Chapter 81: Beautiful Daughter vs. Heirless Emperor
The rebels were eyeing the helpless civil officials with their knives pointed at them, while the military generals who attempted to resist had already been specially targeted and drugged, making them lose their ability to resist.
The officials in the square were all preoccupied with their own thoughts and were eerily quiet; no one dared to raise any objections.
Some people showed joy on their faces. If this succeeded, they would be the dragon's followers and would enjoy wealth and glory in the future with a bright future.
Some people were extremely angry, but due to the rebels' forceful coercion, they could only endure it for the time being.
Some old foxes couldn't help but think deeply when they saw Xu Junzheng was getting scared. Based on their understanding of Xu Junzheng, even if blood was splattered on the spot, Xu Junzheng would fight to the end and would never let himself become a hostage to threaten the Queen.
But Xu Junzheng seemed to be completely frightened, shaking his body and not saying a word.
There is definitely something fishy about this matter, and the best strategy is to wait and see what happens.
The situation was completely one-sided. Prime Minister Liu laughed with his head raised, and the knife in his hand moved closer to Xu Junzheng's neck, leaving a bloody mark on his neck.
"Your Majesty, please think carefully. Is a dead object more important? Or is Lord Xu's life more important? I will count to three. If you don't hand over the jade seal, I will take action!"
Ji Yunhuan's eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't bear to see her uncle die, but she also didn't want to disappoint His Majesty. She was in a dilemma and didn't know what to do.
“One…two…”
Prime Minister Liu's voice was like a death warrant. Ji Yunhuan retreated at a loss, his thin body pressed against the emperor's coffin, and he had nowhere to retreat.
She seemed to have made up her mind and shouted, "Stop! Don't you just want the imperial seal? I'll give it to you!"
"Where is His Royal Highness Prince An? Since we are going to recommend His Royal Highness Prince An to ascend the throne, I will personally hand the imperial seal to His Royal Highness. Only then will it be legitimate."
Prime Minister Liu threw the knife to the guard beside him. He remained expressionless, but in his heart he wished he could kill Ji Yunhuan right now!
"Your Highness Prince An is too grief-stricken to be cured. I will hand the imperial seal to your Highness."
"Unless I see His Royal Highness Prince An, I will not take out the imperial seal. Could it be that Prime Minister Liu is not really trying to recommend Prince An to ascend the throne, but is planning to usurp the throne and sit on the throne himself?"
There was a buzzing sound from the audience.
Civil officials all valued their reputations, so even if they committed treason, they used the pretext of supporting Prince An to ascend the throne because the crown prince died young.
If Prime Minister Liu wants to change the dynasty, the whole country will be shaken. When the time comes, the troops from all over the country will come to Beijing to attack them, and they will surely die.
For a moment, even the officials standing on Prime Minister Liu's side complained and clamored to see His Royal Highness Prince An.
Prime Minister Liu's face looked extremely ugly. He had already ordered people to take control of Prince An's Mansion, but Prince An was very slippery and was unwilling to put in any effort.
If the plan succeeds, Prince An will naturally ascend the throne. If it fails, it has nothing to do with Prince An. Prince An has made a good plan and has always refused to show up. He can't just kidnap Prince An, can he?
When the two sides were in a stalemate, the eldest princess suddenly arrived.
She did not attend the funeral on the grounds that the Queen Mother did not allow her to leave the house, and she did not know where she was hiding to watch the fun. Now she is finally willing to show up.
The eldest princess was wearing a moon-white dress, which looked plain, but was actually the flowing brocade of the Jiangnan area. As she moved, the light flowed, extremely luxurious.
She bowed to the emperor's coffin with dignified and impeccable manners.
"As a widow, I shouldn't have shown up, but the Queen was so aggressive that she insisted on meeting Prince An before she would hand over the imperial seal."
"I am the eldest sister of Prince An, so I have to persuade him a little. Is the Queen satisfied that he has come here despite his illness?"
