Moreover, not long after the Princess of Qin married into Shangchuan, he resigned from his official post and had long since stopped caring about court affairs. If he truly wanted to assist the King of Qin, he should have kept his official position and established a firm foothold in the court.
A veteran official who had served the royal family for decades and had already resigned from his post, and who was the Crown Prince's tutor appointed by the late emperor, was killed because of a few unfounded words from his daughter. In that case, everyone believed even more that what his daughter said was true.
Especially at times like these, we should treat him well, so that everyone will believe that His Majesty is upright and that he killed the Princess of Qin only because she spoke ill of the Emperor and slandered him, not to silence her.
The young eunuch nodded in realization, but then his brows furrowed even more deeply.
"But... Grand Tutor Yao only has this one daughter. If Princess Qin dies, will he still be alive?"
The palace maid was slightly taken aback, then nodded slightly, her eyes darting around as she pondered something to herself.
Chapter 108 Procrastination [Completed]
The fate of the Princess Consort of Qin remained undecided even after the court session ended, but it was clear that apart from Wei Chi's own confidants, no one supported her immediate execution.
These people either spoke up for Yao Youqing under the guise of doing what was best for Wei Chi, like that old minister, or they remained silent and did not take sides.
This is not a good sign for Wei Chi. The fact that these people didn't speak up for him proves that they already have some doubts or have their own plans.
Previously, although Wei Chi and Wei Hong were deadlocked, Wei Chi was the emperor. Even if Shuozhou had a strong army and Wei Hong had good relations with many generals in the army, he might not be able to defeat the court on his own.
After all, Wei Chi still holds the title of "legitimate." As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes or give anyone any leverage over him, opposing him is tantamount to treason. Regardless of success or failure, they will be criticized and gossiped about, and might even be recorded in history books, making it impossible for their clan to hold their heads high for generations.
Even those with the best relationship with the King of Qin would only be a very small minority willing to take such a risk to help him.
However, the Princess Consort of Qin just caused such a scene in the court. Although she did not say it explicitly, she directly accused the current emperor of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country in order to eliminate the Prince of Qin and cooperate with the Southern Yan and Jin dynasties. If this is proven, then even the "legitimate" emperor will not be able to keep his throne.
When the generals from all over the country follow the King of Qin to send troops against the court, the court will lose the support of the army and the people. What will it have to fight against him?
If I were to continue following His Majesty under such circumstances, wouldn't I become a treacherous minister and lose my reputation?
With this in mind, very few people dared to directly voice their support for ordering Yao Youqing's execution.
Wei Chi was furious at the court officials' reaction, but he was powerless to do anything about it, because the current situation was entirely his own doing.
In fact, if it were only Yao Youqing's words, the court officials might not be convinced and would have such concerns.
However, the fact that the King of Qin was lured away from his mountain and trapped in Hengshui, and that Southern Yan and Daliang simultaneously launched an attack on Shuozhou, were all too coincidental and had already aroused suspicion. However, because there was no evidence, everyone only speculated in private and dared not show it openly.
Now that Yao Youqing has said such things in front of the entire court, Wei Chi can't hide it no matter what he wants to say. It won't be long before these words spread everywhere.
When the generals from all over the country learned that the Princess Consort of Qin had appeared in the capital and that her testimony in the court confirmed their previous guesses, the number of people following the King of Qin must be much greater than before.
Wei Chi knew that if Yao Youqing died at this point, he would be even more unable to explain himself.
But if she were alive and revealed something else, or if he were repeatedly asked to investigate her route from Shangchuan to the capital and the people who escorted her, his troubles would be even greater than they are now!
So he'd rather she died right now!
When the palace maid saw Wei Chi storming in from the direction of the main hall, heading straight for Yao Youqing, she knew that he probably wouldn't allow her to continue living. She followed him with small, quick steps and whispered behind him, "Does His Majesty intend to kill Princess Qin?"
Wei Chi's face was gloomy. He ignored him and continued walking toward the room where Yao Youqing was being held.
The palace maid had intended to speak slowly, but seeing his demeanor, she had no choice but to speak hastily.
