Chapter 84: Bing Wengu’s Revenge Reaches Its End

The fourth prince had already reached adulthood. Though he had not yet been assigned official duties, he had begun attending court to observe proceedings.

The Right Chancellor was his grandfather on his mother’s side. Seeing his grandfather in peril, the prince immediately stepped forward to defend him.

"Father." The fourth prince, Zhan Fuxian, was the son of Consort Shu. Due to his mother's current favor with the emperor, he had been raised with a spoiled and overbearing nature, never one to hide his feelings and acting as he pleased—even toward the emperor himself.

Even in the middle of the court session, Zhan Fuxian addressed the emperor casually as "Father," using the informal term instead of "Imperial Father," as if he were in his mother’s chambers. Oddly, no one—not the emperor nor the courtiers—bat an eye, and no one raised an objection.

"Grandfather would never do anything to harm the court or the nation, if only out of love for me, his grandson. If the Left Chancellor claims to have evidence of treason hidden in my grandfather's residence, it must be the work of spies planted to frame him," the fourth prince declared without hesitation, openly acknowledging his close ties to his grandfather’s family.

"Didn’t Grandfather just say that he recently discovered spies in his household and dealt with them? So the Left Chancellor’s accusations are baseless—who knows if he was the one who planted them?"

The emperor sat on the throne, his expression inscrutable, revealing neither approval nor displeasure. The crown prince stood at the emperor’s side, eyes downcast in deference, his demeanor equally unreadable.

The Left Chancellor stepped forward with deliberate slowness. "Neither the fourth prince nor the Right Chancellor knows what evidence I intend to present, yet they’ve already launched into lengthy defenses. Could it be a guilty conscience betraying itself?"

Mei Chengwen shot a venomous glare at the Left Chancellor, about to retort, when Zhan Fuxian interjected, "Hmph! Since ancient times, the methods of framing loyal ministers have never changed. I am no ignorant bumpkin—having studied history since childhood, I know exactly what dirty schemes you intend to use."

The Left Chancellor remained unruffled and smiled. "Then why doesn’t the fourth prince share your wisdom?"

Zhan Fuxian scoffed. "No doubt you’ve forged some letters and handwriting between me and my grandfather to frame us."

"Then, in your frequent correspondence with the Right Chancellor, have you ever written anything improper?"

Mei Chengwen hastily bowed to the emperor. "Your Majesty, I beg you to uphold justice for your humble servant. My letters with the fourth prince contained nothing but ordinary family matters—nothing else. If anything else is found, it must be forged. I implore Your Majesty to see the truth."

"Left Chancellor, if you have evidence, present it directly. There is no need for endless debate," Emperor Zhan Yu said.

"As you command." The Left Chancellor bowed. "The crime I accuse the Right Chancellor of is not defrauding the current emperor, but deceiving the late emperor."

The court erupted in murmurs and whispers.

Zhan Fuxian turned to the Right Chancellor in confusion. The Right Chancellor’s face shifted through several expressions before he managed to compose himself after a long pause.

"Left Chancellor, do not take advantage of the late emperor’s absence to make unfounded accusations," the Right Chancellor said angrily. "Now that the late emperor is no longer here to refute your claims, you can say whatever you please. If that’s the case, then I accuse you of the same crime—defrauding the late emperor!"

The emperor’s gaze shifted between the Right Chancellor and the Left Chancellor, scrutinizing their expressions.

The Left Chancellor remained calm, arching a brow almost amused amid the tense atmosphere. "Naturally, I have evidence. Otherwise, I would not dare bring this matter before Your Majesty."

"That evidence must be forged!" Mei Chengwen insisted.

"My evidence is a witness," the Left Chancellor said casually.

"Witnesses can be bribed," Mei Chengwen stubbornly countered.

"It’s someone from your own household," the Left Chancellor replied with a faint smile.

"So what?" Mei Chengwen had already resolved to deny everything.

"Unless you mean to say that even your own daughter could be bribed by me?" the Left Chancellor said leisurely, like a cat playing with a mouse.

Mei Chengwen’s face instantly turned ashen. Impossible! Absolutely impossible! That matter had been a closely guarded secret—how could the Left Chancellor know?

The Left Chancellor bowed once more to Zhan Yu. "I humbly request Your Majesty to call forth the Right Chancellor’s daughter, Madam Mei, to court. She is my witness."

