HLnovel Chapter 313 The Crown Prince Must Not Be Deposed!
Chapter 313 The Crown Prince Must Not Be Deposed!
When Lu Yangyang first arrived in the capital, she went to the polo field with Sheng Yunjiao. It was the first time she was ever harassed by someone, and it was the Fifth Prince who was involved.
The Fifth Prince and the Sixth Princess together are like a pair of lunatics.
It's like someone's brain isn't fully developed.
He used to be like a mouse before a cat whenever he saw the crown prince, but now that the imperial edict to depose the crown prince hasn't even been issued yet, he's already gone mad again.
Lu Yangyang stared at the smug-looking Fifth Prince and let out a cold snort.
The Crown Prince's gaze turned cold as he looked at the Fifth Prince: "Who is the new heir apparent? You?"
The Fifth Prince's smug expression suddenly froze. When he met the Crown Prince's gaze, he couldn't help but shudder and subconsciously began to panic.
He came over to see what was going on after hearing the commotion. Seeing the Crown Prince's current disheveled state, and recalling past events, he couldn't help but want to make a few sarcastic remarks.
From childhood to adulthood, the crown prince has always been a shadow over his brothers.
In particular, the emperor's endless favoritism was infuriating.
They were all sons of the Emperor, so why was it that only the second brother lived in the Emperor's bedchamber from birth and was raised by the Emperor personally, while the other brothers could hardly get a word of praise from the Emperor?
Even more so, the Emperor made his second brother call him "father," just like ordinary people.
"Father, that must be such an unfamiliar title in the royal family!"
But Father Emperor seemed to be possessed, fawning over Second Brother, as if he could be happy for half a day just to get Second Brother to call him Father.
When he was young and ignorant, he dared to call his father "Father" when his father went to his mother's palace in private. What happened? His father immediately turned cold and told his mother to teach him some manners.
He was forced to kneel for three whole hours as punishment, which caused him to develop a high fever. His mother cried and begged him never to covet things that did not belong to him again, saying that there was no true father and son in the royal family.
Yes, there are no real fathers and sons in the royal family.
Isn't this retribution coming on my second brother?
The one who wants to depose the crown prince now is none other than the emperor, who treats his second brother like a precious jewel.
That's really satisfying!
So he couldn't stand it for even a moment longer; he couldn't bear to see his second brother make a fool of himself.
But he wasn't stupid. His second brother's words in front of so many people were malicious. If they reached the Emperor's ears, the Emperor would surely suspect that he had impure thoughts and coveted the position of Crown Prince.
The Fifth Prince suddenly felt anxious.
At this moment, Lu Yangyang suddenly shouted at him, "You want me to apologize to you? Fine, come here, I'll apologize to you."
The Fifth Prince looked at Lu Yangyang warily; this woman was no pushover either.
Lu Yangyang said, "Is what you just said true? You're not just talking nonsense, are you? Is it true that if I apologize to you, you can really let His Highness leave the East Palace?"
The Fifth Prince instinctively retorted, "Who's talking nonsense?"
Then, with a slightly smug look, she glanced at the Crown Prince and took a few steps forward: "Second Brother, you see? Your Crown Princess is the most sensible one. As for me, I'm too magnanimous to hold a grudge. As long as your Crown Princess apologizes to me, I'll help her out."
Lu Yangyang stared at the Fifth Prince's smug expression, flexed her wrists, and suddenly turned around, the long knife that was originally at the Crown Prince's neck suddenly changed direction and landed precisely on the Fifth Prince's forehead.
Before the Fifth Prince could react, Lu Yangyang took two steps forward, grabbed his arm, and held a knife directly to his neck.
"Fifth Prince, since you're so eager to help, then let's go." Lu Yangyang held the knife to the Fifth Prince's neck, pressed it in, and drew a bloody line on the Fifth Prince's neck.
"Commander He, did you hear that? I am indeed reluctant to harm His Highness the Crown Prince, but what about the Fifth Prince? He has a grudge against me, and even if I die, I will take him down with me. What do you think about me chopping the Fifth Prince right in front of you? Anyway, it doesn't matter if I die, but the responsibility will be all yours. Tell me, if the Fifth Prince dies, can you live?" Lu Yangyang asked loudly.
Commander He's face turned completely black.
He had originally hoped that the Fifth Prince's arrival would buy him some time, enough to send someone to report to His Majesty. But now, not only did the Fifth Prince not help, he only made things worse.
He dared to threaten the Crown Prince because he was acting on His Majesty's orders. He also knew that Lu Yangyang had just become the Crown Princess and was unlikely to actually harm the Crown Prince. He could still stall for time. But if he continued to stall and Lu Yangyang really killed the Fifth Prince with a single blow, then he would truly be doomed!
If the Crown Prince is deposed now, the Third Prince is the most likely candidate. Everyone knows that the Fifth Prince and the Third Prince have a good relationship. He has offended the Fifth Prince to death today. What future does he have?
Commander He was in complete disarray, but Lu Yangyang didn't care. She turned and gave Cao Cheng a wink, then grabbed the Fifth Prince and headed out.
The Fifth Prince wanted to escape, but he found that although Lu Yangyang was not as tall as him, her hand gripped him like an iron clamp. If he really moved, his head would be on the ground the next moment.
"Commander He, Commander He, please save me!" The Fifth Prince cried out anxiously, seeing that he could not break free.
Commander He had no choice but to order his men to retreat, but he also dared not stop them. He could only have his men surround Lu Yangyang and the Crown Prince and walk out together.
Meanwhile, inside the Qian Yuan Hall, the issue of deposing the crown prince was already causing a huge uproar.
Finally, as if he had made up his mind, the emperor said with a heavy heart, "The Crown Prince is my beloved son. I have cherished and taught him with utmost care since he was a child. The Crown Prince's mistake today is indeed my fault. However, the law cannot be disregarded. The Crown Prince has knowingly broken the law and is morally deficient. He is unfit for the position. Therefore, I hereby depose him from the position of Crown Prince..."
"Your Majesty!" Grand Tutor Lan, who had been silent all along, suddenly shouted, striding forward, cupping his hands in greeting, and raising his voice.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been the heir apparent since birth. Now, more than twenty years have passed. He began his studies at the age of three, entered the court to attend to state affairs at the age of five, proposed tax reform for the first time at the age of ten, went to the battlefield at the age of twelve, won a victory against a larger enemy force of tens of thousands at the age of twelve, quelled banditry in the three southwestern prefectures at the age of thirteen, reformed the tax system at the age of fourteen, opened up coastal border trade, and reformed commerce. In just three years, the national tax revenue of the Great Zhao Kingdom has increased from less than ten million taels of silver to fifty million taels of silver per year. The people's taxes have been reduced by two-thirds in three separate periods. The population of each prefecture and county has increased by 10% to 30% in these years."
"During the winter sacrifice in the twentieth year of Yongxing, the Crown Prince was crippled in both legs while saving His Majesty. Afterwards, he oversaw the major case at Qinglian Temple, the smallpox case in the Northwest, and the development of the Northwest Trade Market. In every single matter, the Crown Prince has lived up to the expectations of Heaven, the Emperor, and the people. Having such a heir is truly a blessing for the nation."
“The Crown Prince has committed a transgression and should be punished, but his merits are beyond reproach. I will die to remonstrate with him, and the Crown Prince must not be deposed!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Grand Tutor Lan rammed his head into a red pillar in the Qian Yuan Hall.