"The death of Princess Qin is not a big deal, but if Grand Tutor Yao also dies, it would be very detrimental to His Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Wei Chi finally responded.
"I have already sent people to treat him; he will not die."
He didn't stop walking while speaking, and his desire to kill Yao Youqing didn't diminish in the slightest.
The palace maid sighed and said, "Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Yao only has one daughter. If she dies, how can Grand Tutor Yao live?"
"Even if the imperial physician saves his life now, if he is determined to die, then... we can't stop him!"
It wasn't until this sentence that Wei Chi abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Even if those people in the court were to plead for Yao Youqing, they wouldn't speak directly. Instead, they would do so under the guise of doing what was best for him and proving his innocence.
As for the idea that Yao Yuzhi should forgive Yao Youqing because of his old age and the fact that he only has one daughter, they could not and should not say such a thing.
Yao Youqing was accused of "slandering" the emperor. If this charge were proven, she would surely die, no matter who she was.
Using this excuse to plead for her is tantamount to saying that the emperor's face is unimportant, that even if he is slandered, it doesn't matter, and that he must be forgiven out of respect for the old ministers, right?
This is a blatant disregard for national laws and regulations, and a public slap in the face to Wei Chi.
Only a trusted confidant would say such things to him.
Wei Chi stood under the eaves, his face ashen, half his face in the sunlight and half in the shadow.
"That vile woman betrayed me and said such things in public. Do you think I'm going to spare her life?"
“Your Majesty,” the palace attendant said, “the Princess Consort of Qin has already entered the palace, and her life is in your hands. It doesn’t matter when you want her, so why rush things?”
"Instead of killing her now, why not find a way to get through this immediate crisis first, and then kill her after this matter is resolved? Wouldn't that be the same?"
Wei Chi frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly: "What good idea do you have?"
"This servant has no good solution, but I feel that if Princess Qin and Lord Yao are both dead now, His Majesty will be in a stalemate, and the people in the court will definitely be talking about it. No matter how you explain their cause of death, no one will believe you."
"Rather than that, we should keep Princess Qin alive and let her recant her testimony!"
"Easy for you to say! How can we make her recant her testimony?"
Wei Chidao.
"Since she came all the way from Shangchuan and said those things, she must have been prepared to die! How could she just recant her testimony like that?"
The palace maid smiled and said, "Although the Princess Consort of Qin disregards her own life and death, Grand Tutor Yao is her father, and she has always been filial. If Grand Tutor Yao suffers because of her, can she really remain indifferent and turn a blind eye?"
Wei Chi went over his words in his mind and shook his head.
"It's no use. Grand Tutor Yao's head is like a rock in a latrine, stinking and hard. If he knew that I used him to coerce his daughter into changing her mind, he would have ended it all himself!"
Knowing that her father was dead, Yao Youqing was even less likely to change her tune.
The palace maid thought for a moment and said, "Then let Grand Tutor Yao not know. Just let him know that his daughter is still alive."
“As long as Princess Qin is alive, he will definitely not be willing to die. As long as he is alive, Princess Qin will have something to worry about, and then there is still a possibility that things can be turned around.”
"If she were willing to testify that she was sent by the King of Qin to frame you, wouldn't the current problem be easily solved?"
Then, how Yao Youqing came to the capital and who escorted her before Linzhou will all make sense. We can just push it all onto Wei Hong.
Wei Chi knew this was a good idea, but...
"Who knows when she'll finally change her mind? If she refuses for a day, am I supposed to wait every day? If she refuses for a month, am I supposed to wait a whole month?"
If the matter drags on, before she can recant her testimony, Wei Hong will use her previous words as a pretext to send troops!
"Well... how about we send someone to persuade Princess Qin? She's always been timid in the capital, and this time she's probably just holding her breath to dare to spout nonsense in court. I doubt she'll last long."
Previously, Yao Youqing had served as Princess Chenglan's companion and had spent some time in the palace. The palace staff knew her well and were familiar with her personality.
