"I know he tacitly allowed the Empress and others to kill my mother, Consort. The Liang family is powerful, and he relied heavily on them to ascend. My mother believed she had chosen a good son-in-law, and the Liang family spared no effort in supporting him. Later, the late Emperor indeed chose him, but warned him to be wary of the Liang family."
Perhaps the late Emperor also felt that the Emperor would be a wise ruler for ages and did not want the maternal clan of his consorts to block his path. However, the Liang family had followed the founding Emperor and achieved merits in establishing the nation, so the late Emperor felt a sense of guilt and later did many good deeds to compensate.
Among these was his dying wish during the state mourning.
But such matters of offsetting merits and demerits are not universally applicable. While merits deserve reward, demerits also warrant punishment. The hundreds of people in the Liang family could not be compensated for by a few actions of the late Emperor.
Zhu Yan silently listened as he finished, recounting how he discovered these truths during his serious illness and then ordered people to investigate bit by bit.
The grief and rage he felt upon learning everything...
Zhu Yan suddenly asked, "Do you want to re-establish a nation?"
Bai Li Chongyan was momentarily bewildered.
Zhu Yan said, "Originally, you wanted the throne. But this throne is stained with many ill deeds, including the lives of your mother's clan. So, let's not have it. We will establish a new dynasty."
A moment later, a light ignited in Bai Li Chongyan's eyes.
It was not just a light of excitement, but also of vengeance.
He would completely overthrow the Great Sheng!
They had all schemed to make the Great Sheng dynasty last longer; he would destroy all their plans.
This would not only fulfill his wish but also allow him to exact revenge on the royal family and his self-righteous father.
Zhu Yan knew he had agreed and smiled again.
The carriage swayed as it headed towards the prince's manor. Inside, the two figures were pressed together, leaning against each other.
For Bai Li Chongyan, this was the warmest winter of his life, not just in terms of his recovering body, but also his heart.
The thought that this person would always be behind him, smiling at him, supporting him, filled Bai Li Chongyan with boundless vitality. It was as if all the past pain and suffering were worth it.
—
The Emperor had a stroke.
The heavy snow had stopped, but the Emperor was no longer able to govern. The court was instantly divided into three factions: one advocated for immediately summoning the Crown Prince to take charge; another supported the Fifth Prince ascending the throne; and the third consisted of a few supporters of the Third Prince and Bai Li Chongyan's people in court.
The third faction remained silent for the time being, making no declaration.
The Crown Prince was far away, and it would take time for him to return. The Fifth Prince seized the initiative and temporarily assumed the Emperor's duties.
The Empress was not to be outdone. If the Fifth Prince was regent, she would oversee the nation.
The two sides were in constant conflict, not only openly vying for power in court but also undermining and attacking each other in secret. The capital continued to see deaths daily.
While they were tearing each other apart, Bai Li Chongyan had everything prepared and was ready to head south.
Their informants sent word that the snow disaster in the south was not severe. The snow had already stopped, and although some areas were affected, the overall situation was stable.
With the capital in chaos and people fleeing famine in the northern prefectures, it was better to establish a new base in the south than to stay and fight with others.
Having made up his mind, on a moonless and windswept night, Bai Li Chongyan and Zhu Yan boarded a carriage and silently departed from the prince's manor.
Others also withdrew. The prince's manor had no elderly or infirm. Bai Li Chongyan, regardless of gender, practiced martial arts. Only Zhu Yan's two maids were slightly less skilled, but with the guards' care, they were all fine.
Lord Song chose a strategy of undermining from within. He fabricated a minor offense, which was then impeached by the censors. Through Bai Li Chongyan's people, he was successfully ostracized by the Empress and the Fifth Prince, and demoted to an obscure official in the southwest.
From a high-ranking court official to a petty official on the frontier, Lord Song fell "ill." While still bedridden, he was ordered by the Fifth Prince to leave immediately. The Song family had no choice but to pack up and leave in disgrace.
The Prime Minister, worried about the Emperor, fell ill from excessive grief. Considering his relationship with the Song family, both the Empress and the Fifth Prince wanted him to step down.
The Empress sent people to express condolences. Zhang Yicheng took the opportunity to propose that, given the Prime Minister's advanced age and serious illness, he wished to send the Prime Minister back to his hometown to retire.
The Empress was overjoyed.
After sending someone to negotiate with the Fifth Prince, the two quickly reached an agreement.
They believed that with the Song family driven away and Prime Minister Zhang resigning, the Prince of Yan's manor would have no more support, and eliminating a strong rival was a desirable outcome. How could they refuse?
Zhang Yicheng received the imperial decree, packed his belongings, and also departed with great fanfare.
While the two factions in the imperial palace were rejoicing at having driven away a group, the Song and Zhang families had already joined Prince Yan's manor and were heading south together.