palace coup
"The Imperial Grandson! What a great Imperial Grandson!"
"All of us legitimate princes are still here! How could a kid who hasn't even grown all his hair get the chance to sit on it! The old man is getting more and more confused! Isn't he afraid that the kid will fall down if he doesn't sit firmly?"
At Prince Zhao's place, Prince Zhao laughed in anger and smashed a lot of things.
Chunxi Garden is the emperor's territory. Who would dare to spread rumors here? If the emperor didn't have this idea, this rumor wouldn't have appeared! Even if it did appear, it shouldn't have been spread so widely.
Prince Zhao was furious, while Prince Ling was eerily quiet.
Prince Ling sat alone in the inner room, turning his teacup with a gloomy look on his face.
Regardless of who had spread the news, the meaning was now clear: the emperor wasn't trying to spur them on, but rather simply had no intention of appointing another crown prince. Yes, they should have understood this long ago; no one could replace Crown Prince Qianyuan's position in the emperor's heart.
It was no use relying on the emperor, so what was the next move? Prince Ling stared at the chessboard, gradually clenching his fists.
Prince Su's morale was deeply shaken by the previous scolding. His heart and body were ailing, and he couldn't help but clutch his blankets tightly as he heard the news, but he had little desire to argue.
He sneered at the Princess Su who was beside the bed and said, "You see, there are still differences among sons."
Love desires its life. In the emperor's heart, these living sons are not only inferior to the one lying in the coffin, but also inferior to the bloodline left by that person.
"Now just wait and see how the others fight." Princess Su sighed, "After all, no matter who comes to the throne, I am still a prince, right?"
Prince Su sighed deeply.
Prince Yue didn't react as strongly as his brothers. Although he felt that the matter was not that simple, he still hoped that the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince would be dealt with as soon as possible.
After that, the emperor's spirit became increasingly weak. Perhaps seeing the emperor's true nature, the princes all pretended to be filial sons and rushed to serve the emperor. The emperor occasionally accepted their offer, but more often than not, he would become impatient and send the people away, only to have his grandson serve him instead.
This move undoubtedly gave some people great stimulation.
"Send a message to the commander of the Western Military Command and the deputy commanders of the Northern and Eastern Military Commands. Summon Judge Sun Changyi and tell him I have a headache."
As soon as there was any movement here, Prince Xuan received the news.
In addition to the palace gate, the commander of the Nine Gates also has military commanders in charge of the five city gates: the central, east, south, west, and north gates. Although he has retired long ago, he still has his confidants among them, so any unusual movements cannot be concealed from him.
Another secret guard came in quietly and said, "Your Highness, where is Judge Liu..."
Prince Xuan laughed and said, "Someone is getting restless. I don't know which of my good brothers it is."
The show is about to begin.
The current leader of the Nine Gates is Prince Tao Yunxi. Young and unable to match the intimidating power of Prince Xuan, he has struggled to maintain his position over the years. While outsiders may see the glitz and glamour of a legitimate position, only those involved know the hardships involved.
Every time he returned to Chunxi Garden, he had to guard it with great care. But then news arrived from the capital that a security breach had occurred at one of the palace gates. Though the emperor was gone, the palace was still a top priority, so he led some of the military back to the capital to handle the situation.
"……wrong."
But when they were about to reach the capital, Prince Tao slowly tightened the reins, a look of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and then his expression changed drastically.
The commander of the Imperial Guards was in the capital. Even if most of the troops had gone to Chunxi Garden, the commander stayed behind. It made no sense to dispatch him, the commander of the Nine Gates, if there was a disturbance that couldn't be rectified. Unless the disturbance was so severe that the commander of the Imperial Guards couldn't make a decision. But the only thing that could render the commander of the Imperial Guards unable to make a decision was... the Emperor was in Chunxi Garden!
Emperor! Emperor! Emperor!
It's crazy!
A loud thunderclap rang in Prince Tao's ears, and his face turned pale.
"This is a lure to lure the tiger away from the mountain, Chunxi Garden...!"
On this day, Prince Ling was attending to the sick.
The emperor watched him dismiss his attendants and frantically bustle about, and finally said calmly, "Yunpeng, I am very pleased that you are filial."
"As a son, it is your duty to be filial to your father."
Prince Ling lowered his eyes in utter obedience, watching the emperor gulp down the medicine, his face growing increasingly sleepy. He felt a secret pleasure in his heart. Soon... soon, this mountain weighing on his head would disappear.
Prince Ling stood up and looked down at the sickly and emaciated old man lying on the bed.
Father, you are really old.
Having been emperor for over thirty years, Emperor Xianshun keenly sensed that something was amiss, yet he felt numb all over, dizzy, and swollen. He was so angry that he couldn't utter a complete sentence: "Rebellious, rebellious son! How dare you..."
