Chapter 248 Divine Punishment
It is already the fourteenth day of the first lunar month in the fifth year of Yongchang. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and the sun is shining brightly in the capital.

Since the snow stopped on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, there has been no snow in the capital and the neighboring provinces. There has been no snow for more than a month, and people are panicking. There are rumors among the people that this is a punishment from heaven! Who is the wrath of heaven? The strange death of Duke Yansheng was spread under the guidance of those who have ulterior motives, and the rumors in the court and the public quietly spread to the emperor. Even the death of Concubine Xian became evidence of a punishment from heaven, otherwise why would a healthy person suddenly die? !
Just as the urgent message from the Shandong Governor’s Office reporting the death of Duke Yansheng reached the palace, Concubine Xian died suddenly. Everyone couldn’t help but think about it.

Even more despairing was the latest batch of reports from several neighboring provinces that were urgently delivered to the palace at noon today: there was still no snow in Shanxi, no snow in Shandong, and no snow in Zhili!
Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. If there is still no rain or snow, there will definitely be a spring drought this year. In other words, there will be drought in the three months during the Spring Festival, which will have a great impact on the greening of crops and spring ploughing and sowing. Famine is imminent and God is going to take us away!
Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes alone. The incident in Wanping was exposed again, and the whole capital was instantly shocked. It was a punishment from heaven! This was a punishment from heaven!
Public resentment was boiling. The upright officials of the Censorate, Hanlin Academy, and Imperial College, as well as officials from the six ministries and nine government departments, all submitted memorials to impeach the Second Prince. Even the students of the Imperial College got involved.

Emperor Yongchang panicked and summoned several ministers of the cabinet into the Yangxin Palace. He wanted these well-read ministers to find an example to prove that this astronomical phenomenon was not a punishment from heaven.

Public resentment was boiling, officials were furious, and the responses of several cabinet ministers were bound to disappoint Emperor Yongchang. Unwilling to give up, Emperor Yongchang summoned the director of the Imperial Observatory, but he still received the same response, “No clouds today.”

At noon, Emperor Yongchang stood alone on the central axis of the carriage road in front of the Fengtian Palace, looking up at the “strange” sun in the sky, his face full of confusion and a hint of desolation.

Dai Quan, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and the Grand Chancellor walked over quietly, not daring to say a word. They just bowed silently and stood aside.

Emperor Yongchang finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse: “My auspicious land has only been built for less than three years. It is not good for Concubine Xian to keep it in the Temporary An Feng Palace. Concubine Xian once said that the scenery of West Mountain is beautiful. Let’s bury her there.”

Dai Quan, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and the Grand Chancellor all opened their eyes wide and stood there in a daze.

Emperor Yongchang did not look at them. His eyes were still fixed on the “strange” sun in the sky. He continued, “It is the fault of the father if he fails to educate his child. I have also made the same mistake as the second son!”

The three of them knelt down quickly.

Dai Quan: “No matter how many mistakes there are, they are all my fault, and the fault of all the ministers.”

The Prime Minister immediately took off his official hat, and the Grand Chancellor also took off his official hat and put it on the ground.

The Prime Minister said: “The responsibility for this matter lies first with the Cabinet. We, the ministers, have been disgraced by our positions at the center, but we were unable to prepare for a rainy day. Please punish us for our dereliction of duty, and this will also be an explanation to the government and the public.”

Da Zongzheng: “The disaster is like this, it’s all because of human carelessness. Human carelessness is the reason why God sends disasters.”

Emperor Yongchang slowly looked at them and said, “No, you are not guilty. All the people are guilty, but I am the only one guilty!”

The Prime Minister was very smart and answered immediately: “Your Majesty said so, where can I put me? If there is any order from Your Majesty, I will give it to you.”

Emperor Yongchang softened his expression and said, “I will punish the second son, but he cannot be blamed for the punishment from heaven.”

Dai Quan, the Prime Minister and the Grand Secretary looked at each other and understood.

At this moment, Kong Qingxiang came over panting. Seeing this scene, he was stunned at first, and then he knelt down.

Emperor Yongchang looked at him and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Kong Qingxiang: “I want to report someone.”

Emperor Yongchang: “Who?”

Kong Qingxiang: “The new Duke of Yansheng!”

This is to sacrifice one’s own relatives for the sake of justice!
Emperor Yongchang was shocked!

Dai Quan, the Prime Minister and the Grand Chancellor were also shocked!
Kong Qingxiang pulled out a memorial from his sleeve, held it high above his head, and said loudly: “There has been no snow in the area around the capital for more than a month. This is a warning from heaven!”

