Emperor Chengyuan did not waste a moment. While Chen Yan was still in the bedroom, he asked Fu Hai to summon the princes and ministers. For a moment, people were kneeling on the ground outside the bedroom.
When the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess arrived, the ministers felt as if they were in a dream. Usually, such a scene only happened when the emperor was about to die.
But Your Majesty is not suffering from simple typhoid fever, why is he dying in the blink of an eye?
Some ministers wanted to ask questions, but Wei Sushen did not give them the opportunity and walked directly into the hall.
The door to the bedroom closed again, isolating the inner and outer worlds into two. The night grew darker, and a dense, light rain fell from the sky.
Kneeling for a long time will inevitably make one feel physically uncomfortable. Some old ministers did not care about this at all. They stared at the gate with fiery eyes, as if they wanted to burn a hole in it so that they could peek into what was going on inside.
With a creaking sound, this time it was the chief eunuch who stepped out.
His eyes looked much more mature, and there was no need to pretend. After being forgotten by Emperor Chengyuan several times, his heart had long been severely hurt.
All these changes seemed to have another meaning to the ministers, and they all felt a sinking feeling in their hearts... Your Majesty, perhaps things are really not going well.
The eunuch chief swept his gaze over the kneeling ministers, slowly unfolded the imperial edict, took a breath, and began to read: "By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since ascending the throne, I have diligently governed the country, but unpredictable events can happen... I am now unable to do so. My son's virtue is precious..."
The edict was very long, and the ministers hardly listened carefully to the latter part of the text. Just by listening to the beginning, they judged that it was an edict of succession.
Everything happened too suddenly, and the ministers who were nearby looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what to do.
Someone in the crowd suddenly stood up and said, "I request to see Your Majesty."
It was Li Yuan who stood up. No one present was surprised; it was even expected. His Majesty was in the prime of life, and the Crown Prince was not out of the palace, which inevitably led to suspicions of a coup d'etat. Li Yuan, deeply loyal to Emperor Chengyuan, naturally wanted to confirm the edict's authenticity.
The chief eunuch nodded slightly in his direction and said, "His Majesty has instructed that if Lord Li requests, he can see the emperor at any time."
Li Yuan smoothed out the marks left on his official robe from kneeling, and followed the chief eunuch into the hall.
There was no cold and desolate atmosphere in the hall. The candlelight was burning brightly. Emperor Chengyuan was lying on the dragon couch with sweat on his forehead and a bad complexion. He looked like he was seriously ill.
Emperor Chengyuan was satisfied with Li Yuan's actions. The fact that he proposed to meet the emperor at this time showed his loyalty.
"Your Majesty." Li Yuan called out.
Emperor Chengyuan did not respond, as if he was so tired that he didn't even have the strength to open his mouth.
Li Yuan didn't care that the prince was present and said straight to the point: "Your Majesty, if you are kidnapped, stick out your tongue."
The corner of Emperor Chengyuan's mouth twitched.
Fang Shan said sympathetically, "This movement is too difficult. You can blink your eyes instead."
Emperor Chengyuan coughed and finally spoke, "Lord Li, I'm not feeling well. This time, I've really hurt my vitality." He took a breath and said, "So, I have a bold idea..."
As he spoke, Li Yuan actually walked to the side of the dragon bed, raised his head and looked at the hanging sword intentionally or unintentionally: "I have one too."
“…”
The familiar conversation gave Emperor Chengyuan a direct blow.
In history, the ministers of other emperors all regarded the emperor as their God. Even when the emperor was seriously ill and entrusted his son to the care of the emperor before his death, they would kneel on the ground and shed tears, saying that they would definitely assist the prince and ensure the stability of the country forever.
His ministers, on the other hand, were either offensive or threatening whenever they opened their mouths.
Hiding his sadness, Emperor Chengyuan sat up and pointed out while peeling an orange and eating it: "Prince An."
Li Yuan was worthy of being the emperor's confidant, and he immediately guessed what Emperor Chengyuan was planning.
"Your Majesty wants to force Prince An to rebel?"
The words were spoken so bluntly that they didn't seem polite at all.
Emperor Chengyuan didn't take it seriously, but simply corrected him, saying, "The word 'force' is indecent."
Prince An harbored evil intentions, and at best he was just trying to lure the snake out of its hole.
"I understand everything." Li Yuan didn't waste any words and immediately made his attitude clear, saying that he would cooperate with Emperor Chengyuan to continue this drama.
