Martial Cultivator

Chapter 596: Uncle and Nephew (8)

“Oh.”

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at Han Pu and asked with a smile, “Have you found out?”

Hearing this, the Second Prince's expression changed slightly but forced himself to calm down again.

Han Pu was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Not yet.”

The Great Liang Emperor said nothing and fell silent once more.

“Your Majesty, that matter can be investigated later. The urgent issue now is Chen Chao's treason, it requires your immediate decision!”

Liu Tong paused, seeing that His Majesty had brought up another matter, and could not help but remind him.

“Do you mean that We must listen to you on what to do?”

The Great Liang Emperor's voice was light, somewhat indifferent.

Liu Tong's face suddenly turned pale. “This subject dare not, this subject deserves death!”

“We thought that after all these years of being emperor, We have always been doing things incorrectly, needing people like you to remind Us on what to do.”

“Since that’s the case, why remind Us? Can't you all decide for yourselves?”

The Emperor's voice rang out. Although it was not loud, each word seemed to carry an elusive meaning.

The Emperor's heart has always been like this - impossible for ordinary people to guess.

“Lord Dean, as the leader of scholars under heaven, surely there is little in the world unknown to you. In that case, would Lord Dean be able to tell Us what to do?”

Unexpectedly, the Great Liang Emperor still did not make a final decision, but instead looked toward the academy Dean and asked him this question.

The Dean, who had remained silent the entire time, listened to the Emperor's inquiry. He thought for a moment, and shook his head, saying, “For such an important matter, it is best for outsiders not to speak lightly. Only Your Majesty can make this decision.”

The Great Liang Emperor smiled. “In that case, let Us ask another question for the Dean's guidance.”

The Dean replied softly, “Please ask, Your Majesty.”

“When We rose in rebellion back then and took Our nephew's throne back then, was it right or wrong?”

Hearing this, everyone present showed a change in expression. His Majesty was, by all accounts, one of the most outstanding emperors in Great Liang's history, having accomplished countless deeds since ascending the throne, and performing them exceptionally well. Now, only the founding emperor could compare to him. Yet, even such an emperor carried a stain that could not be washed away.

It was the matter of his illegitimate claim to the throne.

Back when the deposed emperor took the throne, he feared the power of the vassal princes, knowing he lacked the prestige and was terrified that his uncles would seize the realm. Thus, he sought to diminish their power, and even wanted to kill them. Forced into a corner, His Majesty rose in rebellion and claimed the throne for himself.

But back then, the Emperor was still a subject, and the deposed emperor was the ruler. As the saying goes, if a monarch demands a subject's death, the subject cannot refuse. The Great Liang Emperor still bore the title of usurper.

This was also His Majesty's greatest taboo, something the court officials never dared to discuss in front of people.

Yet now, it was the Great Liang Emperor himself who brought it up.

The Dean was silent for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words and unable to answer, so he could only stay quiet.

Then, the Great Liang Emperor looked toward the Premier.

The Premier spoke softly, “Your Majesty followed the will of heaven, inheriting the rightful rule, which has been a blessing to the realm. It was naturally right.”

Hearing this, the Great Liang Emperor merely smiled and looked at the court officials present, asking, “What do all of you think?”

“We, your subjects, dare not speak rashly."

The court officials knelt down. They were not like the Premier, so they dared not say much and only offered this one response.

“And what about everyone else?”

The Great Liang Emperor then looked at the family heads in attendance.

Everyone present still remained silent. "Old Patriarch Xie, you've lived through several reigns, and even the late Emperor Lingzong once remarked that you remained composed in the face of every major event. What do you think of this matter?"

The Great Liang Emperor’s gaze turned to the Xie Family's ancestor, his expression amused.

The Xie Family's ancestor had been dozing all along, seemingly unconcerned with what was currently happening. However, now that His Majesty the Emperor had addressed him by name, this ancestor of the Xie Family had no choice but to respond.

The Xie Family's ancestor opened his turbid eyes and said softly, “This old subject has always felt that Emperor Lingzong made a mistake back then.”

These words were nothing short of shocking!

Emperor Lingzong had passed away many years ago, and even if he had made mistakes in his lifetime, it was not something to bring up now. Yet, the Xie Family's ancestor expressed it directly.

“Crown Prince Yiwen was undoubtedly virtuous and capable, and as the legitimate eldest son, he was the most suitable candidate to inherit the throne. Appointing him as Crown Prince was certainly the right decision. But when Crown Prince Yiwen passed away young, Emperor Lingzong should have chosen another capable prince to be the heir. However, out of concern that Crown Prince Yiwen's descendants would be harmed by a new ruler, and his overly deep affection for Crown Prince Yiwen, Emperor Lingzong appointed Crown Prince Yiwen's eldest son as the Crown Grandson and eventually passed the throne to him. This was the mistake.”

The Xie Family's ancestor continued quietly, “Had His Majesty been appointed as the heir back then, with His Majesty's magnanimity, he would not have harmed Crown Prince Yiwen's descendants. In that case, all these later conflicts might never have come to pass.”

