Chapter 294: Being Both a Whore and Wanting a Memorial Arch, Yet Not Letting People Talk

"Let's discuss the matter of deposing the Crown Prince first."

Right Prime Minister Wu Dashou said tentatively.

Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng glanced at the other man, his eyes filled with suppressed anger and mockery.

"Does Wu Xiang think that without the Crown Prince, Prince Jin will get his wish?"

"Li Xiang, don't slander people. Now that things have reached this point, since the Crown Prince has requested to be deposed, can we court officials just turn a blind eye and let the situation continue to stalemate?"

"Absurd! His Majesty said it himself: he has no intention of deposing the Crown Prince; it is all a misunderstanding by the world."

Old Emperor:...

He was just saying it casually; they actually believed it.

Right Prime Minister Wu Dashou was very sad; he couldn't expose the old Emperor's hypocrisy to his face. Look at how this matter was handled: they had already mobilized troops and sharpened weapons, not hesitating to use a military mutiny to force court officials to agree to depose the Crown Prince. Yet he refused to admit it verbally, just to fool the people of the world and maintain a pitiful face, so as not to be cursed too harshly.

Sigh!

There was no such good thing in the world as being both a whore and wanting a memorial arch, yet not letting people talk.

Wu Dashou coughed lightly and looked at the old Emperor, who was standing still. "Please clarify, Your Majesty: are you going to depose the Crown Prince?"

The old Emperor didn't make a sound; Qiu Defu was still hugging his legs.

Qiu Defu looked up, carefully observing the old Emperor's reaction; it seemed it wasn't time to let go yet, and he had to make a sufficient gesture so the old Emperor could save face and step down the stairs.

Therefore, Qiu Defu took the initiative to speak for the old Emperor: "His Majesty has never revealed this intention. It is just... the Crown Prince has flaws in his words and actions; if they are not punished, I fear it will be difficult to convince the public. His Majesty is also in a difficult position. What is rare is that the Crown Prince was able to realize his own problems, but I didn't expect him to request to be deposed. This matter still needs to be discussed by the two Prime Ministers and the heavy ministers to come up with a plan, so as not to let the capital continue to be in chaos. I hear that many families have suffered disasters recently; sigh, if the capital is not peaceful for one day, everyone will not be at ease for one day!"

Shameless!

Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng was almost laughed to anger by this master and servant; they didn't even want the bottom line of the most basic face. They turned black into white, mobilized troops into the city to threaten, showed their true colors, and now they were still biting to death that they had no intention of deposing the Crown Prince. They had to put this pot on the court officials, while they themselves shook their sleeves and didn't touch any karma.

It simply refreshed the new record of shamelessness.

Since ancient times, no Emperor had been as base and lowly as Emperor Taixing. Just mobilizing troops into the capital to depose the Crown Prince must be unprecedented and unique in the world.

Right Prime Minister Wu Dashou coughed lightly. "A plan should indeed be discussed so as not to let the capital continue to be in chaos."

"Please issue an imperial edict, Your Majesty, for the Divine Artifact Battalion and the Divine Sharp Battalion to withdraw their troops to the camp and not continue to linger in the capital. Using troops to wreak havoc in the capital damages the foundation of the country, the foundation of the imperial court, and the hearts of the people of the world."

Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng sternly pleaded.

The old Emperor finally moved, and Qiu Defu took the opportunity to let go of the old Emperor's legs, helping him walk toward the throne.

"Since the New Year, I have been unable to sleep or eat, repeatedly awakened by nightmares. Mobilizing troops into the capital was truly for the sake of my safety; only with these troops in the capital can I sleep a few peaceful nights. You just can't stand me living comfortably. Don't worry, I will have people restrain those troops and not allow them to act recklessly. Two Prime Ministers, hurry and discuss the matter of deposing the Crown Prince. Now that things have reached this point, the matter cannot be dragged on. Whether the Crown Prince can continue to inherit the great rule, I believe everyone has an account in their hearts."

