Especially when he learned that Wei Hong had fallen in love with her.
Wei Chi believed that Yao Youqing was on his side and had no doubts about her purpose in coming to the capital. After all, her and her father's lives were now in his hands. Even if she was dissatisfied with the threatening letter he had sent her before, she would never do anything inappropriate.
He knew better than anyone that this girl was always timid.
Yao Youqing had been looking at Yao Yuzhi ever since she entered the hall, and only now did she turn her gaze away. However, she did not directly respond to Wei Chi's words, but murmured, "Since the start of the war, the people on the border have been living in misery, the fields have been abandoned, the cities have been desolate, and countless soldiers have died on the battlefield, never to see their families again."
"And many of the relatives who waited at home for their triumphant return only received a waist tag, a few pieces of clothing they had worn in life, and some compensation money in the end."
"As for that living person back then... died on the battlefield, his body wrapped in a horse's hide. Not to mention seeing him one last time, even his body was buried in a foreign land, unable to be buried in the ancestral grave. He could only erect a cenotaph next to the grave of his deceased relative as a small consolation."
Her voice was soft and her speech slow as she recounted what she had seen and heard, making the listener imagine the tragic state of the border region.
Wei Chi did not interrupt her, but listened quietly. One of his confidants in the hall then said, "This is all the fault of the Prince of Qin. If he had not insisted on not allowing the imperial troops to enter Shuozhou, how could things be like this now!"
"Yes, it is Qin Wang's reliance on his military power that has led to today's situation. His title should be stripped and his military power taken away immediately, otherwise Shuozhou will be in danger, and Daliang will be in danger!"
Amidst the chorus of agreement, Yao Youqing spoke again: "But while the soldiers on the border were fighting bloody battles, the high-ranking officials and nobles were still drinking and making merry, feasting and traveling, completely unaffected."
"If that were all, it would be fine. After all, the border is relatively stable for the time being. It's not good to throw the baby out with the bathwater. If there is war on the border, it would be like a national mourning, banning singing and dancing, causing panic and making the people anxious and fearful."
"But... soldiers defend their country and do their best to protect the people, while high-ranking officials and nobles scatter beans in the streets for amusement and watch the refugees fight over them. What does that mean?"
The officials who had previously echoed him were immediately filled with righteous indignation: "The Qin King's rule is so lax, it's a real waste of Emperor Gaozong's cultivation and trust in him!"
“No,” Yao Youqing said, “it wasn’t in Shangchuan. I saw the bean-scattering incident on my way to the capital, in Weicheng, Linzhou.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the court fell silent. No one understood what she meant.
At this moment, Yao Youqing finally looked up and looked at Wei Chi sitting on the seat.
“I did not come here to testify voluntarily. His Majesty threatened me with my father’s life, forcing me to go to the border under the pretext of patrolling, enter the territory of the Great Jin on my own, and then be handed over to the Southern Yan by the Jin people, from where I would enter the Great Liang. Otherwise, how could I, a mere woman with no soldiers or power, have managed to avoid the Prince’s notice and come here so smoothly just because I wanted to go to the capital to testify?”
These words caused an uproar in the court, and Wei Chi's expression changed drastically.
"You...you're talking nonsense!"
Someone shouted, "His Majesty is the ruler of a nation, and has always loved his country and its people. How could he possibly do such a thing!"
Knowing she didn't have many chances to speak, Yao Youqing ignored him completely and said to herself, "Although I am just a woman, I have read a few books of sages and virtuous men. I can distinguish right from wrong and black from white. I know what I should and shouldn't do."
"Since I married into Shangchuan, I have seen that all the people love and respect the Prince. The Prince also loves the people like his own children. No matter whether there is a war on the border, he will move to Cangcheng every year for a period of time to personally patrol the border and reassure the people."
"The people of Shangchuan live in peace and prosperity. Even the most prominent officials would never dare to scatter beans in the streets for amusement, let alone their relatives!"
"His Majesty wants me to testify that the Prince is guilty, but I do not know what crime the Prince has committed! If you insist that I testify, I can only testify to other things for you."
Hearing this, Wei Chi's confidant guessed that she wouldn't say anything nice, and hurriedly said, "Drag her away! Drag her away!"
As they were speaking, Yao Youqing's voice rang out.
"This is proof that the King of Qin has worked diligently and conscientiously for many years to ensure the stability of the border and the well-being of the people, without ever slacking off in the slightest."
"These two pieces of evidence prove that the King of Qin is loyal and devoted to guarding the border, performing his duties faithfully, and has never harbored any disloyal thoughts."
"These three pieces of evidence prove that the King of Qin personally attends to every matter and leads from the front, making him a great hero worthy of heaven and earth!"
She had never spoken in her entire life with such a loud voice; every word pierced through everyone's ears, and she wouldn't stop even when someone tried to stop her.
The palace servants dragged her out, but she struggled and kept repeating, "He is a great hero, my husband is a great hero!"
