gnovel Chapter 41: One after another, what is the purpose of all the scheming?
Chapter 41: One after another, what is the purpose of all the scheming?
"Sizzle!"
Liu Ju put the ring-pommel sword he had drawn back into its sheath, turned and left the cubicle, heading towards the next one.
"Your Highness, wait for me."
Shi Zeng belatedly realized what was happening and hurriedly followed.
The remaining three compartments were all filled with ring-pommel swords, densely packed together, numbering at least tens of thousands.
"Tap tap!"
Subsequently, Liu Ju's footsteps appeared in every part of the armory.
The four storehouses in the east courtyard respectively store bows, crossbows, shields, and arrows. The three storehouses in the west courtyard are the armor storehouse, the sword storehouse, and the weapon storehouse. The armor storehouse stores leather armor and iron armor, the sword storehouse stores ring-pommel swords, and the weapon storehouse contains long weapons such as halberds, spears, daggers, axes, spears, and lances.
Liu Ju saw the entire heart of the Han Empire and silently kept it in mind.
"Shi Zeng".
"Arrange for someone to retrieve eight hundred ring-pommel swords."
"promise."
The Crown Prince's attendant, Shi Zeng, hurriedly went to make arrangements.
At this moment, four hundred guards, like diligent ants, went in and out of the armory, carrying out fish-scale armor, crossbows, large yellow crossbows, and ring-pommel swords one by one from the gate. Zhang He, the Crown Prince's steward, arranged for people to transport them back to the Crown Prince's palace (Bowang Garden) in an orderly manner.
"The sky is falling!"
The armory commander, who witnessed this scene, turned pale. He feared that today's events would likely unleash a bloodbath.
News of the Crown Prince leading his men to storm the capital's armory and move weapons and armor swept through the entire city of Chang'an like a hurricane, and the three dukes and nine ministers were all rushing to Weiyang Palace.
...............
Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Hall.
"His Majesty."
"His Highness the Crown Prince requests weapons and armor."
"This matter is of great importance, and I have come here specifically to report it."
Lieutenant Yin Qi stood nervously inside the hall, not daring to look up at Emperor Wu of Han.
"Tap tap".
A young eunuch hurriedly entered the palace and whispered something in Emperor Wu of Han's ear.
"No need."
After listening, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, remained expressionless.
'????'
Yin Qi suddenly looked up at him. What did this mean?
"The Crown Prince threatened the armory commander, forced open the armory doors, and is currently removing weapons and armor from inside."
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, then said something that completely baffled Yin Qi, the Commandant.
"Thump thump!"
Lieutenant Yin Qi staggered back a few steps, his face deathly pale, as if the sky had fallen.
Crown Prince Liu Ju forcibly opened the armory, which was no small matter. To put it nicely, it was to equip the Crown Prince's guards; to put it bluntly, the Crown Prince intended to rebel.
"His Majesty."
"The Chancellor, the Grand Censor, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, the Grand Master of the Palace, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Justice, the Director of the Imperial Library, the Director of the Imperial Stud, the Minister of the Imperial Treasury... are all requesting an audience!"
Suppressing his secret joy, Su Wenqiang, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, respectfully submitted his memorial.
Lieutenant Yin Qi's pupils contracted sharply. These people's reaction was far too swift; they received the news so quickly and went to the palace to pay their respects.
He seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but glance at Emperor Wu of Han on the steps of the palace. Emperor Wu's calm expression confirmed his guess.
It seems that today's events were orchestrated by Emperor Wu of Han. This is the second clash between the emperor and the crown prince, and someone is bound to become a victim.
"pass!!!"
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, raised his sleeve and uttered a single word.
"promise."
After hearing this, Su Wen, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, turned and left the Xuan Room Hall.
Before long, the Chancellor Shi Qing, the Imperial Censor Er Kuan, the Grand Master of Ceremonies Du Xiang, the Grand Master of the Palace Gongsun He, and other high-ranking officials entered the palace in turn. Each of them felt a change in mood when they saw the Commandant Yin Qi.
In particular, Chancellor Shi Qing and Grand Master Gongsun He never expected that the Crown Prince would cause such a huge incident; it was as if he had ripped the sky apart.
"His Majesty."
