Chapter 123 Forcing the Emperor
Cining Palace.
The Queen Mother looked at the man kneeling down and said coldly, "Tell me the truth, was that letter written by the Crown Prince?"
Kneeling on the ground was the prince's closest eunuch. At the prince's signal, he took advantage of the moment when the emperor was waiting for Yu Liangzhi to enter the palace to ask the empress dowager for help.
Since he came to ask for help, it would be difficult to hide it. Moreover, the Queen Mother always doted on his master, so he bowed his head and said, "Please, Your Majesty, save the prince."
This is equivalent to admitting that the letter was indeed written by the prince.
The Queen Mother's face darkened. "What Liu He said is true. It was the Queen who gave the order to Wu Yuchu, but it was not the Queen who wanted Wei Qingyan dead, but the Crown Prince, right?"
The eunuch knocked his forehead to the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the prince did this out of his filial piety towards you.
The Crown Prince knows that you don't like the prince to be close to General Wei, so he wants to get rid of him. The Crown Prince is also worried that if the affair between the two of them gets out and the prince is homosexual, it will ruin the reputation of the royal family.
Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is always thinking about you and the royal family."
"Bang." A teacup was knocked to the ground by the Queen Mother.
"What a clever tongue! The prince is so absurd and reckless. Maybe it's you guys who instigated him. I'll pull out this evil tongue for you."
The eunuch did not expect that the empress dowager would suddenly get angry, and he begged for mercy repeatedly.
But the Queen Mother had closed her eyes.
Seeing this, the palace maid hurriedly pulled the eunuch out.
A moment later, Nanny Wang Chun walked up to the Queen Mother and said, "Your Majesty, that man has been punished."
The Queen Mother then slowly opened her eyes, "I don't like Wei Qingyan, but I also know that it is not time for the Wei Dynasty to abolish military commanders.
As the crown prince, he can't even understand the current situation, and yet he still uses the guise of filial piety to do so. I am truly disappointed."
Shi Yu has been hanging out with Wei Qingyan since he was a child. If he really wanted to do something out of the ordinary, he would not hide in his fiefdom.
The prince was clearly worried that Wei Qingyan would become close to Shi Yu and become Shi Yu's helper.
He told the queen about his concerns, and the queen, who was wholeheartedly planning for her son, would certainly help him.
When the Queen's incident happened, he didn't reveal any clues at all. This child who seemed filial in the past was so cold and indifferent to his own mother, so how filial could he be to his grandmother?
The Queen Mother felt bitter.
"Prince Rong has been outstanding since he was young. You and the late emperor doted on Prince Rong, so it's inevitable that the Crown Prince would feel jealous."
Nanny Wang Chun whispered, "Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a fight over Prince Rong's marriage, leading to all the trouble today."
The Queen Mother's eyes were slightly surprised.
Wang Chun has never been a talkative person, but today he actually spoke ill of the prince in front of her.
She lifted her eyelids slightly, her eyes cold. Nanny Wang Chun knelt down hurriedly, "This old servant was only concerned about the grievances of the Majesty, and for a moment, I overstepped my bounds. Please punish me, Majesty."
"Forget it, get up." The Queen Mother put down the Buddhist beads in her hand and sighed, "Descendants are all debts, parents are also debts. I have too many debts to repay in this life. Please help me change my clothes."
Seeing the Queen Mother about to stand up, Nanny Wang Chun hurriedly stepped forward to support her and asked tentatively, "Are you going to plead for the Crown Prince?"
The Queen Mother spread her arms and glanced at her. "No matter how wrong he was, he is still my eldest grandson. If he hadn't married into the Shi family, I would be just an ordinary grandmother today, and all I care about is the well-being of my descendants."
Nanny Wang Chun lowered her head quickly, her eyes shifting slightly. Just as she was about to say something, she heard the Queen Mother exclaim in surprise, "Oh no! Go and ask if the Crown Prince has sent someone out of the palace to assassinate Yu Liangzhi."
The prince sent people to the Cining Palace for help. He must have known that he could not escape today. He might have killed Yu Liangzhi in a fit of impulse.
After all, he was so jealous of Shi Yu that he killed the generals who protected the country.
