Since the death of the late Empress, the Emperor has been in deep grief and often feels that his health is getting worse day by day.
Finally, one month after the Guo Heng case, an imperial decree was issued to let the crown prince govern the country.
Xia Yu remembered that Shen Yuyao had told him that the emperor was now trying every possible means to pave the way for the prince to inherit the throne.
Even his strategy of frantically killing corrupt officials was ostensibly to win the hearts of the people and consolidate imperial power, but in reality it was to clear all obstacles for the crown prince to succeed to the throne.
The previous dynasty fell because corrupt officials emptied the national treasury and the new successor was unable to fully control the court.
In order to avoid the tragedy of the previous dynasty from happening again, the emperor decided to take action himself and, in the name of anti-corruption, eliminate some officials who posed a potential threat to the prince.
He even ordered the beheading of an official in the court, and used a pot of plants as an analogy, telling the prince that this was precisely to help the prince remove the thorns on the road.
At the same time, the emperor also explicitly and implicitly stated in front of all civil and military officials that no one should become a thorn in the prince's path to succession, otherwise it would be a dead end.
Of course, this also includes all other princes and grandchildren of the emperor!
Looking at the prince who was walking up the stairs with his head down, Xia Yu couldn't help but reveal a sarcastic smile on his face.
He thought to himself that although the emperor had made so many plans for the prince, the prince did not agree with them deep down in his heart.
Because in the prince's heart, "benevolent government" has always been the priority.
He believed that a founding monarch could be cruel and brutal, but a king who maintained the status quo must be kind and benevolent!
When the prince governed the country, all the civil and military officials could see that he had his own methods.
However, these methods of the prince are actually completely contrary to the current emperor's way of governing the country.
One day during court, the crown prince even contradicted the emperor by saying, "Even during the time of Yao and Shun, they didn't kill their ministers, yet they were still able to govern the country in an orderly manner."
The emperor was so angry that he scolded the prince, saying, "Wait until I die and you become emperor, and then you can deal with it!"
The kind and benevolent prince and the cruel and suspicious emperor are like water and fire.
It just so happened that the Guo Heng case broke out at this time, and Ning Wang Xia Yu, the commander of the Black Dragon Guard, just became the fish that was washed in water and then roasted on the fire!
Now the fish is cooked.
Of course we have to share it and eat it.
Xia Yu pursed his lips slightly. Now he was just a chess piece in the game between the emperor and the prince.
Be ready to be abandoned at any time!
The prince walked very slowly.
When he reached the last step, he looked up at the civil and military officials standing together and frowned.
He turned around and looked at King Jin, King Qin and Xia Yu again, and his expression returned to normal.
The prince paused for a moment, then walked to Xia Yu's side and said to him, "Fourth brother, are you finally willing to attend court today?"
Xia Yu smiled slightly, nodded and said: "If you can avoid the first day, you can't avoid the fifteenth."
A subtle glint of anger suddenly flashed across the Crown Prince's eyes. He asked Xia Yu in a cold voice, "It seems my fourth brother is determined to insist on preferring injustice to letting people off the hook?"
"It is better to be unjust than to let him go" was the closing words of Xia Yu when he reported on the Guo Heng case.
Xia Yu knew that he had complied with his father's wishes, but had lost his brother's heart.
When all the civil and military officials heard this, they all understood that the prince's accusation against Xia Yu was directly related to the Guo Heng case.
For a moment, outside the hall, civil and military officials began to whisper.
Gradually it started to become noisy.
"The Black Dragon Guards are cruel and tyrannical, and should have been disbanded long ago."
"Yes, the Black Dragon Guards have made everyone in constant fear."
"No one wants to enter the officialdom these days. It's all because of these damn Black Dragon Guards."
“…”
The officials seemed to be in an uproar, and their eyes looking at Xia Yu were all full of resentment.
Although Xia Yu knew that he was in a difficult situation, his brother the Crown Prince, who had written a letter to comfort him yesterday, actually went back and questioned him in public in front of all the civil and military officials.
Even the prince made his attitude clear in front of all the officials, saying that he completely disagreed with what Xia Yu did.
All the civil and military officials suddenly looked at Xia Yu with even more resentment.
If looks could kill, Xia Yu would be suffering the death by slicing at this moment.
This is the prince whom Xia Yu has always respected the most.
When he was caught off guard, he suddenly attacked.
For a moment, Xia Yu was a little at a loss.
But the prince is the king and he is the minister.
Xia Yu must answer the prince's question!
Since the prince asked in public.
Then he would answer in public!
He raised his hand and arched his hand. His voice was not loud, but it was very firm. "Your Highness, I understand that I would rather have one family cry than all the people cry. I would rather have all the officials cry than the people cry!"
Xia Yu's loud answer made the prince's face change instantly.
Xia Yu was also very clear in his mind about his own answer.
Today, it will definitely arouse the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people.
As if to suit the occasion, a dark cloud suddenly floated over the hall.
Several thunders exploded on the hillside outside the city.
The officials present were so excited that they couldn't even wait to go to the palace to impeach Xia Yu before the emperor.
Instead, they all turned around and walked towards the Meridian Gate, and then all knelt outside the Meridian Gate. They demanded that the emperor abolish the Black Dragon Guard and punish the Black Dragon Guard's commander, Ning Wang Xia Yu!
Xia Yu could even hear the civil and military officials outside the Meridian Gate shouting, "We swear we will not share the world with cruel officials!"
There was no look of fear on his face at this moment, but instead a look of complete relief.
Xia Yu looked up at a lone wild goose flying over the hall and sighed, "I won't go to hell."
......
Seven days later, the emperor issued an edict to arrest Prince Ning and disband the Black Dragon Guard.
Even another imperial decree was issued immediately afterwards, and Prince Ning Xia Yu was demoted to a commoner, and the Prince Ning's Mansion in Kyoto was closed!
The Ning Wang's wife and all of Ning Wang's children were expelled from Ning Wang's mansion.
When the news came out, the government and the public were shocked.
People were talking about this on the streets, in teahouses and taverns.
"If you ask me, it's Prince Ning who deserves it! Who made him use chicken feathers as a token of authority? And killed so many officials?"
"Alas, you only know one side of the story, how can you know the other? This Prince Ning is really frustrated. He doesn't want to be the leader of the Black Dragon Guard at all."
"Right! Anyone with common sense knows that being the leader of the Black Dragon Guard is a thankless job. Not only is it easy to offend people, but if you don't do it well, you will offend the Emperor!"
"If you ask me, it's the Crown Prince who is kind-hearted and benevolent. He brings his brothers to kneel and plead for Prince Ning every day."
"The Crown Prince is indeed kind and righteous, but his son watched Prince Ning fall into the water and threw stones into it!"
"The Crown Prince's second son? How could a child of only ten years old harm Prince Ning?"
"Although this child was less than ten years old, when the emperor hesitated, it was his words that completely demoted Prince Ning to a commoner..."
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