jdhmnovel Chapter 234: A sudden turn of events
Chapter 234: A sudden turn of events
The Crown Prince took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. His tone was a bit tired but firm, "Today's affairs conclude here. The late Emperor Long Yu has passed away, and as the Crown Prince, I inherit the throne in accordance with Heaven's will and in accordance with ancestral rules. Do you have any objections, my ministers?"
This time, no one dared to stand up and refute.
All the ministers knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "We congratulate His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on his succession to the throne and are willing to serve Your Majesty at our utmost service!"
Although the concubines who had princes were unwilling, they did not dare to say a word because the guards who were eyeing them covetously were still in the hall. They could only kneel down with the ministers to welcome the new master of the Great Xia Kingdom.
The prince nodded slightly, and an unfathomable light flashed in his eyes.
However, just as he was about to announce his accession to the throne, a deep and firm voice came from behind the crowd: "I have objections."
The prince frowned and his eyes shot towards the source of the voice like a knife, but he did not expect that the person who spoke was the Prince of Dongping. An inexplicable coldness flashed in his eyes and his heart sank suddenly.
The ministers couldn't help but become curious. Just now, the Prince of Dongping stood up and accused the Queen of murdering the late Emperor. They thought that the Prince of Dongping was the Prince's man. Why would he stand up and refute it at this time?
The Prince of Dongping walked out slowly, took out a roll of bright yellow silk from his arms, and looked solemn.
He held up the silk in his hand and said aloud, "This is the imperial edict written by the late emperor himself. I am reading it aloud today to set the record straight."
The prince's expression suddenly changed, and he shouted sternly, "Prince of Dongping, what do you mean by this?!"
The Prince of Dongping remained unmoved. He unfolded the imperial edict and spoke in a loud and clear voice: "By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: After a hundred years, I will pass the throne to the Second Prince, for his benevolence and virtue make him worthy of the great responsibility. If the Second Prince encounters any misfortune, the Eighth Prince will be enthroned as Emperor, with the Prince of Dongping serving as Regent until the new Emperor comes of age. I decree this."
As soon as the imperial edict came out, the ministers looked at each other in confusion and the whole hall was in an uproar.
The prince's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and his hands hidden in his sleeves trembled slightly. He stared at the Prince of Dongping, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger: "You...you dare to forge an imperial edict!"
What he wanted to ask more was why did he betray himself?
The Prince of Dongping had a calm expression and said calmly, "Your Highness, this imperial edict was written by the late emperor himself and is certified by the imperial seal. Ministers may come forward to inspect it."
Several respected old ministers stepped forward and carefully examined the imperial edict, nodding their heads: "It is indeed the handwriting of the late emperor, and the imperial seal is correct."
He never expected that the Prince of Dongping, whom he trusted, would betray him at the critical moment, and he never expected that his father had already left such a backup plan.
The Prince of Dongping put away the imperial edict, and his gaze swept across the ministers, finally landing on the Crown Prince. His tone was filled with pity: "Your Highness, the late Emperor's will is here, and we can only act in obedience. Your Highness, please... step aside."
The prince gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and pointed it at the Prince of Dongping. "I am the crown prince, destined by heaven! Who dares to stop me?!"
However, before he could finish his words, the palace guards who had just obeyed the prince's orders turned around and surrounded him.
The prince glared at them fiercely, "How dare you! Look carefully at who your master is."
The guards remained unmoved until the Prince of Dongping sighed and waved his hand: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is emotionally unstable. Please return to the palace and rest for a while."
They immediately stepped forward and forcibly took the prince out of the hall. His roar echoed in the hall, but no one dared to speak for him.
The Prince of Dongping swept his cold gaze over the crowd, "Does anyone have any objections?"
The ministers met his cold eyes and shuddered. They knelt and shouted, "We, the ministers, respectfully follow the late emperor's will and welcome the Eighth Prince to the throne!"
The eighth prince was only seven years old, and his biological mother was just a little beauty. They never expected that such a happy event would happen to them. The two of them knelt at the edge of the hall, still looking stunned with disbelief.
Soon the Eighth Prince was hurriedly brought to the dragon throne. He looked at the ministers kneeling and bowing to him, with confusion and fear on his face.
The Prince of Dongping stood beside him, his expression solemn, and coldly reminded him, "Your Majesty, you should let them stand down now."
The Eighth Prince... no, it was the little emperor who hurriedly shouted, "Stand up!" These two simple words made his voice tremble slightly.
He sat on the large dragon throne, his feet unable to even reach the ground. He could only hang in the air, looking extremely helpless. He whispered weakly, "Stand...stand..."
After saying this, he looked longingly at the Prince of Dongping beside him, as if asking him if what he said was right?
The Prince of Dongping nodded slightly, his voice low and majestic: "Your Majesty, from today on, you are the Emperor of Daxia. I, your subjects, will do my utmost to assist you in governing the empire."
The young emperor nodded, straightened his back, and tried to look more like an emperor. However, he couldn't hide the fear and uneasiness in his eyes. He didn't understand what it meant to be the emperor of a country.
After the ministers stood up, the hall was completely silent, with only the voice of the Prince of Dongping echoing: "The late emperor has passed away, and the country cannot remain without a ruler for a single day. The new emperor ascends the throne today, in accordance with heaven's will and in accordance with ancestral law. All ministers should do their utmost to assist the new emperor and join us in this grand occasion."
The ministers responded in unison: "We will follow the instructions of the Regent and do our utmost to assist the Emperor!"
The Prince of Dongping nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping across the crowd before finally settling on the young emperor. He spoke in a slightly slower tone, "Your Majesty, today's business is over. You may return to the palace and rest. We will discuss state affairs with you at tomorrow's morning court."
The little emperor felt relieved and nodded quickly: "Okay...Okay, I will listen to the Regent."
The Prince of Dongping waved his hand, and several palace maids and eunuchs immediately stepped forward and carefully helped the little emperor out of the hall.
The little emperor's figure gradually disappeared outside the palace gate. The ministers finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to discuss in low voices.
"I didn't expect that the Eighth Prince would eventually ascend the throne..."
"The late emperor's move was truly unexpected..."
"Hush, be careful with your words! Now that the situation has been decided, we only need to obey the orders of the Regent."
The Prince of Dongping listened to everyone's discussion, his expression still stern, and strode out of the hall.
A quarter of an hour later, angry and unwilling roars were heard from the Prince's East Palace.
"Prince of Dongping...how dare you betray me!" The prince roared with hatred in his eyes, "This country will eventually belong to me! Don't even think about taking it away with that fake imperial edict."
The Prince of Dongping looked at him quietly, showing no sign of anger, and said calmly, "Prince, you are not fit to be the emperor."
"I am not suitable, are you?"
The Prince of Dongping nodded seriously, "You ancients can't defeat me."
"You really have a rebellious heart. My eighth brother is just a puppet for you to control the court." He gritted his teeth, turned around and shouted angrily: "Come here! Kill him!"
A black shadow appeared quietly, and the sword in his hand stabbed towards the Prince of Dongping at lightning speed.