newbobooks Chapter 226 The Prince Turns Against
Chapter 226 The Prince Turns Against
When the Beidi royal family heard this, they immediately became furious.
If the Northern Di changed their surname to Yan, wouldn't they, the royal family, be reduced to commoners? Their former honor and power would be gone. How could they tolerate this?
Yan Wanwan simply smiled indifferently, her tone tinged with sarcasm, "Of course, what right does a defeated nation have to make demands? Do you still think you have a choice?"
An elder from the Beidi royal family turned pale and sternly said, "County Master Yan, if you insist on doing this, then our negotiations will end here! We will never surrender!"
Yan Wanwan said "Oh" softly and waved her hand nonchalantly: "Then you can go. Goodbye."
The members of the Beidi royal family were stunned and looked at her in shock, as if asking: How could you not even say a word to keep her?
Yan Wanwan rolled her eyes impatiently, her tone cold and hard: "I've said it before, if you don't talk, we'll fight. Anyway, if you die, Beidi will still have my surname Yan, and the result will be the same."
Beidi Royal Family: "..."
In the end, the Beidi royal family resisted stubbornly for a long time, but had no choice but to agree to her request.
Both sides knew that if Yan Wanwan was allowed to continue fighting, the fate of the Beidi royal family would be even more disastrous.
The handover ceremony went exceptionally smoothly. As soon as Yan Wanwan took over Beidi, he immediately invested all the vast wealth looted from the imperial palace into infrastructure construction.
Anyone who resisted was forcibly taken away and forced to work the arduous construction projects. These people were driven like animals, worked to death as long as they could still work. Gradually, the voices of resistance grew weaker, and the number of those who resisted dwindled.
At the same time, the people of Beidi heard about Yan Wanwan's deeds and learned that she was dedicated to the people and committed to making them live a prosperous life, so they accepted this new ruler.
With the people's support, the Beidi royal family's secret rebellion plan completely lost support. They wanted to regain power, but had no one to rely on, so they could only honestly make a living in business and live an ordinary life.
After Yan Wanwan arranged all the affairs, she found a secluded place and hid away the time.
Through Jingzhao's plant-based messaging, she was fully aware of the recent developments in the court. When she learned that the Second Prince had actually taken out a large amount of gold and silver, she couldn't help but feel curious.
"I remember I robbed his house clean!" Yan Wanwan raised her lips slightly, a sly look flashing in her eyes. "I didn't expect this guy to have hidden so much wealth. It seems I have to pay this 'brother-in-law's' house another visit when I get the chance."
The border was pacified and the Northern Di were under control, but Yan Wanwan quietly suppressed this good news and never reported it back to Jingzhao.
Although the border generals did not understand her meaning, after experiencing her overwhelming force in capturing the Beidi Imperial City, they unconditionally obeyed all of Yan Wanwan's decisions and were full of awe for the young county lord.
At the same time, in the Jingzhao Palace, the prince's mood was as heavy as a dark cloud, so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
Ever since the Prince of Dongping handed him the thick stack of evidence, his world has been turned upside down.
There were only simple words written on those yellowed papers, but every word was like a knife cutting into his heart, because it revealed the death of his mother. What seemed to be a natural illness at the time was actually a carefully planned conspiracy, and the real culprit behind the scenes was his respected father and current stepmother, the queen.
The prince stood outside the imperial study, his fingertips trembling slightly as he held the evidence. This was his last chance to the emperor.
Eunuch Wu was puzzled as to why the Crown Prince had such a solemn expression on his face, so he could only remind him, "Your Highness, the Emperor is waiting."
The prince nodded, took a deep breath and walked in.
In the imperial study, the emperor was leaning tiredly on the dragon chair and reading memorials. Although the second prince was the regent, he still had to review important matters before he could feel at ease.
"My son, please see your father!"
Seeing the prince come in, he didn't show any joy, but just raised his eyes lightly: "Prince, how come you have time to see me today?"
The Crown Prince suppressed the bitterness in his heart and bowed respectfully: "I heard that your father has been in poor health recently, so I came to visit you."
The emperor chuckled and said, "You're so thoughtful. If you could focus more on handling government affairs, my health would recover faster."
The prince raised his head, looked directly at the emperor, and said thoughtfully, "Father, I came here today to ask you something."
The emperor frowned slightly, as if he noticed something strange about the prince. "What's the matter?"
The prince pulled the stack of evidence from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "Father, do you still remember how my mother died?"
The emperor's expression suddenly changed, his eyes fixed on the paper in the prince's hand. A flash of panic passed through his eyes, but was quickly covered by anger.
He stood up suddenly and shouted, "How dare you! Who allowed you to investigate these old matters?"
The Crown Prince remained unmoved, his voice as cold as ice: "Father, the evidence clearly states that Mother's death was not an accident, but was intentionally committed by someone. And that person is none other than the current Queen!"
"Shut up!" The emperor was furious and swept the teacup on the table to the ground, sending fragments flying everywhere.
He pointed at the prince, his voice trembling but full of pressure: "How dare you slander the queen! Is this what you do as a son? Ahem…"
Seeing this, Eunuch Wu hurried forward to pat the Emperor's back and looked at the Crown Prince disapprovingly, "Your Highness, you know that His Majesty is in poor health, so why are you bringing up the past? The Empress's health was already poor, a symptom of years of accumulated illness. These can be diagnosed at the Imperial Hospital! You must not listen to outsiders' instigation and confuse right and wrong."
"Ahem! Get out! I don't want to see you." The emperor pointed at him angrily, and his anger was suspicious.
The Crown Prince sneered, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Father, even today, you still want to protect her? Mother was your first wife, yet you allowed her to be murdered and even promoted the murderer to the position of Empress! Are you worthy of Mother?"
The emperor's face turned from blue to white, and veins bulged on his forehead.
He slammed the table and roared, "Come here! The prince has no respect for his elders and speaks wildly. Lock him up! No one is allowed to release him without my order!"
The guards rushed in upon hearing the noise and surrounded the prince.
The prince did not struggle, but looked at the emperor coldly, without any tenderness in his eyes: "Father, you have greatly disappointed me."
The emperor was stung by the prince's gaze. In those familiar eyes, he seemed to see the elegant woman of the past again. He turned his head away uncomfortably and waved his hand: "Take her away!"
The prince was escorted out of the imperial study, and the last bit of hope he had for his father disappeared.
He looked up at the sky, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes. The emperor's anger proved that the Prince of Dongping was right. The murderer might be him. Even if the emperor was not the direct murderer, he was definitely an insider. He was even now shielding the woman who killed his mother and usurped her honor.
That night, a carrier pigeon flew out of the Eastern Palace and quickly landed in the Prince of Dongping's mansion.
After reading the letter, the Prince of Dongping smiled knowingly and said to himself, "Only power can reveal the truth and execute those who deserve to die."