Emperor Chengyuan ordered: "Make a quick decision and go tell the Ministry of Rites to keep everything simple."
Li Yuan nodded and walked out.
Emperor Chengyuan looked towards the palace gate and raised his eyebrows. "Let the ministers disperse. Prince An must be busy."
The night rain soaked the imperial city. Prince An could hardly suppress the spark in his heart. After leaving the palace, he did not return home, but secretly went to meet the Princess of Yuexiu.
"You shouldn't have come at this time." The Princess of Yuexiu looked at the candlelight, her eyes flickering. "If someone finds out, it won't be worth it."
Prince An smiled confidently, "I've found someone of similar build to serve as a stand-in. To outsiders, it looks like I've already returned home."
Only then did the Princess of Yuexiu Kingdom smile: "Since ancient times, heroes have been unable to resist the temptation of beautiful women, and Emperor Chengyuan is no exception."
Prince An looked regretful, but of course this regret was not for Emperor Chengyuan: "She is indeed a rare beauty."
Thinking back to when he found this woman in the inn, he almost lost his mind. If he hadn't been concerned that she was covered in poison, he would have been unable to resist playing with her first.
The Princess of Yuexiu glanced at him and said, "I heard that the envoy has not been executed yet. I hope that when Your Highness ascends to the throne, he will be allowed to return home."
"Of course." Prince An promised nonchalantly.
The Princess of Yuexiu smiled, stood up and fetched a pot of wine herself: "I wish the prince success in his great cause."
Prince An took it and drank it all in one gulp: "Thank you for your kind words, Princess."
Princess Yuexiu lowered her head to drink, a flicker of disdain in her eyes. Prince An was far inferior to Emperor Chengyuan in both courage and vision. And so it was. With such a man as emperor, the decline of the nation was inevitable.
"Have the prince's troops been deployed?"
Prince An nodded and said, "I'm already waiting outside the city, just waiting to catch the Crown Prince off guard on the day he ascends the throne."
For some reason, the Princess of Yuexiu felt a little uneasy: "Chen Yan is also a trouble."
Prince An scoffed, "Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. This time when he enters the capital, most of his troops will remain at the border to prevent the barbarians from making any moves. On the day of the ceremony, the Crown Prince and Chen Yan must be killed."
As soon as the general dies, he will immediately support his own people to take the position.
The Princess of Yuexiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Highness, I'm sure your visit today wasn't just to chat and drink with me."
Prince An said solemnly, "How many capable men do you have under your command, Princess?"
"What you said is interesting. Haven't all my people been arrested and taken to the Dali Temple?"
Prince An smiled and said, "Isn't that medicine man left at the inn? I thought the princess wouldn't put all the eggs in one cage."
I'm afraid that the truly useful people didn't move into the embassy from the beginning.
Princess Yuexiu sneered inwardly. It seemed that Prince An was not completely brainless. At least when it came to shady little things, he could be considered thoughtful.
There was a brief silence before Prince An continued, "I understand the princess's concerns, but we have a big plan ahead of us, a matter of life or death. If I fail, the princess will not end well either."
The Princess of Yuexiu remained silent, and it was unclear whether she had taken the words to heart. After a long moment, she slowly sighed, "I only have a hundred men at my disposal, but each one is as strong as ten."
Prince An heard hesitation in her tone and suggested, "These one hundred people don't need to directly participate in forcing the emperor to abdicate. They just need to surround the Eastern Palace."
The Crown Princess is pregnant and can be taken hostage if necessary.
The Princess of Yuexiu Kingdom had obviously thought of this as well. Chen Liuliu's hateful smiling face suddenly appeared in her mind. For some unknown reason, she nodded in agreement.
·
On September 16, Emperor Chengyuan officially passed the throne to the crown prince, and on the 18th, the coronation ceremony was held.
In the East Palace, the dazzling morning glow rolled out a fiery color in the sky. The bright yellow dragon robe gleamed in the morning sun, and the colorful embroidery threads on it were coated with a layer of golden glow. The five-clawed golden dragon seemed like it would break through the shackles at any time and rush into the sky.
The already handsome man looked even more imposing in the dragon robe. Fang Shan was glanced at by him and saw a bit of contempt in him.
"Not bad," he commented with satisfaction, "I should have accepted this kind of mission earlier. The host is naturally suited to the dragon robe."
