Chapter 289
"Duan Gan, how...how dare you do this?! This is utterly outrageous!"
"You are lawless! Relying on the Emperor's favor, you actually dared to kill someone in public in the court!"
"In my opinion, you are the one with ulterior motives!"
"You must have used some trick to sow discord between the Crown Prince and the Emperor, which is why the Crown Prince did such a wrong thing!"
These veteran officials glared angrily and pointed at Duan Gan, who was standing in front of the throne, hurling insults at him.
Duan Gan's face was indifferent, his eyes were icy, and he slowly scanned the old ministers who were shouting at him. Crimson blood flowed from the gleaming sword in his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, the chilling light reflected in their eyes, instantly causing the speaker to shut his mouth.
Only a few old fogies are still shouting incessantly.
But when the Privy Council's guards brought their families before them, their expressions of shock and fear, and their furious gazes toward Duan Gan as if they wanted to devour his flesh and blood, were astonishing.
"Father! Save me!"
"Grandpa!... Waaah... It hurts so much!"
"My husband! Ahh!"
The screams of women and the cries of children mingled together, echoing throughout the hall in a shrill and terrifying manner.
"You beast! You're a heartless beast!"
"How could such a cold-blooded and heartless person like you appear in a noble family!"
The man raised an eyebrow slightly, staring at the crowd below. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, and his dark eyes, gleaming with an icy light, turned slightly, landing on the women and children.
Upon seeing this, Chen Jinghe immediately stepped forward, drew his sword from his waist, and held it to the woman's neck.
A chill ran down her neck and into her heart, causing her to tremble uncontrollably. She collapsed to the ground with a thud, tears streaming down her face.
"Husband! Husband! Save me!"
"Father, save Mother! Father..."
"Grandma! Let go of my grandma... Waaah... You're all bad people! You're all bad people."
The Minister of Rites immediately turned ashen-faced, broke out in a cold sweat, stared wide-eyed at everything, his limbs went cold, and he was at a loss for what to do.
With heavy steps, he staggered and knelt before Duan Gan, hoarsely crying out, "Lord Duan! Lord Duan and the others are innocent! They are all innocent!"
"Please, Lord Duan, spare their lives! This old minister is willing to pay with his life!"
The man glanced down at the disheveled Minister of Rites at his feet, his tone indifferent.
"Your Excellency, you misunderstand. I have no intention of making things difficult for you. Their lives depend on you. As long as you are willing to obey and serve the Celestial Dynasty and me faithfully, they will be safe and sound."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites showed only a hint of hesitation on his face, while an even sharper cry erupted from below.
Terrified, he kowtowed and prostrated himself on the ground, shouting, "This old minister is willing to serve Lord Duan with utmost loyalty and follow Lord Duan's lead!"
How could you possibly submit to this traitor!?
"Have you forgotten who you are supposed to serve?!"
"He is a treacherous and disloyal traitor!"
Each question pierced his fragile, wildly beating heart like a sharp blade, causing blood to rush uncontrollably to his temples, making him dizzy.
These hypocritical scoundrels, spouting platitudes about morality and righteousness, would probably be no better off in this situation than I am.
Sure enough, when the sword was pointed at their family members, they immediately knelt on the ground, their ugly faces even worse than those of the Minister of Rites.
"Please, Lord Duan, show leniency!"
"We are willing to serve Lord Duan with utmost loyalty and follow his lead!"
Duan Gan looked at the people kneeling on the ground, a satisfied smile playing on his lips, and then looked at Gao Liangui sitting to the side.
Gao Liangui glanced at him discreetly, then slowly stepped forward and shouted, "His Majesty has decreed that all ministers should heed the decree."
Imperial edict?
The group exchanged glances, all seeing the doubt in each other's eyes regarding the imperial edict.
His Majesty is seriously ill, and we don't even know if this imperial edict is real or fake. But even if it is fake, his family is in Duan Gan's hands, and the Privy Council and the Imperial Guards obey his orders.
Do they have a chance to disobey?
"I am well aware that my days are numbered and I have no intention of governing the country. From this day forward, I abdicate the throne to Qi Xi. I hereby appoint Duan Gan, the Grand Councilor, as Prince Regent and concurrently Right Chancellor, to assist the young emperor in governing the country."
"All ministers, both inside and outside the court, shall obey Duan Gan's orders. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy. This is the imperial decree!"
Gao Liangui put away the imperial edict and turned around to respectfully hand it to Duan Gan.
At this moment, there was an uproar below, with faces full of doubt, but after the terrible scene just now, no one dared to stand up and say anything.
Furthermore, they thought Duan Gan would directly reveal his wolfish ambitions and plot to usurp the throne, but they never expected the imperial edict to be so unexpected.
At that moment, Consort Liu led the young prince Qi Xi through the main gate.
"Your subject Duan Gan greets Your Majesty."
Duan Gan was the first to bow and acknowledge Qi Xi's status as emperor.
Since he has already admitted it, they have no reason to object.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!"
This was the first time Qi Xi had encountered such a situation. Her eyes widened in shock, a mixture of fear and immense excitement.
Consort Liu noticed her son's agitated state, looked down at him, squeezed his hand, and comforted him, "It's alright, Xi'er."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qi Xi carefully sat on the throne, feeling the homage of the ministers.
This does not include the section of stem, of course.
Qi Xi cautiously glanced at the tall figure to the side, wondering why he wasn't kneeling. Then he remembered his mother's instructions to him before he came in: never offend Duan Gan, no matter who you offend.
At this time, he was not powerful enough and needed Duan Gan's abilities and troops to secure his throne.
Therefore, he can be dissatisfied with everyone, but he cannot be disrespectful to Duan Gan, otherwise everything he owns will disappear.
Duan Gan noticed the curious gazes behind him, turned his head to look, and saw Qi Xi shrinking his neck, looking timid and afraid of trouble. He silently scoffed.
Upon returning to the Privy Council, Duan Gan was greeted by a parrot with a long tail flying towards him.
"Gah! Beautiful lady! A letter, a letter has been delivered."
He reached out, and Asu landed steadily on his arm, tilting her head to groom her fur with her mouth.
He picked up the note from beside its feet and saw that his pale pink lips unconsciously curved slightly, his eyes filled with tenderness. Looking at the crooked handwriting, he felt a surge of heat in his heart.
It felt as if it had been filled with something, and the emptiness of the past was gone.
This feeling of being remembered made him reluctant to leave.
He couldn't wait to see her.
Night falls, and the stars twinkle.
Tao Tao stood behind the screen, untied her belt, and took off her outer garment.
Just as she was about to unbutton her inner garment, she suddenly felt as if someone was standing outside watching her, their gaze burning, and it felt uncomfortable against her skin through the semi-transparent screen.
She frowned, but didn't make a sound. She picked up the dagger from her coat, took it out gently, and slowed her pace as she walked outside.
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