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Hi everybody! My name is Callie and I'm a new broadcaster! I'm currently pursuing a masters in history at the Imperial College so my channel will mostly be focusing on historical facts!

Today I am going to talk about one of the biggest scandals during his reign. The fuse that made the fragile balance explode and led to the end of the Wayne dynasty.

Emperor Bruce frowned and leaned forward. The Wayne Dynasty? This spirit was talking about his royal lineage. 

These falsehoods might prove to be an issue when it came to silencing the gossips and calming down the populace who was surely shaken before unsavory individuals took advantage of the situation to guide  them into taking up arms and raising peasant revolts over the Empire. 

Well before the Greatest Emperor in History made it his personal mission to resurrect that fallen empire and turn it into the longest lasting dynasty with a whopping 1183 years. A dynasty and Supreme Emperor that many other emperors and dynasties that followed tried to replicate in vain. 

This was reassuring to Bruce and the imperial court. A question remained: which one of the princes was such an acclaimed emperor?

Prince Dick was the eldest and most likely candidate to inherit the throne but Emperor Bruce knew he wasn't capable of such a feat. 

No. The eldest prince had been raised to prioritize stability and the fragile status quo after his own premature ascent to the throne and the challenges and uncertainty it had generated, created unrest and ate through the Empire's considerable ressources.

The second prince was too reckless. Not able of the deep scheming and musings required for such a feat as eluding his sight. 

The third prince, that playful ghost who constantly played and jested and Lady Janet and himself had struggled to ensure his presence at the Grand Tutor's lectures and currently struggled to supervise him into doing his assigned work. 

The fourth prince had the strongest maternal family but not their support, as the Fox family had always been neutral in the princes' interfighting for the throne. Yet he didn't have the expected arrogance that accompanied his status and chose to constantly hide in his older brother's shadow. 

The fifth prince certainly had the drive and ambition required and a strong maternal background to match but his foreign background was more of a hindrance than help;

The other princes were too young to presently come to a conclusion.

Could this be his grandson? Or an imposter who had used the Wayne name to rally troops behind him? 

Our Supreme Great Emperor is just that good. She shrugs and smiles, pushing her glasses up. 

I know it’s pretty heavy and not really chronologically right to begin with this but I feel like it illustrates Emperor Bruce’s personality well and showcases why everything that followed happened.

The treason plot by the Fourth Prince. Well alleged treason. If you know what I mean. She says, winking at the camera. 

Yes! The famous witchcraft scandal that we all had to study. It pops up every two years in the National Exam. The one that followed us in middle school through high school and even college. My longest relationship, I know it’s pathetic. Snif. She recalls playfully. 

You know that tweet that went viral last year. The one that says that every middle schooler had a nightmare about the witchcraft scandal. Well, I did too and it’s one of the reasons I’m actually studying History in College. Ironic that an event orchestrated by a middle schooler gave nightmares to generations of middle schoolers centuries later. 

Anyways let’s get more serious. 

We all know how it went. Every historical drama about this very famous period of our history has their take or at least a mention of this scandal.

It’s well deserved since it rocked the foundations of the Empire and ultimately led to its demise before it was revived by our beloved Supreme, extremely Honored Emperor. 

Anyways I won’t talk about the best Emperor of all times even though I want to so badly because this isn’t his time to shine yet. 

We all know how it went, the youngest prince publicly accuses his brother in court, in the presence of every minister and official and royal family members in age to attend court and of course, Emperor Bruce himself. 

So it’s obviously not a scandal you can sweep under the rug. You can’t kill the whole government and extended royal family members and even less your sons to make the whispers stop. And Prince Damian was counting on this. 

So it started. The bloodiest witch hunt of Emperor Bruce’s reign. 

I won’t get into details because it would take too much time and you can find it on my blog or trillions of answers on Google and if by now that historical event hasn’t been hammered into your head I don’t think this is going to help you. 

You either have amnesia or you’re too young to be on this live. Wait. Scratch that. You don’t get the age excuse. The other day, my little sister, who is currently in Kindergarten by the way, brought home a short comic about the story to learn how to color inside the lines. 

But long story short, two main culprits were found. 

The current Prime Minister Lucius Fox.

The concerned person immediately kneels, his face touching the ground. He is too experienced in court matters to be shaking but a weakest man would have relieved himself in this situation. 

And the Fourth Prince Duke Wayne. 

All the princes kneel. Prince Tim inches closer to his trembling brother as if to shield him with his frail small body from what's coming. Emperor Bruce watches with an interested glint in his eyes. Sincere brotherhood amongst the royal family was unheard of. 

