Chapter 680 The throne originally belonged to him
It goes without saying that everyone outside the palace was in danger. In addition to the people from the aristocratic families, the royal family also gathered in Prince Ji's mansion in the middle of the night.
The spacious hall was so cold that there wasn't even a charcoal basin. However, this did not stop a group of people from being filled with righteous indignation. Some cursed Xiao Yan for treason, some discussed how to save Emperor An, and some even said that they should capture Xiao Yan, a traitor who disrespected the royal family, and cut him into pieces to serve as a warning to others.
Prince Ji, who was forcibly dragged from the backyard, was already annoyed. Listening to the buzzing of people around him, he said coldly, "Okay, go catch them."
The royal family, who were originally filled with righteous indignation, suddenly became silent, awkwardness spread, and the face of the man who had just spoken turned pale and blue.
After a while, the King of England coughed and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. Let's talk about what we should do at tomorrow's morning court."
Prince Ji: "Let it be as it is."
"But!" The King of England stuttered. "Xiao Yan obviously wants to publicly accuse Your Majesty at the morning court and have the important ministers jointly review what happened in the palace today. If this is true, the royal family will be humiliated..."
"When will the royal family regain its dignity?" Prince Ji asked impatiently.
Everyone was silent when asked this question.
Their Majesty had indeed long lost all his dignity. First, he was cuckolded by the Queen and his own brother for twenty years. His prince was suspected to be a bastard, and the throne was suspected to have been given to an adulterer. Later, he colluded with the Lu family to burn down Rongjiang, causing great public resentment.
After finally calming down the situation and barely settling the issue, he disregarded human ethics again, plotted to murder court officials at the cost of the lives of the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince, and sent people to assassinate the commander regardless of the war situation in the south. Each of these actions set a precedent.
Among the emperors of all dynasties, there were those who indulged in eating, drinking and having fun, and there were also those who were incompetent and ruthless, but few could compare to him in seeking his own death.
The others were speechless when they recalled what Emperor An had done. Seeing Prince Ji's indifference, Old Prince Hui said anxiously, "You know perfectly well that your uncle, Prince Ying, isn't asking about that! I don't care whether the royal family's reputation is upheld or not. This is humiliating in front of the world. I'll have Xie Tianyong to apologize to our ancestors in the future, but what about the throne?"
"Xiao Yan clearly has no intention of letting this go. The Crown Prince is dead, the Eastern Palace is vacant, and Xie Tianyong has committed all sorts of crimes. Even the generals in the court won't allow him to continue as emperor. So who will take the throne then? It's impossible for that traitor Xiao Yan to take it himself, right?!"
Others also spoke up.
"Yes, other things are fine, but the throne cannot fall into the hands of others. Xie Tianyong disregards human ethics, but the throne must remain in the Xie family. Otherwise, what good will it be for us if the world changes hands?"
"Yes, we should think of a way to prevent Xiao Yan from having this idea."
"At worst, I can just let Xie Tianyong handle it, and find another virtuous royal bloodline to sit on the throne!"
"I think so!"
"I agree too!"
A group of people were talking to each other. After a long while, they realized that Prince Ji had not spoken. Someone turned around and said, "Prince Ji, Prince Huan is in trouble. You are now in charge of the Zongren Temple. Please say something."
Prince Ji looked at them and said, "What are you talking about? Are you agreeing with your self-righteousness that no one cares about, or are you trying to figure out how to take the throne for yourself? Who do you think Xiao Yan is? Do you really think that if he doesn't arrest you and seal off a few royal palaces, then the throne will be yours to decide?"
The group of people's faces turned pale after being mocked by him.
Prince Ji tugged at his sleeves, his face filled with impatience. "I still say the same thing. If you have the ability, go and fight Xiao Yan. Whether it's breaking into the palace or fighting and killing, you can show yourselves. If you can resolve the crisis in the capital and kill Xiao Yan, then you can sit on the throne yourself. I will not hesitate to kowtow to you. Don't involve me in other matters."
"I have to attend court early tomorrow. I am tired. Someone, please show me around!"
"Prince Ji, you..."
The crowd was all furious, but Prince Ji ignored them, turned around, gathered his robes around him, and walked out.
Some people wanted to chase after him, but were stopped by the servants of Prince Ji's Mansion. Seeing that the person they wanted to take charge of was gone, the two old princes, King Ying and King Hui, looked at each other in bewilderment, and the faces of the others turned pale and blue.
"My dear ladies and gentlemen, it is snowing heavily outside, and the roads are slippery due to darkness. May I take you out?" The steward of Prince Ji's mansion bowed respectfully.
The people in the hall could hear the mockery, and they all waved their sleeves and left with a grim look on their faces.
Prince Ji stood in the corridor in the distance, looking at the people who left angrily from the front door, with a cold face.
"Your Highness." Concubine An came over with a cloak and put it on Prince Ji. "Wouldn't it be bad if you just angered them and left like that?"
Prince Ji's face was expressionless. "What's wrong with that? None of these people have good intentions. Do you think they're really worried about Xie Tianyong and the throne falling to someone else? Do you believe that before they came here, they might have already sent a message to the palace to show their goodwill to Xiao Yan?"
"Xiao Yan clearly doesn't intend to let Xie Tianyong remain on the throne. Naturally, they want their own people to take the throne. Each of them is eyeing that position. I'm afraid they can't wait for Xie Tianyong to be pulled down, but they hope that I will be the first to step forward. Do they really think that I am the one being taken advantage of?"
Concubine An whispered, "But, if Xiao Yan really wants to take the throne himself..."
"So what if he wants to take the throne? He now controls both military and imperial power. Xie Tianyong assassinated Marquis Wenxin and they themselves cut off their own path. What's more..." Prince Ji lowered his voice a bit, "That position should have been his. Do you really think he's a member of the He family?"
Concubine An was stunned. What did she mean by "did you really think Xiao Yan was from the He family?" What did she mean by "that position was originally his?"
Seeing Concubine An's confused expression, it seemed as if she didn't understand what he said.
Prince Ji shook his head and said nothing more. He simply gathered his cloak with his hands and looked out at the heavy snow falling outside with a complicated expression. He said, "Give orders. The princess, who had been ill for many days, suddenly passed away tonight. Yuyan missed her mother so much that she died with her heartbroken."
"This prince is heartbroken over the death of his wife and daughter. I will not attend the morning court tomorrow. From now on, Prince Ji's mansion will be closed to visitors and will not see anyone."
Concubine An was horrified, her eyes suddenly widening. After a moment, she suppressed her fear and said in a trembling voice, "Yes, I understand."
…
Heavy snow fell on the city, and the palace was brightly lit in the night.
Tang Ning's long black hair was tied behind her head, and her clothes that had slipped off her shoulders hung down at her waist. She sat next to Xiao Yan, with most of her snow-white back exposed. She was full of spring scenery, but in Xiao Yan's eyes, there was not a trace of charm in her.
Xiao Yan's fingers landed near the wound on her back, causing her body to tremble slightly.
"Does it hurt?"
Tang Ning whispered, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan pursed his lips even tighter. His little Haitang had cried tearsily at the slightest injury, so how could such a deep wound not hurt?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com