The young emperor had expected Prince Qing to be defeated.
Looking at Prince Qing, who looked as pale as death, with a knife at his neck but refused to accept defeat and kept shouting, the young emperor felt a strange sense of pleasure that things were changing.
"Will you kill me?" the little emperor asked Prince Jin.
King Jin smiled and said, "No, if you want to continue to be the emperor, you can continue to be the emperor."
"It's lonely up there. I want to leave the palace and live an ordinary life. Is that okay?" There was uneasiness in the little emperor's eyes.
Prince Jin raised his eyebrows. The little emperor was quite sensible and said with a smile, "As you wish."
The little emperor smiled and said, "I will write the edict of abdication."
"Okay." Prince Jin also smiled.
Prince Qing glared at the little emperor. He put a knife to the little emperor's neck, but the little emperor refused to write an edict. Now, after a few simple words from Prince Jin, the little emperor took the initiative to write an edict.
Why
In his anger, the young emperor not only wrote the abdication edict, but also handed over the imperial seal.
"Shanlin, you stay and take care of the abdicated emperor." Prince Jin escorted Prince Qing and his men away.
Prince Qing, who had become a prisoner, held his head high and said, "Helian Yu, you don't think you have won, do you?"
"Uncle Wang, do you think you can rely on your son to capture my mother and son and threaten me, thus turning defeat into victory?" Prince Jin asked with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Qing was brought in, his body covered in blood. It was unclear whether it was his or his opponent's.
"Guo Yao!" Prince Qing shouted.
Prince Qing raised his head when he heard the familiar voice, "Father."
The father and son met again in prison, but they still couldn't believe that they had failed. They still had Prince Yu and Huangjue Temple.
"Don't count on Prince Yu and Huangjue Temple anymore," Prince Jin said calmly.
"People say that Prince Jin has planned everything perfectly, but I don't believe it. You know my personnel arrangements and have made corresponding countermeasures. Did someone tell you about it?" Prince Qing asked.
King Jin smiled, "Not bad."
Prince Qing narrowed his eyes, "Who is that person?"
"It's me." Prince Yu walked in.
King Qing's eyes widened, unable to believe that his most important ally would betray him, "Why?"
"My last name is also Helian." Prince Yu said with a smile.
Prince Qing was a smart man and understood immediately, "Helian Yu, you heard it, he also wants to sit in that position, do you dare to put such a person by your side?"
"It's useless to sow discord. I always follow the principle of not employing people if you doubt them, and trusting people if you employ them." King Jin said with a smile.
Prince Qing looked at Prince Yu and asked, "What did Helian Yu give you that would make you willing to turn against him and help him?"
"The title of prince is hereditary and he shall be enshrined in the imperial temple." Prince Yu said calmly.
"That's all?" Prince Qing was upset. He could give all this to Prince Yu!
"Brother Prince Xia, go and do your own thing." Prince Jin sent Prince Yu away.
"Yes." Prince Yu bowed and walked out.
Seeing that Prince Yu treated Prince Jin like a monarch, Prince Qing sneered, "Helian Yu, you really know how to win people's hearts."
Prince Jin smiled and said, "It's almost dawn. We've been busy all night, it's time to rest." He signaled his men to take Prince Qing and his son to jail.
He turned and left to clean up the mess.
The case at Huangjue Temple was also nearing its end. Those who needed to be tied up had been tied up, and those who needed to be killed had been killed.
A man entered the hall and went straight to Jiang Changning. Under the vigilant gaze of Xiaochun and others, he saluted and said, "Mu Dong greets the princess. I pay my respects to the princess."
Although he directly revealed his identity, Jiang Changning would not trust him so easily. However, she did not show it and asked calmly, "How did the prince arrange it?"
"The prince asked the princess to stay at Huangjue Temple with peace of mind. Once the work is done, the prince will come to pick her up personally." Mu Dong said.
"I understand. I'll wait for him at Huangjue Temple." Jiang Changning had not planned to return to the city after dawn.
Prince Qing rebelled, and Prince Jin took the opportunity to start an uprising, causing chaos in the city.
The situation was unclear, and if she returned to the city, she would only cause more trouble. If she destroyed the King of Jin's plan, her death would not be a pity, but she could not implicate her three sons.
"It's getting late, Your Majesty, why don't we all go back to the courtyard and rest?" Jiang Changning asked.
The Queen Mother looked at Jiang Changning with complicated eyes. She didn't know the situation in the city, but it was already controlled by Prince Jin's people. As the Queen Mother, what she said was not as useful as what the Princess of Jin said.
But Jiang Changning didn't want to show off at this time and toast her, so she could only go along with him, "Let's all go back to the yard and rest. We'll go to the dining hall to have vegetarian food tomorrow morning."
There was only one hour left until dawn, and few of the frightened women fell asleep. Some even kept their eyes open waiting for dawn.
In the summer, the sun rises early and there is a lot of noise at night. The officials who were not involved did not understand the situation, but the brave ones changed into court robes and went to court normally.
The timid ones ordered their servants to ask for leave and hid at home, but not long after, someone came to invite them to court.
All civil and military officials were present, and the little emperor sat on the dragon throne wearing a dragon robe.
Seeing that the little emperor had woken up, all the officials were very happy. So what happened last night
"I brought the guilty ministers Helian Chong, Helian, Sun Fumiao, and others with the intention of usurping the throne. Yesterday, I broke into the Forbidden Palace with knives and held Your Majesty hostage."
The eunuch explained the whole matter in detail, and all the officials were stunned.
While talking about the crimes of Prince Qing, we must also praise the merits of Prince Jin.
An old minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, so he deserves a reward."
The little emperor smiled, "Shen Qing, please be patient."
What reward is there? He has already given up the throne, so how can you reward him
The eunuch unfolded the abdication edict written by the young emperor and read aloud: "In the past, Emperor Yao abdicated the throne to Yu Shun, and Shun also gave the throne to Yu. The mandate of heaven is not ordinary, but only belongs to those with virtue."
In the hall, except for a few military generals who were promoted due to their military merits, everyone else was well-read. When they heard this, their faces changed.
". I respectfully abdicate your throne. What a joke! The destiny of heaven is in your hands. If you hold on to it, the blessing of heaven will last forever. You should just follow the great ceremony, offer sacrifices to all nations, and solemnly accept the mandate of heaven."
The little emperor is going to abdicate the throne to Prince Jin!
Prince Yu and Prince De took the brand new dragon robe and draped it on Prince Jin's shoulders.
The officials in the palace were silent for a moment, and the old official named Shen shouted loudly: "Helian Yu, you are stealing the country! Your Majesty, you are confused! You..."
A guard holding a shining sword came in, covered the mouth of the old minister named Shen, and dragged him away.
There were people in the hall who disagreed, but none of them were as stubborn as the old minister named Shen. They were also afraid of the knives in the hands of the guards, so they dared not speak out against it.
As soon as Prince Jin sat on the dragon throne, Prince Yu and Prince De took the lead, shouting "Long live the emperor" three times, and the others followed.
"Everyone, please stand up." The King of Jin held up his hands.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Three days later, when Prince Jin reorganized the court with thundering means and went to Huangjue Temple to pick up people.
At the same time as the imperial chariot left the city, a horse-drawn carriage sped out of Dandong City. In the carriage sat a woman and a two or three-year-old child who looked 70% similar to her.
If Mrs. Park were here, she would definitely recognize this woman as the deceased Princess Park of the former Prince of Jin.
Note: The abdication edict in the article is borrowed from the abdication edict written by Emperor Xian of Han. Friends who are interested in textual research please forgive me.
(End of this chapter)