Wei Zhongxian smiled broadly as he looked up at the falling snowflakes.
"It's truly a blessing from heaven!"
Even before those eunuchs had a chance to tell him the fabricated story, he knew that Li Ruolian would definitely need several more days to return to the capital.
"What perfect weather!"
He repeated it again with a smile.
"It seems even Heaven isn't on the young emperor's side!"
Wei Zhongxian became excited and started spinning around in circles.
"This time difference is just right for me to accomplish something great!"
He made up an excuse to skip today's court assembly, and then ran back to his residence in a flash.
He turned to Wei Liangqing and asked, "What did the Prince of Fu say? What was their reaction after seeing the imperial edict?"
Wei Liangqing quickly replied:
“Uncle, after seeing the imperial edict, Prince Fu was still somewhat skeptical.”
"However, his ministers all advised him not to hesitate and to go to the capital as soon as possible."
Wei Zhongxian nodded dismissively.
"Hehe, all these civil officials see is that if Prince Fu ascends the throne, they and their relatives will rise to power."
"Of course I would advise Prince Fu to take the risk!"
He was not surprised at all by this result.
Wei Zhongxian said excitedly, "The Prince of Fu has decided to go to the capital, and the candidate for the new emperor has also been chosen."
"As long as we can send the young emperor to see the late emperor before Li Ruolian returns to the capital, everything will be fine!"
Hearing this, Wei Liangqing still hesitated.
"Uncle, do we really have to come to this?"
"Can't we think of another way?"
Wei Zhongxian was furious.
"You brat, you're perfectly healthy, so how come you're not as brave as me, a disabled person?"
"Even now, with God on our side, what do you have to be afraid of?"
But after hurling a few angry words, he remembered that the person in front of him was his own nephew, so he had to change his tone.
"Don't worry, Uncle, I have made thorough preparations and there will be no mistakes."
Upon hearing this, Wei Liangqing could only nod and say, "In that case, I will listen to my uncle."
Almost simultaneously, Zhu Youjian glanced at the ministers attending the court assembly inside the hall, and then at the heavy snow outside.
I felt both excited and thrilled.
"Master Gao was right, it really is snowing heavily!"
"Is Wei Zhongxian now so smug that he's already planning to take action against me?"
"Hehe, that's perfect."
Zhu Youjian was young and not cunning enough.
After he had used Wei Zhongxian, he was still reluctant to discard him completely.
But if Wei Zhongxian was courting death, then he wouldn't care.
Those who plot to kill you deserve to die!
Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian couldn't help but reveal a hint of murderous intent on his face.
The Donglin Party members inside the hall were already trembling with fear.
Wei Zhongxian, who had just threatened them, didn't even attend the court meeting. No one knows what methods he's going to use to deal with the Donglin Party.
And now, the young emperor in the hall is showing murderous intent.
They exchanged a glance, both inwardly lamenting, "Is our Donglin Party really doomed to fail?"
Thinking of this, someone suddenly gritted their teeth and knelt down abruptly.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
Zhu Youjian was stunned: "Huh? What crime have you committed?"
The man kowtowed repeatedly: "In the past few years, I have actually associated with many treacherous officials and gone astray."
"I am truly guilty."
Zhu Youjian gave Qian Qianyi a strange look, as if asking him if he had arranged for this person to be there.
However, Qian Qianyi shook his head.
Although he was known as the leader of the Donglin Party, his influence has diminished considerably in the years since he returned to his hometown.
There were no more confidants in the Donglin Party.
Seeing this, Zhu Youjian had no choice but to continue asking the man, "Speak clearly, don't play riddles with me!"
The minister paused for a moment, then looked up and directly betrayed the Donglin Party.
"The treacherous officials I'm referring to are those members of the Donglin Party!"
He gestured towards the minister who had been hanging out with him not long ago.
"They are all treacherous officials. I was corrupted because I associated with them!"
It turns out this person was hoping to survive even if it meant certain death.
He should just sell out the Donglin Party to save his own life.
Zhu Youjian was shocked when he heard this.
"Huh? What did you say?"
However, the minister knew that once he said those words, there would be no turning back.
So he gritted his teeth, ignoring the countless angry stares behind him, and continued speaking.
"Your Majesty, in recent years, the Donglin Party has claimed to be a righteous faction, but in reality, it has been a rebellious party."
"Not only did they form cliques for personal gain, but they also attacked Your Majesty. Not long ago, you fell into the water..."
In his desperation, this man even considered revealing the Donglin Party's plot to assassinate the emperor.
However, the other members of the Donglin Party were greatly alarmed when they heard this.
If this gets exposed, it won't just be a matter of them dying.
Someone immediately rushed forward and covered his mouth: "Have you lost your mind? How dare you talk nonsense in front of His Majesty!"
Several other people grabbed his limbs and tried to drag him away.
Zhu Youjian angrily waved his hand: "All of you, release him from my grasp!"
However, at this point, how could the Donglin Party possibly obey such an order?
They nodded in agreement, saying, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."
But he used even more force, aiming directly at the neck of the minister who had just rebelled.
In a short while, the man's tongue was sticking out, and he was half-dead from being strangled.
Seeing this, Zhu Youjian turned around and scolded Luo Yangxing, "Are you still just standing here watching? Hurry up and go rescue him for me!"
Luo Yangxing had never seen such a scene before and was still in a daze.
Hearing the emperor's order, he finally came to his senses.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
He immediately led the Imperial Guards over and dragged out the traitorous minister.
However, after this delay, the minister was already barely breathing.
Zhu Youjian was furious.
"You Donglin Party members, how dare you plot to murder a minister right in front of me?"
At this moment, he no longer cared about his previous plans and waved his hand dismissively:
"Guards, seize all the Donglin Party members and hand them over to the authorities for punishment!"
Luo Yangxing dared not make a move now.
If he obeys orders, wouldn't the followers of the Donglin Party in various places stab him in the back when they hear about it?
Wei Zhongxian's reputation was already infamous, so he wasn't afraid of it.
But Luo Yangxing is not like that.
But just as he hesitated, Qian Qianyi stepped forward.
He looked at the Donglin Party members with a face full of anger.
"Alright, alright. I thought that when you came to curry favor with me after I returned to Beijing, it was because you truly respected me as a senior."
"It seems that you yourselves failed in your plot to assassinate the emperor, and fearing exposure, you dragged me into this mess as a scapegoat!"
"I'm so angry!"
He was furious and no longer cared about his reputation.
He addressed the surrounding guards, saying, "Didn't you hear His Majesty's words? Arrest them all immediately!"
But after saying that, he finally regained some of his senses and realized he needed to find someone to share the blame.
So he quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Send them all to Eunuch Wei so he can interrogate them properly!"
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