DLWAV CH135

Soon, Ao Ruize was brought before Emperor Jianzhao.

Perhaps to preserve the royal family’s last shred of dignity and prove he was different from Emperor Taizu, Emperor Jianzhao had specifically summoned all the important court officials.

To everyone’s surprise, Ao Ruize brazenly sized up Emperor Jianzhao without any intention of bowing.

Then, he suddenly laughed.

Seeing this, the head eunuch beside Emperor Jianzhao immediately reminded him, “Young Master Wu, you must perform a formal bow when seeing the Emperor.”

“A formal bow?” Ao Ruize met Emperor Jianzhao’s gaze directly. “Didn’t your Emperor Taizu swear to the heavens when he ascended the throne? He said our Wu family would be your eternal benefactors and your family would never forget it. He promised to treat the Wu family well forever and declared that whenever a member of the Wu family met the emperor, they could enter the court without bowing, be addressed by their titles rather than names, and wear swords and shoes into the hall. Otherwise, your Ji family would die out without heirs and your Yang-Ji dynasty would perish within a hundred years. What? It’s only been a few years, and you’ve all forgotten?”

The head eunuch’s expression froze completely, and he subconsciously turned to look at Emperor Jianzhao behind him.

Emperor Jianzhao’s pupils shrank slightly. He hadn’t expected Ao Ruize to act so brazenly even here. He just didn’t know if this audacity stemmed from youthful arrogance or if he actually had something to rely on.

However, he quickly suppressed his expression and reprimanded, “How are you the head eunuch if you don’t even remember Emperor Taizu’s decree?”

The head eunuch immediately fell to his knees. “This servant deserves death. This servant deserves death.”

Emperor Jianzhao ordered, “Drag him out and give him thirty lashes.”

Two guards immediately came in and dragged the head eunuch away, completely ignoring his pleas for mercy.

Ao Ruize raised an eyebrow. Emperor Jianzhao was killing a chicken to warn the monkey. Unfortunately for the emperor, he was no monkey.

So, just as Emperor Jianzhao turned back with a renewed benevolent expression to offer his sympathies, Ao Ruize spoke up. “Emperor, aren’t you curious why I laughed just now?”

Emperor? That was a form of address only an elder could use for the sovereign. How did Ao Ruize dare?

Emperor Jianzhao remained impassive. “Why?”

Ao Ruize replied, “Naturally, it’s because I heard my eldest aunt only chose your Emperor Taizu back then because he was relatively handsome. But after seeing you, Emperor… hahaha, never mind. Some things are better left unsaid.”

Upon hearing this, it wasn’t just Emperor Jianzhao whose face changed; all the civil and military officials present lowered their heads. Anyone could guess what Ao Ruize had left unsaid. Emperor Jianzhao’s appearance was painfully average, and considering he was a prince Emperor Taizu had brought back from the common folk, was he truly Emperor Taizu’s son?

What they didn’t expect was for Ao Ruize to be even more insolent.

He continued, “Forget it, enough nonsense. So, Emperor, how do you plan to deal with Prince Rui? Also, why don’t I see my sister? She is the victim, after all.”

Emperor Jianzhao took a deep breath. “Go and invite Prince Rui’s side consort, Lady Wu.”

“Wait a moment,” Ao Ruize interrupted. “My sister was clearly coerced by Prince Rui into becoming his concubine, so she is by no means his side consort.”

Emperor Jianzhao swallowed his anger. “Go and invite Miss Wu.”

Wu Chuyao was already waiting outside the Meridian Gate, so she was brought in shortly.

Seeing Ao Ruize, her eyes instantly reddened. However, she knew this wasn’t the place to talk, so she turned to face Emperor Jianzhao and the others.

Emperor Jianzhao said, “As for the rest, let Prince Rui explain it to you.”

Prince Rui immediately put on a guilty expression. “Chuyao, I never wanted to force you back then. It was the chief clerk of my estate who forcibly abducted you to curry favor with me. I have already tied him up. You can kill him or butcher him as you please.”

With that, he had the chief clerk brought in.

The moment the chief clerk was escorted in, he began to kowtow, not stopping even when his forehead was busted open. “It was entirely my fault. I acted on my own and harmed you, Miss. Please spare my life, please spare my life…”

He was subsequently gagged and dragged to the side.

Prince Rui continued, “As for Fu Deben offending you that night, it truly was just an accident. Fu Deben was merely a fifth-rank garrison commander in the north at the time. How could I have guessed he would rise to prominence later? Why would he be worth risking my reputation to scheme such a thing? But that doesn’t mean I am faultless.”

After saying this, Prince Rui actually dropped to one knee before Wu Chuyao. “I can only blame my lax discipline over my subordinates, and my failure to protect you. I have already resigned my title as Prince Rui to my Imperial Father, and I only hope you can forgive me.”

Hearing this, Wu Chuyao’s face turned green.

Prince Rui had clearly sought her out personally and forced her to agree to be his concubine back then. But now, he was claiming his chief clerk had acted independently. Unfortunately, they had been the only two present at the time, leaving her with no witnesses, while the chief clerk had just directly confessed.

