The Crown Prince's palace was surrounded by internal guards. The Crown Prince's palace was filled with officials and bailiffs from the imperial censor. Although no one had restricted the Crown Prince's freedom, the Crown Prince had long ago shut himself in his chambers. Even his meals were delivered to him and he refused to take a step outside.
He was fearfully waiting for his mother's punishment.
The Crown Prince was the heir to the throne, and the heir to the throne had his own government hall. This was where he received the officials of the Eastern Palace. When the officials of the court wanted to see the Crown Prince, they would meet here. Li Dan had also lived here when he was the Emperor. Back then, Wu Youji and the others had used both carrot and stick to force him to submit to Wu Zetian.
Now, this place was Lai Junchen's court. In the "court," Lai Junchen sat majestically. A dozen attendants knelt in front of him. They were all the Crown Prince's trusted aides.
Lai Junchen had Judge Wang Deshou read out the Crown Prince's crimes and the confessions of the attendants of the Crown Princess Liu and Concubine Dou. He said in a clear voice, "The Crown Prince's crimes may be hidden from others, but not from those who serve him. Logically, as the Crown Prince's attendants, if the Crown Prince commits treason, you should be beheaded. But according to the laws of the Zhou Dynasty, if you commit treason and confess immediately, your crimes will be reduced by one level. Then you will not have to die. This is your only chance to live. Now, confess! "
The dozen or so attendants knelt in the hall and were silent.
Lai Junchen waited quietly for a moment and laughed. "Good, no one confesses? Then I can only use torture! "
One of the attendants gathered his courage and argued, "Deputy Minister Lai, the Crown Prince has not rebelled at all …"
Lai Junchen slammed the gavel and shouted, "Come! Each of you will be flogged twenty times. Torture! "
This was the Crown Prince's palace. Lai Junchen could not bring all the strange instruments of torture from the imperial censor. Also, he was not clean at the moment. Even though he was eager to perform a meritorious deed and resolve his crisis, he was more afraid of giving others an excuse. So, he only used the flogging.
However, even if it was just a cane punishment, it was not something that could be easily endured. More than a dozen eunuchs were pressed to the ground and flogged. Screams immediately sounded in the Political Affairs Hall. Lai Junchen's gaze slowly moved across the faces of the eunuchs. He didn't believe that this bunch of spineless eunuchs would be so unyielding that not a single one of them would confess.
Crown Prince Li Dan had feigned calmness for the first two days, but as Lai Junchen entered the palace to interrogate him, he finally lost his cool. He shut himself in the Crown Prince's palace for the next two days, not even leaving his room. His heart was filled with anxiety, and his mouth was covered in blisters.
He wanted to pray and ask his ancestors to bless him, but he didn't even dare to kneel and pray now. He was worried that others would think that he was cursing the Queen Mother. At this time, he had no time to grieve for Madam Dou and Madam Liu who had just died. He couldn't even save his own life.
"Crown Prince …"
Lan Feier quietly entered the bedchamber and called out softly.
"Get out!"
Li Dan flew into a rage. He didn't show any mercy even though Lan Feier had become the person by his bed. Lan Feier jumped in fright. Her beautiful eyes filled with tears of grievance. She pursed her lips and sobbed, "Crown Prince, someone from Princess Taiping's residence wants to see you."
"What?"
Li Dan hurriedly ran out from behind the screen and exclaimed in surprise, "Did the Queen Mother ask Lingyue to send someone?"
Lan Feier shook her head and said in a low voice, "Princess Taiping was extremely worried when she heard that the Crown Prince was in trouble. However, the Crown Prince's palace has been surrounded and her people can't enter. That's why she went through a lot of trouble and asked for the approval of the inner guards. Crown Prince, the person can't stay for long. You … "
"No, no, I won't see him!" Li Dan turned pale with fright. "Chase him away, hurry up and chase him away! It'll be troublesome if the Queen Mother's people find out! This Taiping is too outrageous! Isn't he just causing trouble for me? Hurry up and chase him away! "
Lan Feier looked at him silently. She looked at this son of the Son of Heaven, the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou who had once been the Emperor of the Tang dynasty. Her eyes were filled with disappointment. No matter what, this Crown Prince would be her man from now on. Who didn't want their man to be a man of indomitable spirit? But he … if he wasn't born into an imperial family, then what would he be?!
In his panic, Li Dan didn't notice the disappointment and disdain in Lan Feier's eyes. Seeing her stand there without moving, Li Dan was even more furious. However, he didn't dare to raise his voice. He could only growl in a low voice, "What are you still standing there for? Even you want to harm me? Hurry up and go!"
Lan Feier silently turned around and walked out of the hall.
Li Dan scurried around the hall like a bird startled by the twang of a bow. Suddenly, he quickly chased after Lan Feier. Just as she was about to step out of the bedchamber, he grabbed her arm and asked in a trembling voice, "Was … was the person Taiping sent discovered by the Censorate?"
Lan Feier said, "He pretended to be a eunuch who delivered food to the Censorate. The Censorate didn't suspect anything … but because of this, he couldn't stay for long. He had to pack up the food and leave, so he said he could only see the Crown Prince for a moment …"
Li Dan fiercely grabbed at his hair, his heart struggling. He was only thirty years old, but his hair was already white. He looked like an old man with one foot in the grave. Li Dan gritted his teeth and struggled for a moment. Suddenly, he said, "Bring him to see me, quickly!"
Lan Feier happily agreed and quickly walked out.
Soon, Li Yi appeared in front of Li Dan, dressed in a eunuch's uniform. He was a eunuch to begin with. Before Princess Taiping's marriage, he had been serving in the palace, so it wasn't difficult for him to pretend to be a eunuch. Li Dan looked him up and down, puzzled. "You are one of Taiping's people?"
