Chapter 129 Chapter 129 is the only genuine version...
Gu Zhizhuo put the silver needle back into the interlayer of his sleeve pocket while flicking his sleeve.
Silently.
"Let me go!"
The emperor pushed Xie Yingchen away.
Xie Yingchen let go and said insincerely, "Be careful."
The emperor pointed at Gu Zhizhuo angrily and said, "Someone come here!"
Prince Li was breathing heavily, pulling the emperor's finger and pointing it at himself.
His chest heaved, redirecting the emperor's anger back at himself. "If you want to kill me, then go ahead. When the late emperor appointed me clan leader, he instructed me to take good care of the descendants of the Xie family. I have obeyed the late emperor's orders and have never dared to slack off over the years. Allowing a son of an illegitimate child to rule the Eastern Palace, for the descendants of the Xie family to serve a son of an illegitimate child as their master, and for the entire world to bow down at the feet of a son of an illegitimate child—it's absolutely impossible! If you insist on doing this, I would rather die to comfort the late emperor's spirit in heaven."
"Your Majesty, please think twice."
Prime Minister Song was the first to kneel down, and the others also knelt on the ground, even the Duke of Wei and the Prince of Jin were no exception.
In the whole hall, a group of people knelt down in a black crowd.
Whether it was because of justice, etiquette, or their own hidden thoughts, they were unwilling to decide the position of crown prince so hastily.
"Your Majesty, please revoke your order!"
Everyone shouted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the entire hall.
The eunuchs and palace maids had already become numb from kneeling, with their heads drooping lower and lower. They could hardly save their own lives, so how could they care about who would be the crown prince?
The eldest prince and his companions entered quietly and knelt at the end.
"One, two, three..." Gu Zhizhuo counted silently in his heart.
"Okay, okay."
The emperor was furious. Ruo'er was dead, and he just wanted to bury her with honor. Why did everyone come to disobey him?!
When the emperor thought of Ruo'er dying in his arms, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife and it hurt so much.
It was he who went to Jiangnan to pick up the bride.
If only he had the guts to disobey his father and not let her marry into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Why would he let her go? He liked her so much... Wait, he couldn't seem to remember when he'd first fallen for Ruo'er.
The emperor rubbed his eyebrows. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t remember. Ru’er treated him wholeheartedly, and now, she was dead.
It’s all because of them!
The emperor pointed at them one by one, his fingers shaking, and finally settled on Prince Li. "Drag..."
He shook his head drowsily and swayed his body from side to side as if he was drunk.
"Drag it down..."
The scene in front of me is foggy.
His eyesight was not very good and he could not see clearly from time to time. He did not care and rubbed his eyes with his sleeves. However, the black shadow did not disappear. Not only that, his head felt as if a stone was weighing on it, heavy.
"Beat him to death."
Gu Zhizhuo: "Nine, ten..."
The emperor's legs gave way and he fell headfirst.
"Your Majesty!" Li Deshun exclaimed and rushed over, catching him with his body, and the two men fell into a ball.
The back of Li Deshun's head hit the ground and blood kept dripping. He struggled to get up and support the emperor, but no matter how he pulled, there was no response.
The emperor lay unconscious on the ground. Li Deshun was terrified and blurted out, "Your Majesty?"
Prime Minister Song crawled forward on his knees and carefully checked his breathing.
Still breathing.
Having just experienced Prince Li's rage-induced stroke, Prime Minister Song's first thought was - could the emperor have had a stroke?!
Prime Minister Song shouted loudly: "Imperial Physician!!"
The imperial doctors came crawling over, and they quickly felt the patient's pulse and gave him acupuncture.
Gu Zhizhuo felt a burning sensation in her chest. She swallowed the fishy sweetness in her mouth, thinking that she had not revealed anything unusual. The next moment, Xie Yingchen pinched her hand.
Gu Zhizhuo scratched his palm, signaling he was fine. The injection had merely accelerated the churning of his blood and qi, causing him to faint from rage. The emperor was already in a state of rage, so even his pulse wouldn't be able to detect any clues.
