Chapter 788 Clash - Debate

"What, do you not want to live anymore?"

Given Lu Youming's personality, he should have wanted to live even if he suffered all kinds of humiliation. It seems that these days of being unable to move and extremely boring have worn away almost all of his fighting spirit.

When Lu Youming looked at Gu Shuyan, his eyes held a hint of pleading, but unfortunately Gu Shuyan did not agree.

"I heard that the Third Prince's residence only has two servants. It's such a waste for His Highness to live alone in such a large mansion. Perhaps the Lady should find a small courtyard for His Highness to live in!"

Gu Shuyan was merely a family member of a court official, yet she dared to suggest that a prince should move out of the prince's residence. Lu Youming, however, believed that she could actually do it.

Lu You closed his eyes slightly. He knew that Gu Shuyan would never give him a quick death. Since he couldn't die even if he wanted to, what other options did he have?

As if Gu Shuyan had never been there, Lu Youming simply leaned back slightly, resuming his usual wooden demeanor.

Seeing that Lu Youming didn't want to look at her, Gu Shuyan smiled faintly and simply stood up.

As she was leaving, Gu Shuyan remembered something. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell Your Highness something. Before His Majesty passed away, he wrote an edict appointing my eldest brother as the new emperor. Doesn't Your Highness think that's ironic?"

After Gu Shuyan finished speaking, she left without looking back. Lu Youming was initially puzzled and confused after hearing Gu Shuyan's words, but in the end, all of that turned into helplessness.

Now he is nothing but a cripple. Even if the throne falls to a commoner, he will not be allowed to take it. So who will rule the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future? What does it have to do with him?

As for why his father would pass the throne to Gu Renjie, there was no need for him to worry about it.

When Gu Shuyan came out of the Third Prince's residence, it suddenly started snowing. Seeing that the weather was about to change, several maids hurriedly sent her back.

After a busy night at the Ministry of Rites, all the deceased were placed in a side hall next to the main hall of the palace.

"Your Highness, there are a total of eighteen concubines in the palace, and their coffins have all been laid to rest. Please give your instructions."

In the main hall, the Vice Minister of Rites hurried in and respectfully reported to Lu Hexuan.

Lu Hexuan's expression wasn't very good, but after hearing the words of the Vice Minister of Rites, he breathed a sigh of relief. "You've worked hard, sir!"

The Vice Minister of Rites returned to his seat and stood still. Seeing that no one was speaking, he realized that the atmosphere in the room was not quite right.

"As the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now that His Majesty and the two princes have been murdered, we beg Your Highness to ascend the throne as soon as possible so that we may feel at ease."

After a while, a dark-skinned middle-aged man wearing armor stepped forward.

The man was the highest-ranking general in the Great Zhou Dynasty besides General Ji. Because he was stationed on the southern coast for many years, he was tanned quite dark.

"General, you are mistaken. With such a shocking event occurring in the royal family, and the truth of the matter still unclear, how can we hastily allow the virtuous prince to ascend the throne?"

"If it is ultimately found that His Majesty and the princes and empresses died because of certain people, are we supposed to just bow down and submit to them?"

The speaker was none other than the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.

The Grand Secretary was about sixty years old, and his gray hair made him look older than his actual age.

Over the years, the Grand Chancellor has never forgotten the fact that the emperor killed so many members of the royal family in his attempt to seize the throne.

The emperor had spared only Lu Hexuan when he had exterminated everyone, so the Grand Secretary had reason to suspect that Lu Hexuan would repeat what happened back then.

"What does the Grand Secretary mean by this? Do you suspect that the Prince assassinated His Majesty? The Chief Eunuch testified to what the Fourth Prince did yesterday. He has served His Majesty for decades. Would he really lie so carelessly?"

The Grand Secretary's concerns were not without merit, but the military general did not have such ulterior motives. In his view, since only Lu Hexuan remained in the royal family, the throne naturally belonged to Lu Hexuan.

"General, you misunderstand me. I only wish to get to the bottom of things so that I can give His Majesty an explanation."

Seeing that the general was anxious, the Grand Secretary quickly offered an explanation for himself.

The middle-aged general wouldn't listen, waving his hand dismissively and saying with unrestrained arrogance, "What's there to figure out? Her Majesty the Empress lost her son this morning, and in a fit of anger, she summoned the concubines and, incidentally, poisoned their tea. Is that so hard to explain?"

The middle-aged general's thinking was simple, but he never expected that it would be the most accurate representation of the truth.

"General, you're thinking too simply. The ladies may have been given tea by the Empress, but why are all the palace maids dead as well?"

The Grand Secretary stayed up until the wee hours yesterday trying to figure this out, so how could he possibly agree with such a casual explanation from a military officer?

It is said that wise people tend to overthink, and sometimes thinking too much about something can lead us astray from the truth.

"That could also be because Her Majesty the Empress served tea to everyone. Who says a master can't serve tea to his servants?"

"General, that's just sophistry."

The two argued back and forth, their faces turning red with rage.

Yun Yichen's gaze swept over the two of them, and for the first time, he felt helpless.

Yesterday, they had the emperor's personal eunuch rescued and brought to the emperor's bedchamber. After learning that the fourth prince had died with the emperor, the old eunuch made a decision in a flash: to help Yun Yichen and Gu Renjie testify that the emperor was forced to his death by the fourth prince's usurpation of power.

With the addition of those whom the Fourth Prince had bribed, and the presence of strong witness testimonies, the Emperor's death became a foregone conclusion.

But who could have imagined that the concubines in the harem would also die? Everything seemed to have been preordained, and all of it came together at once.

Lu Hexuan felt his head was throbbing from the noise. There were a bunch of people waiting to make funeral arrangements next door, so he didn't have time to listen to these two arguing.

Turning his gaze to the Imperial Observatory, he asked, "Has the Imperial Observatory chosen an auspicious day yet?"

The Imperial Observatory had actually wanted to report this matter for a long time, but had been hesitant to do so due to the strange atmosphere.

Now, upon being questioned by Lu Hexuan, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau quickly stepped forward and said, "Yesterday, we observed the celestial phenomena last night, and the only suitable day for a funeral procession recently is October 12th!"

"Only one day?"

Lu Hexuan frowned. There had never been a precedent in history for an emperor, empress, and prince to die on the same day, so there was no need to worry about any conflict during their burial.

But now, so many people need to be buried. If the dates could be staggered, that would be ideal, but the current situation is that there is only one auspicious day.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau saw the change in Lu Hexuan's face, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

It's not that they're making things difficult for us, it's just that this day really is the only one.

Royal funerals are just as elaborate as weddings, and they dare not be careless in choosing the date.

Seeing Lu Hexuan's worried expression, Gu Renjie slowly stepped forward. "Your Highness, perhaps I have a way to solve this urgent problem."