Chapter 100: Rebellion and Treason

Chapter 100: Rebellion and Treason

"Thud!" Empress Dowager Wei, seated at the top, slammed her hand on the armrest, furious. "Shi Yuanxi, you have the audacity!"

"With a ledger of dubious origin, you dare to speak recklessly in court! What do you think this court is? Do you even respect me?"

Empress Dowager Wei's voice, boiling with rage, echoed throughout the council hall.

She stood in the hall, a sneer on her face, "You think just because you have some ability, you can behave so recklessly."

"Do you really think I won't kill you?" Empress Dowager Wei's voice turned cold. "Defying the imperial authority, disregarding the law, merely what you've done today is enough for me to take your head!"

The court fell into a stunned silence. After calming her emotions, Empress Dowager Wei looked down at the people below with a cold smile, prepared to pass judgment on Shi Yuanxi.

Unexpectedly, a young voice piped up from the front.

Even after so long, the young emperor still couldn't bring himself to look directly at the person behind him, but he remembered what Zhou Ying had told him before the morning court.

Zhou Ying said that today's events were a matter of life or death for Shi Yuanxi. If he didn't handle it well, Shi Yuanxi would fall into Empress Dowager Wei's hands.

Thinking of this, the young emperor straightened his posture and said, "Mother, I too wish to know to whom Wei Tianhao's silver was given."

The officials in the court were utterly shocked.

In front of the entire court, Empress Dowager Wei could accuse Shi Yuanxi of defying the imperial authority and disregarding the law, but she could never direct such words at the young emperor.

The young emperor's small hands, hidden in his sleeves, were tightly clenched, but his expression remained composed. He spoke:

"Mother, you are the Empress Dowager of the Liang dynasty and my mother. The Liang dynasty holds filial piety in high regard, and I should not be asking such questions."

"But the person who committed these acts is your very own nephew."

Empress Dowager Wei's words were blocked by his mention of "nephew."

She shot a cold glare at the person seated before her, her expression turned dark and menacing.

This child is indeed the spawn of that wretched woman.

She turned her eyes away, no longer looking at the ungrateful wretch, and said in a deep voice, "The emperor is young and still lacks the ability to discern right from wrong."

Empress Dowager Wei waved her sleeve, standing behind the curtain, looking down at him. "What I am doing today is to purge the emperor's court of treacherous individuals, so that in the future, he will not blindly believe in slander and make grave mistakes."

"Guards—" At Empress Dowager Wei's command, the doors of the council hall opened, and a large number of palace guards poured in, instantly surrounding the entire court.

The officials in the court changed their expressions. Wang Ruiping and others who had been kneeling to plead their case stood up.

"Empress Dowager, the person who should be held accountable for the situation in Huizhou is Wei Tianhao..." The official beside him could no longer hold back and was about to step forward when Wang Ruiping grabbed his hand.

The official was slightly stunned, turned to look at him, and saw him slightly raise his chin, signaling the official to look around.

The official came to his senses and, upon looking, noticed that most of the guards who had entered were unfamiliar faces.

The palace guards all wore the same uniform and carried the same swords, so at first glance, the guards who entered seemed identical.

But these court officials attended the morning court every day and were particularly familiar with the guards in front of the hall.

The sudden appearance of unfamiliar faces would surely be noticed.

Those who also realized something was wrong included all the members of the Wei faction and Empress Dowager Wei in the hall.

Empress Dowager Wei's face twisted in shock. She whipped around to face Wei Zhong.

Wei Zhong paled and knelt, head bowed, in the hall.

Half the guards in the council hall were the emperor's own.

Wei Zhong, the chief eunuch of the inner court, would be a joke if he said he knew nothing.

But more than his ignorance, she couldn’t believe he’d betray her.

When Huai Kang Di ruled, Wei Zhong almost lost a leg helping the late emperor seize the throne.

Even then, he hadn’t betrayed her. Now, after a lifetime, he’d turn traitor.

Empress Dowager Wei, blinded by rage, ignored the situation. She lashed out, kicking Wei Zhong in the chest.

Wei Zhong took the blow without flinching. He lay on the ground, his face shadowed.

The hall erupted in chaos. Shi Yuanxi glanced up, her eyes icy.

Before leaving for Huizhou, she’d tipped off Consort Jiang Taifei about Huai Kang Di’s harem secrets.

