After the emperor read her mind, the salted fish concubine effortlessly won the title of empress.

Chapter 456 Extra Chapter: Rebirth or Siblings 2

The seventh brother was often bullied by the eighth brother when they were young, but he wasn't saying this because of that.

Did the Eighth Prince think that his opportunity had come now that his father was gone?

The seventh brother also reminded the tenth brother that since he was all alone, even if he said something wrong, it wouldn't implicate anyone.

But as soon as he said this, Dongjun felt uncomfortable, as he was worried about his seventh brother's health.

Seventh Brother never interferes in politics, but he brought this up today specifically to help him take the blame. Seventh Brother had his reasons for dealing with Eighth Brother, as he was afraid that Eighth Brother would be branded as a traitor who harmed his brothers. But Seventh Brother has never been afraid.

What does he need a good reputation for?

After the brothers talked for a while, Dongjun, fearing that Seventh Brother might not be able to hold on, said they should disperse. He then summoned the imperial physician to inquire about Seventh Brother's health.

The imperial physician apologized, but Dongjun didn't want to listen. He waved his hand, dismissing the physician, and sat alone for a long time before getting up to go to Fengyi Palace.

Seeing that his complexion was not good, the Empress tried to get up, but Dongjun helped her lie down. "I'm fine, you sleep. I'll come and sleep after I take a bath."

After he went to bed, he brought up his seventh brother's health, saying, "Although I knew this day would come, I still feel uneasy."

On the 18th day of the eighth month of the first year of Jingzhao, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Jingzhao issued an edict to bestow titles upon his brothers. The second, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth sons were all granted the title of Prince, and Xihe was promoted to the title of Princess.

The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth princes were all granted the title of Prince of the County.

In any case, there are no fiefs for the kings now. The rank of a king is only linked to his salary, and his power is only linked to the official position he holds. If the Lord of the East does not grant titles to his brothers, many of them will just have to wait to starve to death.

The following day, an imperial censor impeached the emperor, saying that on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the late emperor's eighth son was drinking with someone at Fanqing Tower, and that person turned out to be a spy from Xiling.

These words caused an uproar throughout the court. The Eighth Prince immediately stepped forward, wishing he could beat the censor up.

The censor, undaunted, presented evidence.

The eighth prince retorted, "Your Majesty, please see the truth. After the palace banquet on Mid-Autumn Festival, I did go to Fanqing Tower and did drink with some people, but there were no people from Xiling at the banquet."

The imperial censor said, "You Wenyi was originally a spy from Xiling, plotting a rebellion. The Prince of Changsha deliberately befriended him; isn't that also a pretext?"

That's actually quite possible!

That's what the court officials thought.

Emperor Jingzhao entrusted the matter to Cen Yin. Soon, Cen Yin arrested all the people who were at Fanqing Tower that night and interrogated them one by one. He quickly found out exactly what each person said and did that night.

One of them was even from the maternal clan of the Third Prince back then. The person who spread rumors that were detrimental to the Crown Prince had escaped back then, but after many years, he was arrested again.

This time, he infiltrated the Great Zhou for the sake of Xiling.

With the passing of both the Emperor and Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty, both Beisha and Xiling are stirring with ambition.

On the other hand, the Southern Desert remains on good terms with the Great Zhou, and there is even a hint that they will teach the Northern Desert a lesson if it becomes unruly.

The Eighth Prince was imprisoned by imperial decree. The evidence was conclusive, showing that he had indeed committed treason and colluded with many people in the court. All of these people were arrested and imprisoned, and were tried by the Three Judicial Offices.

Song Yan, the Minister of Justice, asked the Emperor how to handle this case.

During the reign of the late emperor, Empress Chenyuan Zhao set the tone: no one should be implicated, and no one should be let off the hook.

To everyone's surprise, the face that bore such a striking resemblance to the late emperor bore the calm, almost cruel expression of Empress Chen Yuanzhao: "Discipline them severely to prevent future troubles!"

This is the principle of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

Song Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly understood the young emperor's thoughts: he wanted to intimidate and teach those who looked down on him a lesson.

