Chapter 201 The Fake Prince
"Impossible, I don't believe it!" The eldest prince roared, but his body honestly retreated, trying to find an opportunity to escape.
This time, the person who was at ease was the emperor. He sat on the throne with a smile on his face, looking at the eldest prince as if he were watching a child playing.
"Big Brother, besides poison, do you have no other means? I was looking forward to it, but now it seems a little disappointed."
When the eldest prince heard the emperor's words, he immediately stood still, his eyes red as he stared at the emperor: "I came here today to take your life, so of course I won't use these means. So what if you weren't poisoned? You still have to die!"
Looking at the eldest prince with a ferocious face, the emperor frowned deeply. The late emperor had only two adult princes. As an emperor who had ambitions for the throne, the eldest prince was naturally someone he wanted to understand.
However, the eldest prince was indecisive and gentle by nature. He was a child who was spoiled by his parents and grew up like a flower in a garden, untouched by wind and rain.
But he retained his royal demeanor. Even when he failed in his fight for the throne and was sent by the emperor to guard the imperial mausoleum, he had never been seen to lose his composure like this.
Moreover, the eldest prince truly loves the people. When the emperor first heard that Yu Gu was the eldest prince's son, the first thought that came to his mind was disbelief.
How long had it been? Could failure in the competition for the throne really change a person beyond recognition? But before, the eldest prince hadn't shown any regard for the throne.
"Brother, if your face wasn't still the same as before, I really couldn't believe how you became like this?" The emperor frowned and looked at the eldest prince for a long time, then suddenly said.
The eldest prince didn't say anything, but his face twitched slightly, which was clearly seen by the emperor and Wei Xiaoran who had been paying attention to him.
The two looked at each other and realized that something was wrong. Could it be that this eldest prince was fake?
The eldest prince panicked and turned to the outside of the hall, shouting, "Someone! Come quickly! Kill the emperor and help me take the throne!"
But the eldest prince called out several times, but there was still silence outside the door. Finally, a trace of panic appeared on the eldest prince's face.
After a while, there was no movement outside the door. After a while, Lin Shuo, wearing armor and holding a ten-shot crossbow, walked into the hall with Wang Youshan, who had a bruised face and nose, beside him.
"Who are you calling, Prince? Are you calling those people outside? Where did you find all these useless people? There's not even one capable fighter.
They are all lying on the ground now. They probably can't hear your cries and can't come to help you sit on the throne." Lin Shuo said to the eldest prince with a smile.
The eldest prince's face finally changed, and he began to rush out desperately like a trapped beast. The force he displayed made the emperor and Wei Xiaoran open their eyes wide in shock.
"You are not the eldest royal brother at all. The eldest royal brother doesn't know martial arts at all. Who are you?" The emperor stood up and asked loudly.
The eldest prince said nothing and continued to rush out. Unfortunately, in the hall, besides Lin Shuo, there were also some generals such as Lin Wu and Ge Xingyuan.
After a desperate resistance, the eldest prince was finally captured.
"Tell me, who are you? Where is my eldest brother now?" The emperor questioned the fake eldest prince who was being escorted by soldiers.
The fake prince sneered and closed his mouth like a clam, not saying a word.
Seeing him like this, the emperor pursed his lips and did not interrogate him any further. Instead, he had him taken away. Now there was plenty of time, so he could interrogate him slowly.
The next most important thing was the ministers kneeling together.
The emperor glanced at the hall. Apart from his confidants such as Wei Xiaoran, Lin Wu and Lin Shuo, there were almost no people standing. The rest were kneeling on the ground.
The emperor was very upset at this time. He found that he was a complete failure as an emperor, as so many ministers were unwilling to follow him.
The ministers kneeling below almost buried their heads in the ground, and at the same time, a thought emerged in their minds: they were finished.
"My ministers, don't you have anything to say to me?" The emperor calmed down, sat on the throne with one hand on his chin, and asked with a smile in a friendly tone.
The ministers trembled for no reason and began to beg for mercy: "Your Majesty, we know we were wrong."
Tsk! The emperor was getting fed up with the same repetition. He raised his hand, and Eunuch Su immediately handed him a booklet.
"The booklet records the evidence of your collusion with the eldest prince. There is no need to waste time. You know clearly what you have done." The emperor threw the booklet on the ground in front of the group of ministers.
The ministers were still thinking of begging for mercy when Wei Xiaoran came out and told them how the eldest prince had colluded with the Western Xia Kingdom and had killed everyone in the capital.
"You all heard it, didn't you? Although I am the emperor, I cannot control your thoughts or ideas. I cannot control you to use me. But if you make a mistake, I will not forgive you."
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please forgive us!"
The emperor nodded and said, "There are so many of you. It is difficult for me to kill you all. That would make me bear the crime of being a tyrant. Besides, my little prince is about to be one month old. I want to accumulate blessings for him, so I will not kill you.
But you don't have to be too happy, I will confiscate your homes, and you should all resign from your positions."
After a period of silence, people began to kowtow three times to the emperor and then left the throne room. Being able to save one's life was a blessing; whether one had money or not was no longer important.
After a while, the court was largely empty.
At this time, Wei Xiaoran spoke up: "Your Majesty, we can discuss the matter of the fake eldest prince later, but the people outside the palace are still gathered at the palace gate, so we have to appease them first.
Your Majesty, please write an imperial edict, clearly stating the cause and effect of the incident, and then post it. Of course, we will also appear one by one to explain to the people."
The emperor nodded, picked up his pen, then put it down again. He frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "That alone won't do. It's not convincing enough. Pick a few high-ranking soldiers outside, tie their hands and feet, and hang them on the city wall so the people can have a good look."
Wei Xiaoran nodded and said, "Yes."
The Emperor glanced at Lin Shuo and Lin Wu again, then addressed them, "We've already produced over ten thousand Ten-Repeated Crossbows. General Lin, in three days, I want you to gather fifty thousand men and send them to destroy the Western Xia Kingdom. Do you have the confidence to do so?"
Although the relationship between the fake crown prince and the Western Xia Kingdom is still unknown, the Western Xia Kingdom has really stretched its hand too far this time.
Many of the troops brought by the fake eldest prince were soldiers from the Western Xia Kingdom, and the secret guards also reported that a large number of Western Xia soldiers had gathered outside the imperial city. They seemed to be waiting for news and were gathering and lingering outside the city gate.
However, seeing that the palace was quiet and no movement occurred, these soldiers retreated quietly.
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