Chapter 243 The facade has been completely torn off...
Emperor Hongren's face turned completely green: "...!"
Even if he had been very tolerant today, he still had to swallow his anger and be patient when speaking to his son, whom he had no power to control. But this was now putting up a fight right in front of him! Even a clay figure would have to lose his temper at this point!
Emperor Hongren suddenly raised his hand, but didn't dare to slap the hateful face of the approaching Crown Prince. In a fit of anger, he flung his sleeve, overturning everything on the table. Ink flowed freely, staining the memorials and the newly written imperial edict conferring the title of Prince Ning upon him.
The Prince of Ning, still kneeling, seemed hesitant to speak: "..."
"Insolent!" Finally, Emperor Hongren cursed, his face dark, his gaze fixed on the Crown Prince as he refused, "I am not so old that I cannot handle state affairs. The Crown Prince has just shared the burden, and afterwards..."
He had intended to say that if the Crown Prince were to encounter matters concerning aristocratic families again, he would not be able to refuse, fearing that his words would be blocked and the Crown Prince would use this as leverage to threaten him. He was also afraid that if he added this clause, the Crown Prince would repeatedly incite aristocratic families to cause trouble for the sake of imperial power, threatening the throne he was sitting on.
"Father, rest assured, not everyone can do such a thing... disregarding human life, without any psychological burden for the sake of power." Qi Chengming understood the lingering concern in Emperor Hongren's mind and laughed self-deprecatingly.
If he hadn't been trying to save the country by preserving the rationing system and had no other choice, why would he have brought up the power struggles among aristocratic families? Even this necessary compromise has caused so many people to suffer, keeping Qi Chengming awake at night these past few days.
"..." Emperor Hongren was greatly annoyed by the sarcastic remarks, and his face grew even darker.
It's as if he didn't suffer any inner turmoil when he made that decision! He disregarded his years of tutoring, betrayed his conscience, and used the common people to set traps and harm powerful families, all for the throne! Without the throne beneath his feet, where would you, Qi Chengming, get the audacity to spout such nonsense here! And now you're criticizing him!
But after exchanging a few words, the Crown Prince hadn't forgotten what he'd just said, and continued to press the issue, though his question was much softer: "If Father is unwilling to accept my memorial, how does Father intend to deal with the aristocratic families?"
"This matter requires careful consideration. The Crown Prince will share my burdens in the future," Emperor Hongren said coldly, his tone harsh. He was still hoping to stall for time; he couldn't deal with the powerful families, and he couldn't deal with this rebellious son either. Wasn't it good that he wasn't acting according to the memorials and letting the Crown Prince handle things this way?
Qi Chengming's expression remained unchanged. He had been preparing for this day for several years. From the initial anxiety to the current repeated contemplation, Emperor Hongren's temper tantrums, no matter how violent, no longer terrified him. The veteran ministers had also meticulously analyzed Emperor Hongren's possible reactions to him many times.
Everything is for today.
He continued, following Emperor Hongren's words: "Your Majesty, I have no objection, but please allow me to remind you—the people in the capital can no longer afford to buy grain, and there are many riots in other places. This is all caused by the unresolved issues of powerful families and private minting. If Your Majesty wants to delay, I wonder how long the people can endure it... Our Ding Kingdom has now been established for about a hundred years. Let us not repeat the tragedy of the last emperor of the previous dynasty."
The end of the previous dynasty was extremely chaotic, with uprisings and factions vying for power. It lasted no more than two hundred years.
The most terrifying thing is that the last emperor of the previous dynasty... if he hadn't encountered so many tragedies, he could have been called a benevolent ruler. But it was precisely during his reign that the people could no longer endure it and rose up in rebellion. He was powerless due to the control of powerful families and had few good strategies. Instead, he was forced to make a series of foolish decisions, which ultimately led to the division of the country and earned him the reputation of a "foolish and incompetent ruler," who was despised by later generations.
...His infamy will visibly endure, and any emperor would be unafraid of such an end.
After being awakened by the Crown Prince, Emperor Hongren was startled, suddenly realizing how similar the current state of the dynasty was to the end of the previous one. The only difference was that he had a capable and good son.
Emperor Hongren's hand clenched tightly on the dragon throne, twitching and trembling slightly amidst the surge of emotion. His gaze, sharp as a knife, pierced through Prince Ning, and he snapped, losing all composure, "What business is it of yours here? Get out!"
Prince Ning: "..."
Prince Ning: "Yes."
Prince Ning had wanted to leave for a long time, but he was forced to stay here in fear, watching his elder brother, the Crown Prince, force the Emperor to abdicate. He was afraid that one day his father, in a fit of rage, would find a pretext to punish him. But just now, his father had spilled ink from his sleeve, staining the imperial edict!
Prince Ning felt extremely aggrieved.
What does this mean? Is he a prince or a duke? After all the shock and fright his father has experienced, does he still remember the reward he received? Or... did his father regret his actions and lose face in front of him, so he decided to drop the matter?
His prince!
Prince Ning reluctantly lowered his head and got up, swallowing his anger as he prepared to leave, but Qi Chengming stopped him: "Sixth Brother, you should stay a while. It would be better if I could talk things out with Father before you leave. Otherwise, this unclear situation... will damage Father's reputation."
Emperor Hongren had been so angry that he lost face, but now that he had been stopped, he reluctantly changed his mind and said, "Never mind."
Although he desperately didn't want his remaining sons to stay and laugh at him, and he still harbored other thoughts, leaving at this critical juncture would indeed harm his reputation. Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Emperor Hongren felt a glimmer of hope... Was this an attempt to smooth things over?
