bestfiction Chapter 228 Daydreaming!
Chapter 228 Daydreaming!
"Now that the army is at the city gates, it won't be long before they storm the palace."
Having reached this point, the Crown Prince no longer had any reservations.
He led a beast tide to harm the people; the woman he was obsessed with was a vicious shrew; and his three children were even more like demons.
He, the crown prince, lost completely at this grand court assembly!
Fortunately, he still had one last chance, and the 100,000-strong army of Roushan was his source of confidence.
He holds the tiger tally and is still the nominal crown prince.
Once the army enters the city, Bai Xiaoxiao, the Princess, Zhou Wei, and everyone in the court will be fish on a chopping board!
"Royal elder sister, do you really think that by completely ruining my reputation, you can drag me down from the position of crown prince?"
As the Crown Prince spoke, he looked at Bai Xiaoxiao again.
"And you! Just a few days ago you were a lowly commoner, but through your schemes you bewitched the Emperor and now you hold the power of regent."
"If you're not a wicked concubine who brought ruin to the country, then what are you? Throughout history, have any dynasties that allowed empresses to interfere in politics ever had a good ending?"
"Whether it's you, Bai Xiaoxiao, or Jiang Yueli, you're just a woman. How dare you interfere with the imperial court?"
The more the prince spoke, the more agitated he became.
He then looked at the court officials, his tone full of resentment: "You are either well-versed in the classics or skilled in warfare, yet you are willing to bow down to a woman. This is truly shameful to me."
"Especially you, Chen Wenyu, as the Minister of Rites, in charge of the national rites, I ask you, is it against etiquette for a woman to rule the court and for a princess to interfere in politics?"
Chen Wenyu looked at the Crown Prince for a long time before saying, "According to the rites, women are indeed not allowed to interfere in politics."
The Crown Prince laughed loudly, "If that's the case, why are you civil and military officials being instigated by these two women to relentlessly attack me? What are you trying to achieve?"
"Do you really want to see me fail to become the crown prince and let this Great Zhou be controlled by a woman?"
After the prince finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and was no longer the distraught man he had been moments before.
He regained his usual demeanor as the crown prince.
"I did use the Tiger Tally to mobilize troops from the three major camps, so what? My actions were to save the Great Zhou, restore order, and prevent a hen from crowing at dawn."
"It is not, as Jiang Yueli said, for the purpose of forcing the emperor to abdicate! My lords, I promise you that when the army enters the palace, I will only deal with those who disrupt the government."
“Execute the wicked and treacherous officials, behead the evil concubine, and invite Father Emperor out of Hexi Palace to take charge of the government.”
"As for you all, you are loyal to the Great Zhou. Your actions in the court just now were merely due to the instigation of Bai Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yueli. I will not hold you accountable for your crimes."
"Now that the Roushan army is at the city gates, the choice is yours."
After the prince finished speaking, his gaze swept intently over everyone present.
Apart from the civil and military officials who firmly supported Jiang Yueli and dared to meet her gaze, everyone else lowered their heads guiltily.
Having military power gives one a strong voice.
Because of the Roushan Army, none of these people dared to look directly at the Crown Prince.
Bai Xiaoxiao chuckled at this moment, remaining expressionless while seated on the dragon throne.
"My lords, do you really think someone like Jiang Yueshan would let you go? Anyone who believes his lies will be the first target when the army enters the palace. Haven't you all learned your lesson from Zhu Zhen, the leader of the Imperial Guard?"
"Furthermore, the outcome of this battle is still uncertain. Everyone, please do not forget that the Five Cities Garrison is guarding the four corners of the capital. The capital's city walls are sturdy. If the Five Cities Garrison holds the city gates to the death, they may be able to keep the Roushan Army outside the city."
Unexpectedly, these words only made the Crown Prince laugh even more unrestrainedly.
It was as if I had heard the biggest joke ever!
"Imperial Noble Consort, what kind of daydream are you having?"
Bai Xiaoxiao looked at him calmly: "What does the Crown Prince mean?"
Zhou Wei reminded him, "Imperial Noble Consort, the Crown Prince is leading the Imperial Guards out of the city at night to silence witnesses. They will inevitably pass through the city gates guarded by the Five City Garrison Commands."
“After nightfall, the city gates should not be opened without authorization unless it is an urgent military matter, but the Crown Prince went out with ease.”
"Not only did they go out, but there hasn't been a single word about it. Doesn't that say something?"
"I'm afraid Lu Zhiyan of the Five Cities Garrison has already been bribed by the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince looked at Zhou Wei and smiled inexplicably.
“Zhou Dianjun, don’t speak so harshly. What do you mean by ‘bribery’? General Lu is a loyal and patriotic man. He couldn’t bear to see the Great Zhou in chaos, so he abandoned the darkness and opened the city gates to welcome the Roushan Army into the city.”
At this point, the court officials who had previously wavered were now completely terrified.
They did indeed harbor illusions about the Five Cities Military Command, hoping that Lu Zhiyan could hold off the Roushan Army.
But the Crown Prince's words shattered everything!
Immediately, someone knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Jiang Yueshan.
"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! It was my fault for misjudging people and wrongly accusing Your Highness. I beg Your Highness to forgive and forget."
When someone takes the lead, others will follow suit.
In an instant, nearly half of the court officials knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the Crown Prince.
Bai Xiaoxiao and the Eldest Princess did the same thing, silently noting down those who had switched sides at the last minute.
To the princess's surprise, Wang Shu, the Prefect of Jingzhao, who was usually the most fickle-minded, actually stood up straight.
Seeing this, the eldest princess nodded silently. It seemed that Wang Shu still had some integrity and could be given important responsibilities.
Of course, no one knew how terrified Wang Shu was at that moment!
When the first courtier knelt down, he almost buckled and knelt down as well.
That's 100,000 Roushan soldiers!
Who can stop them?
But just as he was about to kneel down, Tan Lin's words came to mind again.
Tan Lin warned him that he should always pay attention to the Princess's attitude in court.
No matter what happens, if the princess remains calm, it means that the matter is still under her control.
Remembering Tan Lin's words, Wang Shu subconsciously glanced at the Princess and found that Jiang Yueli still had that calm and composed demeanor.
Wang Shu's already bent knees straightened instantly.
At the same time, he secretly prayed: Princess, I have staked my life on you, please don't betray me!
The atmosphere in the imperial court was tense; everyone was on edge, not daring to relax for a moment.
The Crown Prince continued to incite the crowd: "The three thousand Golden Guards of the Eastern Palace have followed my orders and have surrounded the Fengtian Hall. I advise all the generals not to act rashly."
The Crown Prince was speaking to Qian Tao and the others.
Feng Polu, a general with a fiery temper, hated being coerced the most!
They were already itching to seize the opportunity to take down the Crown Prince, so that even if the Roushan Army entered the palace, they could use the Crown Prince as leverage to force the Roushan Army to retreat.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince saw through Feng Polu and the others' thoughts and directly pointed out that he still held the Imperial Guard in his hands.
No sooner had the Crown Prince finished speaking than dozens of Imperial Guards rushed into the Fengtian Hall, wielding sharp blades, and surrounded the court officials!
The newly appointed commander of the Imperial Guard knelt before the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, the three thousand Golden Guards have assembled and are waiting outside the Fengtian Hall."
The Crown Prince wore a confident smile, and his gaze toward the Princess and Zhou Wei turned cruel.
He had already simulated Zhou Wei's death a thousand times in his mind.
This wretched maidservant has repeatedly humiliated him, and now she can finally redeem herself.
Jiang Yueshan made a solemn vow in his heart that he would definitely skin Zhou Wei alive this time!