After the emperor rejected several memorials from the Dingbian Prince's faction, the Dingbian Prince finally became angry.
The emperor had previously treated him with utmost respect and granted his every request, but in just two years, everything changed.
Although the emperor dared not openly break ties with him, everything he had done recently had crossed his bottom line.
The King of Dingbian decided he could no longer tolerate it.
A puppet that has escaped control should be abandoned.
So he planned to personally kill the emperor and Jian Yang, that adulterous couple, at his upcoming birthday banquet, and then install the young prince on the throne.
There are no secrets in this world, and the news quickly reached the emperor's ears.
"Your Majesty, this trip is surely a trap, we mustn't go!" Zhao Ziyi rushed over to dissuade the emperor after seeing that he had received the invitation.
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "The empress and Kun'er may not go, but I must go."
Now is not the right time to break ties with the Prince of Dingbian.
Although the two sides are just one step away from making a direct confession.
However, in order to appease the King of Dingbian, he had to appear on his birthday; otherwise, if he angered the King, war would break out and the people would suffer.
Zhao Ziyi understood his predicament, but the spies he had planted in the Prince's residence had clearly told him that the Prince of Dingbian was determined to kill him.
"Your Majesty, would it be better if you feign illness?"
The emperor smiled and shook his head: "If I were to fall ill, the Prince of Dingbian would invite the Empress and Kun'er to attend. How could I possibly put them in danger?"
"Alas!" Zhao Ziyi sighed, "Then I could only mobilize more elite troops to protect your safety that day."
The emperor patted him on the shoulder: "Thank you for your trouble."
"It is my duty!"
But things didn't go as planned.
On the day of the King of Dingbian's birthday, this old man, who should have been at home waiting for guests from all directions, actually entered the palace early in the morning.
His purpose was simple: to invite the emperor and his family to his birthday banquet.
The family included the emperor, empress, and princes. The empress dowager devoted herself to Buddhism and never participated in such events, so the Prince of Dingbian naturally wouldn't invite her.
The emperor was surprised that the Prince of Dingbian would come in person. After a moment of astonishment, he immediately ordered his men to welcome him into the palace.
“My dear minister, today is your birthday, it is really not right for you to come here in person.”
The Prince of Dingbian, abandoning his usual arrogance, laughed and said, "Your Majesty is the sovereign, and the sovereign is the heaven. If I wish for the imperial family to personally visit my residence, I should personally welcome them."
"Now that we're here, let's set off together."
At this moment, the emperor and his minister appeared amicable.
The Prince of Dingbian feigned surprise and asked, "Does Your Majesty not wait for the Empress and the Prince?"
The emperor, without changing his expression, said, "The empress has recently caught a cold, and it is rather unfortunate that the prince is showing filial piety to the empress dowager."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard Zhou Kun and Jian Yang's voices approaching from afar. The two were running and laughing all the way, looking very happy.
The emperor frowned, thinking to himself, "This is bad."
"Father, look at the dragonfly that Mother helped me catch..." Zhou Kun ran into the main hall, but stopped and shut his mouth the moment he saw the Prince of Dingbian.
He also put his hands behind his back.
Jian Yang followed closely behind, and upon seeing the Prince of Dingbian, her breath caught in her throat.
What brings this old geezer here?
Shouldn't he be entertaining guests at his residence at this time?
Seeing that things had come to this, the emperor could only smile and say, "Empress, my beloved minister and I were just talking about your cold. Are you feeling any better today?"
Jian Yang immediately understood the emperor's meaning and quickly coughed, "Cough cough cough, Your Majesty, I am not fully recovered yet. I just saw that Kun'er was lonely all by himself, so I accompanied him to catch dragonflies for a while."
Before the emperor could speak, the Prince of Dingbian laughed and said, "So the young prince is lonely? That's easy. Today is my birthday, so why don't you come with me to my residence for a visit?"
Just as the emperor was about to give Zhou Kun a meaningful look, he saw Zhou Kun nod and say, "Okay, okay."
emperor:"……"
Jian Yang: "..."
The King of Dingbian burst into loud laughter.
Since Zhou Kun was also going, Jian Yang was really worried, so she had no choice but to drag her "sick body" along as well.
Before this, Jian Yang used the excuse of returning to the palace to change clothes to bring with her all the poison powder and poison she usually made.
During the journey, she generously shared half of her gift with the emperor.
When the four arrived, all the guests of the Dingbian Prince's Mansion had already arrived.
After everyone paid their respects to the Emperor and Empress, the Prince of Dingbian announced the start of the banquet.
The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, the dancers were stunningly beautiful, the dishes were plentiful and delicious, and the atmosphere was lively and bustling.
Jian Yang and the Emperor remained vigilant to prevent any unforeseen events from occurring.
At the same time, the two reached a consensus that if they could return to the palace safely today, they would definitely teach Zhou Kun a lesson and stop him from agreeing to go out and play with just anyone.
As the two were talking, they saw the Prince of Dingbian pick up his wine cup and walk towards them.
"This first cup of wine should naturally be offered to His Majesty and Empress," said the Prince of Dingbian with a loud laugh.
The emperor and Jian Yang both raised their wine glasses.
Just as he was about to clink glasses with the Prince of Dingbian, he saw him give a cold laugh and release the wine cup in his hand.
"Smack!"
The wine glass fell to the ground, splashing wine everywhere, and the glass shattered into pieces.
Smash the cup as a signal!
Just as this thought crossed Jian Yang's mind, the dancer who was dancing seductively in the center of the dance floor suddenly rushed towards the emperor.
A flash of cold light, and a sharp blade appeared in her hand without her even noticing.
Fortunately, Jian Yang reacted quickly and threw out a handful of poison powder. The dancer was caught off guard and inhaled the poison powder, collapsing to the ground and dying instantly.
The ministers present scattered like birds and beasts, only to find that the gates of the Prince's Palace had been locked at some point, and none of them could escape.
"King Dingbian, are you trying to commit regicide?!" The emperor finally tore off his usual gentle facade and erupted in thunderous rage.
The Prince of Dingbian laughed and said, "Regicide? Your Majesty, don't forget that I gave you this throne. When I want to give it to you, you are the emperor; when I don't want to give it to you, you are not even as good as an ant."
The ministers, who were forced to listen from the sidelines, trembled upon hearing this. They wondered if they would be able to leave the Dingbian Prince's Mansion alive after hearing such extraordinary words.
The emperor snorted coldly and said, "When did it become your place, an outsider, to interfere in the affairs of my Zhou family's empire!"
The Prince of Dingbian, however, didn't take it to heart and laughed, "Your Majesty should stop putting on a lecturing act and instead take a look at where your son is now."
Upon hearing this, both the Emperor and Jian Yang felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.
Just now, Zhou Kun made a fuss about needing to use the restroom, so Jian Yang had two guards accompany him.
Judging by the time, he should have been back long ago.
But he was nowhere to be seen.
"Bring the prince up!"
As the Prince of Dingbian shouted, a guard from the Prince's palace carried a bewildered Zhou Kun forward.
Seeing this, Jian Yang couldn't help but curse, "Shameless old thief, what kind of skill is it to kidnap a child?"
The Prince of Dingbian glared at her fiercely and said angrily, "Since the Empress is so eager to die, I will grant your wish!"
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