“That Crown Grandson was narrow-minded, showing no respect or kindness toward his uncles, and instead took up the butcher's knife, inciting bloodshed among the imperial family and resulting in disastrous consequences. As a matter of fact, it was Emperor Lingzong's decision that led to such an outcome.”

The Xie Family's ancestor sighed, “This old subject does not believe His Majesty did anything wrong back then. For the sake of Great Liang, if that man had remained on the throne, it would not have been a good thing for the people.”

The Xie Family's ancestor spoke slowly, but each word was clear and unmistakable, and everyone could hear him plainly.

Among those present today, there were undoubtedly many harboring ulterior motives, unwilling to reveal their positions. Yet, with these words, the Xie Family's ancestor had, in the end, expressed his stance by standing on His Majesty's side.

This was rather rare.

After all, as one of the greatest noble families in the Great Liang Dynasty, the Xie Family should not have taken sides so early.

The Great Liang Emperor smiled and said, “You rarely speak so openly.”

After saying this, the Great Liang Emperor rose to his feet, looking at everyone in front of him, then slowly walked down the platform. “Today, you have all said many things and taken many actions, aiming to prove this young man's identity, to prove that him appearing before Us is to seize Our throne - no, to reclaim what belongs to him. But in fact, the matter has never been that complicated.”

“To verify who he is, we need only ask him.”

The Great Liang Emperor looked at Chen Chao and asked, “Are you Imperial Elder Brother's second son?”

His Majesty looked at Chen Chao, who had been standing the entire time, with a strange expression in his eyes.

Chen Chao thought about it and replied, “Yes.”

He had already said it once, so now he was simply repeating it.

The Great Liang Emperor smiled and asked, “After saying so much before, don't you feel like you might have left something out?”

Chen Chao looked puzzled, not quite understanding.

“You say you are a descendant of the founding emperor, the grandson of Emperor Lingzong, and the son of Crown Prince Yiwen. All of this is true.”

“But you missed out one identity, you're also Our nephew.”

The current Emperor and the former Crown Prince Yiwen were biological brothers, born of the same mother, and Chen Chao's mother was the Empress' biological younger sister.

Their relationship was undeniably close.

“Is it so difficult to acknowledge that you are Our nephew?”

The Great Liang Emperor looked at Chen Chao with a calm expression.

Chen Chao shook his head. “It’s not difficult at all.”

Chen Chao slowly knelt down and said softly, “Nephew greets Uncle.”

The Great Liang Emperor looked at Chen Chao and said calmly, “At the end of the day, we are all surnamed Chen. Things were never that complicated in the first place.”

“You claim he's here to plot against the empire and ask Us to kill him. But what uncle in the world could truly harden his heart to kill his own nephew?”

The Great Liang Emperor sighed. “Even back then, with that other nephew, We never thought of killing him.”

"Your Majesty!"

Liu Tong suddenly shouted, but there were no further words.

This was because Li Heng who was standing behind the Emperor had already shaken his head.

Liu Tong could not say another word.

“How lamentable, since he's your junior, yet you wish to kill him, you're not fit to be an elder. But alas, you're the sister of the Empress, so We cannot kill you.”

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at the old nun, whose complexion suddenly turned pale. In an instant, she spat out a large mouthful of blood, flying backward heavily.

The old nun raised her head with a face full of resentment, trembling all over.

“We will waste all your cultivation. After that, you can go wherever you want, We don't wish to see you in this life.”

The Great Liang Emperor smiled and looked at everyone present. “Even if he really wanted to do all that, it would merely be to take Our throne. If We don't care, what are you all worried about?”

At this point, the Emperor had already completely expressed his attitude.

He would not kill Chen Chao.

The Second Prince’s expression turned ugly. He had done so many things, calculating step by step, and at this moment, he was actually unable to overcome a single sentence.

We don't care.

Just these few simple words could make everything vanish into thin air.

All the scheming had become a joke at this moment.

But was it really that simple?

Which emperor in the world could remain so carefree when faced with someone who might snatch their kingdom?

It was nothing new that the closest brothers could turn against each other.

“As for the matter of official positions, since you're all taking part in it, it isn't a big deal. Even if there's a crime, it doesn't warrant death. Considering how much he has done for Our Great Liang, We won't pursue it further.”

The Great Liang Emperor smiled, “We truly think that this nephew is very good.”

“Your Majesty is wise!”

Song Lian was the first to speak up.

Then Mi Ke followed suit, still shocked but deeply impressed by the emperor's magnanimity at this moment.

“Your Majesty is wise!”

Several voices echoed in agreement in the hall.

Although some people echoed in agreement, most looked at the Emperor in the hall, feeling incomparably shocked.

Everyone present was speculating how the Emperor would choose. But no one had expected him to resolve this matter, which everyone deemed significant, so casually.

The Great Liang Emperor chuckled self-deprecatingly, “Whether wise or not, who knows? Although We don't think We made a mistake in that matter, We have often regretted it over the years. The world is too heavy, We feel exhausted carrying this burden. If We didn't do these things and just spent my life riding and hunting, it would have been an enjoyable life too.”

No one spoke.

“Fourth Uncle, since you regret it and feel the burden is heavy, why not return the world to Us?”

A voice suddenly rang out from a distance.

Earth-shattering!