☆、281 The deposed crown prince first allowed the villains to gain power!
"The Crown Prince is plotting a rebellion and usurping the throne! A curse spell has been found in his palace! There are also letters of collusion with outsiders! Guards, seize him immediately!" The leader of the guards shouted as he pointed his longsword at Huangfu Yun, who was not far away.
“Crown Prince, the future throne is yours, how could you be so foolish as to try to usurp it? The Crown Prince is very anxious! Father is in good health, how could you curse him?” Huangfu Ting stepped forward from the side at this moment, “Quickly invite your elder brother to Father and explain the facts!”
"Huangfu Ting, you framed me!" Huangfu Yun immediately realized what was going on, shouted angrily, and turned to run towards the Imperial Garden behind him. However, many Imperial Guards were already waiting in the Imperial Garden, leaving Huangfu Yun nowhere to escape!
“Crown Prince, it would be best if you did not resist. If you do, Father will believe you are guilty! Could it be that you are the one who killed Prince Lin?” Huangfu Ting stepped forward, his face full of smugness.
"What?" Huangfu Yun finally understood. "You! Huangfu Ting, so you and Empress Yao were planning to make me your scapegoat!"
"Heh, so what?" Huangfu Ting sneered. "Men, seize him. If he resists, then..." Huangfu Ting didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood perfectly well!
"It's a bit difficult for me to die!" Huangfu Yun drew his soft sword from his waist and immediately began to slash at the imperial guards who surrounded him. However, those imperial guards were also extremely skilled. Having received Huangfu Ting's orders, they naturally had no scruples towards Huangfu Yun. They would use their ultimate moves to kill him without hesitation, so Huangfu Yun was gradually becoming overwhelmed! Several cuts had been made on his body by the imperial guards, and blood flowed out, staining the crown prince's robe, giving it a different kind of desolate feel.
Huangfu Yun knew he couldn't kill these people, so he tried to escape and headed towards the back gate of the palace, fighting and retreating at the same time.
Seeing the situation, Huangfu Ting immediately shouted, "Go forward and intercept him! You must capture this man! If he escapes, you're all doomed!"
The Imperial Guards became even more ferocious in their attacks on Huangfu Yun. Huangfu Yun, exhausted, was slashed several more times. Huangfu Ting stepped forward and sneered, "Let's see where you can escape to. All of this was never yours to begin with, and it's only right that it be taken back now!"
"You are all vicious! I will never let you get away with this. I will expose you to the Emperor, saying that you are the ones plotting to usurp the throne! Empress Yao is extremely wicked, actually putting opium in the Emperor's food! You people are all vicious snakes, and you will definitely not have a good end!"
The surrounding imperial guards were astonished. Was this really defying the heavens?
"You all trust me and the Empress Dowager. If anyone dares to betray us, I will make sure they suffer a terrible death!" Huangfu Ting sneered. "Go forward and kill him!"
Huangfu Yun clutched his wound, raised his sword to defend himself, and prepared for a final, desperate fight.
The Imperial Guards surged forward, their longswords and broadswords aimed at Huangfu Yun! Huangfu Ting watched, his eyes filled with excitement. He was about to become the Crown Prince; how could he not be excited and happy?
But seeing that the Imperial Guards had not yet killed Huangfu Yun, Huangfu Ting felt a little anxious. If anything went wrong, he would be doomed! He figured that Huangfu Yun would not pose a threat to him, so he immediately stepped forward, picked up the longsword with his intact right arm, poured his specially made poison on the sword, and then began to slash at Huangfu Yun.
"Your Highness, be careful of your wound!" a guard shouted, but how could Huangfu Ting possibly stop? In his eyes, what could be more pleasurable than killing? He was still seething with anger at failing to kill the six envoys from Fusang! He had always disliked this man! Addicted to impersonating the Crown Prince, he even dared to plot to kill him. How could such a person be allowed to live?
Huangfu Ting's martial arts skills were superior to Huangfu Yun's. Although losing an arm made things inconvenient, he quickly closed in on Huangfu Yun, unleashing deadly attacks with every strike. Huangfu Yun was unable to dodge and was cut several times by Huangfu Ting.
