Chapter 546 Xiao Yan: I'll just watch you act
Emperor An's anger subsided a little, and he leaned back on the pillow dejectedly.
"The Crown Prince is rebellious, and that traitor Xiao Yan has taken the Tiger Tally. If you could cast doubt on what they did, even if it were just rumors, I could find a way to use the He family case to exonerate He Wenzhuo. But now, the old case in the South has implicated the entire He family, and I'm afraid the aristocratic families have sided with the Crown Prince."
"The He family is the people's favorite, and Xiao Yan has used the imperial edict to tarnish the reputation of the imperial family. If I don't redress the He family, the people will be unable to appease them. However, once the He family is redressed, compensation must be made for what happened back then."
Emperor An couldn't help but sigh:
"Everyone in the He family is dead. The only one who can compensate is Xiao Yan. He already holds the tiger talisman and is colluding with the Crown Prince and the Dragon Court Guards. If he is legitimately awarded the title of Lord, with the He family's protection, it will be difficult for me to check and balance him in the court..."
Liu Tong'en was an extremely loyal person. He felt aggrieved when he was scolded before, but now seeing Emperor An's dejected look, he panicked.
"Your Majesty, it is my fault. It was because I was not considerate enough that the Crown Prince and Xiao Yan took advantage of the opportunity."
Emperor An waved his hand and said, "I don't blame you. You suspected Xiao Yan of something fishy several times back then. It was because I trusted him too much that I allowed that traitor to be forced into this situation."
Liu Tong'en had followed Emperor An for many years, and he was rarely seen in this state since he ascended the throne.
Seeing Emperor An's impotent tone when mentioning Xiao Yan, Liu Tong'en said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will definitely protect you and find a way to deal with that traitor Xiao Yan. He and the Crown Prince have committed treasonous acts and will surely not have a good end!"
Emperor An felt a little relieved. No matter what, there couldn't be any more trouble with Liu Tong'en.
"Have you contacted Wei Ming during this period?"
"No."
Liu Tong'en shook his head: "Your Majesty is unconscious, and Xiao Yan's eyes are everywhere in the capital. I dare not contact Wei Ming for fear of alarming Xiao Yan..."
That private army was their last trump card and Emperor An's last resort. Liu Tong'en would not dare to act unless Emperor An gave the order, because once he did, it would be impossible to hide. Moreover, if he could not kill Xiao Yan in one blow and regain power, the Wei Dynasty would be in chaos.
Emperor An said, "You're right. We're not in a desperate situation yet, so there's no need to fight to the death."
He was not in good health and needed to rest, and the edict of repentance had already been issued. Now it was a foregone conclusion that the He family would overturn the verdict. Instead of risking everything to fight Xiao Yan to the death, and then involving more things, even involving the rebellion of the Crown Prince, it would be better to take a step back and show weakness to the enemy.
If the He family wants to be vindicated, that’s fine.
If Xiao Yan wants a title, that’s fine.
He would praise Xiao Yan highly, let him be showered with flowers and brocade, and let him be cooked in a hot and prosperous fire.
As long as he is willing to overturn the verdict for the He family, as long as he still sits on the throne, and grits his teeth and admits the "wrong" of twenty years ago, with the Lu family in front, he is just a negligence. It was the Lu family who killed He Wenzhuo, and it was the late emperor who wrongly accused the He family of treason.
But if he endured it for a while, the He family would want to clear their name, and Xiao Yan would not be able to dethrone him. He would even have to respectfully call him "Your Majesty" along with the Crown Prince.
Emperor An hated Xiao Yan to the extreme, but he also understood that it would be more trouble than gain to confront Xiao Yan now. He had to find a way to deal with the rebellious second son first, and find a way to take back the power of the court, and then deal with Xiao Yan. As long as he could endure for a while, and wait for the resentment of the old case to subside, what would he be afraid of?
"Your Majesty." A voice came from outside the palace.
"You get up first."
Emperor An looked at Liu Tong'en and asked him to stand up before letting the outsider in.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived. There are many dignitaries from the court outside who would like to see Your Majesty."
