HLnovel Chapter 1382 Deposing the Crown Prince and Severing the Throne of the Di King
Chapter 1382 Deposing the Crown Prince and Severing the Throne of the Di King
As everyone held their breath in anticipation, a fully equipped and imposing cavalry force appeared in the distance.
An army, ordered by the Night King to breach the gates of the capital and seize control of the entire city, has arrived.
Hu Qi, the deputy commander of the Golden Guard, paid his respects to the Night King and brought the latest news!
Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu slowly looked at the Crown Prince, whose expression changed drastically as a strong sense of unease swept over him.
"Uncle Ye, Aunt Ye, I...I...I..."
"Shut up!" Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu interrupted in unison. The Crown Prince's behavior was truly disgraceful, and they couldn't be bothered to listen to his nonsense.
At this point, the couple realized that it was time to settle scores with the crown prince.
Ye Xiaohan glanced around, and the scene immediately fell silent. The Crown Prince trembled, shaking like a sieve.
Ye Xiaohan faced the crowd with an icy expression and calmly pronounced the Crown Prince's crimes.
At the farewell banquet, the Crown Prince, without any evidence, took the initiative to step forward, hoping to make the situation even worse.
He was dissatisfied that the Night King disobeyed the Emperor's orders and took in a group of concubines in order to produce offspring for the royal family. He angrily accused the Night King of disregarding the royal family's reputation and accused him of the serious crimes of contempt for imperial authority and disobeying imperial orders.
Then, the prince started spouting nonsense, claiming that the Night King had secretly kept the dragon robe, which was a heinous crime of treason.
The Crown Prince's actions were entirely aimed at escalating the situation. He lacked evidence, logic, and compassion, and was determined to kill a group of innocent people, including Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu.
Ye Xiaohan pronounced judgment on the Crown Prince's crimes, including slandering members of the royal family, desecrating imperial authority and prestige, plotting to murder a prince and his consort, as well as a group of ministers and guards, and disrupting the court.
And that's not enough.
Vice Commander Hu brought a bombshell: "There is someone else who intends to rebel!"
"The one plotting rebellion is the Crown Prince!"
With a single glance from Ye Xiaohan, Deputy Commander Hu and two Golden Guards presented the evidence of their crimes.
In fact, before the palace banquet began, Ye Xiaohan had already noticed some of the Emperor's movements, and at the same time, he had secretly begun to investigate the Crown Prince. Just now, when Deputy Commander Hu led his men into the city, he also took the opportunity to retrieve evidence from the Crown Prince's residence.
The Jinxiang Guard discovered several dragon robes and crowns with tassels inside the Crown Prince's residence, the inner embroidery of which bore the Crown Prince's name, Ye Chu'ao. When the Jinxiang Guard broke into the Crown Prince's residence, they also took the imperial guards with them and summoned officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture.
With witnesses from various factions, the Golden Guards indeed found a dragon robe and a crown in the Crown Prince's residence, and even discovered a throne modeled after the Emperor's dragon throne in the basement.
With witnesses and physical evidence, and with the Night King's men providing additional supporting documents, it is clear that the Crown Prince had been having dragon robes made and wearing them privately. Treason—this is the first major crime.
Furthermore, Ye Xiaohan pointed out on the spot: "The Crown Prince has formed cliques and engaged in corrupt practices, secretly developing a number of small forces and privately amassing armed forces, intending to develop and control a group of minor military powers." Rebellion, this is the second major crime.
Then, Yun Mujiu had another batch of evidence presented, all concerning the crimes committed by the Crown Prince and his subordinates over the years. These included a multitude of offenses such as holding office without performing their duties, exploiting the people, disregarding human life, extorting public funds, embezzlement, bribery, and harming merchants. Dereliction of duty was the third major crime.
The crown prince was already so frightened that he knelt on the ground, trembling violently.
The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince, his eyes filled with malice and anger.
The Empress was shocked and furious, turning her head away as if she didn't want to see the stupid Crown Prince again.
The Crown Prince tried to beg for mercy to no avail. Ye Xiaohan turned to the Emperor and asked how to deal with the situation.
The Empress gritted her teeth and changed her attitude towards the Crown Prince. She knelt down and pleaded with the Emperor for the Crown Prince's life: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has always been kind and honest. He must have been deceived by someone!"
"Nonsense! If the Crown Prince had no intention of doing this, how would anyone dare to instigate him like this!" The Emperor's face turned red with anger, and he flung the Empress away. "I think you're a vicious woman too! I really don't know how you raised the Crown Prince."
"Your Majesty!" The Empress collapsed to the ground, her face contorted with complex emotions, looking at the Crown Prince with a mixture of disappointment and frustration.
She never imagined that the Crown Prince, such an insignificant person, would cause her so much trouble at the very last moment of such a grand occasion.
She was unable to protect the crown prince, nor could she escape the entanglements he brought her.
All those years of scheming have ultimately come to nothing!
Ye Xiaohan, you really have great abilities!
The Emperor was panting heavily, knowing that Ye Xiaohan, though seemingly asking for his opinion, was actually just asking him to relay the results.
The Emperor glanced at Ye Xiaohan, frowned slightly, and said palely, "The Crown Prince is incompetent and vicious, and his crimes are too grave. He is no longer qualified to inherit the throne of the Zhongyue Dynasty. I have decided to strip him of his title of Crown Prince immediately, demote him to a commoner, and confine him to a villa, where he will never be allowed to interfere in court affairs again."
"No!" the prince cried out in anguish, then quickly looked at the Night King and his wife: "You...you!" Then his vision went black and he collapsed.
His head hit the blue brick floor, and blood spread everywhere.
Yun Mujiu's oval face remained unusually calm, and her gaze towards the Crown Prince was as serene as autumn water.
She silently prayed in her heart: Mu Jiu, I have successfully avenged you. May you rest in peace…
With the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince all falling from power, Prince Di and Consort Liang could not escape their fate either. At the farewell banquet, when Prince Di saw the Crown Prince accusing the Night King, he also sided with the Emperor and stepped forward to condemn the Night King.
At the Night King's signal, the Emperor gritted his teeth and pronounced the sentence.
Out of resentment and jealousy, the Third Prince Ye Chudi fabricated charges to frame the loyal regent. He was ultimately sentenced to fifty strokes of the cane and a three-year salary deduction. Even worse, the Third Prince's command of 30,000 troops was greatly reduced.
At the same time, Ye Xiaohan and the Fifth Prince jointly revealed Consort Liang's crime of murdering Consort Yu and her son. In the end, Consort Liang was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the Cold Palace forever.
"Boom!" A thunderclap resounded in the sky, and rolling dark clouds surged in.
Ye Xiaohan ordered his guards to take the criminals away before turning to look at the Emperor and Empress.
The Empress tried her best to maintain her composure, but she looked extremely haggard. The Emperor, who had long since given up, suddenly vomited another mouthful of blood, and fainted due to chest pain.
Heavy rain is coming soon, and the farewell banquet, which has been temporarily suspended, has not yet come to a conclusion.
Ye Xiaohan took charge of the situation and ordered everyone to evacuate to another side hall. The main hall where the banquet had been held had been burned beyond recognition and reduced to ashes.
Ye Xiaohan took Yun Mujiu's hand, and the two walked gracefully into the main hall.
The eunuchs and palace maids resumed their duties, transforming the side hall into a banquet venue.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The heavy rain, accompanied by a strong, cold wind, brought a nauseating smell of rain and blood that quickly spread.
Outside the hall, a torrential downpour continued; inside, an eerie silence reigned…