Chapter 369 Dethroned
At the morning court session, He Yanli had been ill and had rested for many days, and finally appeared in the hall that day.
In the past few days, one thing after another had pushed Prince Jing into a desperate danger. Who among the ministers in the court could not see that the emperor was partial to Prince Jing?
Therefore, at this moment, many people surrounded King Jing and asked about his well-being.
When He Zhiyu arrived, he only took a glance and saw that those courtiers who followed the wind had restrained themselves a little.
When the court officials came to see him, the emperor glanced at He Yanli and asked a question of concern, but He Zhiyu remained calm.
The Imperial Counselor said, "Your Majesty, there have been rumors in the capital recently that a star of disaster has fallen from the sky, causing the frequent disasters. I am deeply terrified, and the people on the streets are in a panic. Please order the Astronomical Omens Department to observe the celestial phenomena to calm the people."
The Minister of Works said, "Your Majesty, I have also heard some rumors in the capital recently. I heard that the evil star in the mouths of the people is Minister Qiao's eldest daughter. I wonder what Minister Qiao thinks about the rumors circulating in the capital? Are these rumors or facts?"
Minister Qiao stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have never believed in these ghost stories. But there are rumors in the capital that when my eldest daughter was born, dark clouds covered the sun, and she didn't cry or make a fuss, she was very quiet, not like a baby. A wandering Taoist priest came to the palace and said that she was born with a star of misfortune and had an evil spirit in her life. These are indeed true. But I think the death of my grandmother is just a coincidence."
Three parts truth and seven parts falsehood make it difficult for people to tell the lies.
Qiao Rushi could no longer remember the scene when Qiao Yihuan was born. It was too long ago, and no one would remember the weather so clearly.
But the so-called wandering Taoist priest entering the mansion was all nonsense, and it was also not true that Qiao Yihuan did not cry or make a fuss when she was born and looked at people like a demon. Although the child did not cry or make a fuss, her smile made people unable to abandon her.
The wives of the wives were busy managing the profits of the various shops, and Wanyan was in charge of the household affairs. In other words, as the housekeeper, Wanyan was definitely the first to know about the rumors in the house.
Since no one cared about it and yet it spread so widely, there can only be one reason.
That is, the rumors were spread with her permission.
He could guess to some extent what his daughter wanted to do, but in the court, if he trusted the stories of ghosts and gods too much and pushed his eldest daughter out, it would only give people a handle to impeach him for being ruthless and ruthless. If the matter got out of hand, he would abandon his daughter in order to seek safety.
Rumors cannot be true. Once half-truths are spread, they have nothing to do with him.
After all, he didn't believe in ghosts and gods. How could he kill his daughter in the cradle just because of some ghosts and gods?
If the Tianzhaosi took action, he would send his daughter away as a legitimate way to eliminate evil for the country.
No matter what he did, the fire couldn't burn him.
The emperor did not say much, but asked the Tianzhao Siye to observe the celestial phenomena to see what the situation was like in Dayu Kingdom.
He Yanli stood up and said, "Father, I have something to report."
The emperor nodded calmly, "What's the matter? Tell me."
He Yanli: "The leader of the Capital Fire Team came to me a few days ago and said that he wanted to see my father for an important matter. After hearing this, I knew the seriousness of the matter, so I didn't dare to delay. Now he is outside the palace, just waiting for my father to summon me."
According to the rules and regulations, the leader of the Capital Fire Team has no qualifications to participate in government affairs. Now everyone is curious about what important matter has caused Prince Jing to ask to see the Emperor.
He Zhiyu lowered his eyes, and a bad feeling arose spontaneously.
The leader of the Fire Squad was quickly summoned. After entering the palace, he did not dare to look around. He lowered his head and walked to the center of the palace and knelt down. "Your humble servant pays respect to the emperor. Long live the emperor."
Emperor: "If you have anything to say, just speak up."
Chief Chen Yu said, "Your Majesty, there was a fire in the East Palace a few days ago, and I was ordered to lead the firefighting team to put out the fire. While putting out the fire, I accidentally found some secret letters in the East Palace study. I dared to open them and somehow put the secret letters in my arms and took them out."
He Zhiyu remained expressionless, but beneath that face that remained calm and composed even if the sky fell, there was a hint of sinister and cold sternness.
Secret message......
Chief Chen Yu said: "I have been unable to sleep well every night since I returned home. I am really afraid that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will find out that the secret letters are missing and will trace me back to him. However, I am of low status and have no chance to ask for an audience with the Emperor. So I can only boldly ask King Jing, hoping that King Jing will be kind enough to take me to see the Emperor!"
The emperor was silent for a moment, then glanced at He Zhiyu, "What does the secret letter say?"
Chief Shen Yu held up a stack of secret letters with both hands, "Your Majesty, the secret letters contain the contents of the conspiracy between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiling to force His Royal Highness Prince Jing to death. I am really scared, but as a subject, I dare not not report this matter to the emperor!"
Everyone gasped.
The Crown Prince conspired with the Prince of Xiling? This is a crime of treason!
Considering that the remnants of the previous dynasty sent by Xiling some time ago pointed out that King Jing had colluded with him for a long time, and even involved the number one gang in Jianghu, it seems that if this secret letter is true, then the struggle for power among the children of the royal family is really terrible.
If Prince Jing loses power, the Crown Prince's position will be unbreakable.
But if King Jing loses power, the border may become unstable.
If this is true, the prince is taking a risky move to eliminate King Jing.
He Zhiyu immediately knelt down and said, "Father, I have absolutely no such intention. Please understand me, Father!"
The emperor looked at the secret letter after letter, his face gradually becoming gloomy.
"Others may not recognize the words on this secret letter, but how could I, your father, not know it?"
He Zhiyu's fingertips trembled slightly, but his face remained calm and composed, "Father, there are still capable people who can imitate your handwriting. I am truly wronged."
He had always hidden those secret letters in a niche in the secret room of the bedroom. How could the people from Team Huoyu find them in the study?
It’s He Yanli, it must be him!
The emperor threw the secret letter in his hand away, and the court officials knelt on the ground in anger.
Inside the hall, there was total silence, so quiet that it was eerie.
Emperor: "Since I ascended the throne, I have worked hard day and night to establish He Zhiyu as the crown prince for the foundation of the country, and I have placed high hopes on him. He will inherit the throne in the future and continue the prosperous era of Dayou. But now you have secretly communicated with foreign envoys and put King Jing in a desperate situation. How is this behavior different from treason?"
"Father!" He Zhiyu knelt down and took two steps.
The emperor frowned and said in a deep voice: "Prince Jing fought in the North Sea to protect the Great You territory, which made no one in the Nine Provinces dare to offend the Great You territory. He is a meritorious official of the country. I thought you were brothers, and even if you had disputes, you were still a family after all, but I didn't expect you to be so evil."
There was blood in his eyes, and the cold breath was like an overwhelming tidal wave, making He Zhiyu a little breathless.
"Father, I am a brother to King Jing, and I am already the crown prince. Why would I force my brother, who is protecting the Great You Territory, to death?"
The emperor said coldly: "You know in your heart how your so-called brother's return to the capital kept you awake at night."
"Father!"
The emperor's gloomy face showed disappointment. "How can the position of crown prince tolerate such an unkind and unjust person as you? Dethrone He Zhiyu from the position of crown prince and demote him to a commoner. From today on, you are confined to the East Palace and are not allowed to enter or leave without the emperor's order!"
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