Chapter 431: The Crown Prince
At the morning court the next day, Gu Qishan deliberately arrived a little late so that he could wait for the city gate to open and bring the witness into the palace as soon as possible.
However, he received bad news first.
Today, the city gates were suddenly placed under martial law, claiming that spies from southern Yunnan intended to sneak into the city.
Everyone entering the city must undergo a strict search.
The witness of the Zhao family was stopped by the city gate guard on the grounds that his behavior was suspicious and was forcibly detained.
Gu Qishan's men showed the token of General Zhenxi, but the other party didn't buy it at all.
"You guys are acting so suspiciously, you must be spies from southern Yunnan. This token must be fake. Come, arrest them all!"
After saying that, he drew his sword and attacked without saying anything.
The other party was intent on getting rid of the witness, and they were ruthless in their actions.
The witnesses also wanted to escape during the chaos, and the situation became a mess.
In order to protect themselves, Gu Qishan's men grabbed an important witness and fled.
This further confirmed his identity as a spy, and the people from the Five Cities Military Department immediately rode their horses and chased him.
When Gu Qishan received the news, he rushed to the city gate immediately, but it was too late.
Gu Qishan knew that this was the work of Prince Ning. He had received news from the Zhao family, so he set up checkpoints at the city gate and robbed and killed witnesses.
Gu Qishan sent people to provide support while publicly attacking the city gate guard.
"Those men were my subordinates, and the one they captured was a high-ranking official. Who instigated you to attack without knowing the truth? Today, I will go to the palace to file a complaint and demand an explanation!"
Since Prince Ning is desperate, he will make the matter bigger, and then the two sides will confront each other directly in front of the emperor!
Gu Qishan entered the palace in a rage. At this time, the morning court had already ended.
Gu Qishan asked to see Emperor Defeng, but was told that Emperor Defeng was not feeling well today, Xu Guozhen was taking his pulse, and Xiao Yanlin was attending to him.
Gu Qishan's eyelids twitched, and an inexplicable bad premonition came over him.
He refused to leave. "I have something important to report to the Emperor. I will wait here and be ready to answer your call at any time."
He waited for two full hours.
Xiao Yanlin came out of the hall with a look of worry on his face.
When he saw Gu Qishan, he was surprised, "General Gu is still here?"
Gu Qishan bowed to him, his eyes calm and collected, "Your Majesty, I have an important matter to discuss with you."
Xiao Yanlin's face showed worry. "General Gu, I'm afraid I'll keep you waiting in vain. The Emperor is unwell and cannot be summoned at the moment. General Gu, please return."
Gu Qishan had an even stronger ominous premonition in his heart.
"Your Majesty is ill, and I am deeply concerned. I beg you to come and see your Majesty, and if I can see your Majesty in good health, I will be able to put my worries to rest."
Xiao Yanlin looked at him with a half-smile, "General Gu, it's not that I don't want you to see the emperor, but that the emperor doesn't want to see you."
Gu Qishan didn't believe it.
He was only worried that Emperor Defeng was controlled by Xiao Yanlin, so he deliberately prevented him from seeing the emperor.
At this time, Feng Youcai walked out of the hall.
He looked at Gu Qishan with an apologetic expression and said, "General Gu, please go back. The Emperor really doesn't want to see you right now."
"Please, Eunuch Feng, pass on a message for me. I truly have something extremely urgent to report."
Feng Youcai looked hesitant.
He had just tried to persuade Emperor Defeng, but when Emperor Defeng heard Gu Qishan's name, he looked displeased and was completely unwilling to see him.
If I continue to persuade him, I'm afraid it will backfire.
A majestic voice came from the hall, "I don't want to see you, go back."
Gu Qishan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he heard that Emperor Defeng's voice was normal and not sounding sick.
But the emperor's attitude made him feel a little depressed.
"emperor……"
Emperor Defeng's voice was majestic and he interrupted him directly.
"Are my words not clear enough? Or do you intend to disobey my order?"
Gu Qishan's expression changed several times, and finally, he had to bow his head.
"I dare not. Since the emperor is in good health, I have nothing to worry about. I will take my leave."
