The Empress coldly surveyed them, her voice heavy: "Princess Rongcheng was afraid that Zhou Ying would target the concubines and grandsons of the Prince Huai's residence after obtaining the medicine, so she informed me of everything. At first, I also thought that Zhou Ying's target was the Prince Huai's residence, until I noticed that His Majesty's health was deteriorating."
The courtiers' discussions grew louder, and the Empress gestured for everyone to quiet down.
"Later, I discovered that the sachet His Majesty was wearing was made by Consort De, and it contained that secret medicine. That's when I realized that their target was actually His Majesty!"
The Empress said in a sorrowful voice, "I then informed His Majesty of this matter, which is why His Majesty scolded Prince Huai for his treacherous intentions in court. But unfortunately, the secret medicine had entered his brain, and his anger had also affected his heart. His Majesty could not be saved."
Witnesses, physical evidence, and even His Majesty's dying curses all prove that Prince Huai indeed harbored treacherous intentions for the throne and plotted to murder His Majesty.
Immediately, a minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Huai has committed treason. We propose that his title be stripped and he be executed immediately."
"I second that proposal."
"I agree, but the most important thing right now is to decide who will inherit the throne."
"this……"
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Originally, the most suitable candidate was Prince Huai, but now that His Majesty had been murdered by Prince Huai, it was obviously impossible for him to be the next choice. If the next choice was to go through the system, the Second Prince was the eldest prince, but he had been implicated by his maternal family and had been imprisoned for many years, so he also seemed to be ineligible.
Next is the third prince, but he has no son yet. If the third prince succeeds to the throne, the court will be in chaos again.
However, if the second and third princes cannot succeed to the throne, and the throne is passed on to the fourth prince, it seems even less likely to win over the public. Therefore, some wavering ministers do not know what to do.
At this moment, the Prime Minister stepped forward and said, "In my opinion, no matter who succeeds to the throne, whether it is the Second Prince, the Third Prince, or the Fourth Prince, it will not be able to win the support of the people. However, His Highness Prince Ding is His Majesty's grandson, and only His Highness Prince Ding is the rightful heir. I respectfully request His Highness Prince Ding to ascend the throne."
These words sparked even louder discussions among the court officials, who seemed surprised that Prince Ding could also be chosen.
Although there is no precedent in this dynasty for a grandson to succeed to the throne, according to the rites and laws, His Highness Prince Ding is the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife, and is indeed the most qualified to ascend the throne.
But His Majesty has so many sons, how can Prince Ding bypass his uncles?
Just as they were wavering, Prince Cheng stepped forward: "I believe that what the Prime Minister said is absolutely right. I humbly request that His Highness Prince Ding ascend the throne and stabilize the court."
Then the Marquis of Chengen and the Minister of Rites stepped forward and said, "We respectfully invite His Highness Prince Ding to ascend the throne."
Those who had previously supported Prince Huai were all bewildered. How could things have changed so suddenly?
King Huai is foolish. It's obvious that this world belongs to you, so why are you so impatient?
But since the Prime Minister, Prince Cheng, Marquis Chengen, and the Minister of Rites all stood on Prince Ding's side, they seemed to have no other choice.
Moreover, in terms of etiquette and law, Prince Ding is indeed the legitimate heir, after all, he is the eldest son of the Empress.
Some people felt a chill run down their spine upon realizing this; could it be that from the very beginning...?
No wonder the situation has changed so quickly today; it turns out these people were supporting Prince Ding from the very beginning! What cunning they are, not revealing a single detail.
So they quickly knelt down to show their sincerity: "Your humble servant respectfully requests that His Highness Prince Ding ascend the throne and stabilize the court."
All the court officials knelt down, and only then did a slight smile appear on the Empress's face.
Consort De and Prince Huai struggled desperately, seemingly unwilling and wanting to say something, but at this moment Prince Ding's ascension to the throne was a foregone conclusion, and no one dared to untie them or speak up for them.
Zhou Ying and Zhou Shuqing, who were also tied up, were also in despair. They had been working hard for several years, but they never expected that this would be their final outcome.
It turns out they made the wrong choice from the start. What they thought was the right path was a deep pit from the beginning. No wonder Song Xia was never afraid!
They, like Prince Huai, were utterly deceived by the Empress and these court officials! No wonder Princess Huai wasn't bound like them.
Zhou Ying stared at the Princess Consort of Huai, unable to understand why she had been betrayed by Huai. If Huai ascended the throne, wouldn't she be the Empress?
Little did they know that Princess Huai had never wanted to marry Prince Huai from the very beginning. She did not want Prince Huai to be trapped in the harem for the rest of his life after he ascended the throne. Moreover, she had a childhood sweetheart she loved, and they had made a promise to spend their lives together. But just as their two families were discussing the marriage, His Majesty issued an imperial decree, betrothing her to Prince Huai.
Her grandfather said that the Empress had a way to give her freedom in the future, and she agreed, but she could not remarry that person. She did not want to be trapped in the palace.
It wouldn't have been so easy to get Prince Ding to the throne, but unexpectedly, Prince Huai was so foolish.
She stared back at Zhou Ying expressionlessly. How could a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? Princess Consort, Empress—these titles sound nice, but once you sit in them, you lose control of your own destiny. She wanted to be herself for once.
After the court officials expressed their opinions, it was a foregone conclusion that Prince Ding would ascend the throne, and Prince Huai, Consort De, and others were imprisoned in the imperial prison.
Although Zhou Yongli did not participate in the plot to murder His Majesty, he was the father of Zhou Shuqing and Zhou Ying and bore joint responsibility. Moreover, he was also involved in the death of the eldest son of the old lady Zhou. Therefore, he was imprisoned along with them.
According to the law, the entire Zhou family should have been implicated, but Song Xia was the one who reported the secret medicine, so her merits and demerits canceled each other out, and she and Zhou Yuqing were both fine. This was also a promise that the Empress had made to her before. Not only that, the Zhou family would also be granted the title of County Princess's Mansion.
Normally only princesses receive this privilege, but the empress is using this to tell everyone that Song Xia is her person and no one can underestimate her.
The next morning, just as she returned to the manor, Zhou Yuqing also returned.
Zhou Yuqing asked anxiously, "Mother, are you alright? What exactly happened yesterday?"
“Mother is fine.” Song Xia said succinctly, “Prince Huai plotted against His Majesty, and Zhou Ying and others were implicated and have now been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison. In three days, it will be Prince Ding’s coronation ceremony.”
Zhou Yuqing couldn't imagine how much had happened last night that led to such a quick conclusion.
However, it is good that His Highness Prince Ding won in the end. Although Prince Ding is young, he is quite talented and has a domineering spirit. He will surely be able to govern this country well in the future.
Moreover, if it weren't for Prince Huai, then Zhou Ying and Zhou Shuqing would never have a chance to rise in the world, and there would be no need to worry about them becoming the threat of becoming a mother.
“Yuqing, your father will be implicated and may not have a good outcome either.”
"Hmm." Zhou Yuqing felt a little lost, but still nodded calmly.
He had always known that his father didn't care about him, and he had long since come to terms with it. What was there to be sad about? After all, whose father was like his, capable of harming one son for the sake of another?
"Mother, as long as you're alright, that's all that matters."
"How could anything happen to Mother? After all, this outcome was partly due to Mother's efforts."
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