The sound only disappeared when the palace servants covered her mouth, but it seemed to linger in the hall, never truly leaving...
Chapter 107 Fallacies
There are no secrets at court; everything that happens and is said there will soon spread among the major families of the capital.
If, as the late emperor did when he bestowed the marriage upon the Prince of Qin and Yao Youqing, he deliberately arranged for people to spread the news far and wide, it would spread even faster. Often, before the court assembly had even ended, the whole city would already know about it.
Such a colossal scandal has occurred at today's court session. Princess Qin directly accused His Majesty of colluding with the Southern Yan and Jin dynasties to frame Prince Qin. This is unprecedented since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty. Before the court session had even ended, those with good connections already knew what had happened in the hall, including Princess Chenglan.
Cheng Lan was playing the zither at the time, and several male concubines in the room were playing along with her on other different musical instruments. The sounds of the instruments were very pleasant to the ear.
But before the song was finished, Granny Kong rushed in and whispered a few words in her ear.
The music stopped abruptly, and all other sounds ceased as well. The male concubines, some standing and some sitting, lowered their eyes and remained silent.
Cheng Lan frowned, her fingers almost snapping the strings of the zither, until a sharp pain shot through her fingertips, at which point she quickly withdrew her hand.
"Granny, did you hear that right? Did the Princess Consort of Qin really say that?"
"That's what I asked the messenger, and he said it was absolutely true, that's exactly what the Princess Consort of Qin said."
Cheng Lan remained silent for a long time, then sighed helplessly, her brows still furrowed.
"I misjudged this Miss Yao. I thought she was delicate, weak, timid and cowardly. I didn't expect her to be so tough."
Granny Kong also sighed softly: "Like father, like daughter. This Miss Yao is, after all, Lord Yao's daughter, whom he raised by himself. She must be influenced by him."
"But right now, she has accused His Majesty of colluding with the Southern Yan and Great Jin in front of all the civil and military officials. I'm afraid she... won't live past today."
Once the court session ends, Wei Chi will take her life.
Ordinary criminals still need to go to the yamen (government office) to be convicted, but she is directly impeaching the current emperor based on her own words. Whether what she said is true or false, she cannot escape death.
"Given her personality, the fact that she would go to such lengths for the King of Qin shows that he must treat her extremely well."
The King of Qin had a long-standing feud with Yao Yuzhi, yet he still treated his daughter well, which must mean he valued her highly.
"She is very important to the King of Qin."
Cheng Lan made the conclusion.
Having served her for many years, Granny Kong understood her intentions without her having to say much.
"The Princess wants to save her life? But forgive this old servant for speaking out, Princess Qin has already entered the capital, but there has been no movement from Prince Qin's side. It is possible that they have tacitly approved of this. If we save Princess Qin, we may not necessarily win their favor."
Given the King of Qin's abilities, how could he have failed to notice for so long that the Queen Consort had left her fiefdom?
If someone discovers something but doesn't stop it or send anyone to rescue it, then it's very likely that they've tacitly approved it.
If they tacitly approve, then they are deliberately using the life of the Princess of Qin to pave the way for themselves.
The fact that Princess Qin died in the capital, at the hands of His Majesty, is actually better for them; saving Princess Qin has disrupted their plans.
“…Maybe something happened that caused the delay,” Cheng Lan said. “Let’s take a gamble. I don’t think…Fourteenth Uncle is that kind of person.”
"Besides, even if I wanted to save Princess Qin, I could only help delay her for a while. If he really didn't come to save her in the end, Princess Qin would still die anyway."
"Whether he dies sooner or later is still death, so if he really has other plans, it won't make any difference."
Granny Kong shook her head helplessly: "Does the Princess think that the Prince of Qin is not that kind of person, or that the person Lord Cui serves would not be that kind of person?"
Cheng Lan raised an eyebrow: "Why are you bringing him up again, Granny? I'm trying to take a gamble for myself. If Fourteenth Uncle really can't bear to part with my aunt, then saving her would be a great achievement! It's no less meritorious than supporting the emperor!"
He told her to go and pass on a few words to the people in the palace, so that she would not bring up any more topics related to Cui Hao.
...
After Yao Youqing was dragged off the court, she was locked in a side hall, guarded by two palace maids and a group of guards outside the door.
What she just said was so shocking that, apart from Wei Chi's few confidants who kept reiterating that she was making baseless accusations against the emperor, no one in the court dared to speak for a moment.
Yao Yuzhi, Yao Youqing's biological father, instinctively stood up to try to stop her when she was taken away, but before he could stand up, he fainted from a sharp pain in the back of his neck.
All eyes were on Yao Youqing. No one saw him being knocked unconscious until he was taken away. Only then did the palace servant beside him feign panic and say, "Grand Tutor Yao was angered unconscious by Princess Qin!"
Wei Chi's face turned ashen due to the sudden turn of events. If this hadn't happened in the imperial court, he might have rushed over and strangled Yao Youqing.
