Chapter 296: The Crown Prince is Deposed

"The old Emperor has been on the throne for fifty years; how can the previous Emperor compare? The previous Emperor was recognized as soft-eared and good at accepting advice, which actually meant he was easily swayed by officials. The old Emperor is the complete opposite: he is arbitrary, obstinate, and an old stubborn."

Father and son, two extremes. The court officials were also miserable, encountering such a stubborn Emperor who wouldn't listen to advice, yet he held imperial power and military power. The last military system reform was twenty years into the Taixing reign.

Look, the old Emperor played this game of chess, absolutely as a master of the age. Thirty years ago, he had the consciousness to hold military power firmly in his own hands, rather than in the hands of officials. Although there were institutional restrictions, he left loopholes. Only in this way did he have the move of privately mobilizing troops into the capital and using a military mutiny to depose the Crown Prince.

Everything was foreshadowed thirty years ago.

Master Du gulped down a mouthful of wine. "In the end, it's still that the officials are incompetent, have no ability to restrict imperial power, and sit by as imperial power crushes the power of the Prime Minister, causing the people of the world to suffer."

"Either the east wind overwhelms the west wind, or the west wind overwhelms the east wind. These major court affairs are not for us little people to worry about. Come, come, drink." Chen Guanlou was open-minded.

A grain of sand in the era is a mountain on the head of an ordinary person. So what! Could it be that he could enter the palace and assassinate the Emperor?

With Grandmasters sitting in the Imperial Palace, no one dared to mess around.

The power of over a hundred civil and military officials couldn't reverse the situation. As a little person, one should have the self-awareness of a little person: store grain widely, save more money, and strive to survive every difficult day that follows.

Master Du sighed. "I'm also worrying in vain."

"Don't talk about those annoying things. Has the Master ever heard of Princess Luyang? It seems there is no such figure in the court."

"Princess Luyang? Princess Luyang! Let me think."

Master Du frowned, thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered something; he got up and rummaged through boxes and cabinets, finally finding a miscellaneous record from the bookshelf.

"I heard you mention Princess Luyang, and I always felt I had seen it somewhere. Finally, I remembered: I had heard of it from the First Master, and I had also seen it in a miscellaneous record. Here, it's this miscellaneous record. The country should have had a Princess Luyang once; later, she committed a crime, and the old Emperor issued a decree to erase all traces of her existence, including written records. Thanks to the First Master's prominent status, he was able to preserve the written records of that year."

"What crime did Princess Luyang commit?"

"Then I don't know. At that time, I hadn't entered the capital, and I only heard hearsay about things in the capital. Princess Luyang wasn't an important figure, and it didn't reach my hometown. At least when I was in my hometown, I didn't hear anyone mention her."

Chen Guanlou opened the miscellaneous record.

Called a miscellaneous record, as the name suggests, it was just some notes recording daily observations. Two of the articles mentioned Princess Luyang: one was Princess Luyang drinking tea at the guild hall and examining talented scholars; the other was Princess Luyang burning incense to pray for blessings. There was nothing else.

Moreover, the content of the miscellaneous record happened forty years ago, which was too long ago.

"Master, are you clear about the relationship between Princess Luyang and the old Emperor?"

Was it father and daughter, brother and sister, or aunt and niece? Different identities meant different influence. If it were father and daughter, it was handled as it was handled, and no one dared to say a word; I suspect there were very few people who pleaded for mercy.

If it were brother and sister, someone would definitely stand up to oppose it; those Princes weren't vegetarians.

If it were aunt and niece, that would be even more extraordinary; the clan would have to come out and say a few words.

Master Du shook his head. "I really don't know. Why did you suddenly ask about this? Princess Luyang should no longer be in this world, right?"

"I have nothing to do while locked in the Heavenly Prison, so I read the files as if they were storybooks. Seeing the name of Princess Luyang, I was a bit curious, so I asked."

"You should ask less about this kind of thing. Since all traces were erased, she must have committed a heaven-defying crime. This kind of case should not be touched."

"You're right! I must restrain my curiosity in the future." Chen Guanlou agreed.

Chen Guanlou rested at home for a few days, scattered the charm of money at a brothel, and when he went to work at the Heavenly Prison on the fifth day of the third month, he was radiant and high-spirited.

As a result, a clap of thunder shocked everyone.

The Crown Prince was deposed!

The Crown Prince of nearly forty years was deposed.

Although rumors of deposing the Crown Prince were rampant, and everyone was criticizing this matter in private, everyone still held a glimmer of fantasy in their hearts: everything was an illusion, and it was impossible for the Crown Prince to be deposed.

Therefore, when the decree to formally depose the Crown Prince was passed down, everyone was stunned on the spot, looking incredulous. It was as if the sky had collapsed, the earth had sunk, the foundation of the country had been dug up, the peaceful and prosperous age had ended, and a chaotic age was about to arrive.

What to do?

Three words floated above everyone's head: What to do?

The Crown Prince was deposed; what should be done?

"This isn't a joke, is it?"

Xu Fugui sat on a chair in the office, and the dilapidated chair let out a painful wail.

"How can news from the palace be fake."

"Once the news spreads throughout the world, it will definitely cause criticism."

"Having been Crown Prince for thirty-plus years, what will be the result of being deposed in one day?"

"The Crown Prince is the most orthodox; if he isn't qualified to be Crown Prince, who is qualified to be Crown Prince?"

"What exactly are they eating; how could such a thing happen."

The prison guards of the Heavenly Prison were called a lowly profession, and everyone appeared very lowly. However, when the matter of deposing the Crown Prince became true, everyone developed a heart of worrying about the country and the people, and even showed a look of panic.

Everyone was not only seeking justice for the Crown Prince but actually maintaining the Crown Prince's orthodox status and maintaining the face of the imperial court. Maintaining the face of the government office.

What is face!

Orthodoxy is face!

In terms of orthodoxy, who could be more orthodox than the Crown Prince? Born of the original Empress, the eldest legitimate son, the maternal clan was a noble family, orthodox beyond compare, precious beyond compare. And having been Crown Prince for so many years, he had no major faults, and his virtue was not flawed. Even if there were small mistakes occasionally, they were reasonable and not unforgivable.

And, the Crown Prince was wise, benevolent, good at accepting advice, and respected his teachers!

Deposing the Crown Prince was equivalent to abolishing orthodoxy, tearing up the face of the imperial court, and tearing up the face of the government office. Since even orthodoxy was abolished, who would maintain the face of this imperial court and the face of the government office?

It was a mess!

Everyone's worldview was strongly impacted.

A Crown Prince who had no major faults and was quite popular was deposed, just like the backbone behind people had been abolished, and the bottom line that everyone had once insisted on in their hearts had been abolished.

Was that the Crown Prince? That was clearly the worldview of the people of Great Gan, their spiritual pillar. It was people's expectation for a better life.

Imperial power inheritance, orderly inheritance; all along, everything had rules and order. People lived orderly lives, families had rules and regulations, and society had a virtuous cycle.

Deposing the Crown Prince was equivalent to confusing people's hearts, confusing social order and rules, stimulating the evil in people's hearts, and letting the ambitious people hiding in the dark no longer be able to hold back. ===== CHAPTER 297 =====