Chapter 305: Appointed as Crown Prince

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

At this moment when the Nine Cauldrons were in tacit agreement, Jiang Deshun, who was standing behind Xiao Jingheng, almost instinctively rushed forward without hesitation and pushed Xiao Jingheng away.

"Bang!"

The plaque passed by Xiao Jingheng, but hit Jiang Deshun's right leg firmly.

His right leg was twisted and deformed, hanging from his lower body by just the skin and flesh in an unimaginable posture.

The wound was so deep that one could see the bone stumps showing through the white bones, which was terrifying to watch!

"Is the Emperor alright?"

Song Zhao handed Cheng Yu to the nurse and ran to the frightened Xiao Jingheng.

"Are you hurt?"

Xiao Jingheng's breathing was heavy, his face was pale, and he stared blankly at Jiang Deshun who was lying on the ground and screaming in pain.

The plaque fell on his legs and broke into three pieces. The four big characters written on it, "Work hard and be close to the wise," were also shattered into pieces, looking very abrupt.

With such a big incident, the remaining palace servants quickly surrounded them.

Little Yinzi burst into tears, holding Jiang Deshun in his arms, sobbing, "Master! Master, please bear with it!"

This voice made Xiao Jingheng come to his senses, and he hurriedly said:

"Quickly send the imperial physician to treat Jiang Deshun!"

Then he raised his head, looking at the empty door with gloomy eyes, "Let's go and see what's going on."

The palace servants quickly carried Jiang Deshun to the outer wing of Chaoyang Palace. Xiao Yinzi also moved a ladder and climbed up to check for any abnormalities on the door.

"Your Majesty, the iron buckle that holds the plaque is loose... But these things are checked by people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs every three days, so there shouldn't be such an oversight."

After a detailed investigation, they found out that it was the servants of the Imperial Household Department who neglected their duties. When they came to Chaoyang Palace to inspect and repair it, they just went through the motions and looked at the plaque "Zhengda Guangming" in the main hall, but ignored the door of the inner bedroom.

Xiao Jingheng was furious and sentenced the palace maid to death by being torn apart by a chariot. He also punished the head of the Imperial Household Department with a hundred strokes of the cane and suspended his salary for a whole year.

As for Jiang Deshun, his right leg was completely disabled.

In recognition of his meritorious service in protecting the emperor, Xiao Jingheng rewarded him with a large amount of money and even allowed him to retire and return home five years early. He also granted him twenty acres of fertile land in the suburbs of Beijing to ensure that he would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life.

After all, if Jiang Deshun hadn’t been there, if the plaque had fallen on Xiao Jingheng today, he would probably have lost his life.

In the following days, Xiao Jingheng did not turn over anyone's sign.

On the few occasions when the concubines stayed overnight, Song Zhao would always accompany them.

At night, Song Zhao often heard Xiao Jingheng mumbling in his sleep that someone was trying to murder him. He would often wake up in a cold sweat and could not sleep well.

After the assassination during the Southern Tour, Xiao Jingheng became even more suspicious.

Even though the falling of the plaque was just an accident, Xiao Jingheng still felt uneasy.

The issues in Jiangnan have not been resolved yet, and complaints are gradually rising among the people. Many unfortunate things piling up together make Xiao Jingheng feel that the recent days have been too unsatisfactory.

Because of the accurate prediction of the flood in Jiangnan by the donor, Xiao Jingheng relied on him more and summoned him frequently in recent days.

But there is no way of knowing what the two said after they closed the door.

In September, when Xiao Jingheng's birthday was approaching,

When the concubines came to Changle Palace to pay their respects to Song Zhao that day, they mentioned the arrangements for Xiao Jingheng's birthday.

Song Zhao said: "This year is a time of trouble. The court has spent a lot of money to support the flood disaster in the south of the Yangtze River. Everything in the palace is kept simple. The emperor's birthday celebration this year will also be kept simple, so that all the subjects in the world can see it and set an example."

In this regard, Ying Fei has a completely different view from her.

