Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 704 - 581

Chapter 704: 581

Upon Li Xuan and Liang Heng’s public recognition as ’father and son’, the entire Wenhua Palace erupted in chaos, with the court officials filling the air with their clamor.

Everyone was discussing the matter, with people in the outer ring straining on tiptoe to see Li Xuan and Liang Heng.

Liang Heng’s face bloated red with shame, loathing the attention as if he wanted to burrow into the ground and bury himself away.

The piercing gazes from the crowd seemed to burn his skin, making him want to commit suicide on the spot.

However, Liang Heng’s gaze towards Li Xuan was filled with resentment, reminiscent of a venomous snake that had just awoken from hibernation, crawling out from deep underground.

The noise continued for a quarter of an hour until the Minister of Rites could take it no longer. Taking up a whip, he cracked it around, causing the courtiers to quiet down with the resounding ’thwack thwack’ sounds.

Li Xuan swiftly observed that those generals and nobles who had previously swarmed around Liang Heng like stars around the moon were now distancing themselves from him to varying degrees.

Most notable were the Jingnan Nobles, who had always looked down on Liang Heng as an upstart in the military.

Their association was purely due to the necessity to band together as Yu Jie cleared the land policies of the Weisuo Institute.

Now that Liang Heng had brought disgrace upon himself to this extent, how could the self-important Jingnan Nobles tolerate him?

When Princess Changle, Yu Hongchang, arrived, Shaobao Yu Jie, as promised, immediately submitted an impeachment document against Liang Heng.

Li Xuan also presented an impeachment document. He hadn’t made any preparations beforehand nor did he call upon anyone to help him. Yet, many Qingliu within the court rallied to his cause.

Firstly, because of Li Xuan’s esteemed reputation within the Confucian community, and secondly, because of Liang Heng’s aggressive intrusion and provocation, which naturally generated resentment.

To question Liang Heng’s hoarding of weapons and personal armies, a question which arose simply because the Marquis of Guanjun had requested his colleagues to review questionable salt traders and select a better method of material transportation, was not justifiable. What was next for Liang Heng, would he raise a rebellion?

However, as large a wave as Li Xuan’s impeachment document caused, after the senior ministers of the court had conferred with one another, they decided to merely instruct the regent to admonish Liang Heng, demanding he reflect on his actions at home for half a year and withholding his salary for three years.

This punishment was a mere slap on the wrist for Liang Heng. The salaries in the Great Jin Dynasty were extremely meager; none of the any high-ranking nobles or officials relied on their official salaries for their livelihood.

Yu Hongchang wished to side with Li Xuan, yet her footing within the court was too tenuous for her to do so without the backing of the cabinet and the six ministries.

People within the cabinet such as Gao Gu and Shang Hong all defended Liang Heng.

Even the ministers close to Li Xuan did not try very hard.

They thought that General Liang, with his debacle of ’calling out his father’, was the true loser in this situation, not Li Xuan.

The crucial point was that, at present, Liang Heng could not be punished any further. Besides his title of Marquis of Wuqing, he held no other official positions.

However, it wasn’t long before this matter was forgotten as everyone, including Li Xuan, became preoccupied with more pressing matters.

All because a solemn-faced Langzhong from the Ministry of Rites arrived in the court and announced with grave seriousness, "May I remind the Regent and Princess that a few days ago, an officer from the Qintian Bureau observed a comet traversing across Ziwei during his nightly observation of the sky. A white comet, spanning just over a foot, sped across seven stars. This usually signifies impending military disasters, a rebellion plotted by traitors in some local area, or a great minister attempting to usurp the Emperor’s power in the court."

On hearing this, Yu Hongchang instinctively furrowed her brows. Not a month before, the Qintian Bureau had indeed informed her about a ’comet infringing upon Ziwei’.

Not long after the event, the White Lotus Rebellion occurred and Master Zhongliu severely damaged the Tiandi Altar.

The Qintian Bureau’s interpretation of the ’comet infringing upon Ziwei’ was also related to the White Lotus.

According to astrological theory, comets and solar eclipses both imply the suppression of masculine elements. A solar eclipse represents the Emperor’s power being concealed, a harm to the Emperor’s authority; a comet, on the other hand, ’ traversing seven stars’, symbolizes its movement towards the Big Dipper which represents the Sovereign’s power, implying rebellion by subjects or populace.

However, the Langzhong standing before her was evidently ready to interpret this sign differently.

As expected, in the next instant, Yu Hongchang heard the Langzhong say, "In addition, since the beginning of this year, floods have been reported almost daily, resulting in a massive inundation in the city just last month, due to incessant rains. As mentioned in the ’Five Elements Records’ in the ’Book of Han’, ’If ancestral temples aren’t properly respected, if prayers and sacrifices are dismissed, if one goes against the time of heaven, the land will not be nourished.’ The Emperor reveres the gods of heaven, earth, and ancestral spirits, and all offerings for mountains and rivers are punctually observed. All orders must accord with the seasons, not defy their cycles, and not withhold sacrifices or prayers.

However, the appearance of these omens from heaven is warning us that our ancestral temples are being neglected. The ancestral temples exist to continue lineage conventions, hence ancient emperors ensured a crown prince was chosen promptly upon their ascension to secure the ancestral roots--"

At this point, the courtiers were in uproar. Despite the best efforts of the Minister of Rites and the two Langzhongs to quell the commotion, the clamor within the Wenhua Palace could not be suppressed.

