Palace Coup
Jiang Heng?
What's Jiang Heng doing here?
The emperor was filled with bewilderment and even more anger.
In order to prevent these princes from obstructing the re-establishment of Jiang Yunyan as crown prince, he had instructed all the princes well in advance that they did not need to attend court today.
Why is Jiang Heng here? Is Jiang Heng going to openly defy his father's orders?
The Emperor trembled with rage and roared, "Jiang Heng! What are you doing here!"
After saying this, the Emperor looked down and noticed what Jiang Heng was holding in his hand.
It's a knife.
Entering the palace with a knife—that's clearly an act of rebellion.
A sense of fear welled up in the Emperor's heart. He took a few steps back in fear, but his mouth remained unrelenting. He pointed a finger at Jiang Heng and cursed, "Jiang Heng! You unfilial son! What do you intend to do by bringing a knife into the palace!"
After saying this, the emperor began to pin his hopes on his ministers to stand up and do something to stop him.
But no one moved.
The emperor then placed his hopes on the Imperial Guards to step forward and arrest Jiang Heng, this traitorous minister.
But no one moved.
The ministers kept their eyes down, heads bowed, and remained silent, as if everything happening before them had nothing to do with them.
The imperial guards surrounding the emperor remained unmoved, as if nothing had happened and their emperor was not in any danger.
The emperor looked at his ministers in shock, then at the imperial guards in shock.
Suddenly, a surge of anger welled up inside him, and he almost coughed up blood.
He pointed at the ministers, then at the imperial guards, and roared, "You...have you betrayed me?!"
The ministers remained silent, the imperial guards remained silent, and Jiang Heng remained silent as well.
Jiang Heng simply stared expressionlessly at the utterly flustered emperor before him.
He suddenly wondered if Mu Yan had been just as flustered when she was wrongly accused.
Of course, they are different.
Mu Yan and the Mu family died unjustly.
Even if the Emperor dies today, it will be a just punishment.
Jiang Heng lifted his foot and walked forward, step by step toward the Emperor.
A group of his men followed closely behind him.
Among his subordinates were several familiar faces.
When the emperor saw it, he thought he was dreaming. But when he squinted and looked closely, he was so frightened that he shuddered.
It turned out to be an old member of the Mu family.
What are they here for?
What exactly does Jiang Heng want to do by bringing these people to the palace?
The emperor had never felt such panic before. He trembled with fear, but out of respect for his imperial dignity, he refused to show his weakness in front of Jiang Heng.
Upon seeing these former members of the Mu family, he immediately guessed what Jiang Heng was planning to do.
They must want to overturn the verdict on Mu Yan and the Mu family's affairs back then.
But what happened back then was a miscarriage of justice he fabricated himself.
If... if Jiang Heng were to overturn the verdict on the spot, what would become of his reputation as emperor!
Thinking of this, the Emperor became even more enraged, pointing at Jiang Heng and shouting, "You unfilial son! I am your biological father! Do you intend to commit patricide?!"
Jiang Heng didn't say much, and his expression was barely visible.
As he led the old members of the Mu family, standing in the hall with knives in hand, he spoke words that seemed to pierce the heart without needing to say much.
The emperor was well aware of what he had done, which is why he felt guilty and then became furious when he saw these people.
He wanted to use anger to cover up his guilty conscience and to use anger to let bygones be bygones as they were back then.
Jiang Heng understood the situation clearly, but he only regarded the emperor as a clown.
He continued walking forward, step by step, until he reached the Emperor.
He only slightly moved the hand holding the knife, without making any other move.
Then the Emperor was so frightened that he fell to the ground, looked up and glared at Jiang Heng, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
"Your Majesty, I have come today on behalf of my birth mother," Jiang Heng said, bowing slightly and staring at the Emperor.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Emperor trembled, and the old members of the Mu family who had come with Jiang Heng presented evidence one by one.
Because it was fabricated by the emperor himself.
Back then, many things were simply kept quiet by everyone, without any serious attempt to conceal them, and much evidence was not destroyed.
Because most people believe that this matter will not be released again in the future.
So Jiang Heng from his previous life found out.
Based on his experience from his previous life, Jiang Heng obtained the evidence earlier in this life.
Today, one by one, they were laid out before the Emperor.
Jiang Heng remained calm.
He didn't have the same intense emotions as in his previous life, nor the same sense of satisfaction from avenging a great enemy.
The truth came to light far too late, leaving people feeling empty inside.
The ministers were also calm. Most of the older ministers had been involved in the previous events, while many of the younger ones had long been part of Jiang Heng's infiltrated forces.
In the entire court, no one spoke up for the emperor anymore.
The emperor stared blankly at the evidence before him, his hand trembling as he reached out to destroy it, but the evidence was cleverly dodged.
"You traitors and rebels! What exactly do you want to do!"
The emperor roared, his eyes turning red with rage.
"Guards! Seize these treacherous officials and rebels!"
The emperor continued to roar, but no one listened to him.
Undeterred, the Emperor looked up at the instigator of today's grand spectacle and asked through gritted teeth, "Jiang Heng, are you trying to convict me?"
Jiang Heng sneered, his lips barely moving as he uttered five words: "Be punished the same as commoners."
The emperor's hands, which had been supporting him on the ground, lost all strength and he collapsed completely to the ground, with no strength left to resist.
At the same time, the Grand Eunuch, carrying the prepared imperial seal, walked to Jiang Heng's side and presented it to him, meeting the Emperor's incredulous gaze.
