Su Wanwan pursed her lips, "The Emperor won't agree."

Prince Rong smiled wickedly, "Then we'll wait and see."

When Qian Ning presented the letter, her words were vehement: "Your Majesty, do not believe the rumors!"

"Currently, many court officials, including Eunuch Zhang from the Directorate of Ceremonial, support the Empress. With the people in a state of panic, rashly deposing the Empress would be tantamount to cutting off our own foundation!"

Lu Xingjian pursed his lips.

Prince Rong really dug a huge pit for him.

"Have we found their hiding place?"

"Not yet, the letter was left at my doorstep."

Lu Xingjian remained inactive.

However, that very evening, a woman with a severed arm suddenly appeared in front of Qian Ning's house.

When Lu Xingjian saw the pattern and material of the clothes on the severed arm, he could no longer remain calm.

"Xuan Sunan, Yang Yiqing, Zhang Yong!"

Su Nan examined it carefully and breathed a slight sigh of relief: "This is not the Empress's arm."

Lu Xingjian glared angrily, "I'm afraid tomorrow will be the day she loses her arm!"

"My mind is made up regarding the matter of deposing the Empress. Do any of my ministers have any objections?"

Su Nan paused, then cupped his hands in a salute: "Your Majesty is wise, but if news of a palace maid's pregnancy were to spread, it would likely deter even the most wicked men."

Zhang Yong gave Su Nan a cold glance.

My heart sank.

Although this was to prevent them from harming Su Wanwan and Yan Ge'er, deposing the empress was a major event, and it would be extremely difficult to reverse the situation afterward.

His power is based on Su Wanwan.

After being deposed, he lost his backer and suffered huge losses.

However, Su Wanwan's life is now in danger.

When faced with two evils, choosing the lesser one is a last resort.

"I second that proposal."

Seeing that they had all expressed their opinions, Yang Yiqing also said, "I second that proposal."

That very evening, the edict deposing the empress was issued, and notices were posted at every gate of the capital.

...

When Prince Rong heard this news, he laughed heartily.

He had long known that Lu Xingjian valued Su Wanwan too much; he even took her with him when they escaped that time, despite her limp.

Now, aren't we completely at his mercy?

An even more perverse thought came to his mind: "If I let him use this poison on me, do you think he would agree?"

Su Wanwan was speechless. "You think he's an idiot?"

She thought he was stupid, absolutely dumb!

This is clearly telling Prince Rong that he can manipulate him as he pleases.

"You won't be able to keep this up for long. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will be coming for you soon. You should think about how to escape," Su Wanwan earnestly advised Prince Rong.

Although Li Dongqian is now acting as his inside man, Lu Xingjian has been emperor for so many years and has personally trained troops, so he has a good foundation and prestige among the capital army and the border army.

It would be extremely difficult for Prince Rong to seize the throne while the bandits were causing chaos.

Moreover, at Zhang Yong's request, she recently distributed silver to both the capital army and the border army, and grain prices in the capital have gradually stabilized. The Prince Rong's rebellion has no popular support.

Prince Rong narrowed his eyes slightly, a forced smile on his face. "What's the rush? It's still early."

Su Wanwan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Is he planning something?

It's unlikely that there are still people in the Beijing army who support him.

"Is someone coming to pick you up?"

"Liu Liu, Liu Qi?"

"Zhao the Madman?"

"Still Liu San?"

Prince Rong remained unmoved.

Su Wanwan sneered, "Three thousand people were slaughtered in Ye County, Henan. Liu San's notorious reputation precedes him."

"Four thousand eight hundred people were massacred in Zaoqiang County, Shandong Province. Liu Liu, Liu Qi, and Zhao the Madman are unforgivable."

"If you align yourself with them and lose the hearts of the people, how can you ascend the throne?!"

Prince Rong's expression turned ugly for a moment.

Su Wanwan pressed her advantage, "It seems they really are colluding with them."

You've completely disgraced the Lu family!

"A prince of such high rank colludes with treacherous officials who kill without blinking an eye and slaughter the people!"

"Emperor Taizu came from a poor background. If he knew that he had such an unworthy descendant as you, he would probably crawl out of his grave to take your life!"

Prince Rong's expression changed drastically. "Shut up!"

"You vile woman! Everyone says I resemble the founding emperor, possessing great talent and ambition, unlike you who are blind and ignorant!"

Su Wanwan sneered, "If that's really the case, why did Empress Dowager Xiaosu and my grandfather so firmly oppose our marriage?"

"Do you think these old, shrewd guys are all blind?"

"They knew all along that you were a good-for-nothing with ulterior motives!"

Prince Rong completely broke down, "Then why did you associate with me back then? To give me hope?!"

Su Wanwan smiled dismissively.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? It was all just to fool you, you big idiot."

"Who knew you were so stupid, you took the bait so easily and are still having unrealistic daydreams."

Prince Rong's shoulders slumped down.

Back then, it was Empress Dowager Xiaosu who favored him so much that he mistakenly believed he had a chance to ascend the throne.

Su Wanwan's flattery and ingratiation reassured him, making him determined to fight for her.

After all, the late emperor had already taken action to burn Empress Dowager Xiaosu alive, so the conflict between them was irreconcilable.

The late emperor and Crown Prince Lu Xingjian were also irreconcilable enemies.

After Crown Prince Lu Xingjian died, Empress Dowager Xiaosu was extremely disappointed with the late emperor, so it was only natural for her to support a young and obedient emperor.

So he found various excuses to stay in the capital instead of going to his fief, and even killed his younger brother, the fourteenth brother.

If the Crown Prince gets into trouble, he will be the only prince remaining in the capital, making him the most likely candidate to ascend the throne.

His advantage is his youth; he's much easier to manage than his older, more mature, and opinionated brothers.

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