Yet, should such unwavering loyalty be encouraged when it contradicted the will of the Crown? 

Prince Damian presented two key pieces of evidence. 

The gifts and letters exchanged between the two men. Inappropriate distance between a prince and his father’s court is the fatal mistake a prince can make.

Although this can be explained by the fact that the Fox family is Lady Elaine’s, Prince Duke’s mother’s maternal family. 

No, more incriminating evidence was found in Prince Duke’s personal chambers that would seal his fate. 

Duke, as young and carefree as he seemed, knew that this too was sealing his fate. 

A witchcraft doll of his father, the Emperor. Stabbed by thousands of small iron needles. 

Immediately, Prince Duke is confined to his place and the Fox family home is seized and every inch is thoroughly searched by the Imperial army. 

The Prime Minister kowtowed, his forehead bleeding but he didn't care and swore loudly his allegiance to the Emperor. The Emperor held his hand up, silencing his vows of loyalty. It made it harder to hear the Oracle.

The Ministry of Justice and the Emperor gave their verdict two weeks later. 

Prince Duke is to be removed from the Imperial Records, effectively becoming a bastard and worse a commoner. 

Prince Duke drops to his knees, like a marionette with cut strings. This was the most dishonorable fate a prince could have. 

The Fox family and its nine clans were spared execution. Something typical of Emperor Bruce, a ruler known for his mercy and philanthropy just like his parents, Emperor Thomas and Empress Martha before their ultimate assassination.

But in this case, this decision was heavily influenced by the moving speech Prince Timothy gave in court, urging the emperor to reminisce about the staunch and faithful the Fox Family had given his grandparents, Emperor Thomas and Empress Martha and the essential political support they had given him in the wake of such tragedy.

Ultimately, even though Prince Timothy used all of his connections to overturn the guilty verdict, he was unable to save his brother's life. Finally when his campaign became a hassle, Emperor Bruce had him confined to his palace until the execution.

Still exile to the border is not a cakewalk. The conditions were extremely harsh and they could not rest a lot so weaker individuals, like the elderly and children tended to die of fatigue before even reaching the destination.

For criminals, their faces or other body parts were tattooted so you couldn't escape since every person you met already knew you were a criminal.

And of course, they weren't buried properly, their bodies thrown to the side of the road, wrapped in a straw mat if you ended up with a kind soldier as your overseer.

And I'm not even talking about the harassment women had to bear from the men around, soldiers included or the cannibalism happening when you got to the North with other starving refugees and criminals. 

And we don’t talk about that woman that much but Lady Elaine was sent to the cold palace after unsuccessfully pleading her son’s innocence to the emperor. She’d die there of a broken heart. Her body, thrown into a mass grave before the third prince managed to recover and bury her properly in secret. 

Prince Duke didn't show any outward emotion but conflicting emotions were raging inside of him. Oh, mother. He'd never be thankful enough for his brother's help in a time of need. 

Historians have come to the consensus that the youngest prince was behind the plot that took the Fourth Prince’s life and that Emperor Bruce might have known.

I know that the recent popular historical show that starred A-lister Garfield Logan shows the Emperor to be unaware until the reveal on his death bed. 

But the daily record of the emperor's life records that the emperor was "irate with the youngest prince for his careless remarks and ordered the doors of his palace to welcome no guests for three fortnights". 

The officials wished to be mute and deaf as the emperor glowered and ordered the Imperial Army to attack the magical scroll. The archers' iron arrows had no effect on the magical artefact. The arrows in fact went through it like smoke. 

The shocked, trembling archers went to pick up their fallen arrows. Intact. 

The commander of the Imperial Capital guards had never seen such a one-sided battle. Jim Gordon had seen plenty of one-sided massacres that any ripost seemed hopeless in his time in the army but he had never seen such an enemy.

Untouchable by any of their arms and trebuchets had clearly touched the magical instrument yet it remained the same. No damage had been dealt to it. 

A sombre Jim Gordon mounted his war horse to deliver the bad news in person. He hoped that his faithful service would be enough in the eyes of the Emperor to assure him an honorable discharge. 

A harsh punishment for something the youngest prince was previously recorded to have been guilty of, yet receiving no punishment before and what convenient timing!

The handles of his throne crackled with the strength of the grasp Emperor Bruce was exerting on it. His glare surely would have turned the floating scroll to ashes if he possessed the supernatural inclinations of the red-haired monster. 

The court officials kneeled lower, willing to merge with the ground if it meant that the Emperor would forget about the listening ears around him and decide to cut them off.