"The capital is the foundation of the nation, and the armory is related to the safety of the Han army and the safety of the entire Han dynasty."
"The Crown Prince, without the approval of the Commandant and without an imperial edict, has opened the armory without authorization; this is utterly reckless!"
The Imperial Censor Xian Xuan was the first to stand up and righteously criticize Crown Prince Liu Ju.
The Han dynasty inherited the Qin system and established the Censorate to supervise the entire country. The Grand Censor was in charge of the Censorate and was one of the Three Dukes, second only to the Chancellor.
The Imperial Censor-in-Chief was in charge of the Imperial Archives (which was used to process the emperor's documents and was located in the palace), and was the deputy to the Grand Censor, holding a position no lower than that of the Nine Ministers.
Below them are the Imperial Censors, who are divided into many types, such as the Military Supervisor, the Imperial Seal Censor, and the Regional Inspector. The Embroidered-Robe Censor is also a type of Imperial Censor. In the past, when Crown Prince Liu Ju beheaded the Embroidered-Robe Censor Jiang Chong, in a sense, this was a provocation against the authority of the Censorate.
"Um? 』
Shi Qing, Gongsun He, and the others couldn't help but look at the Imperial Censor Er Kuan, who was resting with his eyes closed, looking as if it were none of his business.
But everyone knew that without Erkuan's instruction, how could Xianxuan dare to lay a hand on the Crown Prince?
"I second that proposal!"
Prince Wenshu, the Junior Steward, followed suit and voiced his agreement.
In any case, the reason why the Crown Prince did what he did today was because the Imperial Household Department refused to allocate weapons and armor. He had already offended the Crown Prince, so he didn't care about doing it again.
"I second that proposal!"
Xu Ziwei, the Imperial Physician (Guanglu Xun), and Du Zhou, the Minister of Justice, stepped forward.
'Thump!'
Seeing this, Shi Qing and Gongsun He felt a chill run down their spines. So many people were supporting Xian Xuan; the Crown Prince was in grave danger!
"Guards, summon the Crown Prince to the palace."
Looking down, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, issued an edict.
"promise."
The eunuch received the order and went to the armory to deliver the imperial edict.
At this moment, Shi Qing and Gongsun He exchanged a glance, both seeing the deeper meaning in each other's eyes. This was a trap set by His Majesty for the Crown Prince.
.................
On the other side, the capital's armory.
"Is it all installed?"
Liu Ju watched as the last guard walked out the gate and asked.
"Your Highness."
Zhang He, the Crown Prince's steward, replied, "Eight hundred sets of fish-scale armor, eight hundred ring-pommel swords, two hundred large yellow crossbows, two hundred arm-drawn crossbows, and one thousand two hundred quivers of arrows have all been transported back to the Crown Prince's palace."
"call!"
The armory commander, who was standing to the side, finally relaxed a little. The things the crown prince took were only a small part of the armory, and he could report back.
"Um."
Nodding slightly, Liu Ju instructed, "Take your men back first. Put the weapons and armor away for now. Do not distribute them without my orders."
"Your Highness."
"And what about you?"
Zhang He asked with some doubt.
"The person I've been waiting for has arrived."
Liu Ju's lips curled into a slight smile as he turned his gaze toward the Weiyang Palace.
"His Majesty has issued an edict summoning the Crown Prince to the palace for an audience."
The young eunuch, who had come galloping at full speed, dismounted less than ten meters from the armory and shouted loudly.
"I obey the imperial edict."
Liu Ju swaggered off on his horse toward Weiyang Palace.
Watching him leave, Zhang He gritted his teeth and ordered Zhao Anguo and the others, "Return to the Crown Prince's Palace."
"promise."
With heavy hearts, the group returned to the Crown Prince's Palace (Bowang Garden).
They knew a bloody power struggle was about to unfold in Weiyang Palace, and they couldn't help Crown Prince Liu Ju.
Everyone felt a surge of resentment, determined to wash away the humiliation of today in the future.
PS: The quiver in the Han Dynasty was also called a quiver. A quiver usually contained 20 to 30 arrows (20 feathered arrows and 30 crossbow arrows). It was common to carry 30 arrows in battle, and in some cases, two quivers (about 60 arrows in total) would be carried.