Emperor Hongren took a deep breath, feeling his head buzzing and his head throbbing from the pressure. He calmly continued the previous topic, saying, "Isn't the Crown Prince overthinking things? Now, we have generals stabilizing the country and securing peace outside, and our ministers and the Crown Prince supporting the nation inside. How can we compare our efforts to stabilize the country with those of the previous dynasty?"
You can't scare him into becoming a king who loses his kingdom; he's not easily frightened.
"Father, there's no need to play games with me. Whether you can or cannot, you know the answer in your heart." Qi Chengming continued to press, his words now carrying a threatening undertone after his earlier conciliatory remarks. He said coldly.
"Father, you must have also discovered traces of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families secretly contacting the border, right? Colluding with foreign enemies should naturally be eliminated, but we haven't been able to find many clues. The army in the court is tied down abroad, so we are willing but unable to do anything, and we can't really break ties with the aristocratic families and start a war. If you don't adopt my new laws in the future, how do you intend to deal with the aristocratic families? Will you also become a benevolent ruler who is willing to share the world with the aristocratic families?"
That's how the last emperor of the previous dynasty begged for mercy, and what was his fate?
"Your subject is not afraid. With your abilities, it's nothing more than following in the footsteps of your ancestors and conquering the world again. If Your Majesty wishes to be the last emperor, then so be it. Your subject can establish a new dynasty and will never allow Your Majesty, who is innocent, to have anything to do with me."
—The Crown Prince is indeed threatening to quit!
Emperor Hongren found the Crown Prince's words increasingly harsh and unpleasant. In his heart, he already knew he was at a disadvantage, but he stubbornly refused to admit defeat and let the Crown Prince push him to his limit.
Which father or emperor could be as spineless as him?!
Emperor Hongren was so angry he nearly fainted, a metallic taste rising in his throat. Was he destined to be trapped in this predicament, forced to abdicate? No, he would never relinquish his power!
Emperor Hongren was filled with murderous intent and made up his mind this time.
Even if he disregarded his reputation and followed the Crown Prince's memorial, he could still govern the country well and suppress the powerful clans! He wouldn't become a ruler who brought about the downfall of the nation; he still had the merit of discovering divine grains! The only one pressuring him now was the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince was just too capable!
Emperor Hongren leaned forward from his dragon throne and shouted urgently, "Zhao Fuman! The Crown Prince has been worrying about things day and night, and has fallen ill from overwork. He has fainted in the palace... Go and fetch the imperial physician at once!"
This sudden turn of events shocked Prince Ning, who turned deathly pale and couldn't help but cry out, "...Father?!"
Zhao Fuman, who was supposed to be guarding outside the door, did not respond. The guards who had understood Emperor Hongren's words and were supposed to rush in from outside to restrain the Crown Prince also remained silent.
Emperor Hongren's expression changed slightly, his heart skipped a beat, and he realized that something had happened outside.
Qi Chengming's expression remained unchanged, but his hand, hidden under his wide sleeves, caressed the cold hilt of the dagger, and he couldn't help but clench it tightly.
"Zhao Fuman?" he called again, but there was still no response. The old emperor glared at the calm and composed crown prince with resentment and coldness, and an unprecedented sense of urgency and crisis arose in his heart.
Is this rebellious son really planning to force the emperor to abdicate? Has he even taken control of the palace?
"Insolence! Do you still have any respect for me as your sovereign father?! Are you trying to force me to abdicate?!" Emperor Hongren's voice grew even louder and more furious, masking the slight tremor of panic within it.
Even if the secret guards and the chief eunuch were suspected of being blocked from coming, there must be imperial guards on duty outside, right?
He was the emperor of a country, and the imperial guards were responsible for his safety. If they heard any unusual shouts from him, they would always come to investigate.
However, one breath... two breaths... three breaths passed, and it was still quiet outside.
Qi Chengming seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, but he did not intend to answer the question at all. He simply said, "Father, how could I have such great ability to force the emperor to abdicate? It's just that the three of us, father and son, were discussing state affairs in a painstaking manner, and others did not have the heart to disturb us."
Now that he has come to confront the situation after much deliberation, he couldn't possibly have overlooked the emperor's reaction when pushed to the limit. Grand Secretary Mu and Grand Tutor Wu were also worried about letting the Crown Prince enter the palace alone, risking their own safety. Therefore, all of this had to be taken care of before they came.
The leader of the secret agents that Emperor Hongren secretly trusted was that nameless old eunuch, who could not be won over, but Cui, the secret agent, was Qi Chengming's man, and could delay the power struggle if necessary, which was enough.
The Grand Eunuch Dai Xiyu was wavering in his stance and cowardly; he was practically one of their own, but they couldn't entrust him with important matters. Qi Chengming had originally given up on the Grand Eunuch, intending to use harsh methods later. Instead, he contacted his uncle, the Imperial Clan Commander, to cause trouble and distract the Commander of the Imperial Guards for a while, and then colluded with the Imperial Guards who had been serving in the front hall these past few days to obstruct the flow of information.
—It's enough to block the news for a short time.
The palace guards were mostly sons of nobles and officials, and many of them had family members who had pledged allegiance to Qi Chengming.
After his training at the military camp, Shen Shuzhi's eldest son had no desire to go to the front lines to make contributions. Instead, no matter how much Shen Shuzhi pleaded, he insisted on staying in the palace to serve. Shen Shuzhi was furious, but Qi Chengming and Mr. Qin felt that serving in the palace was a crucial step in his career, so the matter was dropped.
This time, it was Shen Shuzhi's eldest son who acted in secret.
Of course, there was another person whom Emperor Hongren did not expect, a key figure who played a role behind the scenes.
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Author's note: It's getting increasingly difficult these last few days. I haven't finished writing the "forced resignation" part yet, so I'll continue!
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