"I obey your decree!"

This case involved a wide range of people. The Eighth Prince's maternal brothers were involved, and his entire family was executed. Many officials were also implicated and dealt with. The imperial court was also purged in the process.

In the thirty-first year of Yongxi, Song Piyang retired to his hometown. Before that, the second assistant minister was replaced by Liu Jingzhong, who was personally trained by Shen Shixi. When Emperor Jingzhao was inspecting the government at the Ministry of Works, Liu Jingzhong was the one who led the river management, and they cooperated very well.

The cabinet supports the emperor. Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Revenue were all people promoted by the new emperor. The other ministries were indeed intimidated.

After the weeds were cleared away, the administration became much more efficient, and Emperor Jingzhao gradually got the hang of things.

As winter approached, the palace prepared for the Empress's childbirth, but the Kang Prince's residence brought bad news first: the Kang Prince was dying.

Emperor Jingzhao rushed over. Although he had expected it, he still found it hard to accept. He had lost his father and mother, and now he was about to lose his third relative.

Xihe was overcome with grief and cried until her voice was hoarse.

The seventh prince comforted Xihe, "Don't cry, silly girl, what's there to cry about? I'll go first to see Father and Mother, and then I'll report back to you, okay?"

Xihe nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself into her seventh brother's arms. "Seventh brother, can't you just hold on a little longer? Seventh brother, what will I do if I miss you later?"

The seventh child was surprisingly in good spirits, but everyone could tell it was just a temporary burst of energy before death. "Silly girl, don't cry. You're a mother now. It's not nice to have swollen eyes from crying."

Upon seeing the emperor arrive, he smiled and said, "Lord Dongjun, please don't blame me for not being able to get up and pay my respects to you!"

Dongjun came over, took his brother's hand, and tears streamed down his face. "Seventh Brother, please don't laugh at me!"

The seventh brother patted his hand, and he leaned against the two siblings. "Seventh brother is not. Dongjun is a good emperor. Seventh brother is very happy."

Dongjun bent down, fighting back tears, and said, "Seventh Brother, what is your last wish? Tell your younger brother!"

The seventh brother said, "Yes!"

He looked out the window at the swirling snow and thought it was a truly auspicious day. "My first wish is for the Emperor to live a long and healthy life; my second wish is for the Great Zhou Dynasty to have a long and prosperous reign; my third wish is for Xihe to be happy and prosperous; my fourth wish... I wish that in the next life... in the next life... we will still be brothers..."

"Seventh Brother!" Xihe shouted, but Seventh Brother's head had already drooped down, a smile on his lips, calm and content.

Prince Kang, Li Chengrong, was the seventh son of the late emperor. Born into a life of scheming, he was sickly from childhood and never had a day of good health.

But he never complained about his fate throughout his life. He was calm and composed, had ambitions, pursued his dreams, and finally died in the arms of his brothers and sisters. For him, that was a perfect ending.

Although his status was awkward, his mother and the crown prince had never suspected him since he was a child. He grew up with Xihe and was never lonely. He was the prince who should complain the most, but in the end he felt that there was nothing to complain about.

Throughout his life, every step he took was the path he wanted to take, and every day was a peaceful and good day.

With his mother's love and protection, his mother's protection, his brothers' support, his sister's companionship, and a career he loves, what more could a man ask for in life?

May we still be brothers and sisters in the next life!

"Okay!" Dongjun lowered his head, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Xihe was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Three years later, the Yongxi Encyclopedia was completed. There were two chief editors: Prince Kang, Li Chengrong, and Princess Xihe.

Xihe ordered someone to make an extra copy and place it in front of the memorial tablet of King Kang. "Seventh Brother, we have worked so hard for so many years, but you couldn't hold on until the very end and didn't get to see the compilation of the Grand Ceremony."

You said you would be content if you could personally copy the books your mother gave to Fuguang and Wangshu. I wish that in your next life you could go to your mother's world and witness its prosperity!

Although his life was short, his name has been passed down through the ages and lives on in the praise of scholars for generations.