After passing through the dark corridor, Prime Minister Qiang followed the eunuch to the outside of the emperor's bedroom. He saw many ministers standing outside the hall. He immediately gave a forced smile and said, "You are all here too?"
Elder Hong glanced at him and said, "We are worried about your Majesty's health and are here to guard him. Do we still need the Prime Minister's permission?"
Prime Minister Qiang glanced at the ministers who had split into several factions and said, "Lord Hong, of course, does not need to ask for my instructions. However, His Majesty is resting, and you are making noise here, disturbing His Majesty's peace. What is your crime?"
Lord Hong immediately puffed his beard and glared: "Qiang Lanting, which eye of yours can see me..."
"Your Majesty invites all the ministers into the palace!"
With a creak, the eunuch opened the door of the hall.
Prime Minister Qiang glanced proudly at Lord Hong, who was feeling uncomfortable, and with a flick of his sleeves, he walked in first with his chin held high.
Mr. Hong:! ! !
He pointed at Prime Minister Qiang's back with trembling fingers.
A minister walked up to him and whispered, "He's just a grasshopper in autumn. His pride won't last long. Why do you care about him?"
Lord Hong gnashed his teeth and said, "Then I'll make him sweep every toilet in the capital!"
The gentleman was speechless for a moment. He had heard something about the grudge between the two. It was said that when Lord Hong worked under Prime Minister Qiang, he made a mistake due to carelessness and was punished by Prime Minister Qiang to sweep the toilet.
So from then on, the two of them had a grudge against each other.
In the past, Lord Hong held a low position in the government and only dared to curse behind the back. Later, when he became a cabinet minister, he immediately became more assertive and would always provoke Prime Minister Qiang whenever he met him.
Unfortunately, he was not good at speaking, and every time he got pissed off by Prime Minister Qiang.
The gentleman shook his head, picked up his official robe and walked into the hall.
Inside the palace, several eunuchs were busy serving the emperor, and several princes and concubines were kneeling in front of the dragon bed.
All the ministers were shocked to see the emperor's appearance at this moment. His face was as pale as gold paper, and he was breathing out more than breathing in.
He quickly collected his thoughts and stepped forward to pay his respects: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live Your Majesty!"
The emperor simply raised his eyelids and coughed. "Since you are so anxious, let's get it done tonight." He glanced around and asked, "Is the Prime Minister here?"
Li Gelao immediately said, "Your Majesty, I have already sent someone to invite him."
The emperor nodded and said, "Okay, let's get started. Tell us what you think."
The hall suddenly fell silent. The next second, ministers from different factions began to speak up for their own princes. They were polite at first, but soon they became noisy:
"The eldest prince is the eldest, and he is elected as the eldest prince!"
"The Fourth Prince is humble and polite, and he handled the major case in Jiangnan beautifully. He was elected the Fourth Prince!"
"The Seventh Prince is frugal and loves the people. He is a strict and discerning person. He has been elected as the Seventh Prince!"
…
The roof was nearly blown off.
Most of them support the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince, and among all the princes, these two are indeed more outstanding.
The emperor nodded. "It seems the results are out. Fourth Brother, Seventh Brother, what do you think?"
The Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince looked at each other. At this point, there was no need to pretend to be brothers anymore. They just recommended themselves directly.
The fourth prince said, "Father, I will definitely learn from you in the future, working diligently, loving the people, and respecting the wise and humble."
The seventh prince said, "Father, I will take you as my role model, work hard to govern the country, be wise and decisive, and be good at listening to the opinions of the ministers." He also tried to win the favor of the ministers.
The emperor closed his eyes and sighed, "If Shu'er were still here, I wouldn't be so embarrassed. What a pity."
The Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince were suddenly shocked. It turned out that as long as Crown Prince Shu was alive, there would be nothing left for them to do!
The ministers looked at each other with their eyes and hearts, and said nothing.
The emperor shook his head: "Forget it, if that's the case, then the fourth one..."
"Your Majesty, you cannot do that!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The emperor paused and looked at the two people who were speaking.
Prime Minister Qiang subconsciously turned around and saw his son-in-law in black clothes striding towards him from outside the hall.
Prime Minister Qiang glared. He understood his son-in-law's intention from Meng Yuchuan's eyes, but how could he do this? He quickly turned around and knelt: "Your Majesty, I have something to say!"
The emperor looked at the prime minister with a determined face, then at the chief minister with a frown, and raised his eyebrows: "Okay!"
Meng Yuchuan's heart sank, and he couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, I just heard you mention the Fourth Prince. I also think the Fourth Prince is good. You..."
The emperor had already seen something and said nonchalantly, "Oh? I haven't finished speaking yet. My dear, you heard it wrong." He said to Prime Minister Qiang, "Prime Minister, please tell me what you were about to say."
Prime Minister Qiang immediately responded loudly: "Hey!"
Meng Yuchuan: “…”
At this time, the people in the hall were also looking at the two of them in confusion, wondering what the father-in-law and son-in-law were up to.
"Your Majesty!"
Then the Qiang Prime Minister suddenly fell to the ground and burst into tears.
Then, ignoring everyone's surprised looks, he rushed forward and hugged the emperor's thighs: "Your Majesty, I have always wanted to tell you something, but I don't know where to start. I feel so sad! Now that I see you so sad, I will tell you the truth even if it costs me my life!"
The emperor's heart skipped a beat: "My dear, you..."
Prime Minister Qiang raised his tearful face and shouted, "Your Majesty, the late Crown Prince's child is still alive!"
The emperor's eyes widened instantly.
Everyone in the hall couldn't help but gasp.
Lord Hong glanced at the emperor, who had been silent for a long time, and said in a trembling voice, "Prime Minister, you, what nonsense are you talking about? The late Crown Prince was still unmarried when he passed away, so where did the child come from? Besides, those palace maids... the palace maids have already checked them out."
I cursed in my heart, this old man, what nonsense is he talking about at this moment? Do you think dying is too slow?
Prime Minister Qiang immediately wiped away his tears and said, "Your Majesty, I originally thought so too. After all, how could a palace maid make mistakes? But it wasn't until my daughter married Prime Minister Meng that I saw the child."
"Your Majesty, the legitimate son of the Meng family is the bloodline of the late crown prince!"
In an instant, all the ministers were in an uproar, their faces full of disbelief, and they all looked at Meng Yuchuan.
Facing the heavy gazes of the ministers and the emperor, Meng Yuchuan remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is old and his words are inevitably confused. Please let him go back and rest."
Prime Minister Qiang was furious. He stood up and pointed at his nose and cursed: "Are you confused? Huaiyu is a member of the royal family, and his royal status should be restored! Even if you concealed the child's identity because the late crown prince asked you to do so, have you ever thought about His Majesty's feelings? His Majesty must be very sad."
"Your Majesty, this was left by the late Crown Prince. Take a look."
After saying this, he immediately handed the thing he had found in his arms to the emperor.
Meng Yuchuan couldn't help but take two steps forward. Prince, did you leave a note?
Prime Minister Qiang was immediately pleased. That was right? He had secretly investigated the little fellow's identity for several years before finding this only clue.
I have to say, the late crown prince is indeed the most intelligent crown prince in history. He actually had made arrangements in advance!
The emperor took the note, glanced at it quickly, and then read it word by word several times. Finally, he put his hand down, holding the note tightly in his palm, and looked out of the hall: "Announce Meng Huaiyu!"
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