Chapter 138 The Unloved Princess 13
In November, the weather gradually turned cooler and snow began to fall.
As the seasons changed, the old emperor's condition became more serious, and he was almost unable to get up. Even the morning court was temporarily cancelled.
The court officials were anxious. The crown prince of the Great Zhou had not yet been decided, and the several princes each had their own supporters. If His Majesty suddenly passed away, what would they do when they were leaderless?
Lin Qinghuai looked as usual, still going to and from work every day. Even when faced with the prince who wanted to recruit him, he easily refused.
He looked down upon any of the princes under the old emperor. If such a person were allowed to ascend the throne, he might be the last emperor of the Great Zhou.
But the old emperor only has a few princes under him, so even if he wants to pick one that suits his eyes, there is no other choice.
Moreover, if someone else really became the emperor, wouldn't His Highness have to pay his respects every time?!
Thinking of this, Lin Qinghuai's brows became a little cold.
His Highness should be high and mighty and be worshipped by others, so how could he kneel down and kowtow to these people whom he looks down upon?
Lin Qinghuai was unwilling.
He also recalled the first time they met, the stunning glimpse they got on the streets of the imperial capital. Even though the prince was wearing old plain clothes, he was still captivated by her and lost his mind.
Ordinary people say that gorgeous clothes embellish beauty.
But even in his coarse clothes, his Highness possessed a beauty unmatched by the common people. Whether it was dark blue, pale blue, or gray-brown… on his Highness, each color was a dazzling icing on the cake.
His eyes fell on the golden dragon throne high above the Qinzheng Hall, and Lin Qinghuai quickly lowered his eyes to look at the shiny floor. His expression was as calm as ever, only his unfathomable and obscure eyes revealed his fluctuating emotions.
...Perhaps his Highness would also like this bright yellow dress with golden luster.
A rebellious idea germinated in his heart, but in a moment, it grew into a towering tree. Lin Qinghuai's eyes slightly tilted to the side, looking at the first general, who was also surrounded by the princes and talking, with a look of annoyance on his face.
*
The fight for the throne intensified. At this point, it not only moved from the dark to the open, but also evolved from a fight between factions to a fight for life.
Poisoning, falling from horses, assassination... Various methods were used one after another. Although the princes were stupid, their methods were very vicious.
No matter how careful they were, two princes were killed by various means. The fourth prince broke his leg, and the fifth prince became mute after being poisoned and not detoxified in time.
People with physical defects naturally cannot ascend to the throne, so now there are only three princes left.
His Majesty fell into a coma, and there was no one to restrain the princes. The court officials who had not yet taken sides were terrified by the fighting among the princes. His Majesty did not have many heirs, and there were only five princes who grew up, and two of them were already dead.
Fortunately, His Majesty, who had been in a coma for several days, finally woke up not long after. Even though he still could not get up, he had regained consciousness and could speak, and the court officials were relieved.
Not to mention the old emperor's grief and anger when he woke up and found that he had lost three princes, he was also extremely annoyed by the ministers kneeling on the ground outside the bedroom and begging him to appoint a crown prince.
The old emperor has never been a generous person. As an unpopular bastard, he climbed to the throne after surviving many dangers, so naturally he kept a close eye on the power in his hands.
Even though he was terminally ill, he would never tolerate his son trying to take his place.
Therefore, the old emperor, shrouded in fear of death, made a stupid move. Not only did he drive out the court officials who were kneeling on the ground, he also ordered several princes to reflect on their mistakes behind closed doors.
If the old emperor were still in his prime, no one would have thought it wrong for the father to punish the princes. But now that the old emperor was old and there were figures like Lin Qinghuai in the court, his control over the court was far less than in his earlier years. Furthermore, his life was in danger, so suddenly confining several princes in their prime would be the most likely to cause trouble.
As the saying goes, when a dog is desperate, it will jump over the wall; when a rabbit is desperate, it will bite.
The second and third princes had no military power and could not cause any trouble, but the eldest prince was different.
The eldest prince's maternal family is a noble family. Even if it cannot match the prestige of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion in the army, it still holds some military power and will certainly not surrender.
Therefore, on the morning of the third day when the princes were imprisoned, the eldest prince raised his troops and surrounded the palace, committing a rebellion!
At that time, the court was still in session. Since His Majesty was still ill, the court officials did not need to report anything. They just had to hand over the folds. It took only half an hour to go back and forth.
But in just half an hour, the palace was surrounded!
Seeing the eldest prince wearing armor and a sword at his waist with a cold face, stabbing the other two princes to death without hesitation, the court officials surrounding the other two princes felt a chill in their hearts.
The scarlet blood splashed onto the ordinary face of the eldest prince, and his originally honest face became a little more ferocious. He felt very happy when he saw several princes who had been against him for a long time died under his knife.
The eldest prince thought he had the entire palace under his control, but now that he was the only prince left, he was not so anxious anymore.
