"Ahem!" Zhong Mingzheng coughed impatiently. He turned his head to look at Eunuch Xi, who was trembling slightly, and looked at Ling Shian with some concern. Ling Shian immediately nodded at him, telling him not to worry. Zhong Mingzheng still frowned. It was not until Eunuch Xi finally spoke that he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty is seriously ill. He passed out at 4am this morning. After several doctors from the Imperial Hospital worked together to diagnose and treat him, he finally woke up, but his body could no longer move. Your Majesty is worried about government affairs, and is afraid that he will affect the government because of his own faults, so Your Majesty gave this oral instruction." Having said this, Eunuch Xi paused, watching the civil and military officials in the palace kneel down one after another, and also watching Ling Shi'an helping Zhong Mingzheng kneel down. Then he continued. "I am old and frail, and I really have no interest in government affairs. The third prince Mingzheng has noble character and is well-known for his virtue. He has also been managing government for me for a long time, and has always acted calmly and sophisticatedly, which I am very satisfied with. Therefore, I pass the throne to the third prince, so I decree it!"
"I accept your order and thank you! I will not let you down!" Zhong Mingzheng said loudly, then stood up and looked at the ministers kneeling below. He said slowly, "Now, do you know why I dare to sit on this dragon throne today?"
"Long live the emperor!" Zhao Changrong took the lead in cheering.
"Long live the emperor!" For a moment, there was endless cheering in the court, but Fang Zhonglian and several court officials stood up sparsely.
"May I ask Prince Rong, did His Majesty only issue an oral order and no imperial decree?" Fang Zhonglian asked in a deep voice.
"Eunuch Xi just said that the emperor couldn't move, so how could he write an imperial edict?" Zhong Mingzheng said, tapping the dragon chair with his fingers, and said slowly, "Why? Is the left prime minister questioning the emperor's edict? Or are you suspicious that I am so bold as to risk my life to play such a big joke?"
"I dare not. I only want to see it with my own eyes," Fang Zhonglian said, looking at Zhong Mingzheng, and then said, "The matter of succession is so important. I don't think it can be finalized with just a verbal order. Since Your Majesty is not convenient to write the imperial edict, then I want to meet Your Majesty and listen to Your Majesty's opinion in person."
"Bold Fang Zhonglian! It's obvious that you don't trust His Highness! You also don't trust His Highness's decree!" Ling Shi'an suddenly took two steps forward, pointing his finger at Fang Zhonglian and shouting, "Your Highness is His Highness's most valued prince, and it's only natural that he will inherit the throne. Could it be that Your Highness is going to force His Highness to abdicate and rebel?"
"Forcing the emperor to abdicate? Isn't that right?" Fang Zhonglian pointed at the guards surrounding the palace and sneered, "If His Majesty really wanted to abdicate, why would Prince Rong start a war? He just blocked the palace and even surrounded my mansion, which is only the size of a palm, with more than 20 personal guards from Prince Rong's mansion. I don't understand what Prince Rong did. It was a natural thing, so why did Prince Rong panic like this?"
"Fang Zhonglian, stop talking nonsense!" Right Prime Minister Zhao Changrong was furious, pointing his finger at Fang Zhonglian and said, "The emperor's condition has worsened, and Prince Rong was worried that there would be changes in the palace, so he sent troops to stabilize the palace. How come you said that Prince Rong was forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebel? You have always been accustomed to speaking nonsense because of the emperor's reliance on you. But from now on, I advise you to be careful with your words and actions. Since you are old, you should just enjoy your old age. Don't talk nonsense anymore, otherwise you will end up being criticized by everyone!"
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