"Bullshit! Lord Zhang and Lord Zhao of the Ministry of War, Lord Xie and Lord Li of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Chen and Lord Shen of the Ministry of Personnel, Lord Lu and Lord Huang … they're all there, celebrating the Lower Prime Festival with the Fourth Prince. There's also the Protector-Generals of the border. They're all supporting the Fourth Prince's succession. I just attended a gathering there and saw it with my own eyes …"
Yang Chao loudly said.
"Buzz!"
As soon as Yang Chao's voice fell, the entire restaurant fell into a deathly silence. All sounds disappeared without a trace, and even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. It was as if they had suddenly moved from the crowded downtown to the remote wilderness. Countless gazes focused on Yang Chao, all of them brimming with deep shock.
At almost the same time, Yang Chao realized that he had spoken indiscreetly, but it was already too late. Sensing the shocked gazes from all around him, Yang Chao's heart chilled to the extreme. It was also at this moment that Yang Chao finally realized where he was.
This was the most famous restaurant in the capital, Green Cloud Restaurant. Gathered in this restaurant were almost half the officials of the court: the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Punishments, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works. Almost all the officials of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works were present. Even the Imperial Censor He Zhang was present. His eyes were fixed on Yang Chao, his face as grim as water.
"It's over!"
At this moment, Yang Chao's heart sank, his face ashen.
… …
Rumble!
Like a massive boulder falling into a lake, the incident at Green Cloud Restaurant sent a massive wave through the capital. On the morning of the next day, the Imperial Censor He Zhang submitted a memorial to the court, impeaching Yang Chao. And Yang Chao's words at Green Cloud Restaurant sent a massive shock through the Imperial Court.
A prince of the Tang dynasty had privately invited the ministers of the court to a banquet and colluded with a Great General of the border. This was a major taboo at any time.
Before the morning court session had even ended, Yang Chao had already been arrested and imprisoned. But all this was only the beginning. No one could have imagined what sort of shock and impact the incident at Green Cloud Restaurant would cause in the future.
And at Green Cloud Restaurant, nearly half the people of the court had personally heard Yang Chao's every word. This was the most fatal fact, and it had also completely corroborated Yang Chao's crimes.
The princes of the Tang dynasty privately invited the ministers of the court to a banquet and colluded with the generals of the frontier, which was a big taboo at any time.
Before the morning court session was over, Yang Chao had already been arrested and thrown into prison. However, this was just the beginning. No one knew how big of a storm it would cause in the Tang dynasty.
"In the name of offering sacrifices to the wise sages and the Three Great Emperors during the Lantern Festival, the Fourth Prince invited his henchmen from the court to gather together. These people are spread throughout the Six Ministries and deeply rooted in all the departments. Moreover, in order to nurture his own wings, the Fourth Prince even roped in the various Great Generals of the border: Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi, Qixi Protector-General Fomonlința, Beiting Protector-General An Sishun, Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han … The Fourth Prince wrote letters to almost all the Hu Protector-Generals and Great Generals of the empire, inviting them to join him and help him ascend to the throne."
The things that Yang Chao had confessed in the imperial prison on that night quickly set off an unprecedented storm in the Imperial Court.
There was nothing strange about the Fourth Prince inviting his trusted aides and henchmen to a banquet. Although this was not in accordance with the laws of the Imperial Court and had always been forbidden by the Holy Emperor, the War of the Princes had always been about each side using their own methods. Whoever was more capable would ascend to the throne.
Hadn't the Holy Emperor also secretly roped in his own henchmen when he was still a prince?
But this was not the crux of the matter. It was the names that Yang Chao had confessed. Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi, Qixi Protector-General Fomonlința, Beiting Protector-General An Sishun, Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han. Each of these names was like the sun at high noon, holding an influential position in the Tang dynasty. Moreover, they were true soldiers, Great Generals with military authority.
If any of these people's names appeared on the list of confessions, it would be a huge matter. And these were four of the most elite Hu Great Generals of the empire.
Rumble!
It was as if a bolt of lightning crashed down. This time, even the Holy Emperor was startled, his thunderous rage raging.
On the second day after Yang Chao was arrested, Zhang Xian and Zhao You of the Bureau of Military Personnel, Xie Xie and Li Chang of the Bureau of Revenue, Chen Bian and Shen Xin of the Bureau of Personnel … all the civil and military officials who had attended the Fourth Prince's banquet on the day of the Lower Prime Festival were arrested and thrown into prison. Moreover, the Imperial Army was personally dispatched, and the chief eunuch of the court was personally supervising.
However, everyone knew that this storm was far from over.
"Damn it! This Yang Chao can't do anything right, but he's more than capable of ruining things. If I had known, I wouldn't have invited him. I was too careless! This bastard ate wine so carelessly that he brought about today's disaster. His death is truly not to be regretted! "
In the Xueyang Palace, a middle-aged scholar who seemed to be an advisor to the Fourth Prince had a furious expression on his face as he cursed. If looks could kill, Yang Chao would have died many times over in the imperial prison.
"Enough!"
The Fourth Prince bellowed in a low voice, stopping the middle-aged scholar. Compared to the indignation of his advisor, the Fourth Prince was much calmer and more composed. However, his ashen face and gloomy eyes revealed his true thoughts. More and more details about Yang Chao's matter were revealed. Although Yang Chao had leaked the information in order to defend himself, it was meaningless to the Fourth Prince.
