The Duke of Anguo was also like this. He glanced at the few people and asked, "Do you have anything to say, Your Highness?"
The Fourth Prince, who always loved to show off, also shut up at this time. What a joke! How could he be such a person!
The Third Prince was not stupid. This matter had both advantages and disadvantages, but if one calculated carefully, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages. If something really happened to his father, this would indeed be a great feat of saving the emperor. But if his father was just taking the opportunity to see who jumped more happily, wouldn't he be a fool who jumped into the pit himself
It's too risky. He'd better play it safe.
The fifth prince simply lowered his head and wiped his eyes, too sad to speak.
Xiao Liu lowered his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking. Just when all the ministers were disappointed, the Fourth Prince spoke, "Xiao Liu, didn't you say before that you were willing to pay any price as long as you could enter the palace? I'm not forcing you. You have General Sun as your backer, so even if there is something wrong, your father will definitely consider it. To be honest, you are the most suitable one."
It was simply brainless to frame someone so blatantly in front of all the ministers. Duke Dingguo was furious and also felt disappointed that Daqing had such a prince. Now that the crown prince had not been appointed, he might be the next emperor. If the future of Daqing was handed over to him, he couldn't imagine whether the country that his ancestors had fought for could still belong to the Gu family.
Just as he was about to speak, the Sixth Prince's still childish voice rang out, "Little Six is willing."
Giving his fourth brother a cold look, Xiao Liu bowed to all the ministers and said, "Xiao Liu is willing to come forward. I care about my father. I think even if I really come before my father, he will understand me. As long as I can see that my father is safe, Xiao Liu is willing to bear all the consequences."
The whole hall was in silence, and then, led by Duke Dingguo, all the officials bowed to him no matter what they thought in their hearts. With such a responsibility, it didn't matter if he was young.
Duke Dingguo seemed to see hope for the royal family, and at this moment he couldn't help but smile, "Don't worry, Sixth Prince. I will shoulder the consequences with you."
Duke Anguo stepped forward and said, "The same is true for me."
After that, it was the six ministries and the rest of the ministers. "I am willing to shoulder the responsibility together with His Highness the Sixth Prince."
Xiaoliu was emotional. The master said that people in the world have things they should do and things they shouldn't do. He felt that now was the time to do it. His father hadn't appeared for ten days. It was completely understandable for him to overstep his bounds from the standpoint of righteousness. No one could accuse him of forcing the emperor to abdicate. The master said that there was something wrong with Haoyue, and everything would be clear once he entered the palace. He believed in the master's judgment.
And he was really worried about his grandmother.
Biting his lip, Xiao Liu looked at Duke Dingguo and asked, "What should I do now?"
"Your Highness, please order General Zhou to lead the soldiers of the Central Camp to wait outside the palace gate. Then, please order all the officials to kneel outside the palace. If the emperor still does not appear after an hour..." Duke Dingguo shook his sleeves, "Save the emperor!"
Xiao Liu took a deep breath, took off his prince's token and handed it to the Minister of War Chen Yuanqing, "Tell General Liu to wait outside the palace gate. From now on, if there is no news within an hour, ask him to lead the troops into the palace immediately."
The hand Chen Yuanqing stretched out was shaking a little. He forced himself to calm down and went to handle the matter personally.
Xiao Liu turned to look at the princes and said, "My brother alone may not be able to come to see me. I would like to ask the three brothers to come and see our father as well."
The third prince and the fifth prince had no objection. Anyway, they would not have to take any responsibility if they stayed. However, the fourth prince did not agree.
He needs to get out of here!
But after Xiaoliu said this, he couldn't explain himself if he left again.
Duke Dingguo looked at Xiaoliu with admiration. He knew to give back after suffering a loss, and he could still find no fault with him. That was great. Today, the Sixth Prince was so brave and resourceful that he was impressed.
In the past, the Sixth Prince was as low-key as the Fifth Prince in the palace. He did not make mistakes, but he was not outstanding either. After being harmed by the Fourth Prince and the Eldest Prince, he became wise and changed dramatically. He is still low-key, but obviously smarter.
Later, when they learned that he was actually living a life like an ordinary person in the Hua family as if it was a matter of course, many people dropped their jaws. Psychologically speaking, this was very extraordinary, as not all princes could put aside their status as princes and treat themselves as ordinary people. This was their innate dignity, integrated with their blood, and the idea of giving up had never occurred to them, just like that position, which they had been looking up to and wanting to sit on since they were born.
Although Hua Zhi's identity as the prince's teacher is known to everyone, he has not been recognized by the royal family until now. But now that he has acknowledged it, he will surely be recognized by everyone in the future. Just because he has taught the Sixth Prince to be so responsible and courageous, he deserves to be recognized.
Being a teacher is not enough just to study knowledge, you must first teach people how to be a good person.
It is obvious that Hua Zhi did a very good job in this regard.
Kneeling in His Highness's presence, Duke Dingguo was thinking about these things in a scattershot manner. He even suspected that she was the one stabilizing Xiaoliu's faction since Hua Zhi returned to the capital, so no matter how unfavorable the situation was to them, they never took a wrong step.
Even the old fellow Hua Yizhen might not do a better job than Hua Zhi in the capital. Although he may not have any plan in mind, he has already done his best in terms of maintaining the status quo. Before, he had no preference on who would be the crown prince, as the several princes were really not outstanding. Now that the superior one has been decided, it can be considered a blessing in disguise.
Time passed slowly, and the ministers quietly changed their postures countless times, but there was still no movement in the inner palace.
Until the last moment, the door connecting to the inner palace slowly opened. The ministers forgot that they could not see the emperor and looked up together. However, they still saw Eunuch Chang. There was no one else behind him. Disappointment overwhelmed them.
Eunuch Chang probably knew that he was not well received, so he stammered, "The emperor has ordered that I am not feeling well, so please return immediately, my dear ministers."
Duke Dingguo stood up, and his body swayed noticeably due to being so fragile for so long. Duke Anguo, who was standing beside him, was a military commander by birth and was a few years younger than him. Although his knees also hurt, he could bear it. Seeing this, he immediately stepped forward to support him.
"Sixth Prince, the door is open."
Xiaoliu clenched his hands into fists, raised his head and ordered: "Capture Eunuch Chang."
A general followed the order and stepped forward to arrest the eunuch Chang who was about to run back. The eunuch Chang yelled, "How dare you! How dare you! I am an angel, why don't you let me go!"
The general simply took off Eunuch Chang's own shoes and stuffed them into his mouth, and there was immediate peace.
Xiao Liu continued to give orders, "Wait for General Zhou to bring his soldiers to rescue you."
"Sixth brother, would you please reconsider this? Isn't this the same as forcing the emperor to abdicate?"
Xiao Liu raised his head, the corners of his lips curled up coldly, "Fourth brother, when you see father, just report to him."
The fourth prince smiled awkwardly at being contradicted, "Brother, why would you say such a thing? You have good intentions. Isn't brother worried about you?"
"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Brother." Xiao Liu bowed slightly and turned away. "In order to prevent Fourth Brother from accusing me of forcing the emperor to abdicate, I will not wait for General Liu."
Duke Dingguo stepped forward and said, "Your humble servant is with His Highness the Sixth Prince."
Most of the court officials followed suit, including some from the Fourth Prince's faction like Wei Congwen. At this point, righteousness came first.
PS: Kong Kong’s head is now empty, and this plot is finally almost finished.