Chapter 6: Stirring Up the Flames
The eyes of everyone present darted between Zhuang Shi and the Second Prince. No one spoke, but their eye contact conveyed a great deal of meaning.
"Since you dare to do these things, why don't you dare to face the consequences?" In the silence, Emperor Hong'an suddenly asked, his voice still carrying a hint of weariness.
The second prince lay prostrate on the ground, speechless. He truly didn't know how he could have dared to commit such a treasonous act.
Emperor Hong'an closed his eyes, his mind filled with thoughts of his descendants being the result of karmic debts from a past life...
Who should inherit the throne to preserve the prosperity of the Ning Dynasty?
He couldn't understand it.
The sky descends, isn't it so that he can make plans early and change the future?
The sky, oblivious to his sorrow, continued speaking to itself:
After the Second Prince's death, Emperor Hong'an remained silent for a while, and then he fell ill again. What a fragile, delicate person he was!
A low pressure permeated the flower hall, and no one dared to utter a sound; even their breathing seemed cautious.
Zhou She nearly choked on this assessment. He slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at the emperor, his maternal grandfather, who was resting with his eyes closed.
It still looks quite dignified.
Emperor Hong'an didn't even bother to pay attention to this sarcastic remark, and didn't even blink.
Emperor Hong'an reflected deeply on his actions during his illness. He had long known that excessive pampering of his princes would only breed ever-growing ambition. Especially for the Fifth Prince, who had been cherished since childhood.
As the Empress's last biological son, it was perfectly normal for him to want to become Emperor. However, the more the Second Prince looked at the throne, the more frightened he became, which ultimately led to his mental breakdown.
In fact, everyone has seen this kind of thing many times. After all, the Ning Dynasty has its own unique succession law. If you don't kill a few brothers, sisters, uncles, and nephews, you will be ridiculed for not having a red enough path to the throne.
Emperor Zhongzong's execution was relatively mild; he didn't use much of his own relatives' blood, although most of his relatives were already dead. Emperor Cheng, on the other hand, was supported by her father and slaughtered his way to the throne, leaving a trail of heads and rivers of blood.
Thumbs up for the abundant martial spirit of my Great Ning Dynasty!
Emperor Hong'an's lips twitched.
If we calculate it this way based on the sky, then he'll be ridiculed again.
Do these people even understand that a legitimate ascension to the throne is something that many usurpers have longed for but could not achieve?
While still on his way, Prime Minister Xiao Yichun sighed heavily: "His Majesty's favoritism towards the Fourth Prince is ultimately not a long-term solution..."
In his view, the emperor's four sons each had their own faults.
The emperor was gentle in nature, benevolent in his governance, open to advice, tolerant, discerning, and adept at recognizing and employing talent.
This is already a rare and sage ruler.
But he also understood that His Majesty would not allow a member of a collateral branch to succeed to the throne. Of these four princes, one had to be chosen to ascend the throne.
As the prime minister thought of this, he couldn't help but think of several princes and their heirs.
Could Emperor Jungjong really be among these people?
Xiao Yichun's heart pounded, and he suddenly felt a surge of anxiety. He stopped looking at the sky, lowered the carriage curtain, and urged, "Faster."
It would be better to enter the palace sooner rather than later.
With the second prince's death, his two younger brothers were overjoyed, and they could barely maintain their pretense of brotherly harmony.
Emperor Hong'an glanced at him.
The fourth and fifth princes fell silent in fear.
Honestly, are they really that happy?
The two felt a little guilty, but upon closer reflection, they realized that this was indeed something they were capable of doing.
Historical records state that after the death of the second prince, the position of crown prince became vacant. Emperor Hong'an was so enraged that he fell ill and never recovered. They then regularly visited their father's bedside. It's reasonable to suspect they used the imperial bed as a time clock; each time they "checked in," the ascension progress bar would refresh slightly, and their favorability rating would increase.
I wonder if Zhong Shize would be furious if he saw his two sons.
