeter, almost wearing away the bottoms of his boots.
"What do you think?"
Li Heng did not directly answer the question, only grinned at Li Jingzhong.
Li Jingzhong froze for a few moments before breaking into a toothy grin.
For the Fifth Prince to be so confident and relaxed was enough
to show that there was no problem.
"Third Brother truly ended up being too clever for his own good. He thought he could frame me, but little did he know that while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole is close behind. In the end, he only ended up hurting himself."
Li Heng ruffled his robe, his young face containing a maturity and composure well beyond his years.
When he thought about Li Ju's ashen complexion when his imperial father looked over, Li Heng felt an indescribable glee.
"…Third Prince Li Ju, for framing your brother, harboring treacherous thoughts, and violating your fraternal duties, you are stripped of your status as prince and handed over to the Imperial Clan Court for punishment. Yao Zongping, for the poor guidance you have given your students, you are fined one year of your official salary, stripped of your rank, and banned from taking a single step into the Imperial Palace!"
In the past, if Li Heng had ever encountered something like this, he would have intentionally avoided the entire matter and just bowed his head in concession. But Li Ju had gone overboard this time.
He had actually wanted to frame Li Heng for the crime of forming factions and colluding with ministers, utterly robbing him of his status as prince and his right to vie for the throne of the true dragon. Since this was the case, Li Heng couldn't be blamed for being rude.
"Your Highness, regardless of what happened, this matter has finally been settled."
Li Jingzhong gave a long sigh of relief. Fifth Prince Li Heng had not only emerged unscathed, the arch-schemer Li Ju had been remanded to the Imperial Clan Court. This was already the best result.
"No! This matter is far from over!"
To Li Jingzhong's surprise, Li Heng shook his head, his eyes flashing as he turned in another direction. He had won his battle with Li Ju and gained his imperial father's favor. To avoid arousing suspicion, probably no one would try to scheme against him for quite some time.
But even so, Li Heng's face showed excitement, and his eyes seemed a little dim.
After a momentary daze, Li Jingzhong quickly realized.
Yes, the matter with the Third Prince had been resolved, but there was still 'her'. 'She' needed to be dealt with as well.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 463
