Chapter 297: One Radical, One Giving Up

The Grade A prison was filled with crying.

When the imprisoned officials in the prison learned the news that the Crown Prince had been deposed, some people wailed on the spot. One person cried, two people cried, three people cried...

The crying seemed to be contagious.

In the end, everyone was crying.

There were those who were hoarse, and there were those who shed silent tears.

All the imprisoned officials were mourning for the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince hadn't died, but the spiritual expectation and ideal pinned on the Crown Prince had died completely today. The Crown Prince being deposed meant the end of an era, an era that died so suddenly that people didn't even have time to prepare.

What loyalty, benevolence, and filial piety—they had read books for decades, and the result was just deposing the Crown Prince like this.

What fault did the Crown Prince have?

Why should he be deposed?

Just because the old Emperor didn't like him?

Whether the old Emperor liked him or not was useless; the Crown Prince wasn't a toy. The Crown Prince was the foundation of the country, order, inheritance, ideals, and hope. Regardless of whether the old Emperor liked him or not, as a person, as the spiritual symbol of the dynasty, the Crown Prince should have sat firmly in the Donggong, instead of being deposed by the old Emperor's selfish desire.

"It's chaotic! Completely chaotic!"

"With a muddled ruler in power, the sky of Great Gan is going to perish!"

"The Crown Prince's crime doesn't deserve this; the old Emperor deserves to die! Even if my nine clans are executed, I must say it: Emperor Taixing deserves to die!"

"The civil and military officials of the current court all deserve to die. How could they allow the Crown Prince to be deposed? How could this decree be issued to the world through the Political Affairs Hall?"

"Everyone is a sinner! The officials of the current court, counting one by one, are all sinners!"

"So what if there is a military mutiny? No matter how mad the old Emperor is, he can't kill all the officials. With the courage to die a hundred or a thousand times, I don't believe the old Emperor dares to insist on deposing the Crown Prince."

"Woo woo woo... why not persist a little longer, why choose to compromise in just a few days."

"From Li Liangcheng down, everyone deserves to die; there isn't one who is innocent. Zhao Mingqiao, where is your teacher, why didn't your teacher die, why was the Crown Prince deposed?"

The imprisoned officials shouted at the top of their lungs, cursing Lu Mingchuan, and Zhao Mingqiao was caught in the crossfire.

Zhao Mingqiao was currently lying on the straw pile without any image, imagining himself as a dehydrated fish, on the verge of death. For a moment, he really wished he could die; if he died, everything would be over, and he wouldn't have to bear this pain.

But he couldn't die yet!

The Crown Prince was deposed, people's hearts were scattered, the north was not peaceful, rebels were rising everywhere... Inside and outside the court, there were internal and external troubles. This world, I fear, was not far from great chaos.

As a scholar, it was my duty.

He clenched his fists; he had to go out, he had to realize his ambitions.

When Chen Guanlou arrived in front of the cell door, he saw the anger and hatred in Zhao Mingqiao's eyes; it was the hatred of a desperate gamble.

He was very curious.

So he asked: "Who are you hating?"

"Hating those who should be hated; they all deserve to die."

Who deserves to die?

This wasn't Zhao Mingqiao's former style.

Master Zhao was always righteous and wanted to convince people with reason. However, at this moment, Chen Guanlou saw a Master Zhao who was like a martial artist.

"Prison Clerk Chen, I want to go out; how should I operate?"

Chen Guanlou stared at him. "Are you alright? If your body is unwell, I'll have the physician check you."

"I'm fine, I'm very good! I must go out; is there any way?"

"The Crown Prince is deposed; next, I estimate there will be a large number of officials thrown into prison. The cells are limited, and the Ministry of Justice will definitely release a portion of the imprisoned officials at their discretion. I will strive to put your name on the release list, but it still requires your teacher to exert effort there; if you should spend money, don't be stingy, and if you should walk the relationship, you must walk it. However, I offended your teacher before, and your teacher might not be willing to see me."

