Chapter 214 Cleansing the Emperor's Side

Those who had been shouting moments before immediately held their breath and lowered their heads to avoid Prince Yi's sharp gaze the moment they saw him. E Min also seemed to choke for a moment, swallowed hard, withdrew his pointing hands, and flicked his sleeves, saying, "Greetings to Prince Yi."

"No need." Yunxiang did not give him a way out. He had heard every word he said. Since he could say such treasonous things, Yunxiang naturally had no need to save face for him. "I cannot accept Lord Emin's courtesy now."

Despite understanding the sarcasm and irony in Prince Yi's words, Emin had no intention of backing down. If the Emperor was the most indulgent towards the Crown Prince, then Prince Yi was definitely second in line. It was only natural for him to weigh the pros and cons and side with the Crown Prince at this moment.

His own speculations... could no longer be called speculations; they were facts he believed in, things he held firmly in his heart.

At this moment, he abandoned his usual scheming ways, and his entire demeanor became wickedly righteous. The sticky and hypocritical feeling he used to give people was now completely gone. He said firmly, "What does Prince Yi mean by this? We came to pay our respects and request an audience because we were worried about His Majesty's health. However, we were repeatedly blocked. We have no choice but to suspect that there may be other hidden reasons behind this."

"Lord Emin, what do you mean by that? You have been repeatedly obstructed, but I have gone to see my brother, the Emperor. Hongzhao is serving my brother day and night, which is already the height of filial piety!"

Yunxiang strode forward, standing in place of Su Peisheng at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. His sharp, eagle-like gaze fixed directly on Emin, and his voice suddenly rose—"Your elder brother is seriously ill, and instead of trying to ease the Emperor's worries, you, as a subject, are making baseless accusations against the Crown Prince. What are your true intentions!"

Seeing that Prince Yi was genuinely angry, the officials all became vague and hesitant.

It goes without saying how much the Emperor valued Prince Yi; to put it bluntly, he was practically the "Vice Emperor." Their actions had undoubtedly offended the Crown Prince, and they could only hope that the Emperor would forgive them and reward them for their service in supporting the Emperor. But if they offended Prince Yi as well, they would be caught in a dead end.

Besides... the Crown Prince has a reason to rebel; after all, the throne is there, and no one in the world wouldn't want to sit on it. But what reason is there for Prince Yi to help him? With his current status and power, does Prince Yi really need to rely on his nephew's ascension to the throne to reach even greater heights? And this Lord Emin... is his information accurate or not?

They only followed along because they saw that the Duke of Pei and Lord Emin, the two fathers-in-law of the emperor, were leading the way, but now it seems they were being a bit ambiguous.

One of the men inside gently tugged at Emin's sleeve and said in a low voice, "My lord, I think... with Prince Yi vouching for it, this matter is probably not wrong. We came here for the sake of His Majesty's health. Now that we have received confirmation, why don't we go back now?"

He was a smooth talker, both intellectually and verbally, and could easily smooth over the farce with a few words. But Emin was clearly still lost in his dream of being a loyal follower of the emperor, and instead of backing down, she gave him a hard push.

"Since it's for the Emperor's sake, we can't just leave like this!" Emin took another step forward with a firm attitude, her voice questioning Prince Yi: "Just now, Consort Meng rushed out from inside in a panic. Prince Yi probably didn't see her, did he? She clearly knew something and wanted to tell, but someone covered her mouth and took her inside."

“Prince Yi, His Majesty’s safety is a matter of national importance and the very foundation of the country. We, as his loyal subjects, cannot remain indifferent. For the past two days, the Crown Prince has not emerged from the Hall of Mental Cultivation. If he truly serves His Majesty, what is there to hide? Could it be… that he harbors ill intentions, or has some ulterior motive?”

The Duke of Pei, concerned for his daughter, stepped forward tremblingly, saying, "Your Majesty must have seen the Emperor's recent condition after leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Those who actually saw him are not allowed to speak, and Prince Yi is helping the Crown Prince to obstruct her in every way. What exactly is your intention?"

Seeing them pressing closer, Su Peisheng shrewdly moved a mahogany chair and placed it behind Prince Yi. Yunxiang did not respond to his questioning immediately, but instead gracefully lifted his robe and sat down, experiencing a "Nian Gengyao Experience Card" at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He sat with his hands on either side, his posture bold and imposing. Although he was looking up at Emin, his aura was in no way weak. "I have an old leg ailment and cannot stand for long. Since you are so persistent, I will explain it to you in detail. However, it is probably not proper for Lord Emin to stand like this."

Emin could see the veins bulging on his forehead, his jaw muscles twitching a couple of times. He glanced at the steadily seated Prince Yi, then at the tightly closed gate, gritted his teeth, and knelt down. As soon as he knelt, a bunch of people behind him collapsed.

Although one is not required to kneel before the Thirteenth Prince on ordinary days when attending court, the proper etiquette must be followed on important occasions. Moreover, since Prince Yi is seated and the two are close together, there is no reason for Prince Yi to look up at him, so he has no choice but to kneel.

Yunxiang glanced at the row of official hats below him, still showing no satisfaction. Only after everyone was kneeling properly did he begin his attack—"You mean, the Crown Prince harbors disloyal intentions towards the Emperor, and suspects that I am protecting the Crown Prince, is that right?"

His voice was chillingly cold, and anyone else would have begged for mercy after hearing such words. But Emin seemed to have accepted it anyway, his neck stiff and his demeanor defiant of authority: "I have come here today with the determination to see the Emperor. If Prince Yi insists on obstructing me, can you bear the Emperor's wrath in the future? You are already second only to the Emperor, why collude with the Crown Prince?"

Emin didn't sleep a wink last night, and it wasn't just from looking through history books and records.

He propped himself up and clapped his hands in a pretentious manner. Under Prince Yi's probing gaze, rustling footsteps came from all directions.

Yunxiang looked around warily and saw that the newcomer was indeed hostile, but not that hostile.

The clapping of his hands summoned not a complete army. If a complete army couldn't be brought into the Forbidden City, what came was a motley crew of eunuchs or low-ranking guards, whose uniforms were not even uniform and whose weapons varied. This ragtag army of people stood in disarray before Yunxiang.

It seems that this is somewhat related to the thorough investigation of the previous bondservant families.

Yunxiang's last trace of apprehension vanished instantly. Though he chuckled inwardly, his face remained grave, his brows furrowed—"Are you trying to force me to abdicate or rebel?!"

"No." Emin deliberately leaned closer and said, word by word, "The Crown Prince is controlling the court, holding the Emperor hostage, and plotting to seize the throne. I must purge the court of corrupt officials on behalf of the Emperor!"

The first to be stunned by his words were his group of men, who had been dragged from the house early that morning. Although they all harbored a sliver of hope, they hadn't heard of this before. This… wasn't this treason?!

Just as they were opening their eyes wide to pull and question each other, another abrupt voice rang out from not far away.

It was the sound of a dusty wooden door being slowly pushed open.

"Tell me, who do you want to eliminate?"

His voice was hoarse and low, but it was still very easy to recognize.

It's the Emperor!

The Emperor is alright?!