Furthermore, for a man and a dignified imperial prince to kneel and apologize to a woman meant that once word got out, everyone would choose to believe him and even praise him for his deep affection.

Even though she had long known it would be impossible to bring Prince Rui down, facing it now still left her trembling with rage.

Just then, Ao Ruize’s voice rang out again. “Kill or butcher him as we please? All right, then I ask the Emperor to execute his entire extended family.”

The chief clerk’s head snapped up, the sheer terror on his face almost palpable.

Prince Rui immediately moved to object.

But before he could, Ao Ruize added, “I know that by law, he would at most be sentenced to immediate decapitation. So, I can hand over the evidence of the Prince of Qinghe’s treason in my possession to act as a token of gratitude.”

Since the deposed Prince Wu had noticed something was amiss back then, there was no way he wouldn’t leave his son some trump cards. Otherwise, his predecessor would never have qualified to be the villain of this novel, manipulating imperial exams and breaching the Yellow River dikes to drown the masses.

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present turned grave.

They never imagined Ao Ruize would blatantly tell Emperor Jianzhao that his audacity didn’t stem from youth, but from having a rock-solid backup.

And the Prince of Qinghe was none other than Emperor Jianzhao’s eighth brother, the legitimate son born to Emperor Taizu’s second empress. According to propriety, imperial succession dictated that a legitimate son should be established first, and only without one should the eldest be chosen.

However, when Emperor Taizu fell gravely ill, the Prince of Qinghe was only twelve. At that time, the Southern Rong had absorbed a decade’s worth of the south’s wealth and could march north at any moment, while other provinces in Great Yang were far from peaceful. For the sake of the empire, Emperor Taizu bypassed tradition and named the mature and steady Emperor Jianzhao as his heir.

The Prince of Qinghe was naturally unwilling to accept this and had been making plenty of subtle moves over the years. The court had been struggling with how to handle him.

The emperor gave him a deep look and simply said, “A sovereign does not speak in jest. Since I said the chief clerk is at your disposal, I naturally won’t go back on my word. Men, drag this corrupt official away and execute his extended family just as Wu Ruize requested.”

The panic in the chief clerk’s eyes crystallized into pure despair. “No…”

He tried to struggle. He had agreed to take the fall for Prince Rui to secure a future for his descendants, but now, he had not only failed to protect them, he had dragged them all down with him. How could he accept this? But before he could speak, the two guards holding him covered his mouth and dragged him away.

Prince Rui’s face turned livid.

His chief clerk had stepped forward to take the blame for him today, and in return, he had caused the man’s entire family to be executed. If this news spread, who would ever dare to serve him wholeheartedly again?

But he couldn’t beg for mercy for the clerk either. Compared to his prestige, eliminating the Prince of Qinghe was clearly much more important.

Ao Ruize pressed on, “There’s also the Fu estate. Shouldn’t the Emperor investigate them thoroughly as well?”

Emperor Jianzhao said in a low voice, “Rest assured, I have already ordered the Ministry of Justice to look into the matter.”

Ao Ruize replied, “Good. So how does the Emperor plan to accommodate me now?”

Now that he knew Ao Ruize had come with ill intentions, Emperor Jianzhao didn’t plan to keep up the charade anymore. “Men, draft an edict. Decree that Wu Ruize shall inherit the title of Prince Wu and the original Prince Wu estate in the capital shall be returned to him as his residence. Enfeoff Wu Chuyao as Princess Changping, reward her with ten thousand taels of gold, and remove her name from Prince Rui’s… from the Third Prince’s royal registry.”

Ao Ruize finally smiled. “Then I thank Your Imperial Majesty.”

The moment the two left, Prince Rui immediately asked, “Imperial Father, what should we do now?”

It was obvious that Ao Ruize handing over the evidence of the Prince of Qinghe’s treason wasn’t just to vent his anger by killing the chief clerk’s family. He definitely had a deeper conspiracy.

Emperor Jianzhao took a deep breath. “To resist foreign aggression, we must first pacify the interior. We can’t afford to worry about so much right now. In short, send people to keep a close eye on them.”

He still didn’t plan to make a move against Ao Ruize yet. Only this time, the reason wasn’t just about salvaging the royal family’s reputation. Based on Ao Ruize’s performance, the faction under his control was clearly far more massive than they had imagined. Before investigating Ao Ruize’s power thoroughly, they didn’t dare act recklessly.

Prince Rui replied, “Yes.”

Meanwhile, learning that Emperor Jianzhao had cleared Ao Ruize, the crowds gathered outside the Meridian Gate dispersed.

Before Yao Wenju could breathe a sigh of relief, someone approached and said, “Mr. Yao, Prince Wu requests your presence.”

Yao Wenju fell completely silent.

Seeing Yao Wenju walk in, Ao Ruize immediately greeted him with a smile. “Brother Wenju, you’ve worked hard today.”

Yao Wenju offered a bitter smile. “Brother Ruize, should I first say that you hide your depths well, or that you’ve doomed me miserably?”