"No matter, I will write a few letters, and you help me send them out. Whether I can go out or not, leave it to fate."

Zhao Mingqiao became decisive and did things cleanly.

Although Chen Guanlou was suspicious, he still ordered someone to bring the four treasures of the study.

Zhao Mingqiao wrote four letters in a row, put them into envelopes and sealed them, and then handed them to Chen Guanlou. "Trouble Prison Clerk Chen to help send them."

"Small matter. You... are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. Continuing to stay in the Heavenly Prison is a waste of youth. I should be shining in the court."

Chen Guanlou breathed a sigh of relief; this was the Zhao Mingqiao he knew, always hanging righteousness and ideals on his lips, a firm idealist. Before, he thought Zhao Mingqiao had changed his nature and become a realist.

It is hard to change one's nature; this saying is a classic.

The Crown Prince was deposed, renamed Prince Zhong, and ordered to move out of the Donggong within half a month and move into the Prince Zhong Mansion in the city.

It was called Prince Zhong Mansion, but it was actually a three-road, three-entry residence that had been under the name of the Lesser Palace and hadn't been lived in. The courtyard was slightly dilapidated. The residence suddenly became Prince Zhong Mansion, and the Lesser Palace hurriedly sent people to clean it up, doing the surface work first, and details would be discussed later.

This residence, compared to a proper Prince's mansion, was so shabby that it was unbearable to look at.

Even Right Prime Minister Wu Dashou muttered a few words in front of the old Emperor. "Too harsh, I fear it will cause criticism!"

"However, there is no suitable residence right now. For now, it is just a transition. Afterward, I will naturally allocate funds for Prince Zhong to build another Prince's mansion that meets the regulations." Qiu Defu became a mouthpiece, explaining for the old Emperor.

Some things, the old Emperor did, and he himself understood in his heart that it wasn't done properly, and he was ashamed to speak. He could only let Qiu Defu, this Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace, speak for him, make up for it, and cover his face.

Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng snorted coldly. "No matter what, he shouldn't be treated so harshly. As far as I know, there are several large mansions under the name of the Lesser Palace, all obtained from confiscation. Just change them a little, and they can be used as ready-made Prince's mansions. Your Majesty, you have already deposed him, so don't be harsh on him in terms of material things, so as not to chill the hearts of the people of the world. He is, after all, the child you raised with your own hands, your eldest legitimate son. No matter how big the mistake, deposing the Crown Prince's status is enough; he shouldn't be wronged like this."

"Do you think I want to do this?"

The old Emperor suddenly erupted in anger, throwing the whisk in his hand directly.

"Do you know what this rebellious child is doing? He is still fasting! He is using fasting to force me, wanting me to bear the name of killing my son. I ask myself, I haven't treated him harshly. But him? He is repeatedly forcing his father. Is this the duty of a son?"

"Prince Zhong has no major faults, yet he was deposed; what does Your Majesty want him to do? Does he want him to accept the fact of being deposed happily? He has been Crown Prince for thirty or forty years, almost since he understood things, he was the Crown Prince. Deposed in one day, at a loss, panicked, can't Your Majesty show some understanding? Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs; how cruel Your Majesty is."

Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng directly gave up; he could be said to be saying whatever he caught.

He didn't care anymore.

As the Left Prime Minister of the current dynasty, he would definitely be nailed to the shame pillar of history, cursed by the people of the world, and cursed by future generations. He was the most incompetent Left Prime Minister in the three hundred years of the dynasty, unable to stop the old Emperor's military mutiny, and unable to stop the old Emperor from deposing the Crown Prince.

He, this Left Prime Minister, was so unsuccessful.

Anyway, the Crown Prince had been deposed, and he had nothing to care about.

If the old Emperor couldn't stand it, he would just dismiss him. If that wasn't enough to vent his anger, then behead him. Anyway, the old Emperor hadn't beheaded fewer officials. ===== CHAPTER 298 =====