Chapter 24: Secret Edict

Ninth Prince handed the matter of the ice to the young eunuch Ali, then ran sobbing to Minister Mei, slammed to his knees, and crawled alongside him in prostration.

As the two crawled on their knees, the area around them happened to be empty, so Ninth Prince seized the chance to consult Minister Mei on a matter.

He had long planned this, but had never found an opportunity to speak with Minister Mei; now that the chance had come, he hurriedly asked.

“Before His Majesty passed away, he consumed the pills you presented—do you know about this?” Ninth Prince asked, voice trembling with sobs.

At these words, Minister Mei’s heart leapt to his throat.

He knew Ninth Prince intended to pin the Emperor’s death on him, making him the scapegoat.

Minister Mei wailed even more bitterly, crying out: “Your Majesty... your servant deserves death a thousand times over... a thousand times over!”

“Those pills of yours...”

Ninth Prince continued sobbing: “I myself presented them to His Majesty—if the court investigates, neither of us can escape blame... waaah!” Ninth Prince’s words sent chills through Minister Mei; he knew this was a threat.

Minister Mei quickly grasped the implication, his heart a storm of conflicting emotions—he simply did not know what to do.

So he wept and asked: “Then... what advice does Eunuch Jiu have?”

“Before His Majesty passed, he left no imperial edict...”

Ninth Prince continued: “His Majesty had long intended... to depose the Crown Prince and replace him with Prince Liang, son of Noble Consort Ning!”

Upon hearing Ninth Prince’s words, Minister Mei instantly understood his intent.

“Wait!” Minister Mei suddenly stopped crying and asked timidly: “You mean to... depose the old and install the new!”

Ninth Prince also fell silent, answering in a hushed tone: “For years, all of His Majesty’s edicts and imperial decrees were written by us, the Imperial Secretaries; the imperial seal is in the hands of the Chief Eunuch; I shall return at once to ‘search’—within half an hour... I shall retrieve the secret edict!”

Minister Mei immediately understood; facing death with no other path, he was now fully under Ninth Prince’s control—with no choice left.

He resolved to take the desperate risk and join Ninth Prince in staging a deposition and enthronement!

Minister Mei knew,

“Can you guarantee... you’ll find the secret edict?” Minister Mei asked.

“Rest assured, I’ll find it!” Ninth Prince patted his chest, swearing: “Drafting edicts? I know every detail—absolutely foolproof.”

Minister Mei: “Then good—go fetch the secret edict at once; as for the Crown Prince, I’ll buy time!”

With that, the two parted ways. Minister Mei resumed crawling and wailing, sobbing his way into Lingxia Palace. Ninth Prince rose and immediately headed straight for the Imperial Study to “retrieve” the secret edict.

After crawling into Lingxia Palace, Minister Mei knelt beside the Crown Prince and Minister He, prostrate before the imperial bed, weeping bitterly.

Though Minister Mei had long planned his scheme, seeing the Crown Prince and Minister He weep so pitifully, he felt a pang of sorrow.

Soon after, Minister Tu arrived, followed by ministers, vice-ministers, censors, and other officials in succession.

Seeing that all officials of fourth rank and above had gathered, Minister He suddenly turned to the Crown Prince and shouted: “Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live a myriad ages!”

As the court officials turned to follow Minister He in the triple acclamation, Minister Mei suddenly cried out: “Stop!”

Minister Mei knew this was the critical moment to enact his and Ninth Prince’s conspiracy.

Minister Mei’s cry instantly silenced the wailing hall—suddenly, not a sound remained.

All eyes, including the Crown Prince’s, fixed unerringly on Minister Mei.

Minister Mei wiped his tears, cleared his throat, and solemnly announced: “Before His Majesty’s passing... he left a secret edict!”

As he spoke these words, Minister Mei felt both exhilaration and dread.

He knew his words would plunge the entire court into chaos.

At these words, the Crown Prince, Minister He, Minister Tu, and all court officials froze, staring at each other in stunned silence, murmuring among themselves!

“Secret edict?” Minister He swallowed his tears and choked out: “Why was I never informed?” His tone betrayed deep suspicion.

Minister Mei: “It’s called a secret edict for a reason—how could it be known to all?”

Minister Mei’s heart pounded—he feared Minister He would see through his scheme.

“Minister Mei, we’ve served together for so many years...”

Minister He pointed at Minister Mei’s mouth and warned solemnly: “Don’t you dare speak nonsense about this!”

Minister He’s words filled Minister Mei with dread—he knew the weight of his responsibility.

Beside him, the Crown Prince remained silent, still hunched over the imperial bed, weeping.

The Crown Prince’s sobs carried an undercurrent of suspicion—this sent shivers through Minister Mei.

Minister Mei: “Whether it’s nonsense or not, we’ll know when Eunuch Jiu brings the secret edict.”

As he spoke, Minister Mei felt both hope and anxiety—he knew everything hinged on whether Ninth Prince could retrieve the secret edict.

At these words, the Crown Prince and Minister He both froze in shock!

