Chapter 126

Chapter 126

The moment the Justice Drum sounds, it signals a grave injustice.

According to the laws of this dynasty, no matter where the Emperor is or what he's doing, he must hear the case immediately, no matter what.

"The Justice Drum... it's the Justice Drum sounding!"

"What injustice could be so severe as to warrant this?"

The court officials exchanged startled looks the moment they heard it.

Emperor Taixuan quickly called someone over to ask: "Who's striking the drum outside the Meridian Gate? And for what matter?"

"Your Majesty, the one striking the drum is the Crown Prince. He specifically pleads for the villagers of Xiaohe Village..."

The palace guard who came to report, sweating buckets, gave a quick rundown of the situation.

A father knows his own son, after all.

After hearing this, Emperor Taixuan immediately figured out what the Crown Prince was up to.

But just as the Crown Prince had anticipated, Emperor Taixuan genuinely regarded him as his heir now, and was naturally pretty lenient with him.

"This kid's really grown up..."

Emperor Taixuan murmured softly, a smile creeping into his eyes, his tone filled with gratification.

He then decided to play along, flicking his sleeve and announcing to the officials: "The Justice Drum has sounded—it's a cry to heaven. Since Emperor Taizu set up this drum, this is the first time it's ever been struck. I'll personally hear this case, to show heaven's justice and uphold the law. Let's go to the Meridian Gate—everyone follow!"

The moment these words were spoken, an official from the Fifth Prince's camp immediately stepped out, frantically trying to talk him out of it: "Your Majesty, please reconsider! I know the Justice Drum is a big deal, but the case hasn't even been looked into yet. The Crown Prince holds a noble status—beating the drum to plead his case might... might not exactly follow the rules. Moreover, with all those commoners gathered outside the Meridian Gate, a public trial could hurt the imperial image and stir up trouble!"

"Yeah, Your Majesty, for someone as important as you to hold a public trial just isn't proper..." Another official echoed in agreement.

But Emperor Taixuan wasn't the type to be easily pushed around.

"Rules? I make the rules! Everyone under heaven is my subject—why shouldn't I show my face to them? Enough. Move out to the Meridian Gate, now!"

Emperor Taixuan waved them off without another word and ordered his procession to move out.

Faced with such a tough emperor, the officials had no choice but to tag along, each with their own thoughts.

The Fifth Prince, lagging behind, had a face like thunder—he had a feeling he was in for it again today!

And sure enough, he was right.

When everyone arrived at the Meridian Gate, Emperor Taixuan personally went over the case again.

The Crown Prince not only laid out the cause of the villagers' sickness in Xiaohe Village, but he also dumped the blame right on the Fifth Prince.

"...Father, everything your son says is backed up by proof. These past days, I dispatched guards to investigate the capital in secret. We found 186 couples who married close relatives, and of those, 96 either had no kids, couldn't get pregnant, or miscarried when they did."

"Another 58 couples had kids who were either sickly, slow, or simple... Of those, 32 couples' kids were all deformed, and all of it was covered up as stillbirths or early deaths..."

"When I dug deeper, I found that Xiaohe Village was originally one clan that moved there together. Because of their closed-off ways, they've been marrying within the family for generations. Plus, the village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with bad soil and little sunlight. The villagers have lived on fern roots for ages, and their drinking water is dirty. Over time, those two problems together made the whole village look strange and get sick all the time."

"Not knowing the dangers of inbreeding is one thing, but rickets has been mentioned here and there in old books. If the Imperial Medical Institute had been allowed to examine and discuss it together, how could a sickness have been mistaken for a curse?"

"With hundreds of lives on the line, the Fifth Brother called in just one doctor for a quick look, then jumped to calling it a curse and asked for death by fire—that's pure ambition and total disregard for people's lives!"

The Crown Prince's words rang with conviction and moral high ground.

The evidence he'd prepared was airtight.

The Fifth Prince's forehead veins popped with rage, and he was grinding his teeth so hard they nearly turned to dust. His imperial brother was a real snake—when he moved, he moved for the kill!

If he got a rep for not caring about the people, forget the Throne—he might not even get a half-decent title later.

Emperor Taixuan's eyes swept over, his voice giving nothing away: "Is what the Crown Prince says true? Did you truly rely on a single diagnosis without looking into it further?"

He knew full well that his other sons had their eyes on the Crown Prince's spot—that was normal, and something the Crown Prince had to go through—but burying that many commoners for political gain was way over the line.

The Fifth Prince went pale at that, but with the evidence stacked against him, he had no room to argue. All he could do was try to defend himself:

"Father, your son... your son was also acting for the country, scared the curse would spread and threaten the capital. That's why I acted as I did."

"And I never thought someone would dare fake being a high monk from Jinguang Temple, and I never thought Physician Liu, the head of the Imperial Medical Institute, a guy who's supposed to be good at medicine, wouldn't recognize rickets, which is an old disease... It was my screw-up. I admit I was wrong."

"But I really was just trying to get rid of a threat for the country—I never meant to set up the people or ignore their well-being! For not seeing the truth and making this huge mistake, I beg Father to punish me."

The high monk and Physician Liu, who were getting thrown under the bus: ...

The high monk was not present.

Physician Liu cursed inwardly, his heart filled with bitterness!

It was the Fifth Prince who had hinted at it originally, and with the villagers' horrifying appearances, he couldn't afford to offend a prince, so he'd gone along with the "curse" narrative. Who could have imagined the Crown Prince would uncover "rickets" and come striking the Justice Drum?!

Meeting the Fifth Prince's sinister sidelong glance, Physician Liu closed his eyes.

For the lives of his entire family, he could only kneel and kowtow: "Your Majesty, this humble official's knowledge was too shallow. When I examined them that day, the villagers' appearances were indeed bizarre—unheard of... I was too foolish to recognize rickets, and thus misled His Highness. I deserve death for my crime."

