NFBE Chapter 118 The Prince is Deposed
Chapter 118 The Prince is Deposed
The spring comes in September, and the plum blossoms break through the snow.
At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Longfeng City was captured.
The army of Wu State, led by Zong Yanli, attacked Jin State with such bravery.
The cheers, one louder than the other, symbolized the victory of Wu State, but also reflected the panic and despair on the faces of the people of Jin State.
"General, there is a letter from the capital!" The cold is gradually fading away and spring is just coming. This year, Zong Yanli is 22 years old. She is wrapped in armor with only a pair of dark pupils showing. The black wolf-que long sword at her waist has become her symbol.
"Come." Zong Yanli in the tent raised his eyes and stretched out his hand. Gao Feilin held the letter in both hands and handed it over.
When Zong Yanli read the letter, his eyes trembled. He frowned and stared at the letter in his hand for a long time, then threw it into the brazier beside him.
He immediately raised his eyes and said, "The Emperor wishes to depose the Crown Prince and asks all the generals to come to the tent."
The letter was sent by Wei Songhe. Ever since Wei Songhe married Zong Yanyin, any movement in the court would be sent to Zong Yanli. It can be seen that Wei Songhe respects his elder brother Zong Yanli very much, and he also knows the principle that family members share weal and woe.
The Zong Yan family is becoming more and more powerful now. As the news of the fall of Longfeng City in Jin State spread to the capital, the Zong Yan family's status has been catching up with the Qin family.
In the year when Zong Yanli led his army to fight, the capital was in a bloody storm. With the death of Prince Shou, the dispute between the Crown Prince and Prince Xuan became completely intense.
When two tigers fight, one of them will be injured. After all, the prince is no match for King Xuan.
There were two charges against the deposed crown prince.
One was to frame loyal and honest people, and the other was to use witchcraft to kill his father and seize the throne.
It was a fact known to almost everyone that the crown prince was incompetent, but the old emperor had been training him with all his heart for many years, only to find that he was getting worse and worse...
Framing a loyal and good person was already a serious crime. If the old emperor favored him, there might be a way to save him. No one expected that such a change would happen in the palace at this critical juncture. During the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, the prince performed witchcraft in front of everyone in the palace.
Not to mention that the emperor is already sixty-eight years old, and is now seriously ill and doesn't have much time left to live.
The prince was so impatient that he performed this kind of witchcraft in order to make his father ascend to heaven early and succeed to the throne himself?
Such an act of "patricide" almost made the old emperor furious.
Even so, the Emperor did not punish him immediately, and even gave the Prince a chance to defend himself. However, he never expected that the Crown Princess, fearing being implicated, would reveal the fact that the Prince had hidden the dragon robe, thus completely cutting off the Prince's escape route.
In the magnificent palace, a stove and brazier were burning under the gauze tent, and scented candlesticks were placed on the exquisite table. Noble Concubine Gao, who was leaning on the couch, rolled up her sleeves, revealing her flawless white wrists, and slowly brushed away the ashes on the table.
"Empress, the decree to depose the Crown Prince has been issued." The man in red stepped on small steps and there was some white air coming out of his mouth while he spoke.
When the spring chill had not yet dissipated and the winter clothes had not yet been taken off, she finally got what she wished for.
Gao Jiayue's beautiful eyes moved around, she was full of charm, she straightened up slightly and smiled with her red lips raised, "It's really a double happiness."
The young eunuch standing next to him was a little puzzled: "What is the second joy?"
Hong Jian smiled, looked at the young eunuch and said, "General Pingxi has defeated the Jin army. How can we not be happy?"
The young eunuch suddenly realized and hurriedly lowered his head to congratulate him, although he still had doubts in his heart. What was the relationship between his own imperial concubine and the General Pingxi, and why was he so happy about it?
Gao Jiayue stroked the tiny wrinkles on her cuffs, stood up and said, "Dress up for me. The emperor must be very sad about this blow, and I am also heartbroken for this..."
Under the warm sun, she walked out of the hall with light steps, slightly side-glanced at Hong Jian and asked, "Have you dealt with the tail?"
Hong Jian lowered her eyes calmly and replied: "Don't worry, Madam, nothing will go wrong."
Gao Jiayue smiled, and that bright smile was captivating to anyone who saw it.
She walked along the long palace road, looking straight ahead with fierce ambition hidden in her eyes. Wasn't this deep palace her "battlefield"?
"Go and bring Alang here." Gao Jiayue said with a smile, "I will take him to see the emperor."
"Yes." Hong Jian bowed and lowered his head in response.
