newbobooks Chapter 394 Conspiracy
Chapter 394 Conspiracy
"Was I wrong to kill her?" the Fifth Prince roared angrily at everyone.
The other princes couldn't bear to look at the princess's body and were terrified.
"Fifth brother, you killed our own aunt. If our royal uncle finds out, he will kill us."
"Hmph, so what if they want to kill us? What's wrong with striking first?"
The soldiers of the Marquis of Pingyang's residence didn't know what to do, so they had no choice but to take the princess's body back to the capital.
The palace wasn't as chaotic as I'd imagined, nor was there any bloodshed like last time.
The appearance of the second prince caught the new emperor off guard.
He was isolated and helpless, and suspicious of everyone around him.
He was not a particularly capable emperor to begin with, and his actions after ascending the throne only aroused fear, but failed to win over the hearts of his court officials.
In contrast, the second prince is young, gentle and refined, and also quite talented.
Most importantly, he was the bloodline of the late emperor, while none of the Prince of Zheng's sons were any outstanding.
At the ferry crossing outside the capital, an official boat sank.
A guard was rescuing someone underwater when his feet were entangled by a "water ghost" that suddenly appeared.
"What happened? How could such a large official ship sink?"
"It looks like the bottom compartment is leaking, but this location isn't far from the shore. Anyone who can swim should have reached the shore by now. Why is there no one here?"
The crowd on the shore was watching.
Some daring sailors with good swimming skills jumped into the water, hoping to take the opportunity to rescue a VIP and bring him ashore, thus gaining immense wealth.
But the sailors who jumped into the water to save people have also disappeared, as if they jumped into a man-eating whirlpool instead of a river.
After a while, one body after another floated to the surface, leaving the crowd completely stunned.
"They...they're all dead?"
"Quick! Go report this to the authorities!"
"Murder..."
Everyone is afraid of being implicated. They can no longer watch the spectacle, but many are reluctant to leave.
However, they didn't dare to get close, but instead hid nearby waiting to pick up any bargains.
Such a large official ship must be loaded with gold and silver treasures; you could easily make a fortune by just taking a few pieces.
But now, there must be a murderous demon lurking in that water, and no one dares to take the risk.
By the time the officials arrived, the water had calmed down, and the body began to sink.
The search and retrieval operation took three full days, and some of the bodies were washed a distance away by the river.
When the authorities discovered that the ship belonged to the new emperor's family, they were so frightened that their legs went weak.
In places far from the capital, people have only just received news of the new emperor's ascension to the throne and haven't even had time to figure out his temperament before being assigned such a big case. Who wouldn't be afraid?
The authorities began a thorough investigation of all ships passing through the canal. They searched the city and its outskirts but could not find the murderer. Trembling with fear, they reported the bad news to the authorities.
The government officials had even prepared to be buried alive with the perpetrators, but when the case was reported, it disappeared without a trace.
Unbeknownst to them, the situation in the capital had changed once again.
Before the new emperor had even warmed his throne, the second prince exposed a series of crimes against him, including fratricide, forging imperial edicts, and forging the imperial seal.
Yuan Shenxing was pushed forward.
Although he was now the head of the Hanlin Academy, he knew in his heart that once the new emperor fell, his career would be over.
When he chose to help King Zheng, he was essentially binding his honor and disgrace to King Zheng's.
He resolutely refused to plead guilty, and even with the evidence right in front of him, he insisted that he had written the edict on the orders of the late emperor.
"What a joke! I've never heard of a decree of succession being drafted and handled directly by a junior official without going through the cabinet."
"Even the imperial seal is a forgery, so how could the imperial edict be genuine?"
"Yuan Shenxing, Yuan Shenxing, I never imagined that someone who has been honest his whole life could do such a disloyal and unjust thing!"
Yuan Shenxing burst into wild laughter.
He pointed to the group of officials surrounding him and laughed, "And what kind of loyal and righteous people are you?"
When King Zheng ascended the throne, didn't you kneel? Didn't you kowtow?
Did you shed any tears when the late emperor died? Isn't this what the struggle for the throne has always been all about?
The winner takes all and the loser is condemned. What right do you have to criticize me?
I, Yuan Shenxing, have worked diligently for half my life. What's wrong with me trying to find a way out for myself?
You, Minister Zhao, in order to secure your position, have even sent your daughters, who are not yet of marriageable age, into the harem.
And you, the Minister of Rites, claiming you'd write a biography for the new emperor—how could you possibly have the nerve to do that?
Yuan Shenxing retorted to each of them one by one.
The Second Prince walked up to him, bowed, and said, "Lord Yuan, your calligraphy and painting skills have already reached their peak. I will not make things difficult for you. I believe you were forced by someone."
"The Second Prince also wanted that position; it seems I misjudged him years ago."
The second prince declared with righteous indignation: "With the passing of my father and elder brother, as their son and younger brother, I must find out the truth."
Yesterday at the imperial mausoleum, I overheard my aunt's words and learned that it was all a long-planned conspiracy between her and my uncle.
They even planned to imprison me and several of my younger brothers in the imperial mausoleum, so that my uncle could sit securely on the throne.
These words gave the civil officials even more reason to launch a campaign of rebellion.
Civil officials' mouths are often more powerful than their pens.
The new emperor and his trusted confidants were simply no match for him.
"Guards! Guards, come quickly... Kill these traitors! Kill them all!"
The new emperor roared madly, "Li Ge...where is Li Ge? I order you to kill all these bastards!"
The palace doors were closed at some point.
The area outside the palace was deserted and quiet. There was no response from anyone, and no imperial guards rushed in to carry out the emperor's orders to kill.
The officials standing in the back row reached out to open the door, only to find that the palace door was locked from the outside.
"Second Prince, what does this mean?" an official asked, puzzled.
The second prince looked bewildered: "I don't know either."
He and Li Ge were only in a cooperative relationship and did not discuss all the details after entering the palace.
He didn't know what was going on outside, but as long as no imperial guards came in to support Prince Zheng, it meant that everything was under control.
He had to get those opportunists to submit to him as soon as possible.
King Zheng had only recently ascended the throne, and there were very few officials loyal to him.
Most of them were officials who had no choice but to accept their fate due to circumstances.
Although the second prince doesn't show off, at least he won't kill indiscriminately.
King Zheng spouts righteousness and morality, yet he is ruthless in killing people behind the scenes.
Most civil officials are hypocritical, and hypocritical people can't stand such hypocritical behavior.
Inside the hall, a fierce debate ensued.
Outside the palace, Shen Lan and her companions encountered a group of fully armed guards who had come to the emperor's rescue.
Those were guards from the Princess's residence, and the leader was none other than Lu Changzhi.
Although Lu Changzhi usually indulged in play, he was quite proficient in the six arts of a gentleman. When he put on armor and took up a weapon, he had the demeanor of a young general.
"Leaving the management? My mother and imperial uncle have treated you very well."
Li Ge calmly replied, "This servant has always been loyal to Han while serving Cao Cao."
"I see. I underestimated you."
Lu Changzhi pointed at the rest of the crowd and asked, "You bunch of lackeys, do you know what you're doing?"
The Imperial Guards remained silent.
Li Ge calmly replied, hands clasped in his pockets, "General Lu, we are saving the country."
"Saving the country? With your abilities? Hahaha... This is truly laughable. None of you know your own limitations. Do you even deserve it?"
Lu Changzhi arrogantly said, "This is the Zhao family's country. The current dynasty is called Tianbao. You should be loyal to the current emperor. Do you really intend to rebel?"