"Why did Prince Nangong suddenly decide to go to Xiliang?" The matter of Consort Li was too shocking for the emperor to accept, so he changed the subject to avoid the main issue: The King of Yunnan was seriously injured at the border and his life was unknown. As a son, Nangong Xiao still had the mood to go to Xiliang for a stroll. He really had a lot of leisure time.
"Your Majesty, I went to Xiliang to gather evidence and quell the war between Qingyan and Nanjiang!" Nangong Xiao's trip to Xiliang was at the behest of Dongfang Heng.
He knew all of Dongfang Zhan's secrets and had been secretly sending people to search for evidence in Xiliang. As the commander-in-chief, he was unable to go to Xiliang, so he entrusted the matter to Nangong Xiao.
"What do you mean?" Qingyan has absolutely no connection with Xiliang and Nanjiang. How could going to Xiliang quell the war? It sounds like nonsense.
"Does Your Majesty remember the matter of Ye Qianmei losing her virginity to Qin Junhao of the Southern Frontier?" Nangong Xiao raised his eyes to look at the emperor.
"Of course I remember." It was the Emperor who bestowed Ye Qianmei upon Qin Junhao: "Is there a problem with starting a war between Nanjiang and Qingyan?" Ye Qianmei became Qin Junhao's favorite concubine. People who hate Qingyan, are they trying to instigate a war between Nanjiang and Qingyan? The people of Nanjiang are not fools. Would they start a war without considering the consequences for a disgraced princess of Xiliang?
"Ye Qianmei defied Qin Junhao and was killed by him with a single palm strike not long after leaving Qingyan Capital. Prince Zhan accidentally learned that Ye Qianmei was his own sister and rushed after the Southern Frontier caravan. He happened to witness Ye Qianmei's tragic death and hated Qin Junhao ever since..." Nangong Xiao said slowly, bathed in the golden sunlight.
"What? Ye Qianmei was killed by Qin Junhao?" The emperor frowned deeply. He didn't need Nangong Xiao to explain; he understood immediately. Dongfang Zhan hated Qin Junhao to the core. Taking advantage of Qin Junhao's unsuspecting arrival in Qingyan Capital, he cruelly killed him and then framed Dongfang Heng…
“Prince Zhan bought a few small houses in a very remote place in the suburbs, and Qin Junhao’s body is kept there.” Nangong Xiao waved his hand, and two guards carried a body in through the door.
The Imperial Study was where the emperor reviewed memorials. Bringing in a corpse would bring bad luck, and the royal family was most averse to bad luck. However, upon seeing the gruesome state of the corpse, the emperor could no longer utter a single word of rebuke.
The weather was cold, and the body was surrounded by ice. It had not yet decomposed and remained in the same position as when it died. Its eyes were wide open, and its face and lips were terribly pale. Its heart had been stabbed into a mess, a truly gruesome sight. Even the emperor, who had great composure, changed his expression slightly when he saw the mangled heart.
The murderer hated Qin Junhao so much that he used such a cruel method to kill him.
Wait, what is that?
Qin Junhao had been dead for some time, his body was dehydrated, his lips were cracked, revealing a few sharp teeth, and something was vaguely hidden between them: "Pinch his mouth open."
"Yes!" The guard responded and stepped forward, pried open Qin Junhao's mouth, and took out a small, shiny, round object.
"This is... a button from Prince Zhan's clothes..." The emperor stared in shock. The buttons of the royal family were all specially made. The emperor, concubines, crown prince, and princes were all different. Clever people could distinguish their status by the buttons on their clothes. There was only one young prince of Qingyan, Dongfang Zhan. This pearl button must be from his clothes.
If he had any doubts about Nangong Xiao before, he now believes it completely: Qin Junhao was killed by Dongfang Zhan.
"As far as I know, Qin Ruoyan was also summoned to the capital by Prince Zhan. His purpose is to create chaos in Qingyan Capital and weaken your guard forces, so that he can seize power amidst the chaos..."
Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Zhan are mortal enemies. Dongfang Heng has been secretly monitoring Dongfang Zhan's every move. Dongfang Heng has guessed that Dongfang Zhan has done many secret things and has secretly collected a lot of evidence.
He knew that the emperor favored Dongfang Zhan, and that one or two incidents wouldn't bring Dongfang Zhan down. So he planned to gather all the issues together, piling up small matters until they became a big deal, and then have Nangong Xiao say it, which would increase its credibility. If the emperor knew all at once that his most trusted son had done so many bad things that were detrimental to Qingyan, he would definitely be furious and severely punish Dongfang Zhan.
As expected, upon hearing that Qin Ruoyan's arrival in the capital was a deliberate act by Dongfang Zhan, the emperor's face darkened horribly. As the King of Qingyan, and someone who frequently associated with Qin Junhao, he must have long known the power of the Gu techniques of the Southern Frontier. Yet, for his own selfish desires, he disregarded the people of Qingyan, summoning Qin Ruoyan to the capital to use Gu techniques on the populace to seize power. His selfishness, audacity, and recklessness were unforgivable.
"Guards, go to the Zhan Prince's residence and summon the Zhan Prince." He's still alive and well, yet his son is resorting to any means to seize power. What a misfortune for the family! What a misfortune for the family!
The eunuch's shrill voice did not respond; instead, a tall, slender figure pushed open the door and entered: "Father wishes to see me."