Of course, if he were to die of anger, he would also be brought back to life. Because they would do one more thing: they would throw a tantrum at home, celebrating the deaths of their two older brothers.
Emperor Hong'an has not yet died of anger, but he is not far off.
Although the first half was filled with all sorts of strange words, he understood: the implication was that he was merely a stepping stone for his two sons to ascend the throne.
The third prince glared fiercely at his two younger brothers.
The fourth and fifth princes immediately knelt down, awaiting their fate in this strange atmosphere.
The eunuchs were as quiet as chickens, except for Huai Leju, whose eyes were bright and alert, waiting for His Majesty's command so that his attendants would immediately rush forward...
"Kneel properly," Emperor Hong'an said slowly. "I want you to hear clearly what you really are!"
By the end, he spoke almost word by word, his tone sharp and forceful.
He rarely said such things to his sons.
The fourth prince shuddered, his head thudded to the ground, and he solemnly said, "Your subject will remember."
As the Empress's youngest son, the Fifth Prince was even more arrogant. Taking advantage of his father's serious illness and lack of time to care for him, he decorated his home with lanterns and colorful decorations, and held banquets with drums and music every now and then.
From a legal perspective, the Second Prince had already been demoted to a commoner and committed suicide in his villa at this time, so it was perfectly reasonable for him not to observe mourning.
But the emperor wouldn't think that way. Although he disliked the second prince, he was still his son. "If you're so cold to your second brother, how will you treat me?"
Many Confucian scholars strongly agreed with this.
"This sky is quite impressive; celebrating it like this is really inappropriate."
"His Majesty is seriously ill, how can you show no concern for your father? Filial piety is the most important virtue, this is not something a person of filial piety should do!"
"Absolutely, absolutely..."
The crowd began to discuss amongst themselves, and Tianmu continued:
The sad thing is that Emperor Hong'an actually had very few people left to choose from. We know that the sixth prince lived a very long life, over a hundred years old, but Emperor Hong'an didn't know that.
So after he recovered from his illness, he listened to his good minister Huai Leju report on the movements of his two sons, while trying to pick out a normal person from among them.
The fourth child seems quite normal.
Huai Leju remained calm, enjoying the attention he received, both overt and covert.
His position was Commander of the Imperial Guard, and as the emperor's private army, it was his duty to monitor the affairs of the imperial city.
There's nothing to be ashamed of.
Zhou She glanced at Huai Leju subtly.
Huai Xu, the head of the Huai family, was the emperor's henchman, but unfortunately he suffered a stroke in a brothel two years ago and has been paralyzed ever since.
However, Huai Leju and his father had a bad relationship to begin with. He might even be happy to inherit his father's position. He was already valued by the emperor, and now it would be even better, as he would directly ascend to the throne.
He remembered that Huai Leju and the Fifth Prince had a grudge...
The emperor secretly thought to himself, "It's not bad that the sixth prince has lived this long. I just don't know what his temperament will be like later on. Otherwise, if he had persevered a little longer, he might have lived to see the sixth prince reach adulthood."
As for these sons in front of me...
We cannot have any hope.
As everyone knows, the fourth prince was not the empress's biological son. Although he was raised in the empress's palace after his biological mother passed away, his relationship with the fifth prince was still not as close.
If the emperor valued the empress so much, why did he choose the fourth prince instead of the fifth?
This is, of course, thanks to General Huai.
Even the emperor took a look at Huai Leju.
Huai Leju is his man, so naturally he cannot betray him.
Huai Leju said frankly, "I am innocent and will never deceive Your Majesty."
Emperor Hong'an immediately expressed his trust in him, and the two held hands and looked at each other with tears in their eyes, putting on a show of harmonious relationship between the emperor and his subject, creating an exceptionally pleasant atmosphere.
The princes felt a pang of envy; their father had never been so gentle with them.
The earnest and respectful look on Huai Leju's half-dead face made it even more unbearable to look at him a second time.
