Chapter 213 Ascension to the throne (Part 2)
Grand Tutor Yan was so angry that he had lost his mind. He didn't bear to kill the prince just now because he thought about how intelligent the prince was when he was young and how he had been taught by him personally. He couldn't help feeling sad. However, he never imagined that the person who taught him was the fake emperor Lu Yan, not Zhao Kang!
The tyrant king in front of him had lost the last bit of goodness in Master Yan's heart, so how could he show mercy? He immediately raised the whip and beat him severely. One of them was frail and sickly, and the other was old and disabled, so they were equally matched.
All the ministers watched this scene, but no one dared to intervene. Most of their eyes were on Lu Yan, who was kneeling straight on the ground, and everyone had different thoughts.
It is incredible that there are people in the world who look so similar.
Although the emperor has been occasionally foolish in recent years, he has often implemented benevolent policies, and his merits and demerits have balanced out, so he enjoys a good reputation among officials. Now that I think about it carefully, there may be many hidden stories behind this.
Wei Hong's next move also proved this. He looked in the direction of Lu Yan, gritted his teeth, and suddenly knelt heavily in front of him. With red eyes, he said: "Mr. Lu, thank you for your kindness and righteousness in saving my Wei family. If it weren't for you, Wei Hong would have been beheaded today. I was blinded by greed and assassinated you. Please accept my three bows!"
After he finished speaking, he kowtowed three times to the ground. When he raised his head again, his forehead was covered with blood. Lu Yan, kneeling in front of the corpse, remained silent. The sunlight from outside the hall shone in, making his handsome face a little blurry, but still looked gloomy, just like the years when he lived in anonymity and never saw the light of day.
Zhao Kang, who was beaten by Master Yan and fled in panic, seemed to come to his senses suddenly. He rushed forward and asked fiercely: "It's you! It's you! You did everything today, right?!"
Huo Lang grabbed his wrist and sneered, "Your Majesty, are you trying to settle a score? Just look for me. Today's show is very lively. Do you like it?"
He was not afraid of being cursed. Even if he admitted that he was the one who arranged today's drama, what could Zhao Kang do?
Zhao Kang angrily broke free from his hand, his face mad, and he had already fallen into a state of obsession: "I am the emperor! I am the emperor! Whoever kills Huo Lang, I will reward him with the title of Marquis, a reward of ten thousand gold coins, and you can be made a minister or a prime minister. Go and kill him!"
Zhao Kang walked among the civil and military officials, grabbed their collars and questioned them frantically, but no one responded. The Wei family had been loyal for a hundred years but ended up like this. Who would dare to risk their life for Zhao Kang in the future?
Zhao Kang was unconscious, and finally reached out and grabbed Huo Lang by the collar: "Don't you just want to be the emperor?! I'll let you be the emperor! Isn't it okay for me to let you be the emperor!"
Huo Lang kicked the man away fiercely, his drooping eyebrows full of cruelty: "Waste! If I want something, I will naturally take it. Do I need you to give it to me?!"
When he finished speaking, he suddenly drew out the sword from his waist. A cold light flashed, almost blinding everyone. The swords worn by military officers when attending court were all unsharpened, in order to avoid assassinations of the king and the driver. Only the sword at Huo Lang's waist could cut iron like mud, and had drunk the blood of hundreds of people.
"If the king treats his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the king as their confidant. If the king treats his subjects as grass, then the subjects will treat the king as their enemy!"
Huo Langru stood before the three armies, his voice was cold and inviolable. He raised the long sword in his hand high, and his dark eyes pierced people's hearts like a needle:
"I just heard what Master Gongsun said. The previous emperor was not virtuous, and now he is incompetent. How can such an unkind and unjust monarch lead the court officials and make our northern country different for thousands of years?! However, Prince Jingyang was beheaded first for making a mistake in food and grass, and Prince Lin'an was beheaded later for abusing and killing his concubine. There is no one left in the royal family. Today, I, Huo Lang, risk the wrath of the world and earnestly request Your Majesty to abdicate and let the virtuous take over. Anyone who disagrees can just stand up!!"
The long sword in his hand moved in response to the sound, and he slowly slashed through the crowd. The civil and military officials immediately retreated like a tide, leaving a vacuum circle, and cursed in his heart:
Huo Lang, this bastard, usurped the throne if he wanted to, but why did he have to act so righteous and awe-inspiring for anyone to see?!
Minister Cen can guarantee that if anyone stands out in dissatisfaction, Huo Lang will immediately chop off his head like a melon. We all have families to support, so who would dare to touch that moldy thing?
Huo Lang asked in a deep voice: "No one here?!"
No one dared to shake their heads or nod; they all pretended to be dumb.