Xie Yingchen led her out of the crowded crowd and asked someone to help Prince Li out as well.
Prince Li's face turned pale and blue, with mixed emotions.
The moment the emperor leaned over, he felt a sense of relief and relief in his heart.
Huazhang Palace was in a mess, with constant rustling sounds.
The ministers who arrived one after another looked at each other in confusion and asked around.
Xie Yingchen watched the imperial physician perform acupuncture and said meaningfully, "Uncle, the emperor is ill."
"Yes, the emperor is ill." Prince Li didn't understand at first and repeated it in a heavy voice, but then he had an idea and turned to look at Xie Yingchen.
Xie Yingchen met his gaze calmly and said, "When you are sick, you should rest well and stop working hard."
Prince Li was silent for a long time. He understood what Xie Yingchen meant. However, being disappointed in the emperor was one thing, but betraying him was another.
"Your Highness," Gu Zhizhuo said with a faint smile, as if chatting casually, "I originally wanted to buy some Taihu stones today, but the shopkeeper said they were closing the shop and even sold me their treasured rockery, owned by the Shang family. The Shang family is truly extraordinary. I love that rockery so much. It's the Zhengmu Pavilion in East City. Have you heard of it? It's an old shop."
"Remember."
In the last years of the previous dynasty, warlords fought for power. Before Emperor Taizu conquered the capital, it had already passed through the hands of five or six different people, leaving it in a state of deep desolation. Later, Emperor Taizu personally wrote to several prominent merchants, urging them to open shops in the capital and guaranteeing their safety. Wu Dadongjia, the owner of Zhengmu Pavilion, was one of these merchants, and he now owns nearly a hundred shops in the capital.
Masamukaku is one of them.
Prince Li was surprised and asked, "Is Zhengmu Pavilion going to close?"
Gu Zhizhuo sighed softly, "Master Wu is afraid that the next step will be like the last years of the previous dynasty, with wars and chaos everywhere."
Prince Li was stunned and opened his mouth.
The emperor was not a gifted monarch, and was completely different from the deposed crown prince. During his six years in power, he failed to continue the prosperity brought by the previous emperor, but instead caused Daqi to decline.
Otherwise, Mr. Wu would not have given up because of Ji.
These big businessmen were the best at judging the situation and they saw the signs of decline.
The previous dynasty had a reign of over two hundred years, like a giant lion, slowly dying. Meanwhile, Daqi had only seen three generations of kings, and its fall would only take a moment.
Gu Zhizhuo stopped there and she smiled: "Be careful not to overwork yourself. If you fall ill again, it will be difficult to save you."
Prince Li's expression kept changing. After a few breaths, he sighed deeply, with a look of determination in his eyes, and walked over slowly.
"How is the emperor?"
After the imperial physician finished a set of acupuncture, he heard the voice and said, "I have already treated the emperor. You can move to the inner hall first. We will consult with the emperor later."
Prince Li ordered the eunuchs to carry the emperor inside. Li Deshun followed suit, but before he could regain his balance, he fell again, leaving a bloody mess on the floor. Prince Li ordered him to be taken away for the imperial physician to bandage his wounds. He then said, "Chen'er, Prince Jin, Duke Wei, and Prime Minister Song, the rest of you come in with me. The rest of you will remain outside; the emperor needs to rest."
Prince Li is the oldest of the late emperor's surviving brothers and is also the head of the clan. He has always been fair and strict, and his words carry considerable weight among the clan members.
Ji Nan Ke was standing in the corner. When she heard what was happening and saw that Xie Jing had not returned yet, she clutched her handkerchief anxiously.
The eldest prince hesitated for a moment and did not dare to follow in.
The eunuchs carefully placed the emperor in a stable position, and the imperial physician was kneeling down to take his pulse again.
Prince Li asked, "Did the Emperor have a stroke?"
"It's anger..."
"A stroke caused by anger? I understand."
Prince Li's fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down as he spoke. He sighed, "I too had a stroke. The imperial physician said at the time that one must rest well after a stroke and must not become stressed or angry again."
"The Emperor has been really stressed out recently, experiencing both joy and sorrow. No wonder he's so sick at such a young age."