"I don't think it's right. It's a time like this, when other countries are watching our Qi Dynasty. I think we can't just keep it simple, we have to make it quite grand.

Invite all nations to come and celebrate, and hold a grand birthday celebration, so that those who have rebellious hearts can see that even though the Qi Dynasty has experienced natural disasters, it is still a rich and powerful country and cannot be coveted by them. "

Song Zhao said, "Empress Ying, do you think your method is appropriate? All the nations are coming to pay tribute? Are you planning to fill the gap in the national treasury with your own money? Do you know that when all the nations come to pay tribute, the money will be spent like water?"

Concubine Ying smiled contemptuously, "You don't need to tell me these things. When I was helping the late queen to look after the accounts of the six palaces, you had not yet entered the palace."

Song Zhao also smiled, "Yes, after all, sister is older, so she is naturally more sensible than me. Now that this tael of silver is worth splitting in half, you want all nations to come and congratulate you. This move will quell the covetousness of small border nations, but sister, you have ignored the opinions of the people of Qi Dynasty?"

The two of them were fighting back and forth, neither of them giving in, and the situation was quite tense.

Later, Concubine Yao stepped in to mediate and chose a compromise.

"It's all for the Emperor, so there's no need for us sisters to argue. Since Concubine Yi and Concubine Ying each have their own opinions, why don't you present your ideas to the Emperor and the Queen Mother and let them decide?"

At this point, Song Zhao was too lazy to argue with Concubine Ying any more, so he simply completed the book and ordered someone to present it to Xiao Jingheng.

The next day, when the concubines came to Song Zhao Palace to pay their respects again, Xiao Jingheng also came.

He sat in the first seat, his eyes fixed on Concubine Ying.

"I have read the booklet submitted by Concubine Yi and Concubine Ying yesterday. I think Concubine Ying's method is good. This time, I will follow your idea."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Ying was overjoyed. She thanked the emperor for his grace without hesitation and glanced at Song Zhao with an arrogant look.

But before she could feel proud for long, Xiao Jingheng's next words made everyone present dumbfounded.

"This time, all nations have come to congratulate me not only on my birthday, but also on the crown prince's birthday."

"Prince?"

All the concubines were stunned and asked this question almost at the same time.

Xiao Jingheng said: "The country is unstable, the country is in turmoil, and the people are suffering. I can't rest easy. Therefore, I have decided to enthrone the eldest prince Cheng Yu as the crown prince from now on."

This made it clear, and it caused even more astonishment.

Even Song Zhao was caught off guard and had no choice but to decline.

"The emperor is in his prime, and Chengyu is not even one year old yet, how can he..."

"I have made up my mind, Concubine Yi, just follow my orders."

Xiao Jingheng responded to Song Zhao's words in a gentle voice, but when he looked at Concubine Ying, his tone suddenly became solemn.

"Now Concubine Yi is still the assistant to the six palaces, and you must listen to her in all matters of the six palaces. If anyone dares to overstep his bounds, Concubine Yi can punish him according to the palace rules at any time, and there is no need to report to me. Do you understand?"

The concubines hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying in unison:

"Your servants and concubines respectfully listen to your words and dare not disobey."

Xiao Jingheng's words were obviously meant to criticize Concubine Ying.

And even if the Longevity Festival was held according to her wishes, what would that matter?

After Xiao Jingheng left, Concubine Yun muttered softly,

"How come Chengyu is appointed as the crown prince when he is neither the eldest son nor the legitimate son?"

"Sister Dong, don't you understand this? I understand everything~"

Huipin had an innocent look on her face. She interrupted Concubine Yun's words with a smile, and then looked at Song Zhao with joy, and said innocently:

"If Sister Song becomes the Queen, then wouldn't little Chengyu be the legitimate son? I think this is what the Emperor means~"

As soon as these words came out, the concubines' eyes like knives fell on Song Zhao.

But at this moment, Song Zhao didn't care what they thought at all.

Cheng Yu being made the crown prince was clearly a great joyous event.

But somehow, her heart was in a mess.