Emperor Yongchang looked at him deeply before taking the memorial and reading it.

Dai Quan, the chief minister and the Grand Chancellor all kept silent and secretly watched the expression of Emperor Yongchang.

Emperor Yongchang read the memorial without showing any expression. He closed the memorial and said to the three men, “You all take a look at it.” Then he handed the memorial to them.

The Prime Minister quickly took the memorial with both hands. Dai Quan and Da Zongzheng came over, and the three of them huddled together and watched silently.

As he watched, the Prime Minister’s expression changed at first, but he quickly calmed down.

There was shock on Dai Quan and Da Zong Zheng’s faces, but more of it was a look of relief.

After reading the memorial, the Prime Minister stood there in a daze.

The Grand Master of the Imperial Clan spoke up: “What a family of moral saints, what a Duke of Yansheng. This is unheard of. The court was deceived by them!” Dai Quan recalled: “The news of the death of the virtuous concubine came after the imperial seal was stamped on the imperial edict, which was nearly two quarters of an hour.”

The Grand Master of the Imperial Clan: “That’s right. The real target of the heavenly punishment is the Duke of Yansheng’s Mansion. The virtuous concubine suffered this disaster because the royal family’s luck was backfired.”

The Prime Minister came back to his senses and glanced at Dai Quan, Da Zongzheng and Kong Qingxiang. He realized that this was a trap and he had become a pawn in it.

Emperor Yongchang: “First Assistant.”

The Prime Minister closed his eyes and replied, “I second the motion!”

Emperor Yongchang nodded with satisfaction and said, “The cabinet should immediately draft an imperial decree to invite Duke Yansheng to the capital. Captain Kong’s memorial should also be copied immediately and posted at the gates of each government office, the city gates, and the main streets, so that the people can know the truth of the matter.”

Prime Minister: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang: “All the people in the world are my children. I have had my share of past experiences. Not only will I lead all the civil and military officials to offer sacrifices to the heavens, I will also grant amnesty to the world and pray for the great Shun!”

Dai Quan, the Prime Minister, the Grand Master, and Kong Qingxiang: “Your Majesty is so kind, he will surely win the favor of Heaven!”

Emperor Yongchang was silent for a moment, then continued, “If you do something wrong, you must be punished, Grand Master!”

The Grand Master replied, “I am here.”

Emperor Yongchang: “Imprison the second son into the clan house, and when the mausoleum of Concubine Xian is completed, let him guard the coffin for his mother!”

When these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned!
Emperor Yongchang smiled bitterly: “If it were anyone else, he would have died long ago even if he had ten lives. I have spoiled him, and I must temper his temper after the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony this time.”

Da Zongzheng: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang waved his hand and said, “Go ahead.”

The Prime Minister and the Grand Chancellor stood up and retreated.

Dai Quan also stood up, leaving only Kong Qingxiang still kneeling there.

Emperor Yongchang looked at him and said, “When the storm has died down, I will first promote you to the position of Assistant Commander of the Southern Pacification Division. As for the title, there is no rush, and we need to take our time.”

Kong Qingxiang answered loudly: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!” He kowtowed heavily, then got up and retreated.

Emperor Yongchang turned his gaze to Dai Quan again and said, “Go tell the prince that he must not be absent from tomorrow’s ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens.”

Dai Quan hesitated and whispered, “According to the rules, you must get up at the end of the hour of the Ox to participate in the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony. It’s so cold, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in good health…”

Emperor Yongchang raised his hand and said, “He can knock the Second Brother back several steps with one slap. How can he be a chronically ill person?”

Dai Quan had nothing else to say but to reply, “Yes,” and bowed before retreating.

Emperor Yongchang looked at Dai Quan’s receding back, then turned to look in the direction of Yikun Palace, and said to himself: “I hope the second son can understand my painstaking efforts.”

With a “bang”, the tea bowl smashed onto the brick floor, and fragments flew everywhere!

The Emperor slammed his desk vigorously, “Damn you little bastard, how dare you ruin my plan!”

Xia Shouzhong smiled bitterly. No one expected that Kong Qingxiang would sacrifice his own family for the sake of justice and expose all the evil things that the second branch had done.

With a snort, the emperor said: “He just wants to temper the second brother’s temper. I will add fuel to the fire.” Then he waved to Xia Shouzhong.

Xia Shouzhong leaned his head forward.

The emperor whispered something in his ear.

A hint of horror flashed across Xia Shouzhong’s eyes!
(End of this chapter)