They mentally lamented and swore. How could the red-haired monster be willing to reveal Heavenly secrets the day the Emperor called for a court session! I should have remained at home, my wife did disclose I appeared to have taken ill this forenoon! 

At least, they weren't Lucius Fox. As much as they had envied his political power and wished for his downfall before they now pitied him more. His political opponents couldn't yet rejoice, for their fate still remained unknown and you couldn't advance in Officialdom without skeletons in your closet. 

A bit out of characters for the typically doting, son-loving emperor if you ask me. 

Some younger officials smothered laughs. It was true that the Emperor was particularly fond of his sons.

Acclaimed experts of this very studied historical period have agreed on this for once and so did a certain someone. 

Neophytes would have turned around to look at each other, searching for the potential culprit but every official and member deemed worthy to attend a court session knew better. They had to know better for the continuation of their family's glory and existence. 

Still, they couldn't keep themselves from guessing some names in the secrecy of their minds. Was it the Minister of Justice? The vice-minister of Revenue? The Head Eunuch who had survived two generations of Wayne rulers?

Yes you’ve guessed it! His bosom buddy, his closest friend ever since they’ve been in crotch pants, the third prince Timothy Wayne. 

Weaker, stupider men would have gasped. Still it was a near thing. Nobody had thought of the prince who was quiet and discreet in court amongst his more outspoken brothers. 

Farmers working it for the Imperial farming fields at the periphery of the Capital, gasped loudly. They knew the kind prince who often came to chat with them about growing new crops they had never seen before.  

He was the only noble that talked to them, muddy peasants, with as much respect as he would another noble.

Life as a commoner had been better under the new emperor but being in presence of a noble was in fact, still dangerous for a commoner.

It wasn't uncommon for a dandy to trample on commoners in a bustling market without a second glance because they didn't want to dismount their horses as requested. They never received much punishment.

Working for the Imperial Family personal fields was a layer of protection other peasants did not have but it wasn't foolproof in front of a higher noble.

Let's look at a pretty historically accurate reenactment of that scene from the famous historical drama that won several international awards and propelled the actor playing the Third Prince into astronomical fame and got him an Oscar. 

The scene made billions of people cry and I’m one of them so excuse me but I have to get tissues and sit this one out. 

I almost cried myself blind when I first saw the premiere at the movie theater and I wanted to send the screenwriter blades in the mail so bad so forgive me if I have to close my eyes sometimes. 

"You came." whispered an emaciated Duke. His face was pale and bloodless. His eyes sunken in, he visibly hadn't had a restful night of sleep since the accusations.

An unknown soldier shouted at him to kneel. They weren't equal anymore. Or brothers. One was a prince and the other a prisoner on death row. 

Tim opens his mouth to harshly reprimand the opportunistic soldier but his brother's weak head shake stops him in his tracks. Duke had always known when Tim was scheming and usually joined in. 

"Leave us." He firmly orders. 

The servants and soldiers milling around leave but do not go far. They are here under the Emperor's orders after all. 

Tim didn't want to see his little brother like this. Not without the healthy flush in his rounded cheeks, his hearty laughter that lit up the room he was in or without the sparkle in his warm, loving brown eyes. 

The eyes that were currently looking at him with resigned acceptance. They both knew why he was there. And it wasn't to miraculously announce that the Emperor had found him to be innocent, though that was the truth. 

He wants to embrace his brother. To take him away and run even though he knows they would get far. He wants to sob into his welcoming arms and hide behind him for once. 

"You have the choice between a poisoned cup or wine or a dagger." He says instead. Voice monotone like he wasn't killing his brother, killing the only person not rotten to the core in the cursed imperial family he was born into.

"Forget me." He whispers, soft enough that Timothy Wayne is the only person in the room to have heard his last words before his brother dies a dishonorable coward's death. 

His nails are digging into the palm of his hands as he watches his brother slit his throat, as he hears the blood gurgle in his throat and fill his lungs and feels the life fading out of his blank, milky eyes. 

He badly wants to turn away, to stop looking but he knows this is the last time he will ever see his little brother again. That's the reason he volunteered to kill his brother after all. 

When the third prince raises his head up again, the bloodied look of utmost hatred and pain sends shivers to the viewers. That's the look of a dead man that stops at nothing to get what he wants. A man looking at his opponent like they were an animal to be slaughtered. 

Damian. He mouths. Damian. He promises. Damian. He vows. 

