"No, no, I don't want to be sacrificed to the heavens, waah... Let me go, let me go, I don't want to be tied up, Mother, Mother, waah... They're all bullying Tian'er, waah..."
Under pressure, Emperor Li Hongwen had no choice but to bring Prince Xian, Li Mutian, to the capital.
At this moment, Li Mutian was tied to a pillar, surrounded by firewood, which terrified him so much that he cried loudly.
I don't know if they haven't gone completely insane yet, but they still know fear and struggle desperately.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to spare Prince Xian! He is your son! If you kill him, what will the world think of you?"
Geng Yuan, the attendant, stood in front of Li Mutian and pleaded desperately.
"Your Majesty, please spare Prince Xian! Has Your Majesty forgotten who has been at your beck and call all these years? Although Prince Xian is already..."
"You've gone mad, but you're still my son! Waaah..."
...
The maid Yuemei also choked with sobs and stood in front of Li Mutian.
"I never expected that even in his madness, the wise king would still have such a loyal servant. It is truly remarkable."
Chu Yunmo made sarcastic remarks from the side, but Zhao Hu was furious.
"This humble servant will go and rescue the wise prince; these people are bullying us too much."
"Wait a minute."
"Blood Purple Rose" shouted in a clear, melodious voice. Zhao Hu raised an eyebrow, his tone revealing displeasure.
“Miss Han, since you are no longer a member of the royal family, please do not obstruct my work. Although Wang Feng instructed me to listen to you, that was only on the premise that the interests of the royal family were not harmed. Right now, these people want to burn the eldest prince to death, so I am afraid I cannot obey Miss Han’s orders.”
Having said that, he drew his sword, and "Blood Purple Rose" floated lightly.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t act impulsively. The people’s hearts are with you now. If you want to die without a burial place, then go ahead.”
“I will go; I am not afraid of death.”
Just as Zhao Hu was about to step forward, he heard "Blood Purple Rose" say something.
"Aren't you afraid that the 'Purple Cloud Kingdom' will change hands?"
"you……"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu indeed dared not step forward again. Then, "Blood Purple Rose" continued speaking...
"Even the Emperor is helpless right now. If you go up there, you'll only create another innocent corpse. These people are clearly in cahoots. The rain-seeking ceremony is just a pretext. Their real purpose is to eliminate dissidents."
If King Longxuan were here today, the altar would surely be awash in blood. Now that King Longxuan is not here, they dare not act rashly and can only target the eldest prince first.
If the eldest prince dies, the emperor will lose the people's support. As the Son of Heaven, if he can't even protect his own son, he's no different from a useless person, and the people will surely despise him. This is a double-dealing scheme to put the emperor in a dilemma.
"This is outrageous! The Feng family is going too far!"
Zhang Hu clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.
"Here's what we'll do: go to the Dragon Tiger Inn and help me catch someone, and I'll help you resolve this stalemate."
A hint of confidence flashed in "Blood Purple Rose's" eyes as she whispered a few words in his ear.
Zhao Hu seemed to hesitate for a moment, but ultimately accepted the order and went.
Chu Yunmo asked curiously,
"Whom did Miss Han order him to capture?"
"Blood Purple Rose" curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
You'll find out soon enough.
At this moment, another commotion arose at the altar.
"Your Majesty, what are you waiting for? Quickly give the order to light the fire! As long as we offer the eldest prince as a sacrifice to Heaven, the Dragon King will forgive the crimes of my 'Purple Cloud Kingdom.' Light it! Light it!"
Imperial Censor Xu urged him again.
"Yes! Your Majesty, you are the ruler of all people. You cannot be too selfish. You must put the people first. Sacrificing the eldest prince to ensure the people of the world live in peace and prosperity is a worthwhile trade!"
"If my son is qualified to offer sacrifices to Heaven, I will personally light the fire to show my respect to the Dragon King."
Imperial Censor Yan was even more ruthless. After speaking, he glanced at Grand Tutor Fengyi and received an approving look from him.
"Your Majesty, what are you waiting for?"
Grand Tutor Fengyi spoke in a deep voice.
"Light it! Light it! Use the eldest prince as a sacrifice to the heavens, begging the Dragon King for forgiveness."
A man arranged by the Second Prince Li Muchen shouted from the crowd, causing the people to erupt in cheers.
"Order it! Order it now..."
"Enough, all of you shut up."
Seeing his son crying his heart out, Emperor Li Hongwen finally hardened his resolve.
"Commander Shen, release the Prince Xian for me. Also, have this evil Taoist priest dragged out and executed."
Li Hongwen pointed a trembling hand at Master Xuanzhen, but the Second Prince Li Muchen quickly stopped him.
"Father, you can't kill Master Xuanzhen! He's the only hope for Baojun County!"
"Yes! Your Majesty, if you kill Master Xuanzhen, who will bring rain to Baojun County?"
Imperial Censor Xu spoke up again, but Emperor Li Hongwen responded coldly.
“You are all urging me to kill my own son. If it were your child, would you be willing to do that?”
If I cannot even protect my own son, how can I protect the people? I am not worthy of being the emperor.
"If anyone dares to instigate me to kill their own child today, I will have their entire family executed."
The emperor was furious, and everyone fell silent.
"What can we do now? The dog emperor won't fall for it."
Feng Yi's subordinate, Yan Zijiang, asked for instructions in a low voice.
"Don't rush, let's take another look."
Just then, Prime Minister Han Bingmo spoke.
"Your Majesty, but what about the Dragon Prince..."
Perhaps seeing the frighteningly cold look in Li Hongwen's eyes, Han Bingmo ultimately didn't dare to continue.
"Our dynasty is full of talented people. I refuse to believe that, apart from this old Taoist priest, no one else has thought of any other way to bring rain?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a deep voice was heard.
"Let my disciple give it a try! Her name is Han Ziwei."
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a white dragon appear in the sky once again.
"Han Ziwei? Who is Han Ziwei?"
"Isn't that the Prime Minister's eldest daughter? Princess Consort of Longxuan?"
"She was the former Princess Longxuan."
...
Amidst whispers all around, "Blood Purple Rose" stepped out from the crowd, her eyes gleaming with an arrogant brilliance.
"Princess Longxuan is actually the Dragon King's disciple? This is unbelievable."
"But the two have already divorced, and Prince Longxuan has suffered a great loss."
...
The officials were abuzz with discussion, while Emperor Li Hongwen was filled with anticipation.
"Princess Consort Longxuan, no, Miss Han, are you truly the Dragon King's disciple?"
"no."
"Blood Purple Rose," Emperor Li Hongwen said truthfully, pointing to the white dragon in the sky.
"Can……"
"That's just a projection."
After saying this, "Blood Purple Rose" shouted in a deep voice,
"Zhao Hu, why aren't you bringing the man up here right now?"
At a command, Zhao Hu pushed a man over, holding two mirrors in his hands. He kicked the man in the buttocks and coldly shouted,
"Why aren't you telling the Emperor the truth?"
"ah……"
After the scream, the man pointed at the old Taoist priest.
"It was him, it was him! He made me project the image from behind and impersonate the Dragon King! I only took his money and committed this wrongdoing. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life! Waaah..."
The man kowtowed desperately, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Heavens! It was all fake. There was no Dragon King appearing, yet we almost forced the Emperor to kill the First Prince. That old Taoist priest deserves to die."
"Yes! Kill him! How dare he play tricks on the Emperor like this? He must have a death wish!"
...
Li Hongwen was so angry that he trembled all over and kicked the old Taoist priest hard.
"Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"
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