Though he intended to let Physician Liu take the fall, appearances still had to be maintained.

The Fifth Prince immediately followed up with sincere acknowledgment of fault: "Father, rickets is truly rare. Though Physician Liu erred, it's understandable... In the end, this matter stems from my inadequate oversight—I bear unshirkable responsibility!"

Then he pivoted: "Fortunately, thanks to the Crown Prince's benevolence in finding a divine physician who uncovered the cause, a great catastrophe was averted. I am truly ashamed and humbled."

"However, I wonder if the divine physician has methods to treat these villagers? I'm willing to exhaust my entire fortune—even if it means cutting flesh from my own body as medicine, I'd do it! I only seek to make amends, however small... I beg the villagers to accept my bow!"

With that, he actually lifted his robes and bowed deeply to the Xiaohe villagers, wiping tears with his sleeve, appearing utterly remorseful.

He too knew how to go all out.

Indeed, those who contend for the throne are all ruthless.

Fortunately, they had prepared for this as well.

Han Zhang, who had remained silent throughout, nodded affirmatively toward the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince felt a slight relief in his heart and immediately stepped forward, again putting on a show: "Why must the Fifth Brother go to such lengths? To know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest good. I've already petitioned the divine physician on this matter—there's no need for you to cut flesh for medicine."

"Moreover, this notion of cutting flesh for healing... the divine physician has said it's nothing but the empty talk of charlatans. As a son of the Emperor's blood, you should be well-versed in the classics and discerning of right from wrong. In the future, you must never again be swayed by the deceit of petty men."

"Even if evil curses truly brought disaster, when it concerns the lives of the people, we as imperial princes must exhaust every effort to fight for our subjects' chance to live—not casually abandon them for the sake of a permanent solution. Fifth Brother, do you understand?"

The Crown Prince's words were sincere, presenting the image of a kind and instructive elder brother.

The commoners were deeply moved, cheering in approval.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is benevolent and loves the people, a true model for a Crown Prince!"

"With such a wise and kind Crown Prince, how could our Zhao State fail to prosper!"

"Long live the Crown Prince, long live His Highness—"

At this moment, the people's loyalty surged toward the Crown Prince.

As for the glances directed at the Fifth Prince, they conveyed that he was foolish, ruthless, and devoid of benevolence—not even fit to lick the Crown Prince's boots!

The two made for a perfect contrast.

Fifth Prince: ... (speechless)

The Fifth Prince was furious, but since he'd already put on a show of remorse, he couldn't very well change his tune now.

In the end, he could only swallow his anger, lower his head, and grit his teeth: "Thank you for your guidance, Brother. Your words, I shall re-mem-ber every word."

There would be other days. Since ancient times, how many Crown Princes had been deposed?

Brother, just you wait... we'll see who laughs last!

Emperor Taixuan slammed the table and issued his decree: "The Fifth Prince, in his reckless pursuit of achievement, trusted slanderous words, was guilty of negligence, and nearly caused a great disaster. From this day forward, he is stripped of all duties and confined to his residence for self-reflection. All funds and medicine spent on treating the Xiaohé villagers shall be taken from his personal treasury."

"Since the Crown Prince was the one who uncovered the epidemic in Xiaohé Village, he shall oversee all treatment and resettlement matters. The Crown Prince must uphold benevolence, act prudently, and avoid repeating such mistakes."

"Your son accepts the decree and will not fail Your Majesty's trust, nor disappoint the people's expectations!"

The Crown Prince kept a calm face, but inside, he was ecstatic.

With Father's words, he'd make sure to drain Fifth Brother's treasury dry!

His silver! His gold! His treasures!

When the Fifth Prince heard this, he choked on his breath and finally fainted from sheer rage.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" His attendants rushed forward to support him.

Emperor Taixuan frowned slightly and waved a dismissive hand: "Take him away and keep a close watch on him."

With that, the case of the Justice Drum was temporarily closed.

And the Crown Prince's reputation for loving the people spread rapidly, thanks to some deliberate orchestration.

The Xiaohé villagers were immediately set free, and under the Crown Prince's arrangements, they were relocated to a new site to rebuild their village.

Then, Han Zhang brought several imperial physicians to treat the villagers' ailments.

The adult villagers had been sick for so long that their conditions had become chronic and hard to treat, but the children, having been sick for less time, recovered remarkably, thanks to Han Zhang secretly using his Power.

When the news reached the court, the officials of the Fifth Prince's faction were left with nothing to say.

The Fifth Prince's reputation was now stained beyond repair: he was hasty for achievement, trusted slander, falsely accused the people of being demons, and disregarded their lives.

But how could the Fifth Prince just swallow this bitter pill?

After all, the Xiaohé villagers had exposed not just the rickets disease, but also the devastating issue of consanguineous marriage—a weapon that struck at the very interests of the great families!

Although the Fifth Prince was confined to his residence for reflection, his allies remained in the court.

So, the Fifth Prince immediately chose to join forces with the Seventh Prince, who was backed by the great families, to strike at the Crown Prince's power together.

But what they never expected was that Han Zhang had given the Crown Prince another major achievement to bolster his position—fertilizer.

"Father, this is a yield-boosting treasure that your son had the imperial estate farmers develop over many years—it's called 'chemical fertilizer.' Applied to fields, it can increase grain production by two to three percent per mu!"

The Crown Prince proclaimed loudly at court.

"Increase grain production by two to three percent per mu—"

At these words, the officials from both the Fifth Prince's and Seventh Prince's factions turned pale again.

If the Crown Prince was telling the truth and really had such a miraculous yield-boosting tool, his prestige would soar, and his position as Crown Prince would be all but unshakable!