Chapter 39 Appealing to the Emperor

"Your humble son pays respects to Your Majesty!"
"Your humble subject pays respects to the Emperor!"
Ling Yuzhao and Gu Zirui bowed in unison to the Emperor of Great Chu.
Feng Yueyang and the others also bowed with trembling voices.
"This humble commoner pays respects to the Emperor!"
Sitting upon the Dragon Throne, the Emperor of Great Chu glanced at the row of kneeling people and frowned.
"What is the meaning of this? Crown Prince, who are these people?"
Ling Yuzhao did not waste words and exchanged a glance with Feng Yueyang.
Feng Yueyang stepped forward first and spoke.
"Your Majesty! This humble commoner is Feng Yueyang, a native of Qingzhou—the very same Qingzhou from Lord Gu's previous investigation into the missing tax silver."
At this point, Feng Yueyang paused. A flash of resolute determination crossed his eyes before he spoke in a loud voice.
"Your Majesty! This humble commoner is guilty! This humble commoner has come today to confess. Prince Xuan coerced me and these men into his service, ordering us to frame Lord Gu for abusing his power for personal gain, and then use Lord Gu to implicate the Crown Prince!"
"Though I am not close to Lord Gu, I know he is an upright official who does not deserve such treatment. Knowing that framing a court official is a grave crime, this humble commoner dares not hope for Your Majesty's pardon. I only beg Your Majesty, in consideration of my voluntary confession, to spare the female members of my household. I beg Your Majesty to spare our lives!"
Dong Yufeng stared at Feng Yueyang in utter shock.
He had actually said it.
Had he lost his mind?
Did he think that by confessing, the Emperor would spare his family? This was the Emperor, whose single word could decide matters of life and death!
Dong Yufeng could not even bear to imagine the consequences, or how Prince Xuan would react.
Yet at a time like this, he dared not speak recklessly, so Dong Yufeng and the others tacitly closed their mouths, trembling with fear.
A look of astonishment appeared on the Emperor's stern face, which then darkened as he looked at Ling Yuzhao and asked.
"What is the meaning of this? Framing Lord Gu? And using this to implicate you, and it has something to do with Prince Xuan?"
Gu Zirui hurriedly presented a tray held in both hands.
"Your Majesty! These are the ledger books and letters forged by Feng Yueyang and the others, intended to frame this humble subject and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Furthermore, there are letters written by Prince Xuan instructing them to act immediately."
"The letters detail the plan thoroughly, complete with Prince Xuan's signature and private seal, which can serve as evidence of Prince Xuan instigating Feng Yueyang and the others. We beseech Your Majesty to discern the truth!"
Eunuch Yu descended the steps, stepped forward to receive the tray, and respectfully presented it before the Emperor of Great Chu.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes, picked up the documents, and began to inspect them. He casually flipped through the ledgers before focusing on the letters.
Aside from the letters Gu Zirui mentioned—those showing Prince Xuan instigating Feng Yueyang and the others—there were also the letters detailing the plot to frame Ling Yuzhao and Gu Zirui.
Before he could finish reading the rest, the Emperor swept his arm and heavily knocked the tray away.
"Absurd nonsense!"
The ledgers fell to the ground with a loud clatter, frightening Feng Yueyang and the others into hurriedly prostrating themselves.
"May Your Majesty calm your wrath!"
The Emperor stood up abruptly, slammed his hand on the desk, pointed at Feng Yueyang, and scolded, "You claim Prince Xuan instigated you? Where is the proof? I will not believe such rubbish!"
Feng Yueyang had not expected that even after presenting the evidence, the Emperor would refuse to believe it.
After a brief moment of thought, he nudged Dong Yufeng beside him and urged, "Dong Yufeng! Tell the Emperor quickly, wasn't Prince Xuan the one behind the scenes directing us? Wasn't it his intention to frame the Crown Prince and saddle His Highness with the crime of forming a faction for private interests? Speak up!"
