Chapter 688 The Death of the Late Emperor
The Empress Dowager's voice was not loud, but it was resounding in the extremely quiet hall.
If the words of Cao Dejiang, Feng Lai, and even Xu Yu still made the court officials doubt Xiao Yan's identity, then the words of the Empress Dowager undoubtedly confirmed his identity.
Xiao Yan is Xie Chenan.
He was the emperor's eldest grandson who was supposed to die in the fire in the Eastern Palace.
The Empress Dowager's words that Emperor An was the traitor and that he was conspiring with the late emperor to frame the Crown Prince shocked everyone.
"Grand Empress Dowager, what did you mean by your Majesty and the late Emperor framing the Crown Prince for treason?" Feng Qiuli asked in a deep voice with a bad look on her face.
Although the King of Ying, who was standing beside him, was struck by Xu Yu and recognized Xiao Yan's identity in his heart, he still couldn't help but ask, "Right, are you wrong?"
"Back then, Xie Tianzhao was a perverse and cruel person. He later set fire to the palace and committed treason. The evidence is solid. Even if Xiao Yan is Xie Chen'an, their lineage was already expelled as traitors by the late emperor. How could he be worthy of seizing the throne..."
Upon hearing this, the Grand Empress Dowager sneered, "Plotting treason? Zhao'er has been a precocious child, personally educated by Emperor Taizu. He was designated Crown Prince at a young age and entered the court early to assist Taizu in governing the country. Even the late Emperor's throne was secured by his having a good son, allowing him to bypass the likes of you. Doesn't the King of Ying know this?"
"If Zhao'er hadn't been so young before Taizu passed away, he would have passed the throne directly to Zhao'er. Taizu even mentioned this matter more than once in the court. He even gave the Dragon Court Guard, which he founded, to Zhao'er. Everyone in the court knew that Zhao'er would be the future emperor of Wei. He needed to rebel."
The King of England was instantly choked upon hearing this, and after a while he argued, "No one knows about the Dragon Court Guards..."
"If no one knew, how did I get Shang Qin's troops to retreat when he forced the palace? Without Taizu's token, how do you think King Ying would have gotten the Dragon Court Guard to obey my orders?"
Xiao Yan's words immediately made the hall quiet.
"The Dragon Jade Token is in your hands?"
Emperor An's face was as pale and blue as if he had run a dyeing factory.
No wonder, no wonder Di Shuangcheng’s son suddenly mentioned the matter of Long Yuling after entering the capital, and no wonder the people from Longtingwei came to the capital by such a coincidence.
After he learned that the whereabouts of Long Yuling were unknown, he tried every means to secretly win over the deputy general of Longting Guard, but was ignored. Emperor An always believed that Xiao Yan forced those people to retreat with the military order, but he didn't expect that the people of Longting Guard came to the capital because of Xiao Yan from the beginning to the end.
Emperor An hissed, "Have you bribed Yu Yanfeng and the Imperial Guards long ago? Letting them bully the emperor for you?!"
Xiao Yan said indifferently, "Shouldn't you ask yourself why so many people were present when the Dragon Court Guards forced the palace, but no one told you why they retreated? Shouldn't you ask yourself why Commander Yu, who was once your most loyal person, would abandon you and join me?"
Emperor An angrily said, "He is so ungrateful and ambitious!!"
He clenched his fists tightly, hating everyone angrily. He hated Yu Yanfeng for his betrayal, hated Feng Lai for covering up for the Eastern Palace, hated the Grand Empress Dowager for being confused for so many years and why she didn't remain confused until her death, and hated himself even more for not seeing through Xiao Yan's identity and promoting him to where he is today, forcing himself into a desperate situation.
Emperor An hissed, "If you want to usurp the throne, just do it directly. Why use Xie Tianzhao's case as a pretext? Everyone knows that he murdered court officials and committed crimes. It was the late emperor who personally convicted him of this crime. I ascend the throne with full authority."
"Do you think you can deceive the world by using the Lu family as an excuse? You may be able to trick the Grand Empress Dowager into speaking for you, but don't even think about legitimately claiming the throne!"
Xiao Yan stared at the helpless and furious Emperor An. "Your Majesty, do you think that with the Lu family gone, there's no evidence to prove what happened back then?"
Emperor An gritted his teeth: "Don't try to slander..."
Before he could finish his words, Xiao Yan suddenly took out a few pieces of paper from his sleeve, and the sound was like a magic spell.
"Unfortunately, before Lu Chongyuan was silenced by you, he left a confession."
"impossible!"
