Chapter 16 The dust finally settles 2
"Hey, I heard that His Majesty is going to choose a crown prince today, so he ordered that all of us must come. Do you think anything will happen?"
"It's hard to say..."
Cheng Jue walked behind and glanced at the Marquis of Huainan, and heard him say, "What could possibly happen in broad daylight? Hurry up, I'm waiting to drink with you!"
The group stood outside the Ciqing Palace. The palace gate was closed and no sound could be heard from inside.
Song Yiyue wrapped his cloak tightly around him, frowned and walked to the back.
"Princess, all is well."
"Master Cheng, how have you been these days?"
Cheng Jue said, "I have been living a leisurely life these days. If it weren't for the celebration of the Dowager Concubine's birthday today, I wouldn't have seen so many people. After today, I think I will be even more leisurely in the future."
Song Yiyue pursed her lower lip into a straight line and smiled suddenly.
The palace gate was opened at this moment, making a heavy sound, and the front of the palace appeared in everyone's sight. When everyone saw the scene in front of them clearly, they were all shocked to the extreme.
All the doors of the main hall were open, allowing one to see the black lacquer coffin and the mourning hall that conveyed the news of death. Emperor Xuanhe, dressed in mourning clothes, turned around, unable to hide the sadness in his eyes.
"Queen Dowager Qing passed away due to an acute illness. She wanted to see you younger generations the most when she was alive. Now that she knows that you came to see her as soon as you entered the palace, Concubine Mother Qing will definitely feel comforted if she knows about this in the afterlife."
Everyone seemed to realize what had happened at this moment. For a moment, the sound of mournful wails resounded above the Ciqing Palace, scaring away the crows on the eaves.
A good birthday banquet turned into a mourning ceremony, and the shock in everyone's heart was greater than grief and anger. After the ceremony, it was already two hours later, and Emperor Xuanhe met them in Chengqing Hall. Overnight, Emperor Xuanhe seemed to have aged a lot.
In the hall, there were also court officials who had hurried into the palace after receiving the summons. They all looked at each other, waiting for Emperor Xuanhe to speak.
"Mother Qing passed away so suddenly that I was caught off guard. What made me even more heartbroken was that she was poisoned by my two sons."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.
Emperor Xuanhe sighed very tiredly and said, "Cheng Aiqing, you go ahead and tell me!"
"Yes." Cheng Jue stepped forward and walked to the front of the hall. "Your Majesty ordered me to investigate the murder of Concubine Qing. It was found that Prince Min Song Huaishi and Prince Xin Song Ji both wanted to poison Concubine Qing and frame the other, hoping to get rid of the other and become the only prince of Your Majesty and seize the position of Crown Prince. There are witnesses and material evidence in this case, and the evidence is irrefutable. Your Majesty has ordered the two princes to be imprisoned and will be dealt with later."
This news is truly shocking, and the seriousness of the issues involved is self-evident.
Now, among all the princes and princesses, only Princess Changping Song Yiyue is left alive. But everyone knows that Princess Changping is weak and her only daughter died young. How can a princess with a short life expectancy pass on the long-lasting foundation of Dayu?
The court officials present were all very smart and had already analyzed the current situation in such a short time. Du Zhimo asked, "Your Majesty summoned me to the palace, but have you made any plans?"
"I have been feeling exhausted lately. I wanted to appoint a crown prince when all of you gathered today, but this incident happened... But if the crown prince is not determined, it will not be good for the stability of our Great Yu. All of you are descendants of the Song family, and there are many talented people among you. I would like to hear your opinions and choose one of you to be adopted by me as the crown prince."
"this……"
The ministers discussed in a low voice that although this method was somewhat against etiquette, there was no better way at this point.
"I think your majesty's method is very good."
"I second the motion."
"I second this motion."
…
Emperor Xuanhe rubbed his brows and said in a deep voice: "Then, my dear ministers, please tell me who should be chosen?"
"Your son has something to say." Song Yiyue, who had been silent all the time, stood up, and the chaotic noise in the hall suddenly dissipated.
Song Youan's mouth curled up into a smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes. In Cheng Jue's eyes, this was a gesture of complete victory.
"I recommend someone."
"who?"
"Marquis Huainan, Song Youan."
Emperor Xuanhe sat up straight, resting his arms on the dragon table, and asked, "Why?"
"Marquis Huainan's father, the King Huainan, is my father's younger brother. In terms of blood relationship, Marquis Huainan is the closest. This is the first reason. Marquis Huainan has two legitimate sons before he reaches the age of thirty. In the future, they will have children for our Great Yu, and there will be no worries. This is the second reason. Under the governance of Marquis Huainan, the people of Gaizhou City have lived and worked in peace and contentment over the years, which shows that Marquis Huainan is capable and capable of great responsibilities. This is the third reason."
Song Yiyue's words were well-reasoned and many people nodded in agreement.
Du Zhimo frowned and retorted, "The Marquis of Huainan has collected many beauties in Gaizhou City, and spends his days in pleasure and indulges in wine and sex. If he were the king, wouldn't he be another King Zhou of Shang?"
Song Youan's eyes flashed with cruelty, but his tone was relaxed: "I am flattered by the recommendation of my cousin. Although I don't have the ability to take on this important task, I would like to defend myself. I don't know if Lord Du has misunderstood me, so he said that I am such a playboy. I am a beauty lover, but I just appreciate music and discuss poetry with them. In my family, besides my first wife, I only have one concubine. I really don't know where Lord Du got what he said from."
"The Marquis of Huainan is organizing a beauty pageant to collect beauties. Everyone knows about it. How could I be talking nonsense?"
