I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 132: One Will after Another

Imperial Palace, Tai Chi Hall.

In previous years, the Taiji Hall, which was quite empty because it was filled with officials, was now full of officials and looked quite crowded.

Because the left is respected in the Kingdom of Qing, the Crown Prince Li Chengqian, the Second Prince Li Chengze who was the Regent, the Commander of the Imperial Guards Li Chengru, the Supervisory Council Director Fan Xian, and the Fourth Prince Li Chengping stood in the upper left position in that order.

In contrast, there are Chen Pingping and others.

The three most important ministers are now missing Lin Ruofu, but there is an old man in a blue shirt and His Royal Highness Prince Jing who rarely attends court.

Except for a few senior officials, other officials did not recognize the old man in green. Naturally, they looked at him and wondered how he could be qualified to replace the former prime minister?!

After some whispered inquiries, they learned that it was Grandmaster Ye Liuyun, and the officials who were unaware of the situation were relieved.

Then, he turned his attention to the five young people on the upper left.

In comparison, Grand Master Ye Liuyun is not as eye-catching as the five young men on the left, at least that is the case in the Tai Chi Hall today.

After all, if nothing unexpected happens, the future ruler of Qing Kingdom will be born among these five young people.

The empress dowager, supported by eunuch Hou, came behind the pearl curtain of Taiji Hall and expressed her deep condolences. The princes and officials knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, and the wails echoed in the Taiji Hall for a long time.

For some reason, Grand Secretary Shu Wu, who was standing in the second position in the civil service team, seemed a little abnormal today. Although he was not in a daze, he was obviously absent-minded.

Scholar Hu in front of him looked at him with concern, conveying reminders and warnings with his eyes.

The two of them were close friends, and although they had been too busy in the past two or three days and had no time to talk much, Shu Wu had hinted to him today outside the palace. However, Scholar Hu also had his own persistence, and he really didn't want to see his old friend make a mistake at the last moment.

It is true that Fan Xian is His Majesty's biological son, but no matter what, Fan Xian is an illegitimate child who is not even on the family tree. The key is that Fan Xian himself does not acknowledge his identity as a royal child, so how can he be qualified to sit in that position? !
Of course, it was not only Scholar Hu who noticed Shu Wu's abnormality. Many officials also noticed it. However, everyone knew that the late emperor and Shu Wu had always been a harmonious relationship between monarch and minister. After seeing the corpse of the late emperor today, the old scholar could not bear the emotional shock and it was normal for him to be a little dazed. Therefore, not many people were suspicious.

After a series of performances, whether real or fake, it was finally time for the issue that the court officials were most concerned about.

Choose a new emperor!
As everyone knows, the Queen Mother has the final say. Whoever among the four princes and Fan Xian gets the most support from the court officials will sit on the throne.

Now it's time to vote, but no one dares to speak.

No one is a fool. Although many people have already supported their candidates in their hearts, no one knows what the Queen Mother thinks.

If the person chosen does not meet the Queen Mother's wishes, given the old lady's current unpredictable thoughts, no one knows how long the new emperor can sit on the throne.

More importantly, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down first. If the person he supports loses the election, he will surely be retaliated by the new emperor.

As a result, the entire Taiji Hall fell into silence.

The Queen Mother sat behind the pearl curtain, not in a hurry, just waiting quietly.

I don’t know how long it took, but someone finally stood up.

It’s General Qin from the Qin family!
"Queen Mother, I have not read much and do not understand the great principles, but I do know that a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne. Regardless of reason or law, it is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who should inherit the throne."

Qin Ye saluted to the Queen Mother behind the pearl curtain, then knelt down to the Crown Prince opposite him and said, "This old minister begs His Royal Highness to ascend the throne and avenge His Majesty!"

This was expected and unexpected by everyone.

It is said to be expected because everyone knows that the Qin family sided with the prince some time ago and played the role of the prince's vanguard. It is normal for the old man of the Qin family to come out to support the prince.

As for the unexpected, no one expected Qin Ye to be the first to stand up and support the prince.

After all, the two Grand Secretaries Shu and Hu were the ones who supported the prince from beginning to end, and they should have been the first to stand up and express their support for the prince.

However, these two had no intention of speaking at all.

weird!

Really weird!

However, Qin Ye was the number one giant in the military after all. With his support, half of the generals in the hall knelt down. Together with the upright officials who had originally supported the prince and the officials who had been won over by the prince recently, a large group of people knelt down in the Taiji Hall.

"I beg His Royal Highness to ascend the throne and avenge His Majesty!"

The sound shook the beams of the house and lasted for a long time. One didn't even need to look to know that more than half of the officials supported the prince.

If nothing unexpected happens, the prince will undoubtedly ascend the throne.

However, something unexpected happened.

The eldest prince Li Chengru stood up.

Li Chengru first saluted the empress dowager behind the pearl curtain, then faced the ministers and said, "Everyone, I think everyone knows why my father went to Dadong Mountain to offer sacrifices to heaven, so I will not say much. I will only say one thing. When my father left, he had an order that if he had any accidents, the fourth prince Li Chengping would be appointed as the crown prince. According to what General Qin said, my fourth brother should ascend the throne as emperor."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the Taiji Hall, except Fan Xian, was stunned.