Minister He stood stunned; the Crown Prince’s weeping paused—both knew it was almost certain Minister Mei and Ninth Prince had conspired to install a new sovereign.

At that moment, Jiang Mingyu, led by Eunuch Hai, arrived at Lingxia Palace with two squads of Embroidered Uniform Guards!

Seeing someone dare enter the hall without crawling in prostration, Minister Mei shouted in outrage: “How dare you enter the hall with sword and boots!”

Minister Mei’s outburst was instinctive—he never expected Jiang Mingyu to appear at this moment.

Minister Mei’s rebuke instantly stunned Jiang Mingyu!

Not only him—even Eunuch Hai and Tukesiluo were left speechless with fear.

Though Jiang Mingyu was slow-witted, his reflexes were sharp.

He pulled out his Regent’s Edict again and explained: “I am carrying out imperial orders—please forgive me, Minister Mei.”

Jiang Mingyu’s heart was a storm of conflicting emotions—he was pleased the Crown Prince trusted him, yet troubled by Minister Mei’s accusation.

The moment Minister Mei saw the Regent’s Edict and heard Jiang Mingyu mention imperial orders, he was utterly stunned!

He never imagined such a twist—Jiang Mingyu’s arrival had completely shattered his plans.

Jiang Mingyu’s sudden appearance amused Minister He!

Minister He saw Jiang Mingyu’s arrival severely undermined Minister Mei—he secretly rejoiced.

Seizing the moment, he quickly asked: “Could it be... that Lord Jiang carries out imperial orders under the late Emperor’s secret edict?”

Jiang Mingyu panicked at Minister He’s question—he had no secret edict at all!

Jiang Mingyu realized he had been dragged into a complex political struggle he did not understand at all.

He stood frozen, staring blankly at the Crown Prince, silent for a long while.

The Crown Prince reacted swiftly—he decided to turn the tables.

He asked: “Who should succeed His Majesty now that he has passed?”

He knew Jiang Mingyu’s blunt nature would lead him to recite plainly: the Crown Prince should inherit.

Jiang Mingyu: “Upon His Majesty’s passing, the Crown Prince must inherit the throne.”

As expected, Jiang Mingyu’s answer matched the Crown Prince’s every expectation!

As soon as Jiang Mingyu finished speaking, Minister He led the court in bowing to the Crown Prince and chanting: “Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live a myriad ages!” Minister Tu followed suit.

Instantly, the entire side hall echoed with the cries of Minister He’s and Minister Tu’s factions: “Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live a myriad ages...” Only Minister Mei and his faction remained silent, refusing to bow to the Crown Prince.

Minister Mei thought: I must buy time for Ninth Prince—until he retrieves the secret edict!

So Minister Mei led his faction in protest, insisting they would not pay homage to the new sovereign until Ninth Prince read the secret edict aloud.

Minister Mei’s outburst had now fully committed him—he had burned his bridges.

With no turning back, and death certain either way, he might as well gamble everything!

Less than half an hour later, Ninth Prince returned carrying the secret edict; he felt triumphant, believing the edict would turn the tide.

Upon seeing the secret edict, all court officials knelt in reverence.

Ninth Prince hurried to the late Emperor’s imperial bed, faced the court, and loudly proclaimed: “By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:”

The kneeling Crown Prince, hearing the opening words, instantly recognized the format was wrong!

As Crown Prince, he knew imperial documents intimately—the secret edict should not be written this way; this was clearly the format of a standard imperial decree.

Before Ninth Prince could finish reading, the Crown Prince rose, lunged forward, and snatched the edict from his hands!

He glanced at it, then roared: “You eunuch, how dare you forge an imperial edict!”

With that, he slapped the edict hard against Ninth Prince’s left cheek!

“Look closely at your face...”

The Crown Prince, trembling with rage, pointed his right hand at Ninth Prince’s half-red-stained face and demanded: “This edict was written within the last half-hour—its ink is still wet!”

The Crown Prince’s words exposed Ninth Prince’s lie—Ninth Prince instantly panicked.

“It’s been humid lately, southern winds...” Ninth Prince blurted out desperately.

Ninth Prince’s excuse only enraged the Crown Prince further—he realized the eunuch still dared to lie.

“You dare to lie!”

The Crown Prince kicked out, sending Ninth Prince sprawling to the ground!

Then he ordered: “Seize this eunuch and take him away—await judgment!”

The palace guards, long cowed by Ninth Prince’s tyranny, dared not obey the Crown Prince’s command!

Ninth Prince, emboldened, looked up and smirked, glancing sideways at the Crown Prince as if to say: You think you can challenge me? You’re still a child.

Ninth Prince’s smile radiated arrogance and contempt—he still believed himself superior.

But Ninth Prince did not realize: while the palace guards dared not move against him, Jiang Mingyu’s twenty Longyang soldiers had no such fear.

They were the Crown Prince’s personal guards; upon hearing the order, they surged forward and seized Ninth Prince on the spot!

Ninth Prince froze in shock—he never imagined the Longyang soldiers would dare lay hands on him.

Ninth Prince finally realized—he could no longer escape; all was lost!!!