Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Chapter 72 The Duke of Cheng'en: Sister, save me!

The emperor vomited blood and fell into a coma, throwing the entire court into chaos.

The area outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation was packed with people. Members of the imperial family, meritorious officials, senior ministers of the cabinet, and high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries and Nine Departments had all arrived, craning their necks like ants on a hot pan to look inside.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy came out.

The royal prince and the Grand Secretary stepped forward together:

"How is it?"

"Are you awake?"

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy bowed and replied, "It's a common ailment caused by sudden internal heat. A few doses of medicine and some rest will cure it."

As he spoke, he took out a prescription from his sleeve and presented it to the chief minister.

The Grand Secretary approached King Chungshun with the prescription in hand, and the two looked at it together.

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright." King Chungshun breathed a sigh of relief.

The Grand Secretary handed the prescription to the head of the Imperial Medical Academy: "Go quickly! Once you've gathered the herbs, brew them and send them over."

Prince Zhongshun looked at Prince Consort Yongchang and said, "Go and lend a hand."

Prince Consort Yongchang understood and quickly followed.

From inside, Emperor Yankang coughed. A moment later, Dai Quan came out and whispered to Prince Zhongshun, "Your Highness, the Emperor is summoning you."

King Chungshun hurriedly went inside.

Just as Dai Quan was about to leave, the Grand Secretary grabbed him.

The Grand Secretary leaned close to him and whispered, "Minister, what exactly happened?"

Dai Quan knew this matter couldn't be kept secret, so he pulled the Grand Secretary into the main hall and whispered a few words to him.

The Grand Secretary, who was used to all kinds of situations, couldn't help but change his expression after hearing this.

Meanwhile, Prince Zhongshun, who was in the East Warm Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, was equally shocked upon hearing the news.

Emperor Yankang coughed twice and then said, "I have a feeling that this matter is not so simple, so I plan to send you to investigate and find out the truth behind it."

Prince Zhongshun was slightly taken aback: "Does Your Majesty suspect that Prince Jin's death was not accidental?"

Emperor Yankang said slowly, "Whether it was an accident or not, we must find out the truth. Otherwise, I will not be able to face my second son's mother after I pass away."

Prince Zhongshun nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I am good at fighting and watching operas, but I know nothing about investigating cases. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty, on where we should begin our investigation?"

Emperor Yankang was silent for a moment, then said, "Arrest the Duke of Cheng'en first. If it weren't for him, the Beijing garrison wouldn't have been defeated, and the Second Prince wouldn't have fallen from his horse and lost his life."

As he spoke, he closed his eyes briefly, "I will use his head to give an explanation to all my subjects and to bring justice to the wronged souls who died unjustly."

Prince Zhongshun's lips twitched. Killing Duke Chengen? Would the Empress Dowager allow it?!

Dai Quan, who had just entered, was quite taken aback by these words.

"As for investigating the case... take Commander Qiu with you. As long as there is any suspicion, even if it is a prince or a general in command, we will investigate to the end."

"Yes."

"Go."

After seeing off Prince Zhongshun, Dai Quan returned to the East Warm Pavilion and saw Emperor Yankang trying to sit up. He quickly went over and helped him lean against the headboard.

"How is the situation with Prince Bei Jing?" Emperor Yan Kang asked.

Dai Quan twitched the corner of his mouth. After this incident, all the civil and military officials flocked to the palace. As for the women, apart from old friends like the Jia family, the rest of the families felt that this was an unlucky thing. After the newlyweds completed their wedding ceremony, they all took their leave and did not stay to make a ruckus in the bridal chamber or accompany the bride to sit in the tent.

Emperor Yankang seemed to realize something and said, "Pick a pair of gold and jade ruyi scepters and send them to the Prince of Beijing's residence."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered, "I have people keeping an eye on Cining Palace and the Cheng'en Duke's residence. I suspect that the Cheng'en Duke might secretly escape back to the capital."

......................

The emperor was right. The Duke of Cheng'en had escaped back and, taking advantage of the bustling scene at the palace gates, had secretly slipped into the Cining Palace under the cover of the eunuch in charge of the palace.

"Eat slowly, don't choke." The Empress Dowager looked at him wolfing down his food with heartache in her eyes.

At this moment, Duke Chengen was covered in dust and looked extremely disheveled.

He patted his chest, swallowed the food in his mouth, and burped: "I didn't dare to stop and rest for a whole day and night. I ran two horses to death before I finally made it back."

The Empress Dowager served him half a bowl of soup and asked softly, "What exactly happened? What made the Emperor so angry?"

He put down the soup that the Duke of Cheng'en had brought to his lips, and knelt down before the Empress Dowager, holding onto the edge of the table.

The Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. She tentatively asked, "Have you gotten into trouble again? Did you perhaps withhold the wine and meat the Emperor had given you as a reward?"

