Just after all the civil and military officials had finished kneeling and paying their respects, Chang Fu came out again with two imperial edicts.
"The Emperor Emeritus is unwell and has returned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to recuperate. There are still two imperial edicts to be issued, so please issue them, Your Majesty."
As Chang Fu spoke, he handed the two imperial edicts to Gu Yifeng, then turned and left.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"
"Now that Your Majesty has rendered meritorious service to the nation, repelling foreign enemies at the border and vanquishing barbarians on the battlefield, gathering intelligence on the border and protecting the peace of the Great Khan, in recognition of your merits, I hereby bestow upon you a robe with a three-clawed golden dragon, and the privileges of not having to hasten your steps when entering the court, not having to mention your name when paying homage, and being allowed to wear a sword and shoes in the palace. This is my decree!"
"Now that the Second Prince Gu Ran is of age and lacks virtue, he should be enfeoffed as a prince upon the new emperor's ascension to the throne. I hereby designate a corner of Chuzhou as his fief and bestow upon him the title of Prince of Chu. He shall proceed to Chuzhou immediately without fail. This is my decree."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yifeng naturally understood the contents of the imperial edict, and then unfolded it and began to read it aloud.
The issuance of these two imperial edicts naturally caused another stir. However, in front of the new emperor, the officials dared not reveal their true feelings. Prince Cheng and the Second Prince's wife, who was attending court in place of the Second Prince, could only kneel and accept the edicts to express their gratitude.
This is where the old emperor's shrewdness lay. He did not read the decree himself, but had Gu Yifeng read it. Firstly, this gave Prince Cheng face without embarrassing the new emperor. Secondly, it prevented the court officials from deliberately interpreting it.
In retrospect, it appears that the bestowal of the title upon Prince Cheng was made entirely with Gu Yifeng's knowledge.
If anyone has ulterior motives, they will be treated as spies from an enemy country, merely for sowing discord within the royal family.
As for the arrangements for the Second Prince Gu Ran, the court's faction had not expected it. However, the decree came from the old emperor, who was then claiming illness and taking a break, which was a huge blow.
Even so, after the imperial decree was read out, the formal court session did not proceed smoothly, with many ministers from the Second Prince's faction raising numerous difficult questions.
If it weren't for the leadership of the two prime ministers, Fang Xuan and the Left Prime Minister, and the help of the cabinet elders, Gu Yifeng might not have been able to leave court in such a majestic manner today.
...
The Imperial Prison, inside the private Imperial Study.
After the news of Gu Yifeng's ascension to the throne spread today, his cell was completely renovated. Qian Si led the jailers to make simple repairs to the cell, making it almost indistinguishable from the Imperial Study in the palace.
"Are all the witnesses and physical evidence prepared?"
Gu Yifeng returned to the room and then asked Chi Liancheng behind him.
"Your Majesty, everything is ready. Although Commander Yan is dead and Song Wuyai has fled, fortunately, the palace maids in the Empress Dowager's palace have not been touched. They are inexperienced and have confessed everything after a little inquiry."
Chi Liancheng nodded slightly upon hearing this. Now that Gu Yifeng has ascended to the throne, the empress's rank has naturally been raised by one level, becoming the empress dowager.
"Let's go, take the men to the Hall of Supreme Harmony."
Chi Liancheng nodded slightly, said nothing more, changed his clothes and headed to the Taihe Hall. Meanwhile, under Chi Liancheng's arrangement, a group of imperial guards rode quickly to the Second Prince's residence to surround him.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
“Father, now that we have both physical and witness evidence, your illness was caused by the Empress Dowager and Commander Yan. They started plotting this the moment my second brother began to harbor rebellious intentions.”
"I have consulted the imperial physicians. Once this poison is taken, even in a tiny amount, it is impossible to stop. If you stop, you will feel unwell, and the symptoms will worsen every day. Only by continuing to take it can you eliminate the discomfort."
After ordering Chi Liancheng to present the two pieces of evidence, Gu Yifeng slowly spoke to the old emperor.
Chang Fu wanted to say something more, but the old emperor stopped him with a gesture. Gu Yifeng naturally knew what the Grand Eunuch was thinking, but he could only shake his head helplessly.
The poison administered by the Empress Dowager was called the "King Yama's Invitation." When the appointed time arrived, it would be the day the King of Hell would send his invitation. Even a god could not save the patient, and rashly attempting to detoxify would only cause the poison to take effect more quickly.
"So be it, this is my fate. You may proceed with the disposal; I am weary."
The old emperor waved his hand, said those words, and then closed his eyes to pretend to sleep. Seeing this, Gu Yifeng had no choice but to bow and leave.
The next step was simple: Chi Liancheng immediately led his men to capture the Empress Dowager, sent her to a side hall in the Cold Palace, sealed off all entrances and exits, and left her to fend for herself.
As for the Second Prince Gu Ran, Chi Liancheng only sent one message to Gu Yifeng: the place was deserted.
Just like Song Wuyai before, once she left the palace, Gu Ran disappeared without a trace, like a drop of water entering the sea. The fact that she could be so fast and take the concubines from the mansion with her could only mean that she had made preparations long ago.
With this escape route as a backup plan, it would be almost impossible to capture him. Gu Yifeng could only order the issuance of an arrest warrant and intensify patrols along the Dagang border.
After finishing all the tasks, he returned to the prison, somewhat exhausted, and activated the system to sign in.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully checked in and obtained a book on hook and sickle spear forging."
Perhaps because he had been in the prison for so long, Gu Yifeng was somewhat dissatisfied with the rewards given by the system this time. Although there were no weapons like the hook-and-sickle spear in the Great Gan, swords, spears, and halberds were still available.
At first glance, this hook-and-sickle spear doesn't seem to have anything particularly outstanding about it.
Just as he was pondering what use this thing could possibly be, Gu Cheng arrived at the imperial prison to pay his respects to his elder brother, the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I will be returning to the border tomorrow. The battle reports I have received these past few days have shown some changes, and I am truly worried. Before I depart, there is one more matter that I would like to ask Your Majesty."
"The Korean army is rich and powerful, and the land near Korea is mostly plains. Recently, the Korean generals have developed a new strategy: cavalrymen, clad in iron armor and riding iron chariots, are linked together and charge back and forth, repeatedly defeating our army. What should we do?"
Gu Cheng's humble attitude in seeking advice is a good one for a general. Although he is a veteran of many battles and well-versed in military strategy, he couldn't think of a better way to deal with this tactic and could only seek advice from Gu Yifeng, who had been studying at the Da Gan Library for a long time.
"Chained horses? What a coincidence, what a coincidence, hahaha. Come, come, Prince Cheng, rest assured, take this booklet, and after returning to the border, order the blacksmiths to forge this weapon. It will surely be able to defeat the Han army."
Upon hearing Gu Cheng's description, Gu Yifeng was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter and directly handed the forging method of the hook-and-sickle spear in his arms to Gu Cheng.
To convince Gu Cheng, he even used his spiritual power to condense it into the shape of a hook-and-sickle spear and explained it to him in detail.
This hook-and-sickle spear was specifically designed to break through cavalry, making it a perfect fit for a powerful and wealthy nation like Korea.
Seeing that Gu Yifeng could come up with a solution so quickly, Gu Cheng immediately showed an expression of admiration. Such a divine artifact could not be researched overnight.
He attributed all of this to Gu Yifeng's divine foresight.
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