Chapter 11641 — Your Majesty, You Must Not

The Zhou Son of Heaven's already displeased expression turned even darker.

"Grand Preceptor, this is a family matter of mine. Am I, as the sovereign Son of Heaven, not even permitted to settle my own household affairs?"

Hou Chuang cautioned him: "Deposing the queen is a family matter, but it is also a matter of state. It bears upon the fortunes of the entire Inner Royal Court. One misstep, and it could even rebound upon Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider."

The Zhou Son of Heaven's face immediately twisted in conflict.

Deceived for so long by the queen's false beauty—it would be a lie to say his temper was not running high.

Yet if he acted merely to vent his fury, and it ended up rebounding upon himself, then given his temperament, he would have to weigh the matter very carefully indeed.

Hou Chuang knew this perfectly well.

Still, the Zhou Son of Heaven remained somewhat dissatisfied: "By your meaning, am I simply to let the matter drop?"

Hou Chuang glanced at the queen, sighed, and said: "When all is said and done, the queen is a pitiable soul who had no choice in the matter. Your Majesty, think carefully—who is it that reduced her to this pass?"

"Was it not her?"

The Zhou Son of Heaven froze for a moment, then abruptly caught on: "Wei Zhao!"

Hou Chuang nodded: "Were it not for Wei Zhao, would any of this be happening now?"

The Zhou Son of Heaven ground his teeth, though in the end he had not been completely addled by the persuasion, and cast the queen a look of disgust: "But was it not this wretch who deceived my affections?"

Hou Chuang said: "If one day the queen could restore her former countenance, could Your Majesty accept her?"

"……"

The Zhou Son of Heaven hesitated, then looked at the queen again: "That, I could."

Such was the allure of a divine face.

Even knowing her true appearance full well, he was still perfectly willing to be deceived.

More than that—if there were a way to make the queen look as she once did, the Zhou Son of Heaven would give anything!

The queen, who had been in utter despair, was instantly revived at these words.

She did not know why her divine face had suddenly split apart, but so long as she found that lord, there was still hope of restoring it.

After all, her divine face had been bestowed upon her by that very lord.

Hou Chuang pointed out: "So the knot of the problem still lies with Wei Zhao. If Wei Zhao is not removed, incidents like today's will recur again and again."

The Zhou Son of Heaven nodded heavily, but then immediately balked: "Yet Wei Zhao has now grown too powerful. Even if I wished to move against him, it would be no easy task."

With the hatred he now bore Wei Zhao, if there were even the slimmest chance, he would kill the man without a moment's hesitation.

Unfortunately, anyone could tell at a glance that such a thing was sheer fantasy.

If he truly possessed such power, he would not still be a puppet Son of Heaven in name only after all this time.

Hou Chuang shook his head. "Your Majesty, we do not need to deal with Wei Zhao. All we need to do is make use of him."

"Make use of Wei Zhao?"

The Son of Heaven of Zhou's eyes lit up at once. "Explain yourself in detail."

Hou Chuang said, "A great upheaval is at hand, and as the Son of Heaven, Your Majesty stands at the very forefront. Forgive an old subject's bluntness, but if events unfold in the ordinary course, I fear Your Majesty will not meet a good end. Most likely, Your Majesty's death will serve as the signpost marking the dawn of a new age."

The Son of Heaven of Zhou's face went dark. "You say all this merely to tell me that?"

There was no need for the other to remind him; had he not known it himself long ago?

It was precisely because he knew it so clearly that he had been making so many small moves. Otherwise, given his temperament, he might well have been content to be a puppet Son of Heaven who idled his days away waiting for death.

Hou Chuang said, "Your Majesty misunderstands. What this old subject means is that you need someone to take the calamity in your stead—a plum tree struck dead in place of the peach, as the saying goes."

The Son of Heaven of Zhou caught on. "Grand Preceptor, do you mean to have Wei Zhao bear the calamity in my place?"

Hou Chuang nodded. "With the proper handling, it is entirely possible."

"Then explain it all to me, quickly."

The Son of Heaven of Zhou was so excited he rubbed his hands together.

To face Wei Zhao in a head-on clash—that he had neither the ability nor the nerve for. But to hide behind the scenes and quietly pin the blame on Wei Zhao—that he not only had the nerve for, but plenty of it.

From the side, the Queen cast him an exhilarated look as well.

So long as it meant dealing with Wei Zhao, everyone present was a grasshopper bound to the same rope!

Hou Chuang said gravely, "Your Majesty need only do one thing."

The Son of Heaven of Zhou asked hurriedly, "What thing?"

Hou Chuang said, "An Edict of Self-Blame."

The Son of Heaven of Zhou froze, then pointed at himself in a daze. "You would have me issue an Edict of Self-Blame? What kind of joke is this?"

The Edict of Self-Blame was the exclusive prerogative of the Son of Heaven, yet it was not something he could issue whenever he pleased.

Once issued, the consequences that followed were absolutely not something a puppet Son of Heaven like him could bear.

Then again, even a genuine Son of Heaven wielding true power, once driven to the point of issuing an Edict of Self-Blame against himself, would without question suffer a grievous blow to his vitality. For a puppet Son of Heaven like him, it might well send him straight to his grave.

Hou Chuang said, "Your Majesty, but hear this old subject out. The essence of the Edict of Self-Blame is to state one's faults to the Way of Heaven."

The Son of Heaven frowned. "And what of it?"

Hou Chuang said gravely, "Does Your Majesty not see that this is precisely a power held by you alone?"

"Ha?"

The Son of Heaven was utterly lost. "Confessing one's faults to the Heavenly Dao counts as my privilege now?"

Hou Chuang corrected him. "Not confessing—stating one's faults. Ordinarily, no matter how formidable a master might be, there is no way to petition the Heavenly Dao directly. But Your Majesty can. Does Your Majesty not sense the vast room for maneuver in this?"

The Son of Heaven was astonished. "So that is how the Edict of Self-Blame can be understood?"

To him, this was a perspective he had never encountered before.

In his long-held understanding, the Edict of Self-Blame had always been something profoundly negative—a thing he strove desperately to avoid, a thing he did not even wish to mention.

And now, in Hou Chuang's mouth, it seemed instead to have become a remarkable privilege?

Hou Chuang laughed. "Think on it, Your Majesty. Two children have done wrong. One can confess his fault to his parents face to face, while the other cannot even get an audience with them. Which of the two, in Your Majesty's view, has the advantage?"

"Naturally, the one who can face his parents!"

The Son of Heaven answered without a moment's hesitation, then his eyes blazed with light. "I understand the Grand Preceptor's meaning. So long as I issue the Edict of Self-Blame, I may confess my faults directly to the Heavenly Dao—only how precisely that fault is apportioned will be for me alone to decide!"

Hou Chuang nodded. "Your Majesty is wise."

After that, he needed no further prompting; the Son of Heaven had found his own way.

In the end, the Son of Heaven had flaws of one kind and another, but he was by no means a fool. At the very least, he did not lack the petty cunning to calculate his own advantage.

Before long, the Edict of Self-Blame was drafted.

The seven great princely houses and the assembled magnates abruptly received word that the Son of Heaven had issued an Edict of Self-Blame, and every faction was struck with collective shock.