Forehead?
Prime Minister Song and others all looked at him.
Xie Yingchen echoed appropriately, "My great-uncle is right. The emperor cannot work any longer. It is important to take care of his health."
The imperial physician was trembling and could hardly feel the patient's pulse.
Prime Minister Song was very insightful. He stroked his beard and was the first to respond, "No wonder the emperor was talking nonsense just now. Prince Jin, what do you think?"
It was rare for the Prince of Jin to agree with Prime Minister Song. He nodded in sudden realization, "So that's how it is. The Emperor has had a stroke. I heard that people with a stroke can become confused. It's my fault for not being considerate enough."
Changfeng Zhenren said that Ji's sudden death only deepened the emperor's obsession. Judging from the situation, if he insists on making a son born out of wedlock the crown prince, no one will be able to stop him.
Prince Jin has already decided to support the Third Prince, so how could he accept a crown prince suddenly appearing out of nowhere?
The emperor should take a rest first and we can talk about it after three months.
It's really unbearable to be so crazy.
"Your Majesty." Duke Weiguo wiped his tears and cried uncontrollably.
The emperor's fingers were shaking madly at his side. He could hear what they were saying, but his body felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on it, and he couldn't move.
I didn't have a stroke!
No!
Duke Weiguo noticed a slight movement under the brocade quilt. He considerately pulled the quilt for the emperor and said with a sob, "Your Majesty, you must rest well and get better soon, only then can we rest assured." As he spoke, tears kept falling and dripped onto the brocade quilt.
The emperor tried desperately to open his eyes and wanted to drag Prince Li, the traitor, away and beat him to death.
"Oh, right." Prince Li narrowed his eyes and asked, "Chief Imperial Physician, what did you just say was the Emperor's illness?"
The imperial physician's heart was beating faster, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.
"You must not make the wrong judgment. You failed to save the Imperial Concubine. Does the Emperor want you to be buried alive?"
Living martyrdom!
The fear in the imperial physician's heart continued to emerge.
"Father!"
After Xie Jing went to Wenyuan Pavilion to call the cabinet, he also went to Fengluan Palace and came back a step late.
As soon as he stepped into Hanzhang Palace, he heard that the emperor had fainted and immediately rushed in.
He rushed to the emperor's bed, looked at the emperor who was breathing weakly, and asked anxiously: "Imperial Physician, how is father? Tell me quickly!"
They didn't make a misdiagnosis, so why should they die for the Imperial Concubine? The Imperial Physician swallowed his saliva and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor suffered a stroke after great joy and sorrow, and needs to rest well."
Stroke? Xie Jing was shaky and couldn't believe it.
Great joy and great sorrow. It's for Ji Shi, right? Haha, for Ji Shi. It was Ke'er's fault.
I didn't have a stroke! No. The emperor's Adam's apple moved, but no sound came out. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. Could he really have had a stroke? An inexplicable fear enveloped him.
"Please ask the imperial physicians to stay here and take good care of the emperor." Prince Li sighed, "I am the emperor of Daqi, and I will rule for thousands of generations. The emperor must take good care of himself and not force himself."
The imperial physician shuddered and bowed, "Yes."
The other imperial doctors also hurriedly agreed and asked them to serve the emperor. Does this mean that they don’t have to bury the imperial concubine alive for the time being?
"Your Highness, the imperial doctors still need to treat the emperor. Let's go out first."
Prince Li made a quiet gesture to him and led him out.
Xie Jing followed Prince Li out in a daze, and listened blankly to him telling the royal family and ministers that the emperor had suffered a stroke.
The emperor was not very reliable, but his sudden collapse still made people feel particularly uneasy. A stroke can be serious or minor. There are very few people like Prince Li who had a stroke and are now fine. It is normal for people to be bedridden or even die after a stroke.
The emperor hasn't appointed a crown prince yet! Everyone unanimously ignored the fact that the emperor himself said he wanted to appoint Gu Yan as the crown prince.
If a country has no crown prince, there will be great chaos.
Xie Yingchen raised his hand, and everyone around him fell silent.
