Slowly turning his gaze to Lan Linxue, Lan Shanyang spoke in a deep voice: "Your Highness, is the situation the same as what Miss Qin said? Is that really what you think?"
Lan Linxue glanced at Qin Kou'er, then suddenly prostrated herself on the ground and began to cry: "My heart is as clear as the sun and moon, yet these dark clouds obscure it! Although I am not particularly diligent in governing and loving the people, I am still a descendant of the Lan family, how can I not protect the Lan family's empire! After I arrived in Jiangnan, people like Jiang Ming even lied to my face, showing no respect whatsoever. The esteemed Lord Shi was beheaded, and Jiang Ming actually lied to me, saying it was the work of bandits! I ask you, how many bandits in the world would dare to kill a fourth-rank official of the imperial court?"
Yangzhou is the wealthiest city in the land, yet its people suffer from hunger and cold. The Qinhuai River lies there, but during the rainy season, not a single person bothers to check on it! This is utterly unheard of! Outraged, I lightly and insignificantly created a few small cracks in the Qinhuai River; who would have thought that upon my return, it would have expanded to four counties! Where can I voice my grievances? Under the weight of public opinion, I am left to my own devices! Father!
Lan Linxue's loud crying made Lan Shanyang's expression even more unpleasant.
Look! Look! How wronged he is by his son!
This is the son he raised with his own hands. How could he be bullied to the point of crying in the Golden Palace? It's as if they don't respect him at all.
When Lan Xiuyuan saw Lan Linxue crying like this, he immediately knew something was wrong.
This was a trick Lan Linxue often used, and Qin Kou'er's explanation was practically a pardon for Lan Linxue.
"Father!" Lan Xiuyuan quickly knelt and turned around, looking at Lan Shanyang and said in a deep voice, "Father, your son has sent people to investigate carefully, and the explosives on the dikes of those four counties are exactly the same type as the explosives used on the Qinhuai River. There is solid evidence, and the Crown Prince cannot clear his name with a few words! I hope Father will see the truth!"
No sooner had Lan Xiuyuan finished speaking than Lan Linxue, before his head even hit the ground, let out a wailing cry and pointed in Lan Xiuyuan's direction, sobbing loudly, "Father, look! Even now, people are still trying to smear your son, insisting that I did it! Where can I go to clear my name? Father, please don't be so troubled! No matter what good things I do, I'll always be wrongly accused of being a spoiled brat, a good-for-nothing! Even though you raised me yourself, people still look down on me! Just kill me, then we'll both be free, and no one will say the Emperor can't raise a son! People will say, 'Look at Fifth Prince, he didn't grow up by the Emperor's side, he's so much better than that Crown Prince Lan Linxue!'"
At this point, Lan Linxue started pounding the walls and wailing as if she were dying.
Upon hearing Lan Linxue's words, Lan Shanyang's face turned pale with anger. Her fingers trembled slightly as she raised them, pointed at the crowd, and said through gritted teeth, "Is that what you've said? Is that how you view the Crown Prince and me?"
Immediately, everyone was so frightened that they knelt down and swore to the heavens that they had never said such a thing, or even thought of it. Anyone who had even considered it was committing a sin.
Lan Xiuyuan was kneeling on the ground, hating Lan Linxue to the core!
He was clearly deliberately provoking conflict between Lan Shanyang and himself, hoping to minimize the damage and make it disappear.
Lan Shanyang utterly loathed those heads below him and had lost all patience with them.
"Let me tell you! The Crown Prince is my own son, the son I raised with my own hands! Even if he has made mistakes, it's none of your business to point fingers! I know your hearts very well! You all dream of climbing the ladder, always wanting something better. Let me tell you, give up your delusional thoughts! In this hall, there is only one ruler, and that is me, and only one heir apparent, and that is the Crown Prince! If you want to form cliques, stab me in the back, or use the Crown Prince to attack me, you are courting death!"
At this point, Lan Shanyang swept his cold gaze over the crowd, his voice filled with murderous intent as he said, "Don't force me to take drastic measures against you. I was able to suppress a prince's rebellion back then, and I can just as easily rip your heads off and throw them to the dogs! Anyone who tries to use the Crown Prince to force the emperor to abdicate is simply handing their family members' heads to the executioner's blade!"
As she spoke, Lan Shanyang glanced at the guards who were pressing down on Hu Feifan behind the main hall.
Immediately, everyone drew their knives, kicked the person in front of them to their knees, and raised their blades high.
Instantly, everyone was terrified and knelt on the ground, repeatedly shouting that they dared not!
Hu Tianyong never imagined that things would turn out this way! Originally, the task was to deal with Lan Linxue, but in the end, the Emperor classified it as a coup.
A coup! Whoever forces the emperor to abdicate is committing treason!
Giving the emperor such a reason as a knife is tantamount to pushing the whole family to the brink of disaster.
Thinking about the possible scenarios, Hu Tianyong broke out in a cold sweat.
Today is an auspicious day; we must not kill anyone!
Seeing that everyone was stunned by her, Lan Shanyang immediately turned around and strode to the dragon throne, sitting down with a cold gaze on Hu Tianyong below: "Hu Tianyong! I'm asking you one last time, how does the Crown Prince intend to deal with this?"
Lan Xiuyuan was extremely nervous at this moment. There was no doubt that the Emperor had murderous intent! If he continued to insist, he might really anger the Emperor.
Lan Shanyang has always been a suspicious person, and he has been secretly monitoring the princes. No one knows how much the emperor actually controls.
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