The palace maid behind the eldest princess helped Prince An forward. He was wearing a plain linen robe, his face looked a little haggard, his eye sockets were sunken, and he was panting every three steps. He seemed to be very ill.
Prince An pushed away the palace maid beside him, knelt down in front of the emperor's coffin, and burst into tears.
The princess patted Prince An's shoulder lovingly, wiped the nonexistent tears from her eyes with a handkerchief, and choked up, "Prince An and my third brother had a deep relationship. When he heard that my third brother had passed away, he had no appetite, so how could he have the heart to take over the imperial seal?"
"Prime Minister Liu is a pillar of the court. Prince An and I are relieved to give the imperial seal to him for safekeeping."
Ji Yunhuan knew at first sight that "Prince An" was fake, and was most likely the eldest princess's male favorite pretending to be him.
The male favorite was proficient in the art of disguise. If he could pretend to be his uncle, he could naturally pretend to be Prince An as well.
Although it may not stand up to close scrutiny, it is certainly enough to fool uninformed officials.
As expected, the doubts from the audience disappeared, and officials from Prime Minister Liu's lineage all clamored for the Queen to hand over the imperial seal.
The knife was still on her uncle's neck. As long as she dared to say no, Prime Minister Liu would definitely kill her.
Ji Yunhuan leaned against the emperor's coffin, her body shaking uncontrollably, like a delicate and helpless flower in a violent storm. She finally couldn't resist the huge pressure and choked up, "I'll give you the jade seal, and you release my uncle."
The knife on Xu Junzheng's neck was removed, but he was still pinned to the ground.
Ji Yunhuan turned around and pushed the emperor's coffin. She used all her strength to push the heavy coffin out a small gap.
Su Bai reached in and quickly took out an antique sandalwood box.
Prime Minister Liu's eyes lit up with greed, and he couldn't wait to snatch the imperial seal away.
The eldest princess smiled. No wonder she ordered people to dig three feet into the ground but couldn't find the jade seal. It turned out that it was hidden here. Ji Yunhuan was really smart.
"Prince An" stopped crying and stood behind the eldest princess, with his head lowered and his eyes submissive, so quiet that he had no sense of existence.
Ji Yunhuan held the box with a vigilant look in his eyes, "Don't mess around, there is a trap in this box. If you open it carelessly, the imperial seal inside will be destroyed. Let my uncle go, and I will help you get the seal out."
Prime Minister Liu looked at the eldest princess, and the eldest princess nodded at him, indicating that what Ji Yunhuan said was true.
Prime Minister Liu waved his hand, and the two guards holding Xu Junzheng finally let go. Xu Junzheng immediately ran towards Ji Yunhuan and protected her behind him.
Ji Yunhuan took a deep breath, recalled the formula the emperor taught him before he left, and unraveled the mechanism step by step.
She solved the problems very slowly, taking a long time to think about each step, trying to delay the process as much as possible.
Prime Minister Liu was getting impatient and shouted angrily, "Hurry up!"
Ji Yunhuan's hand shook and he nearly dropped the imperial seal. Fortunately, Xu Junzheng caught it, but the mechanism was already messed up and he had to start over.
The princess was also very impatient, but she could only wait calmly, "Prime Minister Liu, please be patient. Father has shown me the imperial seal before. The box is nested with layers of traps. Only when the imperial seal is put in will the mechanism be closed."
"It's a pity that I don't know how to decipher it, but I can tell that what she has in her hand is real. Since it's real, there's no harm in waiting."
Everyone's eyes were focused on the small box in Ji Yunhuan's hand. She slowly turned the mechanism until her uncle nodded slightly at her, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With a click, the box split in half, revealing the imperial seal inside.
The imperial seal is carved from a piece of ancient jade. It is pure white and has a lifelike image of a flying dragon riding the mist on the top.
Ji Yunhuan no longer showed any sign of shrinking in fear. She held the imperial seal high with a fierce gaze and an imposing manner.
"Here is the imperial seal! Soldiers, listen to my orders, arrest these traitors! If anyone resists, kill them without mercy!"
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