He never expected that the usually cheerful Wu Ruize they associated with was actually hiding his true self far deeper than he was.

Ao Ruize chuckled and unbuckled the sword from his waist. “Didn’t I tell you? You lend me your sword, and I’ll find you a wise lord. This is an equivalent exchange, so how did I doom you?”

Yao Wenju was speechless.

Yao Wenju forced himself to rally. “Might I ask who this wise lord Brother Ruize found for me is?”

Then he watched as Ao Ruize stood up straight. “It is my humble self.”

Yao Wenju was speechless.

Wu Chuyao was speechless.

The milk dumpling was speechless.

The sheer audacity!

Ao Ruize added, “Does Brother Wenju genuinely believe that pack of heartless wolves in the Ji family are worth your loyalty?”

In the original plot, Yao Wenju ultimately joined Prince Rui because he fell in love with the female lead, Guan Zhen. Since she had already entered Prince Rui’s estate, he wanted to stay by her side to protect her, and secondly, Prince Rui promised to help him get revenge.

But how could Prince Rui tolerate Yao Wenju coveting his lover? The first thing Prince Rui did after ascending the throne was send armored cavalry to surround and kill Yao Wenju. As for his promise to avenge him, it had long been thrown to the back of his mind.

Ao Ruize continued, “So, instead of choosing them, you’re better off choosing me.”

Yao Wenju understood. “You snatching my sword and running to the Fu estate to kill Fu Deben was actually a test for me?”

Ao Ruize replied, “You could say that.”

Yao Wenju fell into silence once again.

Truthfully, he really didn’t think much of the Ji family. But he hadn’t had a choice before, had he? No, he still didn’t have a choice now. After all, he had already been dragged onto Ao Ruize’s pirate ship.

Yet he had to admit, following Ao Ruize in a rebellion to achieve a far grander legacy was indeed very tempting. But the prerequisite was clear.

He straightened his expression, looked at Ao Ruize, and asked, “May I ask Your Highness, Prince Wu, with your current strength, what are your chances of winning if you clashed directly with the imperial court?”

Ao Ruize also turned serious. “In a direct clash with the court, less than twenty percent.”

Otherwise, how could his predecessor have watched helplessly as Wu Chuyao suffered all sorts of humiliation in Prince Rui’s estate?

Wu Chuyao was speechless.

Yao Wenju was speechless.

Then how did he dare assassinate Fu Deben? How did he dare expose himself completely in the open? They had originally thought Ao Ruize’s sudden attack meant he was fully confident.

Ao Ruize said, “Emperor Jianzhao and his people definitely think the same thing. That’s why I handed the evidence of the Prince of Qinghe’s treason over to them.”

Yao Wenju immediately followed his train of thought.

“Now that your identity is out in the open, Emperor Jianzhao will definitely have people watch you to prevent you from buying over officials. That means anyone you contact will be suspected by the Emperor as an accomplice. But what if you only contact Emperor Jianzhao’s loyal officials? Furthermore, you could also leak the fact that the court has evidence of the Prince of Qinghe’s treason to the prince himself, and even step in to help him when he starts losing.”

When the court and the Prince of Qinghe mutually destroyed each other, wouldn’t Ao Ruize’s opportunity arrive?

Ao Ruize nodded. “Your plan is quite good too. But I don’t want to cause too much slaughter. My idea is that after Emperor Jianzhao kills the Prince of Qinghe, we tell him about the affair between the Prince of Luoyang and Noble Consort Ning. After he kills the Prince of Luoyang, we spread the news of the Prince of Yingchuan and Prince Cheng colluding with mountain bandits to murder passing merchants. Once he executes them, the remaining Prince of Yun and Prince of Shu will definitely assume Emperor Jianzhao is trying to abolish the vassal states and using these excuses to massacre them. Knowing the emperor’s butcher knife will fall on their necks sooner or later, they will definitely raise troops to rebel. After a few waves like this, the court’s strength will be nearly depleted without us having to run around. Once only Emperor Jianzhao’s family is left, we can launch our rebellion.”

Yao Wenju was speechless.

The milk dumpling was speechless.

The milk dumpling was thinking, “How did you know about the Prince of Luoyang’s affair with Noble Consort Ning, and the Prince of Yingchuan and Prince Cheng colluding with bandits?” None of this was written in the plot!

Ao Ruize simply replied, “Figure it out yourself.”

Yao Wenju was thinking something else. “The plan is bold, but it’s very easy to fail. After all, massacring siblings is a massive taboo. Emperor Jianzhao couldn’t possibly risk universal condemnation to kill all his brothers in one breath.”

Not only that, but Yao Wenju’s breathing hitched as a thought struck him.

Wasn’t Ao Ruize’s plan to kill off Emperor Taizu’s sons one by one exactly the same method Emperor Taizu had used to kill off the deposed Prince Wu’s sons back then?

Ao Ruize simply smiled. “That is why I need you to execute it.”

Yao Wenju fell silent once more.

Ao Ruize had both the methods and the scheming mind; what else could he say? A moment later, he simply cupped his hands and bowed deeply. “I will carefully obey my Lord’s command.”