Chapter 160 The Little Queen Whose Wife Was Taken Away by the King (27)
Xia Lingxiao either didn't move, or when he did, it was a big move.
Just like the second prince who had been demoted to a commoner and the former imperial concubine in the cold palace.
The evidence that they were colluding with foreign enemies and intending treason was irrefutable. No matter how unwilling the emperor was to believe it, he had no choice but to bear the pain and deal with the second prince and the former imperial concubine as the crown prince had instructed.
After this incident, the emperor, who was already in poor health, fell even more ill and his health deteriorated.
All affairs of the court and the palace naturally fell into the hands of the prince.
The current situation can be said to be dominated by the prince, who has complete control over the situation.
Just one step left.
At this moment, the emperor knew that the prince's report was just a formality to save his face.
But at this point, he was powerless and could not stop anything the prince did.
The emperor sighed.
Xia Lingxiao stepped forward and presented the secret letter in his hand. "Father, the evidence is irrefutable. I have already sent people to verify it. The Duke's Mansion is abusing its power and acting recklessly. They will be punished."
The emperor took the secret letter and examined it carefully, his expression growing gloomier. "The prince, do as you wish."
He narrowed his eyes slightly and rubbed his eyebrows tiredly. He was old and could not take care of things anymore.
Upon hearing this, Xia Lingxiao remained expressionless. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Since that is the case, I believe he should be stripped of his hereditary title, all his property confiscated, and sentenced to exile."
The emperor couldn't help but frown when he heard this. Just when he was about to ask if this punishment was too harsh, he saw Xia Lingxiao immediately made a rather strange request, and he was stunned.
Xia Lingxiao said in a deep voice, "There's one more thing. The Duke's Mansion had previously arranged a marriage with the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion, but after investigation, I discovered that the Ning'an Marquis had no connection to this matter. Therefore, this marriage should be canceled immediately."
Hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but look closely at his fully grown son in front of him.
Xia Lingxiao in front of him stood tall and straight like a pine tree, and his every move showed his calmness and composure.
The dragon pattern carefully embroidered with gold thread sparkled brightly under the flickering candlelight in the hall, but it could not conceal the noble aura that surrounded him.
The dragon only needs to wait for an opportunity to soar into the sky.
He has a firm outline and his eyes are full of wisdom and sharpness. He handles government affairs in an orderly and clear manner. He has unique and profound insights into every decision he makes, and he has an extremely precise control over the entire court situation.
The most important thing is that he has a firm mind and nothing can shake his decision. He is tough and is a very suitable person to be a monarch.
——Looks very much like Empress Yuan.
There are no fathers and sons in heaven.
Since ancient times, there has been no pure father-son relationship in the imperial family.
The emperor had always disliked the late queen, who had an overly strong personality, so he doted on the imperial concubine who depended on him for everything.
But it is also this kind of pampering that causes people to develop excessive greed, but it is obvious that they lack the strength and ability to support such desires.
Having desires and ambitions may not necessarily be a bad thing, especially when you are in the deep palace, but without the ability, it will turn into a disaster.
As for Crown Prince Xia Lingxiao, she is a tiger mother and will have no dog son.
During his years in office, his achievements were mediocre, but the crown prince managed to make the Great Xia Dynasty increasingly prosperous.
Faced with such a situation, the emperor felt mixed emotions and didn't know what to feel.
His son was indeed suitable to be the emperor, and even though he was biased, he had to admit it.
And now, he thought he knew his son well enough, and punishment was punishment, so why would he suddenly mention the irrelevant marriage?
Ningyuan Marquis Mansion?
The Ningyuan Marquisate has long faded from the core of power. The Crown Prince must be more aware of this. Why would he suddenly pay attention to this?
The emperor subconsciously turned his thoughts to state affairs, but then he felt something was amiss. Thinking of the crown prince, who was still alone, the emperor couldn't help but fall into deep thought: when he was this age, he would have had several daughters born in succession...
At this moment, Xia Lingxiao looked at his father who was lost in thought with a calm face. No matter what the other party speculated in his heart, Xia Lingxiao would never change his mind in the slightest.
He is the real king of this dynasty.
And at this time——
Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps could be heard outside the hall, followed by a eunuch running in hurriedly, kneeling and shouting, "Your Majesty, General Huo has returned victorious and has come to report to Your Majesty. He is now requesting an audience outside the hall!"
The emperor was interrupted from his thoughts, but he was delighted. "Let him in quickly."
The emperor had been waiting for Huo Tingye and had instructed Huo Tingye to report his arrival as soon as possible.
Xia Lingxiao frowned. Logically speaking, as a brother and lord, he should be overjoyed that Huo Tingye had returned victorious.
However, for some reason, when he thought of what Huo Tingye said before he left, an ominous premonition inexplicably surged in his heart.
This feeling came so suddenly and strongly——
The emperor was really happy because he was saved by Huo Tingye's father who sacrificed his life.
Unfortunately, Huo Tingye's father eventually passed away due to serious injuries, which made the emperor feel guilty.
Huo Tingye was a young talent who went to war on behalf of his father and made countless military achievements. He was also a loyal and devoted person.
The emperor loved such an outstanding minister from the bottom of his heart and secretly longed to have a son as outstanding as him.
For this reason, the emperor had repeatedly instructed the second prince to have closer contact with Huo Tingye, but things went against his wishes. Huo Tingye seemed to have a closer relationship with the crown prince.
In fact, the emperor originally wanted to use Huo Tingye's power to restrain and balance the prince.
After all, the prince's character is sometimes too strong and stubborn, even too tough. The heart of a natural king is cold, ruthless and as hard as iron.
In contrast, Huo Tingye is tough yet gentle, and has a passion in him.
On the other hand, Xia Lingxiao has almost no tenderness in his heart. Once he makes a decision, no one can easily change or go against his wishes.
Even he, the emperor's father, couldn't do that, so he was even less likely to be close to his son.
The emperor was worried. Take the issue of offspring for example. He only had this one son, but Xia Lingxiao had no one around him, and no one dared to put someone around him.
The emperor knew that his time was up and he probably wouldn't live long.
Before his death, he could not make much contribution to the dynasty in terms of political affairs, but it would be good even if he could just play with his grandchildren and enjoy the happiness of family.
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