This had festered in Consort Jiang Taifei’s heart for years. She’d suspected it but never had proof, leaving it unresolved.

Shi Yuanxi’s tip led her to the palace’s flower house.

Zhou Ying, a latecomer to the palace, knew little of its past. But Consort Jiang Taifei knew better.

She’d battled Empress Dowager Wei for decades. Back then, desperate to conceive, she’d investigated everything.

Though she found nothing, she recalled a few flower house maids.

This was ancient history, hard to dig into. Empress Dowager Wei had been ruthless, silencing those who left her service.

Consort Jiang Taifei sent people to conduct extensive searches, but the information she obtained was very limited.

This information was deliberately leaked by Shi Yuanxi. After she left the capital, Zhou Ying had also been keeping an eye on Consort Jiang Taifei's movements.

Consort Jiang Taifei was deeply troubled by this matter and issued strict orders.

The actions of her subordinates were too conspicuous, allowing the Shadow Guard to capture key information. Additionally, Nanny Cen, who was in charge of the personnel records in the inner court, matched the information, leading to a few names.

Coincidentally, a palace attendant who had previously served in the flower house, known for her skill in tending to plants, had been promoted to serve in the emperor's presence.

After the late emperor's death, this palace attendant was also arranged by Zhou Ying to be sent out of the capital by the Shadow Guard.

Since then, she had lived in obscurity and had never appeared in public again.

When Zhou Ying returned to the palace from Qingyun Temple, the palace attendants she brought back were all trusted confidants of the late emperor.

But this palace attendant was merely a gardener, rarely even seeing the late emperor, and thus could not be considered a confidant.

Fortunately, she had been sent out by the Shadow Guard, so finding her traces was not difficult.

Zhou Ying then dispatched several Shadow Guards to secretly search for this palace attendant.

It took nearly one and a half months from finding the person to getting him to speak about the events of the past.

Fortunately, this person did not betray Zhou Ying's trust and shared everything he knew.

The matter of Consort Jiang's infertility was masterminded by Wei Zhong.

Wei Zhong entered the palace at the age of eight. Before catching Empress Dowager Wei's eye and serving her, he was just a low-ranking eunuch tasked with cleaning, doing the dirty and hard work that others avoided.

In his relentless ambition to climb the ranks, he worked tirelessly to win over those in Empress Dowager Wei's palace, carefully plotting every move to secure his position by her side. He even changed his name specifically to align with Empress Dowager Wei's preferences and gain her trust.

What ultimately solidified his position by Empress Dowager Wei's side was this very incident.

Consort Jiang was spoiled, with Huai Kang Di doting on her, ensuring her rooms were always filled with fresh flowers and potted plants.

The reason Wei Zhong's actions went unnoticed was because he had the poison applied to the flower stamens.

The drug was not merely a substance to render a woman infertile; it was a highly toxic substance.

Those who came into contact with it over time eventually fell seriously ill.

Consort Jiang did not die because she eventually sensed something was amiss, suspecting that someone in the palace was harming her. She became extremely cautious in all aspects and stopped using anything from the flower room.

Otherwise, it would have only been a matter of time before she too developed an incurable illness.

The powder was sprinkled on the flower stamens, and Wei Zhong had planted his own people around Consort Jiang. Before she could summon a physician, someone would discreetly shake the powder onto a handkerchief, take it out, and bury it in the soil, leaving no trace.

The drug was only used on Consort Jiang for a short period. After seeing significant effects, fearing that Huai Kang Di would continue to investigate, it was no longer used. However, from then on, Consort Jiang lost all possibility of conceiving and bearing children.

At this point, the investigation provided little assistance for Zhou Ying and Shi Yuanxi.

Unexpectedly, the Palace Attendant, grateful for Zhou Ying's kindness, informed the Shadow Guard of another incident.

The Palace Attendant said that Wei Zhong had used this method more than once.

The first time he used it was on Consort Jiang Taifei, which solidified his position as the chief eunuch.

The second time, it elevated him to the highest echelons, making him the most trusted and relied upon person by Empress Dowager Wei.

Empress Dowager Wei's life was marked by ruthless and unscrupulous actions. She likely never anticipated that the person she trusted the most would use such tactics against her.

Indeed, everyone knew that Empress Dowager Wei loved flowers, and Wei Zhong, having served her for so long, was well aware of this.

