Chapter 686 I Want This Throne
“You! You guys…”
Emperor An looked with a pale face at the people who used to grovel at his feet. Seeing them shouting in unison to depose the emperor and support the new monarch, he screamed, "I am the emperor, I am the Son of Heaven. How can you join this traitor in disobeying and deposing me?!"
"A foolish and cruel person like you is worthy of being a king?"
Prince Ying spat outright, unceremoniously saying, "Emperor Taizu was so wise in establishing the Great Wei Dynasty, laying the foundation for a great dynasty. How could we allow the Great Wei Dynasty to be destroyed by such a worthless and despicable person as you? Duke Dingguo's act of righteousness in eliminating harm to the country is a noble act, how could it be considered treason?"
After saying this, he looked up at Xiao Yan and said, "Duke Dingguo, we were deceived by Xie Tianyong and misunderstood his past actions. Now that we have investigated the truth, we will naturally help Duke Dingguo to eliminate the tyrant and clean up the court."
"Many young men in the imperial clan are kind and gentle, and several princes and crown princes are quite intelligent. Duke Dingguo has a keen eye and is as loyal and brave as the He family was in the past. We will surely be able to choose a wise ruler from among these people to inherit Taizu's legacy."
King Hui also said anxiously: "King Ying is right. The people in the royal family will be selected by Duke Dingguo. He will definitely be able to choose the most suitable person for the throne."
When other people spoke, they also echoed, as if as long as the throne was inherited by the Xie family and selected from the royal family, everything else would be decided by Xiao Yan. Even the court officials from the aristocratic families who had opposed Xiao Yan in the past did not refute what the royal family said.
Xiao Yan chuckled, "You all have some truth in what you say. If the throne were inherited by someone else, it would indeed be difficult to stabilize the court and suppress the local vassal kings. However, Xie Tianyong is incompetent and persecutes loyal ministers. His perverse actions have brought chaos to the country. He is unworthy of being the heir to the throne."
Prince Ying's eyes lit up instantly: "Then don't choose from the princes. Taizu left behind many princes. As long as they are descendants of the royal family, they are all legitimate."
Xiao Yan looked at him: "So, Your Highness is saying that anyone of Taizu's bloodline can become the new emperor?"
Old Prince Ying always felt that what Xiao Yan said was a little strange, but he didn't think much about it.
Now that the royal family is doomed and Xiao Yan is in power, he only hopes that the throne will remain in the hands of the Xie family. As for whoever sits on the throne among the royal family is fine.
Prince Ying nodded: "Yes!"
"What about you guys?" Xiao Yan looked at the others: "Are you also the same as Old Prince Ying?"
Naturally, others said yes.
Xiao Yan looked at Liang Guangyi: "Grand Tutor Liang?"
Liang Guangyi had been unusually silent since the morning court session began. Whether he was questioning Emperor An or just now, he hadn't spoken a word. Now, facing Xiao Yan's question, he stared at Xiao Yan for a moment before speaking, "This old minister, like everyone else, is willing to uphold the royal family's orthodoxy."
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at him, the word "old minister" made him chuckle.
"Since you all agree, then let's do as you say."
Before the royal family and courtiers below could even crack a smile, everyone saw Xiao Yan, who had been standing on the high platform, turn around and walk directly to the dragon throne. He lifted his robe and sat directly on the throne. His noble black eyes looked down and said, "I gladly accept this throne."
Everyone was stunned.
Emperor An, standing in the hall, suddenly burst into laughter: "A bunch of idiots, do you think that pushing me out can appease this traitor?"
"He brought people to the palace to harm me today. He has long harbored rebellious intentions. How could he possibly give up the throne he has secured to you? You actually want to use my life in exchange for his letting go. This is simply ridiculous. Xiao Yan has been toying with you from the beginning to the end. Hahahahaha..."
Everyone's faces turned ugly, and Old Prince Ying angrily said, "Xiao Yan, are you kidding us?"