Nanny Wang Chun took the order and hurried out. The empress dowager closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Outside the palace.
Dong Zang, dressed in black, landed in front of Shi Yu and said, "Master, the Crown Prince has indeed sent someone to assassinate Old Master Yu. Senior Lan has personally escorted Old Master Yu into the palace."
"Have you noticed anyone else?" Shi Yu raised his eyes from the desk.
Dong Zang replied, "I have been keeping an eye out in the dark and haven't spotted any other suspicious individuals. I think the people behind Princess Yu didn't expect the Crown Prince to resort to such a foolish tactic as assassinating Elder Yu."
Only his master understood the prince well, so he would have made arrangements in advance.
Shi Yu shook his head. "Xu Zhanshi is the Crown Prince's confidant. He knows the Crown Prince as well as I do, and he will definitely tell his true master everything he knows."
I just don't know why that person didn't send anyone to stop the prince's assassination.
At this time, a black-clad secret guard appeared and reported what had happened in the palace truthfully.
Dong Zang was puzzled. "The Queen Mother punished the people around the Crown Prince. It's obvious that she is angry with the Crown Prince. In the past, the Queen Mother loved the Crown Prince like the apple of her eye. Why would she do this today?"
Shi Yu remained silent for a moment, and said, "Keep staring at Nanny Wang Chun. It's time for me to go to the palace and seek an explanation for the princess."
The empress dowager, who was rushing to the Council Hall, was blocked by Shi Yu and forced back to the Cining Palace.
Yu Liangzhi and Wang Gangzheng were able to successfully identify the letter, and both concluded that the handwriting was not forged.
The prince had cold sweat on his forehead. He sent people to look for the empress dowager. Now everyone outside the palace had arrived, but the empress dowager who was in the palace had not arrived.
Maybe his grandmother didn't want to take care of him anymore. Thinking of this possibility, he felt panicked.
But he still denied it, "Father, I am truly wronged. I never wrote such a letter."
The emperor looked at his son like this with a dark look in his eyes.
The late emperor established a rule that the future crown prince should be the eldest son of the legitimate wife. He previously thought that this could avoid disputes among the princes to a certain extent, but now, he has some doubts as to whether the late emperor's decision was correct.
How can such a prince govern the Wei Dynasty well if he becomes the monarch in the future?
Moreover, Feng Ruobao had just whispered in his ear that Yu Liangzhi was assassinated on the way to the palace. He almost instantly thought that the assassins were sent by the prince.
Without the protection of the Queen and the Xie family, he became more and more aware of the Prince's stupidity.
"Your Majesty, this letter has been authenticated by both Lord Yu and Lord Wang. It was written by the Crown Prince."
Du Xueyi's words interrupted the emperor's thoughts. He continued, "The letter indicates that the prince sent secret guards to follow the National Protection Army, which means that he knew very well that the National Protection Army was trapped in Huangshaling.
However, he watched coldly as Beiling entered the Wei Dynasty and the National Protection Army was imprisoned. He did not report to the court, disregarded the safety of the country, and regarded the lives of the Wei soldiers as worthless.
He wrote a letter to the deposed empress, informing her of the whereabouts of the national defense general, allowing the deposed empress to stop Yan Qing from mobilizing troops, killing 20,000 national defense generals. He was really unfit to be the crown prince of a country.
I implore Your Majesty to depose the Crown Prince and, in accordance with the laws of the Great Wei, to pay for the lives of the 20,000 National Defense Army soldiers."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell silent.
Then came the Crown Prince's furious voice, "Du Xueyi, your sister went into the water on her own and was rescued in time. She is fine. Why are you chasing me like this?"
Du Xueyi ignored him and took off his official hat, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and I have no personal grudges. I have been taught by the General Protector of the Nation since I was young, and the General Guard has saved my life many times.
Those 20,000 National Defense Army soldiers who died tragically were all my brothers. If I cannot seek justice for them, I will be ashamed to live. Your Majesty, they are also your people. Please give them justice.
"I also beg Your Majesty to give justice to those 20,000 patriots and generals who defended the country." Gong Mingcheng also knelt beside Du Xueyi.
The emperor stared at the two of them for a long time with his cold black eyes, and finally turned to the prince.
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