Fang Shan occasionally liked to play the role of a delicate and pretentious person, but in reality, she was not at all pretentious. Wei Sushen also had this trait. For them, there was no sense of loneliness at the top. If I really had to use the words of System 666 to describe it, there was only one word: awesome.
What's so cold about being ahead? If you really compare, studying hard for ten years is colder than this.
Nine was the climax. After nine gongs and drums, Wei Sushen stood at the foot of the hundreds of steps. Civil and military officials had been waiting for a long time, standing on either side. No matter what they were thinking, their faces were all appropriately respectful.
Wei Sushen walked steadily and stepped onto the high steps step by step under the gaze of countless people. The court officials were moved by the majesty of the young emperor. Wei Sushen had a blank expression on his face, and his inner thoughts were very simple: Why didn't Prince An rebel yet?
Climbing the stairs was a physically demanding endeavor, especially since each step was so low. Furthermore, one had to consider etiquette and ascend slowly. Just as Wei Sushen's patience was about to run out, an untimely voice finally rang out: "Wait!"
Wei Sushen stopped but did not look back.
Prince An stepped out from the ranks and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty's illness is suspicious, and the Crown Prince is suspected of murder. How can we convince the people?"
Wei Sushen: "Oh."
“…”
King An knew that the reason he found was far-fetched, but since ancient times, victors have been kings and losers have been bandits. As long as he won this round today, how the history books would be written was just a matter of words.
Wei Sushen continued to walk. Prince An had imagined many scenarios, but being ignored was not one of them. His anger was aroused, and the last bit of anxiety disappeared in an instant. He waved his hand and said, "The crown prince is immoral. As your majesty's elder brother, I should help."
The court officials gasped in shock. This was the beginning of a plan to force the emperor to abdicate and rebel!
Prince An was ready and looked at his colleagues, hoping to see some sign of fear on their faces, but there was none. This inevitably made him a little disappointed.
Back then, everyone believed the late emperor would pass the throne to them, and they privately currying favor with him. But what happened? Just because of a tampered imperial edict, these people immediately bowed down to Emperor Chengyuan. Thinking of this, Prince An sneered and blew a secret whistle, and roars immediately echoed outside.
'kill! '
Along with this earth-shaking roar, there was soon a vibration caused by the pillars hitting the palace gate. Even from a long distance away, the eardrums could hardly bear it.
"The prince has no morals!"
Prince An said loudly, "If anyone abandons darkness and joins the light, I will treat him with no injustice."
Some young officials were wavering, but the veteran officials kept retreating. By the time Prince An finished his impassioned speech, no one was around him. Looking at the officials who were desperate to retreat from him, Prince An sneered, "It seems you are all preparing to go down a dead end?"
The Royal Guards and some men in black who suddenly appeared were in a stalemate, and the originally grand coronation ceremony now became a battlefield filled with smoke.
The ministers didn't say anything definitive, but Li Yuan said directly: "Birds choose good trees to rest in. Your Highness, you are evil to the core, and we are not stupid."
A minister nearby who was on good terms with Li Yuan whispered, "The situation is unclear right now. If you say something so decisive, won't you have no way out?"
Li Yuan waved his hand: "Don't panic."
"Um?"
He didn't understand, but Chen Yan, who was standing on the other side, saw it clearly. This was the typical aura of someone seeking death.
A battle suddenly broke out in the distance, and the sound of metal clashing did not come from outside the palace, but from the direction of the East Palace.
The Crown Prince has not officially ascended the throne yet, so it is impossible for him to order the Queen to be crowned. Now the Crown Princess is still in the East Palace.
The young court officials, unable to contain their impatience, could not help but look at Wei Sushen. In full view of everyone, they saw their future emperor staring at the sky... in a daze.
"Cough cough." Li Yuan coughed loudly.
Wei Sushen came back to his senses and looked down at Prince An: "Are you done?"
Prince An's eyes flashed with a strange look because of his calmness, and he sneered: "The ignorant are fearless."
Wei Sushen said calmly, still as calm as ever: "Let's wait and see."
The two sides were in a stalemate, the sound of fighting filled the air outside, and the smell of blood blew over with the wind.
This battle could not be over in a short time, even with careful arrangements, Wei Sushen knew this.
The late emperor loved Prince An very much during his lifetime, and the power he entrusted to him must be extraordinary, otherwise Emperor Chengyuan would not have chosen to tolerate it for so many years.
Time passed minute by minute, the morning glow faded, and the sun suddenly appeared. The autumn sun was scorching, and it made people feel dizzy under the heat.
