Outside the hall, the cries of Concubine Lan abruptly ceased.
Instinctively, she opened her mouth, hoping to say something about Lu Siming's filial piety during the emperor's illness, even the slightest bit.
But she couldn't utter a single word.
Just moments ago, Lu Siming had been straight - backed, looking aloof and self - possessed, as if wrongly accused. Now, his head drooped.
The emperor seemed reluctant to spare this mother - son pair. He let out a soft laugh, his eyes full of irony.
"Since the beginning of spring, I've been in poor health and have never stopped taking medicinal soups. Every time, it's Hong'er who personally brings the soup, tests the temperature, and then serves me.
Whenever he hears that my headache flares up, he's always the first among the princes to rush to my bedside. He takes care of me without the slightest impatience. Moreover, he has to handle state affairs and always worry about the common people.
The war in the northern border has ended. Transporting grain from the south of the Yangtze River for winter storage and the collection of autumn taxes into the treasury—hasn't the Crown Prince handled every single one of these matters personally?
And you, Lu Siming, what have you been doing?"
Lu Siming tightened his lips. His back was bent like a bow, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead.
"You've been busy currying favor with powerful ministers, feigning benevolence to win people's hearts. Secretly, you've been ordering your subordinates to trip up the Crown Prince, stir up trouble, and spread rumors, using underhanded means to deal with your own elder brother!
Have you ever done anything beneficial to the country and its people? Have you ever truly cared about the common people and people's livelihood, even for a moment?
A person like you, who is only obsessed with power and engaged in intrigue, also dares to dream of becoming the ruler of our Great Zhou?
If I were to hand over our great country to you, how could I have the face to meet our ancestors?"
Each rebuke was like the roar of a fierce tiger, leaving lingering echoes in the entire hall.
The Crown Prince was shocked and also somewhat dazed.
It had been many, many years since he last saw his father this angry.
Even when Lu Ningzhen's evil deeds were made public, his father was more disappointed than angry, calm and self - restrained.
But at this moment, he was truly enraged.
At first, when the Crown Prince told his father about the plan to lure out the snake, his father was reluctant to order its execution.
He didn't believe that a clumsy fake imperial edict could deceive Lu Siming.
But Lu Siming did believe it.
The Crown Prince had seen that fake edict. Qin Feng's ability to imitate was indeed strong.
But upon closer inspection, one could find that the strokes of the fake edict were far less vigorous than the emperor's calligraphy.
The calligraphy of the princes had been personally taught by the emperor, stroke by stroke.
Lu Siming had shown great talent since childhood, so the emperor had taught him especially attentively and spent the most time on him.
But he failed to recognize his father's handwriting.
The emperor had shown paternal affection and repeatedly indulged him. He had even promoted Lu Siming's mother to a position second only to the queen.
He was willing to wrong the queen to give this mother - son pair dignity.
He had also repeatedly hinted to the Crown Prince that he must be kind to his brothers.
But what about Lu Siming?
He had no filial piety at all. He couldn't wait for his father to die soon. He even wanted to kill his elder brother and usurp the throne after his father's death.
What on earth had he been soft - hearted about?
The wind rose. The doors of the Hall of Mental Cultivation were wide open. The cold winter wind howled and rushed towards him.
His body was cold, but his heart was even colder.
"Guards, convey my order. The Second Prince, Lu Siming, has plotted to usurp the throne, a heinous act of treason. He shall be placed under house arrest in the Chunling Villa. Without a summons, he shall never step out for the rest of his life! His mother, Concubine Lan, has failed to discipline him and has abetted his evil deeds. She shall be demoted to the rank of concubine. Her green name tag shall be removed, and she shall never serve the emperor again for the rest of her life!"
Lifetime house arrest was equivalent to being demoted to a commoner.
Removing the green name tag was equivalent to losing all favor.
Without the support of these two people, the Gao family's status would plummet.
Concubine Lan rolled her eyes and fainted.
When Lu Siming was being dragged out, he still tried to struggle and shout his innocence.
"Your subject didn't know the edict was fake! It was the Qin father and son who framed your subject. This is a scheme set up by Lu Sihong! I'm wronged, Your Majesty! I'm wronged!"
By the time his voice was swallowed by the night, the emperor didn't even bat an eyelid.
The Crown Prince silently pinched his palm.