Feng Qiuli also said in a deep voice: "Duke Dingguo, if you really covet the throne, why would you pretend to be so hypocritical and tease us like this!"
Xiao Yan smiled, "When did I ever tease you? Didn't you say that anyone with Taizu's bloodline is legitimate and can become the new emperor?"
King Hui's eyes were filled with anger: "So what if we said it? You can't say that your He family is also the bloodline of Taizu?!"
Xiao Yan: "Of course not the He family, but my last name is not He."
King Hui was stunned.
Xiao Yan said calmly, "Fourteen years ago, the Eastern Palace was engulfed in flames. He Yan, the third son of the He family, died in the blaze while staying in the Eastern Palace to accompany the emperor. He has long since passed away. At the time, the palace was in chaos, and one of his children escaped. He was rescued by Concubine Xue and hidden in secret. He was later taken in by the Xiao family."
"You..." King Hui's face trembled.
Prince Ying and the others also widened their eyes.
There were only two people of that age in the Eastern Palace back then. If the one who died was the He family's son, then the one who escaped...
Xiao Yan: "My real name is Xie Chen'an, and I am the son of the late Crown Prince Xie Tianzhao. Since you all say that anyone of Taizu's bloodline can become the new emperor, then I will take the throne."
"You, you, you..." Old Prince Ying pointed at Xiao Yan, full of shock.
Emperor An looked at the person sitting on the dragon throne with a pale face and cursed loudly: "Impossible! How could you be Xie Chen'an? Xie Chen'an died in that palace coup a long time ago. I saw his corpse with my own eyes. How could he still be alive!"
Feng Qiuli also sullenly rebuked, "Duke Dingguo, if you want the throne, just say so. Right now, everyone in and outside the palace is yours, and no one can do anything to you. But you're pretending to be the son of the Crown Prince and claiming to be legitimate. That's too shameless."
King Hui also cursed: "Xie Chen'an died a long time ago. You pretended to be a dead person and confused the royal bloodline. How despicable!"
Xiao Yan remained unfazed by the shouting and scolding, his expression calm. "You all say Xie Chen'an is dead, but did anyone actually see him burn to death? When the East Palace was burned, corpses were found, and He Jiazi and I were among them. You're willing to believe that He Jiazi escaped, but that's impossible for Xie Chen'an."
"You! You are making excuses!" King Hui was speechless.
Xiao Yan propped up his chin with one hand: "If I really want to force my case, what can I do if I kill you and take the throne?"
King Hui said anxiously, "But you can't be Xie Chen'an. We have all seen what he looks like..."
"He is indeed Xie Chenan."
Cao Dejiang suddenly spoke, causing King Hui and others to look at him sideways.
Cao Dejiang said, "On the day the late Crown Prince plotted rebellion, I and Taifu Rong were both in the palace. Taifu Rong and the Grand Empress Dowager argued with the late Emperor about the Crown Prince's affairs. However, I secretly went to the Eastern Palace and unexpectedly ran into Xu Yu, the Eastern Palace's chief eunuch. He also told me that there were still people alive in the Eastern Palace, and that Concubine Xue had escaped with the Emperor's eldest grandson."
"That day, the palace was bathed in blood. After I learned that Concubine Xue had lured the enemy to her death, the Emperor's eldest grandson's whereabouts were unknown. Grateful for the support he had received from the late Crown Prince when he entered the court, and also for the trust entrusted by Grand Tutor Rong, I found two bodies and threw them into the fire to impersonate Xu Yu and the Emperor's eldest grandson, thereby concealing the Emperor's eldest grandson's whereabouts."
"We were in such a hurry that day that we left traces. Fortunately, Eunuch Feng, who was by the late emperor's side, helped to clear up the trouble. We were able to conceal the truth from everyone in the palace, making them believe that all the people in the Eastern Palace were dead. Besides me, Eunuch Feng and Xu Yu can all testify to this."
Eunuch Feng?
Emperor An was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned around and gritted his teeth at the eunuch who had lost one eye.
"Feng! Come?!"
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