bullyxtreme Chapter 207 The oriole is behind
Chapter 207 The oriole is behind
At the old emperor's command, the sound of armor clanging echoed outside the hall, but those who rushed inside all turned their swords on the second prince's followers.
The main hall instantly transformed into a battlefield, with the sounds of clashing weapons filling the air and corpses falling one by one.
The imperial guards and the emperor's personal eunuchs stood guard in front of the imperial desk.
They dared not offer assistance, for their primary duty was to protect the emperor.
The number of people the second prince brought in was limited, and in a short time the entire hall was filled with corpses.
Those people parted to make way, and the pale-faced Third Prince, supported by others, slowly entered, stepping over a pool of blood.
At this moment, his face was pale and his lips were bluish, but the light in his eyes was frighteningly bright.
The second prince had not yet breathed his last when he saw the third prince making a hissing sound but unable to utter a word.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; he underestimated the despicable third brother.
But, it doesn't matter.
You are poisoned by the Forget-Me-Not spell. Even if you obtain the throne, you won't be able to sit on it for long. You will die a more painful death than I did.
The second prince struggled to turn his eyes to look at the old emperor, his lips twitching for a long time but he couldn't utter a single word. He just stared wide-eyed and breathed his last.
The old emperor seemed to understand; the second son was mocking him, but also mocking himself.
She mocked herself for doing all the work for the third brother, and mocked him for falling for the third brother's scheme that harmed her and her son.
Although the old emperor hated the second prince for rebelling against his own father for the sake of his wicked mother, he was still the son he had the most contact with besides the crown prince. Now that the prince was dead, his anger had subsided.
Instead, the gaze he gave Jin Zexuan was filled with a chilling killing intent, even colder than when he looked at Jin Zexu.
He made a mistake; he was tricked by the third prince, wronged the Consort Xian, and forced the second prince down the wrong path.
Unexpectedly, the usually mild-mannered third brother is so ruthless and decisive, even more ruthless to himself than to others.
Jin Zexuan watched the Second Prince breathe his last and laughed even more triumphantly, feeling a sense of relief as if the mountain above his head had finally collapsed.
However, there's an even bigger mountain standing there, which is really annoying.
"Father, didn't Second Brother already prepare the blank edict?"
I humbly request that Your Majesty add my name to the title of Emperor, so that I may protect the land of the Great Jin Dynasty from now on.
You should take a rest!
"You unfilial son, you don't even deserve to be called one!"
The old emperor angrily picked up the paperweight on the table and threw it at the general who had killed the second prince, but the general swung his sword and sent the paperweight flying.
The third prince was so frightened he nearly fell over; a flash of resentment and determination crossed his face.
"Why does Father Emperor need to make such a big fuss? Your son is unworthy. Then, to whom do you intend to pass the throne?"
You probably don't know this, but while my good second brother was forcing his way out of the palace, Consort Xian was leading her men on a killing spree in the inner palace.
She truly is a daughter of a military family; my mother is far inferior to her.
I heard that the Crown Prince and the eldest grandson of the Emperor have been killed, and the secret guards you sent to protect the inner palace have also been dealt with by the Consort Xian's nephew.
Sigh, those mother and son are so heartless. Poor little brothers who are not even ten years old yet.
I heard that the fourth and fifth brothers also sent people over.
Father, you see, you have no choice.
You only have me as your son.
"How could this be? I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"
Although he said he didn't believe it, the old emperor still spat out a mouthful of blood. His already frail body swayed and he almost fell over, but fortunately Xiao Ling supported him from behind.
Just then, someone came over carrying two bloody heads and threw them on the spot. The old emperor saw them and spat out blood again, instantly aging ten years.
The two severed heads belonged to the Crown Prince and the Noble Consort Xian. The young general who threw the heads clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jin Zexuan.
"The Noble Consort Xian led the rebel army to massacre the Crown Prince and the concubines and princes of the harem. I arrived too late and only managed to kill the traitor. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
This remark greatly pleased Jin Zexuan, who nodded with feigned composure.
"I pardon you. Killing the leader of the traitors is a great achievement. I will promote you three ranks."
