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◎Dethroned the crown prince of the emperor's eldest son, Qin Hong, and made him Prince of An.◎

Qin Hong served as the crown prince for fourteen or fifteen years. During this period, no matter whether he was answering questions from his father or requests from ministers, Qin Hong would first think it over in his mind to make sure that he would not anger his father or make the wrong decision before speaking. Over time, he became the crown prince who was restrained and indecisive in the eyes of the emperor and his ministers.

Even during his youth, Qin Hong rarely felt confident. When Mr. Wen asked him to explain his understanding, he feared a misinterpretation, disappointing him and earning Qin Liang's ridicule. When Mr. Wu asked him to spar with Qin Liang, he feared giving his all and injuring him, or even holding back and losing. Qin Hong only felt confident when answering questions he could answer by rote memorization, or when mastering swordplay and archery techniques through diligent practice.

Today was the day he read his confession in front of the civil and military ministers. In everyone's eyes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should be ashamed and embarrassed, but today was the day Qin Hong felt the most confident in himself since he could remember, because he was sure that this was what his father wanted him to do, and that doing so would be good for him, his father, and Da Qi.

So, after getting his father's permission, Qin Hong stood up and turned to face the civil and military officials.

Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had lost a lot of weight, he was still over eight feet tall. His face no longer had the usual haggard look, and the ministers only saw his long-lost gentleness and handsomeness. He stood upright, his eyes moving among the ministers, no longer showing the hesitation and worry of the past.

Just looking at the prince's appearance and demeanor, who would not be convinced by him as the eldest son of the legitimate wife?

Qin Ren, who was just worried about his elder brother being embarrassed, felt distressed and admired him when he saw his elder brother like this. He was brave and responsible and was worthy of being the elder brother!

When Duke Chengguo Lu Zan saw such a son-in-law for the prince, he felt very relieved. A real man can accept scolding, but he is still a good man if he can admit his mistakes and correct them.

Left Prime Minister Yan Xizheng lowered his eyes, unable to bear to look at the prince whom he once strongly supported, because he knew the prince's character very well. As long as the prince still regarded governing the country as his responsibility, no matter how tired or afraid he was, he would tremble and shoulder the responsibility of the crown prince. Only when he gave up completely, would the prince feel at peace as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

Amidst the surprised or complicated gazes of the civil and military officials, Qin Hong put down the memorial in his hand, glanced at all the civil and military officials in the court one by one, and recited the letter of confession that he had written and memorized himself.

"As a crown prince, Hong has seven sins."

"My primary sin is unfilial piety. Since I was young, my father taught me to read widely and emulate the sages. I knew the court should be fair in its appointments, but I used my status as Crown Prince to coerce the Minister of Personnel into recommending an incompetent official. I disobeyed my father's teachings and am unfilial."

"The second crime is disloyalty. My father is the emperor, and I am his subject. If a subject uses public office for personal gain and deceives the emperor without reporting it, that is disloyalty."

"The third sin is unkindness. I employ corrupt officials, and all their gains are from plundering the people's wealth. The people suffer because of me, and this is unkindness."

"Fourth sin is unvirtuous. After years in the court, I have achieved nothing, failed to persuade my elder sister to stop, and refused to listen to the advice of wise ministers to cultivate myself and restrain myself. This is unvirtuous."

"The fifth sin is unwise. It is unwise to knowingly violate laws and established precedents when participating in politics, without distinguishing right from wrong."

"The sixth sin is lack of courage. Before my father's southern tour, he appointed me regent, entrusting me with all matters of state, big and small. Yet, I was afraid of danger and dreaded every crisis or war. Whenever there was a disaster or war, I pushed the decision to the Secretariat. This is lack of courage."

"Seventh sin. As the eldest brother, if you are lacking in virtue, unable to set a good example, and bringing shame to your siblings, this is a sin."

Every word the prince said was powerful and all the officials listened attentively with their heads bowed, and surprisingly, they could not refute a single one of his words.

Those who support the prince think that he is too frank. There are a few points that he clearly didn't need to mention, but he listed them himself. Even if they want to speak in his favor, they are powerless.

