Chapter 368: Palace Changes (Part 2)

In the Taiji Hall, Sima Jun held a sword in his hand and glared coldly at the imperial guards who were surrounding him.

Just now, two imperial guards came to take him away on the orders of the crown prince. He acted as fast as lightning and killed the two in an instant.

Everything happened unexpectedly. When everyone came to their senses, Sima Jun, who was originally unarmed, already had a sword in his hand.

However, the prince was not panicked.

There are dozens of imperial guards in this palace, and no matter how powerful Sima Jun is, he cannot turn the tables.

He simply sat down on the throne and asked the eunuch to serve tea, intending to watch how this traitor was turned into minced meat under the knives of the imperial guards.

Everyone rushed forward, and Sima Jun was like a trapped beast, fighting with his sword.

After three incense sticks had passed, the imperial guards in the palace fell one by one, and the prince felt a little panicked.

Just as Fang Mi was about to send more people in, the palace door suddenly opened and someone shouted, "Stop!"

The Queen Mother's voice was full of energy and echoed in the Taiji Hall.

The prince was very surprised.

Seeing the arrival of the Empress Dowager, the imperial guards did not dare to act rashly and retreated.

The empress dowager's cold gaze swept across the hall and fell on Sima Jun.

He was panting, his robes stained with blood. Seeing the queen mother coming, Sima Jun knelt and saluted without saying a word.

"Come here," the Queen Mother said, "bring Ah Jun back to my palace and call the imperial physician."

The eunuch agreed and was about to go forward to help Sima Jun up, but the prince said, "Wait."

He stepped down from the throne and bowed to the Queen Mother: "Grandmother, why are you here?"

The Queen Mother didn't waste any words with him. She just said, "Take Ah Jun away."

The prince said slowly, "I cannot agree to that."

"What can't you promise? Are you going to kill him?" The Queen Mother said, then turned to the eunuch, "Just go. I'm here."

The Crown Prince watched helplessly as the Queen Mother's men took Sima Jun away. He said coldly, "Grandmother, do you know what you are doing? Letting a tiger go back to the mountains will never bring peace to the future."

"Life was originally peaceful," the Queen Mother said, "but the Crown Prince is so greedy that he killed the king and his father, and now he wants to slaughter his brothers! With such a ruthless attitude, how can he still hope for peace?"

A hint of shock flashed across the prince's eyes.

Only the emperor and Sima Jun knew what he did to the emperor. How did the empress dowager know?

"Grandson, I don't know what the Queen Mother is talking about." The prince pretended to be calm.

The Queen Mother looked at him with sarcasm.

"Do you think that after your father's death, you can sit firmly on the throne? I was the one who put your father on the throne. Since I was able to put him on the throne, I can also bring him down. The same goes for your father and you."

The Crown Prince stared at the Queen Mother, stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Before my father died, he announced in front of all the civil and military officials that he would pass the throne to me. I'm curious, how will you stop him? Will you rely on Wang Han? Grandmother, have you seen the bloodstains on the Taiji Hall? Do you know whose bloodstains they are? Even if Wang Han could return to the palace alive, no one would support him. Grandmother, Wang's faction is dead."

The Queen Mother sighed deeply, but said, "Bo Ya, what do you say?"

When the prince heard this, his heart skipped a beat.

I saw a man walking in from outside the hall and taking off his hood.

It was Wang Hom who was heading to Guangzhou.

The prince's face turned pale, and the fear of Wang Hao that he had felt for many years spread in his heart.

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, the Crown Prince has murdered the emperor and his father, and has betrayed the world. His crimes are unforgivable. I believe a new ruler should be appointed."

The Queen Mother ignored the Crown Prince and looked at Wang Han calmly, saying, "Do you have a candidate in mind?"

"How is Prince Luling?" Wang Xun asked, "Prince Luling has been summoned back to the capital to serve as a pharmacist and is now in the capital."

"Prince Luling is filial and a good choice."

