Chapter 129: The Crown Prince's Counterattack (Part 6)

The morning court of September 28th, in the first year of the Qianfeng era, finally arrived amidst the varied expectations of all parties. Li Xian rose early, finished his martial arts practice, and hurriedly consumed two pancakes for breakfast before rushing to the small plaza outside Chengtian Gate. The moment he stepped out of his carriage, he felt a tension in the air so thick it was almost palpable. The courtiers, who usually gathered in countless small cliques, had now coalesced into five distinct factions: the Crown Prince’s supporters led by senior officials like Yan Liben and Le Yanwei; the Prince of Lu’s faction led by Li Xian; the Queen’s faction headed by Xu Jingzong; the neutral officials led by Dai Zhide; and finally, a small group of close ministers Li Xian himself had planted in the court. The lines between these groups were drawn with absolute clarity, their posturing bordering on open hostility. Li Xian frowned slightly, though he showed no outward reaction. After a brief pause, he began to walk toward the plaza.

"Greetings, Your Highness."
"Your Highness, you have arrived."
...
Over the past few years, Li Xian’s outstanding performance in court had not gone unnoticed, and no one dared to slight him because of his youth. As he approached, the officials bowed and offered their greetings incessantly.

"Gentlemen, good morning."
Today’s court session was of great significance. Even though Li Xian was well-prepared, he felt restless and had little appetite for social pleasantries. However, he could not afford a breach of etiquette, so he forced a smile and responded before walking slowly to Li Xian’s side. They exchanged a nod—a silent greeting. Li Xian clearly had no interest in empty formalities either, returning the nod with a curt inclination of his head. After trading a knowing glance, the brothers stood side by side.

"What is going on? It is nearly the hour of Chen (7:00–9:00 AM). Could the morning court be cancelled today?"
"I do not know. There has been no imperial decree. Sigh, we must wait."
"Tsk, look at the time. Still waiting? This is..."
...
Time slipped away as they waited. The hour of Mao (5:00–7:00 AM), when the court should have begun, had long since passed. As it approached the hour of Chen, the Chengtian Gate remained firmly shut. There was no sound from the drum tower, nor any sign of eunuchs coming to announce a decree. The officials gathered on the plaza were stunned, unable to fathom whether the court would convene at all, and the whispers among them grew into a clamor.

"Seventh Brother, I fear today’s morning court will be marked by something strange."

Not only were the officials growing impatient, but the Prince of Lu, Li Xian, was also losing his composure. He tilted his head to look at the perpetually calm Li Xian and tentatively murmured his suspicion.

Strange? It certainly seemed so. The atmosphere felt wrong. Had another crisis erupted within the palace? While Li Xian remained outwardly steady, his heart was drumming with anxiety. Although he could not pinpoint the source of the trouble, an ominous premonition surged uncontrollably from the depths of his being. However, this was not the place for such discussions. Li Xian merely nodded and said, "Sixth Brother, let us wait and see."

"Hmm."
Li Xian knew that asking was futile, but he sought reassurance. Hearing Li Xian’s reply, he had nothing more to say; he let out a sullen huff and forced himself to wait with suppressed impatience.

"Dong, dong, dong..."
Just as the anxiety of the officials reached its peak, the great drum on the corner tower of Chengtian Gate finally sounded. Moments later, the heavy gates were slowly pushed open from within. Simultaneously, the voices of eunuchs calling for the court echoed from the depths of the palace. The morning court had finally begun. The officials dared not dally; they scrambled to arrange themselves by rank and filed through the Chengtian Gate, trotting toward the Taiji Hall. Yet, the moment they stepped into the hall, they were struck dumb, and a chorus of stunned gasps rippled through the crowd.

According to Tang protocol, officials should wait for the Emperor’s arrival. But here, the Emperor and his son had already arrived; the Emperor sat high on the dragon throne, while the Crown Prince sat on the dais below. This setup essentially meant the Emperor was waiting for his subjects—a clear breach of protocol. However, it was hardly a major issue; it was already the hour of Chen, and the Emperor waiting for his ministers was not entirely unheard of. What truly terrified the officials was the beaded curtain hanging behind and to the side of the dragon throne. Vaguely, one could see a figure sitting behind it. Though the face was hidden, everyone knew that only Empress Wu could occupy such a position. The ominous phrase "ruling from behind the curtain" instantly flashed through every courtier's mind, leaving the entire assembly paralyzed with shock.

