Chapter 253: Deposed Crown Prince
Crown Prince Rong Jinyou said, "Father is a wise ruler. I don't think he's cruel." Rong Yue was about to curl his lips when he added, "Father is decisive and swift, but in this case, I believe we should use a combination of firmness and flexibility."
His expression suddenly turned cold, "In the final analysis, you just think that Luo Qingyuan's crime does not deserve the death penalty. But Prince, if those refugees had not been unable to survive, why would they rebel?" The veins on Rong Yue's forehead began to throb again.
He was slightly stunned. "The main cause of this incident is a natural disaster, not a man-made disaster. Besides, Lord Luo did not embezzle or accept bribes. He is also a kind official who loves his people like his own children." Otherwise, why would he plead for him?
Rong Yue's face flushed with anger. He reached up and knitted his brows. "Do you really have to argue with me like this?" His voice grew calmer. "I dare not." Crown Prince Rong Jinyou knelt down, his gesture very gentle.
Rong Yue curled his thin lips and looked at him coldly, "After all, you are looking at the problem from the perspective of the aristocratic family. You don't care about the millions of people affected by the disaster, and you don't care about those who rebelled in the name of the prince." A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of Prince Rong Jinyou, and Rong Yue ignored his remarks of apology.
He closed his eyes, "I have been too indulgent to you, Prince." Opening them, he saw a flash of pity and tears in his eyes, and his heart hardened. "Yu Fuhai." Huddled in a corner, trembling with fear, Yu Fuhai cried out inwardly, "Your servant is here."
Rong Yue recalled the joy he felt when he learned that the prince was born. He worked hard step by step to cultivate him into a kind, polite, and upright crown prince. He could not bear to let him go through the bloody battle he had experienced in the past.
Even the whetstone is just a whetstone and does not endanger the prince's position as crown prince.
Even though he was wary of the crown prince, he was also pleased that he stood up in the face of natural disasters.
Therefore, when he heard that someone was rebelling in the name of the prince, he never really doubted the prince in the end.
Rong Yue knew that he had been ruthless towards the aristocratic families, and the reform of the Single Whip Law had damaged the foundations of the aristocratic families.
That's why they took advantage of the Yellow River bursting its banks to give the emperor a warning.
How could refugees have such ability?
If he dares to reform, people will naturally rebel if they resist, and it will just be a matter of who will win.
Rong Yue originally wanted to carry out drastic reforms himself to eradicate the Qin Dynasty's deep-rooted illnesses, and then let the benevolent prince win over the people, giving them sweet rewards with a slap, so that the aristocratic families would not be exploited too much.
But Rong Yue had never expected that the Crown Prince would be so blind to this. He only cared about the officials of the aristocratic families, and while he seemed to care about the people, he actually didn't see the point.
Among the millions of people affected by the disaster, tens of thousands lost their lives due to the floods. The prince also went to provide disaster relief and saw it all.
But why couldn't he see through it?
Luo Qingyuan was a good official, but he acted on his own, concealed information, and cut corners, thinking he was saving money for the court and wanted to give himself credit for the work after the project was completed.
The result is already here. If we don’t punish him severely, how can we be righteous to the tens of thousands of people who died?
After a long silence, Rong Yue sighed deeply. He slowly looked at Crown Prince Rong Jinyou and said, "Since ancient times, emperors have always appointed the legitimate heir, and the legitimate heir has inherited the family line... Crown Prince Jinyou, as the Crown Prince, should strictly abide by the principles of filial piety and brotherly love... I have no choice but to issue an edict to depose him as a warning." He added reluctantly, "I hereby appoint Rong Jinyou as the King of Qin and choose a new residence."
Rong Jinyou's face was as pale as paper. He looked at his father in disbelief, his eyes red, "Father..." How could his father destroy him?
Yu Fuhai's pupils trembled. How could His Majesty depose the Crown Prince just like that?
He was scared to death!