"Lord Du, you can check to see if those beauties have ever entered my backyard."
"you…… "
"That's enough." Emperor Xuanhe interrupted sharply, "These are all minor matters, not worth worrying about. You'an has grown up under my watch. Since the death of my ninth brother, he has managed Gaizhou City in an orderly manner at a young age. I have also seen it. From this point of view, You'an is indeed the most suitable candidate."
Some of these royal relatives and princes were also eager to try, but they never said it out loud.
Firstly, this matter was too sudden and no one was prepared; secondly, Princess Changping was the only child of His Majesty and had strongly recommended the Marquis of Huainan in public, so her words were too important to His Majesty. If he fought for the Marquis of Huainan at this time, he would not be sure of winning, and the Marquis of Huainan would hate him after he ascended the throne, which was not worth the loss.
There was silence in the hall, which was considered as tacit acceptance of the current situation.
Emperor Xuanhe raised his eyelids and said, "Since all the ministers have no objection, then this matter..."
"I have objections." A cute female voice sounded, which was out of tune with the solemn atmosphere in the hall. Everyone looked over and saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen wearing a fitted official robe, with no makeup on her face, as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water. The most unforgettable thing was her eyes, black and white, like a sea of stars, shining brightly.
Song Youan narrowed his eyes, murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and his gaze seemed to be poisoned. But Zhou Zhenzhen seemed not to see it, and walked straight into the hall and stood side by side with Cheng Jue.
"Why is Mr. Zhou here?"
"Your Majesty, I heard that Your Majesty has summoned the heads of various government offices to the palace for important matters. Mr. Cheng has already entered the palace as a royal relative, so the minister of the Dali Temple has the highest rank and should enter the palace to meet with the emperor."
Song Youan laughed sarcastically and said calmly, "The other adults came a long time ago, why did this Lord Zhou come so late?"
Zhou Zhenzhen didn't look at Song Youan, but just said, "I wanted to come directly to Chengqing Palace, but on the way I met a eunuch who was in a hurry to the Imperial Hospital to find the imperial physician, saying that a palace maid had drowned. As soon as I entered the Dali Temple, Lord Cheng taught me to be a good person and not to watch someone die without helping. I saw that the eunuch was too slow, so I went to the Imperial Hospital. That's why I'm late. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Emperor Xuanhe looked at Cheng Jue meaningfully and said, "Your teachings are very reasonable."
"How about the maid?"
"I have been saved. The maid mistook me for her savior and wanted to repay me. I have loved listening to stories since I was a child, so I asked her to tell me a story I have never heard of as a way of repaying her. The maid told me a story that I found quite interesting."
Emperor Xuanhe became interested: "Oh? What's the story?"
"It tells the story of a woman who entered a wealthy family as a slave. The master of this wealthy family was old and wanted to choose one of his two sons as his heir. This woman was the old lady's personal maid. She secretly drugged the old lady when the two young masters were fighting among themselves, and used a clever trick to push the blame on the two young masters, so that the government would arrest the two young masters. Although the master was furious, he had no choice but to adopt the son of a distant relative who was fostered in the mansion to pass on the family business..."
There was something else behind her words, and everyone in the hall changed their expressions completely.
The relaxed expression on Song Youan's face disappeared completely, and his thin lips were pursed tightly.
With a "bang", Emperor Xuanhe slapped the dragon table with his palm, shocking Zhou Zhenzhen so much that she fell to her knees.
"You are so brave to say such things in the hall!"
"I am an official of the Dali Temple, and it is my duty to investigate the case. In the case of Concubine Qing being poisoned, both Prince Min and Prince Xin were framed. The mastermind behind this wanted to use this to eliminate the two princes in one fell swoop. He is very cunning and ruthless. I speak out because I don't want Your Majesty to be deceived."
"You mean, the mastermind behind this is the Marquis of Huainan?"
"Your Majesty is wise."
Song Youan knelt on the ground, his words were not flustered: "I have lived in Gaizhou City for a long time and have not been back to Chang'an City for several years. I didn't know that there is such a trend in the court now. A third-rank official can make up a story without any evidence and frame an innocent marquis. It really opens my eyes."
Zhou Zhenzhen smiled contemptuously: "How can Huai'an Hou know that I have no evidence?"
As soon as the voice fell, a thin figure appeared at the entrance of the palace and knelt softly on the ground: "Your servant... Your servant greets His Majesty."
Song Youan's expression changed slightly.
Emperor Xuanhe winked, and Liang Duoshi called for someone to bring the person outside in. After seeing the person's face clearly, Emperor Xuanhe was a little surprised: "Aren't you the one serving Concubine Qing?"
"I am Fei Xin, a maid in Ciqing Palace, responsible for taking care of the Dowager Concubine's daily life."
Zhou Zhenzhen asked sideways: "Feixin, tell His Majesty, what is your other identity?"
"My other identity is a spy trained by the Marquis of Huainan. I was sent to the palace and acted according to the Marquis' orders. The poisoning of Concubine Qing was done by me in compliance with the Marquis' orders. When the Concubine went to Wangshan Pavilion, I left the candied fruit that the Concubine loved to eat, and put the poison of Phoenix Gallbladder in it. Then, when I brought the plate, I mixed the candied fruit in it. After Prince Min and Prince Xin came, I asked the other palace maids to stand out. I stayed in the pavilion as the only witness to prove that only Prince Min and Prince Xin were there when the Concubine took the poisoned candied fruit. In this way, after the servants of the two princes confess, the two princes will be the most suspicious people."
