Early the next morning, Minister of Revenue Zhao Wan submitted a memorial impeaching the Prince Regent, Xie Yun, for arbitrary imprisonment and fabricating charges against Helan Ze, the Prince of Duan’s heir and Vice Minister of Revenue. He accused Xie Yun of using the imperial prison to eliminate political opponents and disrupt the court, demanding that Song Liang release Helan Ze and punish the Prince Regent.
Song Liang had not yet spoken from his seat on the dragon throne when the Censorate began presenting memorials of its own. They accused Helan Ze of bending the law for personal ends and forming factions for private gain, submitting a series of documents proving that he had allowed relatives to commit murder in the streets and maintained secret dealings with certain officials.
The two sides argued relentlessly for four days. On the fifth, someone appeared outside the Court of Judicial Review, holding up a petition and demanding justice. He claimed to be an old servant of the Duke of Ying’s household. Years ago, he said, a moment of greed had led him to accept payment and falsely accuse the duke of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, bringing about the execution of the entire Rong household. Now, tormented by guilt and unable to sleep, he had come to seek justice for them.
When the chief justice asked who had instructed him, the man named one person:
“The Prince Regent.”
The chief justice’s heart lurched. Having accepted the petition in full public view, he dared not delay. He hurried into the palace and delivered it straight to Song Liang’s imperial desk.
Song Liang was pleased that the chief justice had brought it directly to him, rather than to the Inner Cabinet or the Prince Regent’s residence. He skimmed the petition, scoffed at the claim of being “tormented by guilt and unable to sleep,” then declared, to the chief justice’s astonishment:
“Then reopen the Duke of Ying’s case. Let us see whether our Prince Regent is a loyal servant or a traitor.”
“As Your Majesty commands.”
The chief justice reeled inwardly. Only after leaving Zhaoyang Palace did he realize he was drenched in cold sweat. One thought filled his mind:
His Majesty was moving against the Prince Regent.
When news of the reopened case spread, everyone reached the same conclusion. The reigning emperor had finally tired of the Prince Regent’s unchecked dominance and intended to use the Duke of Ying’s case to uproot his faction.
Some openly rejoiced. Others thought the young emperor had grown arrogant, his victory over the Grand Empress Dowager having gone to his head. With only a few units of personal guards at his command, he dared challenge the Prince Regent—apparently forgetting that Xie Yun controlled half of Great Yao and hundreds of thousands of Northern Garrison troops on the frontier.
Within days, all of Yanjing was heatedly discussing the matter, arguing over whether the emperor or the Prince Regent would prevail. Rumor even had it that an underground money house had opened a betting pool.
When Song Liang heard, he asked, “What odds are they offering on me?”
“Ten to one,” Rong Jing replied.
“Not bad.”
Song Liang had expected a hundred to one.
“What about Xie Yun?”
“There aren’t any. No one wanted to back Your Majesty; everyone backed the Prince Regent. So the house simply decided to take bets only on your victory.”
Song Liang: “…”
After a pause, he asked stubbornly, “Has anyone placed a bet?”
Rong Jing nodded. “Yes.”
“You?”
“…Yes.”
Rong Jing added, “Chief Steward Zhou and Deputy Commander Song have as well.”
Amused, Song Liang summoned Zhou An and told him to take ten thousand taels of silver from his private treasury to the underground money house and wager it all on his victory.
Chief Steward Zhou went off cheerfully.
Song Liang turned back to Rong Jing.
“What have you learned from your martial sister?”
Rong Jing’s expression grew serious.
“A little. She found those two people on the main road near Hanshui City. One man and one woman. The man’s name is—”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Song Liang interrupted him.
“I meant, have you found out anything about Xie Yun? How has he been? Has the wound in his chest healed? Can he see clearly now? Has he mentioned me?”
“…”
Rong Jing’s expression stiffened slightly.
“His chest wound is almost healed. He can generally see now, though his vision is still somewhat worse than before. He… hasn’t mentioned you.”
Song Liang remained thoroughly optimistic.
“Then it looks like he’s stopped being angry with me.”