I am the king and the father! How dare this rebellious son kill the king and his father!
"May I ask, Father, do you truly consider me your own son? There's probably no such thing as a son here, but I've certainly been touched." Prince Ling said expressionlessly, "Don't worry, Father. It's not a deadly poison, but it has the effect of an evil wind. However, it's not something that can be achieved with just one bowl of medicine. It takes time and effort to accumulate little by little day and night."
The emperor's eyes were bloodshot. "Yun Peng! How dare you! Someone come!"
There was no movement outside. Prince Ling said indifferently, "Father, I have always had a question. In your eyes, are all of us sons not as important as a single hair on the head of the Crown Prince?"
But the answer is no longer important. When he becomes the crown prince and succeeds to the throne, the former crown prince will still be stepped on by him...
"Fifth brother!"
Prince Ling's pupils shrank, and he slowly turned his head in disbelief, looking at Prince Xuan who was strolling towards him, followed by the other princes with dazed and surprised faces.
Prince Xuan was holding the collar of a general whose chest was pierced by a feather arrow. He threw it casually before entering the hall, and blood flowed all over the ground. It was the commander of Ximen Bingmasi.
"Someone led an army to surround the emperor's bedroom with the intention of rebellion. My son executed them without asking for permission. Will the emperor blame me?" Prince Xuan smiled and looked towards the bed. He was asking the emperor, but his eyes were fixed on Prince Ling.
The emperor was breathing heavily, but he could no longer utter a word and could only watch his sons perform.
Prince Ling suddenly laughed: "Brother, good tricks."
Prince Xuan sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Fifth brother, you are so kind. It is better than being a traitor who kills the king and the father."
This sentence made Prince Ling's face burn. Looking at the different expressions of his brothers, he sneered crazily: "If it wasn't me, it would have been someone else. It's just that I was the first to speak out."
Prince Xuan turned his teacup around and looked at the emperor: "Father, your Majesty, what should we do now?"
The meaning in the emperor's eyes was very clear: they were all rebellious sons.
"Father, sometimes partiality is bad. How did it end up like this? How about this? I suggest you call the ministers and the chancellors here. This will save your Majesty from accusing us sons of forcing our king." Prince Xuan gestured outside, "Grand Steward Wang, summon the others, please."
The palace steward, who was being watched by the emperor and the other princes, bent down and said, "I will go right away."
The emperor didn't expect that this dog servant would actually listen to Prince Xuan's words. He pointed his trembling finger at the chief steward Wang angrily and fainted from anger.
When the imperial physician was invited in to give the medicine, he didn't dare to glance around. What the hell is going on?
The princes' expressions were also grim. Prince Ling was planning a coup, but Prince Xuan had the upper hand. God knows how shocked they were when they were pulled out of their beds and brought here.
I don’t know whether it was Prince Jingling’s audacity or Prince Xuan’s tactics.
Or both.
Prince Zhao's legs were weak. He had considered forcing the emperor to abdicate, but he lacked the courage, so the plan was shelved. If he had done so, wouldn't he be the one waiting for trial? Although Prince Ling was his biological brother, Prince Zhao now felt truly unfamiliar with him.
When the imperial physician was giving the emperor acupuncture, the ministers and prime ministers named by Prince Xuan also arrived.
When the minister saw this scene, he had no idea what was happening. His eyes rolled back and he wanted to faint.
Prince Xuan spoke slowly: "My Lords, please don't faint. Do you want acupuncture too?"
My Lords, you are almost safe.
The emperor woke up, and the first thing he did was point at the imprisoned Prince Ling and curse, "You traitor! You are unworthy of being my son or my subject!"
One sentence determined Prince Ling's fate.
"The fifth prince, Yunpeng, was stripped of his princely title, stripped of his imperial surname, and confined to the Imperial Clan House."
The emperor also punished the others who had intended to rebel, and then angrily declared, "The empress doth not teach her son well; his son will never ascend the throne!"
Prince Zhao and Prince E turned pale. This also blocked their way.
But the emperor said nothing to his other sons.
Prince Xuan was quite patient.
Sun Yingming, the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, and Zuo Xiang exchanged glances before suddenly kneeling and shouting, "Your Majesty, I implore you to appoint a new Crown Prince!"
Immediately afterwards, other ministers and chancellors also knelt down and asked for the establishment of a crown prince.
The emperor was like a lion in its twilight years, still clinging to its territory. He stared at these people intently, his breath panting like the wind: "You are forcing me! I, I want...!"
At this stalemate, Prince E, who had always been a marginal figure, stepped forward, lifted his robe, knelt down, and said in a loud voice: "Your son asks your father to appoint a new crown prince!"
"Yunhong! Are you going to force me too?!"
The emperor pointed at his son and felt a sweet taste in his throat, but Prince E just knelt there blankly.