If Li Chengru spoke for himself, everyone could accept it, but speaking for the inconspicuous Fourth Prince... Frankly speaking, no one expected this, not even Li Chengping, the person involved.

Li Chengping, who was originally concentrating on watching the show, came to his senses and immediately became angry.

"Brother, you actually want to harm me?!"

"Why would I harm you? This is what the Emperor Father wants."

Li Chengru directly took out the imperial edict given to him by Emperor Qing when he left Beijing. The originally blank word had been filled with the word "Ping", which stunned Li Chengping, the person involved.

"My father is really going to make me the crown prince?" Li Chengping murmured to himself. He did not feel happy at all, but extremely depressed.

The Crown Prince and the second brother have been eyeing that position covetously. Any one of them can kill him quietly, okay? !
Besides, his third brother has already returned to Beijing, so how could he possibly compete with his third brother for the position?

Of course, the most important thing is that the Queen Mother wants the third brother to take the throne, so anyone who stands in the way of the third brother... will die!

Thinking of this, Li Chengping panicked and knelt down, crying, "Grandmother, I really didn't know about this. It has nothing to do with me. I have never dreamed of the throne."

"Why are you crying so much? I'm here to take care of you. No one can harm you." The old lady's tone was filled with deep chill. She was not targeting Li Chengping, but Li Chengru who had taken out the imperial edict.

"Thank you, Grandmother, for taking care of your grandson."

Li Chengping felt relieved, and when he thought about his third brother who was already on his way to the palace, he felt more at ease. As he stood up, he looked at Li Chengru and said coldly, "Brother, I will remember what happened today."

This child is really sad.

He really didn't expect that his elder brother, who had been so kind to him since childhood, would actually harm him at the critical moment.

In the current situation, let alone that the third brother has returned to Beijing, even if he has not returned to Beijing, even if the previous rumors are true, there are still the crown prince and the second brother eyeing him covetously, which is simply pushing himself into a fire pit.

Wait, the boss doesn't want me to fight with the crown prince and my second brother so that he can take advantage of me?!
The little brother suddenly discovered the truth about himself.

At this moment, the look in his eyes when he looked at Li Chengru was no longer cold, but resentful.

Li Chengru naturally noticed the change in his younger brother's eyes. He really couldn't understand why his younger brother hated him. After all, becoming the crown prince would mean he could sit on the throne, which was a great thing that others could not even ask for.

"Oh, never mind. I'll explain it later."

Li Chengru smiled bitterly, thinking so in his heart, he sighed silently, held up the imperial edict with both hands and bowed to the head, saying: "Grandmother, my father's will is to appoint the fourth prince as the crown prince. Please preside over the ceremony of enthronement."

The empress dowager waved her hand, and the eunuch Hou beside her understood what she meant. He came to Li Chengru, took the imperial edict, returned behind the pearl curtain, and handed the imperial edict to the empress dowager.

As Eunuch Hou went up and down, Scholar Shu took a deep breath and felt clearer than ever before. He knew that it was time for him to stand up.

If Lord Fan wants to borrow my old bones for a while, I will throw them away. This can be regarded as a way to repay Your Majesty's kindness over the years and the people of Qing Kingdom for their trust in officials.

So, the old university scholar stood up, risking his life, his entire life's honor, and the lives of his entire family, and called out sadly: "Empress Dowager, his majesty left a will before his death. The crown prince is not allowed to succeed to the throne, and the new emperor will be chosen by Fan Xian." Before this, Li Chengru took out the imperial edict, which was enough to shock everyone, but at least they could still discuss it.

Now, what Shu Daxueshi said made the whole palace silent, and no one dared to speak.

No one doubted the truthfulness of what Shu Daxue said.

First of all, it is impossible for Mr. Shu to lie.

Besides, this lie is too easy to expose.

The most important point is that the six ministers and Chen Pingping and others did not show any surprise at all, and they obviously knew about this will.

So, who said that His Majesty favors the third prince the most?
Based on this edict from the late emperor, how could the Third Prince compare with Fan Xian, who could decide who would take the throne? !

What a fuss!

The Queen Mother, who was sitting behind the pearl curtain, hummed and said, "Anzhi, do you choose yourself or another prince?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court looked at Fan Xian, who was sitting in the upper left seat.

Facing everyone's gaze, Fan Xian bowed slightly and saluted: "Your Majesty, I believe that since Your Highness has His Majesty's will, you should obey His Majesty's wishes."

At this moment, Academician Hu realized that he had misunderstood his old friend's intention. His old friend did not want to support Fan Xian, but to support the Fourth Prince.

As long as Fan Xian didn't take the position, Scholar Hu felt that he could still support his old friend.

However, just as Academician Hu was about to speak, Ye Liuyun stood up.

"Your Majesty's will seems to be a bit too much. Unfortunately, I also have a will here."

The Queen Mother said, "Grandmaster Ye, what is His Majesty's decree?"