Qin Hong didn't need their sweet words. He turned around and knelt down before his father on the dragon throne again. "Father, I've known all these seven sins for a long time. Every time I think of them, I'm filled with shame and remorse. But I've been too cowardly to dare to confess my sins. Now that my crimes have been exposed, you haven't had the heart to punish me severely. I'm deeply grateful, but I'm unworthy of being the crown prince. I beg you to grant me your blessing and dethrone me!"

Like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, the hall, where only the prince's voice could be heard just now, suddenly became chaotic, with the ministers' voices of shock and discussions everywhere.

Qin Ren was the first to kneel beside his eldest brother. Qin Hong turned his head, his eyes stern and his voice stern: "If you still recognize me as your eldest brother, please listen patiently to what I have to say to the emperor, and do not interfere."

Qin Ren was stunned. This was the first time his elder brother looked at him like that since he was a child.

Emperor Xingwu raised his hand and waited for the ministers to quiet down. He first asked his third son to return to his seat, then frowned at the crown prince. "Last time, I wanted to punish you and Yongkang, and you threatened me with this. Today, I asked you to read a confession, and you threaten me again? Could it be that the position of crown prince of Da Qi is just a plaything in your eyes, something you can take whenever you want and throw away whenever you don't want it?"

The last time the Crown Prince knelt here, tears welled up in his eyes. Now, raising his head, his expression was calm and resolute. "Your Majesty, I will never despise the position of Crown Prince. Even in my youth, I knew full well that founding the nation was not easy, and that you valued the well-being of the people above your own life. Therefore, I long ago vowed to be a good Crown Prince of Da Qi, doing my utmost to relieve your worries."

"But I, your son, am filled with ambition, but I lack the talent to handle government affairs with composure, much less the courage to face natural disasters or war. From the day I entered the court, I have walked on thin ice, fearing that one wrong step would ruin the peace and prosperity that my father has cultivated through his tireless efforts. For over a decade, not only have I been unable to provide any assistance to my father, but I have also repeatedly made mistakes that have caused chaos in the court. Most ridiculously, my worry has made me sick, and I have even developed an incurable headache."

"Father, the burden of this kingdom is too heavy. I am truly unable to bear it any longer. I am also afraid that frequent headaches will shorten my life."

"Your Majesty, whether you blame me for being cowardly and incompetent, or for being afraid of death, I truly do not want to be the one to destroy the foundation of the Great Qi Empire. Everything I said today is true, and it is not an impulsive threat to punish you out of resentment. I hope your Majesty will grant me your wish!"

After saying this, Qin Hong kowtowed heavily to the ground and remained kneeling without moving.

Emperor Xingwu stared at the crown prince below, so angry that the veins on his forehead popped out.

The emperor was so angry that the hall fell silent for a moment. No official dared to comment or persuade the emperor to calm down.

Suddenly, Emperor Xingwu descended the imperial steps at a speed that exceeded everyone's expectations and kicked the Crown Prince. "Thinking back to the days when I braved death on the battlefield, I was not afraid. Now that the world is at peace, I will directly hand the throne to you and arrange a group of capable ministers to advise you. I just sent you back to the country as a prisoner, and you are so scared that you are sick. How can the Qin family have a loser like you!"

"Father, Father!"

When Emperor Xingwu wanted to kick the prince again, Qin Ren rushed over and hugged his father's arms and waist tightly from behind. Because he was so afraid that his elder brother would be hurt by his father's kick, Qin Ren forgot everything and rushed so hard that his sleeves on both sides flew up, and this swing also threw out two objects the size of a baby's fist.

Emperor Xingwu didn't see it, and neither did the ministers who rushed over to mediate. But when something falls to the ground, it makes a noise. After two thuds, there were several random thuds, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Emperor Xingwu stared at the two small pots that had spilled water in disbelief, then looked at the ministers who had gathered around him as if they had seen a ghost. What were these things? Whose things were these?

Qin Hong, who was kicked to the ground by his father, closed his eyes.

Qin Ren's face turned pale, but when he saw his elder brother lying there, he knelt down and said with his head lowered, "Your Majesty, I am afraid of the cold. That is the hot water bottle I hid in my sleeve to warm my hands."

Emperor Xingwu turned his head stiffly like a piece of wood, his eyes moving back and forth between the two hot water bottles and the third brother, and suddenly he kicked the third brother hard in the chest.

Qin Ren wailed and fell beside his elder brother.