The two of them discussed it one after another and decided on the candidate for the new king.

The prince stood there, feeling extremely ashamed and angry.

This had happened countless times in the past. The Queen Mother, Wang Han, or the Princess planned everything, and he, the crown prince, was just a figurehead.

"Come here," the prince suddenly shouted, pointing at Wang Han, "take down this criminal Wang Han!"

Wang Han, however, was fearless and looked at the prince as if he were a naughty child.

"Catch me?" Wang Han said in a relaxed tone, "Who's going to catch me? Fang Mi?"

After saying that, he looked at Fang Mi coldly and said, "If it weren't for me, would you be where you are today?"

Fang Mi's face turned pale.

He was willing to guard the prince today because he firmly believed that the Wang family was finished.

But he never expected that Wang Han would be standing right in front of him.

How could he come back again?

Fang Mi was trembling all over and did not dare to answer. He just fell to the ground and knelt.

"Useless thing!" the prince shouted, "Go find Lu Qiuyan!"

Fang Mi received the order and quickly sent people to look for him.

"Lüqiu Yan?" Wang Han smiled. "I just met General Lüqiu and had a very pleasant conversation with him. Why did the Crown Prince ask him to come here?"

The prince looked at Wang Han's calm smile and became more and more flustered.

He remembered that Lü Qiuyan was guarding the palace. So how did Wang Han get in?

Wang Han looked at his hesitant expression and sighed softly, "Speaking of which, General Luqiu is truly pitiful. He must be filled with resentment after being repeatedly humiliated by the Crown Prince."

The prince said, "His brother Li Mo is still in my hands. How dare he betray me?"

"Oh?" Wang Han said, "So the Crown Prince didn't know. When the fire broke out in the East Palace just now, Li Mo had already disappeared."

The prince's face became even uglier.

He knew what that meant.

Seeing the Crown Prince remained silent, Wang Hao shook his head and said to the Queen Mother, "I have long advised the Queen Mother that the Crown Prince is still immature and cannot control others, let alone convince them. The Queen Mother still favors the Crown Prince and refuses to listen to me."

The Queen Mother glanced at Wang Han and said to the Crown Prince in a gentle voice, "Forget it. We're all family, why make such a fuss? Crown Prince, immediately withdraw the order to confiscate the Shangshu Mansion's property and apologize to Bo Ya in person. I'll make the decision, and tonight's incident will be over."

Wang Han agreed and looked at the prince with a smile.

The prince's face flushed with anger.

It was clearly a foolproof method, so how could it have caused such a huge fire out of nowhere?

Everything happened so fast that he felt like he was falling from the clouds and was covered in dust.

My heart is filled with resentment.

The prince took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.

"Forgive me for not obeying your command. Grandmother, you will understand that the Wang family is unjust and causing untold trouble. Today, I am determined to eradicate this evil!"

"Why are you still so stubborn?" the Queen Mother demanded, her face sullen. "When the new ruler ascends the throne, you'll be nothing. Why don't you just give up and seek a way out?"

"Who said I lost?" The Crown Prince looked a little crazy. "Father has already passed the throne to me! How can you two change that?"

The Queen Mother looked at the Prince with a look of sadness on her face.

At this moment, Lü Qiuyan walked into the hall and saluted the Queen Mother: "Your servant Lü Qiuyan pays homage to the Queen Mother."

The Queen Mother looked at him and asked, "What brings you here?"

"I am guarding the palace under the orders of the Crown Prince. I heard that something happened in the palace, so I came to investigate."

The prince, as if grasping at a lifeline, shouted at Lüqiu Yan at the top of his voice, "General Lüqiu, I command you to kill this criminal, Wang Han, immediately!"

Lu Qiuyan looked at the prince and smiled.

The prince was stunned.

That look, no longer servile and humble, made him shudder? "

"I dare not forget."

After Lu Qiuyan finished speaking, he bowed politely and then walked towards the prince.