Chapter 263 The First Prince
Seeing that most of the officials in the court had been swayed, Zheng Wenkai's eyes flashed with a hint of smugness. He then turned to Shen Xu, who was still hesitating, and softened his tone.
“Shen Guojiu, please take a look at him.”
He gestured for Chen Yanqing to step forward. “This is your own nephew, the only flesh and blood left in the world by Empress Shen! He has been living among the common people since childhood, suffering all kinds of hardships. Now he has been disfigured like this by Li Yuanzhao. Can you really bear to let your own sister’s flesh and blood continue to suffer injustice for the sake of that bastard who has usurped the throne?”
Shen Xu's eyes flickered violently as he looked at the crisscrossing scars on Chen Yanqing's face.
When he chose Li Yuanzhao, he thought that his own nephew had probably already been killed by Consort Cui.
Unexpectedly, he survived and was ravaged to this extent.
This is his own sister's child, born after ten months of pregnancy! How could he bear to do this...?
For a moment, he was filled with conflicting emotions!
Shen Xu finally sighed, looked up at Zheng Wenkai, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What do you want me to do?"
Zheng Wenkai immediately said, "All you need to do is for Imperial Uncle Shen to publicly expose Li Yuanzhao's bastard status at the Longwu Gate, and then persuade General Shen Churong to withdraw his troops. The military power in his hands is Li Yuanzhao's last resort. As long as General Shen withdraws his troops, and you step forward to support the eldest prince to ascend the throne and become emperor, this matter will be settled!"
Shen Xu stared intently at Zheng Wenkai, then glanced at the kneeling officials, and after a long while, he managed to utter a single word: "Good."
Pei Huaijin quickly stopped him, "Uncle Shen, how can you believe his one-sided story! Have you forgotten how His Highness has treated the Shen family all these years? Have you forgotten everything she has done for the Great Qi? This is all Zheng Wenkai's conspiracy, you..."
Zheng Wenkai's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Gag him and drag him away!"
Pei Huaijin has been going against him all day, and he's been displeased with him for a long time.
But no matter what, he is still the head of the Pei family. Now is a critical moment, and there is no need to kill him at this time and offend the aristocratic families.
It's not too late to deal with it once the overall situation is settled.
Two Longwu Army soldiers immediately stepped forward, covered Pei Huaijin's mouth tightly, and dragged him down.
Zheng Wenkai looked at the subdued Pei Huaijin and nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to Chen Yanqing and announced loudly, "Immediately draft an edict to depose the emperor, listing Li Yuanzhao's crimes of regicide and usurpation, and proclaim it to the world! The late emperor's eldest son, Li Yanqing, is destined by Heaven and will hold his enthronement ceremony in the Taiji Hall three days from now, on the occasion of the late emperor's funeral!"
This time, none of the ministers present objected.
Some were so excited that their eyes were burning with anticipation, as if they could already see the new dynasty they had envisioned.
There are also those who disagree internally, but dare not stand up for fear of losing their lives.
After everything was arranged, Zheng Wenkai turned his attention to dealing with the "remnants" in the scene.
His gaze first fell on Little Bell, and he coldly ordered, "Take this witch who poisoned and murdered the king away and beat her to death with sticks to set an example!"
Knowing she was doomed, Xiao Lingdang didn't struggle and let the Longwu Army drag her away.
She firmly believed that His Majesty would not sit idly by and wait for death. Although she would not be able to witness the day when the chaos was rectified, she was determined to avenge herself if she could die for His Majesty.
Her gaze swept over the crowd in the hall. No matter how arrogant these people were today, they would only suffer a more miserable death than she did in the future!
"Wait!" But at this moment, Chen Yanqing suddenly interrupted.
But at this moment, Chen Yanqing suddenly interrupted.
He said to Zheng Wenkai, "Although she has committed a capital crime, it was because she was deceived. Moreover, she is a highly skilled doctor, especially adept at detoxification and wound healing. It would be a pity if she died. I beg you, Prime Minister Zheng, to spare her life. Perhaps she can help me recover."
His hands and feet were broken, but fortunately, he received timely treatment and the imperial physician reattached them, although he still has difficulty moving around.
Although he knew that the little bell belonged to Li Yuanzhao, he had spent some time with her and knew that she had no ill intentions towards him.
For some reason, he subconsciously felt that the women around him would not harm him, which is why he pleaded for their lives.