The man hurriedly bowed his head to express his gratitude. Jin Zexuan had a taste of being an emperor, but he didn't see the mockery on the man's lips.
The old emperor had vomited blood twice and could no longer stand. He sat in front of his desk, staring intently at Jin Zexuan.
He misjudged the situation, underestimating the ruthlessness of the second son and his mother, as well as the cunning of the third son.
The old emperor was no fool for being able to emerge victorious from the last succession struggle and then firmly suppress his sons for so many years.
By this time, he had already noticed something was clearly wrong.
It's not surprising that the Crown Prince had the support of court officials after taking the position of heir apparent; he had personally selected his original team.
With the powerful maternal family of Consort Xian, her father, brothers, sons, and nephews being capable and having connections with half of the noble families in the court, it's not surprising that the second son had the strength to raise an army to rebel.
What makes the third brother so special?
He only held sinecure positions in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works and never had any contact with military power; his maternal family was of little help.
Aside from the Duke of Ying's family, the maternal home of the Third Prince's wife, he shouldn't have many major supporters. How could he possibly have the power to suppress the Second Prince's forces?
Even if the second prince's troops were mostly wiped out by his imperial guards, the Duke of Ying's forces still couldn't match them.
He had never been wary of the third brother before because he knew he didn't have the ability.
The scholar's rebellion failed after three years. This rebellious son could do nothing but restrain his temper, pretend to be respectful and humble, and win over a few scholars.
He has no money and no manpower; he simply cannot afford to maintain this current situation.
Hiding in the shadows, Jiang Xinyu quietly nudged Xiao Yuan and whispered...
"See, this is what they call the villain dying from talking too much."
They're not decisive at all when it comes to starting a rebellion; the second son drags his feet for ages, and then the third son drags his feet again.
What's wrong with their family? Don't they get tired working in the middle of the night?
Xiao Yuan embraced his wife, letting her lean against him, and his thin lips lightly brushed against Jiang Xinyu's ear.
"If you're sleepy, just watch me sleep. I'll wake you up when Zhang Zhongyi comes out."
Jiang Xinyu yawned while playing with Xiao Yuan's fingers. "I doubt it. That old man probably isn't that bored."
If it were me, I would simply stay hidden and wait until the Third Prince ascends the throne before pretending to be surprised during court sessions.
That's much safer; even if there's a hawk after the oriole, you won't get yourself killed.
"Have you made arrangements with that pervert? I'm worried the idiots under the Second Prince won't be able to do their jobs properly."
"Don't worry, if that guy's still alive tomorrow, I'll dock half a year's salary!"
The atmosphere in the main hall was tense and heavy, with the old emperor cursing Jin Zexuan as a fool in an attempt to expose the mastermind behind it all.
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. No matter how many times the old emperor misjudged him, he really hit the nail on the head this time.
That's just stupid. I've never heard of anyone who rebelled using only someone else's men.
If you lose, you take the responsibility; if you win, why should someone who didn't contribute much take the lion's share?
Look at your face, so pale it's like a ghost's. Even if you were on the throne, you'd look like you could die at any moment. I wonder who you'd be doing all the work for.
The old emperor sadly discovered that his second son was a fool and his third son was also a fool; none of them had inherited his intelligence.
It doesn't matter, at least he still has his grandson, and he refuses to believe that his lineage will be wiped out.
Even if there really aren't any left, he can always try to have a few more.
The Third Prince didn't understand Wangyou as well as the Old Emperor. When he heard his good father say that Wangyou would surely die without an antidote, he immediately called out "Teacher" to the corner behind him.
Zhang Zhongyi was furious. He had followed the idiot because he was afraid he might make a mistake, but he had no intention of showing himself at all.
Now that he's called out on me, I have no choice but to come out. I really regret choosing this thing.
Hiding in the shadows, Xiao Yuan smiled smugly, gently licked the lady's earlobe, and gave her a meaningful look.
He won the gamble, and when his wife demanded this and that, the meat he ate for the next three days was earned by Zhang Zhongyi.
After fighting him for so many years, the old man finally did something good before he died.
Jiang Xinyu, supporting her back:
Replace the Prime Minister's coffin and tombstone with iron ones, so that when it rains, he can put on a thunder and fire performance for us!