Rong Jing was momentarily speechless. He recalled that when disaster struck the Rong family, this emperor had only just ascended the throne at thirteen. There had never been any mention of an interest in men. Who could have imagined that his first such attachment would be to Xie Yun? Now it seemed he understood neither Xie Yun nor matters of the heart.
“Not mentioning you doesn’t necessarily mean he’s stopped being angry,” he said. “Perhaps he simply doesn’t want to talk about you—or see you.”
“…”
Song Liang regarded him with profound feeling, thinking it was no wonder Helan Ze had fallen for this man in the original story.
3085: 【Why would he fall for him?】
Song Liang: 【He’s as straightforward as a poker, while Helan Ze is nothing but schemes. They’re a perfect match.】
3085: 【…】
Song Liang changed the subject.
“How has Helan Ze been?”
“He was whipped as soon as he arrived. The injuries were superficial, but conditions in the imperial prison are poor. His wounds became infected, and he developed a fever.”
“Sounds rather miserable.”
“…What does Your Majesty mean?”
“If he were truly miserable, he wouldn’t still be directing people to spread rumors outside while sitting in prison.”
The underground money house taking bets on who would win was merely Helan Ze’s way of amplifying public opinion, demonizing Xie Yun, and setting him against the emperor. Through this, the conflict between Xie Yun and Helan Ze would gradually become a conflict between Xie Yun and Song Liang.
Though Song Liang lacked military command, he was still the emperor of legitimate imperial blood. Naturally, the people would regard Xie Yun as a treacherous minister. They would assume that imprisoning Helan Ze was merely a way to intimidate the emperor, rather than an action genuinely directed at Helan Ze himself. In doing so, they would overlook the fact that Helan Ze had actually committed the offenses Xie Yun had ordered his men to expose.
This was one of Helan Ze’s specialties. In the original story, he had used his handsome face and an appearance of affability to cultivate the image of “the only unsullied white lotus among the sons of the great clans.” Midway through the story, after entering court, he had employed every means to win hearts and uncover others’ weaknesses, performing charitable deeds among the people while having all manner of rumors spread.
Later, the Hu had advanced south, while natural disasters struck across Great Yao. Beset by troubles within and enemies without, the realm had teetered on the brink, and rebellions had erupted everywhere. Yet everyone had regarded Helan Ze alone as a wise ruler. When he finally led his troops into Yanjing, the people had all but lined the streets to welcome him.
Meanwhile, the original owner of Song Liang’s body—the little beggar burdened with every disgrace of the Chen dynasty—had been hacked to death in the palace. He had died without ever realizing that his supposedly extravagant life as emperor had merely been one part of Helan Ze’s plan to destroy the imperial family.
“He wants to use me to get rid of Xie Yun,” Song Liang said evenly. “If I remember correctly, Helan Ze never dared confront him directly in the original story, right up until Xie Yun’s death. Is this the plot’s influence at work?”
3085: 【Probably.】
3085: 【The main plot has changed substantially. You replaced the Grand Empress Dowager as one of the three major powers. The protagonist shou has become your ally, and even the main villain, Xie Yun, has fallen in love with you. That has significantly affected the storyline in which the protagonist gong, Helan Ze, ultimately takes the throne. It’s more than enough to trigger the small world’s attempts to repair the original plot.】
3085: 【Don’t forget, Host. Helan Ze is this world’s chosen one, the future emperor of Great Yao.】
“And I haven’t forgotten that my main objective is a peaceful realm and a prosperous people—not putting Helan Ze on the throne. Whatever he can accomplish, I can do better.”
【…】
3085 choked on its words. Though it had expected as much, its host’s arrogance still left it speechless.
【The chosen one possesses extraordinary fortune. The entire world will help him. It will be very difficult for you to win.】
“We’ll see about that.”
Song Liang casually opened the memorials delivered by the Inner Cabinet, skimming those concerning Helan Ze, Xie Yun, or the Duke of Ying’s case. At last, he found one congratulating him on assuming power and began reading with interest.
By the final few lines, however, a peculiar expression had crossed his face.
“A consort selection?”
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