The fleeting thought of Consort Li was awakened by the shouts from beneath the city walls.
Tens of thousands of commoners were seen with flushed faces, crying out sorrowfully and angrily at the soldiers: "Do not touch the body of Consort Zhao, we demand an explanation from the court!"
"If the Imperial Physician saving the city from plague is a crime, then aren't we commoners all criminals? Release the families of the Imperial Physician! Release the relatives of Consort Zhao!"
"Your Majesty, can you not see the suffering of the people under Heaven, and only see your own imperial authority?"
"We do not ask for equality for all as in future ages, we only ask that while you enjoy utmost bliss, could you not look upon the starving masses beneath the imperial city? Could you not treat the loyal and righteous who serve the people and the nation with kindness?"
The few soldiers ordered to bring back the body of Consort Zhao stood dazed, with innumerable commoners blocking their path, their eyes filled with anger and disappointment.
Seeing the situation escalating further, the commoners' reactions grew larger.
The soldiers could only retreat back to the palace and report to Pei Changying.
Pei Changying's eyes turned icy cold.
Faced with the Emperor's actions, even the ministers suddenly realized... some emperors who ascended to the throne by relying on others' support fell swiftly for this very reason.
An unvirtuous ruler could not retain the power that was undeserved!
Yet Pei Changying was completely unaware of his own mistakes, still arguing self-righteously: "These people are about to rebel, but what have I done wrong!"
"I attend court before dawn every day, diligently implementing various policies. After all my efforts over so long, are the people really going to deny all my efforts just because of the plague incident?"
"They are all an ungrateful bunch of white-eyed wolves. Without me, how could there be peace and prosperity in this realm?"
The surrounding ministers kowtowed on the ground, unable to speak. Dare they tell the Emperor that it was his narrow-mindedness that led to this?
Was the commoners' current rage truly only because of Consort Zhao's death?
They were all well aware that Consort Zhao's death was merely the trigger!
Pei Changying ignored the natural disasters and droughts, and only cared about the lack of grain and hay in the national treasury, so he continuously increased taxes on the people. Fearing that women would become like what Gu Sang had said – after being educated and seeing the world, they would not be content to depend on men – the first thing he did upon becoming Emperor was to shut down girls' schools and oppress consorts and concubines!
"Your Majesty speaks correctly. The people have been misled for the moment, unaware of the true situation, which is normal. In time, they will surely understand Your Majesty's good intentions."
After the silence, some ministers began to echo these words, though it was unknown whether they spoke sincerely or just to save their own skins.
The Prime Minister glanced at the ministers who were feigning compliance.
Sighing, he braved Pei Changying's murderous glare and stepped out from the crowd: "Your Majesty, please calm your rage."
"The most important thing now is to stabilize the people's hearts. Other matters can be discussed later."
"Since the people demand the release of the Zhao family and the Imperial Physician's family, Your Majesty might as well take this opportunity to show goodwill to the people under Heaven. The urgent task is to quell the people's anger and regain their hearts."
Pei Changying whipped his head around to glare at the Prime Minister.
His tone was as chilling as a fiend crawling up from Hell, his overpowering aura instantly suffocating the ministers.
Pei Changying chuckled darkly: "Are you saying I was wrong?"
The Prime Minister felt a chill to the bone.
But dare he speak the truth in his heart?
He dared not. He could only straighten his back and gaze at Pei Changying imploringly: "Your Majesty, does it matter what I, your subject, think is important? What matters is what the people think!"
"The Elder Princess has already found the sweet potatoes and is amassing troops on a large scale. If we do not pacify the people's hearts now, she may seize this opportunity to advance."
"Your Majesty releasing the Zhao family and the Imperial Physician's family does not mean you are admitting wrongdoing to the people."
"It is an act of goodwill towards the people under Heaven."
"To deal with external threats, we must first pacify the internal situation. Only when the people are stable can we fully focus on dealing with the rebel forces!"
The Prime Minister's words were well understood by Pei Changying, who was simply unwilling to admit his own incompetence.
Since it had been brought up, and he had no better solution himself, Pei Changying could only make the decision reluctantly, saying with resentment and unwillingness: "Fine, then I shall release the Zhao family and the Imperial Physician's family."
"But I do not wish to hear any more rumors detrimental to me."
Pei Changying left with a wave of his sleeves, leaving the task of pacifying the people to the other ministers.
The ministers could only all come out and explain the situation, saying that the Prime Minister had gone to the Imperial prison to release the Zhao family and the Imperial Physician's family, and that the situation was not as exaggerated as Consort Zhao had claimed.
After much reassurance and heartfelt explanation, they finally managed to quell the anger.
The observing commoners gradually dispersed, for the Emperor had made concessions, and they too needed to attend to farm work and earn a living – they could not keep shouting at the palace gates about injustice forever.
Looking at Consort Zhao's mangled corpse, the ministers did not know how to handle it.
Should they really hand over Consort Zhao to the Emperor?
They were well aware of the Emperor's hatred towards Consort Zhao, and feared that she might be defleshed and cremated.
As they were at a loss, a fourth-rank minister saw the Prime Minister approaching and hurriedly ran over to report: "Prime Minister, how should we handle Consort Zhao's body?"
The Prime Minister stopped abruptly in his tracks.
He looked up at the receding backs of the commoners, then lowered his gaze and pondered: "Let it be handed over to the Zhao family for a proper burial. As for the Emperor, I will speak to him myself."
"Alas... Your Majesty has lost the hearts of another city's people! The matter of the Elder Princess amassing troops also needs time. For now, it is best not to mention it in front of the Emperor."
"I truly fear he may recklessly dispatch a hundred thousand troops in a grand offensive to trample the plague-stricken city. With the people's hearts in the capital wavering and the court unstable, the entire populace of the plague-stricken city views the Elder Princess as their savior. We must not rashly take military action! After the storm passes, we can deal with it – no need to rush."
At the suggestion of the civil officials, the Zhao family could only simply handle Consort Zhao's funeral arrangements and hastily bury her.
Upon learning that his daughter had boldly denounced the Emperor on the city walls and then jumped to her death, Zhao's Father aged ten years overnight.
A solitary ray of slanting sunlight shone desolately on Consort Zhao's grave mound.
Paper money was scattered all around, but the grave lacked a single headstone.
Although Pei Changying had allowed Consort Zhao to be buried, he had decreed that no headstone could be erected.
Gazing at the bleak and meager grave mound, Zhao's Father was filled with even greater grief, weeping bitterly before the grave until his heart was torn asunder: "Rong'er, it was your father who was wrong!"
"What imperial nobility or kinship! What glory and riches! All is but a passing cloud, one thought reaching Heaven, the next plunging into Hell!"
"It is your father who wronged you. For the glory of the Zhao family and the stability of our clan, I forced the death of the young master whom you adored. I kept saying it was for your own good, but I never imagined it would lead to your tragic demise beneath the city walls!"
"......."
Wails of anguish echoed across the desolate wilderness.
Joining the Zhao family members in paying respects were the Imperial Physicians and their families, recently released from the Imperial prison.
They had learned of Consort Zhao's story and understood clearly that it was Consort Zhao's sacrifice of her own life that had moved the hearts of the people, forcing the Emperor to release them.
Several Imperial Physicians knelt down, their eyes rimmed with tears.
Their trembling voices spoke: "We are forever grateful for Your Ladyship's selfless act that saved our lives! Had it not been for your noble sacrifice, our grievances would have never been righted!"
