Chapter 542 Heir
The two walked hand in hand along the long corridor of the palace, speaking nothing.
As we approached the end of the corridor, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
Xiao Changheng stopped, raised his hand to take the cloak from Nan Zheng, and wrapped it around Yun Qingqing.
Yun Qingqing wanted to say that she was not cold, but then she realized that it would be too strange to not wear more clothes in the palace in such a cold weather, so she did not stop him.
She lowered her eyes and watched Xiao Changheng's slender fingers flexibly tying the laces.
His mind suddenly recalled the day they first met. Although the man could not see yet, he still noticed that Yun Qingqing was wet and cold, so he specially asked someone to bring a cloak and put it on her personally. He was a little dazed for a moment.
It has only been a few months since I was reborn, but time seems to have passed much slower than in my previous life.
The day we first met seems like a distant past.
Xiao Changheng tied her cloak, then suddenly raised his hand and gently tucked the messy hair on her forehead behind her ear.
When the warm fingers touched her earlobe, Yun Qingqing's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously wanted to step back, but a sudden exclamation of praise came from the side.
"The Imperial Uncle and the Imperial Aunt really treat each other with respect and have a deep love for each other!"
Yun Qingqing's expression paused, she turned around and saw that the person who spoke was the eldest princess Xiao Yueyun.
Beside her were the second prince, Prince Duan, and the fourth prince, Prince Qi. The two princes also brought their families, making the group quite lively.
Several of them were younger generations, and they all came forward to greet him.
Xiao Changheng nodded slightly with a cold expression, took Yun Qingqing's hand and walked towards the inner hall first, and the others followed behind.
Yun Qingqing took a deep breath secretly, and finally performed the Qingxin Jue, calming her mind and walking towards the inner hall.
The inner hall was as warm as spring and the dragon throne was still empty, so the emperor naturally went back to his bedroom to rest and change his clothes.
Xiao Changheng and the other man walked straight to the seat right below the dragon throne and sat down first, followed by the rest of the group who took their seats one after another.
There was a musician playing light and festive music in the corner, and the decoration inside the store was also in line with the New Year's style, and the atmosphere was quite relaxed and happy.
However, there was a sudden empty space on the prince's seat, and the eunuchs were arranging people to move down in a hurry, making the scene a little awkward.
That position was exactly where Xiao Zirui and Princess Rui, Su Yurou, were.
The festival square was too chaotic before, and Su Yurou's matter was almost forgotten by everyone. It was not until the end of the ceremony that someone noticed that Prime Minister Su looked not good. The servants of the Su Mansion carried Su Yurou and hurriedly looked for the Imperial Master to save her.
No matter what, the once glorious Crown Prince, now Prince Rui, has committed treason this time, and he can no longer make a comeback.
There are not many emperors. Now there are only the second prince, Prince Duan, and the fourth prince, Prince Qi, and the eldest princess, Xiao Yuejun.
Several people looked at Xiao Zirui's position being removed, with different expressions on their faces, and no one said anything.
After the seats were removed, everyone looked at the dragon throne again and couldn't help but fall into deep thought, as if they had discovered something.
Next to the dragon throne is the Queen's seat. The Queen did not attend today's ceremony, saying that she has been in poor health recently and is recuperating, and cannot stand the wind.
The Queen is Xiao Zirui's biological mother. Thinking back on it now, one can't help but wonder if the Queen knew what would happen and deliberately avoided it.
As for what mood and attitude the Queen will have when attending the banquet later, this has become everyone's biggest concern.
Everyone was thinking about something when the eunuch's long voice started:
"The Emperor has arrived——"
Everyone quickly cheered up, stood up and welcomed the emperor.
Then the eunuch sang again with a long tone:
"Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort has arrived—"
Although the princes and princesses present still greeted each other according to etiquette, their expressions changed subtly.
The Emperor walked slowly towards them holding Concubine De's hand, followed by all the concubines in the harem, except the Empress.
After the emperor took his seat, it was Concubine De who sat next to him.
The Queen claimed to be ill and was not present, so Concubine De was the highest-ranking concubine in the harem, which was normal.
But after what happened today, the Queen didn't even attend the New Year's Eve banquet. This is intriguing.
Everyone lowered their heads and frowned. The emperor sat on the dragon throne. There was nothing unusual about his expression, but he seemed more tired.
It seems that even though there is an auspicious sight of "the appearance of a real dragon", it cannot cover up the impact of the prince's rebellion.
The emperor waved his hand and asked Li Liangui to announce the start of the New Year's Eve banquet. The drums and music sounded again, and groups of dancers came on stage and danced gracefully.
Although it seems lively, the atmosphere is still inexplicably a bit duller than in previous years.
Perhaps because she saw that the emperor was in a bad mood, Concubine De suddenly smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, I heard that a real dragon appeared at the ceremony today, and the people were delighted. I believe that the coming year will be a good year with good weather, peace and prosperity. I really hope that I can see such a miracle with my own eyes!"
Guo Shang recalled the spectacular sight of the flying dragon, and his expression suddenly relaxed a lot:
"Well, the appearance of the dragon is a blessing for Daliang! But in the final analysis..."
He turned to look at the table of Xiao Changheng and Yun Qingqing, and said gently:
"Since the founding of Daliang, we have held New Year's Eve ceremonies every year, but there has never been a miracle like today."
"No matter how I think about it, it's because of the Regent Princess's fate that she has brought such good fortune to Daliang!"
Concubine De smiled and said:
"Your Majesty is right. Tianfeng's marriage into the royal family is indeed a blessing for the country and the people!"
The emperor nodded, as if he had made up his mind, glanced at everyone, and slowly said:
"In recent years, my health has become worse and worse, and I often feel powerless. Thanks to Chang Heng for stabilizing the government and shouldering the heavy responsibility of supporting the country..."
"You have all seen what happened today. After much deliberation, I have decided to make the Prince Regent the Crown Prince. I will be at ease only when he takes over my kingdom a hundred years later!"
When everyone heard this, they were shocked.
The two princes, Prince Duan and Prince Qi, looked at Xiao Changheng in unison with complicated expressions in their eyes.
They thought that the crown prince had been deposed and his future was completely ruined by his stupid moves, and that the next crown prince would be born between the two of them. They had been trying hard to win the support of the emperor's uncle.
But I didn't know that my father would make such a decision for some reason!
They suddenly understood Xiao Zirui's frustration and unwillingness. It was just as Xiao Zirui said, his father had actually planned it all out long ago, and everything he did was to pave the way for the Regent!
The only person he truly cares about is this royal brother whom he has loved since childhood!
Yun Qingqing was also surprised when she heard the emperor suddenly make such a decision.
She was stunned for a moment, and suddenly a clear light condensed in her eyes, and she glanced at the people present without making a sound.
She frowned slightly.
In the silence, Xiao Changheng suddenly stood up and bowed to the emperor:
"Brother Emperor, please take back your order!"
The emperor paused and said in a deep voice:
"Chang Heng, you are my brother, you have made great military achievements, you are loved by the people, and now you have married Tian Feng. You are more qualified than anyone else to be my heir!"
"Haven't you said since you were little that you would help me protect the country and the people of Daliang? I am now giving you a chance to fulfill your wish. Are you going to refuse?"
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