Emperor An frowned: "Who came to the court?"
The young eunuch whispered the names of Liang Guangyi, Cao Dejiang, and several veteran officials in the court, then said that Prince Ji and Prince Huan were also waiting outside. After he finished speaking, he glanced at Emperor An and then hesitantly whispered, "Superintendent Xiao is here too."
Emperor An sneered: "He came quickly!"
Liu Tong'en whispered, "Do you want me to stop them?"
Emperor An said coldly: "Why stop them? Let them in."
After the eunuch who delivered the message from the inner room went out to let everyone outside in, the prince turned his head to look at Xiao Yan. Seeing that Xiao Yan walked straight into the hall with an indifferent expression, the prince could only grit his teeth and follow him, but in his heart he was blaming the eunuchs he had bribed for their incompetence.
Even though so many people took action, my father still woke up. Those people are simply useless.
The prince cursed in his heart, wishing he could whip each of the eunuchs, and was even more malicious towards Emperor An. However, after entering, he saw that Emperor An's face was full of concern, and he knelt down with all the court officials.
"Your son greets His Majesty, Father."
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Emperor An looked at the Crown Prince, who was wearing a bright yellow four-clawed dragon robe. After scanning the others, he said weakly, "Everyone, get up."
"Thank you, Father/Thank you, Your Majesty."
After everyone had settled, the Crown Prince approached, filled with concern. "Father, you're finally awake. Ever since you suddenly fell into a coma that night, I've been uneasy every day. Seeing what you've gone through, I wish I could take your place and bear the pain. I pray to the gods and Buddhas every day, wishing for your health. Now that you're awake, it's truly wonderful."
Emperor An's eyes deepened slightly: "You are filial."
The Crown Prince seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in Emperor An's words. With reddened eyes, he asked anxiously, "How are you feeling? Are you all right? Where are Imperial Physician Jiang and the others? Have they checked your pulse?"
Liu Tong'en felt disgusted when he saw the prince's hypocritical look.
During this period, the prince would occasionally come to the Imperial Dragon Terrace, but he was only here to check on Emperor An's "condition" and hope that he would die. After being blocked by him twice, the prince could no longer act filially. He was only concerned with seizing power in the court and completely forgot that his biological father was still ill. Everyone in the court said that the prince was heartless, and there was probably no one who didn't want His Majesty to wake up more than him.
Liu Tong'en said coldly, "Your Highness, don't worry. Imperial Physician Jiang has examined His Majesty. He was just unconscious due to poor blood circulation. Now that he's awake, he's fine."
"Really? That's great."
The prince chuckled.
Emperor An didn't bother to pay attention to the Crown Prince's hypocritical appearance. He just turned his head and glanced at the others: "Although I have been unconscious for a while, I still remember the events before I fainted. Has the case of He Wenzhuo been thoroughly investigated? Has the burning of the city in the Southland twenty years ago been fully investigated?"
"Mr. Cao, you speak."
Cao Dejiang was somewhat surprised that Emperor An would bring it up on his own initiative. He did not hide anything and stepped forward to tell him how the Crown Prince had ordered the three courts to investigate the old case after Emperor An fell into a coma. He waited for him to mention the "blood letter" and Xi Weifang's testimony, as well as everything that was discovered later.
Emperor An's face was filled with guilt. "So it was really my fault. I never imagined that Lu Chongyuan and his men would be so cruel and ruthless. They betrayed the late emperor's trust in them. When I accompanied them in the disaster relief efforts, I didn't realize their ambition and greed at all."
"I am sorry for He Jia Sanlang, and I am also sorry for the people in the South who died in vain."
He looked sick, with red eyes.
"Xiao Yan, you are right. I am truly foolish and unworthy of being a king."
Xiao Yan raised his eyelids slightly and turned his head to watch Emperor An acting.
The prince was very excited and wished that Emperor An would say that he was not worthy of being the king and then abdicate in favor of someone more capable.
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