The capital was in turmoil, and the forces of all parties were hidden and unmoved, with a strong momentum of an impending storm.
One day, they were discussing the matter of worshipping ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. According to the old custom of Dayan, whenever a new emperor ascended the throne, he had to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to worship his ancestors and comfort the heavens.
Suddenly, someone stood up and brought up the matter of Cen Yi again. It was an indisputable fact that Cen Yi had committed treason, but treason was a serious crime that would bring disaster to the entire clan. Even though Cen Yi confessed everything in front of the battle, and Cen Yelan killed Cen Yi in public for the sake of justice, but the matter was sensitive and could easily be used to make a fuss. That person was an unknown minor official, but in the Golden Palace, his words were as powerful as a knife, pointed directly at Cen Yelan.
Cen Yelan listened to the other party’s murderous speech calmly, his expression was indifferent, and he looked a little arrogant and cold.
As soon as that person finished speaking, a general jumped out and cursed, “Nonsense, the Cen family has a good reputation for generations, and General Cen is loyal and devoted. How can we allow you to speculate and slander like this?”
Another person sneered, “Even though they have had a good reputation for generations, they still have a traitor.”
“General Cen has fought on the battlefield for more than ten years and has made great military achievements. His ambition is evident to the heavens and the earth, and his heart is known to the sun and the moon.” Another person stepped out, raised his head, and glared angrily, saying in a sonorous voice, “If he had colluded with the Hu people, how could he have killed his own relatives in front of the battle line and even killed Yan Le with his own hands? Isn’t this a contradiction? It’s really absurd!”
“How sinister and cunning the Hu people are! How do you know that he didn’t kill his own relatives out of necessity? And that he killed Yan Le because he saw that it was useless to try to get the tiger’s skin[mfn]Attempt the impossible that runs against the interests of the opponent[/mfn] and use this as a cover-up?”
“Ridiculous! It’s obvious that you are making false accusations with ulterior motives!”
“General Cen is the commander of the Northern Territory, and he is also Cen Yi’s sworn brother. If you say he knows nothing about what Cen Yi did, I’m afraid—heh.”
“You also know that he is his sworn brother. Besides, people’s hearts are hidden behind their backs. Who can clearly see the dirty plots behind their backs?”
Civil officials and military generals exchanged sharp words, and the court was filled with smoke in the blink of an eye.
Yuan Heng sat high on the dragon throne, his face covered by the crown tassels, and suddenly said, “Enough.”
The scene was in a state of silence, and all the ministers apologized and fell silent.
Yuan Heng calmly said, “Cen Qing had already submitted a memorial stating everything regards Cen Yi’s rebellion.”
“There is no doubt that Cen Qing is loyal to Dayan.” Yuan Heng said, “There is no need to say such groundless words in the future.”
Si Shaoying said, “Your Majesty, Cen Yi is not only the commander of Beicang Pass, but also the hereditary Marquis Wangbei of our Dayan. It is unusual for a noble to collude with a foreign enemy, not to mention that the so-called truth is all Cen Yi’s one-sided words on the battlefield.”
“As far as the minister knows, Cen Yi had already been severely tortured before the battle. It is still unknown how much truth and falsehood his testimony has.”
Cen Yelan raised his eyes, Si Shaoying turned his head and looked at him. The two looked at each other, and Si Shaoying said, “Your Majesty, the minister begs Your Majesty to ask the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Court to thoroughly investigate this case. This will not only silence those who are talking but also clear General Cen’s name.”
Yuan Heng hesitated for a moment and said, “Cen Qing?”
Cen Yelan calmly said, “Your Majesty, the minister is guilty.”
As soon as Cen Yelan finished speaking, the court officials were in an uproar and all looked at him.
“In public, Cen Yi is also the minister’s subordinate. He made such a big mistake, but the minister knew nothing about it. It was the minister’s negligence.”
“In private, he is the minister’s elder brother. He colluded with foreign enemies and brought disaster to the country and the people. How can the minister stay out of it?” Cen Yelan lifted his robe and knelt on the ground to pay his respects and said in a deep voice, “The minister is responsible for all these things. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Cen Yelan lowered his eyes, but he could feel the probing and malicious gazes from the people around him. Cen Yelan was not a fool, he knew that what happened today was intentional.