The eunuch's words brought him back to his senses. He suppressed the gloomy expression on his face and said in a deep voice, "Take the Grand Tutor away to treat him."
The palace servants agreed and took Yao Yuzhi away. After rebuking Yao Youqing for making false accusations, his confidants said that she should be put to death to prevent her from uttering any more evil words and slandering the current emperor.
However, Yao Youqing was, after all, Yao Yuzhi's daughter, and Yao Yuzhi was a veteran of three dynasties, known for his virtue. Many people in the court were either his students or his classmates, and had a close relationship with him. Knowing that he only had this one daughter and loved her very much, they still risked offending Wei Chi and said, "It is probably not appropriate to order the death of the Princess Qin before the matter has been investigated."
"What's there to investigate? Does Lord Zhou believe the nonsense of that Princess Qin and think it's His Majesty and the South..."
The man realized halfway through his sentence that he couldn't finish it, so he changed his tone and said, "Do you think His Majesty forced Princess Qin to come?"
If this is acknowledged, it means believing that Yao Youqing came from the Southern Yan of the Great Jin Dynasty, which also means believing that Wei Chi is colluding with the enemy country. That would be more than just angering him.
The one who spoke up for Yao Youqing was an old minister. Wei Chi glanced at him, then looked around at the others in the hall, and explained, "I have never forced Princess Qin. She herself sent someone to tell me that she would come to the capital to testify that Prince Qin was abusing his power and had left his fiefdom without permission."
"When I learned of her arrival, she had already left Shuozhou. To prevent her from being discovered by the Prince of Qin and encountering any danger, I sent someone to meet her in Linzhou. As for how she got here before that, I have no idea."
To convince the court officials that she had come voluntarily, he didn't even bring her to the palace beforehand. Instead, as soon as she arrived in the capital, he immediately had her brought to the court, just to prove that he hadn't met with her privately or instructed her to do anything.
Unexpectedly, she turned around and bit him in front of everyone!
The old minister did not retreat because of his words, but stood still and continued: "What the Princess Consort of Qin said just now is indeed unbelievable and hard to believe, but there is one thing she is right about."
"She was just a woman, without any soldiers or power. It was impossible for her to have come to the capital on her own without the King of Qin's knowledge."
“Since Your Majesty did not threaten her, you should investigate who escorted her all the way to Linzhou and who helped her arrive safely. Only in this way can we prove that she is talking nonsense, and then it will not be too late to convict her.”
"If we rush to kill her now, and her absurd words get out, wouldn't people misunderstand that His Majesty is trying to silence her? By then, she'll be dead, and His Majesty won't be able to defend himself, which would give the Prince of Qin an opportunity to exploit!"
This statement seemed reasonable, but Wei Chi and his confidants knew that every word Yao Youqing said was true. He had indeed threatened and forced her to come and testify. No matter how well they hid their whereabouts, if someone with ulterior motives really wanted to investigate, they might find something. If they were to reveal something in the end, the situation would be even more difficult to handle.
"Lord Zhou is joking! If it's nonsense, how could anyone believe it?"
“That’s right! The Princess Consort of Qin, who slanders His Majesty in court, should be executed immediately! Otherwise, if everyone follows suit and everyone tries to slander His Majesty, not only will His Majesty not be able to kill her, but he will also have to prove himself. Wouldn’t the court be in chaos?”
The debate at the court meeting lasted for a long time, and the palace servants guarding outside the side hall shook their heads after hearing about it.
"No matter how much we say, it's useless. With His Majesty's temper, he will definitely take Princess Qin's life after the court session, otherwise it will be difficult to quell his hatred."
A young eunuch frowned and said, "Not necessarily. After all, Princess Qin is the daughter of Grand Tutor Yao, and she also has a past relationship with our Emperor. Perhaps..."
He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then winked and said, "Maybe they'll publicly announce that she's dead, but secretly take her in."
"Pooh!"
The palace maid spat.
"It might have been possible before, but now that she's made such a mistake, how can His Majesty care about these things? Do you think everyone is as carefree as you?"
The young eunuch hurriedly agreed, then muttered under his breath, "Grand Tutor Yao is really unlucky. He worked hard all his life, only to end up with his wife and children all dead. His only daughter was not only useless, but she also caused his death. I really don't know what sins he committed in his past life."
The palace servant scoffed and glanced at him sideways.
“Princess Qin is Princess Qin, and Grand Tutor Yao is Grand Tutor Yao. Even if Princess Qin commits a serious mistake, His Majesty will not implicate him because of it. Otherwise, wouldn’t that give people more reason to criticize him and make them think that he is trying to kill them all? Didn’t you see that His Majesty sent the imperial physician to treat Grand Tutor Yao when he fainted just now?”
Yao Yuzhi was an upright man, utterly loyal to the court. Some might believe that his daughter betrayed the court, but no one would believe that she actually betrayed the court.