He bowed and then turned and left.
Behind him, there was a gaze following him, like a cold snake.
Gu Qishan knew that the true intentions between the two sides had been revealed and the confrontation between them would no longer be concealed.
After returning to the general's mansion, Gu Qishan paced back and forth in the study.
He had to prepare for the worst.
Gu Qishan immediately called his confidant and explained everything to him.
That night, things really changed.
Emperor Defeng suddenly issued an imperial decree, arresting him on the charge of having secret dealings with spies in southern Yunnan, and also to search the general's mansion.
The conflict at the city gate during the day became a pretext for launching an attack.
Gu Qishan felt heavy in his heart.
Sure enough, the thing I was most worried about happened.
Zhang Quan's face was filled with anger. "My general is loyal and has made great contributions to the Great Qi. Why do you arrest him without any reason?"
The leading imperial guard had a defiant look on his face. "We are following the Emperor's orders. How could the Emperor wrongly accuse you? Get out of my way, or you will be disobeying his orders!"
Zhang Quan's face was filled with anger, and he felt even more chilled.
On the contrary, Gu Qishan looked calm.
This must have been the work of Prince Ning. He wanted to take advantage of the situation to search out those account books, but his plan was wrong.
He had arranged for all the evidence to be sent away in advance to a person who was absolutely safe.
This house was originally a reward from Emperor Defeng. Gu Qishan had not lived here for long, and he lived a simple life on weekdays. The furnishings were very few. The imperial guards who were searching the house quickly searched the entire house but found nothing.
Gu Qishan was taken to the Ministry of Justice and detained.
When Xiao Yanlin learned that no evidence was found, his face became gloomy.
"You can't even find anything, you're such a loser!"
The subordinates didn't dare to talk back and could only bow their heads and accept the scolding.
Xiao Yanlin knew that Gu Qishan must have hidden the things in advance. That old man was really cunning.
Although his father had been infected with the silkworm Gu, the evidence had not been destroyed, and he always felt uneasy.
Could it be in Prince Jin's Mansion? Although he had doubts, he couldn't openly search Prince Jin's Mansion, so he could only continue to investigate secretly.
The next day, Gu Qishan's arrest caused an uproar in the court.
Many court officials brought up the matter in court, but Emperor Defeng's attitude was cold. "Gu Qishan has colluded with the spies in southern Yunnan. I have already caught a witness. The evidence is irrefutable and beyond doubt!"
Some people stood up to speak for Gu Qishan, but they were all rejected by Emperor Defeng. Some people insisted on their own opinions, and Emperor Defeng became furious and left in anger.
Everyone was secretly trying to guess the emperor's thoughts, and no one pleaded for Gu Qishan anymore.
Afterwards, everyone discovered that Emperor Defeng's health was getting worse and worse. He would absent from court from time to time. The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau took turns to treat him, but to no avail.
The ill Emperor Defeng became much slower in reaction. When the court officials submitted memorials to him in the hall to ask for instructions, Emperor Defeng sat on the dragon throne with a dull expression and slow reactions. Sometimes he would only respond after being asked several times in a row.
Seeing Emperor Defeng in such a state, the court officials were secretly shocked.
At this time, everyone brought up the issue of establishing a crown prince again.
This time, everyone requested that Prince Ning be made the crown prince.
Some court officials also proposed to summon all the princes back to the capital to discuss the issue of appointing a crown prince.
The two factions argued endlessly in the court.
The dispute ended with Emperor Defeng issuing an imperial decree to appoint a crown prince.
"My eighth son, Prince Ning Xiao Yanlin, is gifted with wisdom and talent, filial, friendly, gentle, and respectful, with outstanding virtue and talent, and diligent and cautious. He respects Heaven and follows his ancestors, and is benevolent and kind-hearted. He is both talented in civil and military matters, and is highly praised by both the government and the people. I hereby grant the request of the court officials, in accordance with Heaven's will and in accordance with ancestral tradition, to bestow upon him the imperial seal and seal, appointing him as Crown Prince, and placing him squarely in the Crown Prince's seat, thereby strengthening the foundation of the nation."
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