He walked to the main seat and faced everyone. His voice was the only one left in Hanzhang Palace. "Minister Fan, regarding Ji's funeral, the emperor's mind is a little confused due to the stroke. What he said before can be ignored."
Ji Nanke rushed forward and interrupted, "The funeral rites for the Imperial Concubine were set by the Emperor himself. What right do you have to abolish them?"
"Cousin Jing, take care of your people yourself." Xie Yingchen said calmly, "I don't want to say it again."
Xie Jing looked embarrassed. He hugged her from behind and said forcefully, "Come out with me first."
He had almost no sympathy for her and half-dragged and half-pulled her out.
"You have no official position, so you have no right to speak here." Xie Jing stood in the corridor and said coldly, "Even the Queen Mother wouldn't interrupt casually."
"What about her?"
Ji Nan Ke pointed indignantly inside. Gu Zhizhuo was standing at the front of the courtiers, looking calm and composed. He was dressed in a Confucian dress, with pearl hairpins and jewelry, and did not look out of place at all.
"she……"
Xie Jing's voice was a little hoarse as he said, "Miss Gu officially took over the Thousand Machine Battalion from Prince Gu three days ago. She was canonized by the court and is now the commander of the first battalion."
"She is worthy of standing on the throne."
"How can you compare with her?"
Ji Nanke was speechless. She suddenly realized that his eyes had not been focused on her for a long time.
She grabbed his sleeve and said, "You have to get this posthumous title for your aunt."
Xie Jing did not agree to him and walked back. When Ji Nan Ke was about to chase him, he was stopped by the eunuchs.
She could only stand outside like a servant. She saw Fan Heng pick up the memorial that the emperor had just discarded and present it to him again. The blood on Fan Heng's forehead had dried, but a little blood still remained on his clothes.
He bowed and said, "Your Highness, what do you think the Royal Concubine's funeral should be like?"
Xie Yingchen took the memorial without reading it. He simply asked, "Has the Emperor offered sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
The Imperial Noble Consort was the vice-consort, and her enthronement was different from that of ordinary concubines. The emperor needed to go to the Taimiao in person to offer sacrifices.
Fan Heng: "No."
"Do you have the golden book and precious seal?"
"It's not ready yet."
"Will there be an enthronement ceremony, with six bows, three kneelings, and three kowtows before the Emperor and Empress?"
Xie Yingchen's voice became louder and louder.
Fan Heng still shook his head: "No."
Xie Yingchen casually threw the memorial in his hand to the ground: "If that's the case, why was her funeral performed according to the rites for an Imperial Concubine?"
Fan Heng was stunned and speechless for a long time.
Prime Minister Song suppressed his laughter and said to Fan Heng, "Old Fan, you are confused. There was no canonization ceremony, and she was not listed in the imperial book. How can she be called an imperial concubine? She is just a common woman with no name or status who served the emperor."
"Since she has no official position, why would the Ministry of Rites need to prepare a funeral for her?"
Is she worthy of having the whole country in mourning?
Prime Minister Song said, "Isn't Dean Ji still at the Meridian Gate? Have him come and take Ji back. Her husband's family has issued a letter of release, so she should return to her ancestral home as an unmarried woman. How she is buried is the Ji family's business. The Ministry of Rites seems to be quite busy lately? They're even intervening in the death of a commoner woman?"
Fan Heng reacted immediately.
Right, right, right. Without the canonization, and the emperor not having the time to issue a posthumous decree, the Ji family is just the Ji family.
Fan Heng repeatedly said, "I am confused."
Prince Li showed a relieved look and asked Ji Shanchang to take the body away. This would not only solve the current problem, but also calm the people's hearts and quell the anger of the scholars, killing two birds with one stone.
The eldest son was worthy of being raised by the late emperor. He solved this big problem with ease.
Prince Jin narrowed his eyes. Taking advantage of Ji's incident, Xie Yingchen directly drew the ministers' attention away from the emperor's "serious illness".
He had taken the leading position without realizing it.
This wasn't good. A crown prince had to be chosen as soon as possible, otherwise three months would be enough for Xie Yingchen to grow up.
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