Feng Yueyang shoved Dong Yufeng repeatedly.
Dong Yufeng cursed inwardly. Under the oppressive gaze of the Emperor looming above, he closed his eyes and remained stubbornly silent.
He was not a madman like Feng Yueyang; he dared not offend Prince Xuan, nor did he dare offend the Emperor.
Gu Zirui spoke up.
"Dong Yufeng, do you think that by saying nothing, this matter will just blow over? Let me tell you, right here before the Emperor is your last chance to speak. If His Majesty loses his patience, you won't even have the chance to defend yourself."
"Will you speak up or not! Was it Prince Xuan who ordered you to do this? If you obstinately resist, it will be construed as deceiving the sovereign, a crime punishable by the extermination of all nine familial relations!"
Gu Zirui did not mind resorting to a little intimidation.
If Dong Yufeng and his cohorts were not given a severe jolt, they would not easily loosen their tongues.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "extermination of all nine familial relations," Dong Yufeng's expression changed instantly. He instinctively raised his head and opened his mouth to speak, when the voice of a eunuch echoed from outside.
"His Royal Highness Prince Xuan requests an audience!"
A figure walked into the Imperial Study.
Who else could it be if not the person in question, Prince Xuan?
Dong Yufeng stopped the words at the tip of his tongue just in time, swallowed them back down, and lowered his head once more to play dead.
"Your humble son pays respects to Your Royal Father!"
As soon as Prince Xuan entered, he bowed to the Emperor.
The Emperor raised a hand and said, "Rise! You have come just in time. These people claim you coerced them into framing Lord Gu and intended to use him to implicate the Crown Prince. What do you have to say in your defense?"
Ling Moxuan cast a look of utter shock at Dong Yufeng and the others, then angrily denied the charges.
"Your Royal Father! This is sheer preposterous fabrication! I have met these men before; at the boating banquet I hosted, they offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he took them away at the time."
"I never expected they would splash dirty water onto me. This is slander! Slander, I tell you!"
After shouting with righteous indignation, Ling Moxuan looked at Ling Yuzhao with an expression of complete incomprehension.
"Imperial Elder Brother, surely you haven't believed what they are saying? I have never done such a thing, nor do I have any reason to do so. You are my Imperial Elder Brother!"
Seeing Ling Yuzhao's expressionless face, Ling Moxuan appeared deeply aggrieved and baffled.
Finally, he glared at Dong Yufeng and the others, locking his gaze onto Dong Yufeng with a voice mixed with intense fury and a trace of imperceptible threat.
"What on earth are your backgrounds? Do you not know the penalty for slandering an imperial prince? Even if you do not care about yourselves, you should at least consider your families."
"Today, this Prince will give you one last chance. Speak the plain truth immediately. If you dare to spout nonsense again, slandering court officials and imperial princes, or attempting to implicate the Crown Prince... your crimes will be compounded!"
Dong Yufeng shuddered. He understood Prince Xuan's implicit warning.
Then, he heard Ling Moxuan say in a cold tone.
"You are already mired in deep sin; it would be best for you to honestly confess who the true mastermind is. If the criminal who orchestrated all of this is brought to justice, His Majesty might grant you a measure of leniency and spare the lives of your families."
The meaning behind Prince Xuan's words was clear:
Today's affair had to have an outcome, and that outcome was that one of them must step forward to shoulder all the blame. In any case, the trail of conspiracy could go no further.
If the matter continued to drag others in, there would be no end to it.
Dong Yufeng's face turned ashen, for he had already made his choice.
He could no longer count on Feng Yueyang, who had already been turned. Gritting his teeth with bloodshot eyes, Dong Yufeng kowtowed three loud times to the Emperor before speaking in a choked voice.
"Your Majesty! This humble commoner deserves to die! All of this was my own plot. I had a prior grudge against Feng Yueyang, and this time I used his family as leverage to threaten him simply because I wanted him to be more terrified and obedient, which is why I falsely claimed that Prince Xuan was the instigator."