“Does the Prince of Qi seem unwell because of poor hospitality these past few days? I sincerely apologize; I have been quite busy. How about this, let me take you out for a walk!”
In truth, Zhang Fang was very worried about the safety of Prime Minister Zhang. However, he had many matters to attend to, and with Meixian currently stable, there would not be any disturbances in the short term. Zhang Fang decided to take the Prince of Qi back to the capital. Once they brought the Prince before the rebellious forces, their morale would surely waver.
The Prince of Qi’s gaze was fierce as he gritted his teeth and asked Zhang Fang, “What do you want?”
Zhang Fang merely smiled and did not answer him.
Even without Zhang Fang’s words, the Prince could guess that he was being taken to the capital! After years of scheming, he was brought down by Zhang Fang. The Prince was filled with resentment and anger, but he could do nothing, only allow Zhang Fang to manipulate him.
After making the Prince unconscious, Zhang Fang packed him into a crate. Under the cover of night, he left Meixian with the Prince. He couldn’t return to Jiangzhou directly and had to navigate through other states and counties, finally taking a boat back to the capital after several detours.
Xing Shu stayed by Zhang Fang’s side, and every time he thought about the danger Prime Minister Zhang was in, he felt restless and uneasy, his face more haggard than that of the Prince of Qi.
Zhang Fang remained calm, though sometimes he would lose his focus.
After ten days, they finally reached the capital, but the boat couldn’t disembark at the ferry.
The ferry was blocked by soldiers, creating a tense atmosphere.
After instructing the boatman to detour, they moved back ten li, and Zhang Fang led everyone off the boat. Instead of hurrying into the city, he first sent people to investigate the situation in the capital.
The imperial palace was in mourning. Aside from the Second Prince, the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, and other princes and princesses had all perished in the palace. This mourning was a national tragedy.
With only the Second Prince left as the sole survivor, no one in the court suggested that he ascend the throne.
The atmosphere in the palace and court was very heavy. The Second Prince was extremely anxious and had been eating little recently; he also dared not drink anything casually, staying close to Prime Minister Zhang every day, fearing he would be secretly harmed by forces loyal to the Prince of Qi!
Three days after the mourning, someone submitted a proposal questioning whether the Second Prince and Prime Minister Zhang had colluded to harm the Emperor and Crown Prince. Such sentiments were not rare in the court, and even the Dou family, an influential clan, attacked Prime Minister Zhang openly.
The Zhang and Dou families had been enemies since Zhang Fang caused the death of Dou Changkang. The Crown Prince had also distanced himself from Prime Minister Zhang recently, raising suspicion. It was said that Prime Minister Zhang, to secure his position, had conspired with the Second Prince to assassinate the Emperor and Crown Prince.
Some even presented evidence that after the Emperor arrived at the palace, he had issued an order to the Second Prince to surround the Zhang family with troops. Yet the Second Prince had not executed this command. On the contrary, the Second Prince had grown increasingly close to Prime Minister Zhang, especially after the Emperor’s demise, hardly leaving his side. It was hard not to suspect that the Second Prince and Prime Minister Zhang were already in collusion.
The Second Prince fainted on the spot, leaving Prime Minister Zhang to handle the public’s doubt alone.
Under pressure from the crowd, Prime Minister Zhang was forced into prison.
When the Second Prince regained consciousness, he found himself in the dungeon and anxiously asked Prime Minister Zhang, “Zhang Xiang, how did we end up in prison?”
Prime Minister Zhang, reluctant to engage with the Second Prince, simply replied, “We have been locked up by them, Your Highness.”
“What do we do now? We didn’t conspire against Father! How can they make us bear this blame?” The Second Prince felt utterly wronged! He had thought he would pick up the throne, but now he was the scapegoat for the Prince of Qi! How infuriating!
Before Prime Minister Zhang could respond, the Second Prince hastily continued, “We cannot stay here! If the Prince of Qi ascends, he will surely kill us! Zhang Xiang, you must think of a way!”
What could Prime Minister Zhang do? Despite being the top scholar, he would have long been trampled down by the aristocratic officials if the Emperor had not valued him. Lacking military power and unable to command those officials, even if Prime Minister Zhang wanted to turn the situation around, he was powerless to do so.
The Second Prince grabbed at his own hair, murmuring angrily, “That scoundrel Qi Wang! How insidious! He seized the throne and left me to bear the consequences!”
Prime Minister Zhang closed his eyes, choosing to ignore the Second Prince’s frantic state.
After a while, seeing how calm Prime Minister Zhang was, the Second Prince, filled with hope, asked, “Zhang Xiang, are you perhaps waiting for something? Do you have other plans? Will someone come to rescue us?”
Sighing, Prime Minister Zhang responded, “You just need to be patient, Your Highness.”
“Really, someone will come to rescue us? Who?” The Second Prince interpreted this as hopeful, his spirit lifting considerably.
Prime Minister Zhang remained silent.
The Second Prince presumed it was inappropriate to speak further and covered his mouth, choosing not to press Prime Minister Zhang any longer. He patiently awaited their rescue.
The Minister of Justice found an opportunity and personally came to the dungeon to seek out Prime Minister Zhang, wanting to clarify the situation.
Prime Minister Zhang explained the conspiracy of the Prince of Qi. After listening, the Minister’s expression grew heavy, feeling a sense of powerlessness. Even if he believed Prime Minister Zhang’s words, without evidence, it was impossible to convince others that this was the truth.
Seeing Prime Minister Zhang return, the Second Prince eagerly grabbed his hand and asked, “Zhang Xiang, can we get out now?”
Prime Minister Zhang shook his head and said, “Your Highness, please be patient.”
The Second Prince was extremely anxious, suffering greatly in the prison and pressed on, “What is the situation outside now? Has the Prince of Qi arrived? Has he ascended? When will someone come to rescue us? Once we get out, are we not going to settle accounts with the Prince of Qi?”
Faced with these questions from the Second Prince, Prime Minister Zhang chose to close his eyes and rest.
The Second Prince found himself powerless against Prime Minister Zhang and could only pace anxiously in the cell.
Prison guard Zhao brought a box of food to the dungeon and handed it to Prime Minister Zhang.
The Second Prince opened the food box first and saw that today’s meal looked decent, calling to Prime Minister Zhang, “Zhang Xiang, come over and eat.”
Prime Minister Zhang opened his eyes and approached. Upon seeing that the box contained his son’s favorite fried meatballs, his gaze grew deep, and he gripped his own legs tightly.
Was this a coincidence, or was it someone’s intention? Was it a warning to him? Was it the will of the Prince of Qi? Or was Zhang Fang in cahoots with the Prince of Qi?