Chapter 615: The Returned Posthumous Honor 3
"Your Majesty, it is truly improper for Ye Qianning to be interred in the imperial tomb. I implore you to retract the decree," Dean Chen said bluntly.
The Beili Emperor’s brow furrowed. "To be interred in the imperial tomb with the rites of the Imperial Family is a posthumous conferment of the highest glory. What is improper about it?"
"Ye Qianning was in the Capital City for only a few months and has not even been officially entered into a clan. Burying her in the imperial tomb is against protocol. Furthermore, what Your Majesty should be doing now is severely punishing the one who assassinated her," Dean Chen stated.
"It’s just a matter of the clan registry. We can simply have the Xiang Clan Leader add her name to it. I held that child in high regard. She couldn’t enter the Imperial Family in life, so if she enters the imperial tomb in death, it means her time on this earth wasn’t for nothing." The Beili Emperor believed that being buried in the imperial tomb was a blessing a commoner couldn’t hope for in several lifetimes.
"Your Majesty, Ye Qianning is not blessed enough to enter the imperial tomb. Please, retract your command." Zhan Yi, who was already filled with a simmering rage, felt his anger flare at those words.
’Her time on this earth wasn’t for nothing?’
’Hah. If the imperial tomb is so wonderful, why don’t you go there now?’
"Old Master Zhan, don’t be so quick to refuse. She saved the Eighth Prince, so she has earned such an honor."
"Your Majesty, how could a dead person possibly care about honors? If you truly wish for that child to rest in peace, then kill her murderer and avenge her! I have already investigated the events on Four-direction Mountain and found out everything. Your Majesty should know it all as well. So why is the person who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the nation still standing here, perfectly unharmed?" Qian Fu stepped forward.
"Ah, Qian Fu, this matter is not as simple as it appears. Princess East Shu deceived Consort Yuan; the Consort only had good intentions and didn’t expect to be caught in a scheme. I have already punished her severely. As for Yuan Yintang, he mistakenly believed that people were abducting the Eighth Prince, which is why he struck to kill. Although he was at fault, his crime is not punishable by death. I am also deeply saddened by Ye Qianning’s death, which is precisely why I have posthumously honored her with interment in the imperial tomb." The Beili Emperor’s speech was undoubtedly testing the patience of the men before him.
"Your Majesty, Ye Qianning will not be interred in the imperial tomb. She will be entered into the Zhan family’s records as my eldest granddaughter and have her tablet placed in our ancestral hall." Zhan Yi could no longer hold back.
"Nonsense! How could she be entered into the Zhan family?" the Beili Emperor snapped.
"If not the Zhan family, then she will be buried in the Qian family’s ancestral tomb," Qian Fu said coldly.
The Beili Emperor’s gaze shifted, and he stared intently at Qian Fu. "How can one child be buried in several ancestral tombs? Stop this foolishness. The imperial decree has been issued. Tomorrow, I will send palace attendants to the General’s manor to handle the preparations."
"Your Majesty, no one has accepted the imperial decree," Dean Chen said, looking back.
Mr. Li immediately stepped forward, holding the imperial decree.
The moment the Beili Emperor saw the imperial decree, his expression froze for several seconds before twisting into rage. He slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "How dare you!"
’These old fools actually dared to return the imperial decree.’
’Despicable!’
"Your Majesty, General Xiang is not at his manor, so I cannot accept this decree," Dean Chen said.
"You had better explain yourselves clearly, or I will charge you with the crime of defying an imperial edict."
"Your Majesty, Ye Qianning could be entered into the Zhan family, the Qian family, the Gu family, or the Xiang family. The one place she cannot enter is the imperial tomb."
"And why is that?"
"Because she wouldn’t want it."
"Wouldn’t want it?"
"Correct. My little apprentice loved being free and unrestrained. A place like the imperial tomb isn’t suitable for her. She had no interest in glorious status, and she especially disliked the title of Crown Princess Consort," Dean Chen said plainly.
Naturally, these words made the Beili Emperor’s expression turn exceedingly grim.
It was, in other words, a form of mockery: what the Emperor considered a glorious honor and a gracious gift was utterly worthless in their eyes.
