Chapter 162 Who else? Who else wants to see the Emperor Emeritus?
About half an hour later, the ministers who had gone to seek confirmation returned, their faces a mixture of confusion, helplessness, and dejection.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "How was it? Did you see His Majesty?"
One of the ministers shook his head, then nodded, "I saw him, but I didn't really see him."
What does this mean?
The returning minister said, "His Majesty personally confirmed through the tent that the edict was indeed written by His Majesty, so we need not doubt it and should wholeheartedly assist the new emperor."
These words were met with another murmur of surprise in the court.
It really was written by His Majesty, but why?
Why would Your Majesty suddenly abdicate when you were perfectly healthy?
"Someone must have threatened His Majesty and forced him to write this edict."
"That makes sense. This matter is unclear and ambiguous, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public!"
"Yes! We must face the Emperor Emeritus face to face!"
The doubts have resurfaced, and this time, the outcry is clearly louder.
Chu Yan stood at the head of the table, his face showing little emotion, as if he had expected this.
He even chuckled softly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; they remained cold.
He slowly stepped down from the throne and approached the minister who had been arguing the loudest, looking down at him.
"Does Imperial Censor Zhou believe that I am unworthy to be the new ruler of the Great Chu?"
"Of course, you're not righteous... Ah!"
The minister, known as Imperial Censor Zhou, was suddenly pierced through the body by a short sword before he could finish speaking.
"puff!"
The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh rang out, and blood spurted out instantly, splashing onto Chu Yan's python robe.
It also splashed all over the faces and clothes of the surrounding ministers!
Censor Zhou opened his eyes wide, as did all the officials in the tent, staring in disbelief at the scene before them.
His Highness Prince Jing is... imitating Prince Cheng and plotting a rebellion!?
This realization sent a chill down the spines of all the ministers, turning their faces deathly pale as if they had been frozen in place.
The tent was deathly quiet.
Chu Yan slowly withdrew his hand, wiped it with a handkerchief, and looked around. Wherever his gaze fell, the ministers lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Who else wants to see the Emperor Emeritus?"
Chu Yan's voice was not loud, but it was like a sharp, icy blade, scraping against the eardrums of everyone present.
After a brief silence, an elderly, white-haired official bravely stepped forward. This man was the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, a highly respected and virtuous scholar.
He pointed at Chu Yan, tears streaming down his face as he accused him: "Chu Yan! You...you dared to kill a loyal official in the court! This is not your way of inheriting the throne, but your attempt to emulate King Cheng and commit the heinous crimes of patricide, regicide, and usurpation of the throne! You...you will be punished by heaven and infamous for eternity!"
"Usurpation?"
Chu Yan sneered, as if he had heard a joke, and slowly turned around. "Are you senile?"
"Father is perfectly fine in the Meditation Pavilion, so how could it be 'parricide'?"
"As for what you said about killing the emperor..." His gaze swept over the corpses on the ground, "Killing a few rebellious ministers who didn't know the times, tried to disrupt the court, and sow discord among the imperial family is simply purging the court. What crime is there in that?"
"Open your eyes wide, everyone! The Crown Prince is seriously injured and unable to walk properly; he's practically a cripple! Even if he were to recover, could he still draw a bow? Could he still shoot arrows? Could he still handle the heavy burden of state affairs and command respect from all sides?"
"As for Father Emperor, he is old and has suffered a shock that has affected his health. He needs to rest and recuperate. The Great Chu Empire and its hundreds of millions of people need a healthy, strong, and decisive princess to lead it!"
He opened his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire court:
"Looking across the entire royal family, who else but me can shoulder this heavy responsibility? This throne will be mine sooner or later. I am merely following the will of Heaven and taking on this burden sooner so that Father can rest in peace. What's wrong with that?!"
He suddenly raised his hand!
Outside the tent, a series of orderly footsteps soon rang out, followed by a troop of fully armed imperial guards, exuding a murderous aura, who filed in and instantly surrounded the entire tent.
The leader was none other than Li Long, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
He was expressionless, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd, like a lifeless machine.
"Li Long! You shameless scoundrel!"
"The Imperial Guards' duty is to protect the Emperor! Yet you have repeatedly aided and abetted the wicked, bringing weapons into the palace. Do you deserve the armor you wear?!"
Li Long didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard anything, and stood beside Chu Yan like the most loyal puppet.
Chu Yan sneered, "Those who understand the times are heroes. Commander Li is a man of great principle, knowing who to be loyal to and who to protect, unlike some others..."
His gaze swept over the ministers, whose faces were still filled with resentment. "Stubborn fools, they're courting death!"
"My ascension to the throne is ordained by Heaven and the inevitable trend of the times. As long as you submit to me and serve me wholeheartedly, you will become the founding fathers of the new dynasty."
This blatant temptation caused many ministers to waver, their faces showing conflicted emotions.
Although Chu Yan was rebellious, he was right about one thing: at present, he was indeed the only heir to the throne.
If they don't choose him, then they can only choose someone from the royal family. But that would inevitably lead to a new round of internal strife.
"Your Highness, what skill you have!"
Just as the ministers were looking at each other in bewilderment, a righteous voice rang out from the crowd.
The officials looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Xiao Dingshan, the Marquis of Yongning, who was standing at the front of the group but had not spoken.
He stepped forward and stared intently at Chu Yan: "Your Highness keeps saying that no one but you can shoulder this heavy responsibility. Then I would like to ask, Your Highness only has a leg injury, your mind is not damaged, your benevolence is still intact, and there are still countless loyal ministers and generals in the court who are willing to swear to serve you to the death. How has he become a 'useless person'?"
"You, along with the likes of Du Kuan and Li Long, openly executed loyal officials in the court, coerced officials by force, and sealed off the palace. This is clearly treason! Rebellion deserves to be punished by everyone!"
After speaking, Xiao Dingshan turned to the court officials whose faces showed fear and who were beginning to waver, and his voice was as loud as a bell:
"Gentlemen, if we succumb to this tyranny today and endorse this traitor, where will the foundation of our Great Chu Kingdom be? Where will propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame be? Today he can kill Imperial Censor Zhou and Physician Zhao, and tomorrow he can kill Minister Wang and General Du."
Today he can force the retired emperor to write an abdication edict; tomorrow, to secure his throne, he will commit even more immoral acts and wreak havoc on the world. You who cling to life today, what face will you have to meet your ancestors? What face will you have to meet the people of the world?
"The land of Great Chu does not belong to Chu Yan alone. It was built by the ancestors of the Chu clan and sustained by the blood and sweat of hundreds of millions of people. We will never allow anyone to defile or steal it with such despicable, filthy, and bloody means!"
Xiao Dingshan's words were like a morning bell, awakening some ministers whose consciences had been clouded by fear and temptation.
The imperial court was still surrounded by weapons, and the atmosphere was heavy.
But many ministers' eyes had become firm again, and they straightened their hunched backs.
Chu Yan's face also turned completely gloomy, and a murderous intent was revealed in his eyes!
"Whoosh!"
The next second, a long sword was placed against Xiao Dingshan's neck.
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