Under the sunlight, Dongfang Zhan wore a deep blue brocade robe, which made his figure appear even taller and more slender. His handsome face was so beautiful that it was hard to look away. The smile in his sharp eyes was as gentle as ever, but it also revealed an indescribable coldness and eeriness. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, a shiny button was missing from his brocade robe, highlighting the boundless irony.
The emperor was immediately enraged: "Dongfang Zhan, this is my imperial study! How dare you barge in without announcing yourself!"
"Your Excellency outside the door, the guards are working day and night and are very tired. I've let them go and rest first," Dongfang Zhan said casually, completely disregarding the emperor's words.
What?! The eunuchs and guards at the outer gate have all been knocked unconscious by Dongfang Zhan!
"How dare you!" The emperor was shocked, furious and resentful. He raised his hand to strike Dongfang Zhan, but suddenly felt dizzy and his body became weak and powerless. His usually abundant internal energy had all disappeared, and he staggered, almost falling.
Nangong Xiao hurriedly stepped forward and supported the emperor: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The emperor shook his head, still somewhat dazed. He didn't know what was wrong with him; suddenly, he felt weak and powerless, his head was spinning, and he couldn't concentrate...
"Father was just upset and his body is weak. A bowl of tea will cool him down and he'll be fine." Dongfang Zhan magically produced a cup of tea and handed it to him with a smile.
The familiar, delicate aroma of tea jolted the emperor awake. Staring at the rising steam from the teacup, his eyes widened in shock: "Dongfang Zhan, you've always put something in the tea you serve me..."
“Otherwise, how could my father, who was in good health, become increasingly weak and frail?” Dongfang Zhan smiled slightly, his tone light, as if the emperor’s poisoning was a common occurrence.
"You..." The emperor pointed at Dongfang Zhan, his body trembling with rage: "The crown prince I appointed is Dongfang Hong. Even if I die, Hong'er will ascend the throne. Unless I give the order, you can forget about being emperor..."
Dongfang Zhan was the emperor's most outstanding son, and he had always wanted to hand over the throne to him. However, he never expected that Dongfang Zhan would poison him and try to kill his father and seize the throne. This was his most trusted and proud son! He was furious.
“Father, you have not been poisoned by a deadly poison, but by a slow-acting one. As long as you write a decree to pass the throne to your son, I will give you the antidote and let you live a carefree life as the retired emperor.”
Dongfang Zhan knew the emperor quite well and knew that he wanted to pass the throne to him. However, he had done too many things to harm Qingyan in order to deal with the enemy. If it were exposed, he would die ten times over and it would not be enough to atone for the sins he had committed. No matter how much the emperor protected him, he could not save him, let alone pass the throne to him.
Dongfang Heng had been making moves in secret all along. He could vaguely guess that Dongfang Heng was about to gather enough evidence. He had to strike first, become emperor, and leave the world with no way to criticize him anymore.
The emperor valued imperial power highly. If he directly asked the emperor to abdicate, the emperor would never agree. Therefore, he had to take a different approach and scheme against the emperor to force him to abdicate. The emperor treated him very well, and he left himself an out and did not kill the emperor.
"Don't even think about it!" The emperor was furious at being betrayed by his most trusted son. He wouldn't listen to a word of Dongfang Zhan's advice, roaring angrily, "Guards! Guards, come quickly..."
It was quiet outside, without any reaction. The wind rustled through the leaves.
Dongfang Zhan's magnetic voice rang out in the imperial study: "Father, don't waste your energy anymore. I came to the palace with thorough preparations. All the Imperial Guards outside are under my control. Now, everyone conscious in the palace is my man..."
"Wasn't your power reduced by more than half? How can you still manage to control so many Imperial Guards?" The emperor's shock was beyond words. The palace had three thousand Imperial Guards and over a thousand guards, yet Dongfang Zhan controlled them all. It was unbelievable. He knew his son was excellent, but he never expected him to be this powerful.
"Your subject has a small portion of his own power, but the majority of it comes from your maternal grandfather, Prime Minister Li. The reason you were able to control the palace so quietly is inseparable from your grandfather's help..." Dongfang Zhan's lips curled up, his smile mysterious and eerie.
The emperor was taken aback: "You mean, Prime Minister Li has also come to the palace?"
"My grandson is in trouble, how can I, as his grandfather, sit idly by?" A tall figure stepped into the imperial study, backlit by the sun. His slightly aged face was very familiar, but his eyes were bright and piercing, with a smug sneer in them: "Your Majesty, we meet again."
The emperor looked coldly at Prime Minister Li: "I didn't expect you to be so restless even after returning to your hometown, secretly maintaining close ties with officials in the capital." Prime Minister Li's power was concentrated among the officials in the court. Dongfang Zhan was able to quietly grasp the entire palace in his hands, which was inseparable from the secret assistance of these officials.
Prime Minister Li did not argue with the emperor. Instead, he appealed to the emperor's emotions and reasoned with him: "Your Majesty, Prince Zhan is more outstanding than the Crown Prince. It is the people's will for him to become emperor. Why should you make an enemy of the common people? Wouldn't it be better to follow the will of the people, make him the Crown Prince, and govern Qingyan to become strong and prosperous?"
"When did it become your place to interfere in the affairs of our Eastern royal family?" The emperor spoke arrogantly, his eyes full of disdain: "Now I am the ruler of Qingyan. The next emperor of Qingyan will be decided by me. I will pass the throne to whomever I want. If I say no, even if that prince has extraordinary abilities, he can forget about ascending the throne."
The implication is that the emperor is not afraid of being pressured, and that Prime Minister Li and his grandson Dongfang Zhan alone cannot force him to issue an edict.