Chapter 214

Chapter 214

Just to frame one person, they sacrificed tens of thousands of commoners and the entire economy of Yunyang Prefecture—was this method cruel?

Indeed, it was very cruel, but for those in power who play political games, this really wasn't much.

Look at the power struggles in every dynasty—how many loyal ministers and good generals were wrongfully executed, how many innocent commoners were caught up in wrongful cases and died.

Did Emperor Taixuan not know the losses caused by the Crown Prince's actions?

No, of course he knew!

But Han Zhang had built too solid a foundation for himself. The petition drum incident at the palace gate and the fertilizer achievements attributed to the Crown Prince—who in the court didn't know they were actually Han Zhang's doing?

In recent years, Han Zhang had governed with diligence and vigor. Not only had he won the genuine admiration of Yunyang's people, but his improved farming and sericulture methods had benefited all of Yanzhou and captured the nation's attention.

He'd once been shielded by his achievements, and now he was protected by his sterling reputation.

Before leaving the capital, Han Zhang had even feigned allegiance to the Seventh Prince and the aristocratic families. With these predators lurking and watching, as long as Han Zhang didn't commit a major error, the imperial family couldn't openly put him to death.

But as long as Han Zhang drew breath, Emperor Taixuan couldn't sleep soundly.

After all, with a capable, hostile threat lurking in the shadows, who could rest easy?

The Yunyang river dam breach was a perfectly crafted trap with no way out.

If Han Zhang didn't dare touch the military grain reserves, he'd be branded the chief culprit for botching disaster relief, losing every shred of the good reputation he'd built, and the court could deal with him without any further concerns.

But if he dared to use the military grain reserves without authorization—perfect! Even if his intentions were noble and he was saving the people, to uphold the law and preserve the court's authority, he'd still have to pay with his life!

Just as Han Zhang was caught between a rock and a hard place,

Zhao Yongchang came rushing in urgently: "Brother Han, open the granaries and distribute grain! I have the Emperor Uncle's special token—I can act first and report later!"

"Really? If you have the special token, then that's perfect! Open the granaries, open them right now..."

Han Zhang and Jiang Wencheng were, of course, overjoyed, then put on a show of relief and immediately issued orders to open the granaries.

Since disaster relief had been secretly prepped in advance, once the granaries were opened, the entire relief effort went off without a hitch.

Aside from property losses like farmland and homes, the death toll among Yunyang's people was relatively low. Evacuation, resettlement, and post-disaster disease prevention were all handled exceptionally well.

Compared to the devastating disasters of years past, the people of Yunyang were more than satisfied with the outcome.

But once the disaster was over,

the imperial decree from the capital hit like a thunderbolt.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Han Zhang, Prefect of Yunyang Prefecture in Yanzhou, at a time when the Yunyang river had burst and victims awaited relief, failed to fulfill his duties and submit the proper memorials, but instead dared to use the court's military grain reserves without authorization!"

"Military grain is a pillar of the state, vital to border defense—how dare anyone touch it without authorization? Though his original intention may have been to rescue the people from disaster, the law and discipline cannot be casually cast aside! If he goes unpunished, how can we deter others and uphold the court's authority? Effective immediately, Han Zhang and all those involved are stripped of their posts, and their entire families are to be escorted to the capital for trial by the Three Judicial Courts!"

"Furthermore, Zhao Yongchang, a member of the imperial clan, failed to uphold the state as a close royal relative, and instead aided and abetted wrongdoing! He dared to forge an imperial decree and trick Han Zhang into breaking the law. His deeds are contemptible, his intentions unforgivable! Effective immediately, his clan membership is revoked, and he is to be tried alongside Han Zhang—both are to be arrested and brought to the capital without delay!"

"By imperial decree—"

The final two words landed like the toll of a death knell.

Zhao Yongchang seemed frozen, standing there in disbelief, all color draining from his face, his lips trembling:

"F-forged an imperial decree? How could I have forged an imperial decree? I have the token! It was given to me personally by Emperor Uncle, granting me the right to act first and report later, with imperial amnesty!"

"Right, the token! I have the token as proof! Someone must be framing me—I have the token..."

Like a drowning man grasping at straws, he frantically patted himself down looking for the token, but the next moment his movements froze, and an icy chill shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Naive as he was, he now realized what was going on.

If Emperor Uncle had truly given him the right to act first and report later, why would he now issue a decree charging him with this crime?

The token he'd been carrying...

His hand trembled as he reached into his robes—and sure enough, he touched nothing. It was gone.

Zhao Yongchang looked as if his spine had been ripped out. He staggered back two steps and slammed into the red-lacquered pillar of the government hall with a dull thud.

His lips quivered, his eyes went unfocused, and all that came out was unconscious muttering: "Impossible... I always kept it on me... How could it disappear? How..."

He suddenly whipped his head around, bloodshot eyes boring into the ever-obedient personal servant beside him, as if about to breathe fire:

"It was you! You stole my token, didn't you?! You damned servant—I treated you so well, why would you do this to me?!"

The personal servant lowered his head, guilty, and said nothing.

But the eunuch delivering the decree didn't even raise an eyelid, merely letting out a faint sneer through his nose:

"Mind your tongue, Young Master Yongchang. This servant watched you leave the capital with his own eyes—you carried nothing. When did I ever see any special token?"

