Chapter 752 Gathering - Court Session
The eldest prince left the empress's bedroom but did not go to the emperor's bedroom as usual.
Because the emperor had instructed that he did not want anyone to disturb him today, otherwise he would not write the edict, the crown prince, not wanting to anger the emperor, had no choice but to send a few people to guard outside the emperor's bedroom.
Little did the eldest prince know that the emperor, whom he thought was safely inside his bedchamber, had already left the palace right under his nose.
The next day, before dawn, the Crown Prince arrived with his entourage.
The old eunuch still stood guard by the emperor's bedside, but the "emperor" lying on the bed was just a smokescreen put up by the old eunuch.
"Father, have you finished writing the edict that promised me yesterday?"
The sound of the eldest prince entering the room was immediately heard. Seeing the emperor sleeping with his back to him behind the bed curtains, the eldest prince's excellent mood was clearly affected.
His gaze swept across the room, but the eldest prince did not see any imperial edict placed anywhere.
Just as he was about to step inside the bed curtains to ask the emperor, the old eunuch hurriedly came over.
"Your Highness, His Majesty caught a chill last night and is therefore unable to get up."
The old eunuch wore a smile and appeared to be very respectful to the eldest prince, but in reality, he was blocking the prince's path.
When his path was blocked, the eldest prince frowned almost imperceptibly.
"Where is the imperial edict from Father? Don't tell me it hasn't been written yet."
The eldest prince didn't really want to see the emperor. With the morning court session approaching, all he cared about was whether the imperial edict could be successfully issued in court today.
The old eunuch was prepared. As soon as the eldest prince asked, he quickly replied, "I have written it. His Majesty caught a chill while writing the edict last night. Your Highness, please wait a moment while I go and fetch it for you."
The old eunuch's face changed from its usual cold demeanor towards the eldest prince; his flattering and ingratiating manner made the eldest prince feel very comfortable.
You must know that the old eunuch was the emperor's personal attendant. Over the years, apart from the emperor himself, all the concubines and princes and princesses in the harem had to give him face.
But today, this very person was flattering him, and the Crown Prince's displeasure vanished instantly.
The old eunuch saw the prince's smug expression and couldn't help but sneer.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has come to collect the imperial edict!"
The old eunuch leaned closer to the window, pretending that the emperor was still there, and asked questions.
Then, after he finished speaking, everyone saw the "person" lying on the bed raise his hand.
Then the old eunuch respectfully stepped back and took out a bright yellow file from a drawer under the bed.
The old eunuch withdrew as before and then respectfully handed the dossier to the eldest prince.
The eldest prince was already impatient. Now that the long-awaited edict of succession was before him, he naturally wanted to personally verify whether it was real.
The eldest prince unrolled the imperial edict and quickly read it through.
When he saw that the contents of the document indeed stated that the throne was to be passed on to him, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, wonderful! Wonderful! I will be the emperor soon! I will be the emperor soon!"
The eldest prince was overjoyed and restored the edict to its original state. He waved his hand and ordered, "Keep a close eye on everyone. Do not let a single person out."
The eldest prince turned to leave, but just then, the old eunuch called him back.
"Your Highness, please wait."
The eldest prince was overjoyed at this moment, and even though he was being stopped, he did not show the slightest bit of unhappiness.
When the eunuch saw him turn around, he quickly stepped forward and bowed. "I wonder who Your Highness intends to have read this edict?"
"Of course it's myself!"
The eldest prince initially intended to answer in this way, but then he thought that since the edict was specifically for him, it would be inappropriate for him to read it aloud.
Therefore, the eldest prince hesitated.
The old eunuch had served the emperor for many years and was an extremely shrewd man. When he saw the eldest prince pause for a moment, he knew exactly what the prince was thinking.
So he smiled ingratiatingly and slowly said, "This old servant knows that I am old now and my speech is not as fluent as that of a young man, but the abdication edict was written by His Majesty after all."
"This old servant may not be as good as others in other aspects, but I have served His Majesty for so many years and have been delivering messages to His Majesty for many years. I believe that my credibility is higher than that of others."
The old eunuch's words, though seemingly roundabout, were essentially telling the eldest prince that if anyone wanted to believe the edict, he had to read it himself.
The eldest prince naturally understood his meaning, but he could not fully trust the old eunuch yet.
"What benefits does my father-in-law get from helping me like this?"
The eldest prince hadn't forgotten that this man was a confidant of the emperor. The emperor himself wouldn't even write an edict, so why would he allow his own man to read it?
Upon hearing this, the old eunuch turned and glanced inside the bed curtains. "Over the years, this old servant has served His Majesty with some respect and has lived a good life. Now that His Majesty has become the Retired Emperor, he continues to live the same way, but this old servant is different. This old servant is old and also wants to live peacefully until the day he is buried."
Everyone has desires, and even palace eunuchs are no exception.
Seeing the old eunuch speak from the bottom of his heart, the eldest prince immediately nodded in agreement with the old eunuch's suggestion.
"Since it is the Emperor's abdication edict, it is most appropriate for you, Eunuch, to read it."
The eldest prince handed the imperial edict back to the old eunuch. Of course, he couldn't completely trust the old eunuch, so he gave a wink to the person next to him, signaling them to keep a close eye on the old eunuch's every move.
Little did the eldest prince know that the old eunuch had never intended to tamper with the imperial edict.
Because he has another method, and if he uses it, the entire royal family of Wei will be plunged into a terrible situation.
The group walked out of the emperor's bedchamber one after another, and no one realized until the door was closed that the person lying on the bed was not the emperor at all.
In the imperial court, officials arrived one after another. When they first saw the old eunuch, many thought that the emperor was finally going to rule in his own right again.
After so many years of custom, the old eunuch had long become another symbol of the emperor.
On a high platform beside the dragon throne, the old eunuch gazed at the ministers, whom he had long been accustomed to, with a perfectly measured smile.
The old eunuch's gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on the dragon throne where the emperor sat.
The wind blows and the clouds roll, the mountains and rivers change.
Decades have passed, and he has been watching this scene day after day, year after year.
Only now, as he was about to bid farewell to all of this, did the old eunuch feel a sense of reluctance.
"Your Majesty, this old servant will no longer be able to accompany you."
After the old eunuch finished speaking to himself, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
Of course, no one noticed his subtle change, because everyone was wondering what had gotten into him that day.
"Are all the lords here?"
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