Just when the situation became extremely awkward, a young eunuch ran over.
No one would scold him for not understanding the rules. Instead, they were curious about which faction this eunuch belonged to. The young eunuch ran up the stairs, still holding the wooden box in his hands. The guards and the men in black were fighting with weapons, and no one had time to pay attention to this sudden appearance.
The young eunuch was also very bold. He passed Prince An and the court officials and ran all the way to Wei Sushen and knelt down beside him: "The Crown Princess asked me to deliver something."
Crown Princess
Many people were surprised. Could it be that the East Palace had not been captured?
Looking at the square box again, my heart sank. Could it be that there was a human head inside?
The young eunuch opened the box in front of everyone. There was no bloody scene that would cause discomfort. The peeled melon seeds were white and tender and piled up like a small hill.
The young eunuch lowered his head and said, "The Crown Princess said that this is full of love."
Wei Sushen remained calm, seemingly unsurprised by Fang Shan's actions. However, the ministers below all had their eyes twitching a bit... The Crown Princess was truly a remarkable person.
Looking at a box of melon seeds, Prince An felt uneasy. Princess Yuexiu had said that she would definitely take over the Eastern Palace, but now it seemed that something had obviously gone wrong.
His expression instantly turned ugly, and he couldn't help but curse softly: "Not enough to accomplish anything, but more than enough to cause trouble."
Wei Sushen actually started eating the melon seeds as if no one was around. There were also small watermelons soaked in ice water on the bottom layer of the wooden box, which could quench his thirst and satisfy his hunger.
In contrast, Prince An had a dry mouth due to a previous speech, and as a middle-aged man he was prone to sweating, the hair on his forehead was wet with sweat and looked a bit greasy.
One was calm and composed, while the other was beginning to lose his temper.
Those young court officials could not help but feel fortunate that they did not take sides because of the previous instigation. It was obvious that Prince An was not a man who could accomplish anything.
There was a heavy sound of the door opening, and the palace gate finally opened.
Instead of being pushed aside, two neatly organized armies entered in an orderly manner. These people had all retreated from the battlefield and carried a murderous aura. The mighty general at the front quickly walked to the bottom of the steps, knelt down, clasped his fists, and said: "I am late in coming to your rescue. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
The two words "Your Majesty" are enough to show his position, and the most important thing is the outcome of this bloody palace coup.
A quarter of an hour ago, Prince An was still full of vigor and vitality, but in just this short moment, he seemed to have aged ten years, and some of his hair on his temples even turned white.
He didn't kneel down and beg for mercy. After a few seconds of silence, he laughed crazily at the sky. "I have been planning for this day for ten years. Without preparation, you can't win."
The eyes that usually gave people a gentle feeling were now as sharp as an eagle, staring at Wei Sushen: "This is all a setup, right?"
"Prince An, you are wrong," Wei Sushen said calmly, "It is clearly your evil ambition. I was able to achieve the final victory only because of the heroic fighting of the Imperial Guards."
Prince An laughed even more exaggeratedly, almost unable to straighten his back. He stopped looking at Wei Sushen and instead glanced around: "It's already this late, my dear brother, why don't you come out and see me one last time?"
As a loser, his voice is still full of energy.
The bell suddenly rang again, but this time, it only rang three times. The chief eunuch, who was beside Emperor Chengyuan and looked completely unsettled, looked at Prince An and said calmly, "To have your funeral serenaded with three bells is an unprecedented honor."
Prince An sneered: "From the beginning, you were not sick, you just wanted to force me to take action."
Emperor Chengyuan looked at him with a look of deep regret: "You still haven't repented even now. I learned that you disregarded our brotherly love and forced the emperor to abdicate. I turned my grief and anger into strength and suddenly recovered."
He sighed deeply and said, "It must be the blessing of the late emperor and our ancestors."
His words were powerful and even more moving than the speech delivered by King An before.
Prince An covered his chest with his hands and was so angry that he vomited blood.
"You are shameless!"
This sentence truly revealed the thoughts of the court officials. Prince An only saw the surface of some things. When Emperor Chengyuan ascended the throne, it was quite illogical and there were a few troublemakers.
The result? Now the grass in front of the grave is several meters long.
The court officials felt sympathetic as they watched Emperor Chengyuan lie without blushing or breathing heavily.
At this moment, two guards came with the Princess of Yuexiu. Although the princess was not as wise as the envoy, she was quite clever. Just in case, she disguised herself and left the city early this morning. Unfortunately, she was caught by the soldiers who had been guarding there.
