Chapter 273: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 273: A Farce of Buying a Shop (Part 2)
As expected, under the manipulation behind the scenes, it didn't take long for thousands of soldiers at the border to start experiencing severe diarrhea. Some of the soldiers were in critical condition, suffering from dehydration to the point where they couldn't even walk. The army physicians were overwhelmed and couldn't identify the cause, leaving them helpless.
Upon receiving urgent reports, Emperor Huian was furious. Weren't the soldiers and physicians at the border aware? He had just ordered the condemnation of Heng Wang. Did they not know? He had initially thought Heng Wang's actions were merely a temporary mistake, influenced by subordinates, to sell moldy grain in secret. But who knew that moldy grain had already infiltrated the military, wreaking havoc on tens of thousands of soldiers stationed at the border.
Once problems arose among the soldiers guarding the border, military morale would inevitably become unstable. If the barbarians from beyond the border took advantage of this, then...
Thinking about the possible consequences, Emperor Huian broke out in a cold sweat. In his mind, he cursed Heng Wang, the main culprit behind this outcome.
Emperor Huian was a wise ruler. He immediately dispatched the best physicians from the imperial to the border to treat the poisoned soldiers.
Merely treating the soldiers and soothing their morale wasn't enough. If strict punishment wasn't meted out to Heng Wang, the fifty thousand soldiers at the border, deeply affected by the poison, would never be satisfied. Once resentment took root, who would risk their lives for the prosperity of Da Chu Dynasty?
In order to appease the border soldiers and stabilize military morale, even if he cherished Heng Wang, Emperor Huian couldn't continue to protect him. The next day, he issued a decree, demoting Heng Wang from a prince to the rank of County King Heng.
On the surface, it seemed like just a minor demotion, which didn't significantly affect Heng Wang. However, for Heng Wang to ascend back to his former position would now be much more difficult. Moreover, Heng Wang, no, County King Heng, who had been eyeing the position of crown prince, suddenly found an unexpected obstacle in his path, which was undoubtedly frustrating.
Such a lenient punishment left many princes and imperial sons, who had been eager to overthrow Heng Wang, extremely dissatisfied. They launched appeals to Emperor Huian through their respective factions. However, all their appeals were summarily rejected by Emperor Huian.
As for the mastermind behind the scenes, they also didn't fare well. They were summoned to the imperial study and severely reprimanded, accused of lacking brotherly affection and filial piety towards their own siblings. They were ordered to reflect on their actions at home.
Such reprimands were already quite severe. If further investigated, a person devoid of filial piety and fraternal affection, even if they became the ruler of the world, couldn't be expected to care for the well-being of the common people.
From the beginning to the end of the incident, Chu Heng had been recuperating at the Jing Shan Villa. Regarding Emperor Huian's handling of Heng Wang, saying he wasn't disappointed would be false.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Chu Heng looked out the window quietly, his expression faint. It was unclear what he was thinking. After a while, when he withdrew his gaze, he noticed the worry in Xiao Ruiyuan's eyes that he hadn't concealed in time.
"Han Zhang, don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"Mm."
Seeing the faint smile on Chu Heng's face, Xiao Ruiyuan didn't voice his concern, but he felt even more worried in his heart. At this moment, he actually hoped that His Highness would vent his frustrations and express his dissatisfaction. However, no matter how dissatisfied he was, His Highness had never lost his composure.
Unable to bear seeing him like this, Chu Heng smiled and said, "What he did is understandable. After all, Heng Wang is capable and resourceful. If anything were to happen to me, he... must consider the interests of Da Chu Dynasty."
Although he said so, the hint of melancholy in his voice was evident, even to Xiao Ruiyuan.
"Your Highness, as long as we find the Black Reishi and Thousand-Year Ginseng, your health will improve."
Xiao Ruiyuan said dryly, feeling uncomfortable. If it weren't for this decrepit body, with His Highness's intelligence and wisdom, he would have long secured the position of crown prince and wouldn't have to endure being coveted by others day in and day out, hoping for an early demise.
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