*Father, oh Father, can you be any more spineless? You have allowed the dignity of the Emperor to be reduced to this!* While the others were lost in astonishment, Li Xian was the first to regain his senses. A quick sweep of the hall revealed the Emperor’s face, etched with exhaustion and embarrassment, while the Crown Prince, Li Hong, looked full of grievance and indignation. Li Xian easily deduced the cause of the delay: it was almost certainly because Empress Wu had insisted on ruling from behind the curtain, and the Crown Prince had vehemently opposed it. The deadlock had caused the delay. Clearly, the Emperor had ultimately sided with the Empress; in this matter, the Crown Prince had suffered a total defeat.

"We, your subjects, pay our respects to Your Majesty!"
After the initial panic, the officials regained their composure. Regardless of their private thoughts, they could not forgo the required court rites. They knelt in disarray, offering their obeisance, though their voices were ragged and lacked the usual solemnity.

"Rise, my ministers, rise."
The officials’ response was listless, and the Emperor’s command to rise was equally exhausted, bordering on perfunctory. His spirits were clearly at an all-time low.

"We thank Your Majesty for your grace. Long live the Emperor, long, long live the Emperor!"

Hearing the Emperor’s dull, raspy voice, the officials felt their hearts tighten. Yet, at this moment, no one dared to ask questions. Following tradition, they thanked him, rose, and took their respective places. For a time, no one dared to step forward to present a memorial, and a bizarre silence descended upon the hall.

"Ahem." The Emperor waited for a long while. Seeing no one step forward, he could not help but feel awkward. He gave two artificial coughs and asked, "Do my ministers have any matters to present?"

Dead silence. Even after the Emperor had spoken, the officials dared not move or speak. It was not that there were no matters to address—in fact, recent days had been filled with complex state affairs: the war in Liaodong was raging, reforms to the imperial examination and water conservancy projects were in full swing, and countless problems had emerged, creating a web of contradictions. Not to mention the palace scandal from a few days prior. The officials held vastly different views on these matters and should have presented them at such a major assembly. But the current situation was too strange. Unsure of the shifting political tides, no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out. Thus, the ministers stood like wooden statues, the hall as quiet as a graveyard.

Others could endure it, but Li Hong could not. He had been slapped hard by the Empress in the matter of Helan Minzhi—a sting that cut to the bone. He had intended to launch a surprise attack today to turn the tide, never imagining that the Empress would appear with the Emperor and declare her intent to rule from behind the curtain. This was the final straw for Li Hong. Regardless of ethics or decorum, he had expressed his extreme dissatisfaction, clashing violently with the Empress in an attempt to resist. But the Emperor, cowed by the Empress’s might, had instead urged Li Hong to accept this unprecedented anomaly. Poor Li Hong, full of indignation, had been forced to accept this shameful outcome. Yet, unwilling to yield, and unable as the Crown Prince to be the first to speak in such a setting, he suppressed his impulse and gave a subtle signal to the Censor, Xiao Ming.

"I have a memorial to present to Your Majesty!"
Xiao Ming, a staunch confidant of Li Hong, had long been prepared for this move. Seeing the signal, he did not hesitate. He stepped out from the end of the civil official ranks, strode to the center of the hall, bowed to the Emperor, and announced in a loud voice.

"Speak, Minister. I am listening."
After waiting for so long, someone had finally stepped forward. The Emperor’s embarrassment diminished slightly, but upon realizing it was Xiao Ming, the Crown Prince’s man, a sense of panic returned. Nevertheless, at this point, he could not refuse. After a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly granted permission.

"I thank Your Majesty for your grace," Xiao Ming replied meticulously. Without opening the document in his hands, he stood tall and declared, "I wish to impeach Duan Baoxuan, the Minister of the Supreme Court, for dereliction of duty and incompetence, which has led to the decay of the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the Vice Ministers Yuan Gongyu and Hou Shanye have colluded in corruption and malfeasance, failing their sacred trust and causing a backlog of over three thousand cases. More egregiously, these two scoundrels, in league with subordinates like Qiu Shenfu, have traded lives for money and perverted the law. Their crimes are unforgivable. I implore Your Majesty to issue a decree to strictly investigate these villains and restore the integrity of our court!"

"Boom..."
As Xiao Ming’s impassioned words rang out, the entire court was stunned. No one expected the Crown Prince’s first move to be a life-or-death confrontation with the Empress. Not only were the neutral officials caught off guard, but the Empress’s faction was also thrown into disarray, as Xiao Ming’s impeachment was not part of their prepared script. Even the officials close to the Crown Prince were shocked, as their secret orders had been to focus their fire on Helan Minzhi. In their bewilderment, the entire hall erupted into a chaotic, noisy mess, sounding more like a marketplace than an imperial court.