Although Wei Chi was unwilling to wait, he had no other choice but to agree for the time being, thinking that if she still refused to agree after a few days, he would talk to her again.
As he expected, all the people he sent to persuade Yao Youqing returned empty-handed.
Unable to commit suicide because she was being watched, Yao Youqing listened to them talk silently, without making a fuss, eating, drinking, or speaking, and did not respond to a single word.
After two days, she was on the verge of fainting, but she still refused to give in, as stubborn as her father.
If things continue like this, the situation will only get worse. The palace servant who had initially suggested this idea sighed repeatedly.
"Miss Yao wasn't like this before. How come she's become just like her father after being married to the Prince of Qin for more than two years?"
It looks delicate and soft, but its bones are as hard as iron, and you can't bite it no matter how hard you try.
His godson sighed as well, and after a couple of thoughts, said, "How about... we let Consort Hui give it a try? Perhaps it's easier for women to talk to each other?"
Consort Hui is the daughter of one of Wei Chi's confidants. Having her come means there's no need to worry about people finding out that Wei Chi forced Yao Youqing to testify, nor is there any need to worry about her leaking information.
The palace servants frowned and shook their heads: "Even Lord Li and the others couldn't persuade Princess Qin, how could Consort Hui possibly do so? She has absolutely no connection with Princess Qin, and she's always been tongue-tied; she can make herself cry after just three sentences."
The eunuch stood beside him, looking troubled and helpless.
After a moment, the palace maid seemed to remember something and clapped her hands.
"Consort Hui won't do, but there's someone else who's suitable!"
Half an hour later, Princess Chenglan was brought into the palace and taken to the side hall where Yao Youqing was imprisoned.
After a while, Yao Youqing dismissed the two palace maids who were watching over her, leaving only the two of them in the large room.
Princess Chenglan and Wei Chi have always been close, and now that they are the only ones inside, if Yao Youqing dies, she will inevitably have to take responsibility.
The palace servants knew she wouldn't cause them any trouble and would keep a close eye on Yao Youqing to prevent any accidents, so they left with peace of mind.
Another half hour passed before she summoned a palace maid and came out of the hall herself.
"Well? Has the Princess Consort of Qin spoken?"
The palace servants hurriedly stepped forward and asked.
Cheng Lan smiled and said, "Take me to see His Majesty. Princess Qin said something that I need to pass on to him."
...
"You hold a grudge against me?"
Wei Chi frowned.
“Yes, she resents you,” Cheng Lan said. “You abandoned her for the throne, and now you’re threatening her to bring down the Prince of Qin. She originally had some feelings for you, but you hurt her time and time again, and it turned into hatred. She also knew that the more she said those things, the less likely you would dare to hurt Grand Tutor Yao, so she turned around and helped the Prince of Qin.”
Wei Chi remained silent for a long time, his brows furrowed: "...What would it take for her to let go of this hatred and help me?"
"She didn't say that, but since she harbors resentment and hatred, she must still care about you. Once she resolves this inner conflict, it won't be difficult to get her to change her story and recant her testimony."
"Your Majesty... just be nicer to her, treat her as you were before, let her remember how sincerely you treated her in the past, and let her know that this situation is out of necessity and you didn't really mean to hurt her. Maybe then she'll relent."
Wei Chi's brows remained furrowed: "How long are we going to drag this out!"
“It doesn’t have to be too long,” Cheng Lan said. “Once a woman gives her body, she gives her heart too. Find a suitable opportunity and when the atmosphere is good, and let her submit to you, even if it’s half-hearted. Once it’s dawn, everything will be easier to talk about, as long as you don’t force her like you did this time.”
Although Cheng Lan was not married and had no husband, she had many male concubines in her household. They were always outspoken and Wei Chi was used to it and didn't think much of it. However, what she said was not so easy to accomplish.
“Youqing is the daughter of Grand Tutor Yao. She has always been well-behaved and obedient. Even if she still has some feelings for me, she would not easily give herself to me.”
If he had shown even the slightest intention, or if she had discovered that he had used other methods, such as drugging her, she would have committed suicide on the spot.
"Following the rules?"