The following day, Zhao Junyao issued an imperial decree on the spot in the court.
"Prince Yan plotted treason and colluded with the enemy; the evidence is conclusive. Henceforth, his fiefdom is retracted, and he is sentenced to death. Crown Prince Yan is stripped of his imperial surname, demoted to a commoner, and exiled beyond the borders, never to set foot in Capital City for the rest of his life. Princess Consort Yan shall enter the Imperial Monastery to practice Buddhism, while all remaining family possessions are to be confiscated into the national treasury, and their mansion reclaimed. All other servants and slaves shall be conscripted as official slaves and entered into the lowly register!"
This royal edict exploded like a bomb on calm waters, creating waves thousands of feet high.
The entire court was in an uproar.
"Wasn't it Crown Prince Yan who committed the offense? Why is Prince Yan the one to die?"
