Chapter 86 Rightly
In the distance, Chu Siheng's personal bodyguard was whispering to the person beside him:
"What did His Majesty say to Du Feng? Look at Du Feng's expression, why has he become so frantic?"
Chu Siheng gave a cold laugh, thinking to himself, "They've probably used another divisive tactic."
General Du Yu was a man of great military achievements and renowned reputation.
His life was almost spotless.
If Chu Huaiyu wanted to take action against him, it would be very difficult to find out anything from the outside.
Therefore, the best and simplest method is to turn the father and son against each other and dismantle the Du family from within!
Chu Huaiyu will definitely promise to spare Du Feng's life if Du Feng is willing to reveal all of Du Yu's "evil deeds".
However, once Du Feng reveals everything and Du Yu is executed, Chu Huaiyu will immediately tell Du Feng the truth.
At that point, Du Feng will definitely be unable to accept the truth, and in his breakdown and guilt, he may choose to atone with his death.
Such methods are truly insidious and ruthless...
Truly worthy of being called Chu Huaiyu...
The Du family's rebellion was quickly suppressed with lightning speed.
Chu Huaiyu's expression remained unchanged, as if the assassination attempt had never occurred.
He continued to lead the princes and ministers to complete the ancestral worship ceremony.
But no one expected that an accident would happen again during the crucial part of the sacrificial ceremony.
Countless white silk ribbons drifted down from who-knows-where, falling like snowflakes.
The various crimes of Chu Huaiyu were clearly written on it.
"Murdering his elder brother, usurping the throne, and seizing his elder brother's wife..."
Each and every one of these incidents is too numerous to recount; they are all horrifying!
The princes and ministers caught the silk cloth, and after seeing what it said, they were all so frightened that they threw the cloth on the ground.
They all lowered their heads, looking down at their noses and focusing on their own thoughts, not daring to even breathe.
Such incidents happening one after another at today's ancestral worship ceremony are truly an ominous sign!
They dared not voice any objections openly, but inwardly they were seething with turmoil and muttering to themselves.
Chu Huaiyu picked up the silk cloth at his feet. After he saw what was written on the cloth, his eyes gradually darkened, like a bottomless, cold pool.
He suddenly raised his head, glanced coldly in a certain direction among the officials, and then expressionlessly threw the silk cloth in his hand on the ground.
He said in a deep voice, "Eunuch Wei, collect all the silk cloth, throw it into the bronze container, and burn it as a sacrifice to Heaven."
"Yes." Eunuch Wei was filled with surprise, not understanding Chu Huaiyu's intentions.
Burning such things that slander the emperor for our ancestors would be utterly rebellious.
But since His Majesty had spoken, he dared not ask any more questions.
He quickly led his guards to collect the scattered silk fabrics and put them into the bronze vessel used for the sacrificial ceremony.
Chu Huaiyu stood on the high platform, wearing a nine-tassel crown, holding a bundle of incense, and gazing firmly at the sky.
He declared in a loud voice: "Since ascending the throne, I have worked diligently to govern the country, following the will of Heaven and conforming to the wishes of the people."
However, the officials in the court and the common people still harbor disloyalty towards me, which keeps me awake at night and makes me feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles.
I now beseech Heaven and my ancestors to decide: if I am unworthy of the throne, all the people of the world may replace me! If I am the popular choice, then I beseech Heaven to retract these dissenting opinions!
After saying this, he solemnly inserted the incense into the incense burner, then knelt down on both knees and respectfully kowtowed three times to Heaven and the ancestral tablets.
Seeing this, the princes and ministers followed suit, kneeling behind him and kowtowing.
However, everyone was filled with doubts. Chu Huaiyu said that he wanted to ask Heaven to withdraw its dissent, but how could Heaven withdraw its "will"?
Just as everyone was puzzled, a raging flame suddenly burst forth from the bronze container holding the silk cloth.
The flames spread rapidly, engulfing all the silk fabric and quickly reducing it to ashes.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the container belching flames.
How could the silk cloth inside suddenly spontaneously combust when no one was there to light it?
Could it be... that this is truly fate?
Is it Heaven's will to vindicate His Majesty, which is why those dissenting opinions have been withdrawn?
After everyone realized what was happening, they quickly knelt down again.
They shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
After Chu Huaiyu "thanked" Heaven for clearing his name, he announced the end of this tortuous ancestral worship ceremony.
He rushed back to the palace without stopping, and as soon as he arrived, he immediately gave instructions on two important matters.
First, summon the imperial physician to immediately go to Consort Chen's palace to examine and treat Lu Zhaoxue's condition.
Secondly, an imperial edict was issued to depose Du Xianyue from her position as empress and banish her to the cold palace.
The storm may have subsided, but the undercurrents deep within the palace have never ceased to surge...
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