HLnovel Chapter 474: Forced to Abdicate (2)
Chapter 474: Forced to Abdicate (2)
Seeing that his seventh son was about to die at his hands, the old emperor, his face ashen, had no choice but to agree: "Stop! I will write!"
The eldest prince stopped what he was doing, turned his head to look at him, and said sarcastically, "I never thought Father would have a soft heart. It seems that the seventh prince is highly regarded by Father."
As soon as he finished speaking, a chill ran up from the Seventh Prince's feet and up his spine, making him shudder. Who knew how afraid he was that his eldest brother, who had gone completely insane, might take his anger out on him if he was unhappy?
Fortunately, it wasn't as important as that imperial edict that silenced the public. Seeing that the old emperor still hadn't written, the eldest prince urged, "Father, write it down. If you write it down, your son can fulfill your deep love for your son."
The old emperor clenched his fist slightly, gave him a deep look, then walked to the desk, picked up his pen, and wrote the abdication edict.
The eldest prince stared intently, his eyes burning with fervor. Especially when the old emperor put down his pen and took the imperial seal to stamp it, his face contorted with ecstasy, as if he wanted to snatch the imperial edict immediately.
With a cold face, the old emperor handed the imperial edict to Eunuch Fu and said to the eldest prince, "I have finished writing it. Can you release the people now?"
The eldest prince laughed. Though he was mad, he was still rational. He demanded, "Open up! I want to see the imperial edict!"
Eunuch Fu turned to look at the old emperor, who glanced at him and said coldly, "Show him."
Eunuch Fu accepted the order, stepped forward, and displayed the contents of the imperial edict to the Crown Prince and the others. Upon reading it, the Crown Prince was overjoyed, his face flushed, and he excitedly exclaimed, "Quick! Quickly, give it to me!"
The old emperor sneered, "Hmph, if we just give it to you, how can they possibly survive?"
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince's eyes lost some of their heat, and he said coldly, "Father's distrust of me is truly disheartening. Very well, I will do as Father wishes and hand over the person and the goods."
So the old emperor sent Eunuch Fu and a member of the Imperial Guard, while the eldest prince was escorted by the leader of Xuan Yue Kingdom and a subordinate. They proceeded cautiously.
Just as the leader of Xuan Yue Kingdom received the imperial edict and Eunuch Fu grabbed the Seventh Prince, a sudden change occurred. The leader of Xuan Yue Kingdom used his sharp iron claws to grab the Seventh Prince's back, attempting to kill him in one blow. Another subordinate also attacked the Eighth Prince, but the other party was prepared and blocked both attacks. Seeing the battle begin, the others joined in.
A fight was about to break out, and in an instant, the Hall of Mental Cultivation turned into a killing field.
The Imperial Guard Commander protected the old emperor, occasionally fighting with those who rushed at him recklessly. Jin Xuhua was doing the same, protecting the eldest prince who was filled with murderous intent. Blood splattered all over the eldest prince's face, making him look like a demon crawling out of hell, bloodthirsty and brutal.
The old emperor's gaze remained fixed on him. Seeing his wild laughter and narrowed pupils, the emperor felt no more affection for him and shouted, "You've gone mad! You've truly gone mad! How can the great Yuan dynasty be handed over to a bloodthirsty person like you? Traitors and rebels should be executed on the spot, and whoever takes their heads should be promoted and ennobled!"
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince sneered, cursing the hypocrisy inwardly. His icy gaze pierced through the crowd and stared directly at the old emperor. He also loudly proclaimed, "Kill them all! Leave no one alive! I will reward you handsomely!"
The father and son looked at each other from a distance, both seeing the chilling murderous intent in each other's eyes.
Time passed as one corpse after another fell. Slowly, it was finally the case that Eunuch Fu was no match for the leader of Xuan Yue Kingdom, and the commander of the Imperial Guard was no match for Jin Xuhua. Their lips turned black, and even the blood they vomited was black, clearly indicating that they had been poisoned.
Looking around, the Seventh Prince was dead, and the Eighth Prince lay in a pool of blood, covered in blood. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive, but he was breathing very little and exhaling more, so he probably wouldn't survive either.
