Chapter 187: Forced to Abdicate
"No hurry. All of you please get up! Give me some time to think! Don't push me any further, my old bones are almost giving out."
The emperor stood up and asked the eunuch beside him to support him.
"Let's go!"
The ministers refused to give in and continued to kneel on the ground.
"What do you want? Do you want to force me? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to die? I won't die! Let's see what you can do!"
"Can you still force me to abdicate? I'm not afraid of you anymore! See if you can poison me to death! The imperial physician said that I can live for at least another year in my current condition. You just wait patiently until I die before overturning the Gu family's case! Do you think the Gu family alone is enough to worry you so much? Don't you think you're being too disrespectful to me? I'm the ruler of a country after all! If the Prime Minister wants to take the blame, let him do it! It has nothing to do with me! Back then, I was indeed arbitrary and indiscriminate!"
The emperor said these words in frustration as he looked at the ministers below.
Gu Rongyu found these words particularly harsh.
He never knelt down to beg the emperor for mercy or to conduct a thorough investigation. Instead, he just stood there, looking at the emperor coldly, looking extremely angry.
Now that the emperor had spoken his true feelings, he spoke:
"You said it yourself. This was your negligence. Now... the emperor has also realized his mistake! Who wouldn't correct it? Confucius said that knowing one's mistakes is the best way to improve! Since the emperor is the monarch, why can't he listen to advice? It's just to restore the innocence of the Gu family! It's not to take your life, why are you doing this? These people don't have any good feelings towards the Gu family. They are just loyal to the court, and they are loyal to you! Even I am loyal to you... Why embarrass everyone! Your Majesty, I have waited for this day for a long time. Don't you know what I'm thinking? I don't care about fame and fortune. I only care about the reputation of the Gu family! I just don't want my family to die unclearly! This is why I returned to the court... Otherwise, who would return to such a place?"
"You...are so bold!"
"I am bold! But so what? You can drag me out and behead me now! But everyone knows that the Gu family is innocent, it's just that you are unwilling to investigate thoroughly! Who is to blame? Everyone has sharp eyes! By then, the people of the world will be discussing your fault! They will all pay tribute to the general's bravery! By then, you will blame others again. Maybe you will even blame your own people for not believing you! Not trusting you."
Gu Rongyu also spoke from the bottom of his heart, saying that this emperor was really too stubborn!
It's simply impossible to understand!
The Prime Minister had already said it was his fault. If he just went through the motions, if he just... bowed his head and admitted his fault, how could they not forgive the Emperor? How could they not think of him as a wise and righteous brother?
You have to do this!
He must go against the court officials!
It was clearly a very simple matter, but he made it so complicated! And he still got nothing in return!
The Crown Prince also spoke up, "Father! We simply wish to thoroughly investigate what happened back then, and we mean no disrespect to you! The Prime Minister's death was his wish! We all know he's a good Prime Minister! Over the years, he's always been the first to arrive in the palace, and the first to support you. He makes mistakes, and you should be tolerant!"
"You are all forcing me! You are all forcing me, right?"
The old emperor was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood!
The eunuch beside him immediately supported his arm and whispered, "Your Majesty, please stop arguing with them. This matter... should be handled by someone else. If you delay it for too long, it will be bad for your reputation. A hundred years from now, your descendants will laugh at you."
"Laugh at me? I wonder how they dare to laugh at me!"
The old emperor said, "Since I am their ancestor, they should respect me!"
"Your Majesty, that's true. But people's words are terrifying... The dignity of our Southern Dynasty is now in your hands. If you have any problems, other countries will annex us. Although I am a eunuch, I have seen a lot of such things. When a person's morale is low, who can dare to step on him? Don't you think so?"
Eunuchs have been disrespected by people since ancient times, and this is still the case today.
The emperor still wanted to leave, but... the prince stepped forward and hugged his legs, "Father, if you leave like this, how can you be worthy of the people of this world? They will be very sad to see their king do such a thing. Do you want your people to see you like this?"
"Prince, are you going to force me too?"
"Father, I'm not forcing you. Nor am I asking you to make a choice. It's just... this matter requires an explanation, a convincing one. Didn't you always say that the most important thing is the loyalty and trust of your subjects? But, in your son's eyes, you have become different. You now seem so despicable and vulnerable. As if a single mistake can make you lose confidence."
"Father, please think twice."
"You made me think twice, you all made me think twice?"
"Okay, that's fine. You all come here to force me, don't you? I tell you it's impossible... I tell you, as long as I'm around, don't even think about having an easy life."
The emperor turned and left.
This was the worst possible outcome. The prince stood up from the ground, looked at Gu Rongyu who had been standing there, and walked in front of him, "There's nothing we can do."
This sentence was actually said to Prince Rui, asking him to force the emperor to abdicate.
Several days passed after this day.
Prince Rui had already made all the arrangements. He was certain that the old emperor didn't have much time left, only another six months at most. The old emperor was still as kind to the prince as ever.
He also realized that the Crown Prince and the Wise King were of the same kind, because they were both working towards one thing, such as helping Gu Rongyu.
He had just found out in the past few days that Chang Xixi had helped Princess Xian, and that the Xian Prince must have had a connection with Gu Rongyu, because Chang Xixi was Gu Rongyu's mistress.
He thought so and asked someone to investigate, and it was indeed the case. Moreover... Chang Xixi seemed to have known Gu Rongyu for a long time, but the old emperor didn't know.
I don't know if this will make him angry again.
Prince Rui asked his uncle to give him the military command, and he directly deployed the soldiers to set up camp around Kyoto. He also investigated Gu Rongyu's army, which was fifty kilometers away.
If something happened in Kyoto, he would not have time to call the troops back.
in this way…
He had an opportunity.
The people guarding the capital were his men, so he only needed to give them a word and the matter would be settled. His army would then enter the city.
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