Of course, he did not use the same poison on Empress Dowager Wei. He knew his goal was merely to oust the people Empress Dowager Wei had brought from outside the palace, not to actually harm her health.

He had already become a trusted aide to Empress Dowager Wei. If anything happened to her, he would gain nothing.

Therefore, the substance Wei Zhong sprinkled into Empress Dowager Wei's flowerpots was a substance that temporarily inhibited conception.

By then, he had become the chief eunuch, and Empress Dowager Wei did not question the flowers and potted plants under his care.

To further his influence, Empress Dowager Wei even arranged for palace guards to teach him martial arts.

It was during that time that Wei Zhong learned his martial arts skills.

Later, when Empress Dowager Wei remained childless for a long time, the Wei family's standing sharply declined. Wei Changhong personally entered the palace to meet Empress Dowager Wei, planning to summon a renowned physician from beyond the palace walls.

It was then that Wei Zhong stepped forward with a suggestion, asserting that a wandering physician from his hometown was an expert in this area.

The wandering physician was real, and his ability to cure this illness was also true.

It was never an illness to begin with, but rather the consequence of repeated medication. Once the medication was stopped and some adjustments were made, Empress Dowager Wei naturally conceived the late emperor without complications.

Through these events, Wei Zhong quickly became Empress Dowager Wei's most trusted confidant.

The incident involving Consort Jiang Taifei was orchestrated by Empress Dowager Wei, and the poison was meant to kill her, so this couldn't be used against him.

But the subsequent incident was a different story.

Zhou Ying didn’t even summon the Palace Attendant from the flower room back to the palace. She simply met privately with Wei Zhong after receiving word from Shi Yuanxi.

She laid out the situation to Wei Zhong, and his demeanor shifted entirely.

Both knew that no proof was necessary for this. As long as Empress Dowager Wei found out, Wei Zhong would undoubtedly die.

The Wei family has never tolerated even the slightest misdeed, let alone a grave offense like Wei Zhong’s.

In truth, he’d only done this one thing in all these years, but that alone gave Empress Dowager Wei countless ways to make him suffer.

If he fell into Empress Dowager Wei’s hands, death by a thousand cuts would be a kindness.

Of course, Zhou Ying wouldn’t spare him either, but at least she’d let him keep his body intact.

Empress Dowager Wei never imagined that what truly swayed those around her wasn’t wealth or anything persuasive.

It was pure evil pitted against evil.

Wei Changhong and Empress Dowager Wei believed their immense power allowed them to manipulate hearts as they pleased. But this very approach left them surrounded by monsters.

Zhou Ying’s request to Wei Zhong was straightforward: replace the guards in front of the hall today.

As the chief eunuch and Empress Dowager Wei’s most trusted confidant, he was caught off guard by Shi Yuanxi’s move today.

He only swapped the guards outside the council hall, leaving the inner ones in place.

The switch happened before the morning court session, and the removed guards, unaware of the replacements, assumed it was a routine change.

When Empress Dowager Wei issued her command, the emperor’s personal guards stormed in, seizing half the court.

Once both sides were in position, they eliminated any chance of Empress Dowager Wei executing Shi Yuanxi despite court objections.

The situation spiraled out of control, and the court’s atmosphere grew tense and eerie.

Empress Dowager Wei, seated on the throne, remained livid, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to speak.

Wei Changhong, among the officials, finally spoke after his expression shifted several times:

"Wei Tianhao’s crimes are unrelated to the Wei family or the Empress Dowager."

The court officials snapped out of their daze and regarded him with mixed expressions.

Xu Jinghe's gaze was cold as he said, "Minister Wei, are you claiming the Wei family never received anything from Wei Tianhao?"

He met Wei Changhong's gaze and sneered, "The entire capital knows Minister Wei has a dutiful nephew, more devoted than his own sons, who regularly sends lavish gifts to the Wei residence."

In fact, during the New Year and festivals, all the major households in the capital would exchange gifts. The situation in the capital was chaotic, and Wei Tianhao hadn't reached the point of being so brazen as to openly send so much illicit money into the capital.

But he was Wei Changhong’s nephew, and the proper etiquette had to be observed.

He also wanted to curry favor with Empress Dowager Wei, so each time he sent very heavy gifts.

