Today is Helian Rong's 80th birthday, and Helian Rong is holding his birthday banquet directly in the Azure Dragon Hall, the place where they usually hold court.
Because it was the emperor's 80th birthday, civil and military officials arrived early with their families to wait for the event.
In addition to civil and military officials, imperial concubines and relatives of the emperor also arrived early to wait.
The three brothers, Helian Zheng, Helian Qin, and Helian Jun, also arrived.
"I heard that Helian Ci has been found?" Helian Zheng frowned, seemingly quite dissatisfied with the matter.
Helian Qin snorted coldly in resentment: "The old man used the Three Dragon Guards and turned the entire Northern Wei upside down. If they can't find him, does that mean Helian Ci can really just disappear into thin air?"
Helian Jun took a swig of wine and said dejectedly, "I think that brat Helian Ci is deliberately playing hide-and-seek. He's just trying to get the old man's attention so that the old man will pass the throne to him!"
I never realized that kid was so cunning!
This time he went missing, and the old man was so worried he almost died. That shows how much he values that kid Helian Ci!
"Bah!" Helian Qin shouted angrily as soon as Helian Jun finished speaking, "Why should the throne of Northern Wei be passed to him? It's not like the old man doesn't have sons. The three of us are legitimate princes of Northern Wei. Why should the old man bypass us and pass it on to one of his grandsons?"
Although the three of them sometimes compete and fight, they are absolutely united against outsiders when it comes to this kind of thing.
To them, Helian Ci was absolutely their public enemy. Getting rid of Helian Ci and deciding who would inherit the throne among the three of them was another matter, but they couldn't let Helian Ci get it!
Helian Zheng and Helian Jun could empathize with Helian Qin's anger, but the reality was far from optimistic.
Helian Jun frowned deeply: "His outburst has terrified the old man. I'm afraid he might really pass the throne to him."
"Why should we?!" Helian Qin exploded as soon as Helian Jun opened his mouth: "We three princes are still alive, why should the throne be passed on to a grandson of the emperor? I absolutely disagree!"
Helian Zheng narrowed his eyes and sneered, "If the old man wants to bypass us and pass the throne to Helian Ci, he'll have to see if we agree!"
Helian Qin and Helian Jun both turned cold and stern.
The second son is right. Even if the old man really wants to pass the throne to Helian Ci, he still has to get past them.
They disagreed, and even the old man couldn't change anything!
Now is not the time for the three of them to fight amongst themselves; they must unite against a common enemy!
Not only did Helian Zheng and his men feel a sense of crisis regarding Su Renzhong's disappearance, but even the officials fully realized the Emperor's high regard for this grandson.
"I heard that the imperial grandson has returned to the palace, which is why His Majesty's birthday banquet can be held as scheduled today."
"Indeed! If this grandson of the emperor cannot be found, I'm afraid His Majesty will not be in the mood to hold a birthday banquet today!"
"This time, in order to find the imperial grandson, His Majesty not only mobilized the Three Dragon Guards, but also almost turned our entire Northern Wei upside down. Fortunately, the imperial grandson has returned. If he hadn't been found, I think His Majesty would have..." The official dared not continue speaking, as saying this would have been treasonous.
"With His Majesty placing such importance on his grandson, I think the position of Crown Prince in Eastern Chu might be in jeopardy!"
"I think His Majesty also wants to pass the throne to his grandson. His Highness the Crown Prince was so favored by His Majesty and was groomed to be the heir apparent at a young age. Now this grandson looks exactly like the Crown Prince. How could His Majesty not love him because of his grandson?"
When the imperial grandson was first found, everyone thought it was an imposter. After all, the imperial grandson had disappeared while still an infant, and now, almost forty years later, how could they possibly find the real imperial grandson? So everyone guessed that someone must have been an imposter.
But who knew that this grandson of the emperor looked exactly like the former crown prince, and even his height was exactly like the crown prince's. In addition, he had the blue dragon mark of the Northern Wei royal family on his shoulder, which was engraved on him at birth and could not be faked.
The identity of this imperial grandson is beyond doubt; he is the child that His Highness the Crown Prince sent away back then.
Although his identity as the emperor's grandson is genuine, he is still a generation removed from the emperor, so the throne will never be passed down to him.
But now it seems things have taken a turn for the better.
“Even if the Emperor wants to, those three still need to agree!” An official gestured towards Helian Zheng and his two companions.
The other officials glanced at Helian Zheng and his group, who all looked serious, and expressed their agreement.
This emperor doesn't just have one grandson; he also has three princes. This grandson has only been back for a little over three years, but the other three have been immersed in the Northern Wei for fifty or sixty years.
How could a grandson of the emperor who had only returned three years ago possibly be able to defeat these three!
However, the emperor's three sons are equally powerful. Even without the addition of this grandson, after the old emperor's death, the three of them would still fight tooth and nail for power. The Northern Wei Dynasty was bound to experience this internal strife once in a long time.
This is perhaps one of the reasons why the old emperor couldn't let go of so many things.
Just as everyone was discussing royal secrets with great interest, the sound of a palace attendant announcing something outside rang out.
"The Emperor has arrived! The young princess has arrived! The young prince has arrived! The young mistress has arrived!"
This series of announcements left the civil and military officials, imperial relatives, and concubines in the main hall somewhat bewildered.
When the Emperor arrives, they can understand.
But who are these little princesses, little princes, and little mistresses?
Of course, Su Xuening and the others were brought into the palace last night, and some well-informed concubines in the harem also heard some news about it.
"That little princess and the young prince are the children of the one who lived in the East Palace. I don't know when they arrived in Northern Wei. They were brought into the palace by the Emperor last night."
"What about that person who has children outside?"
"Although he is the emperor's grandson, he is almost forty years old. He was only brought back to Northern Wei a few years ago. What's so strange about him getting married and having children outside before that?"
"Could it be that the Emperor's grandson went missing this time because he went to retrieve his two children?"
"That's possible. They're probably trying to surprise the Emperor on his 80th birthday!"
"I heard that as soon as the children entered the palace last night, the Emperor was eager to see them. He summoned the two children first thing this morning, so he must really like them!"
"Your Majesty is truly ashamed. There are so many grandsons and granddaughters, and even more great-grandsons and great-granddaughters, that's countless. Why is he so focused on this newcomer?"
"Who can blame the Emperor for not valuing them? They are the Crown Prince's bloodline, the direct line of the Northern Wei royal family."
"Now that the children have been brought here, those three will probably be even more envious."
"Today's going to be lively, there might be a good show to watch!"
Just as the concubines were whispering among themselves, Helian Rong carried Xiao Bao, while Su Xuening and Su Yun'an helped him into the main hall, one on each side.
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