Yu Hongchang’s face took on a frosty demeanor.

The meaning of the Langzhong’s words was clear indeed. The Heaven shows due respect to all the deities of heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, as well as to the ancestors. The Emperor is diligent in his governance, so what is the cause of these natural disasters? It is due to the lack of a designated successor, leading to instability within the court.

The Langzhong paid no heed to Yu Hongchang’s icy glare and continued, "Your Highness, the Regent, ever since the Crown Prince fell unconscious from a violent illness, the position of deputy has been vacant for eight months. With the Emperor ailing and unable to manage state affairs, court officials are uneasy and the people unsettled. I propose holding an examination to find a virtuous candidate among the descendants of the royal family to stabilize the reign and calm the people. As soon as a worthy successor is identified, he can return to his original post. The fact that it remains undecided after over seven months is regarded as disregard for ancestral temples by the authorities, which is why these celestial anomalies have been occurring. Regent, it is vital to respect the importance of ancestral rites and establish a co-regent promptly to reassure the court and quell the celestial anomalies."

He had submitted a memorial to the Emperor seven months ago, advising him to choose a virtuous and able person from the Princely Heir’s brothers as a backup for the Crown Prince, but the Emperor had ignored it completely, which had eventually led to the current natural disasters.

The only solution now is to appoint the Crown Prince as soon as possible.

However, Yu Hongchang’s reaction was calm: "Langzhong Zhang’s report has already been received by my palace. Summon someone to bring Langzhong Zhang’s report for my review."

During these past few months, she had experienced many similar debates on appointing an heir.

The cleverness of Langzhong Zhang lies in linking the issue of appointing the Crown Prince with floods and celestial signs. This would have a tenfold impact on the Emperor and the Court.

Yu Hongchang planned to observe how things would unfold.

She could submit this report to the Ministry for discussion. Whether or not an heir should be appointed, and who should be appointed as the heir, would require in-depth discussion.

As long as the court officials cannot form a unified opinion, the pressure will not reach the Jingtai Emperor and her.

But then, Yu Hongchang noticed that the Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites had raised his head and was looking at her: "If the Emperor and the Regent think that the members of the royal family are incapable and unfit to be the heir to the throne, they can choose a capable one from the royal family to take the secondary position.

The current Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, is well-educated, virtuous, and well-respected in the court. He is known as the Virtuous Prince and is the hope of the royal family. I beg the Emperor to choose Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, as the Grand Uncle of the Emperor for the future— ’

At this time, all the court officials kept glancing towards Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi.

Their eyes were filled with either astonishment, disbelief, jubilation, or rage.

Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, rushed out from the crowd with a pale face and angrily said, "Langzhong Zhang, don’t hurt me!"

Prince Xiang hurriedly walked up to the jade steps and bowed deeply to Yu Hongchang: "Your Highness, the Emperor is in the prime of his life, and the Crown Prince has only fallen into a temporary coma due to the scheming of evil men. He will certainly recover soon.

Besides, there are still close relatives of the royal family in the court. There is no need to bypass the True Emperor and his sons and appoint another heir. Please, Regent Highness, do not heed the bewitching words of Langzhong Zhang!"

However, several high-ranking officials in the court, including Li Xuan, were watching Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, with profound meaning.

※※※※

The whole month of August was full of endless debates and chaos in the Court.

As Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, was also ’forced’ to be involved in the debate over the heir, the officials of the court became even more heated in their disputes over the succession, as they also brought in divine will and natural disasters.

The officials who were close to the Empress Dowager and the True Emperor vehemently refuted and suppressed the weird theories about the ’emperor’s grand uncle’.

It seemed that Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, was truly terrified and closed his doors in the following days.

But in the court, there were many officials, led by Minister of Personnel Wang Wen, who were making efforts for him.

Li Xuan, on the other hand, had truly detached himself from all affairs. He had initially intended to reserve some vitality for the Emperor’s faction.

But now, the storm about the heirship is getting more and more intense, and those who should and should not be involved are all deeply mired in it.

As the saying goes, "when it rains, it pours", Li Xuan couldn’t control what these people were thinking.

The ability of Princess Changle, Yu Hongchang, also impressed Li Xuan.

This lady, who seemed to be just standing by and watching, played the game of stirring up trouble with great skill.

The situation between the two factions in the court was always evenly matched, and neither could gain an advantage.

Instead, Yu Hongchang took advantage of this opportunity to promote some lower-ranking officials to important positions.

They were all capable and pragmatic officials.

The key point was that they all had a clear mind and kept a respectful distance from the dispute over the heirship.

Observing Yu Hongchang’s governance, Li Xuan felt completely relieved.

At this time, he was tirelessly lecturing in the Capital City on one hand, and on the other hand, he was devoting all his efforts to perfecting his Henglian Golden Body and reinforcing his Haoqi cultivation.

But at the end of September, the Jingtai Emperor, who was supposed to end his seclusion and take over the court affairs, once again issued a decree to extend Yu Hongchang’s regency period to four months.

This decree made the already escalating storm in the court even more violent.

Li Xuan couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart, and immediately entered the palace, planning to look for Yu Hongchang to inquire about the situation of the Jingtai Emperor.

He wondered if the Emperor was not doing well. Would the ’palace coup’ in history still happen and was about to begin?

But when the hurried Li Xuan entered the Wenhua Palace and saw Yu Hongchang, he found that the young woman sitting on the throne was vomiting.