gnovel Chapter 71: A Grandfather and Grandson's Performance Leads to a Royal Conferment
Chapter 71: A Grandfather and Grandson's Performance Leads to a Royal Conferment
Prince Chungjang wasn't just wailing; he was genuinely moved to tears, his emotions were truly heartfelt.
His acting skills are no less than those of veteran actors of later generations.
Xia Chengzong saw this and secretly gave a thumbs up.
And now it was time for him to make his appearance, which was probably why Emperor Yonglong had his grandsons attend the court assembly.
Xia Chengzong obediently knelt behind Prince Zhongzheng, weeping alongside him.
As a minor imperial grandson, he had no right to step forward on such an occasion.
But who can blame him when Prince Chung-jang is his father?
The father kneels, and the son kneels with him; no one can find fault with that.
Emperor Yonglong asked with a hint of ulterior motive, "Zong-ge'er, what do you have to say?"
Xia Chengzong began, "Grandfather, today I read a poem by Li Xian, the Crown Prince Zhanghuai of the Tang Dynasty."
"Plant melons under the yellow terrace, the melons ripen and the seeds scatter. Picking them once makes the melons good, picking them a second time makes them sparse. Picking them a third time is still acceptable, but picking them all leaves only the vines."
"I have heard that the descendants of the Great Qian imperial family have always suffered many misfortunes. My second uncle died young, my seventh uncle passed away at a young age, and my ninth uncle died of typhoid fever."
"Now that my uncle, the Crown Prince, is about to be executed, I will lose another uncle, which is why I am saddened."
Emperor Yonglong heard Xia Chengzong mention several princes who died young, and then the crown prince.
He was suddenly moved and couldn't help but cover his face with his sleeve and shed tears.
Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Zhang Yannian stepped forward, his hair standing on end in anger, and rebuked the assembled officials:
"You are all disciples of Confucius, are you not even as good as a mere child?"
"Even if the Crown Prince has committed a thousand sins, how can they erase His Majesty's forty years of deep paternal love?"
"You spout empty rhetoric of benevolence and righteousness, yet you force your ruler to kill his own son. How is your behavior any different from regicide?"
"The third prince wept tears of blood, the grandson of the emperor mournfully recited the 'Ode to the Yellow Melon,' even the imperial family's own flesh and blood knew to show compassion!"
"Could it be that all the officials in the court are made of iron and stone?!"
Emperor Yonglong lamented, "The Crown Prince's treason is unforgivable, yet he is still my son."
"Besides being the emperor, I am also a father! In the name of a father, I beg you gentlemen to give the crown prince a way out."
"The Crown Prince's crimes are all due to my negligence in disciplining him. I am willing to take the blame for him. I beg you gentlemen to give the Crown Prince a way out."
The officials were so flustered that they dared not stand and hurriedly knelt down to apologize.
From the third prince to the grandson of the emperor to the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and finally to the emperor himself taking action, it demonstrates the emperor's determination to protect the crown prince.
For the court officials, killing the crown prince was not a necessity.
Imprisonment and killing are not much different.
What they care about is whether the case of the Crown Prince's rebellion can be closed.
Left Censor-in-Chief Chen Wuyang inquired, "Your Majesty, are you unaware of this case of the Crown Prince's treason?"
Emperor Yonglong said, "Because of this case, countless officials have been implicated, and I've heard that some government offices are now without officials to govern."
"If this case isn't resolved, people will be filled with anxiety, which is detrimental to stability. Let's leave it at that and close the case as soon as possible."
The Left Censor-in-Chief said, "Your Majesty is wise. This old minister will urge the Three Departments to close the case as soon as possible."
At this point, the emperor and the officials each took a step back.
The crown prince was stripped of his title, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.
The case of the Crown Prince's treason is now closed and will not be investigated further.
Both sides were very satisfied with the result, and it was a win-win situation.
Of course, the Crown Prince's imprisonment was completely different from the banning of the Prince Zhongzheng's residence back then.
Prince Chung-jang was confined to his own palace. As long as he did not leave the palace, he could do whatever he wanted within it.
