With Ji Mo'an's matter resolved, only Aunt Fang's matter remains unresolved. Ji Mo Han is extremely afraid, as he is hesitant to face Aunt Fang and even more afraid to confront the truth.
Yan Wan noticed Ji Mohan's anxiety. Since Ji Mohan's health had not yet fully recovered, they decided to postpone Aunt Fang's matter for a while.
"Your Majesty, Prince Sheng requests an audience," came the announcement from outside.
Yan Wan was feeding Ji Mohan medicine from a bowl. Ji Mohan had become even more clingy these days, and the two of them were inseparable. Seeing that Ji Mohan had something important to do, Yan Wan picked up the bowl of medicine he had finished drinking and quickly left.
This is wonderful! She can finally have some personal time. Ji Mohan is so clingy and loves to act cute all the time. After a while, she really can't stand it anymore.
"Let him in." After Yan Wan left, Ji Mohan resumed his usual cold demeanor.
As soon as Ji Mosheng entered, he saw his elder brother's displeased expression. Somewhat bewildered, he stepped forward and bowed, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"Yes, rise." Ji Mohan stepped forward and gently helped Ji Mosheng up.
Ji Mosheng asked, puzzled, "What business does Your Majesty have summoned me for?"
He's incredibly busy, okay? Even though his elder brother is the emperor, he uses the excuse of poor health and needing to rest to keep him reviewing memorials every day. He thought things would be better once his sister-in-law returned, and he could finally relinquish this heavy responsibility. But since her return, his brother has gone even further; now he's even taking his place at the morning court sessions!
The ministers in the court secretly came over several times to ask him if he was planning to rebel and then declare himself emperor. Originally, Ji Mosheng thought that these ministers were asking him these questions because they wanted to support his rebellion.
But to his surprise, the ministers told him not to be impulsive and not to rebel, lest His Majesty think they had disloyal intentions and implicate their entire families.
They were all terrified by His Majesty's ruthlessness in killing people. Their entire families could not withstand His Majesty's wrath, so the ministers could only advise the former Crown Prince to behave himself, lest His Majesty think they were secretly colluding. They worked hard to become officials so that they could enjoy wealth and live a few more years, and they did not want to be forced to resign.
Ji Mohan went straight to the point and said, "Uncle An committed suicide."
Ji Mosheng paused, unsure of what his elder brother meant by mentioning Uncle An, so he remained silent.
Is the Emperor doubting him? Then why did he entrust him with the affairs of state? Was it to test whether he harbored any disloyal intentions?
Ji Mosheng was still lost in his own thoughts when Ji Mohan interrupted him with his words, "Uncle An said that the mastermind behind this is someone else."
Ji Mosheng looked up in surprise and met Ji Mohan's gaze. Both of them saw the solemnity in each other's eyes. Just when everyone thought everything was coming to an end, they were now being told that they had found the wrong person and all their efforts had been in vain.
Ji Mosheng frowned and said heavily, "Brother, who do you suspect is trying to kill us?"
Ji Mohan said with a solemn expression, "People from the palace."
"Has anything unusual happened in the palace recently?" Ji Mohan asked.
Ji Mosheng thought about it carefully. There were very few people in the palace now. Since his elder brother ascended the throne, his father, mother and other concubines had moved to the imperial palace outside the capital. Only Chaoyang, her mother and her young fifth and sixth brothers remained in the palace.
However, they dared not provoke the emperor. Their palaces were far from the emperor's bedchamber, and they did not dare to come out and play as before, keeping a low profile.
Ji Mosheng had not expected anything unusual to happen in the palace recently. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Brother, there has been nothing unusual in the palace recently."
As if remembering something, Ji Mohan suddenly asked, "Third brother, what has fourth brother been up to lately?"
Ji Mosheng also realized something. He recalled and said, "My third brother has been staying in the mansion bestowed by the emperor. But my fourth brother said a few days ago that he was afraid that Father would be bored at the imperial palace, so he went to the imperial palace to keep Father company."
Ji Mohan said coldly, "Xuan Yi, go and see if the third brother is at the mansion."
"Yes, Master," came the reply from the shadows, and then a figure flew out and disappeared from the palace.
"Brother, do you suspect that the mastermind behind this is your fourth and fifth brother?"
Ji Mo said coldly, "It's still unknown whether it's the two of them. You haven't seen your father for a long time, have you? Go to the imperial palace to see him."
Looking at Ji Mohan's solemn expression, Ji Mosheng understood his elder brother's meaning. If that were the case, things would become difficult.
That would be going against the will of the world. If we did that, how would the world view the royal family?
But he had no choice but to agree, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will go to the palace today to see how Father is doing."
Ji Mosheng was about to take his leave when he heard his elder brother ask, "Do you want the throne?"
Ji Mosheng's expression changed, and he knelt down with a thud, saying in a somewhat hurried voice, "Your subject dares not covet it."
Ji Mo coldly asked, "Is it that you dare not, or that you do not want to?"
Ji Mosheng gave a helpless bitter smile, looked intently at Ji Mohan, and said in a firm and forceful tone, "Your Majesty, I have said before that I do not care about the throne. If Your Majesty suspects that I have any treacherous intentions, then I can only ask Your Majesty to issue an edict to allow me to go to my fiefdom."
Ji Mohan stared at Ji Mosheng's determined eyes, stepped forward to help him up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I believe in you."
Ji Mosheng hurriedly said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. Then I will take my leave."
Ji Mosheng turned to leave when Ji Mohan's voice sounded from behind him, "Back in the Northwest, I taught you that being too sentimental makes one an unqualified emperor. A ruler must love his people like his own children, appoint people based on merit, and know how to use people effectively. He must also have the well-being of the people in his heart, and be decisive when necessary. He should not let momentary softness lead to the suffering of the people. When war breaks out, it is ultimately the common people who suffer."
Ji Mosheng stopped in his tracks. He knew very well what his elder brother meant. His elder brother was telling him that if anyone in the palace was found to be the mastermind behind the scenes, he should be killed without mercy.
He closed his eyes in anguish. His reason told him that his elder brother was right, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
Seeing that the other party remained silent, Ji Mohan said loudly, "Do you intend to watch the war break out again and the Yin Kingdom fall into dire straits once more for your own selfish reasons? Do you want to see the people who have finally achieved peace and prosperity be displaced again?"
Ji Mosheng gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his neck, and finally said, "I know what to do."
When faced with a choice between family members or brothers, and the people or the country, no matter which choice he makes, it will be wrong.
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