A moment later, the young eunuch suddenly came in to report:
"Your Majesty, all the ministers have entered the palace to offer their advice!"
"What are they doing here at this time? Aren't things chaotic enough already?"
Qiu Qiyi frowned upon hearing this and shouted angrily.
But considering that they entered the palace at this critical juncture, it was probably because of Qiu Jingfan's siege of the city. If they all stood on my side, then it would be much easier to take down Qiu Jingfan!
Then he spoke again:
"Go and bring them in!"
Before long, all the civil and military officials came in; the number of people was more complete than when the court was held every day.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"
The ministers bowed to Qiu Qiyi.
Qiu Qiyi frowned upon seeing this. Looking at the serious expressions on the ministers' faces, he felt something was amiss.
"My beloved subjects, please rise! What brings you to me?"
Qiu Qiyi looked at them with a probing gaze, trying to discern something from their eyes. However, these ministers were all seasoned veterans, and they were all bowing to Qiu Qiyi, so Qiu Qiyi couldn't figure anything out for the time being!
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Second Prince is planning a coup? On the way here, the Second Prince led his men into Bianjing. They must be outside the palace by now. What should Your Majesty do about this?"
Prime Minister Tang bowed to Qiu Qiyi first and asked.
"Your Majesty's actions are so rebellious, I will certainly not let you off lightly!"
Qiu Qiyi looked at Prime Minister Tang and answered coldly.
"Your Majesty, the Second Prince must have some trump card up his sleeve for doing this. Does Your Majesty know what it is?"
Prime Minister Tang raised his eyes to look at Qiu Qiyi and asked tentatively.
"How could I possibly know? My brother is doing this because he covets my throne."
Qiu Qiyi's eyes flickered, and he looked at Prime Minister Tang with a puzzled expression. There was something hidden in the old man's words!
"Why doesn't Your Majesty send someone to summon the Second Prince to the palace and get to the bottom of this? After all, the Second Prince is usually kind and benevolent, and doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing."
Prime Minister Tang lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"He's kind-hearted? He's practically forcing the emperor to abdicate, and he's still kind-hearted? Prime Minister Tang, you're one of his men, aren't you? Why are you speaking up for him like this?"
Qiu Qiyi was furious. He slammed his hand on the table and berated Prime Minister Tang.
A bitter smile appeared on Prime Minister Tang's face as he knelt down, begging for mercy.
"Your Majesty, I have no such doubts! I am utterly loyal to Your Majesty. I just have some questions that I would like Your Majesty to answer."
There was no other way; he didn't want to die. Even if he had doubts, without evidence, preserving his life was the most important thing.
Qiu Qiyi remained silent with a cold expression, staring menacingly at Prime Minister Tang, who was kneeling on the ground, his forehead covered in cold sweat and trembling.
"Your Majesty, I have a question. Where have the other princes who have already been appointed gone?"
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, another minister suddenly spoke up.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Qiyi frowned, realizing that these people might not have come to help him, but they were definitely there to demand an explanation. He just didn't know how much they knew.
"What do you mean by that, Lord Chen? I have already conferred titles upon my other imperial brothers and dispatched them to their fiefdoms!"
Qiu Qiyi's eyes flickered slightly, but he spoke calmly.
"Your Majesty, I have recently received news that several princes have mysteriously disappeared, and there is no trace of them in their fiefdoms. May I ask if Your Majesty is aware of this matter?"
Lord Chen questioned the Emperor with a serious expression.
He recently received a secret letter stating that after the emperor ascended the throne, several surviving princes were not granted titles of nobility, but were secretly executed by the emperor! Therefore, the imperial edicts that were supposed to confer titles were very likely fake!
At first, he didn't believe it, but he secretly sent people to investigate the fiefdoms of several princes, and indeed none of the princes had been there.
If a prince doesn't go to his fiefdom, it can be said that he went out for a trip or was delayed by other matters.
However, the fact that none of these princes went to their fiefdoms is something worth considering.
"What? Are you questioning me?"
Qiu Qiyi frowned and said in a cold voice.
"Your Majesty, I dare not. I was concerned about the royal offspring. After all, the princes are the sons of the late Emperor and have not committed any serious offenses. Their disappearance without explanation is a blatant disregard for imperial authority!"
Lord Chen's righteous indignation and all these signs indicate that it is related to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, Minister Chen is right. The disappearance of these princes is a matter of great importance. I urge Your Majesty to send people to investigate thoroughly!"
"We implore Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation and protect the imperial bloodline!"
In an instant, all the ministers knelt down, ordering Qiu Qiyi to search for his brothers who had been dead for an unknown period of time!
As Qiu Qiyi watched this scene, his chest heaved more and more, he was furious.
Before I ascended the throne, didn't you all protect the imperial bloodline? When I was bullied, didn't you all think that I was also the late emperor's child, so you took care of me?
Now you're talking to him about brotherhood and being a descendant of the late emperor? Do you really think he's a kind person?
Qiu Qiyi picked up a cigarette butt and smashed it on the ground.
"Smack!"
"Shut up! You all came here for this?"
Qiu Qiyi looked at everyone with a gloomy face, and finally asked a question!
"Your Majesty, there is one more thing. Is it true that there are rumors circulating outside that Master Tianxuan is a fraud, deceiving the people to gain their trust and then taking their lives?"
Undeterred by the Emperor's murderous gaze, Censor-in-Chief Tan bowed and asked the Emperor.
"What are you talking about? When did this rumor start?"
Qiu Qiyi was shocked. How did this news get out? He hadn't heard a thing about it.
"Your Majesty, rumors are spreading throughout Bianjing that Master Tianxuan is murdering people for money, using the pretext of taking their heart's blood for blessings to kill them. So far, more than a thousand people have died in the entire Zhao Kingdom! Is Your Majesty aware of this matter?"
Lord Tan repeated it again.
"I truly knew nothing about this matter, but I am curious, where did you get all this information from? Why are your sources even more reliable than mine? And how did you know that I knew all this information?"
On the surface, Qiu Qiyi calmly questioned the ministers, but in his heart he was furious. He was the one who did these things, but when they were exposed, he, the emperor, knew nothing about them!
Qiu Qiyi looked at the group of ministers kneeling on the ground with murderous intent. He was certain that these people must have received some information to be so confident in questioning him, but they probably lacked sufficient evidence.
Thinking about this, Qiu Qiyi felt more at ease and her anger subsided.
"We implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the matter of Master Tianxuan and restore peace and justice to the people!"
Lord Tan didn't care whether the Emperor had received the message or not; his task today was to get the Emperor to take responsibility for these matters.
"Very well, I understand. I will thoroughly investigate these matters and give the people an explanation! Are you satisfied now?"
Qiu Qiyi glanced at Lord Tan and agreed.
Since you all want me to take on this, then I will grant your wish. However, it is up to him to decide what he can find out!
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