Huo Lang sneered: "If that's the case, then I will take it as your agreement. From today on, Your Majesty will abdicate and give the throne to a virtuous person. Everyone present here is a witness!"
After he finished speaking, he sheathed the sword and walked slowly to Lu Yan's side. Then, in front of everyone's astonishment, he lifted his robe and knelt down, holding his hands in a salute, and said solemnly word by word: "The so-called lord is a man of virtue and talent. Master Yan once praised you for your excellence in poetry, calligraphy, and strategy, and your wisdom and intelligence, which are close to that of a demon. You are already a man of high talent. Later, you secretly saved the Wei family. This is called virtue. Today, Huo Langjian invites you to ascend the throne and save the people of Beishu from the dire straits!"
He kowtowed and could not get up. Wei Hong followed suit: "Please ascend the throne, young master. Although the Wei family has declined, there are still men who can fight on the battlefield. As long as you give the order, we will immediately return to the court to serve Bei Shu!"
All the officials were silent and looked at each other in bewilderment. After all, there had never been such a ridiculous thing since ancient times. Finally, Bowang Hou Huo Bi took the lead and led a group of military officers to kneel down and said loudly:
"Please, Master Lu, ascend the throne!"
Another group of minor officials knelt down in response to the situation: "Please allow Master Lu to ascend the throne!"
The civil official knelt halfway and said, "Please, Master Lu, ascend the throne!"
Finally, there were only a few dozen people left standing in the court. Seeing this, Huo Lang put on the sword at his waist and asked in a calm voice, word by word, "Are you dissatisfied, my lords?"
The dozens of people finally reacted and knelt down: "Please, Master Lu, ascend the throne!"
Oh my god, what on earth is Huo Lang playing at? He is working so hard not to ascend the throne himself, but to help a fake emperor take the throne. Are they hallucinating or has Huo Lang gone mad? !
Lu Yan closed his eyes and remained silent until all the people in the court were kneeling, leaving only Grand Tutor Yan. He then slowly opened his eyes and stood up from the ground. Because he had been kneeling for too long, his body swayed a few times. After a while, he stood up and said calmly to the ministers:
"The Lu family has been practicing medicine and saving lives for generations, and has no ambition to be an official. I suffered a great disaster when I was young. Although I am Your Majesty's substitute, I have no intention of controlling the government. I have lived for many years just to make my parents' injustice known to the world. Today, I have fulfilled my lifelong wish. How dare I dream of the throne? I only wish to retire to Ruzhou and live a poor life."
He had been the emperor for many years, and although he spoke neither fast nor slow, due to years of habit, the court officials did not dare to underestimate him, but became more frightened.
Huo Lang said loudly: "Although Master Lu is a substitute, he has been familiar with state affairs for many years, treated loyal officials well, repaired water conservancy projects, opened warehouses to distribute grain, and did a lot of things. He has been widely praised by the people. Although there are many virtuous people in the world, few of them are familiar with state affairs. Although there are many talented people in the world, it is difficult to distinguish between virtuous people. If we talk about who has both, it must be Master. If you refuse, no one in the world will dare to take this position!"
After Huo Lang's words, those ministers finally came to their senses. It turned out that all the policies that Bei Shu had taken to benefit the people in recent years were the work of the "fake emperor" in front of them. Although the other party had no royal blood, he was full of schemes. Besides, kings, princes, generals and ministers were all born with royal blood. At this point, it was useless to consider bloodline.
The smart ones have already kowtowed: "Please ascend the throne, Master Lu, otherwise we will kneel down forever!"
The officials repeatedly requested, and Lu Yan repeatedly declined. After several rounds of negotiations, Lu Yan finally agreed. He first reached out to help up several old officials, and finally helped Huo Lang up from the ground. He held his hand tightly through his sleeve and sighed:
"If I continue to refuse, I will appear petty. I only hope that I can govern Beishu with you in the future, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, without the worries of famine and war!"
"If I ascend the throne, I will not indulge in luxury and indulge in pleasure. To show this, I will abandon the six palaces in the future, and will not take in a concubine or empress. The wife of Prince Lin'an, Huo Yan, is already pregnant, and is considered a member of the Zhao family. When she grows up, I will bring her into the palace to raise her. This way, the throne will not be vacant. What do you think?"
When Huo Lang heard Lu Yan say that he wanted to abolish the six palaces, he was shocked. He looked at him deeply, then lowered his head and said nothing. However, his eyes and eyebrows softened a little bit, and he seemed to be swearing with every word:
"I am willing to serve your majesty like a dog or a horse, even if it means death!"
The court officials saw that Lu Yan had made clear arrangements, and secretly admired his integrity and character. They all said in unison:
"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened! Long live the emperor!"
Only Zhao Kang sat on the ground, dazed and like a madman.
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