Prince Zhao looked at his younger brother, wondering why he would come forward at this time. In today's situation, if the crown prince really had to be chosen, there could only be one person! Prince Ling...
No matter what, Peng is still their biological brother from the same mother, and Prince E actually gave help to others at this time.
"Good! Good! Then I will make He Sheng the crown prince! He Sheng is the legitimate son of the crown prince and the legitimate heir of Empress Yuan. Are you satisfied?" The emperor sneered.
"Lord Hesheng is still young and probably can't handle this heavy responsibility," the Left Prime Minister argued confidently. "Besides, Your Majesty has many sons, and the elders are respected. It doesn't make sense to bypass them all and appoint the Crown Prince."
The emperor was furious: "I am the Son of Heaven!"
The emperor was so angry that he spat out blood.
Prince Xuan then slowly said, "Father wants to establish the Crown Prince. How can we, as his sons and uncles, object? But Father, are you sure that without your protection, the Crown Prince can hold on to his position?"
This was a blatant threat. The emperor pointed angrily at his eldest son, spat out another mouthful of blood, and fainted.
It seemed as if the princes present were meeting their elder brother for the first time, and they couldn't help but shudder.
The imperial physician was sweating profusely when the emperor fainted. He was already at the end of his strength and his body was exhausted. Even if he could be awakened by stimulating the acupoints, his time would not be long.
In fact, the overall situation was already decided at this time, but Prince Xuan still wanted a final guarantee, so he ordered with a cold look: "Acupuncture."
As the night went on, everyone in Chunxi Garden was in a panic, their eyes red and their bottoms black and blue from staying up all night.
When the emperor woke up again, it was already dawn the next day. He could not speak, but could only sob and curse. But looking at his eldest son who was as still as a mountain, feeling his body rapidly deteriorating, he knew he had no other choice.
The emperor reluctantly extended his hand.
"Your Majesty, what are you doing...?" The left prime minister was about to draft an imperial edict, but the emperor glared at him, as if scolding him for his pretense, and pointed angrily at Prince Xuan from a distance.
The Left Prime Minister immediately said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Behind them, a group of people knelt down and shouted, "The emperor is wise."
The emperor was really angry to death.
The moment the imperial seal was pressed down, everyone present knew that the future master of Da Qi had been decided.
The emperor looked on coldly and signaled everyone to leave. He wanted to speak to Prince Xuan... no, the Crown Prince alone.
"Your Majesty, I can read lips. Please go ahead." The newly crowned Crown Prince, Prince Xuan, calmly sat down beside the bed and looked at the emperor.
Emperor: "I have underestimated you over the years."
Although it was indeed Yunpeng's fault, the emperor didn't believe that there was no one behind the scenes fanning the flames. He was afraid that the chance encounter with Princess Yurong that day was also part of his plan.
Prince Xuan smiled.
"As you wish, I will make you the crown prince, and you will be the emperor in the future. But I believe that everything should be done in accordance with orthodoxy and righteousness. Yunchun, what do you think?" The emperor stared at him, trying to turn the tables.
Prince Xuan must have understood. The Emperor wanted him to be posthumously conferred the title of Crown Prince Qianyuan before ascending the throne. But now, Prince Xuan didn't care so much and smiled, "Father is right."
The emperor felt as powerless as if he was punching cotton.
He doesn't even care!
But Prince Xuan's indifference does not mean that he can swallow his anger.
"Oh, Father, you don't have much time left, so I'll give you a heads-up." Prince Xuan picked up the porcelain bowl, which had been sitting there for who knows how long, and examined it carefully. "Old Fifth's medicine is indeed not fatal. Even if it's more potent, it will only cause a stroke or paralysis. With the capabilities of the Imperial Hospital, it won't be a problem for you to live another ten years. But the effects of the other things over time are uncertain."
The emperor's breathing suddenly quickened. What's so unclear about this?!
"It's not poison, otherwise it wouldn't be hidden from the Imperial Hospital. It's just that the conflict with Lao Wu's medicine caused it to break out. If you take too much on a normal day, you'll just fall asleep, and then be dazed for a while after waking up."
Thinking of his own health condition a while ago, the emperor choked and tried to speak, glaring at Prince Xuan. But the rebellious son continued, "Don't worry, I've handled this matter cleanly and won't give anyone any evidence against me."
"Your health is not suitable for anger. Rest well and you may live a few more days. I will not disturb you, father. I will take my leave."
Prince Xuan remained sympathetic, not revealing any connection between the late Crown Prince's death and Concubine Xian. He had tried to investigate over the years, but to no avail. But there was no need now.
The emperor could not hold on for a few more days and died that night.
The ministers, led by the left prime minister, and the royal family, led by several princes, requested an imperial decree to invite the crown prince to ascend the throne.
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