Chapter 930: The Prince of the Duke's Mansion vs. the Black Lotus Concubine 72
In Chengming Palace, candles were brightly lit.
The emperor sat at the top, suffering from a slight cough, but he wore a crown and a dragon robe, and apart from being a little thinner, it was obvious that he had recovered from his illness.
Concubine Dong served at the side, serving medicine to the emperor. The Eighth Prince accompanied him with a memorial in his hand, which he opened casually, looking very comfortable.
The eighth prince was only eighteen years old, at the peak of his career. He was not the emperor's youngest child, but he was the emperor's favorite. His mother was also promoted to noble concubine, and he enjoyed great glory.
Since last year, he has been at the emperor's side every day. The emperor dotes on him in every way and responds to all his requests, just like an ordinary father and son, who only care about family affection, not status.
The Eighth Prince picked up the red brush and wrote the word "read" in a flamboyant manner. He said disdainfully, "This is all nonsense! There is nothing good about it. These ministers don't know how to share Daddy's worries. They only know how to bother Daddy with these trivial matters. It's useless!"
"I think only Governor Ding has something to say. Governor Ding has been an official in a remote area for many years, and his relatives are all in the capital. It is time for him to be transferred back to the capital. His policy proposals are very good, and he should be assigned to the Ministry of Revenue. Only then can his talent be well-received."
The emperor smiled lovingly, "Then let's do as my son says and issue an order tomorrow! With Xiao Ba by my side, Daddy feels much more relaxed."
The Eighth Prince leaned on the Emperor's lap and acted like a little child, "As long as Daddy is happy, that's all. I just hope that Daddy lives long and long! I hope that you can be in my arms forever."
The emperor touched Xiao Ba's head. He really liked this son and was willing to follow Xiao Ba's wishes and give him many honors.
The prince did not do anything wrong, but his prestige was too great and he had many supporters in the court, so he had to be on guard.
Xiao Ba was right. If the prince wanted to rebel, it would be easy for him to do so. The key is whether the prince has the intention to rebel. Since he was sick, he took this opportunity to test him.
Just as Xiaoba said, the prince really broke in!
The prince bowed deeply and knelt on the ground. The blood on his neck flowed into his collar, staining his moon-white robe red.
The emperor was seriously ill. The prince was dressed very plainly, without a jade crown on his head. There were bruises under his eyes and a few stubbles on his beard. He looked even weaker than the emperor.
Yun Ye knelt obediently beside the prince like a wooden man. He was also convinced. The last time he saw the prince, he was dressed in a blue cloth shirt and looked quite dignified. Today, he suddenly turned into a filial son who was worried about his king and father and couldn't sleep or eat!
The Eighth Prince was very excited and shouted, "Brother, what are you trying to do by breaking into the palace at night? Are you really planning a rebellion?"
What else is there for the prince to not understand? There is nothing wrong with his good father. He has been delaying attendance at court for more than half a month just to test him!
If he comes, it means he has bad intentions. If he doesn't come, his father will scold him for being unfilial!
My father is the emperor, whatever he says is right. If he makes the slightest mistake, he would be considered disloyal, unfilial, unkind and unjust.
The prince kowtowed and said in a hoarse voice, "I was worried about my father's health, so I threatened my life and broke into the palace. This is disloyalty. My father was seriously ill, and I was unable to serve him. This is unfilial. Fortunately, my father is in good health, so I am relieved!"
"I am ashamed to have lived in the Eastern Palace for twenty years without making any achievements, nor to have made my father happy. I beg you to depose me from the position of Crown Prince!"
The Eighth Prince was stunned for a moment. He had thought about how the Crown Prince would defend himself. He naturally had a plan to deal with it, and he could definitely make the Crown Prince speechless, but he did not expect the Crown Prince to act like this.
The emperor did have doubts about the crown prince, but he had not made up his mind to depose him. The position of crown prince was related to the foundation of the country, and it was not something he could depose just because he wanted to.
The prince said that he was disloyal and unfilial, but in fact, every word he said was blaming him, his father. If he deposed the prince like this, all the officials would be in turmoil!
The emperor slammed the table and said angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I say I would depose you? You broke into the palace and threatened the emperor and father, and you still think you are right!"
The prince slowly raised his head, tears in his eyes, and said sincerely, "Isn't this just what father wants? If that's not enough, father, why don't you arrest me and put me in jail, and charge me with treason."
"I beg you to depose me, my father. It has come to this. The emperor is not an emperor, the ministers are not ministers, the officials are not respected by the emperor, and the people are in a state of panic. It's all because of me who am useless and cannot make you happy like your eighth brother. If you don't believe in me, I don't need to be the crown prince anymore!"
"Why not fulfill my eighth brother's wish, depose me, and issue another decree to appoint a crown prince? Father and my eighth brother have a deep affection for each other, so there will be no more suspicion. The country will be stable, and everyone will be happy!"
The Eighth Prince realized that the Crown Prince was setting a trap for him, and immediately fought back: "What a good move of retreating to advance. You don't think that if you act pitiful in front of the Emperor, the Emperor will believe you? The Emperor is very observant and has seen through your evil ambitions!"
"If we abolish you, there are naturally other brothers. The position of crown prince is the dictatorship of my father. Don't try to sow discord here! I am filial to my father and only want to serve him. I am not like you who form cliques for personal gain, collude with Duke Yun, and station troops and build armor in Jinghua Horse Farm. Your ambition is obvious!"
The prince was very shocked. "Where did you hear these rumors, Eighth Brother? Jinghua Racecourse is just a place for entertainment, with people coming and going every day. Who would be stupid enough to station troops there? And why would I station troops there? I am the prince, there is no need to cause trouble for myself."
"If you don't believe me, go ahead and check. If there are any soldiers or pawns, I will let you deal with them!"
The emperor had long suspected that there were troops stationed at Jinghua Horse Farm, so before the prince entered the palace, he ordered people to check it out. If there was indeed evidence of guilt, then the prince would be caught, and whether to depose or reinstate him would be up to him.
The Royal Guards entered the palace and reported, "There are indeed many horses in Jinghua Horse Farm, of excellent quality, all of which are racehorses, but they are blindly pursuing speed and are not suitable for fighting on horseback."
"We didn't find any armor or weapons in the stables, nor did we see any private soldiers. However, there were many horse trainers who didn't dare to resist at all. We have already captured them all."
The Eighth Prince vaguely felt that things were out of control, but since the arrow had been shot, there was no turning back, so he could only grit his teeth and let the matter go.
"Father, I really saw the private soldiers raised by the crown prince in the stables. There were at least several hundred of them, all wearing armor and holding sharp weapons. They were always training. There were countless armors and weapons in the stables. I would never dare to lie to you. The crown prince must have hidden them all!"
The secret guard could not tolerate anyone questioning his professionalism, and immediately said, "Your Highness, did you see it wrong? Hundreds of fully armed soldiers cannot be hidden. I have already carefully investigated the horse farm. There are several secret passages and cellars, and nothing unusual was found."
The Eighth Prince said loudly, "You also said there is a secret passage. It must have been moved. I know. It must be in Yumei Garden. The Crown Prince often conspires with Yun Ye in Yumei Garden. Yumei Garden is in the capital. Moving people here will make it easier for both parties to collude and plot something bad!"
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