pertwk Page 416
Page 416
"His Majesty has always been like this; otherwise, how could he have achieved such a great vision today?"
"His Majesty has passed away; you two should be careful with your words."
At Zheng Dongliu's prompting, Zhu Wushi and Zhuge Shenhou both fell silent. One was the emperor's uncle, and the other was a marquis bestowed by the late emperor, both with special status.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"The Imperial Guards have arrived."
“Those are… Lord Guo and the two eunuchs.”
The newcomers were none other than the other three leaders of the six major powers: Guo Bujing, Cao Zhengchun, and Yu Huatian.
The imperial guards stopped outside the palace.
As soon as Guo Bujing, Cao Zhengchun, and Yu Huatian stepped into the main hall, countless voices arose around them.
"Eunuch Cao, what exactly happened last night? How did His Majesty pass away?"
"Eunuch Yu, did His Majesty leave a will before his death? Whom should we appoint as emperor?"
"Lord Guo, why are you with those two eunuchs?"
A barrage of questions revealed the fear and unease in the hearts of the courtiers, for such a thing had never happened before.
"I know that all of you colleagues are concerned about the reason for His Majesty's passing. Please be patient and listen to what I have to say."
The Hall of Supreme Harmony gradually quieted down, and even the young princes stopped crying. Under the care of the eunuchs, they looked at Guo Bujing with a dazed expression.
"Last night, the heir of the Prince of Pingnan colluded with Ye Gucheng and Chief Steward Wang, among others, to use the showdown at the Forbidden City as a pretext to enter the palace and assassinate His Majesty."
"Chief Steward Wang secretly ordered a large number of passes to be issued, resulting in a mixed crowd in the Forbidden City. Deputy Commander Wei Ziyun failed to supervise properly and has been dismissed and investigated. It was the Imperial Guards' dereliction of duty that failed to protect His Majesty."
Guo Bujing revealed the cause of the emperor's death, but made no mention of the imperial guards' siege of Chuyang.
Then, Zhuge Shenhou, who knew some of the inside story, couldn't help but look at Guo Bujing, as well as Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian beside him.
The three of them together looked rather odd.
Zhu Wushi's eyes suddenly sharpened as he asked, "Why would the Prince of Pingnan's heir attempt to assassinate His Majesty? And how could he possibly do so?"
"What even a Grandmaster cannot accomplish, how could Ye Gucheng possibly do?"
"Just because of his 'Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens' move?"
All the civil and military officials looked at Guo Bujing with the same puzzlement.
At this moment, Cao Zhengchun stepped forward and explained, "The reason why the Prince of Pingnan was able to successfully assassinate him is because they used a vicious technique."
"Because this matter is of great importance, we can only discuss it in detail with the three adults."
The lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the fiefdom under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Pingnan's Mansion are a major issue, and the blood sacrifice ritual can affect the dragon vein and the fate of the nation, which is an even more important issue.
The fewer people who know about it, the better.
Zhuge Shenhou and the other two listened intently, and were all shocked when they learned the truth.
However, their expressions also aroused the curiosity of the other officials, but intimidated by their imposing presence, no one dared to ask them for the time being.
The civil officials all looked at Yan Song without prior arrangement.
As the Prime Minister, he should say something now.
Yan Song also felt he should say something, so he cleared his throat and prepared to speak.
"If you are not feeling well, please go back first. After all, you are getting on in years."
Zhuge Shenhou and Zhu Wushi stared at Yan Song at the same time, their eyes sharp as knives, making the latter feel a chill in his heart.
"Please don't mind, my lords. I just have a sore throat, it's nothing serious."
Yan Song chuckled dryly and retreated.
The other civil officials looked on with disappointment.
Unbeknownst to everyone, a young official behind Xu Jie strode out of the ranks of officials and headed straight for the six most powerful people.
"May I ask you gentlemen, is there anything that your colleagues cannot know?"
The young official's outspokenness brought the atmosphere inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony to a freezing point.
"Uncle, come back!"
Xu Jie stepped forward, grabbed the middle-aged official's sleeve, and tried to take him back.
Zhang Juzheng remained motionless, his gaze resolute. Even if he made a huge mess today, he was determined to challenge the authority of the six men.
For no other reason than to prevent the imperial court from becoming a place where these six people hold absolute power.
A flash of anger crossed the Iron-Blooded Marquis's eyes.
Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian looked displeased.
However, Zhuge Shenhou, Zheng Dongliu, and Guo Bujing all looked at Zhang Juzheng with admiration.
