The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 766 - 728: Drag Him Out and Execute Immediately (First Update)

Chapter 766: Chapter 728: Drag Him Out and Execute Immediately (First Update)

It was indeed Song Wei who came, dressed in a fourth-rank official robe with his headwear properly set. At this moment, he extended his cupped hands forward, making a salute.

That clear and handsome face, mature and resonant voice, and the dignified manner—that’s something no one could imitate.

The Minister of Rites was dumbfounded, "This... wasn’t Mr. Song already killed by the Tongji Association? Mr. Song personally escorted his own coffin back to the capital. How could this be..."

Song Wei stood straight, his tone calm, "To rid the nation of traitors, the mission was incomplete, so I dared not die rashly. Speaking of which, I owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr. Yang. If not for your timely assistance, with my limited abilities, it would have been impossible to capture the leader of the Tongji Association alive and eliminate all their members in one go."

Chief Minister Yang forced a smile, "Then I must congratulate Mr. Song for making another great contribution."

On the day Song Yuanbao escorted the coffin back to the capital, under the pretense of switching the coffin, he sent people to investigate the truth behind Song Wei’s death, to confirm whether Song Wei was indeed dead, and ended up being blocked outside the door by Princess Yong’an.

When the people who went to switch the coffin reported back, Chief Minister Yang already knew that Song Wei was not dead.

But it didn’t matter, as long as Song Wei was not in the capital, he wouldn’t affect his plan.

Never expected, Song Wei recovered so swiftly, returning precisely today.

Princess Consort Duan’s expression turned dark; they guarded against everything but not Song Wei’s early return. All their schemes for so long, could they all crumble now?

The Minister of Rites was still in a daze, "What on earth is going on here?"

Chief Minister Yang directly ignored him and looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, "Since Mr. Song is willing to take over, Mr. Yao, give him the decree!"

Immediately, a eunuch stepped forward, took the decree from the hands of Yao Temple Minister, and handed it to Song Wei.

Song Wei took it, opened it slowly, his gaze lingering on it for a moment, then rolled the scroll back up.

Princess Consort Duan frowned, "What does Mr. Song mean by this?"

Song Wei replied, "Without a decree directly from the Emperor, I beg to be excused from reading it."

Princess Consort Duan’s face fell, "Drafted by the Cabinet, with the Imperial Jade Seal personally stamped, do you dare accuse me of playing a charade with the officials?"

"I dare not," Song Wei said bluntly, "I merely speak regarding the matter. The so-called decree, the seal on it is fake."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had just touched the decree, quickly walked over, took the decree from Song Wei’s hands, scrutinized it, his gaze lingering on the seal for a long time before he finally exclaimed excitedly, "Mr. Song’s attention to detail and keen insight are astonishing. Correct, the seal on this is fake, it’s not the actual Imperial Jade Seal. It shows that the person forging this decree has sinister motives, attempting to usurp the throne!"

The words "usurp the throne" spurred panic within Princess Consort Duan, and she glanced hastily at Chief Minister Yang.

Chief Minister Yang remained unmoved.

Song Wei glanced at the two of them, "Isn’t there something Princess Consort Duan and Mr. Yang would like to share with us?"

Princess Consort Duan forcibly maintained her composure and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! The decree was ordered by the Holy Emperor, drafted by the Cabinet, and then personally stamped by the Emperor. How could there be talk of a fake decree? Song Wei, you obviously want to incriminate me unjustly, shouldn’t you be punished for this?"

"Whether it’s a fake decree, so many officials present will determine for Your Highness," Song Wei maintained his usual calm tone, "After all, it concerns the establishment of the crown prince, and it should not be taken lightly."

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites immediately passed the decree for others to see.

Other departments may not be able to clearly discern its authenticity, but the Cabinet frequently deals with seals, and they almost remember every single pattern on the seal accurately. Therefore, as soon as the decree was passed to those veteran ministers of the Cabinet, it was immediately identified as fake.

"Impossible!" Princess Consort Duan was infuriated. "The Emperor’s personal seal, how can it be fake?"

Song Wei smiled faintly, "Ladies and gentlemen have been confined since this morning until now, no one has seen the Holy Emperor. But Your Highness says, this decree was ordered and drafted by the Holy Emperor, and the seal was personally stamped by him. May I ask, Your Highness, do you have any witnesses?"

His gaze was clear and penetrating, as if it could pierce through everything, leaving all schemes nowhere to hide.

Princess Consort Duan’s panic deepened, but she still tried to maintain the last bit of dignity, "If I tell you that I have witnesses who can prove that the Holy Emperor indeed decreed to pass the throne to the Eastern Palace, transferring it to the Second Prince, does that count as slandering a concubine, questioning the Emperor’s intentions, and would you not be guilty?"

"Is the witness Your Highness refers to Mr. Cui?" Song Wei asked.

The other’s calm demeanor made the Princess Consort Duan’s heart surge with a sense of foreboding.

Song Wei continued, "Just now I went to Qianqing Palace, and Mr. Cui told me that Mr. Yang and Lady Duan asked him to search for the Imperial Jade Seal in the Emperor’s bedroom. He accidentally found a fake one and asked me to inquire if Lady Duan needs him to bring the real seal for use?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Consort Duan’s vision went black, and her body went soft, causing a palace maid to hurriedly step forward to support her.

Chief Minister Yang suddenly clapped his hands and laughed out loud, "What a brilliant twist in the drama. Mr. Song certainly did not disappoint this old man."