At this moment, Mei Chengwen was utterly panicked, his face ghostly pale.

"Your Majesty mustn't summon my daughter. She is but a woman—how could she show her face in court? Already heartbroken from her divorce, if she were humiliated before the court, she might be driven to take her own life in shame and despair."

"Just asking her a few questions—how is that humiliation, like the Right Chancellor's making it out to be?"

"Everyone knows my eldest daughter was stuck in a bad marriage and now lives at home divorced. She's already depressed and scared of crowds, forcing her to appear before the court would be nothing but public humiliation."

As the Left Chancellor and Mei Chengwen argued fiercely, a eunuch hurried in. "Your Majesty, Consort Shu requests an audience."

The Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let her in."

Consort Shu entered and knelt at once. "My lord, you must not summon my sister to the palace. She is a perfectly virtuous woman, raised with the teachings of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, where the wife obeys her husband, and a good woman does not serve two husbands. Now that she has been cast aside by the Zheng family, she's a nervous wreck and often contemplates ending her life. If Your Majesty summons her to reopen her wounds before the court, she may well take her own life upon returning home."

The Left Chancellor also knelt. "I beg Your Majesty to bring Mrs. Mei before us now! Once she appears, the truth will be revealed immediately."

"No, absolutely not!" Consort Shu pleaded in panic.

"I beg Your Majesty, in recognition of my years of loyalty, don't break your loyal servant’s heart," Mei Chengwen wept, kowtowing.

"Bring Mrs. Mei before us now!" The Left Chancellor also kowtowed deeply.

Among the courtiers, those aligned with the Left Chancellor immediately knelt in unison. "We beg Your Majesty to bring Mrs. Mei before us!"

Mei Chengwen’s faction likewise knelt. "Don't break your loyal servant's heart."

Despite the chaos in the court, the Crown Prince remained as steady as ever, unmoving, like a stone statue.

Zhan Yu’s gaze turned frosty as his thin lips parted. "Fetch the Right Chancellor’s daughter, Mrs. Mei, at once."

Mei Chengwen’s kneeling body swayed before he barely steadied himself. Consort Shu cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty, no!"

Zhan Yu glared coldly at her. "Silence. We will speak after Mrs. Mei’s audience. If you cannot remain quiet, return to the rear palace."

That settled it. Consort Shu’s pallor could not be hidden beneath her delicate makeup.

Soon, Mrs. Mei was brought before the court.

For all Mrs. Mei's private bluster, facing the Emperor and the assembled officials, she was shaking like a leaf.

Spotting familiar faces among the strangers, Mrs. Mei nearly cried out at once, "Sister! Father!"

Consort Shu pushed her away as she rushed forward. "Show proper respect to His Majesty first!"

"Long live Your Majesty!" Only then did Mrs. Mei kneel and bow.

The Emperor waved impatiently. "Left Chancellor, speak plainly now that she is here."

"Your Majesty, I request that someone examine Mrs. Mei," the Left Chancellor declared, dropping this bombshell. "Mrs. Mei is not a woman—she's actually a Shuang Er."

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

"Mrs. Mei was married—how could that she's actually a Shuang Er have been concealed?"

The courtiers couldn’t help but glance at Mei Chengwen and Consort Shu. Mei Chengwen had his forehead pressed to the floor, silent, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed his tension.

As for Consort Shu, she was sweating buckets, her face a mask of horror.

Mrs. Mei was shaking uncontrollably.

The demeanor of the three left no doubt in the onlookers' minds.

Zhan Yu already had an idea but still needed confirmation. "Summon someone to verify the truth."

"Yes," replied the close eunuch attendant, casting a sympathetic glance at Consort Shu before leaving.

"Father!" Even dense as Zhan Fuxian was, he could sense something amiss now. He wanted to plead with the Emperor to spare the examination for his sake, but the moment he spoke, he was met with a piercing glare from the Emperor.

"Outrageous! Do you know where you are? This is the imperial court, not a place for your reckless shouting!" The Emperor had never reprimanded Zhan Fuxian so harshly before the officials. "Moreover, this is not the inner palace. You should address me as 'Imperial Father.'"

Zhan Fuxian was stunned and aggrieved. Though he had always behaved this way, he dared not press further.

