Compared with the vast number of ministers, the harem was quiet and peaceful, with no signs of any abnormality on the part of the emperor.
Xiao Liu took a deep breath. If the master said that Haoyue had a problem, then there must be a problem. He believed in the master's judgment, but the court officials behind him slowly stopped. When the initial impulse passed, they sobered up after seeing the scene in the inner palace. If the emperor really didn't show up because of illness, then they...
As if he had eyes on his back, Xiao Liu said in a clear voice: "Everyone please wait for General Zhou. I will go ahead."
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Some stayed behind, but most of them continued to follow. They had already come here, and the difference was only fifty steps or a hundred steps.
Xiao Liu turned around at this time and looked at the people following behind him. There were Duke Dingguo and Duke Anguo, the six ministers, and even the Minister of Rites Wei Congwen. There were those from his own camp whom he knew, and there were also ministers with whom he had no contact. Perhaps they had hesitations in their hearts, but they followed him in the end, following him towards the light, or the abyss.
Xiaoliu bent down deeply and saluted. No matter how many calculations they had in their hearts, at least at this moment, they were truly worried about their king. This was how the court officials of Daqing should behave. The master once said that it was okay for one's own people to fight behind closed doors on weekdays, as fighting was the nature of the Chinese people. As long as the officials could make clear their minds at the critical moment, they could be used. He felt that the officials before him were the kind that the master was talking about.
The court officials all returned the greeting. No words were needed, as everything was implied.
Turning around, Xiaoliu never stopped.
After passing through corridors and palaces one after another, they stopped in front of the emperor's bedroom.
Xiaoliu looked up at the plaque with a calmness that was inconsistent with his age. Without giving instructions to others, he walked forward and pushed open the heavy door of the palace himself.
Inside the door, everyone who should be there and shouldn’t be there were all present, and the two groups were facing each other across the threshold.
This unexpected scene shocked everyone. All the ministers knelt on the ground, anxiously waiting for the emperor's wrath.
Xiaoliu's mind went blank for a moment, but he calmed down when he thought of his master's words.
After calming himself down, he stepped over the threshold and entered the hall. He saw more clearly his father and the Empress Dowager who were sitting at the top, as well as the four concubines who were sitting at the bottom. The commander of the Imperial Guard, Fu Gang, was standing to one side with his head lowered. Several people from the Seven Stars Division who he recognized were guarding the emperor from behind.
It’s true, no one is missing.
Lifting his skirt, Xiao Liu knelt down and greeted, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father, and to the Empress Dowager."
"Xiao Liu'er has become successful now." The emperor looked at him with a half-smile, and glanced outside, "Before, I didn't believe that you would lead the ministers to force the emperor to abdicate. Now the facts are in front of you, what else do you have to say?"
Duke Anguo wanted to go into the palace to speak for the Sixth Prince, but Duke Dingguo quickly pulled him to kneel and shook his head slightly. Any words spoken in favor of the Sixth Prince at this time would only add fuel to the fire. They had to wait for an opportunity. In this situation, the Sixth Prince had to deal with it. He hoped that he would not only learn courage from Hua Zhi, but also learn how to deal with a crisis.
Xiao Liu did not disappoint him. He raised his head and said with a youthful vigor in his voice, "Father, do you know that there are remnants of Chao Li in the palace?"
"Of course I know."
"Your Majesty, do you know that a courtyard was discovered in the city early this morning, which not only contained a large amount of food and weapons, but also the emperor's crown and robes?"
The emperor sneered, "Isn't this a trap you set up to take advantage of this opportunity to force the emperor to abdicate?"
"Set up a trap that can be broken as long as the emperor shows up?" Xiao Liu's heart was cold. "The emperor has not shown up for ten days. People outside can't get in. There is no news from people inside. Even the news that there are remnants of Chaoli in the palace has not caused any movement. The news that someone is plotting treason has been sent to the palace but there is no response. Rumors are spreading in the capital, and all officials are in a panic. As a son, as a prince of Daqing, what should I do? What if you are really controlled by the remnants of Chaoli and are waiting for me to rescue you? What if you are trapped by a villain with a poisonous scheme? You said that I forced the emperor to abdicate, but General Sun is now guarding the pass. I have no military power and no one to use. You only need to give an order and the five camps in the capital will obey your orders. Then I will just die. Why do you want to force the emperor to abdicate?"
"You have Hua Zhi giving you advice and suggestions behind you, the leader of my Seven Stars Division standing clearly behind you, you have military generals, the Lu family, the Zhu family and other ministers in the court supporting you. How can you say that you have no one to use? Xiaoliu, Xiaoliu, if you hadn't set up this trap, I wouldn't have known that you had quietly won over half of my ministers." The emperor's face flushed, and he was surprisingly excited. He even stood up and walked around Xiaoliu, looking younger than before.
Xiaoliu's head was buzzing. He knew he was in a trap, but someone had already tipped his father off. He didn't know how to break the trap.
"Xiao Liu, do you plead guilty?"
Xiaoliu looked up. He was innocent. But if he didn't take the responsibility, his master, his brother Yan Xi, the ministers who came with him, and all the people who stood on his side would all be in trouble. Perhaps, this was exactly what someone was calculating.
He looked at Yuepin who was sitting on the left. She had a pretty face and her pregnant belly was particularly obvious because she was sitting. It seemed that she should be giving birth soon, but such a woman who was about to become a mother was so heartless.
Being stared at coldly by him, Haoyue subconsciously stroked her belly and lowered her head to cover the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief to hide the smile. It has come to this point, what does it matter how much hatred he has for her
"My son..."
"I believe in Xiaoliu." The Empress Dowager, who had been half-closing her eyes like a wooden man, suddenly stood up, walked to Xiaoliu, squatted down, and gently stroked his red eyes. "He is the son of Concubine Zhen. Does the Emperor still remember Concubine Zhen?"
The emperor paused. It had been many days since he had thought of the woman who could live a happy life in her own little world.
"Among all the concubines in the harem, I like Concubine Zhen the most. I even wanted to push her to the position of empress and take over the Phoenix Seal. But she is very smart. I just told her a secret in private and she changed the subject. Later, when she was seriously ill and I went to see her, she asked me for a favor."
Haoyue lowered his eyes and did not rush to interrupt. Even if the Sixth Prince was saved, what would it matter? He no longer had another chance. Besides, the Emperor could show mercy to his son, but not necessarily to Hua Zhi and Gu Yanxi.
The Queen Mother patted Xiaoliu's hand gently. "Zhen Fei begged me to send Xiaoliu far away if there was a chance, even if it meant a small fiefdom in a poor and remote place, the farther away from the imperial city the better. She had long seen through the life-and-death struggle in the palace, and only wanted her son to have a safe life. Xiaoliu'er, has Zhen Fei ever told you?"
Xiao Liu bit his lip, trying hard to hold back the tears that came with thinking about his mother, and said in a hoarse voice: "My mother said that the world outside is huge, and she asked me to see the beautiful scenery of this world and eat the delicacies of various places on her behalf. She said that men trapped in the capital have no future, and asked me to be a promising person..."
Xiaoliu lowered his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. He missed his mother.
PS: Don’t rush me, I have written four drafts for this chapter... Kong Kong would also like to clarify here that Kong Kong will only update more words, not less. Any subsequent words that are not related to the plot will not be charged.