The Calamity of Witchcraft

Zhu Dijun's voice echoed through the sky, gripping everyone's hearts.

"Family members, to talk about this witchcraft scourge, we must mention one person."

"Jiang Chong".

On the sky, a portrait of a middle-aged man with a sinister face appeared. His eyes gleamed, revealing the cunning of a petty person who had achieved success.

[Core Villain: Jiang Chong]

[Position: Commandant of the Waterways]

[Character Relationships: He has a personal grudge against Crown Prince Liu Ju, but is deeply trusted by Emperor Wu of Han in his later years.]

"This Jiang Chong is a complete scoundrel."

"Because he offended the King of Zhao, he went to Chang'an to complain. With his sharp tongue and his gorgeous and strange clothes, he gained the favor of Emperor Wu of Han."

"Liu Che felt that he was very unique and a rare 'extraordinary person,' so he entrusted him with an important task and made him the Embroidered-Robed Envoy, who was specifically responsible for investigating the illegal behavior of the imperial relatives."

"Once this guy gained power, he became extremely arrogant. On one occasion, the Crown Prince's retainer was traveling in a carriage on the imperial road (the road reserved for the emperor), and he detained him."

"The Crown Prince sent someone to plead on my behalf, saying that Jiang Chong was a retainer of the emperor and asking for leniency. But Jiang Chong ignored him completely and reported the matter directly to Emperor Wu of Han."

Upon hearing this, Liu Che exclaimed, "Wow, this subordinate of mine is quite something! He doesn't even give face to the Crown Prince; he's truly upright and incorruptible!" He then favored him even more.

Zhu Dijun sneered as he finished speaking.

"Family members, listen to this! Is this what you call upright and incorruptible?"

"That's called being arrogant because of favor, and deliberately flattering others!"

"He wasn't unaware that it was the Crown Prince's carriage; he deliberately used the opportunity of suppressing the Crown Prince to demonstrate his loyalty to the Emperor and elevate his own status!"

The Great Han Dynasty, Weiyang Palace.

Liu Che's face turned extremely ugly.

After Zhu Dijun's analysis, he instantly understood Jiang Chong's little scheme.

What kind of uprightness and integrity is this? They're clearly using him as a pawn, using his crown prince as a pledge of loyalty!

What's infuriating is that at the time, he actually thought Jiang Chong was right, and even trusted him more because of it!

"That traitor!" Liu Che spat out the three words through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with such intense killing intent that it was almost tangible.

Crown Prince Liu Ju, on the other hand, was filled with bitterness.

He recalled that incident. At the time, he only thought Jiang Chong was cold-hearted, but he never expected that there was such a deep scheme behind it.

He never expected that his father would have such a view on this matter...

Zhu Dijun continued, "Through this incident, Jiang Chong realized that Crown Prince Liu Ju harbored resentment towards him. He was afraid that when the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would be the first to be dealt with."

"When a person is dominated by fear, they go mad."

"At this time, Emperor Wu of Han was in poor health in his later years, and the cases of the empress and princess being killed for practicing witchcraft occurred one after another, which made him suspicious and paranoid, feeling that there were always treacherous people who wanted to harm him."

"And so, Jiang Chong's opportunity came."

"In the second year of the Zhenghe era, Emperor Wu of Han was recuperating at Ganquan Palace, and the Crown Prince was in charge of overseeing the state in Chang'an."

Jiang Chong stepped forward and said to Emperor Wu of Han, "Your Majesty, I believe someone is using witchcraft to curse you!"

"The already suspicious Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) readily agreed upon hearing this and immediately ordered Jiang Chong to be his plenipotentiary representative to thoroughly investigate the witchcraft case in Chang'an!"

The scene shifts, revealing a tense and chaotic atmosphere within Chang'an City.

Countless soldiers dug extensively throughout the city, searching for the so-called "Tungwood Man".

"Jiang Chong, wielding a chicken feather as an imperial edict, led a group of barbarian shamans and his men to wreak havoc in Chang'an."

"They dug three feet into the ground, searching everywhere for the wooden figure. What if they couldn't find it? Simple, they'd bury it themselves!"

"Through such despicable means, they implicated tens of thousands of people, from concubines in the harem to high-ranking officials in the court and ordinary citizens! Countless people were tortured and forced to confess, ultimately dying tragically."

"In an instant, the entire city of Chang'an was filled with fear and bloodshed."

This bloody scene sent chills down the spines of people across all time and space.

