SFS Chapter 178 The Prince of Zhenbei Apologizes
Chapter 178 The Prince of Zhenbei Apologizes
Emperor Jing'an raised his eyes to look at the person entering the hall. His figure was upright, majestic, and imposing as he walked against the light.
It wasn't until he reached the front of the palace that Emperor Jing'an could clearly see what he looked like.
His hair was dry and matted in clumps, his beard was unkempt, and he looked disheveled. Even his clothes were damp and covered with fine dust, as if he had crossed a great river or been caught in a night of rain, arriving travel-worn and dusty.
Every strand of his hair and the worn-out shoes on his feet betrayed his exhaustion. Yet his eyes shone brightly, revealing unwavering perseverance.
Emperor Jing'an's eyes flashed with surprise. He really didn't expect that it was the Prince of Zhenbei who came in person to deliver the news of victory, and in such a disheveled and unkempt manner.
Anyone entering the palace to meet the emperor would pay great attention to their appearance and dress up carefully to show their respect for the imperial family.
The only exception was the Prince of Zhenbei, who acted as if he were returning to his own home.
The officials were even more shocked. The older ones had met the Prince of Zhenbei before. In his youth, he left a magnificent mark on the capital, leaving an indelible memory for them.
Now, seeing him enter the palace to meet the emperor in disheveled clothes, everyone shook their heads. This boy is still arrogant and rude, showing no respect for anyone.
The younger officials had only heard of the Prince of Zhenbei's reputation but had never seen him in person. They had originally imagined him to be a fierce and imposing general, but who knew he would be so...so unconventional?
The Prince of Zhenbei paid no attention to the opinions of others. He bowed to Emperor Jing'an and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty." Then, he took out a report of victory from his sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, your humble servant has lived up to your mission. The battle in the northern border was a great victory."
After receiving Gu Zongci's letter and learning of his daughter's whereabouts, he was eager to return to the capital to see her.
However, he carried the mission of defending the borders and protecting the country, and could not abandon the war in the north. In the final battle, he defeated the enemy army, captured the general of Northern Qi, and Northern Qi withdrew and surrendered, intending to send envoys to negotiate peace with Great Zhou.
After pacifying the northern border, he instructed his sons and deputy generals, but did not attend the victory banquet. Instead, he took a few subordinates and rushed back to the capital.
Who knew he would encounter a broken bridge, which would block his journey back to Beijing.
The river was swift and treacherous, and crossing it would be extremely exhausting. He had been traveling all night to reach the capital and was already very tired; even though he was an excellent swimmer, he would still find it very difficult.
He then instructed his subordinates to find an inn to rest, while he himself planned to rest on the spot for an hour to recharge before deciding whether to take a longer route or swim across the river.
As soon as he closed his eyes to rest, he dreamed that his daughter was crying, crying helplessly, and asking him for help.
He immediately decided to swim across the river, and there happened to be a post station a few miles away on the other side. He showed his identity to the postmaster and borrowed a fast horse to rush to the capital.
He changed horses at the last post station and encountered a soldier delivering a victory report to the court by express courier. The two traveled together to the capital. Before entering the palace, he retrieved the victory report from the soldier.
Eunuch Cao received the report of victory from the Prince of Zhenbei and presented it to Emperor Jing'an.
After reading the report of victory, Emperor Jing'an was overjoyed and said, "Minister Shen, you truly deserve to be called the God of War of the Great Zhou. It is a blessing for the Great Zhou to have a general with such talent as you."
Several officials who were planning to undermine the Prince of Zhenbei exchanged a glance upon hearing Emperor Jing'an's words, and then looked at Prince Yu.
Prince Yu's face was gloomy, and he didn't spare a single glance for them.
The officials realized that Prince Yu would no longer expose Prince Zhenbei, because they had missed a golden opportunity.