Huai Leju and the Fifth Prince have a long-standing feud. Of course, this is common knowledge...
Emperor Hong'an got a headache just hearing this word. Just how was it known to everyone?
It is common knowledge that Huai Leju has some grudges against the people in the capital. After all, he is the emperor's private army, so it is only natural that they would make enemies. If they did not, it would mean that they were not doing their job properly and were not enforcing the law impartially.
However, the feud between Huai Leju and the Fifth Prince happened many years ago, and the Fifth Prince himself may not even remember it.
Huai Leju was not valued at home in his early years. His father was an extraordinary person who could favor his concubine and neglect his wife to a certain extent, even preventing him from attending school, which was extremely rare.
An unloved child is like a blade of grass. Although the Fifth Prince was subservient to his father, he dealt a heavy blow to Huai Leju.
Unfortunately, was Huai Leju the kind of person who could endure humiliation and bear it all? He might not say it, but he held a grudge and took his revenge as soon as he found an opportunity.
Emperor Hong'an had mixed feelings.
All eyes were subtly drawn to the Fifth Prince.
Fifth Prince: "..."
I'm truly impressed.
Bringing up things from 800 years ago, how petty are you, Huai Leju?
And it's just a sachet, is it really that big of a deal?
The Fifth Prince couldn't understand it.
Emperor Hong'an was thinking to himself that he had been too busy with state affairs when he was young and had not taught his sons enough. They all had dull eyes and foolish expressions...
Alas! They really don't seem like descendants of the Zhong family.
Huai Leju would never embellish the story. But he had solid evidence: witnesses and physical evidence that the Fifth Prince had secretly poisoned the Crown Prince.
Both being legitimate sons, after the death of the first Crown Prince Xiaoren, the second prince, being the eldest son and the legitimate heir, took full advantage of the situation, much to the chagrin of the fifth prince!
The second prince was made crown prince, but he was very unhappy. While currying favor with the emperor, he secretly undermined his second brother, driving his brother to the brink of insanity. His brother even dreamed at night that his fifth brother was plotting against him.
Of course, it's true that the fifth brother tried to murder him. I don't know where he got those mushrooms; look how they've affected the child's mind...
Emperor Hong'an laughed in anger: "Fifth Prince, how come I only just realized you're so capable?"
His sons and brothers were at odds, but they always pretended to be harmonious in front of him.
Whether you say he didn't pay enough attention or didn't notice it, the emperor certainly wouldn't admit to being negligent in managing his household.
His own path to the throne was smoother than ever before in history, and he never experienced the brutality of the struggle for succession.
The fifth prince's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. The cold floor tiles made him shiver slightly, and he could only murmur, "Your subject has no such intention..."
Emperor Hong'an stared coldly at his fifth son, then suddenly sneered, "You have no such intention?"
The Fifth Prince dared not speak again, only letting out intermittent sobs. Emperor Hong'an sighed, about to say something, when footsteps sounded outside the flower hall. Zhao Wentong announced, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has arrived."
Emperor Hong'an stood up with the help of several eunuchs.
Xiao Yichun, having received permission, quickly approached.
He was over sixty, yet remarkably vigorous. Upon seeing the emperor, and then the princes kneeling not far away, he sighed softly, "Your Majesty, this is ultimately a matter of the future. Perhaps we should wait until Tianmu has finished speaking before making a decision?"
The Fifth Prince, immersed in fear, trembled slightly. He had never expected that the Prime Minister would speak up for him.
Emperor Hong'an didn't even glance at his sons on the ground. He and his minister helped each other to sit down, and then ordered someone to offer him a seat: "My dear minister, you have always been very thoughtful."
Xiao Yichun bowed slightly.
In fact, Huai Leju was able to obtain this information because, on the one hand, he kept a close eye on the Fifth Prince, and on the other hand, Emperor Zhongzong secretly helped him fill in any gaps in his knowledge.
These two are petty, vengeful, and enjoy causing trouble in secret; they are also adept at espionage. Most of those they target don't fare well.
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