Emperor Chengyuan looked deeply regretful. "At first, I thought Yuexiu wanted to marry you to the Crown Prince, but I never expected the Princess to act like this. It's truly disheartening."
The Princess of Yuexiu struggled a bit, but to no avail, she sneered, "Your Majesty's ability to lie with open eyes is truly admirable."
Emperor Chengyuan ignored this remark, his expression suddenly changing: "Prince An intends to force the emperor to abdicate and commit treason. His crime should be punished. All those involved in the case, once verified, will be executed along with their entire clan. Li Yuan!"
"I am here."
"Bring people to surround Prince An's Mansion."
Li Yuan's eyelids twitched. It was obvious that Emperor Chengyuan had sent spies to keep a close eye on Prince An's Mansion yesterday, and a tight net was set up after midnight. Now they were pretending very well.
It was one thing to think in one's heart, but on the surface he said respectfully, "As you command."
Prince An had been depressed for a long time and had a lot to say, but Emperor Chengyuan did not give him the opportunity. He waved his hand and took him away.
Having solved his long-standing worry, Emperor Chengyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Turning around, he saw the prince staring at the watermelon in the wooden box, as if he was ready to chop it open and eat it at any time.
He couldn't help but feel the vein on his forehead throbbing, and he scolded the eunuch beside him: "What are you standing there for? Let the ceremony continue!"
The eunuch was shocked. Could it be that His Majesty really intended to abdicate?
Chen Yan's cold voice came over: "It would be unlucky to end the ceremony midway, so let's just finish this process today."
What this meant was that the crown prince would only be emperor for half a day, and the next day, both the crown prince and Emperor Chengyuan would have to return to their respective positions.
Emperor Chengyuan frowned: "My dear Minister Chen..."
Chen Yan remained silent, his fingers tapping at his waist. There was nothing there now, where he usually carried a knife. Emperor Chengyuan, noticing Li Yuan's warning look again, abandoned his thoughts of retirement and said sternly, "Minister Chen, you are right."
He glared at Wei Sushen, who tactfully put the wooden box filled with melon seeds aside and continued his ascent. When he finally reached the last stone step and stood on the high platform, all the civil and military officials knelt in worship, their voices resonating like a bell: "Long live the emperor!"
Only Emperor Chengyuan stood upright, looking at the high-spirited young man on the podium, with a look of satisfaction and emotion in his eyes.
Wei Sushen, who was worshipped by thousands of people, was actually the calmest in his heart. The only ripple came when he heard the sound of mission completion.
This mission did not take too long. In reality, it was just the change of seasons.
Emperor Chengyuan nodded slightly at him. Wei Sushen understood and said in a deep voice, "I ascend the throne today. I will ensure the people's peace and prosperity, the country's stability, and uphold the spirit of benevolence and filial piety..."
Because he was an emperor for one day, there was no mention of a general amnesty in the text, and the court officials certainly would not mention it either. Historically, amnesty has tended to cause social instability.
It was already afternoon when the coronation ceremony ended. There were many traitors who needed to be dealt with, so Emperor Chengyuan had no time to say anything.
Everyone was busy with their own things, and for a while, Wei Sushen became the one with the most free time. Of course, if you really counted, there was someone who was even more leisurely than him.
Fang Shan was lying on the couch, with a pretty little palace maid fanning her.
After Wei Sushen came in, the two palace maids retreated tactfully.
Fang Shan glanced at him and asked, "Are you a little disappointed?"
Wei Sushen: "Why should I be disappointed?"
Fang Shan: "In the last world, the host at least got the crystal ball, but this time, I got nothing."
Wei Sushen shook his head. Without looking at the obvious things, he actually benefited a lot. Some of Emperor Chengyuan's methods were worth learning from.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Fang Shan's half-smile, and something flashed through his mind.
Fang Shan raised an eyebrow: "Found it?"
Wei Sushen frowned: "Is it true that the more bizarre the plane, the easier it is to gain something?"
Shining was brought back from the world of the Ghost Exorcist, and the crystal ball was also obtained from a plane where cultivation is possible, and even the "Puppetry" is no exception.
Fang Shan smiled and said, "Because these things can only be produced in certain planes, similarly, the mortality rate will increase when entering such a world."
Upon hearing this, Wei Sushen seemed to be thinking about something.
Fang Shan smiled even more heartily: "After we go back and rest for a while, we can carefully select the next mission and do something exciting."
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