Emperor An's eyes were filled with disbelief. He had clearly instructed Liu Tong'en to send someone to witness Lu Chongyuan's death, and Lu Chongyuan had clearly said nothing until his death. So when had he left behind a confession?!
"You forged it..."
"I'm not like you. If I want to clear my father's name, I will convince everyone in the world."
Xiao Yan held the item indifferently, "Lu Chongyuan served as an official for decades and interacted with many people in the court. Although the handwriting on this blood writing is blurred, I believe you can recognize it. In addition to Lu Chongyuan, there is also the confession left by Prince Cheng before his death. All of them are related to the rebellion of the Eastern Palace."
"My Lords, take a look."
Xiao Yan raised his hand, and Jinyun stepped forward, took the confessions, turned around and handed them to King Ying and Liang Guangyi respectively.
People immediately gathered around the two men, looking at the bloodstained paper, recounting the events of the past word by word, starting with the flood relief case in the south more than 20 years ago, how the Lu family colluded with Xie Tianyong to frame the prince, and later burned down Rongjiang to embezzle the relief funds.
Prince Cheng’s confession was one thing, but every single item in Lu Chongyuan’s confession was shocking.
Especially the incident where Xie Tianyong drugged the prince and caused his temperament to change drastically...
Feng Qiuli muttered softly as she read from the paper, "The Eastern Palace burned down and the walls collapsed. Xie Tianyong was afraid his drugging would be discovered, so he tried to cover up any traces. However, the men he sent discovered something the size of a bullet trapped between the collapsed brick walls and the bed. The areas not burned by the fire were sealed with medicinal wax."
"The Lu family doctor investigated this substance, which is called Drunken Dream Powder. Its properties can cause hallucinations, complete loss of sanity, and a maddening appearance. We suspect this substance was created by the late emperor. After testing it, the late emperor attempted to silence the person, but failed and ended up hurting himself. Xie Tianyong used this to gain the throne."
"The late emperor passed away suddenly, and the court was in chaos. Xie Tianyong promised the position of empress and a hundred years of wealth and honor in exchange for Lu covering up the events of that year. Everyone in the Eastern Palace was slaughtered, and only Feng Lai, the eunuch who was by the late emperor's side, survived. He suspected he knew the truth about the late emperor's death..."
With every sentence Feng Qiuli recited, the hall became quieter.
After he finished reading it, the eerie silence was like cold water poured into a frying pan, and an uproar broke out instantly.
The late emperor poisoned and murdered the late crown prince so early because he was jealous of his talent?
Xie Tianyong even used the same method to change his temperament drastically.
The late crown prince had never committed any act of treason. Whether it was the fire in the East Palace or the soldiers surrounding the palace walls, they were all framed by the two of them. Even the so-called evidence that was denounced by the late emperor and scolded by the people of the world were all fabricated by the Lu family and Xie Tianyong.
Besides, the late emperor died of illness...
Feng Lai stepped forward with his arms folded, whispering, "After the late Crown Prince's death, the late Emperor ordered a purge of the imperial court. Taifu Rong went to the palace three times, but each time he left on bad terms with the late Emperor."
"At the time, the late emperor, wanting to let the world accuse the late crown prince of being unfilial, and also because the Grand Empress Dowager was holding on to this matter and fearing that people would delve into the crown prince's affairs, pretended to be injured by the late crown prince and was bedridden. In fact, the late emperor was in good health at the time."
"Later, the Fifth Prince's Majesty came to the palace to visit the late emperor. For some reason, they had an argument. After the Fifth Prince left the palace, the late emperor suddenly fell ill. He was even more murderous when he mentioned the Fifth Prince."
"I don't know what happened between the late emperor and the fifth prince, but after that, the late emperor ordered people to kill the fifth prince. The fifth prince escaped by chance and returned to the palace again. This time, the argument with the late emperor intensified. But before the quarrel ended, the late emperor suddenly changed his attitude and promoted the fifth prince, even giving him the position of crown prince."
Cao Dejiang asked, "How did the late emperor die?"
Feng Lai: "Medicine and food counteract each other."
He knew that he couldn't escape after saying this, so he knelt on the ground.
"Back then, the Fifth Prince was powerful, and Prince Cheng suddenly retreated. The late emperor's ailing body was unable to control the court. As someone who served the late emperor, I had no choice but to surrender to the new emperor to avoid death. So, under the Fifth Prince's orders, I changed the late emperor's diet and medicine, causing him to die suddenly."
"The imperial edict of succession was written by Lu Chongyuan, and I stamped it with my seal. I also hid it in a secret box in advance, and then pretended it was left by the late emperor before his death, so that the fifth prince could ascend the throne with the edict."
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