latelenovela Chapter 188 The Deadly Cholera
Chapter 188 The Deadly Cholera
Upon hearing the words "death warriors," the nonchalant look in Emperor Wenjing's eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp gaze. "Were all the men in black who went to kill Zhang Gong death warriors?"
When the ministers, including Prince Xuan and several princes, heard Emperor Wenjing's question, they suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
They all suddenly remembered something, as if by unspoken agreement.
This dynasty lasted for over 120 years and was once nearly destroyed, not because of foreign enemies, but because the second emperor of the Great Zhao allowed his royal family members to train assassins, which led to an outbreak of "assassin cholera".
A treacherous person secretly drugged and manipulated these assassins, making them all obey his commands. The emperor died under their swords. If it weren't for Emperor Wenjing's efforts to turn the tide and capture the culprit alive, the Great Zhao Dynasty would probably have changed hands long ago.
After the "death squad cholera outbreak," Emperor Wenjing ascended the throne.
The first thing he did was to purge all the "death squads" kept by the royal family and powerful noble families, and issued an edict strictly forbidding all royal family members and noble families from controlling or cultivating death squads by any means in private. Once discovered, they would be punished as treason.
Prince Chen lowered his eyes, a hint of a smile flashing in them.
A mere cheating case is not enough to seriously damage Prince Xuan. What will truly bring him to ruin is the assassins he sent out.
More than thirty years have passed since the “death squad cholera” incident, and most of these young princes have forgotten that such an imperial edict ever existed.
If Yun Shang hadn't mentioned it, he almost wouldn't have remembered it either.
At this moment, Prince Xuan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He never expected that the method originally used to cover up the cheating case would lead to such a deadly matter!
They were not unaware of the "death squad cholera," but they took a chance, thinking that as long as they hid well and were not discovered, nothing would happen.
But this time, in his panic, he directly dispatched assassins.
Su, Mu!
Prince Xuan glared at Su Mu, his eyes filled with resentment and venom.
It must be him! He deliberately forced him to kill Zhang Gong to silence him!
Su Mu noticed the look in Prince Xuan's eyes that seemed to want to tear him to pieces, but his expression remained unchanged. He respectfully replied, "Indeed, after some interrogation, some of them have confessed that they are assassins kept in Yangming Mountain. They are all homeless beggars who were captured and subjected to rigorous training from a young age."
“Each of them was given poison, and they had to take the antidote every fifteen days. If they did not take the medicine on time, they would be poisoned and die from intestinal perforation.”
“Yangming Mountain…” Emperor Wenjing sneered.
Yangmingshan is a large mountain on the outskirts of Beijing. There were rumors that man-eating beasts lived there, so people rarely went into the mountain to hunt. Over time, very few people set foot in Yangmingshan.
Prince Xuan was shocked that Su Mu had found out so much, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
He knew he shouldn't panic at this moment, but all he felt was fear and unease.
Su Mu has investigated to this extent, surely he knows that these assassins were all sent out by him?
Sure enough, the next second, Su Mu said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, after repeated interrogations, these assassins have confessed that the one who ordered them to kill and cover up the crimes was..."
"His Royal Highness Prince Xuan."
These four words resounded throughout the imperial study, and Prince Xuan suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if the dust had finally settled.
His legs trembled slightly, and he slowly knelt down, supporting himself on his knees, as he trembled as he tried to explain:
"Father, I am innocent."
"Your subject... Your subject knows absolutely nothing about this! Someone must have framed me and deliberately sabotaged those people!"
Once the charge of treason is proven, there is no way out.
That would not be a trivial punishment such as confinement or salary deduction.
At that time, not only will his life be in danger, but the entire palace will also suffer a devastating disaster.
Emperor Wenjing's face was ashen, and he stared at Prince Xuan with a sharp look in his eyes, like a tangible blade.
"No, what evidence do you have to prove that those assassins aren't your men?"
Prince Xuan really has no evidence.
All the assassins confessed, which provided irrefutable witness testimony and physical evidence. More importantly...
There is still one extremely important item in a secret room in his mansion that has not been destroyed. Once this item is found, it will completely confirm the fact that these assassins were all raised by him.
Prince Xuan kowtowed desperately, shouting that he was innocent, "Father, I swear to Heaven, this is absolutely not true. I have nothing to do with the cheating case, and I would never knowingly break the law to raise assassins!"
The other princes watched in silence, each with their own thoughts.
Li Yao's reaction says it all.
They keep crying foul, but it's just because they still have a glimmer of hope.
Emperor Wenjing frowned deeply. "You keep claiming innocence, but now there are witnesses and physical evidence. How can I believe you?"
Prince Xuan wept bitterly, “Father, I have truly been framed! Someone must have broken into my residence and secretly placed those items bearing the mark of the royal palace inside. I implore you, Father, to investigate thoroughly and clear my name.”
At this moment, the King of Qi frowned slightly and stepped forward. “Father, I believe there may still be a chance for this matter to turn around. You know my fifth brother’s temperament best; he can’t keep anything to himself.”
“He is usually well-behaved and has never done anything wrong. Why would my fifth brother help the examinees cheat? Should we send someone to search the Prince Xuan’s mansion first? There might really be another reason behind this.”
As soon as he spoke, Prince Xuan turned to look at him, his eyes filled with emotion.
However, as soon as the Prince of Qi spoke, the other princes followed suit.
Prince Xiang, Li Ming, was the first to scoff, "Third Brother, that's an interesting point. Why would you help a candidate cheat? Isn't that obvious?"
"He wants to use Zhou Yizhi for his own purposes and cultivate his own power in the court. He will use cheating to help Zhou Yizhi become the top scholar, so that even if Zhou Yizhi holds a high position in the future, he will not be afraid of Zhou Yizhi's disloyalty. This handle is enough to control him for a lifetime."
"Such great benefits are naturally worth the risk."
Prince Xuan glared angrily at Li Ming.
Prince Xiang, Li Ming, was the fourth son, and his birth mother was Consort Xian, who was one-quarter of the family.
Back then, Consort Liu, the birth mother of Prince Xuan, was just a maidservant accompanying Consort Xian. Unexpectedly, Consort Liu was a restless person and secretly climbed into Emperor Wenjing's bed when Emperor Wenjing summoned Consort Xian.
The two women were only two months apart in their pregnancies. Consort Liu was going through a difficult time during Consort Xian's first trimester, and Emperor Wenjing took great pity on her.
Emperor Wenjing would often visit her palace, and Consort Liu took the opportunity to climb into his bed.
Emperor Wenjing had many women, and Consort Xian had long known that the emperor was ruthless, but she never expected that her personal maid, who had served her since childhood, would betray her during her most difficult time.
From that moment on, the master and servant became bitter enemies, their relationship turning against each other like fire and water.
When he was a child, Prince Xiang heard the palace maids mention this old story, and he also began to hate Consort Liu and Prince Xuan.
These days, the two have been at loggerheads, and they'll take the opportunity to kick each other when one is in trouble.
After giving his hint, the Prince of Xiang respectfully said to Emperor Wenjing, "Father, since my fifth brother keeps saying he is innocent, why don't you send someone to search the Prince Xuan's residence?"
"If Fifth Brother is innocent, I doubt the mansion will find anything."
“If Fifth Brother really did such a wicked thing, there will definitely be some clues left in the manor.”
Emperor Wenjing glanced at Prince Xiang and Prince Xuan, his gaze finally settling on Su Mu, and said in a deep voice:
“What the Prince of Xiang said makes sense. Su Mu, take a squad of imperial guards to the Prince of Xuan’s residence and search it thoroughly. If you find anything unusual, report back immediately!”