The Chief Eunuch led two attendants of Shuang Er inside and dragged the terrified Mrs. Mei to a side chamber, where the truth was soon uncovered.

The Chief Eunuch approached the Emperor and whispered, "Your Majesty, Mrs. Mei is indeed not a woman but a Shuang Er. The pregnancy mark between her brows was concealed with rouge."

"Mei Chengwen, what do you have to say for yourself?" Zhan Yu's eyes burned with fury, as if he wished to incinerate Mei Chengwen, who already felt the searing pain of imaginary flames.

With no room left for denial, Mei Chengwen resorted to pitiful pleas, weeping bitterly. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Tears and snot streamed down Mei Chengwen's face. "I had no choice! The world shames those who bear Shuang Er children, considering them ill omens. Some parents even drown such infants at birth. But I couldn’t bring myself to be so cruel—he was my own flesh and blood!"

His cries grew increasingly anguished, as if his heart were being torn out. "In the end, I kept him. Blame my parental love—I couldn’t bear to see Da Niang—no, *Mei Ge'er* (Brother Mei)—endure scorn from childhood, so I disguised him as a girl. I thought it made no difference once he grew up and was married off with a marriage dowry. Whether a girl or a Shuang Er, what did it matter?"

"I beg Your Majesty for mercy! It was my misguided parental love that led me to disguise *Mei Ge'er* as a girl. But at least no one was harmed."

"Does the Right Chancellor truly believe his own words? No one was harmed? What of young Master Zheng? Was he not a victim?" the Left Chancellor pressed sharply.

"He consented willingly."

"Willingly? He consented to marry Mrs. Mei as a girl, not as a Shuang Er disguised as one," the Left Chancellor retorted. "Your Majesty, summon the witness—this is the nanny of young Master Zheng."

"Summon her." The Emperor glared coldly at Mei Chengwen. "I wish to see what lies beneath this so-called parental love."

A stout old woman was brought forward, trembling as she knelt to greet the Emperor. "Your...Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years!"

"Do you know that deceiving the Emperor is a capital offense?"

"This humble woman knows. I dare not lie to Your Majesty."

The Emperor pointed at Mrs. Mei. "Do you recognize her?"

"I do." The old woman looked at Mrs. Mei, her words suddenly clear. "She is the daughter of the Right Chancellor’s household, Mrs. Mei, once married to young Master Zheng. I know her well—I was his nanny."

"Good. Then tell me, did young Master Zheng know she was Shuang Er when they were betrothed?" the Emperor demanded.

Mrs. Mei suddenly panicked. "Your Majesty, don’t listen to this old hag’s lies! When I married into the Zheng family, she always disliked me and made trouble for me!"

"This humble woman swears on the lives of my entire family that every word I speak is true. May lightning strike us all if I lie," the old woman vowed.

"Speak," the Emperor commanded.

"Young Master Zheng became the top scholar and caught the Right Chancellor’s eye. He was overjoyed and eagerly prepared for the wedding. On the wedding night, the Chancellor’s guests were unusually enthusiastic, pouring young Master Zheng endless rounds of wine."

The old woman recounted in detail. "To avoid neglecting his bride, young Master Zheng secretly diluted his wine and pretended to be drunk, escaping complete drunkenness. When he returned to the wedding chamber, Mrs. Mei was shocked to see him sober. Later, she pleaded shyness during the marital act and blew out the candles. But young Master Zheng still detected something wrong. Only when she could no longer hide the truth did Mrs. Mei admit to being Shuang Er."

"Young Master Zheng was only attracted to women, not Shuang Er. He couldn’t accept having married one—let alone having nearly performed the marital act. He rushed out of the chamber and vomited on the spot. This isn't some made-up story—the whole Zheng household saw it happen."

Xiao Geer's face turned ashen, a stain that could never be scrubbed from his domineering life.

"At that time, the Zheng family’s young lord demanded an explanation from the Right Chancellor, but the Right Chancellor threatened him with his future and the lives of his family. The young lord of the Zheng family couldn’t afford to offend the Right Chancellor and had to endure it. But he truly disliked Xiao Er and never consummated with Mrs. Mei. Later, he took a concubine instead. When the concubine became pregnant and Mrs. Mei found out, she cruelly dragged the concubine into the courtyard and had the child beaten out of her. Blood flowed all over the courtyard at the time."