"That little girl’s spirit in the heavens would surely want to be with the Zhan family," Zhan Yi said, his voice thick with emotion as he sniffled.
"The Zhan family, the Qian family, the Gu family... there’s no need to argue. My little apprentice would certainly want to be with the Xiang family." Though Dean Chen hadn’t known his apprentice for long, he understood her personality well.
"Why the Xiang family?" Zhan Yi demanded, his eyes red with indignation.
Qian Fu remained silent.
The Beili Emperor’s expression became darker than ever.
"Zhan Yi, think about Xiang Minghou. Everyone has witnessed the bond between that father and his daughter. When he learns what happened to his child, do you think he won’t be driven mad with grief?"
The anger on Zhan Yi’s face faltered. His lips trembled slightly, and ultimately, he couldn’t utter a word.
"Indeed. It is most fitting for the child to be part of the Xiang family," Qian Fu agreed with a nod.
Zhan Yi argued no more.
"What do you think, Your Majesty?" Dean Chen asked, turning to the Beili Emperor.
The Beili Emperor watched the three of them act in perfect unison, thoroughly infuriated.
"Your Majesty, I have already sent a letter to Xiang Minghou. If you still wish to issue this decree, it would be best to wait for his return," Qian Fu said.
"I already issued a decree to suppress this matter. By sending him a letter at a time like this, are you not trying to sow chaos in his army’s morale?" the Beili Emperor rebuked in a low voice.
"This was Xiang Minghou’s only daughter, a child he cherished to his very bones. Now that she’s dead, were you planning on not even telling him? Not even letting him see her one last time?"
"I am granting her a grand burial precisely on account of Xiang Minghou’s meritorious service! Otherwise, do you really think a girl from the countryside could be worthy of the Crown Prince? Worthy of entering the imperial tomb?"
"The imperial tomb may be a great honor in Your Majesty’s eyes, but it is not so in the eyes of others. Even if she were not to join any of our families, it still wouldn’t be her turn to enter the imperial tomb. When a person dies, they return to their roots. That is an immutable principle," Dean Chen said.
"I said she will be interred in the imperial tomb, so she will be interred in the imperial tomb! If you, my old teacher, refuse to accept this decree today, then someone in the General’s manor will. I refuse to believe the entire household of the General would dare to defy an imperial edict!"
"I will never allow my little apprentice to enter the imperial tomb," Dean Chen said, his expression cold and resolute.
The Beili Emperor glared at him furiously. "Teacher, do you also intend to defy my decree?"
"In my life, I have seen too many things. There were many injustices I could have stopped, but out of fear of power, I chose to look the other way. It is only now, at my age, that I have finally had an awakening: one must fight against injustice. Your Majesty has glossed over the events on Four-direction Mountain. Consort Yuan colluded with East Shu—a heavenly crime—yet Your Majesty turns a blind eye. Is that to say colluding with the enemy and betraying Beili is not a serious offense?" Before the Emperor could erupt in fury, Dean Chen went on, "If that is the case, then perhaps I, too, should emulate Consort Yuan. If treason goes unpunished, then the millions of people in Beili will follow her example for their own benefit. When that day comes, we will have to ask Your Majesty to look the other way, as they will all be acting for survival and profit—and thus, be just as forgivable as Consort Yuan."
"Years ago, merely because of some baseless letters, Your Majesty nearly annihilated my entire Qian family. Have you forgotten, Your Majesty? And now, when it comes to a high consort, the evidence is irrefutable, yet you turn a deaf ear? You’re even using the posthumous honor for the General’s young daughter as a shield to cover up these crimes. Do you truly believe anyone will accept this decree?" Qian Fu’s voice was so loud it sounded deafening even to those standing outside the door.
Outside the door, when Consort Yuan first heard the reason for Dean Chen’s group coming to the palace, she was secretly delighted. Their wish for Ye Qianning not to be interred in the imperial tomb perfectly suited her own desires.
But upon hearing what came next, her expression gradually turned cold.
Sang Qi, standing beside her with his fists clenched, looked up at Consort Yuan. "Mother, is what they are saying true?"
The distorted look on Consort Yuan’s face vanished the moment she heard his voice. She turned to him and said, "Why did you follow me here? Didn’t I tell you to return to the Eastern Palace?"