Chapter 358 Treason
The ministers had no idea of the Third Prince's distress. While the princes were fighting each other to the death, no one cared about the waves of refugees arriving in and out of the city.
On the twentieth day of Emperor Jinghe's coma, a refugee sneaked into the city to steal grain, but was accidentally killed by the grain shop owner.
The news sparked outrage among countless refugees, who rallied together, stormed the city gates, and engaged in widespread looting and violence.
The Five Cities Garrison was simply unable to control so many refugees, and they didn't even know where these refugees came from. They could only report and request reinforcements.
The next day, 10,000 troops from the outskirts of the city appeared in the city and quickly took control of all the streets and alleys, arresting and capturing refugees who were looting and causing trouble.
I don’t know what went wrong, but before all the refugees in the city were arrested, a large wave of refugees arrived from outside the city.
Seeing that the city gates were set up with strict exit controls and no refugees were allowed to enter, these refugees actually forced their way in, stepping over the city guards to get into the city.
Even the slowest ministers realized something was wrong.
Before they could urge the Fifth Prince to issue an order to dispatch 30,000 troops from the outskirts of the city to enter and stabilize the situation, the refugees actually rushed straight to the palace gate, each armed with knives and spears, and charged inside.
In an instant, blood flowed like a river at the palace gates, which were quickly taken over by the refugees.
Today is the day of the grand court assembly. While the officials were still arguing and fighting in the main hall, they were suddenly surrounded by refugees and became sitting ducks.
The fifth prince, who was temporarily in charge of the court, had never seen such a scene before. He was so frightened that his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground with a thud.
He quickly remembered his identity, struggled to his feet, and pointed at the leading refugee, shouting angrily, "You traitors, how dare you rebel!"
Upon hearing this, the "refugees" burst into laughter, each looking at the Fifth Prince with a sarcastic expression, as if he were a dead man.
From this day forward, these princes and grandsons of the emperor, of noble birth, will all be sent to the Western Paradise!
The Fifth Prince and the officials saw the murderous intent in the eyes of the "refugees," and a chill rose from the soles of their feet, making them feel icy cold all over.
A minister stepped forward, pointed at them, and questioned them tremblingly:
"Even if we die, we want to die knowing why. Where did you all come from, and who ordered you to commit such a heinous act?"
Just as the lead "refugee" was about to speak, a sharp announcement rang out from outside the hall: "Princess Pingyuan has arrived—"
The officials were initially startled, but the next moment they stared wide-eyed at the entrance of the hall, where they saw Princess Pingyuan, dressed in magnificent robes, smiling as she gracefully stepped over the threshold and walked in.
The over-sixty-year-old Chief Minister Pang pointed at Princess Pingyuan with trembling hands: "You, it's you! You are treasonous! How dare you plot to usurp the throne!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a "refugee" rushed forward and slapped Chief Minister Pang hard across the face, the sound echoing throughout the entire hall.
Chief Minister Pang did not cry out or beg for mercy; with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, he stared intently at Princess Pingyuan.
"You are a princess of the royal family, favored by His Majesty and granted a fiefdom, yet you are not content and raise a private army to plot a rebellion and usurp the throne. How can you do this to His Majesty and to the ancestors of the royal family?"
Princess Pingyuan gave a cold laugh, walked to the dragon throne and sat down, looking down at Chief Minister Pang, who had angrily rebuked her:
"Back then, my father favored me as the Crown Princess. What I am doing today is nothing more than taking back what is rightfully mine. If you, Lord Pang, know what's good for you, then end your life here. I will still spare a trace of your Pang family bloodline."
Back then, it was this uncle surnamed Pang who was the first to jump out and oppose the emperor's decision to make her the crown princess. He also joined forces with the Pang clan to petition the emperor to choose a consort for her.
Under pressure from her officials, the emperor had no choice but to hastily choose a husband for her and marry her off.
At that time, she had already secretly fallen in love with Jiang Lang. If it weren't for the sudden imperial decree of marriage, she would have had the opportunity to marry Jiang Lang and live happily ever after.
Unfortunately, everything was ruined by the man surnamed Pang.
Today, she will slaughter the entire Pang family to avenge the great hatred that prevented her from being with the one she loved back then.
Grand Secretary Pang was unaware of Princess Pingyuan's intentions. Seeing her force him to commit suicide in front of all the officials, a surge of rage welled up within him.
He wasn't afraid of death, but he couldn't bear to watch his family suffer.
Chief Minister Pang's eyes widened in fury, and he unleashed a torrent of profanity, completely disregarding his image.
"You're talking nonsense! Back then, the late emperor was drunk and lost his temper, which is why he jokingly said he wanted to make you the crown princess. Otherwise, given how much he doted on you, if he really intended to make you the heir apparent, how could anyone else have stopped him?"
He had heard his uncle mention this matter before, saying that the late emperor realized he had misspoke as soon as he said it.
However, since the emperor had spoken the truth, he couldn't go back on his word in public. So he deliberately hinted to his uncle to join forces with the ministers to oppose it in court.
As a result, the villain was played by his uncle, but he was resented by this treacherous traitor for many years. Now, he is digging up old grievances and wants the lives of hundreds of members of the Pang clan.
How can this be!
Several senior officials who knew the situation also stepped forward, risking their lives to speak up for Chief Minister Pang, who was forced into a corner:
"Your Highness, everything that Lord Pang said is true. Please investigate thoroughly!"
Whether Princess Pingyuan can ascend the throne or not is a matter for the royal family; what they need to do is protect their own lives and power.
The Pang family has made great contributions and their influence is immense. If Princess Pingyuan insists on destroying the Pang family as a warning to others, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the court and the country, which will be very detrimental to her control of the court.
Princess Pingyuan was used to being arrogant and willful, and had no such awareness whatsoever.
Seeing that someone dared to plead for Chief Minister Pang, he felt his authority had been challenged and immediately ordered, "Arrest these scoundrels who are spreading rumors and gag them!"
"yes!"
Seeing that Chief Minister Pang and others were tied up and unable to speak, the other ministers all shut their mouths and dared not say anything more.
At that moment, a man dressed as a guard hurried in and, under Princess Pingyuan's displeased gaze, whispered in her ear, "Your Highness, His Majesty is missing!"
Gone?
Princess Pingyuan was shocked and shouted sternly, "What exactly happened?"
The guard broke out in a cold sweat and said tremblingly, "Your Highness, there is a secret passage in the Hall of Mental Cultivation that leads directly outside the palace. His Majesty may have been rescued through the secret passage."
Princess Pingyuan's face instantly turned cold.
A secret passage? The Hall of Mental Cultivation actually has a secret passage? When she was young, she went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see her father every day, but her father never mentioned the secret passage.
Could it be that the Emperor's decision to make her the Crown Prince was truly a slip of the tongue after he was drunk?
No, that's not it. Her father once held her on his lap and taught her the ways of governing the country. He also repeatedly expressed his regret to her mother that she was not born a man.
How could her father's love and attention for her be fake!
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