Chapter 720: The Darkest Hour
Imperial Palace.
Outside the main hall, Prime Minister Duan led seven or eight court officials to kneel and ask to see His Majesty.
The newly appointed eunuch said that the emperor was seriously ill and it was inconvenient to see him, but the court officials still knelt there and refused to leave.
Naturally, this matter soon reached Zhao Shu's ears.
"Let's go and take a look." Zhao Shu said.
As soon as Zhao Shu arrived, he saw a large group of people kneeling outside the hall, with Prime Minister Duan trembling in the front.
"Your Highness, it's obvious that these people will not give up until they see His Majesty. What should we do?" said the confidant accompanying Zhao Shu.
"If they want to meet, let them meet." Zhao Shu said with a smile, "Once they meet, they will be silenced."
Zhao Shu instructed his confidant, "Have mother give this medicine to the old man."
Then he handed a pill to his confidant.
This was the medicine he asked the Saint Doctor to make. It could make the emperor look a little more awake temporarily, but he was only looking awake.
But that's enough.
It is to prevent this situation.
About a quarter of an hour later, the tightly closed palace door opened.
The ministers, who had been kneeling until they were numb, quickly raised their heads.
"My lords, His Majesty has just woken up. Please follow me in." The eunuch's shrill voice sounded.
All the ministers who were loyal to the emperor were delighted.
Several ministers helped Prime Minister Duan to stand up and walked towards the hall.
Liangdong followed closely behind.
Liang Dong had a bad feeling in his heart.
He originally thought that His Majesty was controlled by Zhao Shu...
If that were the case, Zhao Shu would never dare to let them see His Majesty.
Now they are allowed to see it. Could it be that the imperial edict was really issued by His Majesty?
In the blink of an eye, we entered the main hall.
Sitting on the chair was an old man with gray hair and hunched shoulders. It was undoubtedly the emperor, but his head was drooping, and he seemed unwell.
"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Duan said tremblingly.
The emperor's gaze fell on Prime Minister Duan's face and he responded.
Prime Minister Duan said a few words and the emperor agreed.
Duan Shoufu's doubts gradually subsided.
Your Majesty's condition seems to be just seriously ill, not under control.
"Your Majesty," Liang Dong still felt unwilling to accept the decision. He couldn't directly ask the Emperor if he had truly chosen to enthronize the Third Prince, so he could only ask in a roundabout way, "We need to find an auspicious day for this ceremony..."
The word "establish a crown prince" seemed to stimulate the emperor.
The emperor uttered the syllable "Ah Ah" so softly that only the eunuch closest to the emperor heard it.
The chief eunuch quickly said, "Your Majesty is tired. I will help you down to rest."
Having said that, he went to support the emperor and left.
The court officials had no choice but to retreat.
After meeting the emperor, the ministers who were loyal to the emperor all breathed a sigh of relief.
They are loyal to the emperor, and whoever the emperor chooses as the crown prince will be the crown prince. They only need to follow the emperor's orders.
However, the Sixth Prince's group all looked dejected.
"Prime Minister Duan, His Majesty's condition is a little strange..." Liang Dong whispered.
Prime Minister Duan was in a very bad mental state. If it had been before, he would have noticed that something was wrong with the emperor, but he was just forcing himself to hold on. After hearing Liang Dong's words, his head was in a mess and he was completely unable to think.
The rest of the loyalists felt that Liang Dong was unwilling to accept this, as they had seen with their own eyes that His Majesty was not being held hostage.
No one believed Liang Dong's words.
Zhao Shu stood behind a pillar, watching the court officials walking out.
His gaze shifted from Duan Shoufu, who was walking tremblingly, to Liang Dong behind him.
There was a murderous look in his eyes.
Today, the court officials, led by Prime Minister Duan, knelt down and threatened to see the emperor. This must have been instigated by Liang Dong.
Fortunately, I have a backup plan, otherwise I would be in endless trouble.
Liang Dong still protected Zhao Jingxuan and refused to hand him over to the imperial guards. He always felt uneasy because Zhao Jingxuan was not under his control.
Now the Sixth Prince's faction is supported by Liangdong. Once Liangdong falls, the Sixth Prince's forces will be leaderless and ineffective.
Zhao Jingxuan will also lose his protection and be at his mercy.
Moreover, he can also make an example of someone to scare the monkeys and serve as a warning to Lao Liu's faction.
It can also help him to settle new and old grudges and stabilize the political situation... It really kills three birds with one stone.
Let’s start with Liangdong.
The next day.
The emperor sent an oral order to the Liang family, summoning Liang Dong to meet him.
After receiving the oral order, Liang Dong looked calm and did not rush into the palace.
He first went to the backyard to check on Zhao Jingxuan.
There was a dark spot under Zhao Jingxuan's eyes, obviously he didn't sleep well.
After hearing yesterday that his second uncle had entered the palace, he began to look forward to news from him.
After hearing that my father was still alive, but was really seriously ill and in a very bad mental state, I felt a little complicated.
He was worried about his father and felt that he was moody. He had never wanted to be emperor, but his father seemed to want to make him the crown prince, and his mother kept saying that if he didn't become the crown prince, they would have no way out. So, he was ready to become the crown prince, but in the blink of an eye, his father made Zhao Shu the crown prince.
I don’t know how my mother is doing.
Since his father is fine, can he enter the palace and accompany his mother?
However, his uncle refused and just let him stay in the Liang Mansion.
He was worried and didn't sleep much all night.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned me to the palace, so I must go there." Liang Dong said, "But Your Highness, you must continue to stay in the Liang Mansion and listen to my arrangements."
Zhao Jingxuan actually doesn't trust many people, including the Liang family, Xu Jue, and Wei Ziang.
But Xu Jue and Wei Ziang are actually about the same age as him. They have already helped him a lot, and the only one he can rely on is his uncle.
Zhao Jingxuan nodded.
"Your Highness, you must remember, even if the sky is covered with dark clouds, don't give up hope. As long as you are alive, there will be a day when the clouds will clear and the sun will appear." Liang Dong continued, his tone full of meaning.
Liang Dong looked at Zhao Jingxuan deeply, then turned and left.
Zhao Jingxuan always felt that the look in his second uncle's eyes when he left had some special meaning, which made him feel a little uneasy.
Zhao Jingxuan ordered his servants to report to him as soon as his uncle returned.
However, after waiting from morning to afternoon, he did not wait for his uncle to return. Instead, he received the news that his uncle had attempted to assassinate the emperor and was executed on the spot.
Zhao Jingxuan's face turned pale, unable to accept it.
He didn't believe it, he didn't believe that his uncle would murder his father!
He couldn't accept that his uncle, who was fine in the morning, was now a ghost!
He suddenly thought of the look his uncle gave him when he left. He always felt that his uncle might have realized his fate when he entered the palace.
If my uncle had noticed it, why did he enter the palace?!
However, if I don’t enter the palace, does that mean I’m disobeying the imperial order?
My uncle really had no choice.
Originally, his uncle said that his father was just seriously ill, but after this incident, Zhao Jingxuan felt that it was definitely not that simple.
He had a hunch that his father was being controlled!
Zhao Jingxuan clenched his hands into fists.
His uncle was dead, and he could only rely on himself. The more times had come, the calmer he had to be.
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