Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 164: Demoted to a Commoner, Imprisoned for Life

Two days later, the Emperor issued an edict at the Grand Court Meeting, deposing the First Prince Yu Jingwei and the Second Prince Yu Jingye as commoners and confined for life for their lack of moral character. The matter was handled neatly, and the content of the edict was also neat and tidy. While the edict was being read at the Grand Court Meeting, the First Prince's Mansion and the Second Prince's Mansion had been surrounded by the Imperial Guards.

The eldest and second princes collapsed in the hall and kept explaining and begging for mercy, but Emperor Yong'an didn't listen at all. He waved his hand and shouted, "Drag them away!" A group of imperial guards rushed in, in groups of four, and half-dragged and half-lifted them out of the hall.

At the grand court meeting, the civil and military officials were divided into two groups, and the hall was full. However, at this moment, you could hear a pin drop, and even breathing was very light and slow. The emperor directly issued an imperial decree without giving anyone a chance to plead, which shows his determination to punish the two princes.

Some people did not know the truth, but they knew that the two princes must have done something extremely treasonous. Some people who had given advice to the two princes were now trembling with fear and their clothes were soaked with sweat. The emperor was ruthless to his own sons, let alone his ministers.

When the Empress, the mother of the eldest prince, and Concubine Zheng, the mother of the second prince, received the news, they both knelt outside the hall and begged the Emperor for leniency. However, the two princes had already been sent to the clan house, and they did not even get to see them for the last time.

Wang Zhi, a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Clan Affairs, was shocked to see that his former master, the eldest prince, was sent in without any warning. He left the eldest prince's camp after his official position was demoted and was completely confused at this time.

Little did he know that shocking things were yet to come. In addition to being shocked, he could not help but sigh at his good fortune. If he were still the Minister of Rites, he would inevitably be added to the list of people whose property would be confiscated and exiled.

In fact, Emperor Yong'an showed leniency to him because although he had mistakenly joined the camp, his mind was still pure, and sent him out of the vortex early to save him from eternal damnation.

The Queen was still speechless and fainted outside the palace. Concubine Zheng had just shouted, "Your Majesty, please take back your order." Eunuch Li came to pass on the message, "The Emperor has ordered that if Concubine Zheng dares to disturb the court again, she will have to do the same as the Queen and keep silent."

The Queen had been unable to speak for many years, so how could Concubine Zheng not understand the feeling? She also knew the ruthlessness of Emperor Yong'an, and knew that no matter how much she begged, it would be useless. The only thing she could do now was to pretend to faint and back down. In the end, she and the Queen were carried back to their respective palaces by their servants and continued their daily routine of embroidering handkerchiefs.

Concubine Zheng thought to herself that fortunately she was only imprisoned and her life was not in danger, so there was still room for maneuver. After a period of time, when the emperor had calmed down and allowed her parents to move around more, it would not be impossible for her to restore her status.

Neither Qiao Lili nor Yu Jingyan thought that the matter would be handled so quickly. They had not yet had time to hand over the three children to the emperor. The treatment process for the three children was relatively long. Feng Wuzui said that it would take at least a month to recover. It would take about half a month to be non-infectious.

I didn't expect Emperor Yong'an to be so decisive and ruthless in killing. He had only four princes in total, and two of them were killed this time. He was very ruthless. These two really touched his reverse scale this time.

However, we must look at everything from a different perspective. Some court officials saw through the emperor's good intentions. These two princes were stupid and vicious and were not fit for important tasks. Anyone with a brain could see that they would never be able to be emperor. If they were allowed to do whatever they wanted, sooner or later they would cause a catastrophe and their lives would be in danger.

If we demote them to commoners and imprison them for life now, we can save their lives, because they have not yet torn their faces apart and there is no life-and-death dispute. When the new emperor ascends the throne in the future, he may release them out of blood ties to make them idle princes, live a life of wealth and leisure, and protect the lives of their descendants.