The pain inside his body suddenly intensified. Huangfu Yun gritted his teeth, his face deathly pale, and he barely managed to retreat, using his longsword to support himself. He grimaced, blood dripping from his mouth, and cried out, "I will never let you get away with this!"
"Go tell those words to Yama, the King of Hell, in hell!" Huangfu Ting sneered, raising his sword to unleash his final, deadly move. Huangfu Yun felt as if he were about to die, and could only raise his sword, trying to block the incoming strike.
With a loud crash, Huangfu Yun was surprised to find that he had not died! And standing in front of him was a tall, handsome man dressed in a black bodysuit with a black cloth covering his face. His dark eyes were bright and piercing, exuding an aura of domineering disdain for the world!
"Who are you? Men, take care of him right now!" Huangfu Ting took a few steps back; the force of the collision had left his arm throbbing with pain! Who the hell was this guy? He never expected Huangfu Yun to have accomplices!
The man in black held only an ordinary longsword, which he had picked up from the ground. However, the longsword transformed into a deadly weapon in his hands, killing all the guards who came forward!
Seeing someone helping him, Huangfu Yun immediately braced himself and tried to escape. The man in black sneered, and in a flash, he was beside Huangfu Yun. "You think you can escape alone?"
"Me." Huangfu Yun was speechless for a moment, but the man in black had already grabbed his wrist with his large hand, and with a light step, he used his lightness skill and flew into the air!
Huangfu Yun was startled and stood there stunned for a long time.
Huangfu Ting was taken aback. "Chase! We absolutely cannot leave any survivors!" He couldn't quite make out whose voice that person was. Could it be that another extremely powerful figure has appeared in the capital?
Meanwhile, the man in black had already dragged Huangfu Yun to the back gate of the palace. In a few quick movements, he leaped onto the palace wall and disappeared into the darkening night.
Huangfu Yun was already quite poisoned at this point, and he was getting annoyed by the man in black pulling him along, so he immediately vomited a mouthful of blood.
The man in black stopped immediately. He looked at the man, then took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket, poured out a pill, and stuffed it into Huangfu Yun's hand. "Take this if you don't want to die!"
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Yun immediately swallowed the medicine. Since he had already been saved, the reason must be that he was still of use to this person, so he would definitely not die for the time being! He should wait for the right opportunity to escape!
The man in black watched as he finished taking the medicine, then immediately grasped his wrist and gently checked his pulse. "The poisoning isn't severe; it can be cured! Let's go!" he said, quickly pulling him away.
Huangfu Yun didn't say much, and was pulled forward by him. After walking for an unknown amount of time, Huangfu Yun suddenly felt a pain in his neck and immediately fainted.
When I woke up, I found myself in a dark dungeon!
Huangfu Yun slammed his fist against the wall. Damn it, he had just escaped one danger only to fall into another. He was really in for a world of trouble!
He couldn't just sit and wait to die! Huangfu Yun immediately sat down to meditate and circulate his internal energy, but as soon as he did, his heart began to clench painfully! Suddenly, Huangfu Yun spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
"So eager to hone your martial arts and escape, just as you'd expect from the Crown Prince..." A woman's voice drifted out at this moment. Upon hearing this voice, Huangfu Yun immediately sat up from the ground. "Who are you?"
"As expected, it's the Crown Prince, but an imposter!" Ji Wushang chuckled. She looked at Nan Xuzong walking beside her. Nan Xuzong's unusual black attire caught her eye when she first saw him!
"What does my wife intend to do with him?" Nan Xuzong asked in a low voice.
"It's not worthwhile to simply hand it over to the Second Prince; we need to make a good deal!" Ji Wushang's red lips moved slightly, her face hidden by a veil, making it impossible for anyone to see her features.
"Then let's do as my wife says," Nan Xuzong said. "Let him stay here and we'll come back when the time is right."
"Mm." Ji Wushang nodded, then turned and gently took Nan Xuzong's hand. "My husband, you've worked hard. Let's go back."
