The news that the Prince of Yizhou had been killed in a chaotic battle sprouted wings and flew into the capital. Upon receiving the news, the Emperor became profoundly saddened in court, shed a handful of tears, and then ordered that this news not be leaked to the Empress Dowager so she could recuperate properly.
The death of the Prince of Yizhou meant that his privately maintained army was also entirely exposed, and the aftermath work commenced.
Upon thorough investigation, the Emperor found that quite a number of officials and prestigious families who followed the Prince of Yizhou had been with him since the struggle for positions more than a decade ago.
Normally, plotting rebellion would warrant the execution of the entire three clans involved; this implicated as many as 20,000 people needing to be questioned.
Wei Zhi and others submitted petitions for leniency, hoping that only the lead culprits would be punished.
