Chapter 715 The Clear-headed King of Chu
Shortly after Princess Huaiyang informed the Princess of Chu about the matter, the Wu family suddenly emerged and filed a lawsuit against the deposed crown prince.
However, because the emperor cherished the father-son bond with the deposed crown prince, he delayed allowing the Dali Temple to close the case, which further confirmed the emperor's high regard for the deposed crown prince.
Therefore, the Yongchang Marquis's family went all out and killed the deposed crown prince, then framed the Wu family for the crime.
The logic is perfect, the motive is clear, only the evidence is lacking.
Just as everyone was paying close attention to the progress of the case, the people from the Yongchang Marquis's residence finally couldn't sit still any longer.
"No! I disagree!"
The King of Chu, who was summoned to discuss the plot to rebel, rejected the proposal from the Marquis of Yongchang's residence without a second thought.
"So what if the deposed crown prince and his wife died? At worst, they'll be reprimanded, fined, and flogged. At most, they'll be stripped of their titles!"
"Even if I don't become the crown prince and can't ascend the throne, I'm still a prince, and I can still live a life of luxury and wealth for the rest of my life."
"But if I listen to you, I'll end up like the deposed crown prince..."
"Ha! I'm not stupid!"
Besides, the reason why the deposed crown prince was so determined was because of the incident in Jiangnan, and also because he had been the crown prince for more than 20 years and had become obsessed with the position of crown prince and the supreme position.
What about him?
Firstly, he wasn't the mastermind behind the murder of the deposed crown prince! It was the Princess Consort of Chu, and the Yongchang Marquis's residence!
Even if he is implicated, at most he will lose his position as King of Chu.
Even if he were not the King of Chu, he would still be a prince.
When the new emperor ascends the throne, how could he not bestow a title upon him?
Secondly, although he also coveted the position of crown prince, he did not necessarily want to be the crown prince or succeed to the throne as emperor.
To be honest, it's the people around him who really want him to be in charge!
For example, his mother, his seventh sister, his Princess Consort of Chu, the Princess Consort of Chu's maternal family, the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion, and those who wanted him to ascend to the throne.
Of course, the most crucial point is the third one!
The crown prince encountered the Zhong family, who betrayed him.
Now, could the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, after successfully instigating him to rebel, turn around and betray him?
Haha, nobody can say for sure about these things!
Do you really think he's stupid?
Faced with the King of Chu's unwavering refusal, Marquis Yongchang and Lady Wen were both dumbfounded.
"You...you don't want to be emperor at all?" Lady Wen looked at King Chu in disbelief. "If we succeed, you will be emperor!"
The King of Chu pursed his lips. "Grandmother, how come you've become so naive?"
Throughout history, how many people have successfully plotted rebellion?
"I'm not one of those people favored by heaven; I don't have that kind of good luck!"
Hearing the King of Chu's words, Lady Wen said angrily, "How can you not be a person favored by heaven? You are the Empress's eldest son, with the Yongchang Marquis's mansion as your backing, your mother managing things for you, and your seventh sister making many connections and gathering a lot of influence for you."
"There were rumors circulating in the palace before that His Majesty's health was deteriorating."
"With such favorable timing, location, and people, why don't you dare to take a gamble?"
Marquis Yongchang echoed, "Ming'er, your maternal grandmother is right."
"We only brought it up with you because we were absolutely certain of success."
The King of Chu rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Is there anything in this world that is absolutely guaranteed to succeed?"
"When the deposed crown prince raised an army, wasn't he just as confident?"
"But what was the result?"
"hehe!"
The body is now completely cold, still kept in an ice coffin, and hasn't been laid to rest for several months!
Just thinking about it makes him want to shed a tear for his "elder brother, the crown prince".
Upon hearing this, the ambitious Lady Wen was so enraged that she nearly fainted. Pointing at the King of Chu with exasperation, she cursed, "You spineless wretch!"
"Can we be compared to the deposed crown prince of the past?"
"He's plotting to usurp the throne!"
"We are only asking His Majesty, whose health is failing, to appoint you as Crown Prince for the sake of the Great Yan dynasty!"
The King of Chu pursed his lips, and then, not satisfied with that, rolled his eyes.
"To contact court officials, lead troops into the palace, and force the emperor to establish a crown prince—isn't this treason?"
"No matter how high-sounding your words are, they cannot change the fact that you want to force the emperor to abdicate and rebel!"
This time, Madam Wen was truly enraged. "You, you...you scoundrel! Who are we doing this for?"
Madam Wen was so angry that her chest heaved violently as she gasped for breath and pounded her chest.
Marquis Yongchang was so frightened that he quickly stepped forward to pat the old lady's back to help her catch her breath, while glaring at King Chu with annoyance, "Look how angry your grandmother has made you!"
"We're doing all this for your own good!"
"If the case of deposing the crown prince is settled, your hopes of regaining the throne will be slim!"
"So what if the hope is slim? Who cares?"
The King of Chu had truly given up, and then added infuriatingly, "You say it's for my own good, but aren't you just afraid that the Court of Judicial Review will find evidence that you plotted to depose the crown prince? That's why you're so eager to instigate me to ascend the throne."
"You say it's for my sake, but isn't it all just to protect your power and status!"
Upon hearing this, Lady Wen stared at the King of Chu, speechless, "You, you..."
Before she could utter a word, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
"Mother? Mother!" Marquis Yongchang cried out in alarm, supporting the woman. This time, he couldn't care less about the King of Chu and hurriedly shouted towards the outside, "Someone come here! Quickly, fetch a doctor! Quickly, fetch the imperial physician!"
The room quickly descended into chaos.
The King of Chu awkwardly touched his nose, craned his neck to take a look, and seeing that there was no major problem, quietly left the house.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Wenxi and her daughter, who had come after hearing the news, as soon as they stepped out.
Before Wenxi could pull the King of Chu aside to ask what had happened, the King of Chu preemptively said, "My maternal grandmother is unwell. You should stay and take care of her. I have other matters to attend to, so I will return to the manor first."
After saying that, he took off running.
After leaving the gates of the Yongchang Marquis's residence, the King of Chu patted his chest with a look of lingering fear.
How terrifying!
The Yongchang Marquis's mansion actually wants to force him to follow in his elder brother's footsteps!
The King of Chu mounted his horse and galloped straight to the residence of Princess Huaiyang.
***
Just as the Yongchang Marquis's mansion was restlessly urging the King of Chu to take a desperate gamble, the King of Qi was also having a private conversation with his wife in Consort Liu's palace.
"My son did a great job this time!"
Consort Liu praised with satisfaction: "However, we still need to put in more effort to confirm that the Chu Prince's Mansion and the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion conspired to murder the deposed crown prince."
King Qi smiled and said, “Mother, you can rest assured. I can use my family to coerce the people around Li Sanqi into talking, and I can use the same method to make the people around Princess Chu and Granny Wen talk.”
"Keep it discreet, don't let anyone know it was us," Liu Jieyu reminded him.
"Don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing."
The Prince of Qi responded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Mother, why didn't you drag Li Sanqi into this when the maid turned herself in?"
"It's just a matter of saying it in a different way."
If it were Li Sanqi who seduced the Princess of Chu, wouldn't it be possible to drag Li Sanqi down with her as well?
Guessing her son's thoughts, Consort Liu slowly shook her head. "Our primary target is the King of Chu."
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