GBP Chapter 172 The Edict of Grace
Chapter 172 The Edict of Grace
After Zhang Tianyou listed all the crimes in detail, the old prince could no longer stand and fell to the ground, yelling incoherently.
"Slander! Slander! His Majesty wouldn't actually believe it, would he?"
"Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to your great-uncle, isn't it?"
The court officials never expected that the emperor would openly threaten the old prince. Although the method was a bit ugly, it was extremely effective.
Either the old prince admits to these crimes and enters upright but leaves horizontally, or the old prince agrees to the decree of grace, but after returning, his so-called fiefdom of Taizhou will be completely devoured. Either way, the old prince will suffer a great loss today.
Seeing this scene, another prince who was on good terms with the old prince couldn't help but stand up and say with some dissatisfaction.
"Your Majesty, no matter what, the old prince is still your great-uncle. Why are you so eager to turn against each other?"
"Oh? Is that so? I have received quite a few memorials here, not just from Taizhou, but also from my uncle's fiefdom of Xuanzhou, there are seven or eight of them. Would you like me to read them all aloud?"
"you!"
Upon hearing this, the prince's uncle blushed instantly, and the other princes also became wary. It seemed that the new emperor had quite a few "memorials" in his hands. If he were to bring them all out, wouldn't they be in big trouble?
No one who has come all this way wants to return home with their family ruined.
Therefore, some clever princes simply gritted their teeth, stepped forward, and submitted to the emperor.
"Your Majesty's great favor, I am willing to implement the Edict of Grace within my fiefdom."
Once someone spoke up, the others who were wavering were naturally pushed forward, and so they bowed their heads to the emperor in twos and threes. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the old prince sat helplessly and angrily in the hall, glaring fiercely at the new emperor.
Unfortunately, he was already old enough to be completely overwhelmed and powerless to protect himself when facing the vigorous new emperor.
The previous statement, "Unless it starts with my corpse," has now become a joke.
After seeing the disdainful looks he received from the other officials, the old prince was out of breath and clutched his chest, about to say something, when the emperor spoke up immediately.
"Someone, take the old prince down to see a doctor."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Thus, the troublesome old prince successfully withdrew from the main hall in a complete defeat, and was then sent back to Taizhou in disgrace. Less than a month later, he "died of illness" in Taizhou, where he had been domineering for many years, leaving behind several children and descendants, as well as a small fiefdom that was subject to the implementation of the Grace Decree.
As for the other princes, after seeing what happened to Taizhou, they all shut up.
It's much better to implement this order quietly than to die inexplicably!
Therefore, only two or three months after the new emperor ascended the throne, this decree of grace was successfully implemented throughout the Dalong region with lightning speed.
It may not seem special now, but in less than five years, these clansmen will be fighting tooth and nail, and then it will be easy to take back their fiefdoms one by one.
However, this obviously does not include Hengzhou, where King Le resided.
Just as the old prince said that day, the Prince of Li only had one son and two daughters. The princess did not participate in the implementation of the grace decree, so even if the policy was implemented, the Prince of Li or his heir would still be the only one in Hengzhou who would be in power.
Since arriving in Beijing in June, the hottest period has passed.
Because Chi Guiwan was about to give birth, she was heavily pregnant and no longer went out. The entire Qiao family was also ready to welcome the newborn at any time, including the attention of the Emperor and Empress.
He Lingyi felt conflicted.
On the one hand, she hoped that her mother could have a smooth delivery, and on the other hand, she also had some small expectations. If possible, she also wanted to stay in this world peacefully, because she had someone she cared about.
Therefore, tonics were continuously sent to the Qiao family, and the emperor also ordered the people of the Astronomical Bureau to pray for Madam Qiao the Second around the clock.
To outsiders, such great favor made the Qiao family seem truly blessed.
Because this Lady Qiao had won the favor of the Empress, His Majesty also bestowed great rewards upon her.
But some people don't think that way.
For example, Consort Tong, who was also heavily pregnant, was not happy at all during her pregnancy. Instead, she was filled with worry and anxiety. As a result, she was not taking good care of herself. Her belly looked small, and she was thin and weak. Everyone in the Imperial Hospital wished they could live in her palace to help her with her pregnancy. They were busy running around and were very responsible.
Since He Lingyi is now in charge of palace affairs, word has spread that outsiders are praising the Empress's benevolence.
Only Consort Tong would get angry every time she heard this.
On this day, a series of crackling sounds came from Consort Tong's palace.
"No more children! No more children!"
The palace maids and imperial physicians all knelt down, trembling with fear. They felt that this Consort Tong was too difficult to serve. This was the last child left by the late emperor, and it was of extraordinary significance to the Great Long Dynasty. However, she kept saying that she would not give birth to the child and did not want it. She was simply crazy.
The head imperial physician was also exhausted and sometimes really wanted to quit!
However, the Empress herself had personally instructed them to protect Consort Tong and her child, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue to persuade her.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Your due date is approaching. If you get too upset, it could cause a postpartum hemorrhage. Even if Hua Tuo were alive, we might not be able to save you!"
"Hmph, all you know how to say these things in front of me. Her Majesty the Empress has been married for so long and there's still no good news. Why don't you all go and stay in Han Dan Palace to help her take care of her health!"
Consort Tong is becoming increasingly outrageous in her speech, frequently bringing up the Empress to put her down.
At first, everyone would keep trying to comfort her, but now, even the lowest-ranking maids and eunuchs in the palace know that the Empress is kind and benevolent, while this former favorite concubine of the late emperor is ungrateful.
"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."
"Be careful with your words? I'm locked up here all day and can't move. Be careful with your words? Who gave you the right to talk back?"
Her volatile temper was exactly the same as that of Chi Guiying and her mother-in-law back then. She would take her anger out on others at the drop of a hat. The imperial physician originally wanted to say something, but he was afraid of angering Consort Tong and causing her to have a premature birth, so he could only hold back.
Just then, a voice called out from outside, "The Empress Dowager Liang has arrived."
In an instant, the imperial physician, who was wiping the sweat from his forehead, breathed a sigh of relief, moved to the side, knelt down, and greeted the Consort Liang who had entered.
In her rage, Consort Tong showed no kindness to anyone. So when Consort Liang entered, she snorted and gave her a clear warning!