"Has everything been taken care of?"
"Your Highness, everything has been taken care of on the night of Yang Chao's arrest. All evidence that would be detrimental to Your Highness has already been disposed of. Even the most crucial letter from Fomonlința was torn to shreds by Your Highness. We collected the fragments and burned them to ashes to prevent those people from the Shi Residence from collecting the fragments and putting them back together. "
The middle-aged scholar who seemed to be an advisor lowered his head.
"Mm."
The Fourth Prince nodded, and his expression immediately became much better.
"As long as there is no conclusive evidence, no matter how the officials in the court make groundless accusations or how the censors impeach me, Imperial Father will not be able to convict me based on this. However, if we let them find conclusive evidence, then we really won't have any chance. "
With these last words, the Fourth Prince's expression became much more solemn and desolate, revealing the true worry in his heart.
Calamity had fallen from the sky, and he had never expected the Verdant Cloud Pavilion incident. But as a prince, he could not leave, could not escape, and could not even walk out of the Imperial Palace. Not only that, but he also had to pretend to be calm as usual and not show anything. The more dangerous the situation, the more he could not panic.
"Your Highness, be at ease. Everything will be fine."
The middle-aged scholar who seemed to be an advisor had a gloomy expression as he softly consoled. With the support of the Protector-General and the officials, he had been brimming with ambition and satisfaction. No one could have imagined that the situation would suddenly take a turn for the worse, plunging him into the depths of the abyss.
Hiss!
The Fourth Prince took in a deep breath and quickly calmed himself down. He had never been one to wallow in self-pity, and even now, he had not given up on resisting.
"Imperial Father has already placed me under house arrest, and Yang Chao's words carry little weight. No matter what he says, his words alone aren't enough to convince Imperial Father, and Imperial Father won't really imprison me. But once Zhang Xian and Zhao You obtain more information, everything will be different. Imperial Father will probably imprison me in the imperial prison very soon. Send a letter to Fomonlința and tell him that the letter has been taken care of. When the time comes, no matter what happens in the court, he will have to shirk responsibility and keep him in the dark. In addition, once this storm is over, wait for me to come out again. The agreement between the two of us still stands. I hope that he will also abide by the promise between us. "
The Fourth Prince sternly said.
"Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate will do it right away. "
The middle-aged scholar respectfully said.
Even though the Fourth Prince was currently restricted from entering and leaving, he still had some power after such a long period of time. It wasn't a problem to just send some letters. Next, the Fourth Prince gave many more instructions. It was a crucial moment, and he had to win the greatest chance of survival for himself.
"Step aside!"
"The Holy Emperor has ordered for the Fourth Prince to be invited …"
And in almost the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a loud noise suddenly came from outside, and the clanging of footsteps could be heard rapidly in the direction of the Xueyang Palace. Hearing that sound, the Fourth Prince's and the middle-aged scholar's expressions changed drastically.
"Go!"
The Fourth Prince pushed the middle-aged scholar, and almost a moment later, with a rumble, the door opened, and a group of fully-armed royal guards walked in with a gust of cold wind.
"Fourth Prince, please!"
…
"Boom!"
Following the Fourth Prince's arrest and imprisonment, the influence of the Xueyang Palace incident during the Lower Lantern Festival quickly spread and reached its peak. All those who had participated in the Fourth Prince's Lower Lantern Festival banquet had been arrested and brought to trial by the Imperial Clan Court, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Bureau of Punishments. In addition, several princes of the court were also supervising them.
Not only that, even Eunuch Gao, who had always been by the Holy Emperor's side, had been sent to investigate the case. One could easily imagine the severity of the matter.
And with the confessions of Zhang Xian and Zhao You from the Bureau of Military Personnel, the matter began to ferment even further. One thing was already certain.
In order to nurture his own wings to contend against the First Prince and Second Prince, who had the support of many important officials in the court, the Fourth Prince had made a brilliant move. He had tried to rope in the Hu Protector-Generals and generals at the border, these powerful and influential Hu officials who wielded military authority.
Moreover, according to Zhang Xian's confession, the Fourth Prince had obtained the allegiance of one or several Hu Protector-Generals and a large number of Hu generals on the border. In addition, he had also obtained letters of allegiance signed by them, declaring that they would do their best to assist the Fourth Prince in ascending to the throne.
If it was Yang Chao's words, then he was just spouting nonsense. After all, this matter involved a noble prince of the palace, so it wasn't up to him to make irresponsible remarks alone. But the confessions of Zhang Xian, Zhao You, and the other important members of the Six Bureaus had a completely different effect on the matter.
The Fourth Prince had colluded with the Hu Great Generals on the border in an attempt to rebel. At this point, it was no longer just Yang Chao's confession.
"Bastard!"
When this news came out, the Holy Emperor, who had yet to express his stance, flew into a rage. With a boom, the entire political scene of the empire experienced an unprecedented earthquake. In a single day, twelve decrees from the Holy Emperor were sent to Beiting, Anxi, Qixi, and Longxi, requesting that the four Protector-Generals come to the capital to explain themselves.
At this point, the Holy Emperor's rage had reached an unprecedented level.
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