The Emperor took the high seat, and the Crown Prince was pushed in a wheelchair by his men and sat beside him. After the Emperor sat down, he made eye contact with Qingyao and then immediately looked away. The two had not yet made their relationship public, so they had to pretend that they did not know each other.
After the Emperor sat down, he first asked the Crown Prince, "Prince, you have been ill at home for over a month. What is wrong with you? And you haven't recovered in a month?"
When everyone heard this, the atmosphere suddenly became tense, the noise stopped abruptly, and no one dared to breathe.
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the Crown Prince's face froze, his hands clenched slightly beneath the cover of his sleeves. Then he raised his head and spoke gently to the Emperor, "Father, I am sorry to have caused you so much worry. I have caught this cold and haven't gotten any better. The Imperial Physician says it will take some time for me to recover."
The Emperor then asked, "Prince, your health is not good. As the future ruler of a country, if you don't have a healthy body and can't recover from a minor cold, how can you serve the people of the world in the future?"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's face froze again, turning pale. But he knew this was the Emperor's test, so he looked up and replied gently, "Yes, Father, it's my fault. I will recover as soon as possible and attend court. I'm sorry to have caused you so much worry."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor said, "Whether you are worried or not is secondary. There are many people who want to sit on the throne of Crown Prince. You must seize the opportunity."
When everyone heard this, they were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground and leaned over and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice."
The Emperor waved his hand again and said, "Why are you kneeling again? I'm just chatting with the Crown Prince, why are you kneeling?"
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. How could they possibly listen to such a conversation? So, after the Emperor waved his hand, everyone immediately stood up, their bodies tense and speechless.
At this moment, the entire banquet fell into a dead silence, and no one dared to easily break the suffocating silence.
Qingyao actually found this scene somewhat amusing. The Emperor had been able to reach this point, to be feared by everyone, thanks to his own experience of life and death.
You have to know that when the nine princes fought for the throne, many people died. Although one person won in the end, the other eight princes either died tragically or were imprisoned and lived in pain all their lives. This throne was built on countless blood.
From the last time I saw the scars on the emperor's body, I knew how much he had gone through to get to where he is today. If the ministers were not afraid of him, I am afraid the emperor would not be able to control them.
Especially these people are respectful to the emperor on the surface, but they take sides behind the scenes.
Qingyao felt a little distressed for the Emperor, but then she thought, this man is hers. As long as she is here, who would dare to hurt her man? Thinking of this, Qingyao looked at the Emperor again. The Emperor seemed to feel Qingyao's gaze and also looked at Qingyao.
The two glanced at each other, and they knew what the other meant. Then they looked away again.
The candlelight in the hall swayed in the breeze, and the interweaving of light and shadow added a bit of oppression. The ministers looked at each other, their eyes filled with panic and anxiety.
At this moment, the court was divided into three factions: the royalist faction, the centrist faction, and the prince-supporting faction.
Hearing the emperor's words, those who supported the crown prince became a little worried whether the emperor was going to replace the crown prince.
The royalists, however, were watching closely. They knew the Emperor was indeed considering replacing the Crown Prince. They had also heard about the Crown Prince's secret recruitment of soldiers. Now it all depended on who would come out on top.
Just as everyone was thinking about their own things, the Crown Prince suddenly broke the silence and said, "Yes, I will do my best to serve the people."
Everyone was there, and some who didn't know the inside story were still feeling sorry for the prince.
At this moment, the Emperor said, "I heard that the Crown Prince was assassinated a month ago and was injured. I wonder if his current illness at home is related to that injury? Should I have all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital come to treat the Crown Prince?"
When the Crown Prince, Prince Zhennan, and the Crown Prince's followers heard the Emperor's words, their faces instantly became solemn. If they really let the imperial physician come to diagnose the case, the fact that the Crown Prince was disabled would be made public, which was absolutely not feasible.
The Crown Prince then shook his head in mock respect and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I am sorry for your concern. I am not unwell and will attend court as usual in a few days. Please do not trouble the Imperial Physician to diagnose me."
Everyone was thinking about their own things at this time, especially the Prime Minister. When he heard the Emperor's words, he knew that something must have happened to the Prince, otherwise the Emperor would not ask so suddenly and directly.
Then the Prime Minister thought of going back to discuss with his confidants whether Qingyao could become the Crown Princess. He didn't want Qingyao to be implicated by the Crown Prince before she even married into the Crown Prince's Mansion. If that happened, the Prime Minister's Mansion would fall into the abyss. So at this moment, the Prime Minister just wanted to keep a close eye on Qingyao. The two must keep their distance until the situation becomes clear.
Xu Qingqing, the daughter of the Minister of the Central Department, clenched her hands slightly and her face turned pale. She looked at the prince's melancholy eyes and a trace of pain passed through her heart. She grew up with the prince since childhood, and the two had already privately agreed to spend their lives together. In her heart, no matter what the prince would do in the future, she would marry him. Of course, it would be best if the prince could continue to ascend the throne. If not, she would try to help him.
At this moment, everyone was thinking about their own things. Suddenly, Qingyao said, "Can we start the banquet?"
Everyone looked at Qingyao, thinking that this woman was so bold, and the Prime Minister glared at Qingyao fiercely. Qingyao didn't care about them. She was hungry and wanted to eat. She had a long quarrel with the Emperor last night, and got up early in the morning to wash and dress. She hasn't eaten yet. She didn't care about these people. Anyway, the final result will be that she and the Emperor will win, so at this moment, she looked at everyone with an indifferent attitude.
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