In the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin frowned deeply.

"Using witchcraft as a pretext to engage in factionalism and persecution."

"Jiang Chong, what ruthless methods! Emperor Wu of Han, what a foolish ruler!"

He recalled that he had faced a similar trap back then, and if he hadn't acted decisively, his fate probably wouldn't have been much better than Liu Ju's.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, also looked at the emperor with disdain.

"What we hate most is this kind of pretentious nonsense!"

"And those treacherous officials who spread rumors and persecute loyal and virtuous people!"

"That Emperor Wu of Han is truly senile! He actually entrusted such a vital national asset to this piece of junk!"

In Weiyang Palace, Liu Che looked at the tragic scenes on the sky and listened to the evaluations of his ancestors and later emperors. His face turned ashen.

He's not someone who hasn't killed people; he's killed far more people than that.

But he killed people to consolidate imperial power and for the sake of the Han dynasty.

Jiang Chong's actions were purely for his own selfish interests, but they cost tens of thousands of lives and plunged the capital of the Han Dynasty into chaos!

And he was the one who started all of this!

Endless regret and anger nearly consumed his reason.

Zhu Dijun's voice, like a heavy hammer, continued to pound on his nerves.

"Family members, do you think this is the end of it?"

"No, this is just an appetizer."

"Jiang Chong's real target is Crown Prince Liu Ju!"

After turning Chang'an upside down, Jiang Chong revealed his true colors, grinning maliciously as he said to Emperor Wu of Han, "Your Majesty, I sense the presence of witchcraft in the palace!"

"So he led his men and stormed into the palace."

"He first searched the other palaces, and finally, he swaggered into the Jiaofang Palace, where the Crown Prince resided."

He claimed that "the aura of witchcraft was strongest" in the Crown Prince's palace!

"Then, he ordered his men to conduct a large-scale excavation in the palaces of the Crown Prince and Empress Wei Zifu."

"They even scoured under the beds where the Crown Prince and Empress slept!"

"Family members, what kind of behavior is this? This is blatant humiliation! This is rubbing the faces of the Crown Prince and Empress into the ground!"

"However, faced with such a humiliating disgrace, our Crown Prince Liu Ju chose to endure it."

"He believed in his father, and believed that his father would eventually clear his name."

"Unfortunately, he overestimated love... no, he overestimated family affection, and underestimated the severity of his father's swine fever at the time."

"Jiang Chong dug around in the Crown Prince's palace for a long time, but naturally found nothing. So, he resorted to his old trick and buried the wooden effigy he had prepared beforehand."

"Then, in front of everyone, they 'dug' it out!"

The image freezes on the sky.

Jiang Chong held a wooden figure engraved with talismans in his hands, a smug and sinister smile on his face.

Opposite him, Crown Prince Liu Ju and Empress Wei Zifu were ashen-faced, their eyes filled with endless despair and disbelief.

"We have both witnesses and physical evidence!"

Jiang Chong immediately announced: "Crown Prince Liu Ju has used witchcraft to curse the current emperor, intending to rebel!"

"Family members, think about how desperate Liu Ju must have been at that time?"

"His father was far away in Ganquan Palace, and the only person he could rely on was the treacherous minister Jiang Chong to relay messages. He wanted to see his father, but he couldn't. He wanted to defend himself, but there was no one to pass on his message."

"Jiang Chong has laid an inescapable trap; he's clearly determined to kill him!"

He was cornered on the edge of a cliff, with a bottomless abyss in front of him and wolves closing in from behind!

"What should he do?"

Zhu Dijun's question made everyone fall into deep thought.

Yes, what should we do?

This is a dead end!

A perfect deadly trap, personally authorized by the emperor and meticulously planned by his favorite ministers!

Inside the Weiyang Palace, Liu Ju felt icy cold, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He looked at himself reflected in the sky, feeling a deep-seated despair and helplessness.

He finally realized that his later "uprising" was not a rebellion, but a powerless struggle when he had no other way out!

Empress Wei Zifu was already in tears. She held her son tightly, as if she wanted to use her own body to shield him from the impending bloodshed.

Liu Che, the once-arrogant emperor, was now slumped on his dragon throne.

He looked at the sky, at Jiang Chong's ugly face, and at the despair in his son's and wife's eyes.

His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, causing him unbearable pain.

He finally realized what a foolish and unforgivable mistake he had made!

He wasn't cursed by witchcraft; he was blinded by lard!