Uncle Qin lost his composure, stood up, looked at Qi Yu'an and said, "Stop pretending. Didn't you bring your troops here just to ascend the throne? This throne is real, and no one needs to compete with me for it!"
Qi Yuning looked up at the nearly insane Uncle Qin and said, "The Qi family has always been loyal. Unlike you, we don't covet the throne. You are a traitor and a traitor!"
Qi Yu'an and Lu Ze looked at Qi Yuning together. She was clearly persuading Qi Yu'an to seize the throne a few days ago.
Qi Yu'an ordered his men to tie up Qin Guojiu and drag him away.
Emperor Shi Yuan looked at the three young men in front of him and saw that Lu Ze had lost a lot of weight. He said with a guilty look on his face, "Get up, Ze'er. I shouldn't have distrusted you. I almost killed you."
Lu Ze helped Emperor Shi Yuan sit on the throne and said, "Grandson has never blamed grandfather."
Seeing the emaciated Emperor Shi Yuan, Lu Ze said with regret, "Grandson is a step late."
Emperor Shi Yuan saw the incense sticks in the incense burner beside him that Qi Yuning had doused with tea and said, "I have been smart all my life, but I became confused at this moment. I was blinded by power and fell for their evil scheme. I almost killed you. I am really getting old and confused."
Qi Yuning said, "Your Majesty, please don't say that. Although birth, aging, illness and death are common to all, who among the elderly doesn't want to live longer? If you use less opium in the future, you will definitely live a lot longer."
Emperor Shiyuan said: "I know my body condition well. I won't live much longer."
Queen Qin wept beside her, crying out, "My child, I was so foolish. I raised someone else's child for more than 20 years, but my own child has no remains left!"
Qi Yuning said, "Empress, your daughter is still alive, Nanny Qin is also alive, and you have seen your daughter."
Queen Qin thought for a while, then asked Qi Yuning, "Really? I've seen her? Is she still alive?"
Qi Yuning nodded and said, "Yes, she just gave birth to a son. It will be a full month in a few days. I will send her a message when I go back. I will ask her to come to Shengjing City after she is out of the confinement period."
Queen Qin hurriedly asked, "Who is it? Have I seen him before? How come I have no impression of him?"
Emperor Shi Yuan felt a pang of pain in his heart. He looked at Lu Ze and asked, "Ze'er, is Ping really the daughter of me and the Queen?"
Lu Ze nodded and said, "Madame Qin admitted it herself, so it's absolutely true. And you also know that she looks very similar to Aunt Qixia."
When Queen Qin heard it was Ah Ping, she burst into tears and said, "No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw her... I really feel guilty towards her!"
After Lu Ze consoled Emperor Shiyuan and Queen Qin, he said, "Grandfather, now we have to give the Crown Prince and the Qin family traitors, as well as Prince Ning and Prince Liao..."
When talking about the King of Liao, Lu Ze glanced at Concubine Wu.
Concubine Wu knelt hastily before Emperor Shiyuan and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Liao has no intention of rebelling. It was I who sensed something was amiss with the opium issue and encouraged him to raise an army. He has no intention of treason and is willing to remain in Liaozhou City for the rest of his life and not participate in the struggle for the imperial family. I know my son is incapable of becoming emperor. I have never considered him as emperor."
Empress Qin supported Concubine Wu and said, "Your Majesty, please spare the King of Liao for Sister Wu's sake!"
Emperor Shi Yuan saw that it was almost dawn outside and said, "Lu Ze, I appoint you as the Minister of Justice to jointly investigate the case of the Qin family's followers with the Ministry of Justice. No one in the court who is in league with the Qin family will be spared!"
"The Qin family has committed treason, disrupted the royal bloodline, attempted rebellion, murdered the princess, and colluded with Beimo. Each and every one of these is enough to..." Emperor Shi Yuan glanced at Queen Qin and said, "Exterminate all nine clans!"
Upon hearing this, Empress Qin knelt before Emperor Shiyuan and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, you are wise! However, I hope Your Majesty will spare Chong'er's life. He knows nothing about anything, and now he has been poisoned by opium. I'm afraid he won't live long. Please, Your Majesty, spare Chong'er's life."
Emperor Shi Yuan thought about Zhao Chong. After all, he was the crown prince whom he had loved for so many years. He said, "Zhao Chong drugged me with opium. I cannot forgive him lightly. However, considering that he was used by Qin Guojiu, I will confine him to the palace courtyard and never let him see the light of day!"
Lu Ze knelt down and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Emperor Shi Yuan said, "I have been deeply harmed by opium and am now terminally ill. I no longer have the energy to manage state affairs. I will appoint Lu Ze as regent. Until a crown prince is appointed, state affairs will be temporarily in your hands, Ze'er."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze sideways.
Lu Ze was obviously also shocked and said, "Grandfather, this is against the rules. We have three uncles in the court right now: Prince Xu, Prince Jin, and Prince Shou."
Emperor Shi Yuan said, "Ze'er, now the only ones I can trust are you and Yu'an. Ze'er, you don't have to refuse. Before the crown prince is decided, you will handle the court affairs for me.
Yu'an, Prince Ning is still causing trouble outside. Lead your troops to surrender him. If he is willing to surrender, spare his life."
Qi Yu'an said, "Your Majesty, I think my subordinate Zhong Ding can also go and subdue Prince Ning's troops. I still want to rush back to Beicheng as soon as possible to see Ah Ping and the child I haven't met yet."
Seeing Qi Yu'an's anxious look, Emperor Shi Yuan said, "Indeed, go to the North City and bring them here quickly. I want to see my daughter and grandson... I hope I can't even see them one last time."
Qi Yuning said firmly: "You can see it, you will definitely see it."
Emperor Shiyuan said, "Ze'er, this messed up Shengjing City is now in your hands."
Lu Ze bowed and accepted the order, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Emperor Shi Yuan relit the opium incense and said, "All of you, please leave."
Qi Yuning looked at the calmness in Emperor Shiyuan's eyes, left the Taiji Hall, and said to Lu Ze, "Your Majesty seems to no longer be obsessed with longevity."
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