Chapter 1236 - 1236: Abolition and Conferment
When Noble Consort Zhou picked up the imperial edict, she began to read” In accordance with the mandate of heaven, the emperor said:
Prince Yuwen Yanyu’s character is groundless. He embezzles money from disaster relief funds and accepts unknown wealth. From now on, the crown prince’s position will be abolished, and he will be demoted to a prince. I am grateful for the relationship between the former prince and me, so I only let him live in seclusion in a small palace, but he is not allowed to enter the imperial palace without an edict!”
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, all the officials in the court were confused and shocked!
The matter of deposing the prince is related to the great affairs of the country.
How could His Majesty abolish such a big matter just like that?
When did this Crown Prince have a bad character?
Before the officials could react, Noble Consort Zhou turned to look at Eunuch Zhang and said coldly,” Eunuch Zhang, didn’t His Majesty give you an imperial edict? Hurry up and announce it now!”
Eunuch Zhang was still expressionless. He bowed to Noble Consort Zhou and said,” Yes, Your Highness!”
Then, Eunuch Zhang respectfully took out an imperial edict from a secret compartment in the Hall of Light.
Just as he opened the imperial edict and was about to announce it, Minister Chen immediately stopped him.” Wait!”
Noble Consort Zhou asked coldly,” Lord Chen, is there a problem? That’s true. Your grandson’s position as Crown Prince has just been abolished, and demoted to Prince. It’s understandable that you’re angry! However, even if you have a huge problem, you still have to wait for Eunuch Zhang to issue the imperial edict!”
The Noble Consort’s imposing manner exploded, and the majesty in her tone did not allow for the slightest hint of resistance!
However, in reality, Noble Consort Zhou’s behavior was also a sign of guilt.
In order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, she had to personally suppress these officials.
However, Noble Consort Zhou was still a noble consort. To put it bluntly, she was just a noble concubine by the Emperor’s side. Although her status was noble, the women in the harem were not allowed to participate in politics.
Therefore, these officials were more or less shocked when Noble Consort Zhou appeared in the court in the Empress Dowager’s robes. Then, they became angry and disdainful.
Therefore, many people were not afraid of her.
Minister Chen’s expression was stern as he asked,” Imperial Concubine, we want to see His Majesty! Otherwise, this old minister will have no choice but to suspect that this is a conspiracy!’
Minister Chen’s words were very direct and sharp!
Moreover, he was directly facing Noble Consort Zhou and the others!
Noble Consort Zhou, Yuwen Feiye, and the Third Prince’s followers’ pupils constricted when they heard this.
Some people looked a little flustered, but Yuwen Feiye looked uneasy and flustered.
After he reacted, he immediately shouted at Minister Chen with a guilty tone,”
Impudent! Father is currently unwell and must not be disturbed! Minister Chen, why are you so eager to see Imperial Father?”
Minister Chen said confidently, without fear,” This is a matter of national importance. Of course, I have to listen to The Majesty’s words!”
“You…” Yuwen Feiye’s face was livid with anger. He pointed at Minister Chen but was speechless.
Noble Consort Zhou immediately replied,” Lord Chen, His Majestys body was harmed by the traitor Jiang Zhennan. We must be careful. Otherwise, His Majesty’s illness may worsen if he is not careful. Therefore, I have to be careful! However, if Lord Chen really wants to see the Emperor, then how about we wait until Eunuch Zhang finishes reading the imperial edict?”
Noble Consort Zhou could be considered a cunning person.
If you want to see His Majesty, fine.
I just want you to see him after hearing the imperial edict!
Hearing Noble Consort Zhou’s words, Minister Chen’s face darkened.
It seemed that the imperial edict in Eunuch Zhang’s hands was definitely fishy. Otherwise, Noble Consort Zhou would never have insisted that Eunuch Zhang read out the imperial edict before letting the person see the Emperor!
Noble Consort Zhou’s gaze once again moved to Eunuch Zhang.
Eunuch Zhang opened the imperial edict and read it aloud, “In accordance with the mandate of heaven, the emperor said:
“Yuwen Feiye, the third son of my emperor, is very outstanding. He is very talented. On August 3) he will be granted the title of Crown Prince.
“He is appointed to the East Palace to re-establish the throne and to unite the hearts of the four seas.”
The civil and military officials were even more shocked when they heard this!
Everyone looked at Noble Consort Zhou and Yuwen Feiye in disbelief.
No wonder they felt that there was something wrong with their attire.
However, when these officials heard the second half of the imperial edict, their expressions changed drastically!
Eunuch Zhang didn’t give them time to think. He continued to read, “I was secretly harmed by a crafty minister, and my body was in danger. The crown prince will replace my duty of supervising the country! “The ministers should do their best to assist him!
“Respect this!”
This was great. Not only was Yuwen Feiye suddenly crowned as the Crown Prince, but he was also now the acting king.
As long as there were no accidents, the Crown Prince was already a future monarch.
If anything happened to His Majesty, he could immediately ascend the throne and become the emperor!
There were three factions in the court. One was the Crown Prince’s faction, Yuwen Yanyu. The other was the Third Prince’s faction, Yuwen Feiye. The last faction was the Emperor’s eldest grandson, the only son left behind by the former Crown Prince, Yuwen Xuhong.
The Crown Prince was the legitimate son of the first wife, the son of the current Empress Chen. Furthermore, he was humble, polite, and magnanimous, winning the hearts of all the officials. However, his weakness was that he was too benevolent!
As an emperor. he couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted.
The Third Prince was the daughter of the Imperial Concubine Zhou. Because his mother was favored, he was very favored by the Emperor. Therefore, the Third Prince’s party felt that they could compete with the Crown Prince on this point.
However, Yuwen Feiye was violent, impulsive, and narrow-minded. He was not suitable to be the ruler of a country.
The eldest grandson of the emperor is the grandson of the former queen and the son of the former crown prince.
However, this person was a person who only knew how to drink and play. He only knew how to enjoy life.
Although he was lazy and unfit and had no interest in the throne, the forces behind him did not give up.
In comparison, although the Crown Prince had shortcomings, he was the most suitable person to be the monarch.
The Emperor was a wise ruler. In his heart, he would never be muddle-headed. He would not suddenly abolish the current Crown Prince’s position and re-establish another Crown Prince.
After hearing Eunuch Zhang read out the imperial edict) some of the officials were pleasantly surprised, some were surprised, and some even found it unbelievable!
Duke Guo’s face darkened as he asked sternly,” Your Highness, since Eunuch Zhang has already announced the imperial edict, can we invite His Majesty out?”
Noble Consort Zhou was not someone to be trifled with.
She restrained her expression and asked sternly,” Lord Guo, I said that His Majesty is unwell. Suppose we asked His Majesty to come out and disturb His Majesty, causing His Majesty’s illness to worsen. Can you bear this responsibility? Or,”
Then, she changed the topic.” Do you doubt the authenticity of these two imperial edicts? Since that’s the case, I’ll ask the ministers to personally verify it! Eunuch Zhang, show these two imperial edicts to the ministers!”
Eunuch Zhang immediately replied,” Yes!”
Eunuch Zhang took the imperial edict down.
However, no matter how Duke Guo and Minister Chen tried to identify it, this was indeed the real imperial edict!
The two of them frowned and thought deeply!