"You spiteful crone! You’re just holding a grudge against me. A lowly concubine, how dare she conceive before the proper wife? Beating her child was what she deserved. Besides, she’s merely chattel to be traded at whim. What does it matter if she was beaten?" Mrs. Mei spoke as if it were perfectly justified, showing no remorse for her words.

This was Zhao Shi’s teaching—never let a concubine bear a child before her.

But while Mrs. Mei saw nothing wrong with it, the officials in the court could not tolerate it.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Geer’s callousness toward life shows just how tyrannical and arrogant he is. This is the Right Chancellor’s idea of upbringing," the Left Chancellor said.

Though Mrs. Mei was domineering, at heart, she was a bully who cowered before power. She knew those who dared speak up now were not people she could easily provoke.

Too cowardly to face the Left Chancellor, she pointed at the old woman and said, "Your Majesty, this spiteful crone holds a grudge against me. Back then, her wanton daughter tried to seduce Zheng Si Lang, and I caught her and beat her. That’s why she’s always hated me."

"You beat her daughter to death, but every word the old woman said is true."

"Yet another life," the Emperor sneered. "The Right Chancellor’s household truly has fine upbringing, raising a spoiled heir with blood on his hands."

Mei Chengwen immediately begged for mercy. "It is my failure in teaching my child. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

"Mei Chengwen, do you think you can get away with this so easily? This is just the beginning. Your gravest offense is the deception of the Emperor. When the late Emperor selected consorts for the princes, he explicitly stated that families bearing a Xiao Geer in their bloodline were ineligible. Yet you knowingly sent your daughter into the palace despite having a Xiao Geer in your family. This is the crime of deceiving the Emperor."

This was actually the most critical point, but the Left Chancellor had not brought it up immediately, mainly out of consideration for the Emperor’s affection for Consort Shu.

The Emperor and Consort Shu had been married for many years. If it were merely a matter of concealing a Xiao Geer in the family during the selection of imperial consorts, the Left Chancellor feared the Emperor might overlook it due to their marital bond—raising the issue heavily only to let it drop lightly.

That’s why he first brought up Mrs. Mei’s cruel murder of the concubine, to incite the Emperor’s anger. Then, while the Emperor was furious, he raised the matter of deception, turning even a minor issue into a major one.

"Your Majesty, I believe Mei Chengwen’s claims of paternal love, saying he raised Xiao Geer as a girl, are nothing but a cover for his sinister ambitions. He deliberately sought to climb the social ladder through imperial connections."

"I—I never knew of the late Emperor’s decree that families bearing a Xiao Geer in their lineage were ineligible. I never received such an order," Mei Chengwen argued.

"The late Emperor’s disdain for Xiao Geer was known to all in the court. Back then, a Ministry of Revenue official was dismissed simply because his family had a Xiao Geer," the Left Chancellor said. "Though the late Emperor never issued an explicit decree, he gave an oral decree that families with Xiao Geer were not to be considered for imperial consort selection."

"I truly never heard of such an oral decree."

"Mei Chengwen, you’ll cling to lies till death. Have you forgotten that the selection was the Empress Dowager’s purview—the current Emperor’s birth mother? Claiming you never heard the verbal instructions implies the Empress Dowager neglected the late Emperor’s orders."

"No, I didn’t mean that." Only then did the Right Chancellor remember that the selection had been overseen by the current Empress Dowager, who was still alive.

The Emperor turned to the Chief Eunuch. "Go ask the Empress Dowager whether she informed the Right Chancellor of the late Emperor’s verbal instructions."

The Chief Eunuch hurried off and soon returned. "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager says she did inform him. She recalls the Right Chancellor swearing that no Xiao Geer had ever been born in his family for generations."

"Mei Chengwen, your audacity knows no bounds. What do you have to say for yourself now?" the Emperor said furiously. "You deceived the late Emperor, then deceived others into marrying your Xiao Geer. On top of that, you failed as a father, fostering a butcher who tramples lives. What else can you say?"

"I beg Your Majesty’s mercy." By now, Mei Chengwen’s court robes were soaked through with sweat.

Seeing this, Consort Shu immediately crawled to the Emperor’s feet, clutching his leg. "Your Majesty, please spare my father. It wasn’t his fault—it was mine, all mine. Back then, I was smitten by Your Majesty at first glance and begged my father to deceive the late Emperor so I could enter the prince’s household. Blame me for loving Your Majesty too much. All my sins were born of love for you."

