How could that be?
Consort Shu was still half-believing, half-doubting. She grabbed Shen Zhizhang's sleeve and pointed at the Crown Prince sharply, saying, "Kill him for me!"
"Protect the Crown Prince! Protect the Crown Prince!" Zhu Ye quickly told Nan Feng. The two of them lightly touched their toes and flew to Xiao Huaijin's side, fending off the fierce attack of the Imperial Guards on his left and right.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the door again.
"The Prince of Runan has come to protect you! You petty scoundrels, who dares to obstruct him!"
"The Prince Rui of Yizhou is here! Who dares to harm the Crown Prince!"
Two deep male voices rang out from outside the hall.
Two generals, clad in armor and with long swords at their waists, burst through the door.
Behind them were two squads of soldiers, one dressed in red and the other in black armor.
They killed the imperial guards stationed at the gate and stormed into the Feihua Palace.
The imperial guards inside the palace were stunned when they saw the overwhelming army approaching.
Several courageous men drew their swords and charged forward, only to be pierced through the heart by arrows from the soldiers of the Prince of Runan, who were armed with bows and arrows, and fell to the ground, unable to rise.
Everyone suddenly realized that both the Prince of Runan and the Prince of Rui had come prepared.
Continuing to fight would be a futile and pointless act of resistance.
"Listen up, Imperial Guards! Surrender now, and I may spare your lives!" The Prince of Runan dismounted and shouted in a steady, powerful voice.
"No throwing allowed! All of you, get up here!" Consort Shu shouted angrily, her face pale with rage.
The Imperial Guards looked at each other, realizing that preserving their lives was the most important thing.
They then laid down their weapons and surrendered, begging for mercy.
The Prince of Runan, dressed in heavy armor, walked step by step to Xiao Huaijin, whose face was covered in blood from the fighting, and knelt on one knee, saying, "Your subject is late in coming to the rescue, please forgive me, Your Highness."
Even after fighting for a long time, Xiao Huaijin remained calm and composed. He nodded to the Prince of Runan and said, "Uncle, please rise."
"Crown Prince? How dare you, Prince of Runan, spout such nonsense! The Emperor has not issued an edict to reinstate Xiao Huaijin, how can you call him Crown Prince!" Shen Zhizhang glared at the prince, who looked somewhat old but still exuded a majestic and imposing aura.
"Prime Minister Shen, you may not know this, but just as we passed through the Golden Palace, His Majesty issued an edict to reinstate the Crown Prince and also handed the Imperial Seal of the State to me, ordering us to make sure that the Imperial Seal of the State is brought to the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace."
A clear, crisp voice suddenly rang out. Shen Zhizhang looked in the direction of the voice and saw a handsome young man dressed in a moon-white robe walk out from behind the Prince of Runan.
Pei Zhixuan, he's here too?!
Upon seeing this, Shen Zhizhang was so angry he laughed, and shouted at Pei Zhixuan, "What right do you have to speak to me?"
Pei Zhixuan frowned slightly, but his tone remained calm and composed, "Lord Shen, now that things have come to this, do you still consider yourself the high and mighty Prime Minister?"
Shen Zhizhang was stunned after hearing this.
Meanwhile, Consort Shu, standing beside him, was trying to appear calm. She gently smoothed her slightly disheveled hair and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips. "What nonsense are you spouting? His Majesty has already decreed the removal of the Crown Prince. How could he possibly hand over the entire empire to him?"
"Moreover, when I just walked out of the palace, His Majesty had already passed away. How could he possibly issue an edict to hand over the imperial seal?"
Consort Shu knew that the so-called Imperial Seal was a lie deliberately fabricated by Prince Runan and others in order to ensure Xiao Huaijin's smooth reinstatement.
Upon hearing the news of Emperor Zhaowu's death, Xiao Huaijin's upright figure trembled for a moment.
He took a deep breath, concealing the unspoken pain in his heart.
His cold eyes stared directly at Consort Shu.