Zheng Wenkai frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing through his mind.
Chen Yanqing has just obtained the title of "First Prince," yet he dares to interfere with his decisions.
But then I thought, she's just a woman, she can't cause any trouble.
He suppressed his emotions and nodded, saying, "Then we'll do as the Crown Prince says and have the person imprisoned in the Imperial Prison!"
"As for..." Zheng Wenkai's gaze swept over Lin Xuean, pondering how to deal with this "hero."
Chen Yanqing interrupted again, "Prime Minister Zheng, Physician Lin's life can be spared, but there is one person whose life must not be spared!"
Zheng Wenkai looked at him.
Is this person so eager to show off their power right after taking office?
If he is sensible, that's fine. But if he really thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he has become emperor, then don't blame him for choosing another obedient member of the imperial clan to be emperor after he overthrows Li Yuanzhao!
Before Zheng Wenkai could speak, Chen Yanqing pointed at Lin Xuean and said, "He deserves to die!"
Lin Xuean suddenly looked up at Chen Yanqing, her eyes filled with astonishment.
Zheng Wenkai tried to dissuade him, saying, "Your Highness, this man is a key witness who exposed Li Yuanzhao's patricide and treason. He is a meritorious official. Killing him might discourage people from supporting him."
"Have merit?" Chen Yanqing sneered, his tone full of contempt. "This kind of opportunistic and treacherous scoundrel can betray Li Yuanzhao today and betray me tomorrow. Keeping him around is no different than raising a tiger to cause trouble!"
He had long disliked Lin Xuean, and now that he had power, he naturally wanted to get rid of this eyesore first.
Zheng Wenkai paused for a moment, then quickly weighed the pros and cons.
Lin Xuean is merely a dispensable pawn, while Chen Yanqing is the "new master" he needs to keep in check. Now is the crucial moment to act under Chen Yanqing's name.
It's not worth ruining your relationship with him over a pawn.
He finally waved his hand and said, "Fine, Your Highness may do as you wish."
Lin Xuean's disbelief instantly turned into terror.
He had long since lost all hope in his life.
Having once been Li Yuanzhao's lover, he was abandoned by her. Marrying, having children, and living a normal life were long-lost dreams, and the ridicule and contempt of the world would follow him like a shadow.
He hated Li Yuanzhao's heartlessness and the injustice of fate.
So when Zheng Xiang's men found him and wanted him to tell the truth about that day, he chose to betray Li Yuanzhao almost without hesitation.
He originally thought this was his only chance to turn things around, and that by helping to bring down Li Yuanzhao, he could gain immense wealth and glory.
Unexpectedly, a single, casual remark from Chen Yanqing could cost him his life.
He struggled frantically, but the soldiers held him firmly to the ground.
Looking at Chen Yanqing's indifferent face and Zheng Wenkai's unmoved expression, Lin Xuean finally realized that she was nothing more than a pawn to be used and discarded.
Those present had no objection to the fate of such a treacherous and ungrateful person.
Even Li Yuanshu, who introduced him to Prime Minister Zheng, did not speak up to stop him.
As she was dragged away, Lin Xue'an screamed desperately, "No! No! I'm a hero! You can't kill me!"
After finishing, Zheng Wenkai looked at the Third Princess again, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
When Li Yuanzhao placed him under house arrest and investigated him on charges of "colluding with the Cui family in a rebellion," it wasn't entirely a baseless accusation.
After all, he had indeed secretly plotted with the Third Princess to rescue Cui Shiliang, who was imprisoned.
Therefore, in order to prevent Li Yuanzhao from finding anything, he had no choice but to send someone to poison Li Yuanshu, who was also imprisoned, to silence him.
To everyone's surprise, she survived by sheer luck and even sent someone to inform him about Physician Lin's matter, which allowed his subsequent plans to proceed so smoothly.
With her, a member of the royal family, endorsing Chen Yanqing's identity, he will undoubtedly be more convincing to the public.
He cleared his throat and announced in a loud voice: "The Third Princess was previously slandered by Li Yuanzhao and stripped of her title as a princess. Today, she is hereby restored, and all her offerings and treatment will be in accordance with the old system."
Li Yuanshu couldn't hide her excitement. Sure enough, her choice was right! As long as Li Yuanzhao was eliminated, things had indeed taken a turn for the better!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com