He grinned at the court officials, some happy, some sad, and some angry, and said, "My father has been ill for a long time. The Great Zhou cannot be without a ruler for a day. Several emperors have unfortunately passed away, and now I am the only prince left. How about you all respect me as your king?"
The bodies of the second and third princes, whose eyes were still open, were still at his feet, yet they actually said these words.
Many of the court officials were capable of understanding the current situation, but there were also loyal and unyielding officials. One old official, his beard and eyebrows all white, wept bitterly as he said indignantly, "How dare this brat force his way into the palace and seize the throne? He is truly unfilial and unfraternal!"
The smile on the eldest prince's face vanished at the other's words. He stared intently at the old minister who had spoken for a long moment, but without anger, he simply sneered, "Unfilial and unbrotherly? I hold in my hand the imperial edict from my father, passing the throne to me. How can I possibly be unfilial and unbrotherly?"
As he spoke, he held up the imperial edict in Ming Dynasty color in his blood-stained hand, his eyes fierce.
The eldest prince was worthy of being the old emperor's son. He had learned all the pretentious ways of the old emperor. Even though he had raised an army to force the emperor to abdicate, he was unwilling to admit it. He surrounded the old emperor's bedroom in advance and forced him to write down the edict.
He didn't want his reputation to be ruined, but he also wanted to get the throne as soon as possible. After all, history books are always written by the victors.
The eldest prince became arrogant because he was proud of himself. He has always been dissatisfied with the ministers in the court who kept telling him what to do. Now that he is no longer restrained, he is even more arrogant.
"It seems that Lord Wang is not only old and blurry-eyed, but also mentally ill. Come, drag Lord Wang away and wake him up!"
The eldest prince laughed freely, and he felt even happier when he saw the court officials trembling with fear at him. His eyes fell on Lin Qinghuai, the court official guard, who still had a straight back and did not show any panic at all.
The embarrassment of trying to win over the other party a few days ago but getting rejected again came to mind again. The eldest prince was filled with hatred and said:
"Since my father has passed the throne to me, the government is in chaos due to the influence of corrupt officials. Lin Qinghuai is playing tricks and causing chaos. His crime is unforgivable. Come, drag Lin Qinghuai out of the palace and kill him on the spot!"
As if he had already imagined the scene of Lin Qinghuai's head being chopped off by Jiawei, the eldest prince had a ferocious look on his face and felt even more pleased.
Not just Lin Qinghuai!
Doesn't he hold the military power now?
Can't he get rid of all those who have offended him or looked down on him?
The eldest prince's eyes turned red at the exciting thought, but he did not notice that even though he had given an order, the armored guards behind him did not take action.
The old Lord Wang's roar echoed through the hall. The eldest prince came to his senses and saw that the man was still in the hall. He said with a grim expression:
"What are you all standing there for? Get him out of here!"
His tone was extremely impatient, but the guard behind him remained motionless, standing with his head bowed like a sculpture.
This abnormality gave him a sudden bad feeling. The eldest prince turned around and glared fiercely at the armored guards behind him, saying, "How dare you! Can't you hear me? Take him away!"
His voice was loud and hoarse, as if he was trying to cover up his inner panic with his high voice: "Capture Lin Qinghuai for me!"
But he didn't move.
Jiawei still didn't move.
The eldest prince was completely panicked. He looked at the armored guards with gloomy eyes and kept retreating behind him.
In the chaos, he seemed to hear a low voice commanding: "Well, take him down."
The voice was gentle, with a hint of disgust. The eldest prince was quite familiar with this voice. He froze in place, then suddenly turned his head to look at the courtiers.
Lin Qinghuai, dressed in a crimson official robe, slowly walked out from among the court officials, still as calm and composed as ever.
The eldest prince stared at him intently, his bloodshot eyes filled with unwillingness. Even when he was pressed to the ground by the armored guards who rushed over, he still did not look away.
"Lin Qinghuai, it's you...it's you, Lin Qinghuai, who set up this scheme..."
The voice was hoarse and unpleasant, filled with sticky hatred. The throne he had longed for was right in front of him, but he failed to achieve it. The eldest prince was filled with hatred, his throat felt hot, and he vomited blood.
Lin Qinghuai's crimson official robe still hung straight to the ground, without a single wrinkle. He smiled leisurely, but his words were particularly harsh:
"The eldest prince forced the palace to seize the throne, oppressed the emperor and his father, and murdered his brothers. As a minister, Lin Qinghuai, I should be loyal to the emperor and love my country, and clean up the government."
Clean up the dynasty!
Lin Qinghuai was returning what he had just said to him!
More blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. The eldest prince's eyes widened angrily and he wanted to say something, but in an instant, he felt a chill in his heart.
His pupils began to dilate, and he reluctantly lowered his head to glance at his chest, where a knife was stuck.
He was very familiar with that knife.
It was the knife given to him by his father, the same one he had just used to kill his two younger brothers...
The eldest prince, who was originally rampant, moved his body, and blood with bubbles gushed out again. His head tilted and he was completely silent.
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