In the dim bedroom, the old emperor with gray hair and a gloomy look was lying on the bed. The palace servants standing beside him stood with their heads bowed. Heavy bedding was piled on the old emperor's body. The emperor lying on his back on the dragon bed seemed to have heard the sound and tilted his head to look.
Gao Jiayue wiped the lip balm off her lips bit by bit, and when she lowered her head and looked up again, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Your Majesty..." The gentle tone was mixed with extreme panic and attachment. Just one call seemed to express the heart-wrenching love.
"The imperial concubine is here..." A hoarse voice sounded. Hearing Gao Jiayue's call, the old emperor couldn't help but cheer himself up. A smile appeared on his face, and even his cloudy eyes became much brighter.
"Father." Gao Jiayue came forward with Hong Jian leading the way behind him. The baby, who looked to be about three years old, was delicate and pretty. He knelt on the ground and bowed in a baby voice.
"Alang, come here quickly and let your father see you." The old emperor became even happier when he saw the little baby. His eyes were full of pity. He raised his old hand and waved to He Honglang.
He Honglang stood up clumsily, glanced at his mother, and ran over with his short legs. He got closer and called out again, "Father."
The old emperor raised his hand and placed it on He Honglang's little head. The blinking little baby looked at him with full admiration of a young cub. Anyone who saw him would feel fond of him, let alone this old emperor who had a son in his old age.
Gao Jiayue gently pressed the tip of her nose, and her beautiful eyes swept towards the face of the eunuch standing next to the old emperor.
The old eunuch smiled respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, look, the little prince looks exactly like you, and his eyes are so majestic!"
"Really?" Upon hearing this, the old emperor looked intently into He Honglang's eyes. The little baby grinned at him, and this smile was so touching that it could melt people's hearts.
"Hahaha!" The old emperor suddenly laughed.
"Don't flatter Alang, he's still so young." Gao Jiayue walked forward with a smile, and said with a little sadness: "I don't know what's wrong with him these days. He cries and can't sleep well at any time. He only smiles like this when he sees the emperor."
"It is said that father and son are connected by heart..." Gao Jiayue knelt down in front of the old emperor and begged tenderly, "Your Majesty, please allow Alang to stay in the palace to accompany you."
Gao Jiayue's words "father and son are connected by heart" really hit the old emperor right in the heart. First, Prince Shou rebelled, and then the crown prince used witchcraft to kill his father. The old emperor must have been extremely disappointed, and now, those children whom he had nurtured with all his heart and soul were finally alienated from him.
Father and son are connected by heart...
The old emperor lowered his eyes and looked at the little baby who was holding his hand and lying on his palm. He suddenly felt extremely painful. His emotions were so fluctuating that he couldn't help but coughing heavily.
“Your Majesty!? Your Majesty…” Upon seeing this, the palace servants nearby hurried forward to help him calm down.
"I am old." The old emperor coughed for a long time before he seemed to have recovered his breath. Looking at the mother and son who were holding his hands tightly, he could not help but sigh that time had not passed. Why had he not met them earlier?
"Little Alang must learn to be independent as soon as possible." The old emperor pulled out his hand, waved at Gao Jiayue and said, "I am tired."
Gao Jiayue was extremely reluctant. She looked back several times on the last step, with a look of worry and dependence in her eyes, and then she led He Honglang out of the hall.
Outside the hall, she gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. When she looked up again, her expression had returned to normal. Not far away, a beautiful girl was walking towards her. She seemed to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. Her eyebrows and eyes were three-quarters similar to Gao Jiayue.
"Aunt." This little girl was none other than the little princess that Gao Jiayue brought back from the Gao Kingdom. She was brought into the palace on behalf of the old emperor in the name of bringing good luck, and was now named Beauty Xi.
Gao Jiayue nodded slightly to signal her to stand up, then waved her over and asked in a low voice, "Has the medicine been given to the emperor?"
Lady Xi nodded imperceptibly, pursed her lips and glanced at the food box held by the palace servant behind her. Gao Jiayue followed her gaze and nodded in understanding.
She looked at Lady Xi with a smile and said, "The Emperor likes your cooking skills the most, you must serve him very carefully."
"Yes." Lady Xi bowed and responded.
Gao Jiayue turned around and walked away holding He Honglang's hand, her eyes full of emotion and eagerness. Her child was still so young, how could she let the emperor leave like this? She prayed sincerely day and night for the emperor to live longer, so that she could find a panacea to strengthen the emperor's heart and body.
Her sincerity is known to all. Whether it is for getting a happy marriage or seeking medicine, all she wants is the only one.
The Queen was extremely sad and angry when the Crown Prince was deposed. She complained on his behalf several times. She knew that her child was incompetent but she did not think that he would commit patricide and regicide. The appearance of the so-called witchcraft was so strange and inexplicable that it was clearly a frame-up!