They glanced at the Prince of Zhenbei, then subtly at the censor. The Prince of Zhenbei's disheveled appearance before the emperor was already a grave offense, worthy of impeachment and punishment for disrespect before the emperor.
The old censor, however, remained indifferent, showing no intention of impeaching anyone.
"The war in the north has been quelled, and you have eliminated a major threat to me." Emperor Jing'an closed the victory report, set it aside, and asked, "Minister Shen, why did you personally deliver the victory report to the capital instead of returning to court with the other generals to be rewarded for their merits?"
"Your Majesty, I have come to the capital to plead guilty." The Prince of Zhenbei knelt in the main hall and stated his crimes: "Fourteen years ago, the war broke out in Liangzhou. I was seriously injured and fell into a coma. My deputy general requested the court for support."
"My wife just received a letter from Nanling Prefecture. Her grandmother's condition is serious, and she wants to see my wife one last time."
"The late emperor's decree is in the past, and my wife dares not disobey it. However, she also has filial piety to fulfill, and it is difficult to be both loyal and filial."
"Finally, a compromise was devised: I ordered someone to escort my youngest daughter to Nanling Prefecture to visit relatives, so that my wife and I could fulfill our filial duties."
At this point, the Prince of Zhenbei kowtowed: "Your humble servant has disobeyed the late emperor's decree and is willing to accept the emperor's punishment."
As soon as the Prince of Zhenbei finished speaking, the hall fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.
Emperor Jing'an's expression was solemn as he surveyed the assembled officials.
If they didn't understand why the ministers suddenly mentioned the Prince of Zhenbei before, they now understand completely.
His ministers were to expose the Prince of Zhenbei's disobedience to the late emperor before the news of victory reached the court, so that he could punish the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion for treason.
If he had followed the late emperor's decree and executed the entire clan of the Prince of Zhenbei, silencing the officials, he would have lost a valiant general.
In addition, he would inevitably be condemned by the people as a foolish and tyrannical ruler.
The Prince of Zhenbei probably anticipated this, so after winning the battle, he rushed to the capital to apologize.
"Your Majesty, the late Emperor's decree cannot be disobeyed. If you do not punish according to the decree, it will be difficult to uphold the imperial authority."
"Your Majesty, although the Prince of Zhenbei has achieved great military exploits, his open disobedience to the imperial decree shows a lack of respect for the imperial family. If you forgive him out of consideration for his meritorious service, I fear that if everyone follows his example, the court will descend into chaos!"
One after another, the officials knelt down, begging Emperor Jing'an to punish the Prince of Zhenbei in accordance with the late emperor's decree.
"From now on, everyone should follow his example..." Emperor Jing'an looked at the officials who were half kneeling, his eyes growing colder and his tone deep: "Since I ascended the throne, how many generals like the Prince of Zhenbei have the Great Zhou produced?"
The officials were stunned and immediately fell silent.
If there were other capable generals, Emperor Jing'an would not have dispatched the Prince of Zhenbei to the northern border, giving him a chance to make a name for himself.
"If everyone were as brave and invincible as the Prince of Zhenbei, achieving great military exploits and defending the territory of the Great Zhou, what harm would there be in disobeying my decrees for the sake of filial piety?"
Emperor Jing'an looked down at the officials and said in a deep voice, "The reason you are able to stand here safely and impeach the Prince of Zhenbei is all because the Prince of Zhenbei and his soldiers paid for it with their blood and flesh."
Seeing Emperor Jing'an's fury, all the officials were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.
"Our dynasty values filial piety, and I govern the country with benevolence and filial piety." Emperor Jing'an said with an authoritative expression, leaving no room for argument: "To fulfill his filial duty, the Prince of Zhenbei arranged for his youngest daughter to visit his ailing grandmother in place of him and his wife. Although this disobeyed the late emperor's decree, it was understandable. He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment. Considering the Prince of Zhenbei's great contributions in pacifying the northern border war and capturing two cities from Northern Qi, I will offset his merits against his demerits."