Having witnessed Yan Song's cunning and shrewdness, and Xu Jie's shrewdness and cunning, Zhang Juzheng's fortitude was like a ray of light shining into the corrupt court of the Ming Dynasty.
“There’s nothing that can’t be said. The Prince of Pingnan sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people on his fiefdom to create a Blood Sacrifice Pearl, which his son used to pollute the dragon vein with the people’s resentment.”
Chu Yang walked in from outside the hall, step by step, and stood in front of Zhang Juzheng, saying, "Anything else you want to ask?"
"No...that's all." Zhang Juzheng was intimidated by Chu Yang's imposing manner, and his words became stammered.
Not only him, but all the other civil officials were also taken aback when they saw Chu Yang appear here.
"Since there's nothing else to ask, let's hurry up and get the funeral done. What kind of scene is it for a bunch of people to be crying and wailing here?"
Chu Yang's indifferent gaze swept over the officials in the hall, then he turned and walked towards the high seat in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. As he passed by Zhuge Shenhou and the others, he didn't say a word, as if he were treating these six people as if they were invisible.
Such an arrogant act made the civil and military officials tense up, feeling as if they could hardly breathe.
It wasn't until Chu Yang sat on the dragon throne that everyone snapped out of their daze, staring at him with a mixture of shock and anger.
Everyone hadn't decided who should be emperor, so why did you get on top of the list?
It's not your turn, Your Majesty!
Don't you have any idea what kind of reputation you have?
Some of the officials wanted to curse the King of Xian for his shamelessness, and some even wanted Chu Yang to take a piss and look at himself in the mirror.
But it wasn't their turn to speak, because the real decision-makers were those six people.
"What does Your Highness mean by this?"
Zhu Wushi, who was the most dissatisfied, spoke first. He also wanted to sit in this position, but he couldn't be as unrestrained as Chu Yang. After all, he had to maintain his previous image.
He felt both envious and somewhat annoyed by this.
"Sitting in this chair, of course you're the emperor! Is Uncle getting old and your mind isn't working properly?"
Chu Yang said with a worried expression.
Zhu Wushi felt a surge of anger rising in his throat, and he almost burst into a tirade, but he held back in the end and said in a gentle tone, "The ministers have not yet set out a set of rules. Even if you are interested in the throne, you must follow the rules."
Chu Yang tilted his head and smiled, "Rules? My rules are the rules."
Zhu Wushi finally couldn't hold back any longer and glared angrily at Chu Yang, "Don't think you can be so arrogant just because you've been hiding some of your cultivation. If you don't come down now, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian immediately looked at Zhu Wushi as if he were an idiot.
That guy is really brave.
Guo Bujing softly reminded him, "My lord, your two top-ranking spies have not yet returned, have they?"
Zhu Wushi frowned and said, "Tianya and Yidao have indeed not returned yet."
Guo Bujing continued, "I advise Your Highness to calm down. Wait for them to return, ask them about it, and then make a plan."
Zhu Wushi looked at Guo Bujing in surprise; the warning in the other party's words was very obvious.
He was unaware that Lu Xiaofeng had discussed the events in Jinling City with the three of them the previous night, and that all three now knew that Chu Yang had killed two great demon kings.
Guo Bujing couldn't help but shout with delight after hearing this, wishing he had been there to fight alongside Chu Yang and slay the demons together.
Cao Zhengchun was so frustrated that he beat his chest in despair. If he had known that the Prince Xian was so fierce, he would never have walked into the line of fire and almost lost his life.
Having realized the gap between the two sides, Yu Huatian was completely convinced of Chu Yang's powerful strength and became his number one die-hard fan, ranking on par with Li Gexiao.
Zhuge Shenhou asked with considerable surprise, "Judging from Lord Guo's tone, it seems you have already decided to support the virtuous king's ascension to the throne?"
Guo Bujing nodded without hesitation.
"Not only Lord Guo, but I also believe that only the Prince is qualified to ascend the throne."
Cao Zhengchun hurriedly pledged his loyalty to Chu Yang, fearing that Guo Bujing would steal his thunder.
"me too!"
Yu Huatian, who was the last to speak up, was filled with regret. Why was he always a step behind Cao Laogou in this regard?!
The officials were stunned. In just a short while, three out of the six had expressed their support for the wise king. This scene was completely unexpected by everyone.
No one should have chosen the wise prince!
Sirs, you are all so foolish!
Seeing how decisive the three of them were, Zhuge Shenhou was certain that they knew something he did not.