Emperor Xingwu wanted to chase after him, but before Lü Zan and Zhang Jie could stop him, he lost control and fell to one side with his head tilted back. Fortunately, he was caught by the two generals at the same time.

In an instant, those who called the emperor called the emperor, and those who called the father called the father, and the hall was in chaos.

Not long after, Emperor Xingwu was carried back to the Qianyuan Hall. Just as he was being placed on the dragon bed, and before the imperial physician arrived, Emperor Xingwu woke up on his own. Remembering what had just happened, he called Fan Zhong and ordered him to take the Crown Prince and Prince Xian down and give each of them twenty lashes: "Beat them to death, beat them both to death! I don't have such useless sons!"

Fan Zhong knelt on the ground and asked the emperor to calm down.

He didn't need to make things difficult for himself, as Yan Xizheng, Yang Zhimin and other civil officials had already knelt down, begging the emperor to calm down.

Emperor Xingwu was unable to hit his two sons who were blocked behind him, and he was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. Finally, he drove out the two annoying guys.

Qin Hong and Qin Ren both knelt outside the Qianyuan Hall.

After kneeling for a while, Qin Ren quietly complained to the people beside him: "It's all my fault, big brother. If you hadn't said that, the emperor wouldn't be angry, and I wouldn't have been exposed and beaten."

Qin Hong looked at his third brother who was rubbing his chest as he spoke and smiled: "Third brother, actually, what I envy the most is you. You don't have to think too much about anything, and you don't have to do anything too much."

Qin Ren: "...It's because my elder brother is shouldering the heavy responsibility of state affairs that I can eat and drink without any care."

Qin Hong: "But big brother is tired. Big brother really can't take it anymore. I am serious about resigning from the emperor."

Qin Ren opened his mouth blankly, his eyes wandering over his elder brother's face, which was clearly looking better.

Qin Hong still smiled: "When I think about how I can have the same leisure time as you after resigning as the crown prince, I have been eating and sleeping well these days, so of course my complexion is better than before."

Qin Ren: “…”

In the hall, after Emperor Xingwu drank the medicine and rested, the ministers who had withdrawn came again to persuade the prince not to mention the matter of resignation.

Qin Hong said with a detached expression, as if he had seen through the mundane world. "I am too incompetent and unworthy to continue serving as the Crown Prince. Rather than forcing myself to do so and having my father's legacy destroyed in the future, I would rather offend him now. There's no need to persuade me. If he doesn't agree, I will kneel here forever."

This is the crown prince, the future new king. If the crown prince doesn't want to do it anymore, can the ministers easily agree?

So, a group of civil officials knelt down and begged the prince to change his mind. Even though they knew they could not persuade him, Yan Xizheng and others had to kneel down as well.

He Yuanjing hurried in to report to the emperor.

Half an hour later, Emperor Xingwu finally emerged, draped in his cloak. Glancing at the ministers whose faces had turned pale from kneeling, he addressed the Crown Prince, "Do you really not want to be the Crown Prince of Da Qi anymore?"

Qin Hong: "Yes, if I could choose, I would not want to bear this heavy burden from the beginning."

Emperor Xingwu sneered and said to his ministers, "Listen, everyone! I was the one who forced him to do what he wanted. I was the one who forced the crown prince position on him and even caused him to develop a headache."

Qin Hong kowtowed: "I, your son, have absolutely no grudge against your father..."

Emperor Xingwu kicked him again and said, "Shut up! If you don't want to do it, then don't do it. I will grant your wish! Come, draft the decree!"

.

On the thirteenth day of the winter month of the eighteenth year of the Xingwu reign, Emperor Xingwu deposed his eldest son Qin Hong from the throne of crown prince and appointed him Prince An instead.

Because Qin Hong had angered the emperor, Emperor Xingwu issued an edict ordering his eldest son and his family to move out of the palace immediately and not to bother him anymore.

Yan Xizheng finally pleaded for the eldest prince, asking the emperor to at least give Prince An's family some more time to move after the palace was built.

Emperor Xingwu: "He can wait. I'm afraid he'll piss me off to death! You want a palace, right? Give him the princess's mansion, where Lin'er hasn't moved in yet, and just exchange it for a plaque!"

The sixty-five-year-old Left Prime Minister widened his eyes in horror!

【Author’s words】

Here they come, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!

Hey, please give me some nutrient solution [Calico Cat Head]