Duke Cheng'en blushed slightly: "No, nothing of the sort..."

The Empress Dowager looked at him with annoyance, her face saying, "How could I not know you?"

The Duke of Cheng'en grew anxious: "It's true! If you don't believe me, wait for the eldest, third, and fourth sons to return; they can all testify for me!"

The Empress Dowager had just breathed a sigh of relief when she suddenly realized, "Where's the second prince?"

The Duke of Cheng'en's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. After a moment's hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and revealed everything.

"What?! The second brother is gone?!"

"Sister! You must save me!"

The Empress Dowager took a while to come to her senses. Looking at her younger brother, who was crying and sniffling, her eyes shifted several times before she stared at him and said, "Tell me the truth, is this related to you or not?"

"I'm innocent!" Cheng'en Gong crawled forward two steps. "Sister, I swear, this has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

"Then what are you afraid of!" The Empress Dowager stared intently into his eyes.

The Duke of Cheng'en's eyes darted around, and he cried out, "You know His Majesty's temperament best! Now that the Second Prince is gone, he will definitely find someone to take the blame! The military generals have nothing to do with this, the Eldest Prince and the others can't be touched, and the Deputy General of the Imperial Guard has already committed suicide. After all is said and done, I'm the only one left, the most suitable scapegoat..."

"Lies!" the Empress Dowager roared. "If you hadn't committed a grave error, would the Emperor have killed you?!"

Seeing that he could no longer hide the truth, the Duke of Cheng'en decided to go all out and confessed everything, including withholding the wine and meat bestowed by the emperor, killing the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion, and causing chaos among the troops at the front.

The Empress Dowager was stunned with anger.

"elder sister......"

The Empress Dowager, regaining her composure, slapped Duke Cheng'en hard across the face. "You dare to embezzle any kind of silver! That's the royal family's precious food and drink!"

"Sister, I know I was wrong, please save me!"

"Save you? If we save you, what about the ancestral land and its people?!"

"elder sister......"

The Duke of Cheng'en panicked, his eyes darting around in a daze. He scrambled forward, clinging tightly to the Empress Dowager's leg, and hurriedly pleaded, "Sister, listen to me! It's not that serious! As long as we insist that those soldiers were spies sent by the Tartars, I won't be guilty!"

"Not guilty?" The Empress Dowager laughed in anger.

The Duke of Cheng'en quickly changed his tune: "I did indeed err in not supervising the death of my second son, but from beginning to end, I was only thinking of the Emperor and the court!"

Seeing the Empress Dowager's expression soften slightly, he immediately burst into tears, pleading, "Sister, please save me! I'm your only brother! I sold everything I owned for you and the Emperor, and even when my son was sick, I couldn't afford a doctor, and he died of illness!"

Please, for the sake of your poor nephew, help me this one more time!

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager softened, remaining silent for a long time before finally relenting: "Then how do you want me to help you...?"

The Duke of Cheng'en was overjoyed: "The Emperor will definitely send members of the imperial clan to thoroughly investigate this matter! As long as you, sister, secretly give them a word and they find a scapegoat, that will be enough. As long as I can save my life, I don't want anything else. I'll immediately take my wife and children back to my hometown and spend the rest of my life tending to my parents' graves..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I was just talking nonsense."

The Empress Dowager looked at him and sighed deeply: "These next few days, you should stay here quietly and not go anywhere or communicate with your family."

Duke Cheng'en quickly replied with several "yes".

The Empress Dowager thought for a moment: "With such a serious matter occurring, the Emperor will surely send Prince Zhongshun to handle it..."

The Duke of Cheng'en's eyes lit up: "Prince Zhongshun will certainly listen to Your Majesty!"

The Empress Dowager shook her head slightly: "Such an important matter must have sufficient benefits."

Cheng'en Gong's eyes darted around quickly, and he had an idea: "Ministry of War! Isn't he just eyeing the Ministry of War's empty salary? Let's give him the position of Minister of War."

The Empress Dowager glared at him: "Do you think this is child's play? Do you think you can just give up the Minister of War like that?!"

The Duke of Cheng'en smiled broadly: "The Emperor still has to listen to you, doesn't he?"

With a snort, the Empress Dowager said, "The emperor also has to benefit."

After a moment of silence, the Duke of Cheng'en tentatively asked, "The command of the capital garrison...?"

The Empress Dowager remained silent.

The Duke of Cheng'en instantly understood and said, "Then let's stick to the story that those soldiers were Tartar spies. The Second Prince's death will all be blamed on the poor command of Prince Teng and others... Let Prince Zhongshun escalate the situation, and take the opportunity to capture all those disobedient retired generals!"

The Empress Dowager didn't respond, but summoned the head eunuch outside the door...