Chapter 342 Auspicious Omens from Heaven
Emperor Liang's expression became even uglier, and he seemed to be thinking seriously about Yan Changwen's words.
Yan Xiuyun was unable to utter a word. He staggered down the stairs and walked in front of Chen's mother and daughter, looking as if he had lost his mind.
He no longer cared about his dignity and face, and he ripped open his clothes in front of the civil and military officials, and the brown mark on his shoulder was clearly exposed to everyone.
Yan Xiuyun turned around, with his back to Old Lady Chen, and told her in a trembling voice to look carefully.
Old Mrs. Chen's tears suddenly burst out, and she hugged Yan Xiuyun and said that he was her child.
Yan Xiuyun sat down on the ground dejectedly, allowing Old Lady Chen and Chen Li to surround him. It was hard to tell whether he was crying or laughing on his face.
The ministers who had been speaking for Yan Xiuyun were finally speechless, with a variety of expressions on their faces.
Wu Chengqi took the opportunity to say:
“Your Majesty, now that the truth is out, the bloodline of the emperor is related to the fate of the country, and we must not let outsiders interfere.
But thinking about the prince, oh no, Chen Zao - he himself was kept in the dark about this matter and did not do it intentionally, so it could not be counted as the crime of deceiving the emperor.
I also ask Your Majesty to immediately strip the Crown Prince and all the titles of the East Palace, restore Chen Zao's status as a commoner, and rectify the government!"
Yan Changwen did not speak, but officials in the court who supported him stood up one after another and echoed Wu Chengqi's words.
Zhu Lan closed her eyes. She had tried her best, but in the end man proposes, God disposes.
At this point, Yan Xiuyun's defeat was inevitable. Not only did Qin Yuwei and Xu Shiming in the East Palace need to find another way out, but he and Qingyan had offended the King of Zhenbei and Yan Changwen, and they were afraid that their situation would become even more difficult.
Without Yan Xiuyun, no one would compete with Yan Changwen for the position of crown prince. Yan Changwen had a smooth road ahead, and naturally he would not make the King of Zhenbei unhappy for himself and Zhu Qingyan.
Emperor Liang looked at Yan Xiuyun with a complicated expression and sadness in his eyes.
Yan Changwen saw it clearly and knew that the sadness was not for Yan Xiuyun, but for the real prince who died in the fire twenty years ago.
"I am Chen Zao, a commoner. Twenty years ago, I met the prince by chance and exchanged identities with him. It was fate. Although I live in the East Palace and enjoy all the splendor, it was not my wish, nor was it my fault.
Now that the truth is out, I am deeply moved. Considering that Chen Zao was innocently implicated, I will not punish him, but only deprive him of his title as crown prince and demote him back to a commoner, so that he can be restored to his original state. "
Emperor Liang's deep and weathered voice echoed in the Golden Palace.
Then, Emperor Liang, mindful that Yan Xiuyun had been by his side for twenty years after all, rewarded him with a hundred acres of fertile land so that he could use it for a living and live out his days.
Emperor Liang spoke very slowly, as if he himself was extremely conflicted.
A sharp light suddenly flashed in Zhu Lan's eyes, which had originally been somewhat dim.
No, she didn't want to give up just like that!
She still had one last card, even though the reason sounded far-fetched and there was almost no chance of winning -
But, what if?
Her eyes became determined, she took a deep breath, and was about to stand up and speak.
A figure suddenly rushed into the Golden Palace in a panic. It was a young eunuch, and he looked very excited.
"Your Majesty!"
The young eunuch fell to the ground in the hall, raised his head, and spoke with uncontrollable excitement:
"Auspicious signs have descended upon the East Palace. The wonder is astonishing and has attracted the people of the whole city to come and watch. This is a blessing bestowed by heaven on Daliang, and it indicates that the country will prosper. Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!!!"
Emperor Liang's eyes flashed, and he leaned forward slightly, asking with some curiosity and anticipation:
"What kind of auspicious sign could cause such a stir?"
The young eunuch's face was filled with joy, and his voice was high-pitched:
"This morning, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the sky above the East Palace. Dragon energy was swirling, and clouds and mist were rolling. The dragon shape was looming, riding on clouds and mist, and hovered over the East Palace for a long time, unwilling to leave. It was extremely mysterious.
Many people witnessed this spectacle with their own eyes, and they were all amazed and praised Your Majesty as a wise ruler.
This is a good omen bestowed by God on Daliang, indicating that Daliang's national fortune will be as prosperous as the sun, and will last forever! "
Upon hearing that the place where Xiangrui was born was in the East Palace, everyone's expressions became a little strange.
The ministers looked at Yan Xiuyun and then at Emperor Liang, and for a moment they didn't know how to express their congratulations.
Even Yan Xiuyun was stunned where he was, extremely surprised.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became extremely strange. Even the eunuch who brought the good news noticed something was wrong. Everyone had different mentalities.
Zhu Lan, however, felt his heart brighten up, as if things were looking brighter.
