Chapter 247
Not long after they stopped, the Imperial Advisor beside them said, "Your Majesty, the Celestial Empire cannot contain two true dragons. The reason you are in this state is because the Crown Prince is growing up and has become someone you can no longer control."
"Only by severing the fortune of another true dragon can you be reborn."
Words of gentle persuasion are like poison coated in sugar. When you swallow them, they taste sweet, but the poison has already seeped into your fragile heart without your knowledge. When the poison takes effect, there is no cure.
As soon as he finished speaking, his heart clenched and a sharp pain shot through him, causing him to slump onto the table, panting heavily. This only strengthened his belief that the Grand Preceptor's words were true.
After Emperor Mingyou and the others recovered, they immediately picked up their pens and wrote down the edict to depose the crown prince without hesitation, their hands trembling as they endured the pain.
Duan Gan and Wu Xuzi stood on either side of him, watching him write each word.
Suddenly, Emperor Mingyou stopped again and looked up at Duan Gan helplessly.
"The Grand Councilor Duan Gan was ordered to lead the Grand Council and the Imperial Guards to imprison the entire Qiu family, including the Crown Prince, in the Ministry of Justice's prison. The Qiu family, guilty of multiple crimes, was punished by execution of nine generations of their clan, and their heads were displayed to the public the following afternoon..."
"As for the Crown Prince, considering the bond of blood, but since he is the successor to the emperor and the father, he may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment. He is hereby deposed as Crown Prince and demoted to Prince Yong, to be confined to the Prince Yong's residence for the rest of his life to reflect on his mistakes."
The man's words were eloquent, making decisions on behalf of the emperor before him, the holy ruler of the celestial dynasty, decisions that could shake the world.
The so-called true emperor before him had long lost his former wisdom and was like a stray dog, wagging his tail and begging for mercy as he obeyed the dictates of his subjects.
Only after Duan Gan received the imperial edict did his gloomy expression ease slightly.
Give him the things.
He said something indifferently and then turned and left.
Wu Xuzi tucked his hands into his sleeves, watched his departing figure, sighed and shook his head, thinking that it was rare for him to be jealous of a woman.
This anger has brought the plan forward so soon. Oh well, whatever, as long as he can handle it.
Many people have heard of Princess Huaimin, but no one has ever seen her in person.
This made him even more curious, and he made up his mind that he must meet him when he had time to see what kind of person he was and why he could hear different stories about him from other people.
Gao Liangui had just finished gathering everyone when he heard the commotion behind him. He turned around and his gaze was immediately drawn to the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand.
Having spent so much time with the emperor, he couldn't possibly be unaware of what this was. It was precisely because he knew that he was so shocked at this moment.
The gloomy sky added a touch of eeriness and horror to the solemn and dignified atmosphere, foreshadowing an impending storm; tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful.
With a heart full of fear and unease, he hurriedly stepped forward, presented the token with both hands, and said respectfully, "Lord Duan, apart from the Palace Guard, all the rest of the Imperial Guards are here."
Duan Gan took the token, raised the imperial edict in his right hand, and said in an icy tone, "His Majesty has decreed that the Qiu family colluded with the Ding family to sell official salt privately, Qiu Yanling accepted bribes to buy and sell official positions in the court, and the Crown Prince and the Qiu family privately manufactured weapons and recruited soldiers under the guise of recruiting miners, intending to rebel."
"I hereby order the Privy Council and the Imperial Guards to capture the Crown Prince and the entire Qiu family and bring them to justice. Anyone who resists will be killed without exception!"
Before the words were even finished, and before they could think about it, they instinctively answered in unison, "Yes!"
Gao Liangui, standing behind him, was even more astonished upon hearing this, her eyes widening as if trying to confirm whether it was all an illusion. Unfortunately, everything before her eyes was real.
Today is the Crown Prince's wedding day, and even the Empress has gone to the Eastern Palace to attend the ceremony. Yet, His Majesty has ordered Lord Duan to arrest him at this crucial moment. This is not only a loss of face for me, the Crown Prince, the Empress, and the humble families behind us.
This is going to kill them all!
Thinking of this, Gao Liangui felt a chill run down her spine. A gust of wind blew, and she shivered, realizing that her back was already covered in cold sweat.
He watched the man walk away, the crimson robe, as red as blood, fluttering in the wind as he went. He had a strange feeling that the red robe was probably intentional.
After leaving the palace, the remaining guards at the Privy Council and those who had returned from Suizhou waited at the palace gate for Duan Gan's orders.
Duan Gan mounted his horse and coldly rebuked, "Ye Chengxian!"
"This humble servant is here!" A man in official robes stepped out from the crowd, clasping his hands respectfully.
Looking at the seemingly endless army, he said, "We'll split into two groups. You take a group to raid the Qiu family's residence, and the rest of you will come with me to the Prince of Yingzhou's mansion to capture the deposed crown prince!"
Boom! A deep, rumbling thunderclap exploded in everyone's ears.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, so heavy that it seemed as if the gray sky would collapse at any moment, and the cold, gloomy atmosphere made it hard to breathe.
Before long, a fine drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky, blowing on my face with a cool breeze.
The trampling of horses' hooves and the panicked cries of passersby mingled together, creating an unseen sense of chaos and turmoil.
The wind howled, making it difficult for the wedding procession to stand, and they could barely open their eyes.
Tao Tao frowned, looking up at the sky that had changed color in the blink of an eye, a heavy feeling rising in her chest. A vague sense of foreboding crept in.
Qi Heng clearly sensed it too, and he quickly grabbed her wrist, "Xiao Tao, let's go out quickly, it looks like it's going to rain heavily."
"It wouldn't be good if you caught a cold."
She snapped out of her reverie, nodded, and smiled slightly. "Okay."
The two had just crossed the hall and stood in the front courtyard when the steward rushed in to report, "Your Highness! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"
Murong Huai Shi, who was trying to appease the guests, suddenly retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting! Today is a joyous occasion, how can you say such unlucky things!"
Lu Shuqing frowned and calmly asked, "What happened that made you so flustered? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
The steward, panting heavily, was about to speak as his fingers trembled towards the doorway when he saw the Princess Consort staring at him with wide eyes, her face filled with fear and shock.
Immediately afterwards, a group of well-trained soldiers jogged in, the air filled with the metallic clatter of soft armor against each other.
The ministers in the courtyard were still clueless about what was going on, looking completely bewildered. Just as they were about to ask, they saw that Murong Huai Shi also looked completely unaware.
"What are you doing?! Don't you know this is the Prince's residence! Today is the Crown Prince's wedding, who gave you permission to barge in like this?"
Qi Heng frowned, her eyes wary, and pulled Tao Tao behind her to protect her.
Just then, Duan Gan walked in and saw the two of them leaning so intimately together. His already cold expression became even more ferocious, and his dark eyes flashed with terrifying killing intent.
Everyone saw that Duan Gan was increasingly confused. Usually, when the Privy Council Guards were sent out, it was either to kill or to confiscate property. Could it be that the Prince's Mansion had committed some crime?
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