Song Wei made a respectful gesture, "You’re too kind."

"What does it matter if the decree is fake or if the seal is fake?" Chief Minister Yang’s smile gradually faded, "Do you think you can enter the Political Discussion Hall today and walk out unharmed?"

The ministers’ expressions changed, and someone pointed at him and cursed, "Yang Xiong’an, how dare you forge an imperial decree and plot against the throne!"

Chief Minister Yang laughed heartily, "I won’t deny that the Crown Prince is indeed very talented, but have any of you ever considered that a prince who becomes mentally unstable and severely affected by the death of a female official, prioritizing personal feelings over duty— is he truly fit to be Crown Prince and ruler of Chu Country? If the Great Chu is entrusted to such a person, it will only meet the same fate as West Yue’s destruction. How could you entrust your lives to him?"

Upon hearing this, the ministers began to murmur softly.

The tragic death of Wan Qiu and Zhao Xi’s retreat south for recuperation, although strictly prohibited from leaking, was a secret that could never be completely hidden within the Imperial Palace.

During Zhao Xi’s time south, it was precisely because of the leaked news that Chief Minister Yang had the opportunity to make a big fuss, enticing most of the ministers who supported the Crown Prince.

Now, as the matter was brought up again, coupled with the emperor approaching his twilight years and the Crown Prince’s punishment, it naturally stirred their hearts.

Song Wei listened to the ministers questioning Zhao Xi without any intention of defending, only gazing at Chief Minister Yang.

To reach the position of Chief Minister, Yang Xiong’an’s cunning and methods are not to be underestimated. He knew the decree had been exposed, but if he immediately used the Imperial Army to suppress forcefully, even if Zhao Nuo were crowned Crown Prince, he would still be labeled with the stigma of poor conduct. Therefore, he simply targeted the hearts of people, using Zhao Xi’s blemish to his advantage.

One must admit, Chief Minister Yang’s approach was indeed heart-stabbing and successful.

To the world, Crown Prince Zhao Xi, born noble and standing on the clouds, his self-imposed strictness has turned into the world’s expectation of him. He can’t make mistakes, have personal desires, show personal emotions, or act against public consensus, or else he would be seen as destroying his own image and losing the people’s favor.

If Zhao Xi is a blank sheet of paper, Wan Qiu is that drop of black ink.

The black ink on the white paper may be just a tiny drop, but its existence is magnified infinitely, ultimately becoming an indelible stain for a lifetime.

No one cares that he has not yet been crowned an adult; no one cares that he is just a teenager; no one cares about his feelings when faced with the death of the first woman he loved.

Because he is the Crown Prince, the heir, no matter what happens, he is not allowed to be weak, not allowed to fall, not allowed to have personal emotions.

Observing the ministers inside the hall, as they ignored Princess Consort Duan joining her uncle in forging the decree of succession and instead focused on the true reason behind the Crown Prince heading south, Song Wei suddenly spoke, "May I ask, who among you hasn’t been reckless in your youth?"

This single sentence stumped everyone.

The murmurs paused temporarily, and pairs of eyes turned towards Song Wei.

Song Wei’s words resounded firmly and powerfully, "Since all of us have come from the verdant days of youth, why insist on holding onto such a small matter to harshly criticize an as-yet-undescended child? His life is just beginning, and the merits and faults, success or failure— how can they be judged and sealed due to a moment of folly? He is indeed the Crown Prince, and it is a fact that he suffered from mental distress due to the death of the inner court female official, leading to his incognito journey south for recuperation. If this matter swayed your commitment to support him, then I must ask, is the Crown Prince undeserving of forgiveness? Undeserving of reflection and reform? Or perhaps his contributions to the Divine Soldier Bureau, to the court, are undeserving of remembrance?"

After these words fell, someone immediately shouted, "Mr. Song is right! In the past, when our Great Chu went to war with West Yue, without the Divine Soldier Bureau, the Crown Prince, the mechanical beasts, we would surely have lost that battle. Where in the current Imperial Family can another prince as capable as the Crown Prince be found?"

"That’s right!" someone echoed, "Regarding the matter of the inner court female official, however wrong the Crown Prince might be, it cannot overshadow his extraordinary abilities. Instead of demanding more from him, wouldn’t it be better to show him some tolerance and understanding? The Crown Prince is not an uneducable prodigal son; surely after this incident, he will refine himself well enough to meet the expectations of the ministers and the people."

More and more people had their stances corrected.

Chief Minister Yang saw the situation becoming unfavorable, his old face turned blue-black, as he loudly announced to all, "Holy Emperor’s decree, the Crown Prince has committed regicide; the crime is unforgivable, stripped of his title, reduced to a commoner. The Holy Emperor, plagued by illness, is no longer capable of handling affairs of the court. Effective immediately, I, upon trust from the Holy Emperor, will retire in favor of Second Prince Zhao Nuo, and I am privileged to assist the new emperor in ruling the nation. Anyone who does not respect the Holy Emperor’s will shall be punished without mercy!"

Just as he finished speaking, the Imperial Army outside ascended the stone steps, blocking the main hall’s entrance thoroughly with their long spears. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Chief Minister Yang continued to order, "Song Wei despises the Holy Emperor, inciting people’s minds— take him out, and execute him immediately!"

"I’d like to see who dares!" came a powerful, chilling voice from below the stone steps.