The witchcraft incident had been going on for a long time. The crown prince had been in power for many years, and although he had not made any outstanding achievements, he had not committed any major mistakes either. There were people in the court who spoke for the crown prince.
Just at this time, trouble broke out in the harem again. The queen slapped the little prince He Honglang, causing him to fall into a coma. A palace maid saw the queen blame the three-year-old prince for the crown prince's dethronement and slapped him in anger. Such a vicious act completely aroused the emperor's disgust.
When Zong Yanli learned the news, it was already March.
Gao Jiayue used her actions to show Zong Yanli her abilities. She was not a useless woman. She used all means to fight for power in the imperial city.
What she wanted was not the temporary dethronement of the crown prince, what she wanted was the separation between the emperor and the empress, the estrangement between father and son, and for herself to be the ultimate beneficiary. The empress was imprisoned in the cold palace and stripped of her phoenix seal. Although it did not mean to depose her, it was equivalent to deposing her.
Perhaps because they saw that there was no possibility for the crown prince to be restored to the throne, there were few people who came to add icing on the cake, but there were countless people who came to take advantage of the situation.
It is unknown who was behind this, but we only know that the Ministry of Justice investigated again and again, and found irrefutable evidence of a dragon robe in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, and the witchcraft notes in the Crown Princess's boudoir were crystal clear.
In addition, there was a military report.
The secret correspondence between the Crown Prince and the Qin family was exposed without a doubt. They formed a clique for personal gain, controlled military power, practiced witchcraft, and secretly kept the dragon robe...
"The Qin family is finished." Zong Yanli looked at the letter in his hand and felt that the letter fell lightly in his hand but seemed to be as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"Forming a clique for personal gain is a serious crime." Gongsun Pu, Pei Liang and others sat at the bottom of the tent. The abolition of a country's crown prince was enough to show that the government and the public were shaken, and the vacant crown prince position would inevitably cause many disputes.
"I summoned you all here today for one thing." Zong Yanli sighed and said, "I want to write a letter to absolve the Qin family of sin. Do you think this is feasible?"
"General, do you want to speak for the Qin family?" Gongsun Pu paused while rubbing the jade flute on his waist, and looked at Zong Yanli in surprise.
"Yes." She did not act on impulse, but rather after careful consideration.
Zong Yanli straightened his back slightly and said, "As the army stationed in Beijing, the Qin family should have been trusted by the emperor, but they formed a clique with the prince to engage in private interests, which must have chilled the emperor's heart. My Zong Yan family is also a family of generals, and now almost all the troops on the border are under the command of the Zong Yan family."
Zong Yanli said calmly, "I am worried that the emperor is thinking far away. The Qin family, who have trusted him for many years, can still do this. I wonder if my Zong Yan family is also suspected of forming a clique?"
She thought very clearly that this must be a time when everyone is in danger, and the fire caused by the prince and the Qin family is too big.
When Pingnanying was in danger, King Xuan went in and out of Pingnanying several times to "associate" with Zong Yanhongjing, and also did things like sending death row prisoners to the army for Zong Yanli. It is hard to guarantee that someone would make a fuss about this and say that Zong Yan was in collusion with King Xuan.
If Zong Yanli intercedes for the Qin family, the emperor will understand that the Zong Yan family is definitely not King Xuan's people.
In addition, Zong Yanli had just made such a great contribution and did not know how to seek peace. Instead, he was so determined to plead for the Qin family. Such a loyal and righteous person was exactly what the emperor wanted to see most.
Zong Yanli submitted the memorial she had written, which contained warm and passionate words. She mentioned the trust she had in fighting side by side with the Qin family army in the battle of Yuanshi Pass, and the loyalty and bravery of the Qin family army in resisting foreign enemies. She did not make any false expressions, but spoke frankly and asked the emperor to be lenient with her sentence.
"This is not a letter of intercession, but a letter of your passion, General." Gongsun Pu understood after reading it. Zong Yanli intended to intercede for the Qin family, but also to use the Qin family as a cornerstone to move up a step and make the name Zong Yanli completely remembered by the emperor.
"The general is righteous." Anyone who reads this memorial will sigh with admiration, right?
Does the emperor really hate the Qin family so much?
The Qin family's achievements are outstanding, and their contributions to the country are by no means false. Therefore, when Zong Yanli's memorial was submitted to the Dragon Case, it stood out from the thousands of memorials that were meant to take advantage of the situation.
As the night deepened, the old emperor stared at Zong Yanli's memorial for a long time, as if he saw through the memorial the general in armor, pleading passionately with passionate words. The old emperor smiled for no reason and murmured, "Zong Yanli..."