So, it is a disaster, but also an opportunity for transformation.

However, what made Emperor Yong'an even more angry was that a large amount of gold and silver was seized from the residences of the first and second princes, which was very different from their share of the princes. The first and second princes were corrupt, selling official positions and titles, and all the illegal things they had done on a daily basis gradually surfaced.

The officials of all ranks who stood behind them were also exposed one by one. Emperor Yong'an immediately raided the homes of a group of people. Those who deserved to be beheaded were beheaded, those who deserved to be exiled were exiled, and all their property was confiscated. It must be said that the national treasury is now much richer.

Among these people were the empress's family and Concubine Zheng's family. The downfall of the first and second princes' maternal families showed that these two princes had completely lost the capital to compete for the throne.

After the eldest prince, the legitimate eldest son, and the second prince, the illegitimate eldest son, were demoted to commoners, the emperor was left with the fifth prince Yu Jingshuo and the sixth prince Yu Jingyan, who lived a carefree life.

The fifth prince was born to Concubine Shen. When Concubine Shen was in Emperor Yong'an's palace, she was just an inconspicuous concubine. In order to consolidate his favor, the then prince consort, now the empress, sent this maid who had always served Emperor Yong'an to his bed. Emperor Yong'an had not yet awakened to the Ren and Du meridians of love at that time, so whether he treated her equally or just let things take their course, Concubine Shen was always someone who was always by his side and was not annoying to him. She became the only concubine in his mansion, Concubine Shen.

Concubine Shen was also lucky. After a few rare favors, she actually became pregnant. With the intervention of the Empress Dowager, she gave birth to Emperor Yong'an Yu Linghuan's fifth child, Yu Jingshuo. After Yu Linghuan ascended the throne, he named Concubine Shen the Noble Lady.

Concubine Shen was like an invisible person in the palace, very low-key. The fifth prince had no support from his natal family, no favor from the emperor, and no advantage in competing for the throne. Concubine Shen had been with Yu Linghuan since she was a child, and she knew Emperor Yong'an very well. She knew very well how Emperor Yong'an felt about Concubine Yun, and was afraid that Yu Jingyan was the only son in his heart, so she taught her son not to fight for the throne, stay away from it, and protect himself.

I have to say that Concubine Shen is a wise woman who appears foolish.

Yu Jingyan, the son of Concubine Yun, was taught by the emperor himself and doted on. His mother was the only one who doted on him for many years. His maternal grandparents were the mysterious Yun family of Yunmeng Lake. He himself was a man of great military strategy, appearance and demeanor, all of which were outstanding. His first task was to control the flood of Ganjiang River. You know, no one had been able to cure the Ganjiang River for decades. Not only did he control the flood, he also alleviated the drought. His ability to get things done is astonishing.

It is said that a gate called Douzha was designed to benefit the entire Ganjiang River Basin. Recently, there was another rumor in the capital that after the Sixth Prince completed the flood control of the Ganjiang River, the Ganjiang River could be navigable. This rumor was like a bomb, which made the wealthy businessmen in the capital dizzy and scheming everywhere in the hope of getting a piece of the pie, and also made wealthy businessmen from other places come to Beijing to inquire about the news, hoping to catch this wave of making money.

*

The largest auction house in the capital, Jiade Auction House, was packed with guests today. The road in front of the door was blocked and rows of luxurious carriages were jammed, making it difficult to move. As the auction was getting closer, they had to ask the officials of the Jingzhao prefect to direct traffic.

Captain Lin ran back and forth in the busy traffic, sweating profusely even in the cold weather of late autumn, and finally cleared the road before the auction began. He stood by the road, pulling at the lining of his sleeves, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and laughed.

He often went to the orphanage to see those brats recently, and unknowingly developed a personal relationship with Manager Yunwu. Therefore, he knew how important today's auction was, and he felt honored to be able to participate in this unprecedented auction up close.