Song Xibai was so excited that her whole body trembled.
She gently stroked her belly and murmured to herself.
"It sensed my worry, so it moved slightly to let me know if you were alright?"
Song Xibai's eyes felt sore.
Even though the baby in her belly is smaller than the palm of her hand, Song Xibai inexplicably believes that the baby is perceptive.
She sniffed, her eyes hardening once more.
If the child can survive four months, he/she will live!
At this time, the crown prince, far away in the palace, was unaware that he had missed his child's first fetal movement.
As night fell, the Crown Prince dismissed the palace servants and sat alone in his study in the front hall, watching the flickering candlelight, his thoughts drifting to the estate.
I wonder how Qingqing is doing now?
The journey was bumpy; I wonder if her body could handle it, or if she could get used to the food...
I wonder if she received those things?
That night, the Crown Prince tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind filled with worry about Song Xibai's condition.
That night, the other people in the Eastern Palace also had trouble sleeping.
Most people are filled with fear and anxiety, unsure of what the future holds.
The Crown Princess's feelings were particularly complicated.
She hesitated whether or not to send a message to her family.
Although the Eastern Palace has been sealed off, she still has special ways of contacting the outside world. Taking the risk and trying it out has a high probability of success.
But the thought of the Crown Prince's cold and stern gaze made the Crown Princess hesitate.
Before going to sleep, she thought, let's wait and see how things go tomorrow, maybe Father will calm down soon!
However, the situation did not improve much the following day.
The Eastern Palace has been sealed off; no one can get out.
Meanwhile, in the imperial court, in front of all the civil and military officials, the emperor finally and formally proposed for the first time to depose the crown prince.
These words caused an uproar in the room.
The first to object was the Minister of Rites.
The Minister of Rites stated frankly that the Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country, and his position is crucial to the stability of the court; therefore, he should not be deposed rashly.
Immediately afterwards, officials from the Crown Prince's faction also knelt down and begged the emperor to rescind his order.
The emperor snorted coldly and immediately rebuked the crown prince for disrespecting the emperor and for arbitrarily mobilizing the imperial guards to search the palace and arrest people.
"Does he even respect me as the emperor? What right does this unfilial and disloyal man have to be the crown prince?"
The emperor roared in the hall.
The officials fell silent, terrified by the emperor's furious outburst.
Those who were at odds with the Crown Prince's faction immediately jumped up and joined in the angry cursing.
They even mentioned things like being ambitious and arrogant, being unfilial and disrespectful, and looking down on others. They even went so far as to say that of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no descendants.
Officials from the Crown Prince's faction vehemently refuted the accusations.
No matter how much they argued, the emperor was determined to depose the crown prince.
Just then, the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, Lord Zhou, the Left Censor-in-Chief, slowly stepped out from the crowd.
"Does the Emperor have any reason to depose the Crown Prince?"
The emperor hated this old man the most. Ever since the empress passed away, the Left Censor-in-Chief seemed to have stopped doing his job. He would usually be dozing off with his eyes closed when he was on duty, but he would always jump out at crucial moments to annoy the emperor.
"Wasn't what I just said a reason?"
The emperor retorted.
Imperial Censor Zhou chuckled and continued in his characteristically slow and leisurely tone.
"As far as this old minister knows, the reason His Highness the Crown Prince was so hasty in mobilizing the Imperial Guards to arrest someone is because one of His Highness's pregnant concubines was murdered. Everyone knows how many years His Highness has longed for an heir. Now that he finally has a child, it has been murdered—who could bear such a thing? His Highness is young and impulsive, and in his haste, mobilized the Imperial Guards without informing the Emperor. While this was indeed wrong, it is understandable. If the Emperor were to blame His Highness for this, it would be difficult to convince the people!"
As soon as Censor Zhou finished speaking, many officials echoed his sentiments.
Another censor from the Censorate followed suit, becoming the second to speak.
"What Lord Zhou said is reasonable and just. The Crown Prince's offspring are of great importance, and to have them murdered is simply unforgivable! If such a villain cannot be caught immediately, are we to let him escape out of the palace gates?"
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards mobilized by His Highness the Crown Prince number only fifty men, which is not an overreach."
"Furthermore, His Highness the Crown Prince only ordered a search of Shanglin Garden and did not disturb the inner palace, which shows that His Highness acted with propriety and discipline."
More and more people echoed his sentiments, and the emperor's face grew increasingly grim.
Snap!
He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, his cold gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
"You all actually pleaded for him? Do you even respect me as the emperor?!"
"Your Majesty is mistaken. Your loyalty to the Emperor has never waned. However, loyalty to the Emperor and facing up to the Crown Prince's minor mistakes are not contradictory."
Censor Zhou spoke again.
The emperor stared at him, his hands, which were tucked into his sleeves, suddenly clenched into fists.
If it weren't for the rule at the founding of the Great Yin Dynasty that the emperor could not kill censors, and if it weren't for the fact that the Zhou family also had secret guards, he would have had the Zhou family member beheaded long ago.
Exhaling, the emperor suppressed his anger and spoke again.
"Alright, as you all have said, the Crown Prince's private mobilization of the Imperial Guards was justified and not a major mistake. However, the Crown Prince has been married for several years without any children, leaving him without an heir. How can he fulfill his responsibilities as the Crown Prince?"
"How can a crown prince who cannot have children secure his position?"
"To have no offspring, is that not a grave mistake?"
"I hereby depose the Crown Prince on the grounds that he has no heir!"
The emperor's voice echoed throughout the hall.
For a moment, the officials who had been speaking up for the Crown Prince fell silent.
Unfortunately, the crown prince's greatest weakness is his lack of a son.
There was a full minute of silence in the hall.
The emperor was pleased with himself, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, exuding an air of confidence and self-assurance.
"Speechless? Someone, prepare an imperial edict for me..."
The emperor had only spoken halfway when Imperial Censor Zhou suddenly interrupted him.
"Wait a minute."
The emperor glared at him angrily: "What are you trying to argue about this time, Censor Zhou? You are a censor, how can you always side with the Crown Prince? With such strong personal biases, how can you be appointed as the Left Censor-in-Chief?"
His words contained a hidden threat.
Imperial Censor Zhou seemed not to have heard him, and smiled at the emperor.
"Who says the Crown Prince has no children? As far as this old minister knows, one of His Highness's concubines is nearly four months pregnant."
Upon hearing this, the court officials all showed expressions of surprise.
Some of the officials in the back couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
The Crown Prince's luck is truly beyond words!
You just lost one child, and now you have another?
It's been four months already, the pregnancy is stable, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should be able to give birth smoothly.
As long as the child is born, whether it's a boy or a girl, the rumor that the crown prince is infertile will be dispelled, and there will be even less reason to depose him.
The officials were in an uproar, but the emperor, sitting high above, was no less shocked than they were.
How is that possible?
How is that possible?
Why was there no prior notice?
Could it be that the Crown Prince has been wary of me all along?
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