novelhk Chapter 534 Intervene
Chapter 534 Intervene
"I heard that the Crown Prince had passed away. I was deeply saddened and wanted to see him for the last time."
"I wonder if the Queen Mother could have someone open His Highness's coffin so that I can have a look?"
Empress Dowager Yuan did not agree directly. She frowned and said with some disapproval: "The coffin has been sealed and the ritual has been performed. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to open the coffin now?"
"No matter what, Yi'er is still the legitimate son of Emperor Chu. Opening the coffin would be too disrespectful to him!"
Yuan Jiuan raised his eyebrows, his voice still gentle, "So, the Queen Mother wants to bury the Crown Prince and the Queen together, which is a sign of respect for them?"
Empress Dowager Yuan: "..."
Empress Dowager Yuan: "!!!"
She didn't expect that Yuan Jiuan would use this matter to confront her.
Queen Mother Yuan was a little angry, but she didn't show it on her face.
"Your Highness has come all the way to the capital, and I welcome you, but this is my family affair after all. I'm afraid it wouldn't be a good idea for an outsider like you to interfere, right?"
Yuan Jiuan looked at her with a smile, "The Queen Mother may have forgotten the privileges granted to successive Chengxuan kings by the founding emperor."
"If you can't remember, I can help you recall it."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, and the black-clad guard Ying Jue beside him immediately took out a scroll and placed it in his palm.
When the scroll was unfolded, it looked like an imperial edict, slightly yellowed, but the ministers recognized it at a glance. It was left by the previous emperor and it was quite old.
Yuan Jiuan read it out loud in front of everyone.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: I, the Emperor, have inherited the order of Heaven and govern the empire. Considering our royal family, I hereby appoint Yuan Qing, the head of the Yuan family, as the Prince of Chengxuan. The title will be passed down from generation to generation, and he will enjoy the honor of a prince. I also grant the successive Princes of Chengxuan the privilege of keeping the emperor away from the emperor's side, protecting the peace of our dynasty, and coordinating state affairs with me. I decree this!"
After hearing this, Empress Dowager Yuan's face darkened and anger surged in her eyes.
To clear the emperor's side, in simple terms, means to eliminate the treacherous villains and those with ulterior motives around the monarch.
Those who enjoy power can assist the emperor or execute first and report later. In short, everything he does is reasonable as long as it protects the rights and interests of the Chu royal family.
She clenched her fists and said with a fake smile: "It is true that Your Highness has the power to purge the emperor's entourage, but as far as I know, no Chengxuan king in history has ever interfered in the affairs of the royal family. Does Your Highness want to care about these?"
Yuan Jiuan looked at her and said calmly: "They are them, and I am I. Previously, the people of the Chu royal family were stable, and the court was stable. There was no need for King Chengxuan to interfere in these matters."
"But the situation is different now. If I don't intervene, I'm afraid the royal family of Western Shu will soon have to change their name and dynasty, right?"
This sentence irritated Queen Dowager Yuan. She could tell that the other party was blaming her.
I thought the other party would be more tactful in his words, but I didn't expect Yuan Jiuan to be so direct.
He openly and secretly criticized her in front of the ministers without giving her any face at all.
Empress Dowager Yuan immediately stopped showing him mercy and said with gritted teeth: "Your Highness, what you said is really interesting. Now that Emperor Chu is seriously ill and the Crown Prince is dead without leaving any offspring, the Chu family has no successor. There must be someone who can inherit the throne, right?"
"I have been in power for two years. I am old now. I can't occupy this position forever. What should the people of West Shu think of me?"
"Changing the dynasty and appointing a new crown prince is just a necessity of the situation, and all the ministers have agreed to this. Could it be that King Chengxuan has any objection?"
After Empress Dowager Yuan finished saying this, some of the lower-ranking ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
The Queen Mother wants to appoint a new Crown Prince. How come they haven't heard about this?
But they soon figured out the reason. How could the new crown prince ascend to the throne if the old crown prince was still alive?
Whether there is any trick here, only Empress Dowager Yuan herself knows!
Yuan Jiuan touched his chin, pretending to think, and nodded after a moment.
"The Queen Mother is right. The Crown Prince is dead and there is no successor to the royal family. We should appoint a new Crown Prince."
"Then why don't you have someone open the coffin and show me His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Seeing that he was so persistent, Empress Dowager Yuan said nothing more, but instead ordered her subordinates: "Didn't you hear that the prince wanted to see it? Go and open the coffin quickly."
Several guards came forward, lifted the coffin off the hearse, and then opened the coffin.
Lying inside was a man's body that was burnt beyond recognition.
It was also the first time that Ji Yuntang saw this corpse. At a quick glance, he found that the corpse in the coffin was almost the same height as Hua Feixue.
But he is much thinner than Hua Feixue, and it is difficult for people who are not familiar with him to tell him apart.
Ji Yuntang looked at Yuan Jiuan, wanting to see how he could tell the difference, but he didn't expect that he just took a closer look, then pulled out a very short hair from the other person's body and wrapped it up with cloth.
Yuan Jiuan opened his mouth and said to Queen Mother Yuan: "With this hair, I can go back and report to my father. Your Majesty, you can have the coffin closed now!"
Empress Dowager Yuan: "..."
The corner of her mouth twitched, and she felt that Yuan Jiuan was mentally ill.
However, the other party didn't notice anything, and she felt relieved.
Empress Dowager Yuan ordered people to close the coffin and load it onto the hearse. Just as they were preparing to head to the imperial mausoleum, Yuan Jiuan spoke again.
"Hold on, Queen Mother. I have another request."
Empress Dowager Yuan looked at him and said, "Your Majesty, if you have any requests, you can always ask for them."
Yuan Jiuan said directly: "Western Shu Kingdom advocates filial piety. Children cannot be buried with their parents. This is the rule, not to mention that the people buried with them are the Queen and the Crown Prince."
"Therefore, I also ask the Queen Mother to revoke the order to bury His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Queen together, and find another tomb for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to ensure that the souls of both of them can rest in peace."
Empress Dowager Yuan clenched her fingertips. During the conversation with Yuan Jiuan, she could tell that the other party was a man of his word.
She didn't want to get entangled with him, so she could only reluctantly say: "I agree, then please ask the Imperial Master to find another tomb for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Only after this matter was the fake prince's hearse able to pass smoothly.
Yuan Jiuan was invited to the palace by Empress Dowager Yuan and was entertained with a banquet, which Yuan Jiuan did not refuse.
After the banquet was over, Empress Dowager Yuan said, "Your Highness, you must have been exhausted from the journey. I will have someone arrange a bedroom for you so that you can rest."
Yuan Jiuan refused and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Queen Mother, but please don't bother me. I have already asked my men to book a place to stay at the inn outside. I will stay outside the palace tonight."
What Empress Dowager Yuan didn't know was that there was a note in Yuan Jiuan's sleeve, which Ji Yuntang slipped to him when no one was paying attention.