"Hey, who are you people? What business are you talking about? Let me out!" Huangfu Yun shouted. He didn't care if the woman knew he was an imposter prince; now, only they could save him!
"Who is it? Someone who won't kill you for now!" Ji Wushang laughed. "Or you can tell us everything you know, and perhaps we can help you avoid a fatal disaster!"
"Hmph!" Huangfu Yun sneered, "So you were just someone who wanted to use me. Hmph, release me obediently, or I, this Crown Prince, will make you regret it!"
Ji Wushang turned away and ignored him, while Nan Xuzong flicked his finger at Huangfu Yun, who immediately cried out in pain, "Ah!" and clutched his calf.
"His voice is so loud." Ji Wushang frowned slightly.
“Simple.” Nan Xuzong flicked his finger again from a distance, and immediately the voice fell silent.
Huangfu Yun, his voice hoarse with unbearable pain, rolled and crawled in the dungeon!
"Let's go!" Nan Xuzong smiled, took Ji Wushang's hand, and walked out.
"You, you mustn't leave!" Huangfu Yun shouted immediately, but Ji Wushang and Nan Xuzong ignored him and went outside.
As the sound gradually faded away, Nan Xuzong asked, "Why did you go to see Huangfu Yun instead of asking him what the truth was?"
"Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy. He is extremely wary right now, and asking him questions will not yield any results for us. So we should first soften his will, and then attack his weaknesses. Then we can ask Empress Yao and the Second Prince about their specific plans."
"Hmm." Nan Xuzong understood.
"A lot of things will definitely come out tomorrow morning, so we need to hurry up and do something else."
"What's up?"
By the next morning, news had spread throughout the capital that Crown Prince Huangfu Yun had used a curse to incite the emperor's rebellion, and that Second Prince Huangfu Ting had led a nighttime investigation. Various versions of the story criticized Huangfu Yun while praising Huangfu Ting.
Inside a temporary palace, within a red silk tent, soft moans and heavy breathing could be heard.
"Your Highness, come here! I love it so much!" The woman was alluring and peerless, her soft, boneless body and her eyes were captivating.
"Don't rush, I have them all!" The man was determined to be as virile as he was in bed.
After the passion subsided, the man got out of bed and said, "Undress me!"
"Yes." Two alluring women, their bodies half-covered, lightly lifted their jade feet, drawing the man's gaze.
"Second Prince, when will you take me back to the palace?" A woman's hand slid up the man's chest, her eyes seductive, as if she wanted to seduce the man in front of her.
“And me!” Another woman was not to be outdone, her fragrant tongue rolling as she attacked his muscular chest.
Huangfu Ting was stunned. Damn it, these women in the harem are really something!
"Yes, don't worry, soon I will definitely take you all into my palace! Now is not the time!" He grabbed their faces with his large hands, pinching and gently rubbing them. "You've all heard about the battle between Consort Yao and Consort Yuan for the Emperor's favor. You'd better not get involved in their war, or you'll be left standing up and lying down, so don't blame me!"
"Yes." The two women nodded immediately. No wonder there were two tigresses in the Prince's mansion; otherwise, Huangfu Ting wouldn't need to come to the harem to hunt for food!
"Your Highness, good news!" A eunuch outside the palace called out softly.
Huangfu Ting pulled the two women off, dressed quickly, and went out immediately. "What's the matter?"
The eunuch immediately stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear.
Huangfu Ting was overjoyed. "Great! This is truly heaven's help!" He was extremely excited and, looking at the sky, immediately went to court.
Meanwhile, the court was filled with ministers, all whispering among themselves. As Huangfu Ting entered the hall, some immediately stepped forward to curry favor or offer congratulations.
Huangfu Ting snorted coldly, a disdainful look on his lips. These people were probably just looking for a foothold in this situation.
At this moment, Nan Xuzong and Huangfu Xuan walked in side by side. Some ministers quickly stood at attention, not daring to look at Huangfu Ting too much. Huangfu Yu walked in from outside, a playful smile on his face. He stood beside Huangfu Ting and said, "Congratulations, Second Brother!"
