"Fifth Brother's mouth is getting more and more sarcastic." Wei Huaichong's eyes darkened slightly, and his expression was far from friendly.
At this moment, the two were on the verge of drawing their swords.
However, despite sitting in a high position, Wei Huaichong was clearly at a disadvantage. The entire Taihe Hall, and even the entire palace, was already under Wei Huaixu's control.
"I have been too lenient with you in the past, which has emboldened you to dare to plot a coup and seize power. This is utterly rebellious!"
Hearing such high-sounding words come out of his mouth, Wei Huaichong burst into laughter, pointing at him and sarcastically saying, "A patricide has the nerve to accuse me of being treasonous, it's truly the most ridiculous thing in the world!"
"Parricide?" Wei Huaixu looked bewildered. "What are you talking about? I secretly left the capital three days ago. How could I possibly have had the opportunity to return to the palace to assassinate my father?"
"I'm afraid the traitors, seeing their rebellion fail, are trying to frame Your Highness with fabricated charges," Lin Ji, who had been standing behind him, said coldly.
Wei Huaichong shook his head in disbelief, "How could you have left the capital three days ago..."
"I can testify that His Highness the Crown Prince did indeed leave the capital three days ago. We met in Quzhou, and only today did he lead his troops to attack the capital." Liu Yu's words were sincere and convincing.
"How could this be... How did you do that?"
"You can ponder these doubts in prison," Wei Huaixu said, raising his hand slightly. "Men, remove the dragon robe from the traitor Wei Huaichong and take him to the prison to await his fate!"
Immediately, soldiers stepped forward and quickly stripped Wei Huaichong of his dragon robe, grabbed his shoulders, and dragged him away.
He offered no resistance whatsoever, allowing himself to be manipulated, only laughing maniacally. His piercing laughter echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony, frightening the courtiers in the hall so much that their legs went weak.
Wei Huaixu frowned slightly and had someone cover his mouth.
He then walked up to the high platform, stood in front of the dragon throne, and calmly ordered his men: "Arrest all of Prince An's faction. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy."
The bodies in the palace were collected and their names clearly listed. Officials were sent home for their funerals, while palace servants were properly cared for according to the regulations of our dynasty. Rebellious officials and traitors were all disposed of in mass graves.
She then looked at the officials below who were bowing their heads and said, "Gentlemen, you may return home tonight. After I have dealt with the affairs of the palace and properly prepared my father's remains, we will hold the national mourning tomorrow."
"Your Highness is wise."
The courtiers bowed respectfully in unison before withdrawing.
...
When Qingying returned to the General's Mansion the next day, she saw that all the red silk and red lanterns that had covered the mansion the day before had been taken down. The place was deserted and quiet, and the maids and servants all walked with their heads down, looking very reserved.
Fearing unnecessary trouble, she returned to her courtyard in a very low-key manner, and everything was fine.
It seems that everyone's attention is currently focused on Liu Shushu and the movements in the court, and no one has the time or inclination to cause her any trouble.
Not only the General's Mansion, but the entire city of Pandu is now shrouded in an endless silence of grief.
Prince An plotted a rebellion on the day of the Crown Prince's wedding, but the Crown Prince saw through his plan beforehand and turned the tables on him, eliminating Prince An's entire faction. From the Imperial Concubine and the Grand Secretary down to the maids and servants, everyone in the Yan family was imprisoned.
The emperor died in a palace coup, and the country is currently in mourning. All celebrations, weddings, and other religious activities are forbidden throughout the entire Eastern Lin Kingdom as a sign of grief.
The rebellion failed, and most of the 97 members of the Song family, who were loyal to Prince An, were killed or injured. Among them, the most tragic was Song's eldest son, whose body was devoured by wild dogs after his death, and whose head was hung on the city wall.
The only survivor was Princess Yongning, who had already divorced Song Changrun.
It is said that Wei Yinqiu had already written the divorce papers on the second day after marrying Song Changrun, and the time had finally come to put them to use.
Half a month ago, Jin Heng had already predicted that Wei Huaichong would soon rebel. Song Changrun had always been very close to Prince An, and it was because the Empress Dowager wanted to consolidate the Song family's power that she married Wei Yinqiu to him.
A failed rebellion would be a capital offense, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Wei Yinqiu, having married into the Song family, was now in cahoots with Song Changrun. Jin Heng knew all along that Prince An was no match for the Crown Prince, so how could he stand by and watch his beloved be implicated and lose her life?
So he devised a plan—to make Wei Yinqiu fake a pregnancy.
Wei Yinqiu then summoned a familiar imperial physician to take her pulse, falsely claiming that she was two months pregnant.
When Song Changrun first found out, he was quite surprised. He had only shared a room with Wei Yinqiu a handful of times, so how could he have gotten pregnant?
However, going back two months, it had indeed been two months since their last sexual intercourse. After that, Wei Yinqiu often claimed to be ill, and now he could reasonably attribute the discomfort to her pregnancy.
In fact, even he himself didn't know that his wife, with whom he shared a bed, had never consummated their marriage. Every time he came to Wei Yinqiu's room, she would add a special ingredient to the incense burner beforehand to induce hallucinations in him. Then she would summon the concubine who was assigned to his side to serve him in bed. He would finish the act in a daze and then sleep soundly until dawn. When he woke up and saw Wei Yinqiu sleeping beside him, he would assume that she was the one from the previous night.
Over time, he never doubted his wife, assuming that the child in her belly must be his.
Since Wei Yinqiu became pregnant, Madam Song and Master Song were overjoyed. Tonics were delivered to her courtyard in a continuous stream, and Consort Yan and the Empress Dowager in the palace also sent generous rewards.
Song Changrun stopped coming to her courtyard at night and stayed in his concubine's room all day, ostensibly to let her rest and recuperate.
The concubine, under Wei Yinqiu's instructions, often whispered in Song Changrun's ear, saying, "This is the young master's first child, so he must be extremely precious."
Song Changrun nodded, "Indeed, he was born as my legitimate son. My parents have been longing to hold their grandson for a long time, and this time their wish has finally come true."
Although he was the third child, his eldest brother had only two daughters after many years of marriage (his second son was a girl who had already married out of the family), and the Song family had no legitimate sons.
Although he had many concubines, none of them had yet given birth to his children. Some had been pregnant in the past, but his mother had terminated their pregnancies. At that time, he had not yet married a legal wife, and if he had a son born out of wedlock, it would inevitably be the subject of gossip.
"The princess's belly is truly promising; I only hope that she can give birth to a legitimate son for my husband soon."
"Then I'll take your good wishes." He pinched the pretty concubine's face, his eyes filled with undisguised joy.
The concubine nestled softly in his arms.
People often told him this, and he became more and more convinced that Wei Yinqiu was carrying his legitimate son.
Even his parents were excitedly arranging names for the child, which influenced him and filled him with anticipation for the child, but also led to growing anxiety.
Prince An plans to rebel on the day of the Crown Prince's wedding, which is only a few days away. If it goes smoothly, he can rise rapidly in his career and even wield immense power. If he fails...
He simply couldn't imagine it.
What will he do then? What will happen to the Song family? What will happen to his unborn child?
But now that the die is cast, the Song family will inevitably face retaliation from Prince An if they back down now.
He had to leave the Song family a way out...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com