Chapter 507
Prince Cheng saw the Empress Dowager and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He raised his hand to dismiss the two squads of guards who had followed him in, then greeted the Empress Dowager with a hint of a smile that did not reach his eyes, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect. "How fortunate that the Imperial Sister-in-law has arrived!"
The Empress Dowager was his elder sister-in-law, and now, technically, his elder as well.
Because of the Late Empress, Prince Cheng had never held Empress Dowager Jiang in much regard. When the late Emperor and the Late Empress were still alive, this woman Jiang had merely been a favoured consort of the emperor.
Thanks to the late Emperor's favour, aside from the deceased Empress and her son, who in the imperial harem was not overshadowed by mother and son alike?
She had never been a mentor to Prince Cheng, nor did he owe her any filial deference.
The Empress Dowager did not even glance at him. She walked straight toward the dragon couch.
Gan Sheng upon the couch saw his mother and his eyes suddenly reddened. His throat worked several times, like a drowning man finally seizing a piece of driftwood. In a hoarse voice he called out, "Mother..."
The Empress Dowager sat down at the edge of the couch and reached out to grasp Gan Sheng's withered hand. It was icy to the touch, his knuckles stiff, like gripping a bundle of dry firewood.
Her own eyes reddened as well, but she forced herself not to weep. She simply pressed her son's hand tightly within both of hers, as if she could pour her life into him that way.
"Mother is here," she said softly, her voice as steady as a mountain. "Don't be afraid, Sheng'er."
Then she slowly turned her head, her gaze like a blade, cutting toward Prince Cheng, who was watching their display of mother-son affection with that faintly mocking smile.
Prince Cheng, the late Emperor treated you well. After ascending the throne, His Majesty did not make things difficult for you either—he entrusted you with important responsibilities, enfeoffed you as a prince of the first rank, and granted you military command. Is this how you repay us, mother and son?
The Empress Dowager's voice was not loud, but every word carried the weight of a thousand pounds, each syllable forced out between clenched teeth. "The Emperor is still alive, and you, his uncle, do not think of helping us hold the Gan family's realm, but instead conspire with outsiders to force the palace at this moment—is it not a little too hasty?"
Prince Cheng's expression did not change. He merely rotated the sword resting on the ground slightly in his grip. "You speak too harshly, Imperial Sister-in-law. What I do, I do for the sake of my Gan family's domain and ancestral legacy!"
"Domain and ancestral legacy?" The Empress Dowager let out a cold laugh, dripping with scorn. "You dare to speak of such words? You lost two cities on the northern front! Those were cities founded by our ancestors—did you hold them? You shrank from battle and lost them, and for that, you are a sinner of the Southern Yue!"
The Empress Dowager slapped the edge of the bed in fury. "When the court ordered you to fight to the death, you paid lip service and did otherwise. When it came to taxes, you withheld them for your own use. Do you think I don't know?"
"Now you see the Emperor gravely ill, and you cannot wait to abandon Jialing City, rushing back to seize your nephew's throne! Prince Cheng, your scrambling is far too ugly to watch!"
Prince Cheng's face finally darkened. He had never liked this Consort Jiang, so favoured by his elder brother. After the Crown Prince died and the Empress followed, this woman's son had taken the throne, she had become Empress Dowager, and in due course, an elder to the imperial kin.
Now being lectured by her before the entire court, even with his deep scheming and broad mind, his composure cracked.
"Imperial Sister-in-law," his voice turned cold, "I respect you as Empress Dowager, as my elder, but I bid you choose your words carefully!
Calling me a coward who shrinks from battle? A sinner of Southern Yue? On the northern front I fought against the Dayan army—has the court any idea how far their weaponry has advanced?
Their firearms make my Southern Yue soldiers nothing but cannon fodder! Have any of you seen that?"
He cast a cold glance at Gan Sheng on the bed. "Why did Dayan send troops against Southern Yue? It is because of your fine son, our beloved Emperor, who laid hands on someone he should not have!
When he harboured improper thoughts toward that Goddess, he should have foreseen the consequences.
To blaspheme a deity is to invite Heaven's wrath!"
He stepped forward, his armour clanking, and his voice suddenly rose. "Drought not yet ended, and now floods! All because of the Emperor's lack of virtue!"
With one stroke he nailed Gan Sheng in place. If what Prince Cheng said were true, not only would Gan Sheng have to yield the realm to him, but even after death he would earn no good reputation—at best, a posthumous name of ill repute.
A man's legacy before and after death—how could the Empress Dowager and Gan Sheng bear that?
"Prince Cheng! All five nations suffer from drought. Why blame the emperor alone? She tried to bind that girl of Dayan, but only acting on rumours—she did it for the sake of Southern Yue's people! What crime is that?
You say all this now, but it is nothing more than an excuse for your seizure of the throne!
And the heavy rains have not yet come—the floods have not yet happened. Yet you are so certain in the words of a little girl from Dayan—aren't you inviting mockery?"
[Master, this Empress Dowager simply will not be convinced until disaster hits! Wait till the rain comes in three days—then she'll have something to cry about!]
"Little Pearl, whether she believes is not important. What matters is that the inaction of Southern Yue's court officials in this matter—we should help spread word of it far and wide!"
Feng Tang's eyes lit up. The Grand Tutor was thinking of a war of public opinion—to sow discord among the people of Southern Yue, so that when Dayan conquered them, winning over the hearts of the people might go more smoothly!
Not to mention that at the very least, the people of both nations shared one thing in common: belief in the Goddess.
If Yue Fuguang knew what Feng Tang was thinking at this moment, he would surely be astonished—this fellow's mind turned faster than anyone's!
"Imperial Sister-in-law says Lady Yue's warning is a joke?" Prince Cheng took a deep breath, tamping down his surging emotions. His gaze swept over the Empress Dowager, over Gan Sheng, over every cowering figure in the hall.
"Is that how all of you think? Is that why you wouldn't let the people leave the city? What if there really is heavy rain in three days?
What if the rain lasts a full month—what will you do then? Do you have any plan?"
"Well..." The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were silent. Li Jie and the other officials exchanged glances. All their policies had been made to cope with drought. As for flooding, they did not entirely disbelieve it, but any suggestion of preparing for it had been shot down by the Empress Dowager herself.
They understood how she thought. If they acknowledged Lady Yue's words, they would be confirming the rumor that the Emperor had lost Heaven's favour and brought disasters upon the people.
Still, as for suppressing the commoners and refugees, they had their methods.
Prince Cheng saw the looks on their faces and gave a derisive snort. His voice returned to calm, but it was colder than ever. "Imperial Sister-in-law, I will not argue with you. Whether the floods come, we will know in three days.
But what happens here today is already settled. If Your Majesty can bow to Heaven's will and the people's hearts, I will act with all due courtesy. If not..."
He did not finish the sentence, but his hand went to the hilt of his sword.
The Empress Dowager rose to her feet abruptly. Her neatly arranged hair came loose at the edges from the sudden movement, but she paid it no mind. She straightened her back and glared at Prince Cheng. "If not, then what? Kill me? Kill the Emperor? Kill the Crown Prince? And then kill every last minister?"
She drew everyone to her side with one sentence. "And then what? The voices of all under heaven—can you silence them? The historians with their upright brushes—can you blot them out? Prince Cheng, even if you sit on that throne, you will still be a traitor and usurper!
For a thousand generations, the histories will record what you did this day! Your descendants will remember that you stole the throne from your nephew!"
These words rang out with force, startling the entire court. Li Jie, Zhou Wenbi, and the others felt their blood surge, and a few young officials could not help but straighten their backs.