Chapter 293: Why Did His Majesty Rebel?

"Are there any high-ranking officials surnamed Wang in the imperial court?"

"There are some, but they are all children of powerful clans from the south. They aren't the same ancestors as the Wang surname in the capital. Why are you asking about these?"

"Just bored." Chen Guanlou said casually, brushing the matter aside.

"Were there any great clans surnamed Wang in the capital before? For example, thirty-five years ago?"

Lu Datou was a bit confused. "Thirty-five years ago, I was still a child; how would I know? There shouldn't be. If there really were a great clan surnamed Wang in the capital, I would definitely have heard of it."

Chen Guanlou nodded in understanding. This matter wasn't urgent; he could ask around slowly.

He looked toward the Imperial Palace, wondering how long the old Emperor would continue to be mad. There wasn't a single man in the court who dared to raise his arms and shout, to purge those around the Emperor, to imitate Huo Guang, and to carry out the act of deposing and establishing.

In the end, it was because they had no military power.

Taiji Palace.

Outside the palace gates, the corpses had been moved away, and the bloodstains on the ground had been cleaned. Perhaps the little eunuchs were too nervous when doing their work; they hadn't discovered the dark red marks in the corner, and they would probably lose their heads later.

The court officials were still kneeling outside the palace gates, with cushions added so they could sit or lie down.

Some officials were physically exhausted and simply gave up, lying on the cushions, blowing in the cold early spring wind, curling their bodies, relying only on a thin quilt to resist the cold wind.

The old Emperor showed mercy and provided cushions and quilts for the officials, with imperial physicians waiting on the side to provide treatment to officials who fell ill at any time.

Some cushions were empty, not because they had retreated, but because they had fallen ill and were moved to the side hall to recuperate. Once their bodies improved slightly, they would continue to fight.

Inside the Taiji Palace, the old Emperor sat on a soft cushion, practicing Daoism and seeking longevity, looking very peaceful, seemingly unaffected in the slightest.

Qiu Defu learned the latest news from a little eunuch, his brows instantly furrowing; he waved his hand, signaling the little eunuch to step down.

He silently arrived by the old Emperor's side, bent over, and whispered: "His Highness the Crown Prince still hasn't eaten today, and he has even cut off his water."

"What does he want to do?" The originally calm old Emperor suddenly erupted, angry like a trapped beast.

"Is he trying to force me, or is he trying to frame me? Is he making a joke of imperial family affection for the world to see?"

The old Emperor was too angry to continue practicing. He stood up and paced back and forth in the great hall. At this time, if he looked at anyone with displeasure, that person would have to die.

Therefore, in the great hall, except for Qiu Defu, all the palace maids, eunuchs, and Daoist priests were kneeling on the ground, shivering. Everyone was terrified and uneasy, yet they couldn't show it. If their bodies shook even a little, attracting the attention of the enraged old Emperor, it meant the next person to die would be themselves.

No one wanted to die.

Everyone was trying every possible way to protect themselves.

"What is his purpose in doing this? I didn't force him to fast; who is he doing this for? Is he demonstrating?"

The old Emperor was furious.

The court officials outside the palace gates all pricked up their ears.

The Crown Prince had been fasting for three days.

This game of chess between father and son had reached a critical moment.

When the old Emperor paused to rest, Qiu Defu said again: "The Donggong has submitted a memorial; His Highness the Crown Prince requests to be deposed!"

"What did you say? What nonsense are you spouting?"

The old Emperor seemed very shocked, never expecting that things would develop in such an absurd direction.

Qiu Defu handed over the memorial with both hands. "Reporting to Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince says he is flawed in virtue, unable to be fraternal to his brothers below, unable to share worries for Your Majesty above, and often angers Your Majesty; he is truly unfilial. Unfilial and unfraternal, unbenevolent and unrighteous, he is unworthy of continuing as the Crown Prince of the Donggong. Therefore, he requests to be deposed."

"Absurd! Utterly absurd! Does he think I want to depose him? I have never thought so; I have never thought about deposing the Crown Prince. He has completely misunderstood my painstaking efforts!"

The old Emperor touched his face with his hand, appearing to be in great pain—the pain of an old father not being understood by his children.

Qiu Defu was expressionless, maintaining the posture of bending over and handing over the memorial with both hands. This posture was not comfortable, but he could maintain it for several hours without moving; this was the skill of being the Chief Huangmen of the Inner Palace. Without this skill, one wasn't qualified to serve before the old Emperor.

"Absurd, truly absurd! Do I look like I'm forcing him? Have I thought about deposing the Crown Prince? Why don't the court officials understand me, misunderstand me, and now even the Crown Prince misunderstands me. The Crown Prince is the foundation; how could I depose him? Moreover, he has no major faults. Although there are mistakes, they can be forgiven. Sigh!"

"Since Your Majesty has no intention of deposing the Crown Prince, why mobilize troops into the capital, and why surround the Donggong?"

Finally, an official who wasn't afraid of death stood out, stood outside the palace gates, and angrily questioned.

"Presumptuous, presumptuous!" The old Emperor was furious. "Who is slandering me? Catch him, catch them all. Don't let a single one go."

"Even if Your Majesty beheads me, I must ask one question: what exactly does Your Majesty intend to do? Why did Your Majesty rebel?"

"Rebel, rebel, everyone is rebelling!"

The old Emperor pulled the sword from the wall, making a gesture to rush out and kill on the spot.

Seeing this, Qiu Defu didn't dare to hesitate and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. "Your Majesty, you must not! You absolutely must not! The court officials are just using their tongues; if Your Majesty really uses a sword to kill officials, you will definitely be cursed by the people of the world, recorded in history books, and cursed by future generations!"

"Who dares to record it!"

"As a historian, I must record every word and action of Your Majesty."

"Behead him, behead him, behead them all." The old Emperor appeared mad, his behavior extremely manic.

Qiu Defu hugged the old Emperor's legs tightly, stopping him with his life, while ordering the little eunuchs: "Hurry and invite the two Prime Ministers. Hurry! Your Majesty, calm your anger! Your Majesty, do not be impulsive!"

"You old piece of trash, hurry and move aside. I want to kill the treacherous officials; they dare to slander me, this is great disrespect, they all deserve to die."

Just as they were arguing, the two Prime Ministers who had fallen ill hurried over. These two had been recuperating in the side hall and were shocked to learn that the Crown Prince had requested to be deposed, all of them unable to believe it.

Then they learned that the old Emperor had flatly denied having any intention of deposing the Crown Prince, saying the Crown Prince had misunderstood him, which made them even more astonished, and they couldn't help but sigh: there is such a thick-skinned and shameless person in the world.

The old Emperor made such a commotion just to depose the Crown Prince. Now he was talking nonsense, saying he didn't have this intention; it was simply spouting nonsense, treating everyone like fools to be teased.

No wonder the officials kneeling outside the palace gates couldn't help but jump out and curse.

A dignified ruler of a country, inconsistent in word and deed, spouting nonsense all day long, hypocritical to the point of nausea—this was the misfortune of the Great Gan Dynasty and the nightmare of the people of the world.

"What is Your Majesty doing? Why not put down the sword quickly? If you hurt yourself, it will be another turmoil."

It was still Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng who had the ability; he spoke in the tone of lecturing a junior, yet the old Emperor couldn't vent his anger. ===== CHAPTER 294 =====