Consort Shu was terrified, but she still retorted, "His Majesty hated the Crown Prince terribly when he was alive. I was ordered to come and deliver the poisoned wine!"
"How dare you! How could a mere woman possibly know my imperial brother's thoughts?"
After a long silence, Prince Rui finally spoke, a flash of grief in his eyes, his body trembling as he dismounted. With a trembling finger, he pointed at Consort Shu's beautiful face and said, "You vile concubine who brought ruin to the country, first you tried to kill Jin'er, and now you've caused my brother's tragic death in the Golden Palace. You planned to deceive everyone, but you didn't expect Jin'er to call me and the Prince of Runan back before you could."
Prince Rui was in Liangzhou, not far from the capital. He was persuaded by Pei Zhixuan, the heir of the Duke of Dingguo, to come and help the Crown Prince. However, he never expected that his elder brother, Emperor Zhaowu, would die silently in the Golden Palace.
The Imperial Concubine is so audacious that she wants to kill the Crown Prince first and then use her unborn child to force the officials to recognize her as Empress!
Fortunately, they arrived in time to save the Crown Prince from the predicament; otherwise, the entire Dayong would have fallen into the hands of this wicked woman.
“Prince Rui is right. Consort Zheng is plotting against the Crown Prince, which is a grave offense. I implore Your Highness to order Consort Zheng's execution.” Prince Runan’s voice was strong and resonant.
He looked up at Xiao Huaijin and said slowly, "Jin'er, my elder sister once told me that if she ever had a child, she hoped that I could protect him. Now I will fulfill my promise to her. These 100,000 Runan troops will be at your service from today onwards."
Prince Rui walked over to Xiao Huaijin, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Uncle is getting old, and the situation on the Liangyun border has stabilized. After you ascend the throne, Uncle will return the military power in his hands to you."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhizhang's face showed an expression of disbelief.
During the reign of Emperor Zhaowu, three kings stood in a tripartite balance of power: the King of Runan in the north, the King of Rui in the east, the King of Guangping in the west, and the capital city of Dayong in the south.
Now, two of the three kings have actually voluntarily handed over their military power to the crown prince to show their determination.
He naturally understood the Prince of Runan; he was Xiao Huaijin's maternal uncle and family. But why did the Prince Rui act the same way? He could have easily amassed a powerful army, so why did he surrender to the Crown Prince?
Prince Rui knew what Shen Zhizhang was thinking.
To be honest, over the years, he has indeed harbored the idea of becoming emperor.
But when Prince Pei found him and took out the golden robe, his heart wavered.
Pei Shizi's father, the Duke of Dingguo, once used his right arm to shield him from a fatal blow, saving his life.
Now, Prince Pei is using this favor to ask him to help the Crown Prince seize the throne.
Prince Rui was not actually close to the Crown Prince, but he knew that the Crown Prince had been exceptionally talented in both literature and martial arts since childhood and had the qualities of a wise ruler.
Prince Rui was over fifty years old and had only one daughter.
He lost the opportunity to become emperor because he was not the eldest son of the legitimate wife.
Now that he is old, what use is the throne and the country to him?
It would be better to just let go and be a carefree prince.
As soon as Prince Rui said this, everyone present knew that the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne was imminent.
Consort Shu's phoenix eyes were bloodshot as she gritted her teeth and said, "You can forget about punishing me! I am carrying the emperor's child, who dares to touch me?!"
“Consort Shu, you know perfectly well whether the child in your womb is Emperor Zhaowu’s or not,” Xiao Huaijin replied coldly. “The conversation you had with Prime Minister Shen in the side hall on the day Emperor Zhaowu fainted has already been overheard by my secret guards.”
When Consort Shu heard this, she almost couldn't catch her breath.
"You...you actually eavesdropped on my conversation?" Consort Shu asked, her face pale and her voice trembling. "So, you had planned this all along, and even your loss to the Second Prince of the Northern Barbarians was intentional, wasn't it?"
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