"What's there to congratulate? Sixth Brother, don't speak recklessly!" Huangfu Ting snorted coldly, but he was in a very good mood. If nothing unexpected happened today, he should be the deposed crown prince. When the time was right, he would do a few good deeds and win over Emperor Zhou's heart. Then the position of crown prince would be in his hands!
As for Huangfu Xuan, Nan Xu Cong, and the others, we'll find an opportunity to eliminate them!
Huangfu Yu smiled, looking nonchalant. Looking at Huangfu Xuan and Nan Xuzong, he said, "Third and Fourth Brothers, you seem to be in high spirits today!"
“The sixth prince is not bad either,” Nan Xuzong said calmly.
Huangfu Yu stood there with a smile on his face, seemingly unconcerned, as if he were an outsider.
At this moment, Emperor Zhou had already stepped out from behind the screen. He glanced down at the crowd, and they all knelt down and prostrated themselves on the ground.
Emperor Zhou's face was stern, his dragon-like presence striking. He sat on the dragon throne, waved his hand, and the eunuch standing to the side immediately stepped forward to open the imperial edict in his hand and began to read it aloud.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: ... Crown Prince Huangfu Yun used a curse to seduce His Majesty and plotted rebellion, which is intolerable to Heaven and Earth! Therefore, Crown Prince Huangfu Yun is hereby deposed! As the Crown Prince has fled, he shall be torn apart by five horses after his capture! ... So be it!"
Those around dared not utter a sound; it truly was an attempt at rebellion! This was utterly outrageous! Deposing him was justified, but wouldn't the position of crown prince be left vacant? Then the struggle for the throne would become even more intense!
At this moment, Huangfu Ting stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said, "Father, I have something to report!"
"Speak!" Emperor Zhou's face was cold, his chest filled with rage! Damn it, he's already the Crown Prince, yet he still curses me to die young. His crime is unforgivable, he deserves to be executed! I'll treat him to being torn apart by five horses, that's already lenient!
"Your Majesty, I have found the murderer who killed Prince Lin!" Huangfu Ting held a letter high above his head.
"Who is it?" Emperor Zhou immediately stood up and waved his hand, ordering the eunuchs in the court to present the letter.
"Yes, it was my eldest brother!" Huangfu Ting said. "After court yesterday, I immediately sent people to investigate and found that the person behind it all was my eldest brother! I never expected that my eldest brother would attempt to rebel. When I led the Imperial Guards to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace to collect evidence, I found that my eldest brother was extremely anxious and trying to escape. Even though I severely injured him, I still managed to let him and his allies escape! I beg Father to punish me!"
Emperor Zhou opened the letter, glanced at it quickly, and then slammed it onto the dragon table. "Outrageous! Guards, issue a warrant for Huangfu Yun's arrest! If he sees him, kill him! He has truly disappointed me! He's infuriating me!" As he spoke, he clutched his chest.
Everyone around was astonished, "Your Majesty!"
"What are you yelling about?!" Emperor Zhou roared immediately, glaring at the crowd. They all knelt on the ground again, pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
"Hmph!" Emperor Zhou sneered, "You people all just can't stand my good health, can you? You all want me to die quickly!"
The people around didn't dare to breathe, and they all knelt on the ground.
Emperor Zhou glared coldly at Huangfu Ting, "Huangfu Ting! I'm entrusting Prince Lin's matter to you! If Fusang is not satisfied, you are not to attend court!"
"Your subject obeys!" Huangfu Ting was secretly pleased; he was certain this matter would be handled perfectly! The scapegoat had already been brought out, and had been poisoned and wounded by his own sword; was there any chance he could survive? Absolutely not!
Once I've won over the public, won't the position of crown prince be mine? With further preparations, how could I not secure the throne? I refuse to believe that Huangfu Xuan and the others can compete with me!
Emperor Zhou glanced disdainfully at the crowd, then flicked his sleeves and immediately stepped behind the screen. "Court adjourned!"
When Nan Xuzong returned to Moxuan Garden, he saw Ji Wushang sunbathing in the courtyard, sewing a long robe that, according to its specifications and size, should be his own.