The old emperor stood alone, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, his face pale and ashen, his heart filled with despair. "You actually poisoned them!"
The eldest prince, having won a great victory, glanced at him in a good mood and said smugly, "This is called all's fair in war. Father, rest assured, you are still my father, I will not touch you."
The old emperor's face darkened further.
The eldest prince ignored him, took the imperial edict from the leader of Xuan Yue Kingdom, opened it, and burst into laughter: "I, no, I am now the emperor! I am the emperor! Hahaha! Hahaha... I have won! I am the emperor!"
The more he laughed, the paler the old emperor's face became, especially when Jin Xuhua looked over, the old emperor instantly tensed up.
Jin Xuhua smiled and rushed over to knock him unconscious. This old man can't be killed yet. Tonight, they made two preparations for the coup: one was to send men to surround and kill Prince Xian, block the city gates to block outside reinforcements, and prevent Prince Xian from coming to the rescue; the other was to keep this old man alive to bring down Prince Xian.
Little did he know, Prince Xian had no intention of coming to the rescue. He had a blood feud with the old emperor, so why would he save him? Was he going to save him only to settle scores and kill him later?
Prince Xian is not stupid. He doesn't care at all whether his position is legitimate or not. Besides, there are traitors like the First Prince and Prince Qiao blocking his way. No matter what he does, he will turn the tide and save Dayuan from disaster. How much can the world criticize him?
"It seems quiet in the palace," Xia Mo said, gazing towards the palace from the bell tower.
Ling Chuan helped him pull his fluffy cloak tighter and said, "Well, it's still early, there's still the second half. Are you cold?"
Xia Mo was amused by his words, which sounded like they were watching a ball game, and he even mentioned the next game. "I'm not cold. Sigh, it's been a long time coming for this day."
Xia Mo spoke with feeling, and Ling Chuan lowered his eyes to look at him, gently humming in agreement, a faint smile on his lips, "Thank you for your hard work, A-Mo."
"I'm not tired at all, it just feels like a dream, a bit unreal."
Xia Mo tilted his head and leaned against Ling Chuan. Ling Chuan looked at him affectionately and said, "Do you want to go back to your space and sleep for a while?"
Xia Mo refused: "No... Hey? Brother Chuan, look over there, there are so many people, is the second half about to start!"
Ling Chuan looked in the direction of the sound and indeed saw a large, dark group of people approaching the palace. Upon closer inspection, the leader, riding a tall horse and wearing golden armor, became increasingly clear in appearance. He was undoubtedly Prince Qiao Ruicheng.
Whether it was a misperception or not, Xia Mo felt as if Chuan Ge knew they were up there when he suddenly turned his head and glanced at the clock tower. He said, "Brother Chuan, he just looked over here. Did he spot us?"
Ling Chuan said, "Maybe, but with such heavy snow and darkness, he can't see us from that far away. Don't worry."
Xia Mo laughed and said, "That's true. If he were like us, what would be the point of us having cheat codes?"
The situation in the palace changed again. The Crown Prince's private army, which had already fought once, was powerless against the energetic soldiers.
The eldest prince and Jin Xuhua were besieged in the palace, but they had an imperial edict and were holding the old emperor hostage, so they turned the tables and accused Qiao Ruicheng of forcing the emperor to abdicate.
“You audacious Prince Xian, how dare you commit treason and plot to murder the Emperor, and even kill your fourth, seventh, and eighth brothers! Your crimes are unforgivable and you shall be executed!”
Qiao Ruicheng found it laughable that his nephew was spouting nonsense even as he was about to die, and laughed on the spot: "Your Highness, you can't kill me with just words."
"You!" The eldest prince was furious, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Hmph, I am the rightful Emperor of Dayuan. If you know what's good for you, I will spare your life!"
Qiao Ruicheng didn't want to deal with this fool who couldn't see the situation. He looked at Jin Xuhua and the leader of Xuan Yue Kingdom, his eyes turning cold, and said, "The twelfth prince of Cangwu Kingdom and the earth-level warrior of Xuan Yue Kingdom, although we in Dayuan are hospitable, this is not a place for you to act recklessly."