After the old Emperor finished speaking, he sat on the dragon throne at the right time. A cup of tea at just the right temperature was delivered to his hand; he picked up the teacup and took a sip, finally feeling relieved in his heart.

"Is it Your Majesty's decree to depose the Crown Prince?" Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng questioned.

"Not at all! I am thinking for the sake of the empire and the country, for the sake of the world. If the Crown Prince is not suitable to inherit the great rule, how can I ignore the empire because of father-son affection? I hope all the ministers will take the empire and the country as the priority and not be blinded by personal feelings to make the wrong judgment."

The old Emperor was high-sounding, refusing to bear the name of deposing the Crown Prince no matter what. This name must be borne by the court officials; although this act was like covering one's ears to steal a bell, the old Emperor was willing to do so. He firmly believed that with his means, he could minimize the influence of the Crown Prince's deposition and detach himself from this event without a single leaf touching his body.

The Crown Prince is incompetent; if he is deposed, he is deposed.

If the court officials are unwilling to bear the name, then let the Crown Prince bear it.

An incompetent Crown Prince deserves to be cursed by the people of the world. He, as the Son of Heaven, mobilizing troops into the capital was also forced by the Crown Prince, not his original intention.

If there is any damage or death this time, it should be counted on the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was indeed a perfect scapegoat.

Left Prime Minister Li Liangcheng sighed secretly, while Right Prime Minister Wu Dashou secretly rejoiced in his heart.

"Let's start the meeting!"

Now that things had reached this point, the matter of deposing the Crown Prince must be put on the agenda and could not be dragged on. Although no one wanted to see this scene, the old Emperor was mad to this point; if they didn't follow his will, the situation would continue to stalemate, the capital would never have peace, and no one knew how many more people would die in this chaos.

The old Emperor nodded with satisfaction; the matter had finally been pushed forward, not wasting his persistence for so many days.

The heavy ministers entered the hall, the topic being the deposition of the Crown Prince.

As soon as this was said, the two Prime Ministers on the left and right were cursed by the ministers on the spot, and spit was sprayed directly onto their faces.

The old Emperor watched the play from the sidelines.

If he hadn't been witty, the court officials' spit would have been sprayed on his face.

Deposing a Crown Prince—why was it so difficult! It had been stalemated for almost half a month, and most of the court officials still refused to compromise; even the threat of beheading couldn't scare them, which was truly annoying.

Was the Crown Prince really that popular?

The more popular he was, the more he had to depose the Crown Prince. He would not allow anyone to question it!

The palace was holding a big meeting, and the order in the capital had recovered slightly; some of the troops withdrew from the capital to camp, while some remained in the city to be responsible for patrols and to intimidate the petty thieves.

The duties that should have belonged to the Five Cities Military Command were all snatched away by this group of troops.

The people tried to go out to work to earn money. If their hands stopped, their mouths stopped; if they didn't go out, they would starve to death. Rather than starving to death, it was better to go out and test the waters. Seeing that the troops didn't make things difficult for them, more and more people went out, the market gradually recovered its popularity, and there were more pedestrians on the street.

Chen Guanlou and other prison guards gathered in the artillery tower, discussing whether to open the main gate and restore order.

"The people are all out; it looks like it should be fine."

"But the troops are still in the city, and there is no news from the palace. What if it gets chaotic again?"

"The Imperial Prison next door hasn't even opened its main gate; there's no need for us to do so either."

"Why not ask the Ministry of Justice and listen to the orders of the superiors."

"You don't know, the Ministry of Justice doesn't have a single person right now; they are either hiding at home or entering the palace to petition."

"Whether to open the main gate or not, everyone express your stance."

"Show of hands to vote, minority obeys majority, how about that?"

"Prison Clerk Chen, do you support opening the main gate?" ===== CHAPTER 295 =====