"Besides, His Majesty is wise. If he'd truly granted a special token, there would be records in the Ministry of War and the Grand Secretariat. You can't just talk your way out of this!"

No token meant a forged imperial decree.

And the only person who could so easily, so completely deny the token's existence was none other than that one man...

But why?

Why would Emperor Uncle do this to him?

Hadn't Emperor Uncle doted on him the most?

Zhao Yongchang stood there in a daze, tears silently streaming down his pale cheeks. He couldn't understand how things had come to this.

Only after being escorted into the prison cell did he snap out of it. Face streaked with tears, he turned to Han Zhang beside him and asked:

"Brother Han, why—why did Emperor Uncle do this to me? Is it... did I... did I drag you into this?"

He'd already begun to suspect that the Yunyang dam collapse and Emperor Uncle's favor toward him weren't as simple as they seemed on the surface.

He didn't dare think any deeper—he was afraid, afraid that the deaths of those Yunyang people, afraid that Han Zhang's crimes... were all his fault.

But he desperately wanted to know why.

But Han Zhang naturally couldn't tell him the truth now.

Han Zhang leaned against the damp, cold prison wall, looking utterly defeated, his voice bitter:

"I'm sorry, Brother Zhao... It's not that you dragged me down—it's me... it's me who dragged you down. His Majesty and the Crown Prince... in the end, they just couldn't stomach me."

Then he fell silent, letting Zhao Yongchang connect the dots himself.

Zhao Yongchang, unaware of his true origins, naturally assumed that the Crown Prince still harbored resentment over the affair involving Lord Jiayou, and had thus used him to lay a trap for Han Zhang.

Otherwise, with Brother Han's intelligence and wisdom, and his cautious nature, how could he have so easily resorted to using military provisions and grain?

It was all because of the "help" he had offered from the sidelines—Brother Han trusted him!

Having pieced together the crux of the matter, Zhao Yongchang was instantly overwhelmed with guilt, tears streaming down his face as he pounded his head and wailed:

"I'm stupid! I was blinded by my own foolish greed and insisted on coming to Yunyang... I'm as dumb as a pig and got used by others... I've done you in, Brother Han!"

But no amount of crying would change anything; what's done is done.

Zhao Yongchang, along with Han Zhang, Jiang Wencheng, and the family members of both households, were taken into custody and sent to the capital that same day to await trial.

Luckily, because of the private salt profits, the wealthy gentry and officials who had married Han family daughters and lads were worried that if they turned against them too quickly, Han Zhang might spill the beans about the private salt business.

The Han clan's married daughters and lads were temporarily not cast out or divorced, though those in the middle of marriage negotiations had those talks halted.

However, to everyone's surprise, Zhang Ye, the young master of the Zhang family, one of Han Dong's three most famous suitors, was willing to give up his status and be disowned by his clan just to keep pursuing Han Dong's hand in marriage.

This scene surprised not only the Han family but Han Dong himself as well.

Because back then, everyone hadn't thought much of this Zhang Ye, since his personality was indeed a bit wild and free-spirited.

However, Han Dong figured he was just as fickle himself, liking to go after any handsome young lord he came across—the two of them were six of one, half a dozen of the other.

So Han Dong didn't reject Zhang Ye's pursuit and was quite happy to go out and play with him, engaging in some flirty back-and-forth.

But now that the Han family had fallen into trouble, those who had once sworn up and down they liked him so much they'd give up anything had all vanished into thin air.

Only Zhang Ye, the one who seemed the least committed, still came forward, insisting on marrying him, even if it meant being cast out by his family...

To be honest, at that moment, Han Dong's heart was deeply moved.

His eyes couldn't help but get a little red as he asked, "You really do like me?"

He had thought Zhang Ye was merely after my looks or the prestige of the Han family, and that those sweet nothings and vows of undying love were just a performance.

"Of course! I told you from the start I truly like you, but you ungrateful little lad just refused to believe it, choosing instead to trust those fake, holier-than-thou male seducers! And now? Now that disaster's hit, they've all scrammed, haven't they!"

"So, you marrying me or not? This is your one shot—miss it, and there's no going back."

Zhang Ye still had that goofy grin on his face, his words still not easy on the ears, slouching around with no sense of decorum.

But everyone knew he genuinely wanted to save Han Dong.

Once he became a married-out lad, Han Dong wouldn't have to go into exile.

Han Dong stared at him in a daze for a long moment, then sniffled, turned his head away in a huff, and huffed in that spoiled tone he always used:

"Who'd want to marry you! I'm not marrying anyone—my big brother said I'm meant to take a husband."

"...And besides, I don't like you. I like someone like Young Lord Yu of the Liu family, as gentle and refined as my big brother. You're too wild and fickle—I can't keep up with you!"

He wasn't some virtuous, dutiful lad, so why should Lord Ye sacrifice his future for him?

But since Zhang Ye had come, he wasn't about to leave empty-handed.

"How am I fickle? Those girls and lads out there liking me on their own—that's their problem, not mine. I never promised them anything!"

"It doesn't matter if you don't like me or won't marry me—I like you, and I'm willing to be the one to marry you."

With that, Zhang Ye boldly slipped a banknote to the nearby guard and said, acting like a rascal, "Officer, do me a favor and lock me up too, would ya? I'm now a son-in-law of the Han family!"

The Han family members: "..."

The guard: "..."