He walks away, a dead man's walk but a carefree polite smile on his face. "

But we know differently and so did somebody else even though by that time it was too late to prevent the chain of events he orchestrated. To prevent the most well known revenge in history. She sniffles, drying her tears with a soft looking white bamboo slip.

Duke was moved that his brother would go so far to avenge him but he didn't want that for him. Revenge consumed all of your thoughts until only the husk of who you were before remained.

Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet, the co-writers of the first revenge story that comes to mind when somebody mentions vengeance, The Count of Monte Cristo's morale and driven revenge was heavily inspired by Prince Timothy’s own revenge. 

Prince Jason was looking at him with interest. Tim did not like the look of that, at all. 

Let' get the opinion of a primary source.  Who you may ask? Of course, you may already know. Write your answers in the comments! 

Alfred Pennyworth, the most famous head eunuch in history. The one always depicted serving Emperor Bruce and the two emperors that followed in historical drama. 

Alfred Pennyworth immediately dropped to his knees. "This humble servant has always served the Emperor to the best of his abilities."

Alfred, in his very insightful and popular memoirs that countless historians have used to try to reenact and build a picture of the Wayne imperial family everyday life, wrote the following :

We were all so very confounded when the [third] prince stopped mentioning the affair- not when he had so valiantly and loudly campaigned to overturn the case in front of the emperor himself, yet it was dismissed as filial piety for Lady Janet, who had personally pleaded her son’s innocence to the Emperor. A foolish error as I'd come to learn. 

Volunteering to be the traitor’s executor then seemed to be a resolute and purposeful course of action to re-enter the Emperor’s good graces. 

I’ve never been so mistaken and cheated by someone’s disguise as I had been then. Foolishly confident in my grasp of true human nature in the royal court where masks are de rigueur. 

The [third] prince was a patient liar and an opponent no man would like to face. He was akin to a viper, waiting for the best moment to strike, to strive for the kill. 

The late [fifth] prince had been wholly unaware, as we all had, that the apogee he had reached was the result of machinations and schemes so calculated, so subtle they appeared to be the result of his [fifth prince’s] own thoughtful resolutions. 

That the summit he had worked to attain would only make the fall more torturous. 

Icarus’ fall. 

As I write this, my horrified mind comes to the understanding that the poetic justice conducted, had in itself been a warning, in remembrance to the root of such a virulent end. 

The late Duke who had been particularly fond of poetry and dramatic irony. 

With the corner of his eye, Tim watched with amusement and dread for what was to come as veterans of court fights took steps to physically put distance between them and a 9 years old boy. 

He watched as they took a longer second look at him. A look filled with visceral fear and apprehension that showed they wouldn’t direct their attacks at him for a while. 

Good. Tim had always played the role of the unobtrusive, quiet and discreet prince who would never in a million years be a threat in the fight for the throne. 

Except for his open closeness with Duke who was a much more dangerous opponent, being related to a powerful family with generations of Prime Ministers serving the crown, and even then he seemed like a lackey currying favor to their dirty powerhungry minds. 

Overlooked by his brothers and their factions, both too busy with far more openly powerful opponents, to take a closer look at the prince with a merchant family as his maternal family and biggest support. 

All of his progress was down the drain but he could still appreciate not being disregarded like he was invisible since it felt so patronizing sometimes. 

He was more eloquent and better at saying it than me but basically what Prince Damian did, created himself a final boss that wouldn’t rest until his brother got the justice he deserved. 

Said Prince Damian was currently glaring a hole into his head so Tim guessed that this Callie and her livestream had created him an enemy that too, wouldn't rest until he wasn't a threat anymore. 

Hindsight is 20/20 because I would NEVER choose Prince Timothy Wayne as an opp, I think that not even the Callie in 60 years that has dementia like her grandma would. 

Preservation instincts are ingrained into human biology so definitely a big NO from me. 

I think I’d go crazy if I even thought I offended him, thinking that every choice and thought I have was somehow planted into my head in a 53 steps contingency plan. Callie shudders and shakes her head as if to physically shake this idea off. 

Yeah, I don’t know if I’d be smart enough to do what he did but I’d definitely go out in a bang like he did.

It’s so sad that Prince Duke knew that his big brother’s quest for revenge would end up killing him.

It’s a bit of foreshadowing since that’s what I’m going to talk about in my third live.

Anyways I hope you liked this! If you didn't, don't hesitate to leave a comment, like or even subscribe if you liked it that much !

Constructive comments are welcome !

Tim had known it couldn’t have been nice for Duke to learn that he was going to die at nine years old but somehow, Tim still wasn't prepared to learn that he was going to die again.