mtl008 Chapter 888 Honoring You as the Retired Emperor
Chapter 888 Honoring You as the Retired Emperor
After years of cultivation, especially after Zong Que's injury, the Third Prince naturally became the best candidate for Crown Prince.
After the death of the late empress, the emperor did not appoint another empress, and Consort Xiao was the highest-ranking concubine in the harem.
The Third Prince, being the son of a noble mother and the nephew of the powerful Duke Xiao, was naturally highly sought after.
If it weren't for Zong Que, he would have been the rightful crown prince.
But unfortunately, with the previous Zong Que Zhu Yu ahead of them, these brothers simply couldn't compete with him.
Later, Zong Que was injured and was destined to lose the throne. The Third Prince had already considered the position of Crown Prince to be his for the taking.
However, after years of painstaking efforts, the Chenzhou case ultimately led to the execution of Duke Xiao, cutting off his most important support. Even the position of Crown Prince, which he had tried so hard to obtain, was easily snatched away by Zong Que simply by appearing in the court.
The reinstatement of the crown prince made him seem like a joke.
With Duke Xiao killed and Consort Xiao placed under house arrest, the Third Prince has completely lost power.
At the same time, there was no way out.
He knew perfectly well what he had done. Although Duke Xiao was killed, everything the Xiao family had done was inextricably linked to him, the Third Prince. He was involved in the Crown Prince's injury, he was also an insider in the Qinglian case, and he was even involved with the Xiao family in the Northwest Smallpox case and the Jiangnan Saltworks case.
Killing Duke Xiao is just the beginning. These cases will lead to more problems. Even if the Emperor doesn't pursue them now, he will definitely settle accounts with Zong Que one by one when he returns from his northern expedition.
When that time really came, he still couldn't escape death.
The Third Prince had never truly considered rebellion before, but now he was forced to do so.
He must take advantage of Zong Que's northern expedition and the weakened defenses of the capital to seize it and ascend the throne. By then, it will be too late, and it's uncertain whether Zong Que will be able to return.
Although the emperor reinstated the crown prince, there had never been a crown prince leading an expedition before. The emperor's true intentions remained to be pondered.
This gave the Third Prince an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Although half of the court officials who sided with the Third Prince were out of fear of Duke Xiao's power, they were also taking a gamble on the Third Prince. Now that the Emperor's attitude is unclear, if the Third Prince can really succeed, it is not impossible to take a chance.
Although Duke Xiao was dead, the Third Prince, utilizing the power he left behind, quickly seized control of the situation and bribed the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards and the commanders of the East and West Camps. This was largely thanks to Zong Que's northern expedition, which took away 100,000 of the main force of the East and West Camps. Now, the remaining troops in the East and West Camps numbered less than 50,000. If half of them were to submit to him, along with the Imperial Guards, he could rightfully take the capital and force the emperor to abdicate in his favor.
Thus, the Third Prince took control of the capital very smoothly and quickly, and surrounded the palace.
When the emperor received the news, the Third Prince had already led his men to the palace gates.
The emperor, enraged, smashed the paperweight on the table.
"Very well, very well indeed! I never expected that Zong Chen would dare to rebel against me!"
The emperor's chest heaved, his face turned ashen, and the palace servants in the room knelt on the ground in fear.
When there is no grand court assembly, the emperor usually receives his court officials in the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Today was no exception; officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Court of Judicial Review were summoned to question them.
The discussion was still about the Northern Expedition and the case of Duke Xiao.
Little did we know that just as we were talking about dinner, we received this bombshell news.
Several court officials were also quite frightened.
Grand Eunuch Feng was sweating profusely. "Your Majesty, please calm down. The most urgent matter is Your Majesty's safety!"
"Hmph!" the emperor sneered. "I'll be waiting for him right here today. I want to see if he has the ability to take this chair from me!"
"Your Majesty!" Grand Eunuch Feng looked at the emperor's face with great concern.
"Is the Crown Princess still in the palace?" the Emperor suddenly asked.
Eunuch Feng was taken aback, then hurriedly nodded, "Yes, the Crown Princess has been staying with the Ninth Princess these past few days, occasionally going to see the ladies, but she hasn't left the palace."
"Summon the Crown Princess over," the Emperor said.
Supervisor Feng was puzzled, but he immediately complied.
The Third Prince had already reached the palace gates. When this news reached the Emperor's ears, the entire harem naturally knew about it. The Ninth Princess was extremely worried when she saw the people sent by the Emperor to invite Lu Yangyang.
"Yangyang, why is Father summoning you at this time? You stay, I'll go!" The Ninth Princess said without room for argument, "Summoning you at this time is probably at the request of my Third Brother. I can't threaten him, he won't do anything to me. You should leave now, it's not too late!"
"No need. If he's determined to find me, he'll search the whole capital and find me. Besides, he hasn't even reached the Hall of Diligent Governance yet. Don't worry, just stay in the palace. I'll be fine," Lu Yangyang said.
"No, even if you absolutely have to go, I'll go with you!" The Ninth Princess grasped Lu Yangyang's wrist and looked at her firmly.
In this harem, she had no one she could trust.
Once the Third Prince invades, the harem will surely descend into chaos.
She only trusts Lu Yangyang.
So even if it's dangerous, she'll stay with her.
Lu Yangyang thought for a moment and nodded: "Then let's go together!"
The Ninth Princess finally felt relieved, then quickly ran back to get a sachet full of snacks and put it inside. "Let's go, even if we're locked up, we won't go hungry!"
Watching her practiced movements, and thinking of her years in the palace, Lu Yangyang grasped her hand and said, "Mmm."
When Lu Yangyang arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance with the Ninth Princess, the Third Prince had already led his men into the palace. The palace guards split into two groups and started fighting, and the palace servants were so frightened that they fled in all directions.
Some of the Imperial Guards have already defected to the Third Prince. With their combined efforts from within and without, it's only a matter of time before they take over the palace.
Lu Yangyang and the Ninth Princess entered the palace and found that not only the Emperor and several ministers were there, but also Consort Duan Xue Wanyue and Consort Xiao. However, Consort Xiao was in a very disheveled state, dressed in plain clothes and looking dazed. She was completely different from her former high and mighty demeanor. It was clear that her recent days of house arrest had not been easy, and with the downfall of the Xiao family, she had suffered a severe blow to her body and mind. At this moment, she was forced to kneel on the ground and did not react at all.
Lu Yangyang and the Ninth Princess bowed to the Emperor, whose face was grim. He simply waved his hand, telling them to wait aside.
The Qin Zheng Hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; not a single person dared to utter a sound.
After an unknown amount of time, the sounds of fighting outside grew closer and closer. Finally, the heavy door was smashed open from the outside, and the Third Prince appeared, carrying a long sword that was still dripping blood.
"Father, I ask for nothing more than for you to issue the decree of abdication. In the future, I will honor you as the Emperor Emeritus and serve you with utmost respect!" The Third Prince looked at the Emperor sitting on the dragon throne, his eyes filled with madness and greed.
He has finally reached this point, and can finally look directly at that position.