Rong Yuefeng's eyes were filled with tears, and he didn't dare to look in the direction of Rong Jinyou. He looked up at the window and said, "King Qin, it's time for you to think about this carefully." Before he finished speaking, he strode out. Yu Fuhai was so worried that he had to follow him.
Capital city.
Just after the Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet, and before it was even the next day, His Majesty suddenly deposed the Crown Prince, and everyone's reaction was exactly the same as Yu Fuhai's.
Oh my god!
Your Majesty, how could he?
The prince's party was in great sorrow! The King of Jin and the King of Chu were very proud of themselves, while the royalists were shocked and watched in amazement.
Su Yiyi was naturally overjoyed. As long as she could hold on, Prince Jin would become the crown prince in no time.
When Su Zhenzhen woke up, she found that the prince had been deposed. She opened her mouth wide in surprise.
"What? How could the emperor depose the crown prince without any warning?" He patted his head again. Actually, it was not without warning. At least in ancient times, if the crown prince rebelled, even if someone just rebelled in his name, as long as the emperor wanted to investigate, it would be an indisputable fact.
Lu Wu helped Su Zhenzhen change her clothes. She couldn't hide her shock. "I heard it happened in Weiyang Palace. The Crown Prince and His Majesty had another argument. His Majesty was so angry that he deposed the Crown Prince, but then he made him the King of Qin."
Su Zhenzhen was like a well-behaved and obedient baby. She raised her hand when she was told to. She said casually: "The King of Qin is unique among all the kings. Let's not try to guess what my father is thinking. Anyway, there are tall people to hold up the sky if it falls." She was not panicking at all.
Lu Wu thought about it and agreed. Since His Royal Highness Prince Yan was here, she smiled and said, "Now that the princess has left His Royal Highness, she has to mention His Royal Highness countless times every day. When His Royal Highness comes back, I will ask for a reward from His Royal Highness." Even if His Royal Highness gave her a little bit of pocket money, it was still a lot.
Su Zhenzhen spat at her, "Are you obsessed with money?" Then she couldn't help laughing, "Hurry up and have someone serve the food. I'm hungry."
Suburbs of Beijing.
The night is falling and it is already late at night.
Everyone was setting up camp, preparing to rest before continuing their journey the next day.
Rong Jinchen had just finished rinsing his mouth and was wiping his face with the wet towel given by Gu Heng when he suddenly saw the personal guards of Prince Yan's Mansion rushing towards him at full speed.
"Your Highness, His Majesty and the Crown Prince had another big fight in the Weiyang Palace. His Majesty was furious and deposed the Crown Prince. He appointed the Prince of Qin as the new Prince and appointed him to live in a separate mansion." The personal guard dismounted, panting, and reported to Rong Jinchen.
Rong Jinchen's face instantly turned gloomy. He instructed Gu Cheng, "I will return to the capital immediately. You let the main force set off as planned. I will catch up in the next two days." He called out to Gu Heng and a group of personal guards and left on horseback immediately.
Although he was anxious, he also knew that his own safety was the most important thing, so he would not be stupid enough to return to Beijing alone.
Rong Jinchen returned to Beijing overnight with a group of personal guards. When the sky turned pale, he arrived at the gate of the palace.
He hurried all the way to Weiyang Palace.
Today was supposed to be the day for morning court session.
Rong Yue didn't want to be bothered by it, so he directly announced the adjournment of court today.
A large number of ministers knelt in front of the gate of Weiyang Palace, and the leader was Su Qiyang. After all, he was the Prime Minister.
Not long after he knelt down, he suddenly saw His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan striding towards the Weiyang Palace.
Everyone:???
Why is His Royal Highness Prince Yan back?
Didn’t he just leave yesterday evening?
Rong Jinchen still wore his armor, his black hair a little disheveled, yet it added a touch of uninhibited elegance to his look. His thin lips paled as he said, "Eunuch Yu, please inform the Emperor that I request an audience with him."
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