Chapter 59: 3 Men Make a Tiger, Public Clamor Melts Gold
Rumors began to circulate, no one knew from where, that the Lu family was sending a warning to the Emperor—all to get retribution for the Prince Consort, Lu Yanzhi.
The Lu family had never been happy about a princess with a low-born mother marrying their precious second son. Now, Lu Yanzhi was being wronged at every turn in the Princess Mansion. He had been gravely injured, nearly losing his life, and just as he recovered, he had to return. Rumor had it that Mrs. Lu’s heart ached so much she wanted to strike the Princess herself.
Then, news spread that Lu Yanzhi’s face had been injured. The story went that the Princess had struck him because the Empress Dowager had been frightened, leaving a gash on his face. This was in addition to the previous incident where the Princess had supposedly taken a knife to the Prince Consort.
The timeline of events got muddled, but the gist was clear: Lu Yanzhi had been wronged. The Lu family was powerful and influential; how could they possibly not stand up for their son?
Thus, considering all of the above, the Lu family had a clear motive. This was especially true since Lu Yanzhi’s father was the Assistant Minister of Rites. He could have arranged the whole thing with ease, found a scapegoat, and then washed his hands of the matter.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Fang Wenfu, was clearly that scapegoat. After all, wasn’t the Fang family proclaiming his innocence everywhere?
Such is the power of rumor—repeat a lie often enough, and it becomes truth. The clamor of the crowd can melt gold.
Even if the story was false to begin with, everyone was repeating it. And with a few plausible-sounding ’truths’ mixed in, the lie eventually became fact. Not even a family as powerful as the Lu family could silence every wagging tongue.
The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet had resulted in three deaths, three severe injuries, and ten minor ones. The number of guests who were simply terrified was even greater.
The Emperor may have hosted the banquet, but he too had been startled, and the Empress Dowager had fainted from the shock. The victims couldn’t possibly blame the Emperor; their anger could only be directed at the mastermind behind the scenes.
When the culprit was unknown, there was little to be done. But now that a suspect had been identified, wasn’t it natural for all that resentment to be aimed squarely at the Lu family?
The Lu family claimed they were innocent? Who would believe them now? Besides, what did it matter if they were innocent? The public’s hatred needed an outlet. Now that the Lu family had been thrust into the spotlight, were people not allowed to vent their frustrations?
This was especially true for the three families who lost loved ones. Anyone attending that banquet held a certain status, and the young victims were the most promising of their generation. To have them die in such an ’accident’... these were three lives, their own flesh and blood. It was a blood debt. How could they possibly let it rest?
The three who were severely injured were only clinging to life for the moment; their futures were uncertain. How could their families not harbor hatred?
All this animosity was directed at the Lu family, but that alone wasn’t enough.
The anger was the force, but it still needed a weapon.
Since the Empress had organized the banquet, she bore some responsibility for the disaster. The Emperor had a huge argument with her and punished her by ordering her to copy Buddhist Scripture to pray for the Empress Dowager. Afterward, for two nights in a row, the Emperor bestowed his favor upon Lady Shufei—the Empress’s long-time rival and the mother of the eldest imperial son.
Failure is bitter enough, but when your failure paves the way for your rival’s success, the pain is truly piercing.
The Empress herself might not have been concerned about being childless, but the Wang family could not help but feel distressed. Now, the Empress was being punished while the mother of the eldest son was receiving favor. Lady Shufei was even helping to manage the imperial harem; she might even be promoted to Noble Consort one day.
Seeing the Empress’s position increasingly threatened, how could the Wang family possibly sit back and do nothing?
The Wang family may have looked down on the Emperor somewhat, but he was, after all, their son-in-law.
’How dare that old scoundrel from the Lu family?!’
The Lu family: "..."
The Lu family had been framed. They were innocent. They truly had not done it. But the Lu family said nothing.
The arrogance of a great aristocratic family allowed them to ignore the chatter of ants. The pride of scholars made them disdain to engage in petty arguments.
So, when someone at court pointed the finger at them, Chief Minister Lu simply stated with cold arrogance that it was all baseless slander.
The Lu family firmly believed that the innocent need not defend themselves. This was pure slander; the Emperor could have no evidence and could do nothing to them. And so, they left the fighting to their vassal families, letting them lead the charge on the battlefield.
The Wang family’s faction was nearly as powerful as the Lu family’s to begin with. Now, bolstered by the support of those who hated the Lu family, they openly declared war.
The Lu family had caused the Empress to be punished, and the Wang family to lose all face. They would never let the matter drop.
’Besides, it was high time the Wang family took their turn as the number one aristocratic family.’
At court, the two factions argued themselves into a deadlock while the neutral parties watched the drama unfold in silence. The bickering gave the Emperor a headache, but he was secretly pleased to see it.
’This court... was showing a rare sort of... vitality.’
’I have to admit, my imperial sister has some real talent. It’s only been five days. If things continue at this pace, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Lu family was completely destroyed.’
’He had been curious how his sister, a Princess with little power of her own, could possibly topple the Lu family. He never expected her to use their own momentum against them, redirecting all the hatred onto the Lu family.’
’At this point, how the lion had actually gotten loose was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was that the Lu family had to be the ones responsible.’
The Emperor approved of everything Xiao Li had done so far, but her next step put him in a difficult position.
She wanted him, the Emperor, to show weakness to the Wang family. A dignified Emperor, feigning pitifulness before a subject? What would become of his imperial authority?
Xiao Li, however, hadn’t spared a thought for that particular trifle.
’The only question is, do you want to win this game or not?’
The Emperor did want to win. Through Xiao Li’s analysis, he was beginning to feel that he could finally gain complete control over his court.
He was the Emperor; the court was supposed to be under his control. But until now, he had to consult with the five ministers of the Grand Secretariat before doing anything. If Chief Minister Lu didn’t approve, none of his ideas or edicts could be implemented. Even when an official committed a crime, whether the Emperor wanted to confiscate their assets or have them beheaded depended on whether those old ministers wanted to save the man. He had been swallowing this frustration for a long, long time.
But now, he finally felt like he was sitting atop a mountain watching two tigers fight, with everything perfectly under his control. He wanted this feeling of control to continue.
Xiao Li calmly spun her argument, "This isn’t showing weakness, nor is it acting pitiful. It is simply sharing your predicament with your subjects. An Emperor who treats his people with sincerity will, in return, find a family willing to charge into battle for him and fight to the death. This is an imperial gift, an honor for the Wang family."
’It’s sincerity, not weakness,’ the Emperor thought. ’Not pitifulness. It’s a sign of my high regard for my subjects, a gift of my grace.’ And so, he agreed.
The Emperor summoned the Empress’s brother to the palace. He first placated the man, explaining that his coldness toward the Empress wasn’t a sign of true blame. Rather, since the Empress Dowager had been so frightened, the Empress had to provide an account to both her and the entire realm.
Copying the Buddhist Scripture was not a punishment, but a display of the Empress’s filial piety toward the Empress Dowager.
After these explanations, the Emperor moved on to his own difficulties. He spoke of how the marriage between Lu Yanzhi and the Princess had bred resentment in the Lu family, and how Lu Yanzhi’s subsequent injury made them harbor a grudge. He lamented how all the courtiers had to walk on eggshells around Chief Minister Lu, and so on.
In short, he subtly slandered the Lu family, lamented the hardships of being an Emperor, and, of course, offered the Wang family a little incentive.
The incentive wasn’t a direct promise of gain, but the expressed desire for a Crown Prince born of the Empress.
The bait didn’t need to be large. As long as it was exactly what the fish desired, the greedy creature was certain to bite.