There is an order of seniority and distinction between the old and the young, and since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince, his status is naturally more noble than that of other princes.

But when the emperor looked at Wen Jingchi and said this, he was clearly telling all the civil and military officials that in his heart, Wen Jingchi's status was the same as Wen Chenxuan's.

These ministers were all shrewd people, how could they not understand that the emperor said this, most likely intending to tamper with the posthumous portrait before his death and directly let Wen Jingchi ascend the throne.

Wen Jingchi's followers were ready to make a move, and immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Wen Chenxuan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in hatred.

Seeing so many ministers kneeling on the ground, he could only agree with the emperor's words.

After the meeting, Wen Jingchi's followers gathered in a restaurant.

Lord Zhou, who was in the lead, raised his glass first and toasted Wen Jingchi.

"Your Highness, I think the Emperor is hinting that if he suddenly passes away, you will definitely ascend to the throne. But by then the Crown Prince will definitely be dissatisfied and will definitely rebel. I think we should prepare in advance."

The other ministers nodded and said, "The fact that the emperor can say this proves that he has prepared an imperial edict. According to the rules, if there is no will, the crown prince will ascend to the throne. But if there is an imperial edict after the emperor's death, and you are made emperor, you can ascend to the throne directly, but the crown prince will definitely not accept it."

"That's right. I must be well prepared. I must not let the Crown Prince succeed in his rebellion after the Emperor's death. We all know that the Emperor's health is not good enough. He won't last long."

Listening to their words, Wen Jingchi frowned slightly.

"Alright, don't say these words anymore. Let's stabilize our position first. Don't panic and don't be arrogant, lest the prince finds a handle on us."

"Although this position is a must, my father's life is what I care about most. You should also go and look for precious medicinal herbs. No matter what, we cannot let my father die. First, he is my father, and this is a filial duty. Second, we are not completely sure yet, so we must not confront him head-on."

Several ministers agreed with Wen Jingchi's words, and they believed that Wen Chenxuan would definitely be detrimental to Wen Jingchi.

Just as they guessed, Wen Chenxuan returned home and became furious, smashing everything in the study.

"Why does this abominable Wen Jingchi think he is equal to the Crown Prince? What is his basis? He is just a concubine's son. What qualifications does he have to compete with this Crown Prince for the throne?"

He cursed and threw things on the ground.

His men were trembling with fear and didn't dare to go over to stop them.

They knew the Crown Prince's temper, and it took them a long time to go over and persuade him.

"Your Highness, since the Emperor values ​​Wen Jingchi so much, why don't we go all out and kill Wen Jingchi! As long as Wen Jingchi is dead, no one will dare to go against us. The other princes will be vulnerable, so what can they do even if they hold military power?

Without Wen Jingchi to oppose us, the emperor will be alone and helpless, so it is not impossible for him to give up the throne and become the emperor emeritus."

These words made Wen Chenxuan frown and hesitate for a moment.

But on second thought, this was the only way for him to secure his throne.

The emperor, whom I have always respected, actually announced this, which means that he may have written a will before his death and passed the throne to Wen Jingchi. That would be completely unjustified.

Even if he succeeds in his rebellion, he will still be criticized.

"Immediately pass on this prince's order and send someone to assassinate Wen Jingchi. No matter what, you cannot let him live for this prince."

His men received the order and went to assassinate Wen Jingchi late that night.

After wandering around the palace for a long time and finding no opportunity to take advantage of, they could only stay nearby.

After three days of watching, I finally saw Wen Jingchi leave the palace.

They thought they had a chance, but just as they were about to take action, many secret guards rushed out from the side and killed the killers without leaving a single trace.

For a period of time afterwards, Wen Chenxuan was always waiting for the opportunity, but Wen Jingchi was too well guarded.

With no other options, he could only set his sights on Chu Weiyue.

That evening, Chu Weiyue went on a boat ride with a group of rich girls.

She didn't want to go at first, but this was the annual Lantern Festival and every minister's daughter had to go.

In addition, Song Qiuchang came to invite her personally, so she had no choice but to agree.

When she got on the boat, Song Qiuchang showed a faint smile at the corner of her lips and pointed to a lotus flower in front of her.

"Look, sister. Isn't that lotus beautiful? When the boat reaches there, I'll pick it for you."

Chu Weiyue showed a bright smile: "Thank you very much, sister. I haven't seen you for a long time. I wonder how you feel about me?"

Hearing her ask this, Song Qiuchang felt a little embarrassed: "I don't understand what you are talking about? What's your intention?"

Chu Weiyue said with a sigh: "Sister, do you know what I am asking? Shen Mubai must have harassed you a lot during this period, right? It can be seen that he is very sincere to you.

I went to a drought-stricken area some time ago. After getting to know him, I felt that he was not only responsible, but also cared about the people. He was a person worthy of entrusting one's life to..."

Upon hearing this, Song Qiuchang couldn't help but give Chu Weiyue a cold look.

"Girl, when did you stand on his side? Don't think I don't know that you have already accepted him as your master. You are now his little apprentice."

Chu Weiyue was amused by him and laughed. She took Song Qiuchang's arm and said, "Then are you willing to be my master's wife?"

When asked this question, Song Qiuchang's face turned red all the way to her ears.

Chu Weiyue made a few jokes, and they went to drink and write poetry with the young ladies.

Chu Weiyue is not good at writing poetry, she can only watch other people write poetry.

Some young ladies took the initiative to dance to entertain everyone, some played the piano and sang, and it was very lively for a while.

At this moment, shouts were heard all around, and several masked killers rushed in, stabbing towards Chu Weiyue with swords.

Chu Weiyue gasped and instinctively dodged to the side.

There were secret guards on the boat that Wen Jingchi had arranged in advance, and they immediately stepped forward to fight with them.

The killers were defeated, and as they were fleeing, they kicked an official's daughter into the water.

"Oh no, someone fell into the water."

Others shouted, and the secret guards quickly rescued the woman from the water. They only knew how to pull the woman out of the water, but didn't know how to wake her up.

Seeing that she was pale and having difficulty breathing, Chu Weiyue immediately ran over and held a handkerchief over her mouth.

She thrust her fingers straight down the woman's throat and she retched a few times on the ground, still not bringing anything out.

Her face turned purple, she covered her chest, and her whole body began to tremble.

"Hurry up and lift her up, hurry up!"

Chu Weiyue shouted loudly at the secret guards beside him.