Zhou Shuren touched the soft armor on his chest. It was quite thin. This soft armor was brought back by Qingfeng. It was obviously specially prepared for him by the emperor. "Haven't we verified it? It can indeed block a knife."
Zhulan was frightened and her eyelids never stopped blinking. She clutched her husband's official uniform tightly and said, "You must be extra careful. If anything goes wrong, remember to run away."
Zhou Shuren had been calm, but his wife's anxiety made him uneasy. "Don't worry, everything is under control."
Zhulan could only trust that the emperor had made thorough preparations, "Yes."
Zhou Shuren stretched out his hands and hugged his wife, whispering: "I will come back safely, the house is left to you."
Zhulan stretched out her hand and hugged back tightly, "Yes."
It was a grand court meeting, and the road leading into the palace was filled with carriages, one after another. Zhou Shuren was considered one of the early ones to leave, and when he arrived at the palace gate, everyone's face was extremely serious.
Xiao Qing saw Zhou Shuren and said, "Here you are."
Zhou Shuren, "Yeah."
Xiao Qing raised his head and looked at the sky. "It's gloomy today. I think it's going to rain heavily."
Zhou Shuren, "After the scenery comes the rainbow, and we should be able to see the rainbow today."
Xiao Qing raised the corner of his mouth, "I thought you still wouldn't say anything."
Zhou Shuren straightened his official uniform and said, "Your Excellency has a clear vision and a clear mind. I have always admired you."
Xiao Qing's smile deepened. He admired Zhou Shuren sincerely because the emperor paid attention to him. He reached out and patted Zhou Shuren on the shoulder, "Drink more tea in the future."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, you will have plenty of time to enjoy your retirement and drink tea in the future, but he didn't, so he smiled and said nothing.
Xiao Qing also thought of it, and the smile in his eyes became even more intense. He was now feeling lighter and lighter, and he could finally throw away the burden on his shoulders.
The time soon arrived and the ministers entered the palace one after another.
There were too many officials at the grand court meeting. There was no room for them inside the hall, so many stood outside the hall. Everyone was silent when they took their seats.
Zhou Shuren raised his head and looked at the empty dragon throne. The steps under the dragon throne seemed blood red, and the blood-stained road was somewhat dazzling.
Not only Zhou Shuren was looking at the dragon throne, many adults were also looking at it.
The King of Qi touched his waist and then lay motionless, and the King of Chu was also exceptionally silent.
Prince Liang's eyes were deep, but soon he calmed down.
Only Zhang Yang had excitement in his eyes and his hands were shaking. If his hands were not clenched together, Zhang Yang would definitely attract attention.
Time passed little by little, and the prince arrived at the hall. The only sound in the quiet hall was the prince's movement.
The prince walked up the steps leading to the throne step by step, stood at the place closest to the throne, turned around and looked at the civil and military officials below.
The current prince is also ambitious. This is the first time he has attended a court session in person and faced all the civil and military officials.
The prince took a deep breath and said, "Today's grand court meeting makes me very sad."
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the prince paused and continued, "Father has been unconscious for many days. Four days ago, the head of the hospital and others consulted and concluded that there was no way to save him."
Zhou Shuren listened to the sad whimpering sound, feeling defeated. Looking at the ministers who were wiping their tears with their heads down, Zhou Shuren picked up the sleeves of his official uniform and wiped his eyes as well. He just had to follow the crowd.
Some even cried out in grief, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
The emotions Zhou Shuren had worked so hard to build up were gone. He used the sleeves of his official uniform to cover his face. He had to cover his face. He almost laughed out loud. It was too exaggerated.
Of course, there are also people who are really sad. This kind of relationship between the monarch and his subjects, well, Zhou Shuren doesn’t understand.
The prince's eyebrows jumped slightly, and he waited for the ministers to calm down before saying, "I am deeply saddened, but there is nothing I can do. I wish I could take his place. As a son, I am extremely heartbroken."
The ministers were still sobbing and whimpering, as if they were all immersed in grief. There was no other emotion in the hall except sadness.
The King of Qi lowered his head with a wooden expression. These ministers were indeed old foxes. The prince had laid so much groundwork, but no one was the first to speak.
The King of Chu raised his head slowly and looked at who was crying the saddest. He admired that even his own son was not so sad.
Zhang Yang lowered his head with the corners of his mouth curled up, and he was getting more and more excited about the upcoming drama.
The prince looked at the ministers and glanced at the neutral faction. Well, that was the most normal thing. He saw Zhou Shuren out of the corner of his eye and fell silent. His shaking shoulders were just right. He was convinced.
At this time, Ning Xu stepped forward, his voice hoarse from crying, and said in a deep voice: "I know that the Crown Prince is heartbroken, but I still want to say that the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I ask the Crown Prince to ascend the throne and live up to the Emperor's expectations."
For a moment, the hall was also silent. It was particularly quiet at this moment.
At sea, Rongchuan was holding a telescope. The ship in front had reached the range of artillery bombardment, and the flag soldiers were giving signals.
The island opposite was already on high alert, with horns constantly blowing.
Rong Chuan's blood boiled as he heard this. He couldn't help but lean forward, then he felt someone holding him back. He took down the telescope and saw General Hou with an expressionless face.
Rongchuan, "I just want to see it more clearly, and I don't want to go to the island."
He could explain it, really.
General Hou didn't believe it. He didn't loosen his grip on Prince Ning's clothes. If he couldn't be tied up, he would have wanted to tie Prince Ning up. He told the deputy general beside him, "Fire."
The deputy general took the order and gestured to the flag soldiers, who quickly signaled with flags.
Rongchuan picked up the telescope again and saw that the ship in front of him was firing its cannons. There was a constant rumbling sound, and dust was blasted on the island one by one. The distance was too far to hear the shouting from the other side, and he could only see the defenses on the other side being shattered.
There were cannons on the island, but unfortunately, compared with the new cannons equipped on the ships, their range was insufficient and they could only fire into the sea, creating waves but causing no damage to the ships.
The strong contrast was embarrassing. As the artillery batteries aimed at the island were fired upon, the ships gradually advanced. The ships carried many gunpowder shells, just like carpet bombing.
Rong Chuan was stunned by the war he saw for the first time. "Is this possible?"
General Hou was very satisfied, and told his lieutenant to continue the bombardment to ensure the safety of the landing. He thought to himself that the money invested in the research of the cannon was not wasted.
Rongchuan was so excited watching this, and he felt relieved when he thought that Yang Wen was going to land on the island.
In the palace of the capital, as Ning Xu finished speaking, the Crown Princess's family members came forward one after another to second the motion, asking the Crown Prince to succeed to the throne.
Soon after, many ministers came forward to second the motion. Zhou Shuren blinked his eyes. He felt that Wang Ju was looking at him.
Zhou Shuren curled the corner of his mouth, and Wang Ju still had the leisure to stare at him!
The prince stood there silently, as if he was deaf to Ning Xu and the others.
The Prince of Qi thought to himself that if he seconded the proposal, his father would not hold him accountable!
The King of Chu kept his eyes on his second brother the whole time. He had an older brother in front of him. Well, now he realized the advantages of having an older brother.
Zhou Shuren felt that there were too many eyes on him, so he pursed his lips and took a step forward, "I second the motion."