After the turmoil, blood flowed like a river outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Wei Qinglou, along with Prince Cheng and Prince Ke, entered the palace and saw the emaciated emperor lying on the bed.
In just over a month, he had become extremely thin and emaciated.
After a moment of stunned silence, Prince Cheng prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
The eunuch serving nearby turned around and lit the candles, instantly illuminating the vast Hall of Mental Cultivation as bright as day, which made Prince Cheng weep even more bitterly.
The emperor glanced at him, then ignored him and beckoned Wei Qinglou to come forward.
Wei Qinglou knelt before his bed, bowing his head to listen as he said, "Crown Prince..."
"The Crown Prince has committed suicide." Wei Qinglou suppressed his shock and grief, lowering his head even further as he answered.
The emperor closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Of his sons, the virtuous prince was mediocre, the Kang prince was fond of pleasure, and the Ying prince only loved leading troops into battle. Only the Cheng prince and the Ke prince were decent.
However, Prince Cheng was too calculating; he might be a good minister, but not necessarily a good emperor.
After much thought, only Prince Ke could be the answer...
Prince Ke is benevolent, virtuous, and values loyalty. If he were to succeed to the throne, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would be preserved, and Yan He would not be overlooked but would be given important responsibilities. In this way, when he passes away, he would have the face to give an account to the old Duke.
"I... don't have much time left. Go get pen and ink. I want to... establish Prince Ke..." He coughed heavily a few times, but ultimately had no strength left to continue.
Prince Cheng, who was kneeling on the ground, had stopped crying, but after being glanced at by Prince Ke, he began to cover his face and weep again.
The eunuch quickly brought over a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The emperor forced himself to sit up and wrote the imperial edict establishing the heir apparent.
He was already very weak and needed help to get up and lie down, but the characters on the Xuan paper were still vigorous and powerful, with a smooth and flowing style, showing no signs of being written by an old man who was about to die.
Prince Ke knelt before the bed, silently gazing at the flickering candlelight on the floor.
Unlike Prince Cheng, he had no interest in that position. He didn't even have any fatherly affection for the emperor. He was only there for his wife and to fulfill the proper etiquette between ruler and subject.
The crown prince usurped the throne, and the emperor was trapped. As a subject, he could not stand idly by.
But apart from that, he had no other thoughts. So even when the emperor said he would make him crown prince, he felt no gratitude or excitement. He did not want to cry, nor did he want to express his thanks; he simply knelt quietly.
The emperor turned his head and stared at him for a long time, but he never met his gaze. He couldn't help but smile sadly: "In the end, you hate me."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ke finally stammered, "Your subject dares not."
The emperor gazed indifferently at the top of the tent, reflecting on his life and the many mistakes he had made. He had favored his concubines, and in the end, their son, the crown prince, forced him to drink a life-destroying poison, intending to seize power. In order to consolidate his military power, he forced Consort Xian into the palace, and she was murdered by his concubines, which he turned a blind eye to and never sought justice for her. Yet, her son ultimately became the only person he could entrust with the ancestral legacy.
But in his life, he also quelled the Turks, conquered the Qi state, built water conservancy projects, and promoted Confucianism...
"So be it. The Gu family's empire will eventually be handed over to you. As for me, I am a dying man. Whether you hate me or not is no longer important." Tears welled up in his cloudy eyes. "In my life, I have wronged many people, but only... I have not wronged my ancestors, nor... the nation."
After he finished speaking, the north wind outside the window blew into the room with great force, extinguishing the candles inside. In the quiet drowsiness, the emperor, whose life force had run out, finally closed his eyes.
As dawn broke, the entire city of Yujing was shrouded in a hazy, dim morning light. Outside the city, as in previous years, the mountains were shaded by horizontal branches and sparse twigs; the water was filled with mist and clouds, and the frost was thick and hazy.
Inside Yujing City, the usual hustle and bustle had given way to extreme silence. In this silence, some mourned the death of the emperor, some sighed at the bleak future, and some even concealed joy beneath their calm.
For example, Liu Manzi outside Ning Mansion.
As the palace bells tolled, he instantly knew that the Crown Prince's plan had likely succeeded. General Liu, who had been hesitant to act due to the princess's obstruction, regained his imposing and domineering demeanor. He grinned almost menacingly, saying, "Princess, I've given you one night. Now I'll ask you one more time: will you retreat or not?"
Sitting in the carriage, Gu Jinshu began to feel uneasy after waiting all night.
Has Wei Qinglou really lost?
That shouldn't be the case. He had the upper hand this time, and besides, someone as smart as him, how could he lose?
But if they hadn't lost, why hadn't anyone come for so long?
Is she really going to stay here and die with Zhu Jiayu?
“If the princess remains silent, I will take that as consent to stay here. In that case—”
"Vermilion Bird Guards, heed my command! Capture all the rebel forces of the Black Tortoise Guards!"
The familiar voice rang out like a thunderclap from a clear sky, filling everyone's ears with joy. Gu Jinshu raised her hand to lift the brocade curtain, but then stopped abruptly.
A moment later, she instructed the maid beside her, "Tell them all to go back. The Ning family will be fine now. I should go to the palace."
Her grandfather had passed away, so she had to go to the palace to keep her grandmother company.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Lin Zhi recalled the pair of wild geese that had vanished from his courtyard, and the goose bones that had been placed in a brocade box and delivered to his residence. He ground his back teeth, but ultimately wisely chose to gracefully withdraw after achieving his goal. He nodded to Zhu Jiayu and then rode away.
Song Jiangmei sat in the carriage, smiled at Zhu Jiayu, and instructed the driver to drive back to the mansion.
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