Of course, this wasn’t the truth. Consort Shu’s plea was merely an attempt to evoke the Emperor’s past affection. Otherwise, if the Emperor punished Mei Chengwen in his rage, she would suffer as well.

"Consort Shu, do you think you’ll escape punishment?" The Emperor’s gaze held none of its former tenderness.

Consort Shu paled in shock and wept. "Your Majesty, the bond we’ve shared as husband and wife for years is real. Everything I did was out of love for you, even if it meant deceiving the Emperor. It was all because I loved you too much."

"Your Majesty, back when you were still a prince and ambushed by your brothers, I—despite being near childbirth—lured the assassins away with your decoy so you could escape."

Consort Shu had no choice but to bring up the past favor: "It was then that I suffered a fright, leading to premature birth and nearly killing us both. Later, my life was saved against all odds, but the child died. Your Majesty, that was my first child—a son! Our first child together!"

The memory flooded Zhan Yu with guilt. Back then, if Consort Shu hadn’t stood by the decoy, the assassins would never have easily believed the decoy was him.

Thanks to her, the assassins chased after Consort Shu and the decoy, allowing His Majesty to escape.

At the time, Consort Shu was on the verge of childbirth, and she’d acted ready to die. In the end, she survived, but the child perished.

That’s why the Emperor had favored her all these years.

The Emperor shut his eyes for a moment. Consort Shu’s feelings for him were genuine, and her life-risking sacrifice was born of that love.

The Left Chancellor, noticing His Majesty’s wavering, immediately interjected, "Your Majesty, deceiving the throne is unforgivable. I implore Your Majesty to punish them."

The Emperor gazed at Consort Shu, who was weeping uncontrollably, and ultimately softened. "Right Chancellor Mei Chengwen, for deceiving the late Emperor, your crime is unforgivable. However, considering that your deception stemmed solely from your daughter’s infatuation with Us and caused no harm to others, and given your daughter’s merit in saving Our life, the death penalty shall be waived, but you shall not escape punishment. Twenty cane strikes, demotion by three ranks, three years without pay, and confined to your estate to reflect for three years."

Upon hearing the sentence, Mei Chengwen felt a surge of relief. Next to execution, this was mercy. Though being barred from court for three years might mean losing his current power structure, it was still better than death.

"As for Consort Shu, in light of the fact that all her actions were driven by Us, and We bear some responsibility as well, she shall be downgraded to Jieyu rank, confined for half a year of reflection, and her salary suspended for one year."

"As for Young Master Mei—ruthless, with no regard for life—he shall receive ten cane strikes and be sent to the Great Xiangguo Temple to become a monk, spending the rest of his life in penitent austerity to atone."

With His Majesty’s decree of "penitent austerity," Young Master Mei could bid farewell to comfort forever.

The Left Chancellor was dissatisfied with this outcome. "Your Majesty—"

Our word is law. Dismissed."

The Right Chancellor and Young Master Mei were dragged out and caned before the court.

The Left Chancellor stood quietly by, watching. This outcome was not unexpected to him.

As long as the Mei family had Consort Shu, they would not fall so easily.

Still, this result was already quite favorable. Mei Chengwen had been demoted from the first rank to the fourth rank, and his power had been gutted. Moreover, His Majesty had ordered Mei Chengwen to reflect under house arrest for three years—three whole years. By then, the court’s balance could shift entirely.

What the Left Chancellor pondered now was the mastermind behind this affair. Who possessed such capability to cripple the Right Chancellor in one blow?

He wondered whom the Right Chancellor had offended this time. If he provoked such a figure again, would his entire life be forfeit?

Meanwhile, the unseen mastermind in the Left Chancellor’s eyes—Bing Wengu—had entered the palace to oversee the handover of disaster relief funds and grain. Releasing his spiritual senses, he observed everything that had transpired in court.

Bing Wengu was quite satisfied with the outcome. To cripple Mei Chengwen with a single strike was no small feat.

With a mocking curl of his lips, Bing Wengu thought, *A son-in-law? He’ll be lucky to keep his head.*

He wondered if Mei Chengwen would regret his actions if he knew that merely attempting to make Bing Wengu his son-in-law had nearly cost him everything.