Li Yi took out something from his bosom. Li Dan snatched it and quickly opened it. It was a jade disk, the one that the court had conferred the title of princess on Li Lingyue.
Li Dan let out a long breath and nervously gripped the jade disk. He anxiously asked, "Taiping sent you to see me. What does he want to say?"
Li Yi said, "Crown Prince, this servant cannot stay for long, so … I ask that the Crown Prince listen carefully to every word this servant says. If the Crown Prince does as the Princess says, there may be a chance of survival. If the Crown Prince continues to wait without doing anything, then … the Crown Prince is doomed! "
Li Dan's face paled even more. He trembled as if he was suffering from a disease. "Fine! Speak, speak quickly! "
… …
"Is there still no one?"
Lai Junchen clasped his hands behind his back as he slowly paced around the hall. Every word he spoke produced an echo effect in the empty hall. This made Lai Junchen feel as if he was high above the masses.
"It's fine if you don't speak, you murderous dogs who won't shed tears until you see the coffin! Someone, use the rod! "
The servants, who had just retreated with their punishment sticks, came up with another rod. These rods were five small round wooden rods, each with a tough and powerful rope wrapped around the top and bottom. When the five fingers of a person were inserted into the rods, the fingers could be firmly clamped down with force from both ends.
Lai Junchen stopped in front of an eunuch who was groaning in pain and lying on the ground. He said in a gloomy voice, "I have plenty of ways to wear you out, and I have even more time! If you obediently confess, you won't have to suffer this physical pain and may even be spared from death. Otherwise … "
He had already noticed that there were three people who couldn't bear the pain and were crying the loudest. The eunuch in front of him was one of them. As he spoke to this eunuch, he looked coldly at the other, causing the eunuch's face to turn ashen and his body to tremble.
The eunuch's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he lowered his head and didn't say anything. Lai Junchen smiled faintly. It was like a gust of cold wind gently brushing past his face. His smile quickly changed from a curved curve to a cold expression.
Lai Junfo lightly spat out two words. "Continue the torture!"
… …
"Crown Prince?"
The eunuchs and palace maids responsible for sweeping the courtyard were trembling with fear as they suddenly saw a person run out of the Crown Prince's palace. This person was wearing a small white robe, barefooted, and had disheveled hair. He looked like a madman and they couldn't help but stop in shock.
Upon closer inspection, they recognized that this person was the current Crown Prince, Li Dan. They couldn't help but be even more shocked. Li Dan's eyes were fixed on him. He ignored them and ran barefooted toward the palace gates.
"Crown Prince, please stop!"
Lan Yiqing suddenly appeared at the palace gates and raised his sword in front of him to block him.
Li Dan roared, "How dare you! How dare you block this prince! This prince is the current Crown Prince. If this prince wants to see the Emperor, who dares to block this prince's path?! "
Lan Yiqing's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. He leaned back a bit to prevent Li Dan's spittle from splashing onto his face. Lan Yiqing very politely said, "This humble subject is guarding the palace gates under the Emperor's orders. Without the Emperor's decree, no one is allowed to enter or leave. Please forgive me, Crown Prince!"
Li Dan suddenly burst into tears when he heard this. "I want to see the Emperor! I want to see Mother! Let me out … "
Lan Yiqing waved his hand. Two inner guards rushed out from the side of the door and dragged Li Dan back. Li Dan wailed, "You can't stop me! I want to see the Emperor! I want to see Mother! Mother, Mother, Dan 'er wants to see you … "
The two guards dragged Li Dan through the gates and threw him aside. Li Dan staggered to his feet and said in a sorrowful voice, "Fine, if you won't let me see Mother, then I … I'll die in front of you! Men, men, bring me the white silk! "
At this time, Gao Ying heard the news and rushed over. After listening to Lan Yiqing's brief introduction, she quickly dashed through the gates and said to Li Dan, "Crown Prince, we are only following orders. Please don't make things difficult for us. How about this, if the Crown Prince has anything to say, please tell this humble subject. This subject will report it to the Emperor on behalf of the Crown Prince. How about this? "
"I have nothing to say …"
Li Dan covered his face and collapsed to the ground in tears. Tears and snot flowed down his face as he said, "Li Dan only wishes to beg mother to abolish my position in the East Palace and demote me to a commoner. Li Dan has no other requests. I only wish to live a commoner's life and spend the rest of my life in the mountains. Mother, please grant my wish!"
After saying this, Li Dan knelt on the ground and began kowtowing in the direction of Wanxiang Divine Palace.
At this time, in a side hall of the Crown Prince's palace, a young eunuch said to Taichang Temple's musician An Jinzang, "Are you really willing to do this?"
Two days ago, An Jinzang had tearfully recited the late Crown Prince Li Xian's "Huang Tai Gua Ci" in front of Li Dan. Li Dan had ordered him to be beaten and had been recuperating here ever since. Hearing the young eunuch's words, An Jinzang excitedly crawled up and said, "I am willing! If I can use my lowly life to exchange for the Crown Prince's safety, even if I have to climb a mountain of knives or enter a sea of fire, I am willing to do it! "
The young eunuch said, "Good! Since that is the case, you … "
He lowered his voice and said a few words, his face revealing a very feminine and sweet smile. "After this is done, your parents and brothers, old and young, will be taken care of by that noble person. As long as that noble person is alive, your family will not have to worry about food or clothing!"
After saying this, he took out a shiny dagger from his boot and presented it to An Jinzang with both hands.
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
