"I am not dead yet, why are you all so anxious about the imperial succession? Don't you want me to abdicate and hand over the throne to a worthy successor sooner?"
The young emperor's voice was casual and devoid of emotion, but to the ears of his ministers it sounded like a heavy slap in the face.
The main hall was filled with kneeling figures, led by Li Shouhai, all of whom cried out, "Your Majesty, we have overstepped our bounds and we beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
Xu Zang sneered. He had learned to hide his emotions, but recently, this group of people had really made him lose his patience.
Everything has its limits; once you cross that line, it's an uncontrollable explosion.
Xu Zang didn't want to have a day when he would explode, provided that these old fogies knew their limits.
After the court session ended, the officials walked to the palace gates, where carriages were waiting outside the red walls.
Li Shouhai boarded the carriage first, and before lifting the curtain, he gave a look to those around him.
Before the carriages left the palace gates, they each departed in different directions, eventually gathering at the back door of an inconspicuous teahouse.
In the cramped room, two dim lamps illuminated the faces of the people inside, each harboring their own thoughts and desires.
The seat at the head of the table was empty. Li Shouhai sat in the first seat on the left. The cups in front of him had been changed twice before the Third Prince, who was wearing a thick cloak, finally arrived.
After nearly half a year of silence, the Third Prince Xu Lian has finally returned to the court recently.
His official position was Vice Minister of Rites. When the late emperor was alive, he praised Xu Lian's outstanding abilities more than once, and his affection for him was evident in his words.
At the time, most of the officials in the court supported the third prince's ascension to the throne, but unfortunately, Xu Zang, who came out of nowhere, seized the throne.
The Third Prince is no ordinary person. After remaining silent for so long, his reappearance this time indicates that he has made some kind of decision.
Xu Zang was unpopular; apart from the officials he had promoted himself, most of the civil officials in the court were loyal to Xu Lian.
Only by taking advantage of Xu Zang's instability and delivering a fatal blow when he is weak can we have a chance to reclaim the throne.
Those present were all important officials of the imperial court; any one of them could be a powerful figure in any region.
Xu Lian lifted his hat, revealing his face, and saw Prince Guangrong on his right.
The loss of his beloved daughter dealt a heavy blow to this once powerful prince, and he looked much more haggard after only a few months.
Prince Guangrong and the Third Prince's faction were originally irreconcilable enemies. He was from the Seventh Prince's faction, and the two factions were locked in a fierce struggle.
After the death of the seventh prince, Prince Guangrong gave up his ambitions and instead tried to climb the social ladder by associating with Xu Zang.
By sending his precious daughter to the palace, he had already indicated that he was taking sides.
But his beloved daughter died tragically in the palace, and Xu Zang thought the secret was unknown to anyone.
King Guangrong knew that he killed Anhe only to avenge the cripple.
He's just a man who sells his body; what difference does it make if he's beaten to death?
Xu Zang, relying on his status, went too far in bullying people.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend; this is an age-old truth.
Prince Guangrong and the Third Prince cooperated solely to avenge their beloved daughter.
Li Shouhai's face looked ferocious and somewhat frightening in the candlelight.
"Recently, the emperor has been investigating a corruption case involving silver from the Ministry of Revenue that occurred more than a decade ago, specifically the case of Ishab embezzling 300,000 taels of disaster relief silver."
When this matter was mentioned, everyone present became serious, and some of those with weaker mental fortitude shrank back.
Li Shouhai gave the man a warning look.
"Everyone here was involved in that case. If we really expose the truth, no one will escape! We are all in this together now. We must work together to pull that arrogant brat off the throne so that we can finally get a good night's sleep."
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