Now, all these have become evidence of Wei Tianhao's contributions to the Wei family.

Wei Changhong's eyes darkened as he coldly stated, "The Wei family did receive items from Wei Tianhao, but it was all part of normal familial exchanges."

"Your Majesty," Wei Changhong raised his hand for the first time and petitioned the young emperor on the throne, "There are many questionable aspects in the case of Wei Tianhao that require further investigation."

He lifted his head, his gaze intensely oppressive as he fixed it on the young emperor, "Even if the Wei family bears the responsibility of oversight, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is still Your Majesty's mother and the mother of our Liang dynasty."

"The distinction between ruler and subject," Wei Changhong unabashedly declared, "is because the ruler is the ruler, and the subject can only be the subject."

"This matter concerns the dignity of the royal family, and we must not allow subordinates to disrupt the order and overstep their authority!"

Shi Yuanxi watched him coldly, her face expressionless as he spoke these words.

Empress Dowager Wei had held that position for too long, and even with multiple families coexisting, the Wei family regarded themselves as the masters of the court.

He wielded his power to oppress, but Shi Yuanxi did not retreat in the slightest.

Her gaze was calm and penetrating as she looked up and said, "So, Lord Wei, are you implying that because the emperor is young and the Empress Dowager holds power, the wealth of the Liang dynasty is the wealth of your Wei family?"

At these words, the officials in the court could no longer restrain themselves.

The officials from the Wei family nearly leapt to their feet, pointing at Shi Yuanxi, accusing her of insolence, deliberate fabrication, and disrespect.

But with the emperor's personal guards occupying half the court, no one dared to arrest her easily.

Shi Yuanxi stood in the court, facing a barrage of accusations, and said,

"Your Majesty, I possess further evidence."

Chen Hai's face contorted.

This was her real intent.

She had presented that account book, igniting the entire court, and only after Wei Changhong personally refuted the evidence did she reveal what she held.

But in this situation, Chen Hai couldn't immediately recall what she still possessed.

He didn't notice that before Shi Yuanxi spoke, she first glanced around to ensure she didn't see that person, and then she said,

"Wei Tianhao, during his years in Pingjiang, embezzled a sum of silver far beyond anyone's imagination. Lord Wei just claimed that these things have nothing to do with the Wei family, which is strange..."

Shi Yuanxi looked up at Wei Changhong and asked, "If Lord Wei and the Empress Dowager provided no assistance to Wei Tianhao, then how does Wei Tianhao possess hundreds of modified firearms and thousands of bullets?"

The entire court fell into silence.

Wang Ruiping's expression changed drastically. Wei Tianhao had amassed wealth and was involved with weapons. With all these matters combined, he was...

"Modified firearms are such important weapons, and aside from the Ministry of War, very few in the court can produce them. How could Wei Tianhao, a local official thousands of miles away, possess so many weapons?"

Chen Hai reacted quickly and said, "The modified firearms were personally crafted by Lord Shi. If there was any leakage, it could only have come from Lord Shi."

"What does this have to do with Lord Wei and the Empress Dowager?"

Shi Yuanxi did not answer directly but said, "This question should not be directed at me but at the Ministry of War."

"Several months ago, when I went to Qingyun Temple to escort Imperial Concubine Zhou back to the palace, I was ambushed at the temple. The assassins who attacked me and Imperial Concubine Zhou were all armed with modified firearms."

"I wonder if the officials remember, the firearm stocks, because they used the molds I left at the Ministry of War, all bore the official seal of the Liang dynasty on the inside."

That matter had previously caused a huge uproar in the court, and it had not been long since it happened, so the officials were still well aware of it.

"During my time in Huizhou, Wei Tianhao led the Yuzhou army to advance to the border, attempting to intercept me before I entered the capital."

"In order to protect the peace of Huizhou, I killed Wei Tianhao and later confiscated all the Modified Firearms in their possession."

Shi Yuanxi turned her head towards the court and said, "The confiscated Modified Firearms bore traces of the Liang dynasty's official seal on their stocks."

Only a limited number of molds existed, and after she left, it was difficult to forge new ones.

The Wei family was in a hurry to produce weapons, so they only had the craftsmen crudely remove the Liang dynasty's official seal on the inner side.

Learning from their past mistake, the firearms used by Wei Tianhao actually had no traces left.

