Chapter 284: Military Coup Deposes the Crown Prince—Opened My Eyes

Zhao Mingqiao thrashed about like a cornered beast.

"Sir, I'm forced into this."

"Actually, whatever you intend to do has nothing to do with us jailers. But you use the Heavenly Prison as a refuge while mocking us—we're not without pride. Zhao my lord, I thought of you as a friend, but clearly I was deluding myself."

Chen Guanlou gave a self-deprecating laugh and left without hesitation. They were never on the same path; there was no need to cling to him—it only made him look pitiful.

"Chen Guanlou, you just want to know who ordered the troops to rebel, don't you? I'll tell you."

Zhao Mingqiao suddenly shouted out.

Chen Guanlou stopped walking, turned back, and looked at him. "You know? Or have all you disgraced officials already reached an unspoken understanding?"

"There's no unspoken understanding—only that I do know something. I'll tell you: the one who rebelled is the Crown Prince!"

Chen Guanlou first understood—it was indeed the Crown Prince. Then he paused—wait, that didn't make sense.

"Who are you trying to fool? How could the Crown Prince possibly mobilize the Divine Weapon Camp? Do you take me for an idiot?" Chen Guanlou sneered. If the Crown Prince had the power to seize military control, how could he have sunk to this state today?

"Who told you the Divine Weapon Camp came to the capital to rebel? Could it not be to suppress rebellion?"

"What?"

Chen Guanlou was stunned.

This time, he was truly shaken—these people were playing a massive game.

He rushed back to the prison gate in three strides. "Zhao my lord, explain clearly. The Heavenly Prison protects your safety; we should cooperate. Otherwise, if the jailers go mad, I can't guarantee what will happen. You don't want that, do you?"

Zhao Mingqiao sighed. Hearing Chen Guanlou call him "Zhao my lord " over and over, he felt a pang of melancholy. In his mind, Chen Guanlou was not quite a friend—just a companion he could talk to, an interesting man. In this year in the Heavenly Prison, he'd been spared hardship thanks to Chen's care.

Now, both sides deliberately kept their distance. The sense of familiarity was gone—only the cold formality remained: one a prisoner, one a jailer.

It was a pity.

But he had no desire to mend it.

Just for calling him a coward and a fool, he would hold onto that hatred. Maybe the anger would fade in three or five days—but those words, that moment, he would never forget.

After all, their positions differed, their ideals clashed—no need to force it.

"The appearance of the Divine Weapon Camp must have seemed incredible to you. The Emperor sits on the throne, the realm prospers—who else but that one person could possibly mobilize the Divine Weapon Camp?"

Zhao Mingqiao spoke slowly.

Chen Guanlou asked one question: "Did the Crown Prince really rebel?"

"In this situation, does it even matter whether the Crown Prince rebelled or not?"

Chen Guanlou frowned. "You said your master supports the legitimate line, and you all firmly back the Crown Prince. Now that chaos has erupted and the Crown Prince's life hangs by a thread, your master hides secretly in the Heavenly Prison—what's your stance? When survival is at stake, your principles mean nothing, don't they?"

Zhao Mingqiao's face darkened. "What did your master say?"

"Lu Mingchuan is an old fox—he gave me not one honest word, yet expected me to serve him like a beast of burden." Chen Guanlou laughed. "Were you all fooled by his sincere act? You're so easily deceived."

Zhao Mingqiao didn't argue. He brought the topic back. "This time, the Crown Prince is doomed. The old Emperor has gone mad—he's finally made up his mind."

"The old Emperor is rebelling against himself? You people really think big," Chen Guanlou mocked. He'd said it as a joke back at the watchtower—who knew it would come true?

"It's not that we thought big—it's that..."

"Is there no one in court who can stop it? No one who dares resist? Your master is a great Confucian scholar—can't he lift a finger?"

"According to my master, anyone who opposes will die." Zhao Mingqiao covered his face in pain—he had no face left to uphold his so-called principles.

Chen Guanlou was right—they were a pack of cowards.

"To depose the Crown Prince, does it require chaos in the capital? Isn't it just a decree?"

"You don't understand. Over half the civil and military officials in court support the Crown Prince's legitimacy. A decree to depose him? Ha—it won't even leave the Taiji Palace. No one will recognize it."

"So they had to use a military coup to depose the Crown Prince?" Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue. "I've only read about military coups killing emperors. This is the first time I've seen one to depose a Crown Prince. Truly opened my eyes!"

The cruel truth had crushed Zhao Mingqiao completely. He slumped onto the floor, ungraceful. "The Crown Prince is finished. His faction is finished too. This coup will claim countless lives. My master had no choice—please understand."

"I arranged jailers to eavesdrop on your conversations with Lu Mingchuan. They said you were merely exchanging scholarly ideas. Tell me—what secrets were hidden in your 'scholarly exchange'?"

Zhao Mingqiao laughed blankly. "A bunch of illiterate jailers—can't even read a single character. Of course they couldn't understand my talks with my master. They mistook them for scholarly exchange."

Chen Guanlou:...

Still suffered from not having read books.

Look—everyone mocks the jailers, treats them as fools, plays tricks right to their faces. Then afterward, they laugh bitterly: "Serves you right for not reading."

"Zhao my lord, do you know why the old Emperor suddenly decided to depose the Crown Prince by force? Why fabricate the illusion of rebellion? And if Lu Mingchuan got advance word, how could the Crown Prince have known nothing? Why did he make no move at all?"

Zhao Mingqiao sighed. "Even my master doesn't know what exactly happened in the palace. He only remembers: on New Year's Day, when ministers came to pay homage, the Emperor was half an hour late—and his face was grim. After that, the palace gates were sealed shut, cut off from the outside."

After the Lantern Festival, my master sensed something wrong. To be safe, he arranged for his family to leave the capital under the pretense of ancestral worship. This morning, he learned the Divine Weapon Camp had moved, just twenty li from the city. At the same time, he learned the palace gates were wide open—and the palace guards had vanished. He knew something was terribly wrong.

Entering the palace meant certain death—it was a trap. My master is too famous to remain uninvolved. He had no choice but to come here to hide. All of this was forced. As for the Crown Prince... ah, I only pray the old Emperor still remembers father-son affection and doesn't go too far."

After speaking all this, Zhao Mingqiao seemed to have used up every ounce of strength. His spirit drained instantly—he looked ten years older. He was lost, broken, barely a step from wanting to die. If pushed further, he might well choose suicide without hesitation.

Chen Guanlou didn't press him. "These are just your and Lu Mingchuan's version. I'll find out the truth by any means."

"Please find out the Crown Prince's current state. If you hear anything, let me know." A glimmer of hope appeared in Zhao Mingqiao's eyes.