Cen Yi was like a knife stabbed into his body. They want to use this knife to bind his hands and feet, making him unable to take care of himself and doomed to eternity.
Yuan Heng said, “In this case, let King Qin, the Dali Court, and the Ministry of Justice investigate the case together and clear Cen Qing’s name.”
“Cen Qing should stay at home and self-cultivate for the next few days.”
Cen Yelan said, “The minister will obey the order. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“It’s called self-cultivate, but it’s actually house arrest.” Meng Huaixue frowned, knocking on the chess pieces and raising her hand to drop one.
Yuan Zheng sat opposite Meng Huaixue, holding the black piece, and followed the battle in silence.
Meng Tan was watching the battle and said, “General Cen controls the Northern Border Army, which is the most valiant of the four divisions of Dayan. Yuan Heng cannot help but be afraid.”
Meng Huaixue said, “Fortunately, General Cen had prepared in advance; otherwise, he would have been controlled by them.”
“How could they let go of a good handle such as Cen Yi?” Yuan Zheng suddenly spoke up, holding a black piece in his hand, with his eyes downcast, his face hard and cold, with a bit of cold gloom. He said, “In order to cut off my back road, Yuan Heng did not hesitate to let Chen Qing abandon Heshan Prefecture. Now he’s trapping—Ah Lan, just to deal with me.”
When Yuan Zheng uttered those two words, his lips and teeth opened and closed, and his tongue moved, his chest and heart trembled slightly, and he actually felt a little pain.
Meng Huaixue frowned and said, “Speaking of Chen Qing, when Chen Qing abandoned the city and committed s*icide out of fear of punishment, we went directly to investigate Chen Qing and found that his family left the capital overnight, but later all died in the hands of bandits, and no one survived.”
Yuan Zheng calmly said, “It’s just to cut the grass and eradicate the root[mfn]It’s a metaphor for removing the root to avoid future troubles.[/mfn].”
Meng Huaixue said, “Ten days later, it will be the day to worship the ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The royal family, civil, and military officials will all go together. If Yuan Heng wants to cause trouble, will it really be on that day?”
Meng Tan tapped the table with his fingers and said, “The matter of the will has widely spreading in the capital, and coupled with the fire at Rongxiang Fang, Yuan Heng has already had murderous intentions; otherwise, he would not have taken the risk of attacking General Cen.”
Yuan Zheng said, “Sister, you don’t understand him.” He dropped a piece and said, “For so long I have been wondering why Yuan Heng hates me. Later I found out that he probably hated me since he was a child.”
“What better way to avenge these years of hatred than to kill me in front of the heavens, the earth, and our ancestors?”
Meng Huaixue was speechless, and then she heard Yuan Zheng say, “Sister, you lost.”
Meng Huaixue was stunned, staring at the chessboard for a long while, and muttered, “Ah Zheng, why are you playing this chess move with such murderous intent?”
Yuan Zheng remained silent, raised his hand, and collected the white pieces that had been strangled one by one.
Meng Huaixue was not upset after losing the game, she snorted and said, “Forget it, I won’t play with you anymore, I’ll go check your medicine.”
After saying that, she walked out. Meng Tan looked at the chessboard and said, “Do you still have a headache at night?”
Since Yuan Zheng came to the capital, he had been pretending to be crazy and stupid and had been taking medicine sent by the imperial physician. It was like drinking poison. Even though Su Chenzhao secretly changed the prescription for him, but it still hurt his body and left him with headaches and difficulty sleeping at night.
Yuan Zheng hummed casually, and Meng Tan said, “Ah Zheng, listen to Uncle, don’t go to see General Cen these days. General Cen has hundreds of thousands of Northern Border troops in his hands, and Yuan Heng dares not touch him so easily, but Si Shaoying will definitely have people guarding the Cen Mansion. Once you show up, I’m afraid—”
Yuan Zheng said, “I know.”
He raised his eyes and looked at Meng Tan. His tone was calm, but it revealed a deep sense of depression. He repeated, “Uncle, I know.”
Meng Tan looked at Yuan Zheng, sighed, and said, “It will be over soon.”