His father's kindness and soft - heartedness weren't only shown towards Lu Ningzhen.
The emperor's eyes were dim as he turned to Qin Feng.
"What else do you have to say?"
Qin Feng wanted to say that he had been tricked by his son.
But such a reason was both laughable and pale.
He had forged the edict. No matter how well he had hidden it, once it was found, he would surely be sentenced to death.
Saying more wouldn't save his life.
He just never expected that he would be defeated by a woman.
Hongrui, the woman he had doted on like a cat or a dog, a weakling he had never regarded as a real person, had bitten him hard at the most unexpected moment.
His entire life's reputation had been ruined by Lady Yang and Hongrui.
If he had known that Lady Yang's son was as stupid as a pig and would harm him like this, he would have regretted not strangling this wretch at birth!
Qin Ziqi suddenly let out a loud wail.
"Your Majesty, I'm wronged. I was just deceived by that slut Qiluo. That's why... That's why... It's all Qiluo. She's the real culprit. It was she who instigated me to deliver the fake edict! I don't want to die. I don't want to die!"
The emperor laughed, and it was a loud laugh.
Qin Ziqi's mouth, which had been wailing and open wide, also curved upwards. In an instant, his bitter expression turned into a smile. "Your Majesty, you believe me, don't you? The edict was forged by my father. It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with me..."
"Drag him out and execute him immediately!"
The once - glorious Rongxiang Duke's Mansion fell overnight.
The emperor was kind - hearted. The punishment didn't extend to Qin Feng's family. He allowed them to return to their hometown, but all their property in the capital was confiscated.
His descendants were not allowed to return to the capital without a summons and were prohibited from serving as officials in the court.
The next morning, during the court session, Liang Wentao was promoted to the first - rank Chief Minister of the Secretariat.
Liang Wentao knew that this was the "opportunity" the Crown Prince had mentioned about seizing the moment.
In the court, the Gao father and son walked on thin ice.
Last night, Gao Tianyu had sent troops to hide near the Chunling Villa, preparing to help the Second Prince seize the throne.
Although the Second Prince had withdrawn the troops before the Golden Feather Guards arrived, with the emperor's wisdom and means, it would be easy to find out if he wanted to.
Surprisingly, the emperor didn't take action against the Gao family.
Instead, he even comforted them.
He said that the Second Prince's house arrest and Concubine Lan's demotion had nothing to do with the Gao family.
Gao Tianyu thanked the emperor nervously.
But Gao Zhao didn't think so.
The Gao family held military power, so the emperor had to be wary of them.
The reason the Second Prince wasn't killed was that the emperor was afraid of a rebellion from the Gao family.
The Gao family had the confidence to rebel!
It wasn't until afternoon that the Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace.
He hadn't slept all night and had forced himself to attend the court session to discuss state affairs. He was extremely exhausted.
But what he cared about most was Mianmian.
When he entered the Ronghua Palace, Qiluo and Shuyi came forward to pay their respects.
"How is the Crown Princess?"
"The Crown Princess didn't sleep all night. She only took a short nap after getting news of Your Highness. She was busy all morning today and only managed to catch a short sleep just now."
The Crown Prince stopped outside the bedroom. He paced back and forth for a while but finally didn't go in.
It wasn't until evening that Cheng Simian woke up.
Perhaps it was because of the recent frequent major events and excessive worry. She was much sleepier than before.
The Crown Prince was reading memorials in the side hall. As soon as he heard that Mianmian was awake, he quickly stepped into the bedroom.
The two hugged each other quietly for a while.
"Is it all over?"
"Not really. Father wants the Gao family to voluntarily hand over their military power, but Gao Tianyu has shown no sign of doing so."
That meant Lu Siming still had the confidence to compete for the throne and usurp power.
"What about Liang Wentao..."
"He has been promoted to Chief Minister of the Secretariat. He knows the time has come."
"And..."
"Mianmian, I know you're worried about me and afraid that there are unstable factors around me. But you also have to take care of yourself. Otherwise, I'll be heartbroken."
The Crown Prince gently stroked Cheng Simian's face. "These days, you've become haggard and lost weight. What would you like to eat?"
Cheng Simian had no appetite.
Just thinking about the 50,000 troops hanging over the Eastern Palace like a huge boulder, she couldn't calm down.
She wasn't like this before. Recently, she seemed to have become more prone to anxiety.