The Prince Zhongzheng Mansion covers an area of over 500 acres, which is very large and allows for a great deal of freedom.
The Crown Prince, however, was imprisoned, but his treatment was completely different; he was confined to a small courtyard.
The main gate to this courtyard will be blocked off, and the courtyard wall will be raised.
Every day, someone delivers meals and groceries through a small window.
Unsurprisingly, he'll basically be imprisoned until he dies.
Being imprisoned in this cramped space is worse than death.
Just as the court assembly was about to end, Emperor Yonglong said again:
"By the way, this time the sixteenth prince and the crown prince plotted a rebellion, and it was thanks to my grandson that I was saved."
"His merit in saving the emperor deserves a reward. He shall be granted the title of Prince. You shall finalize his title, residence, and fiefdom as soon as possible."
During the Great Qian Dynasty, the emperor's own son was granted the title of Prince.
The prince's eldest son inherits the throne, while the other sons are granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank upon reaching adulthood.
After being granted the title, he was given a Prince's Mansion, the foundation of which was three feet lower than that of a Prince's Mansion, and the tiles were to be blue, not yellow.
The Prince's Palace had official positions such as Chief Secretary, Commander of the Guards, and Professor.
The prince's estate had a fiefdom, but no actual jurisdiction over it. He could receive a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) per year and owned five thousand mu (a unit of land area) of farmland.
In other words, even without saving the emperor, Xia Chengzong would still be granted the title of Prince after he came of age.
It's just that we're making him a king a few years ahead of schedule, so he can receive a longer stipend.
Compared to the merit of saving the emperor, it is not worth mentioning.
What's truly subtle is that the eldest son of Prince Zhongzheng's mansion hasn't even been granted the title of heir apparent yet, while he, the younger brother, has already been granted the title of prince.
This puts him ahead of the eldest son, Xia Chengqian.
The officials did not object to this reward and readily agreed.
After the court session ended, Emperor Yonglong kept Xia Chengzong behind and summoned him to the Imperial Study.
Emperor Yonglong sighed, "On Iron Net Mountain, thanks to Zong-ge'er's rescue, otherwise my grandfather would probably be in grave danger."
"Logically speaking, the Emperor should have rewarded you handsomely, but in order to protect the Crown Prince, this wicked child, the Emperor had no choice but to compromise with the officials."
"Therefore, I cannot reward you too generously; that would be unfair to you!"
Xia Chengzong laughed and said, "Grandpa Emperor is the true Son of Heaven. Good people are always blessed by Heaven. Even if he has no grandson, the rebels will definitely not be able to harm Grandpa Emperor."
"Besides, didn't my grandfather already bestow upon me a princely title? I am more than content, so how could I possibly feel wronged?"
Emperor Yonglong said, "Originally, you were also to be granted the title of Prince after you came of age. Now you've been granted it a few years earlier. What kind of reward is that?"
"How about this, since Grandfather can't openly bestow any more rewards upon you, he'll just give you some compensation in secret."
"Your Majesty the Emperor has granted you a thousand-household guard unit for your Prince's residence. You will personally select these officers and soldiers from within the army. Are you satisfied?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Chengzong's heart skipped a beat.
This reward is truly enormous!
In the Great Qian Dynasty, a Prince's mansion could have a maximum of thirty captains as guards, but was not entitled to have its own guard army.
A prince's mansion can have three guards: left, right, and center. Each guard is equipped with a thousand-household unit of 1120 men.
However, only the princely residences at the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty were equipped with such a full guard.
Later on, this system became a mere formality, with a prince's residence having at most two or three hundred guards.
Even the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace only had five hundred guards.
Their Prince Zhongzheng's mansion currently doesn't even have a single personal guard.
Now, however, the Emperor has directly given his Prince's Mansion a guard force composed of a thousand households.
He was originally worried about not having a powerful maternal clan to rely on.
Now that Emperor Yonglong has directly granted him a thousand-man guard, he no longer needs a powerful backer.
This guard team is his greatest asset!