The death of the King of Liang was something the old emperor of Nantai never expected would happen so quickly.
From the time he agreed to cooperate with Shunyu Casino until now, it's only been four or five days, and this has already been resolved?
The Liang Prince's mansion was heavily guarded, almost like an impregnable fortress. He himself had sent men to break into it, but none of them survived.
It seems that Shunyu Casino is indeed not to be underestimated.
He had even considered thoroughly investigating Shunyu Gambling House before. If it was confirmed that he was the murderer who killed the Crown Prince, he would definitely find a way to take revenge.
But now, the disparity in strength is too great, and he has no ability to compete with Shunyu Gambling House.
Most importantly, the death of the King of Liang was bought with a million taels of gold. The national treasury is empty, and there is no extra money to settle these personal scores. If the country does not pay attention to national affairs, it will soon perish.
When the grand court assembly was convened, the old emperor's cloudy eyes swept over everyone below. News of the Prince of Liang's death had arrived that morning, and everyone had their own speculations, but most people still believed that the old emperor was behind the Prince of Liang's death.
That's why no one dared to mention the matter of establishing an heir apparent during this morning's grand court assembly.
“The Prince of Liang is my own brother. Now that he has suffered such a terrible fate, the assassins who have been captured must be thoroughly interrogated to find out the real culprit behind it all, so that the Prince of Liang can rest in peace.”
The old emperor sighed and said some words to appease the Prince of Liang. The Prince of Liang gritted his teeth and looked at the emperor above him, his eyes filled with hatred. His father must have died at the hands of the old emperor, but he could not produce any evidence. Now he had to listen to the old emperor's hypocritical words.
The previous remarks about the Prince of Liang's affairs were unimportant. Just as everyone was starting to yawn, the old emperor changed the subject and brought up the matter of the Prince of Liang's military power.
"With the King of Liang gone, his military power should no longer be entrusted to outsiders. Effective immediately, I hereby reclaim the military power of the 400,000-strong army from the King of Liang."
The ministers were instantly wide awake; they had been waiting for them here all along!
The Crown Prince of Liang was very anxious. He glanced at some of the ministers his father had trusted most during his lifetime and gestured for them to speak on his behalf.
Many people avoided eye contact, but a few stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the body of the Prince of Liang is not yet cold. Perhaps we should discuss the matter of military power later?"
"Your Majesty, although the King of Liang is dead, his heir is still alive. In my humble opinion, it would be more appropriate to give military power to the heir of the King of Liang."
"I second that proposal!"
...
Since the emperor had raised this question, he was naturally prepared to respond. Hearing these words, he smiled and said gently, "I have considered what you have said. Prince Liang is my own brother. I entrusted him with military power because I trusted him. Moreover, most importantly, he is a man who has fought on the battlefield and made military achievements. It is the will of the people to have him in charge of military power."
“But Ting’er is different. He is still young and has never been on the battlefield. If he were to take over military power, how would he win the support of the people? Now, Nan Tai is beset by internal and external troubles, and we must not be careless again. I will temporarily take back this military power. When Ting’er makes meritorious contributions in the future, he will still be given this military power. At that time, no one else can say anything.”
"Ting'er, can you understand my good intentions?"
The old emperor's earnest and heartfelt words made it seem as if he was truly concerned for the Prince of Liang's heir, leaving everyone speechless no matter how many reasons they had.
Only then did everyone realize that although the old emperor had aged, he was not stupid. He was still the same shrewd and decisive emperor he had been back then. Otherwise, how could he have personally raised such an outstanding successor as the former crown prince?
If it weren't for the sudden assassination of the former crown prince, Nantai would never have fallen to such a state. Most importantly, they simply wouldn't dare to challenge the emperor like this.
The heir of the Liang Prince knew that the situation was already decided. As long as the old emperor was still alive, he would never be able to turn the tide. Moreover, his military power was about to be taken back, and the Liang Prince's Mansion was about to fall into ruin.
During this period, the Prince of Liang felt that victory was in his grasp, but he still offended many vassal kings. Now that he has disappeared without a trace, the other people in the Prince of Liang's mansion are going to have a hard time.
Previously, the old emperor openly favored the Liang Prince's Mansion, but after this incident, the Liang Prince's Mansion has become a discarded pawn in the old emperor's hands, and from now on, no one will be their backer.
The Prince of Liang gritted his teeth, unwilling but having no other choice, and said, "Yes, I will follow my uncle's arrangements."
The matter of the Prince of Liang was thus easily dismissed. When the court officials came to their senses, they felt a chill run down their spines when they thought about how they had helped the Prince of Liang seize the throne. Their emperor was no benevolent ruler either, and now that he had taken back military power, he would surely deal with them severely.
Those ministers who had just spoken up for the Prince of Liang were even starting to regret their actions.
When a person dies, it's like a mountain collapsing; the glory of the Liang Prince's Mansion vanished overnight.
The old emperor looked at the guilty expressions of the people below and sneered inwardly, but still said in a friendly manner, "Although Prince Liang is gone, I should indeed consider the matter of establishing an heir that he mentioned before. I am old and plagued by serious illness, and I don't know when I will pass away."
Upon hearing this, everyone instantly broke out in a cold sweat and knelt down: "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
When the Prince of Liang brought up this matter before, the old emperor remained silent. Now that the Prince of Liang is dead and no one is mentioning it anymore, the old emperor has brought it up again. Suddenly, everyone is on edge, wondering what the old emperor is really up to.
The old emperor had heard so much flattery that he was basically immune to it. Everyone in this world is destined to die; it's just a matter of time.
"I currently have three young sons, all of whom are still quite old. I will raise them together. From now until the day I die, whoever performs the best will be made the crown prince. I have already thought about this matter. I am only saying it so that my ministers can witness it and I don't need to worry about the matter of choosing an heir."
These words were clearly a veiled reference to the previous incident in which the court officials pressured the emperor to establish an heir. Everyone trembled with fear and dared not utter a word.
The old emperor was fairly satisfied with their performance. If it were in the past, he would have definitely carried out a major reshuffle of the court, but now that he was old and didn't have much money, he didn't want to make things too ugly with these officials for the time being.
However, since the national treasury is currently empty, we could confiscate the property of a few corrupt officials to replenish it.
As a result, the officials of Nantai experienced the most thrilling period in the following period. The old emperor was ruthless and confiscated the property of seven high-ranking officials, turning all their assets into the national treasury. The officials were beheaded, their families were exiled, and there were heavy casualties.
For a time, the court officials no longer dared to easily challenge the old emperor's authority, and the long-chaotic court situation finally stabilized.
As for the other vassal kings, they will remain on the sidelines for now, and at least for the time being while the old emperor is still alive, they will not dare to cause any trouble.
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