Chapter 549 Instigation
The man's appearance caused the others around him to chuckle softly. After a moment, someone sighed, "The position of Duke is not so easy to hold. Even though His Majesty is submissive now, everyone knows the dangers involved. It's only Xiao Yan who has managed this. Anyone else would have been killed long ago."
The He family is extinct, so regardless of whether Xiao Yan is really a member of the He family or not, it is not easy for him to endure humiliation and survive as a eunuch until today.
Who among them doesn't know what Xiao Yan looked like when he first entered the palace?
But no one expected that the inconspicuous "eunuch" would almost overthrow the Wei Dynasty.
After all, there were still some discerning people who whispered, "Actually, it's understandable that Your Majesty conferred the title of Duke upon him. Xiao Yan clearly wanted to overturn the He family's verdict. If Your Majesty doesn't appease him with a high position, do you think Xiao Yan would let it go?"
"The He family had a crown princess back then, and the family was exterminated because of the previous one. If Xiao Yan continues to investigate, what if..."
They are all veteran officials in the court, and many of them know about the incident involving the Crown Prince. It was said to be a treason at the time, but it happened suddenly. A fire burned down the Eastern Palace. He was convicted before a detailed investigation. Who can guess what the inside story is?
Many people in the court had doubts back then, but the victors are the kings and the losers are the bandits. The late emperor and Emperor An were determined to suppress them, and all of Prince Li's confidants were killed, so no one in the court dared to mention it again.
The He family and Crown Prince Li are tied together. Right now, it's only He Wenzhuo's case, but the Lu family has already been uncovered, affecting Emperor An. If Xiao Yan refuses to give up and continues investigating, who knows what secrets he'll uncover? After all, everyone knows that their Majesty was the least qualified to inherit the throne back then?
The man glanced around and lowered his voice, "Do you remember what Zheng Kun said at the palace banquet? Although he was bribed to frame Xiao Yan, I think what he said about the past between the deposed empress and His Majesty does seem to be true."
"Your Majesty even used his wife to set up Prince Cheng, and was willing to sacrifice the Queen to seize the throne. Who knows how the previous one left? If Xiao Yan really finds out, not only will he lose the title of Duke, he might even lose the throne..."
"cough!!"
There was a loud cough behind him, and the man was startled. He turned around and saw King Ji with a gloomy face and King Huan standing beside him with a half-smile on his face.
"Your Highness..." The man who spoke turned pale.
Prince Ji looked sullenly and said, "You're not going to die, how dare you say such nonsense?"
Those people immediately fell silent.
Prince Ji was already of high status, and his stern face was quite intimidating. "Now that your Majesty has awakened, all matters at court must be addressed. Since you are all veteran officials, you should focus on the important matters and stop being such women and gossips. Don't bring trouble upon yourselves!"
Seeing that they were all embarrassed, Prince Ji said in a deep voice:
"Why don't you just go away? What are you doing here?!"
Those court officials quickly scattered.
After everyone had left, Prince Huan said sarcastically, "Brother Ji Prince, you are protecting the emperor."
Prince Ji frowned and said, "Your Majesty and I are close brothers, so I will naturally protect you."
"Really? That Prince Ji is truly magnanimous. However, there's no need to scare Lord Tan and the others. They're not wrong. The rumors out there are much more serious than what they just said."
"You also said that those are just rumors. If they are rumors, then they are nonsense. They are ministers in the court, how can they be treated the same as those ignorant women and children?"
Prince Huan scoffed, "It's not just ignorant women and children. Who out there isn't saying that my brother is unworthy of his position?"
"Speaking of which, after the Crown Prince passed away, besides Prince Cheng, Prince Ji, whose mother's family was prominent, was the most promising. But who could have imagined that the Emperor would suddenly rise to prominence? I originally thought that his outstanding talent and virtue earned him the Emperor's favor, allowing him to rise above his brothers. But now, look..."
King Huan's chubby face was full of disdain, and he obviously despised the fact that Emperor An used his concubine to plot against King Cheng and willingly wore a cuckold.
"A shameless man who can use his wife to plot against his brother is not worthy of sitting on the throne. It would be better for Brother Ji to sit on it..."
"King Huan!"
Prince Ji suddenly shouted angrily and looked around subconsciously.
Seeing that the corridor was empty, he became furious. "How can you treat the throne as a joke? I have no intention of overstepping the bounds. Stop your nonsense!"
"There's no one else here, what are you afraid of, Brother Ji?"
Seeing him so timid, Prince Huan couldn't help but taunt him, "You should know about the Dragon Court Guards' disobedience to your royal brother's orders. Although Xiao Yan kept the details of what happened outside the palace that day secretive, and Yu Yanfeng remained tight-lipped, we couldn't get any information out of him. But these personal guards of the royal family, passed down by Taizu, disobeyed the emperor's orders and colluded with a eunuch to rebel. Don't you want to know why, Prince Ji?"
"Back then, the Crown Prince suddenly set fire to the Eastern Palace. He was convicted of treason before a thorough investigation could even begin. Others were unaware of this. Don't you know the relationship between Father and the Crown Prince? Do you believe that he would be so heartbroken and grief-stricken over the Crown Prince's treason that he fell ill and passed away?"
"He has never looked down on Xie Tianyong and has never relied on him. But after his sudden death, the imperial edict that passed on the throne actually named Xie Tianyong. Didn't Prince Ji have any doubts at all?"
Prince Ji frowned tightly, his heart in turmoil as Prince Huan's words continued to stir.
No doubt?
How is that possible?
Just as King Huan said, Xie Tianyong was the least noticeable among them. Even after the death of the crown prince, no one regarded him as a real opponent except that he had a daughter of the Lu family as his wife, which gave him more confidence in the court.
Whether he, Prince Cheng, or other princes, they all regarded Xie Tianyong as a brother who could be won over and helped them seize the throne. What they valued was the Lu family behind him. But who could have thought that Xie Tianyong would become the final winner?
Prince Ji's mind was in turmoil, and his fists were clenched tightly in his sleeves. However, facing Prince Huan who was full of provocative intentions, he still said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty will handle the Dragon Court Guards. Shang Qin has already been executed for his ambition and rebellion. Other matters are not for you and me to interfere in."
"Ninth brother, His Majesty has treated you well. Over the years, Prince Huan's Mansion has been renowned for its wealth and ease. You've always stayed out of the court's affairs, so why bother getting involved now?"
Prince Ji's words were full of advice: "The court is already in chaos now. You should stay in your palace and live a good life. Don't get involved in things that you shouldn't get involved in..."
"It's not your turn to discipline the king yet!"
King Huan originally wanted to instigate King Ji to stir up trouble. After all, who doesn't want imperial power?
The court is in chaos now, the Crown Prince and Emperor An are fighting each other, and Xiao Yan is watching covetously from the side. Emperor An's throne was not obtained legitimately, they are all surnamed Xie, if that young boy Xie Pingjia can do it, then naturally these uncles can do it too.
But he didn't expect Prince Ji to be so timid.
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