Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 212 Palace Change
"Father, it's time to take your medicine..." The Sixth Prince stood beside the Emperor's bedside, with the Emperor's most trusted eunuch, Eunuch Li, beside him. Eunuch Li had now switched sides and sided with the Sixth Prince.

Eunuch Li was carrying a tray lined with yellow silk, on which sat a pink, luminous pill.

"I...I won't eat! I won't eat!" The emperor, his dragon robe crumpled and his hair disheveled, huddled in the corner of the bed, shaking his head in terror. "You...you're trying to harm me!"

"Father, how could this be? This is an elixir of immortality, with the power to reverse aging. I personally witnessed the Medicine King who took this elixir transform into a beautiful young woman. Isn't this exactly what you desire? Why are you backing down now?" The Sixth Prince picked up the elixir with two fingers, slowly strolling over. Unhurriedly, he stepped onto the bed, not even taking off his shoes, and knelt beside the Emperor. "Father, your life is so precious, how could I bear to let you die?"

The Sixth Prince held the Emperor's chin with one hand and stuffed a pill into his mouth with the other: "You and I are connected by blood, and you happen to be getting old, so isn't it more meaningful to use you as a test subject? Don't worry, even if I take medicine, it will only be in my later years, before I die. I won't be as foolish as you, starting to take medicine in your prime... Now you've ruined your health..."

The emperor hurriedly tried to vomit the medicine by gagging his throat, but to no avail.

"You unfilial son!" the Emperor roared.

The Emperor angrily raised his hand, intending to slap the Sixth Prince, but the Sixth Prince grabbed his wrist. The Emperor, already weak, instantly collapsed.

"Oh, right, Father, there's something I forgot to tell you. I'm about to become the Crown Prince, and you yourself have personally appointed me. Right now, the court officials only say that the Emperor is immoral, spending his days and nights cultivating immortality and refining elixirs, neglecting state affairs. Only I, the Crown Prince, can oversee the country."

"You! You!" The Emperor pointed at the Sixth Prince, his finger trembling. "Without the Imperial Seal, you cannot become the Crown Prince!"

"Hmph, I saw through your tricks long ago—hiding the imperial seal under the box. I was just playing along. Now I've had my fill and I'm done playing." The Sixth Prince smiled at the Emperor, but his eyes were filled with hatred.

The Emperor, enraged, coughed up a mouthful of blood: "You forged an imperial edict! That's a capital offense!"

“Eunuch Li, remember this: after taking this pill, one will vomit blood…” The Sixth Prince looked up, his eyes full of smiles, like a child, completely ignoring the Emperor’s hoarse shouts. “Let’s go to the main hall. The ceremony to establish the Crown Prince is about to begin. Father, be good!”
-
In the imperial court, Eunuch Li read out the imperial edict establishing the Sixth Prince as the Crown Prince. Everyone was silent. In the past, the Sixth Prince would pretend to be courteous and respectful to scholars, but now that things were about to succeed, he gradually revealed his ambition and didn't even want to pretend anymore.

An elderly man in a crimson official robe with a white beard suddenly stood up, his back ramrod straight, exuding unyielding pride, and declared loudly, "I object!"

The Sixth Prince placed the imperial edict on the tray and smiled at the old man: "This is an imperial edict personally drafted by His Majesty. My appointment as Crown Prince is what everyone wants! Does Lord Li have any objections?"

"The imperial seal is missing, so why is there still its seal on this imperial edict? Could it be a forgery?" Lord Li remained defiant. He had always looked down on the Sixth Prince, not because of his humble origins, but because the Sixth Prince liked to form cliques and engage in corrupt practices. If anyone in court disagreed with him, he would suppress them. Lord Li had impeached the Sixth Prince several times, but not only had he failed to gain an audience with the Emperor, he had also been flogged.

The Sixth Prince calmly handed over the imperial edict: "Lord Li, please take a look. You should be very familiar with this imperial seal. During the reign of the founding emperor, Princess Ping'an played with this seal and broke a corner. Therefore, every time this seal is stamped, it will have a missing corner. This cannot be forged." Lord Li's face turned pale. He glanced at the imperial edict; the seal on it was indeed missing a corner. Lord Li did not take it. Since the Sixth Prince was not afraid of investigation, the seal itself was definitely not the problem; the problem lay elsewhere. But he had no evidence at the moment.

Everyone lowered their heads in silence, the air in the hall almost frozen. The Sixth Prince wore a smug look on his face: "If no one has any objections, then let's begin discussing the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony!"

"Wait a moment!" A young official with a fair complexion stepped forward. Judging from his clothes, he was not of high rank, but the Sixth Prince was very familiar with him. He was a censor, an upright man who was not afraid of powerful people and was very difficult to deal with.

The sixth prince's pupils contracted slightly, his eyes instantly sharpened, and even his breathing became heavier.

"Your subject, Yang Siyuan, Left Remonstrance Official, greets Your Highness." The young official was impeccably courteous, yet every word he uttered was aggressive. "Since the founding emperor established the rule that the emperor must personally attend the investiture of the crown prince, receive the congratulations of all officials, and burn incense to inform Heaven. Now, His Majesty has not yet arrived, and the Court of State Ceremonies has not yet issued a public announcement as required—may I ask Your Highness, regarding this imperial edict… it's not impossible that the Sixth Prince was allowed free access to the Imperial Study some time ago, if it had been stamped at that time!"

"Is the Left Remonstrance Official questioning the Emperor's decree? Or is he accusing me of forging an imperial edict?" The Sixth Prince suddenly laughed, his voice full of contempt. "These past few months, the Emperor has been ill, and he has ordered me to handle all affairs on his behalf. Isn't that common knowledge?"

"Other matters are one thing, but this is about establishing an heir!" Yang Siyuan refused to budge, even taking a few steps forward. "Gentlemen, what do you all think?"

The ministers lowered their heads even further, fearing that if they stood out now, they would incur the wrath of the sixth prince.

Yang Siyuan, though alone, exuded an air of arrogance, as if a thousand troops stood behind him. The Sixth Prince involuntarily took a small step back. Then, realizing he had a backup plan, he wasn't about to be intimidated by this seemingly defenseless scholar!

"Since Lord Yang says so, does that mean you will have no further objections as long as I let my father out?" The Sixth Prince was confident, as if he had already made his plans.

Yang Siyuan stared at the Sixth Prince without saying a word, wondering what the Sixth Prince was planning.

"Very well, since none of you are saying anything, I will take that as your agreement!" The Sixth Prince looked around at everyone, then clapped his hands twice. "Eunuch Li, please invite my father over. I want to see who has anything to say."
-
The emaciated emperor was helped onto the dragon throne. He struggled to maintain his balance to avoid the embarrassment of slipping off.

Lord Yang hurriedly stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, a folk song is circulating among the people today..."

The emperor, his eyes half-closed, said weakly, "Bring it here..."

Lord Yang presented a memorial with a few lines of doggerel written on it.