Jiang Heng picked up the imperial seal, looked at the dejected emperor, and said, "Father, you have recently felt powerless in governing the country and wish to live a quiet life in a Buddhist temple from now on, no longer concerning yourself with worldly affairs. The eldest prince is guilty of treason and should be executed immediately. The other princes are not capable of being trusted, so the throne will be passed to the ninth prince."
The emperor's eyes widened, and he waved his hands, trying to grab Jiang Heng in front of him, and even more so, trying to refute something.
But as soon as he made a move, Jiang Heng's men covered his mouth, grabbed his hands and feet, and dragged him away in a very undignified manner.
Jiang Heng ignored the emperor.
He truly had no intention of killing his father. Having lived two lives, he understood that living in agony was more agonizing than dying.
Unable to know when or how long it will end, they clung to life, enduring the physical and mental anguish.
Therefore, we await the Emperor's residence.
Everywhere there are traces of Mu Yan, and everywhere there is irrefutable evidence of the evil deeds he has committed.
Jiang Heng wanted the Emperor to be constantly watching these things, causing him sleepless nights.
With these thoughts in mind, he walked step by step up the steps toward the dragon throne.
He stroked the patterns on the dragon throne and turned to look at the ministers below the steps.
The ministers all knelt down, facing Jiang Heng.
The crowd cheered, "Long live the Emperor!"
Jiang Heng looked out at the sky, which was gloomy.
But it always gives one the feeling that daylight is just around the corner.
Finally, the great revenge was achieved.
Everything has settled down.
Shen Wenqiu did not go to the Hanlin Academy today, not because he asked for leave, but because he was suddenly informed yesterday that everyone except the ministers who needed to attend court should stay at home.
Shen Wenqiu was unaware of the reason, but felt a vague unease in his heart.
He remembered that Jiang Heng was also at home, so he looked around but couldn't find him anywhere.
He had doubts and was about to go to the palace to find Jiang Heng when he saw Jiang Heng's men guarding outside the main hall.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you usually with Jiang Heng? Where did he go?" Shen Wenqiu was puzzled and felt uneasy, vaguely sensing that Jiang Heng was hiding something from him.
"Don't worry, young master, His Highness will be back soon. You need not fret," Jiang Heng's subordinate replied.
"Where did he go?" Shen Wenqiu frowned and pressed for an answer.
“Young Master, His Highness will be here soon…” Jiang Heng’s subordinate lowered his head, but was interrupted by Shen Wenqiu halfway through his sentence.
"Where did he go? If you don't tell me, I'll go to the palace to find him myself." Shen Wenqiu sensed something was wrong, so he bypassed Jiang Heng's men and walked out.
"Young Master! Young Master, please don't go!" Jiang Heng's subordinates were so shocked that they rushed forward to stop him, but they didn't dare to actually do it. They could only whisper the truth, "His Highness launched a palace coup today. He was afraid that the young master would be in danger in the palace, so he specially asked you to rest at home."
"You mean, the order for the ministers to stay at home wasn't issued by the Emperor, but by him?" Shen Wenqiu was slightly taken aback. He had guessed that Jiang Heng might make a move, but he didn't expect it to be so fast.
"Yes, it was all His Highness's order. Young Master, there's really no need to worry. Judging by the time, His Highness has probably already finished his business and is on his way here." Jiang Heng's subordinate didn't really know how smoothly things would go. Palace coups always carry some risk, and no one could guarantee anything. But he couldn't say anything discouraging, so he could only comfort Shen Wenqiu.
"No, I have to see him." Shen Wenqiu knew this was too impulsive, but he was worried about Jiang Heng and wanted to see him.
Shen Wenqiu bypassed Jiang Heng's men again. This time, he moved quickly and rushed straight to the gate of the mansion without stopping.
Just as he reached the gate of the mansion, he turned around and saw Jiang Heng riding his horse towards him.
Perhaps it was fate.
Shen Wenqiu suddenly remembered that when he first met Jiang Heng, Jiang Heng also rode a horse to his side.
Just then, Shen Wenqiu suddenly saw an assassin appear on a building in the distance, holding a bow and aiming it at Jiang Heng.
"careful!"
Shen Wenqiu dared not think about the consequences of that arrow hitting Jiang Heng, and he also knew that his concern had clouded his judgment.
But he still instinctively ran towards Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng noticed that Shen Wenqiu's expression had turned panicked and immediately realized that there were assassins around.
He instantly drew his sword and, following the direction from which the arrow had been shot, cleanly and decisively deflected it.
Upon hearing the commotion, Jiang Heng's men, who were already guarding him, immediately rushed forward and subdued the assassin.
Shen Wenqiu didn't stop, but quickened her pace to run to Jiang Heng's side.
His heart was pounding, the fear of losing Jiang Heng had just filled his heart.
Even after he stood still beside Jiang Heng's horse, his heart was still unsettled.
“Jiang Heng…” Shen Wenqiu’s eyes were filled with tears as she reached out her hand to Jiang Heng on horseback.
Jiang Heng reached out almost simultaneously and grabbed Shen Wenqiu's hand tightly, as if he had grasped everything.
His other hand was also freed up; instead of holding the reins, he stroked Shen Wenqiu's face.
Without needing any further words, Jiang Heng understood Shen Wenqiu's meaning.
He was so excited; he had waited so long for this moment.
But at the last minute, Jiang Heng still asked cautiously, "Is it okay?"
Shen Wenqiu looked at Jiang Heng, who was leaning closer, and naturally understood what the other party wanted to do.
He was speechless, only nodding and weeping, and even tiptoeing to meet her.
Amid the bustling crowd on the street, Jiang Heng sat on horseback, while Shen Wenqiu stood beside him.
One bent over, the other tiptoed, as if the street had specially designated a space for them, becoming completely silent.
And they kissed here.
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