Many people think that what the Queen Mother said is nonsense. Ye Liuyun is a member of the Ye family, and the Second Prince is the son-in-law of the Ye family. It goes without saying that the will that Ye Liuyun mentioned is to pass the throne to the Second Prince.

The second brother thought so too, so a smile appeared on his face.

The prince who was sitting above him had cold hands and feet, and felt even colder deep down inside.

He had never thought that before the incident in Dadongshan broke out, his father would leave behind a will, and left behind a series of wills.

The contents of the will in the hands of the boss and Fan Xian have been made public. As for the contents of the will in Ye Liuyun's hand, one doesn't need to think about what it is.

This made the prince suddenly feel a little sad - his father really hated him to the core.

Of course, while feeling a little sad, the prince was not completely desperate.

After all, the second brother, who has the support of the Ye family, is evenly matched with Li Chengping, who is supported by Fan Xian and the eldest brother. So with the support of the Qin family, he can definitely get the advantage in the end.

The plan was good, but unfortunately, no one expected Ye Liuyun's words.

"When His Majesty was dying, he issued an order to pass the throne to the third prince, Li Chengzong."

This was another piece of news that shocked the court officials, causing the Taiji Hall to fall silent again.

The Queen Mother coughed lightly behind the pearl curtain, bringing everyone back to their senses. They heard the Queen Mother say in a sad tone: "Since he is gone, what he said is no longer important. For the future of Qing Kingdom, whoever is able to gain the support of most of the court officials will be the new ruler. What the truth of Dadong Mountain is has never been important. What do you think?"

Scholar Shu shook his head and said, "Empress Dowager, I am just a scholar. I only know that the truth is the truth and the will of the emperor is the will of the emperor. I am your Majesty's subject and I should obey your Majesty's will."

Judging from previous situations, the majority of officials supported the Crown Prince. Naturally, everyone thought that the Queen Mother supported the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince also thought so, so a smile appeared on his face.

As long as he had the Queen Mother's support, he felt he was safe.

Even if all the court officials opposed it, even if Li Chengzong came back to life, as long as his great aunt supported him, the throne would be his.

In response to Shu Daxueshi's rebuttal, the old lady sighed helplessly and said calmly: "You have done your best and fulfilled your duties as a subject. That's enough."

Shu Daxueshi opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he heard the Queen Mother shout, "Prince, come forward!"

With a look of grief on his face, the prince stepped up to the dragon throne step by step. He knew that as long as he sat on that seat, he would become the new king of Qing Kingdom and the ruler who controlled the lives and deaths of hundreds of millions of people.

This was the goal he had been striving for for a long time. For this goal, he had been fearful, jealous, and dissolute. Eventually, he learned his father's forbearance, calmness, and waited until... he became cruel!
When this goal suddenly came within reach, Li Chengqian found himself very calm, so calm that he himself felt a little weird. It seemed that this ascension to the throne was a little too smooth.

Just as Li Chengqian was about to walk to the front of the dragon throne, a clear child's voice sounded at the entrance of the palace.

“Wow, there are so many people here!”

When everyone looked over, they saw a delicate little girl, about three or four years old, riding a big black dog that looked like a calf into the Tai Chi Hall.

The little girl was very cute, but the big black dog was so strong and scary that several officials near the palace gate fell down in fear.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Xiao Hei won't bite anyone."

Hearing this, the big black dog under the little girl gave a polite "woof", and the barking sound echoed throughout the Tai Chi Hall.

The majestic and extraordinary body, the domineering temperament, and the unusually deep barking made the officials of Taiji Hall a little stunned for a moment, and they became curious about the big dog in front of them and the little girl on the big dog.

No one else knew the dog, but Fan Xian did, and he cursed at it.

"What the hell, a Tibetan Mastiff?!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengru beside him asked curiously: "The Tibetan mastiff you are talking about is the big dog under the little girl?"

Fan Xian hummed, "It should be a Tibetan mastiff, for sure. However, this is the first time I've seen such a big Tibetan mastiff."

Hearing the conversation between the two, Li Chengze couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Shouldn't your focus be on that little girl? This is the Taiji Hall of the Imperial Palace."

"What's so strange about your niece showing up at the palace?"

Fan Xian was speechless. A little girl of three or four years old was riding such a big dog and moving freely in the palace. It went without saying that she was the daughter of the Third Prince.

"My niece?"

Li Chengze was stunned, and suddenly thought of something, and asked in surprise: "Jingyue?!"

"Who's calling me?"

The little girl rode on the big dog, stretching her neck to look around.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard.

Then, a blind man with a black cloth on his head rushed into the Tai Chi Hall in a dishevel.

"Uncle Wuzhu?!"

When Wu Zhu heard Fan Xian's voice, he appeared beside him in an instant, grabbed his hand and said, "Fan Xian, come with me."

"If you want to leave, you must first ask the king if he agrees."

Before he finished speaking, two figures walked into the Tai Chi Hall one after the other.

In a trance, everyone seemed to see the young Majesty walking in, but compared to the young Majesty, the young figure who came in was obviously much more majestic and domineering, which made people involuntarily feel a sense of submission.

It was obvious that the people who entered the room one after another were Li Chengzong and Hong Sixiang.

(End of this chapter)