"Father, I didn't!" the Third Prince hurriedly protested.
But his mind went completely blank at that moment.
With such conclusive evidence, any attempt at defense seems futile.
"You scoundrel!" Emperor Xiaoxuan roared, his face turning ashen with fright. "You and the Empress have been trying to win over the Shen family. The Shen family's daughter just got divorced, and you're already rushing to curry favor with her."
"You want the Shen family's support, right!"
The third prince's body was trembling, his lips were quivering, his mind was blank, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Shen Zhiyi was even more alarmed upon hearing this.
His Majesty,
They all knew!
"Do you really think you can hide your actions with the Empress from me?" Emperor Xiaoxuan sneered. "I don't care how you fight each other, but you shouldn't have colluded with the barbarians to try and seize my throne!"
"Father, Father Emperor..."
With witnesses and evidence present, any rebuttal he makes is futile.
"Your Majesty, Yuanheng is still young, he was just confused for a moment..." the Empress pleaded, kneeling on the ground.
Emperor Xiaoxuan chuckled lightly: "He has already established his own household, married and started a family. Is he still young?"
"Your Majesty, are you truly completely unaware of his collusion with foreign powers?"
"Your Majesty, you don't believe me?" The Empress was horrified, her heart pounding.
"I heard that you and he were planning to hold a lotus appreciation banquet, and you even specially ordered your palace servants to deliver invitations to the Shen family? You really went to great lengths to pave the way for him!"
The Empress's face also turned pale.
"Father, Xiahou Yuan is indeed my man, but I absolutely did not intend to harm the Crown Prince!"
Now that things have come to this, there's no point in the Third Prince trying to argue anymore.
Shen Jingchuan and the other court officials stood to one side, none of them daring to say a word.
Zhou Xuance, who had been quiet and reserved all along, suddenly coughed and said, "Good nephew, Xiahou Yuan was originally my deputy general, but I never expected him to be one of your men."
"This time, it was because I was unwell that the Crown Prince was sent on the expedition, so..."
"You originally intended to harm me?"
His voice was weak, interspersed with a few coughs.
But the Third Prince was so frightened that his body went limp.
The moment their eyes met, the eyes beneath the mask were like a deep, unfathomable pool, as if they wanted to engulf him.
"Your Majesty, Imperial Uncle, I didn't..."
"You wicked child!" The Empress Dowager couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, slapping him across the face. "This is your royal uncle! How dare you plant spies around him!"
"Grandmother, I never intended to harm my uncle."
"Your Majesty, this matter must be resolved! It cannot be let off lightly," the Empress Dowager said angrily.
"Mother, please calm down." Emperor Xiaoxuan was also furious.
"Actually, I've always been puzzled. I've been quite careful during my military campaigns, so why was I poisoned? Now the Crown Prince is in the same situation as me. Could it be that my misfortune back then was also your doing?" Zhou Xuance said casually...
The Third Prince's eyes looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"No, no, this really has nothing to do with me. I was still very young when you went to war."
"Is that the Empress?"
The Empress has gone mad!
How did it end up on her again?
Emperor Xiaoxuan glared at his son on the ground, "Hand over the antidote right now!"
“Father, I only wanted Xiahou Yuan to trip up the Crown Prince, to make him suffer some losses and injuries, so that he would be unable to manage military affairs. I really don’t know how he was poisoned.”
The third prince knelt down and kowtowed.
Wu Bingzhi then spoke up, saying, "When I interrogated Xiahou Yuan, he indeed did not know why His Highness the Crown Prince was poisoned."
"Your Majesty, I suspect that they are colluding with barbarians. Perhaps those people lack martial virtue and have secretly poisoned the Crown Prince."
“The barbarians have long coveted our territory. If something happens to our crown prince, there will be turmoil, and they will take the opportunity to cause trouble.”
The Third Prince nodded repeatedly, "That must be it, Father. You must believe me. The Crown Prince and I are brothers. How could I possibly want to kill him!"
Emperor Xiaoxuan took a deep breath: "The Third Prince has disobeyed the laws of the country, disrespected his father and brothers, and has repeatedly committed rebellious acts... strip him of his title and confine him to his residence, where he may not leave without being summoned!"
The last trace of color on the Third Prince's face vanished instantly.
He wanted to plead for mercy, but his eyes were bloodshot and his throat was dry, so he couldn't utter a single word.
"As for Xiahou Yuan..."
Emperor Xiaoxuan glared at the man in prison clothes on the ground: "Execute him by slow slicing!"
Xiahou Yuan knew the outcome all along, so he prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed to express his gratitude for the emperor's grace.
The Empress knelt down, pleading, "Your Majesty, Yuanheng is your own son. Please forgive him and give him another chance!"
"Opportunity? Then who will give the Crown Prince an opportunity!" Emperor Xiaoxuan said angrily in a deep voice.
"His biggest mistake was scheming against his brother and colluding with the barbarians..."
"He deserves to end up like this!"
"Over the years, you have done a lot of work for him so that he could inherit the throne. I have not punished you, yet you still dare to plead for him. Do you really think I dare not depose you!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress swayed and collapsed to the ground.
The hairpin fell and crashed to the ground.
It was a mess and a disarray.
The Empress Dowager hurriedly ordered the palace servants: "The Empress is tired. Help her back to the palace to rest. She should copy scriptures every day to pray for the Crown Prince's health until he is well!"
The empress hesitated, then slumped to the ground in frustration.
My mind is filled with:
It’s over!
Years of planning, all lost in a single day.
After that, her son was completely out of the running for the throne.
After dealing with the Third Prince, Emperor Xiaoxuan glanced at Zhou Xuance, who was still coughing, and said, "Xuance..."
"I see that you are in much better health now, so I will feel at ease handing over military power to you."
"Brother..."
"I am very annoyed. I have given birth to such a rebellious child. I have a terrible headache. Please stop refusing and share the burden with your brother."
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