The corners of her lips curled slightly.
What auspicious sign from heaven? As a staunch materialist, I knew without a doubt that it was Xu Shiming's idea.
This news came at the right time. She was just worrying about where to leverage the last card in her hand, and then Xu Shiming brought her this gust of east wind!
Zhu Lan did not hesitate any longer, stood up and saluted Emperor Liang, and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, I think there are many doubts about the Crown Prince's case, and we need to investigate it carefully, and we should not jump to conclusions.
The selection of the crown prince is related to the country. If the crown prince is wronged, wouldn't it be a pity?"
Wu Chengqi sneered and asked Zhu Lan, "Now that Chen's mother and daughter are here, and the birthmark on Yan Xiuyun's body is exactly the same as theirs, the evidence is irrefutable, so why is there any doubt?"
Zhu Lan took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said to Emperor Liang:
“Your Majesty, I have consulted many famous doctors in the folks. Although the birthmarks on the Crown Prince and Chen’s mother and daughter can be passed down from parents to children, they may also be formed by the fetus itself.
I am afraid that I may have made a mistake, so I have written down all the conversations with those famous doctors. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can ask the imperial physician in the palace for questioning. "
Emperor Liang ordered someone to find the most experienced doctor in the Imperial Hospital.
The imperial physician carefully examined the birthmark on Yan Xiuyun's back and reported to Emperor Liang that he had indeed seen a type of person with such a birthmark.
For some of these people, their parents did not have such spots, but they appeared on their fetuses.
After hearing this, Wu Chengqi pointed at Yan Xiuyun and asked Zhu Lan:
"Zhu Xiuzhuan, do you mean to say that this person is the real prince, who happened to be born on the same day as Chen Zao from the folk society, and happened to have the same birthmark on his body?
Oh, such a coincidence, do you believe it yourself? "
Zhu Lan raised his eyebrows. "Master Wu, are you admitting that this possibility exists?"
"You are simply making trouble!" Wu Chengqi pointed at Zhu Lan and cursed.
Zhu Lan looked indifferent; she just wanted to muddy the waters.
Delaying time will make it easier to fish in troubled waters.
Let’s get through today first, there’s still a chance for everything!
Zhu Lan turned toward Emperor Liang and bowed:
"Your Majesty, you also heard what the young eunuch said just now. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a baby boy this morning, and then auspicious signs fell from the sky, and a miraculous sight of dragon energy appeared surrounding him.
If the crown prince is not the prince of the emperor, then the grandson of the emperor is not the grandson of the emperor either. How can he attract a real dragon to circle around him?"
"This..." Wu Chengqi was speechless for a moment. He looked at Emperor Liang nervously, but finally swallowed the words on his lips.
The king's power is granted by God. That little eunuch just said that the people of the capital were praising Your Majesty because of the auspicious signs from heaven. If I were to question the auspicious signs now, wouldn't that be a slap in Your Majesty's face - wouldn't that be courting death?
Wu Chengqi tried to avoid the topic of auspiciousness.
"In short, Chen Zao is not of the emperor's bloodline, so we can't make the same mistake again..."
"wrong?"
How could Zhu Lan miss this timely boost of prosperity brought by Xu Shiming?
She looked at Wu Chengqi again and sneered.
"Master Wu, do you think that God has made a mistake and shouldn't send down auspicious signs?"
"Or is it that the heavens are blind and have mistakenly sent auspicious signs to the East Palace?"
Wu Chengqi was terrified, "God's will is certainly correct..."
Zhu Lan took a step closer.
"Since God's will is correct, and the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace is now surrounded by dragon energy, Lord Wu insists on slandering His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for not being a dragon descendant."
“This is disrespectful to the gods!”
"Not only that, Lord Wu was so bold that he even dared to hint that Daliang's luck had run out, and even cursed Your Majesty."
"Such a traitor with evil intentions deserves death!"
"Wu Chengqi, who exactly are you colluding with to deliberately harm the crown prince and disrupt our government?"
Zhu Lan spoke very quickly and fluently, putting a series of hats on Wu Chengqi's head, each of which was a capital crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of his clan.
The dignified prefect of Jingzhao was actually dumbfounded by her retort.
"Your Majesty, I dare not. That is not what I meant! I..."
When Wu Chengqi came to his senses, he prostrated himself on the ground in panic, trying to explain himself. How could he have the time to explain the matter of the crown prince?
Zhu Lan's expression was stern, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly in an arc that was imperceptible to others.
This is exactly the effect she wants.
Emperor Liang looked at everyone with a deep and intimidating gaze, as if he was considering how to deal with the matter.
"His Majesty……"
This time it was the old imperial physician who spoke.
He was sandwiched between Zhu Lan and Wu Chengqi and listened for a long time before he apparently realized what had happened.
He blinked his droopy little eyes with a bit of shock and confusion.
A group of important court officials were arguing in the Golden Palace just to verify whether the prince was the emperor's biological son.
It’s such a simple matter, isn’t it enough to just drop blood to identify the relative?
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