But whereas theirs bore none, Shi Yuanxi still possessed weapons with the Liang dynasty's seal.

She did indeed kill Wei Tianhao, and it was also true that she confiscated the weapons on the spot. The entire Yuzhou army, including the officials of Pingjiang, could testify.

However, no one knew whether the confiscated weapons had any traces of the seal.

Shi Yuanxi only needed to replace a portion of the Modified Firearms to make these weapons seem to originate from the Ministry of War.

Most importantly...

Shi Yuanxi raised her eyes, her gaze slowly sweeping over the officials from the Ministry of War.

After remaining hidden for so long, Luo Mingzheng, whom she had strategically placed in the Ministry of War, was finally promoted to the position of Vice Minister by Wei Changhong, who had no one else to use after she left the capital.

After her words fell, Luo Mingzheng, in front of countless Wei family officials, stepped into the center of the court and stood beside Shi Yuanxi, and calmly stated:

"Your Majesty, after the improved muskets were produced, Minister Wei Changhong sent people to ‘borrow’ a batch of musket craftsmen and molds from the Ministry of War."

"They have yet to be returned."

The entire court was stunned.

The officials in the Ministry of War who had frequent dealings with Luo Mingzheng now pointed at him, unable to speak for a long while.

Another official in the Ministry of War, Minister Qian, looked dazed and pale-faced.

None of them could have imagined that Luo Mingzheng, with whom they had worked for many years, had secretly aligned himself with Shi Yuanxi.

Not only that, he had been lying low, diligently studying the blueprints sent by Shi Yuanxi, dedicating himself to serving the Wei family, thereby gaining access to the core of the Ministry of War.

... The Wei family had personally placed him in a highly persuasive position, granting him power.

If not for being in the imperial court, Minister Qian might have fainted on the spot.

His mind was in chaos, unable to figure out when Luo Mingzheng had established a connection with Shi Yuanxi.

Chen Hai, however, suddenly regained his composure and recalled that after he was transferred to the capital, someone had mentioned that Luo Mingzheng had only risen to prominence after the improved muskets appeared.

Improved muskets.

Wasn't that precisely during the time Shi Yuanxi entered the Ministry of War?

In an instant, Chen Hai felt as if the world was spinning. The vast imperial court seemed like a dark, bottomless pit, opening its mouth to tear him apart.

Shi Yuanxi's rise to this point was no mere coincidence.

Before anyone could react, she had already woven an inescapable trap.

Exploiting the political turmoil in the court, she gradually eroded the forces under the Wei family, forcing them into a corner where they had no choice but to fill the positions with the people she had prepared.

To kill her, they even delivered the most damning evidence directly into her hands.

Previously, Wei Changhong's command was not wrong; letting her return unharmed from Huizhou to the capital meant that the ones who would die were them.

Amidst the stunned and indescribable emotions of the crowd.

Luo Mingzheng raised his eyes and said, "Following Wei Changhong's commands, the one responsible for forging weapons and training private soldiers... is the General of Jingji Camp, Fang Yun."

He was the only Wei faction official absent from court today.

Given the situation in Huizhou, the Wei family had Wei Tianhao seize a vast sum of gold and silver, not because Wei Changhong had gone mad.

But because at that time, it coincided with Shi Yuanxi’s 100,000-strong Zhenbei Army gaining official recognition.

Wei Changhong needed so much money precisely because he dreaded the army under her command.

With the border wars unresolved, Yan Guanghai couldn’t break away from the frontlines, and the nearly 200,000 border troops could not be used by Wei Changhong.

He planned to directly produce a large number of weapons, or... expand his own troops, to stabilize the situation and crush Shi Yuanxi and Zhou Ying.

But he never expected that Shi Yuanxi's trip to Huizhou was itself setting a trap for him to fall into.

The troops recruited by the Wei family, the privately manufactured weapons, and the embezzled silver would all become the grave that buries Wei Changhong today!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shi Yuanxi coldly said, "I believe that Wei Changhong, Fang Yun, and a group of Jingji Camp soldiers are suspected of treason and rebellion."

"To avoid court turmoil and the situation spiraling out of control, I respectfully request His Majesty to order the arrest of the traitor Fang Yun and thoroughly investigate the outskirts of the capital. If it is found that Fang Yun has been illegally manufacturing weapons and raising private troops, he should be charged with treason."

"Kill him immediately!"