Chapter 810 The Curtain Falls - Using a Borrowed Knife to Kill
Two soldiers stepped forward and together kicked the palace door open with great force.
Sure enough, there wasn't a single person in the bedchamber.
The group cautiously entered, but before they could search each room, the door slammed shut with a loud bang, followed by a pungent smell. General Song immediately shouted, "Something's wrong!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of clanging and banging sounds came from the roof, and then the entire palace was set ablaze with torches.
"They're trying to burn us alive, get out of here!"
Bai Moqin also realized that something was wrong and hurriedly told people to retreat outside, but unfortunately the door had already been locked from the outside, and they had nowhere to retreat.
Outside the palace, the eldest prince's face was full of smiles.
"Mother's plan is brilliant. As long as those two are dead, who cares who they are? It's up to us, mother and son, to decide."
The Crown Prince's actions in the main hall were all bait, intended to provoke Bai Moqin into chasing him here.
Once they entered the Empress's palace, even the greatest generals who had fought on the battlefield would have no choice but to surrender obediently.
With the help of the kerosene, the fire burned extremely fast, and thick smoke billowed from the palace straight into the sky. Coughs could be heard coming from inside, and the empress finally revealed a hint of smugness in her eyes.
Under such thick smoke, she refused to believe that the people inside could survive.
"My son, have someone keep watch. As soon as the fire is extinguished, send someone in to collect the bodies."
As the empress was about to turn and leave, the eldest prince quickly made a gesture of respect to see her off.
Before the Empress could take more than a few steps, a loud bang suddenly came from the bedchamber, followed by another, one loud bang after another, making her heart skip a beat.
Looking back, the locked door was shaking slightly, suggesting that the person inside was making a final struggle.
"A bunch of idiots. How could they possibly break down the palace gates?"
This is the Empress's bedroom; the door is the thickest of all the palaces. If it could be easily broken open, what would happen?
As the eldest prince was smugly thinking this, he heard a loud crash, and the palace door actually collapsed.
The palace maids and eunuchs gasped in alarm, nearly fainting from fright, while the guards drew their swords at lightning speed.
They used to be guards in the First Prince's residence. The First Prince didn't trust the royal guards the emperor used before, so he dismissed them all.
When one person gains power, even their chickens and dogs rise to prominence. Although they also felt that the eldest prince's conduct was not very good, he gave them the status of royal guards. With this status, they could hold their heads high at home.
Protecting the eldest prince is their only way to ensure their own status remains unchanged.
Bai Moqin emerged surrounded by a group of people. Looking at the shocked Crown Prince before him, an unprecedented ruthlessness finally appeared in his eyes.
"No wonder Father didn't give you the position of Crown Prince. You were so foolish as to think that this would trap me and General Song?"
Bai Moqin's words were laced with contempt and sarcasm, as if the person in front of her was not her brother at all.
The eldest prince turned pale at his words, his gloomy gaze practically dripping with malice.
Anyone can say what they want about him, but why should Bai Moqin be the one to say such things?
If it weren't for him, how could the throne of Wei, the legitimate heir of the Empress, possibly have fallen to him?
"Shut up, you little bastard, what do you think you are?"
The eldest prince was about to speak, but the empress preemptively pointed at Bai Moqin's nose and started cursing.
"What right do you, a mere illegitimate son, have to point fingers at my son? If it weren't for your wretched mother climbing into His Majesty's bed, what would you be?"
When the Empress spoke of Bai Moqin's mother, she was filled with rage.
She was the Empress, the head of the entire harem. She could manipulate power in the harem, but she couldn't defeat the woman the Emperor longed for.
Everyone was taken aback by the Empress's words. They knew that the Empress was always generous and gentle, and she always spoke in a soft voice. This was the first time they had ever seen her like this.
"Your Highness, this matter should not be delayed any longer."
General Song didn't seem to care much about the Empress's appearance; he was more concerned with winning over the eldest prince than with her.
Bai Moqin didn't want to cause any more trouble, so she nodded, and the soldiers quickly arrested the eldest prince and the empress.
The main hall of the palace was destined to be bustling with people today. Bai Moqin stood on the high platform, simply handling the day's affairs on behalf of the emperor.
Because the whereabouts of the Emperor Wei are currently unknown, the Crown Prince and General Song discussed how to deal with him, and ultimately the eldest prince was imprisoned in the imperial prison. As for the Empress, because she is a female relative and Bai Moqin's nominal legal mother, even though she has committed a heinous crime, she can only be temporarily banished to the Cold Palace.
As the eldest prince and empress were forced to leave, the ministers showered Bai Moqin with flattery once again.
Having not slept all night, Bai Moqin was too lazy to waste time with them, so she made an excuse and went to rest with General Song.
Unlike Gu Renjie, Bai Moqin was the crown prince of Wei since he could remember, so he was much more adept at handling political affairs.
After a good night's sleep, Bai Moqin filled the vacancies left by the murdered ministers in just one day. Not only that, he also personally visited the homes of these twenty-one ministers to offer his condolences and provide them with a sum of money as compensation.
Although Bai Moqin's deliberate inaction in front of the main hall led to the deaths of these people, the Crown Prince personally came to apologize and brought a large sum of money, so the families naturally dared not say anything more.
Back at the Crown Prince's residence, Qingfeng asked Bai Moqin, "Did Your Highness deliberately provoke the First Prince that day, causing him to kill those ministers for you?"
Qingfeng had been by Bai Moqin's side for many years, and he might not have realized this at the time, but after these past few days of visiting and giving gifts to each of them, Qingfeng had long since come to understand.
Why do you say that?
Bai Moqin did not answer Qingfeng directly, but instead asked him to express his thoughts.
Qingfeng was ignorant of court politics, but after thinking about the list of ministers who had been killed, he stammered, "That day, His Highness confronted the First Prince, and it was obvious that he wanted to take down the First Prince. But after the ministers cried and wailed for a long time, His Highness seemed hesitant. I know that His Highness is not the kind of person who is indecisive, so I thought that His Highness might actually be trying to use someone else to do the dirty work."
Bai Moqin glanced at Qingfeng, thinking that the kid wasn't too stupid to be following her around.
"Most of the ministers who were killed came from powerful families, or were officials who had served in the court for decades, with deep-rooted power and a cowardly nature. Keeping such people in those important positions would only affect the future of the Wei Kingdom."
After Bai Moqin finished speaking, Qingfeng couldn't help but glance at him cautiously.
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