GBP Chapter 279 The wedding is postponed
Chapter 279 The wedding is postponed
The funeral of Empress Dowager Xue was very simple. There was no fanfare and no outsiders were allowed to participate. In the early hours of the morning, a team of men in black quietly carried the coffin of Empress Dowager Xue to the imperial mausoleum. The whole process was extremely low-key and mysterious.
The prince, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, with a haggard and serious look on his face, went to the imperial study to pay a visit to Emperor Wen.
When he saw Emperor Wen, he bowed respectfully and said in a heavy voice: "Father, I have something important to discuss with you."
Emperor Wen looked at the prince in front of him, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Because the prince at this moment was completely different from before, no longer the cowardly and incompetent puppet suppressed by his relatives. Emperor Wen secretly wondered in his heart, could it be that the prince's previous cowardice was intentional?
Emperor Wen replied calmly, "Prince, please stand up and speak."
The prince stood up and took a step towards Emperor Wen with a solemn look. His eyes were firm and resolute, as if he was ready to face any challenge. Emperor Wen could not help but have new expectations for his son, and was also curious about what he was planning.
The prince stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed respectfully to Emperor Wen, then said, "I think your Majesty should issue an order to execute Xiao Jingyi and his entire family! Then explain to the people of the world that Xiao Jingyi had been making false accusations against our grandmother in an attempt to confuse the public and disrupt the government! And our grandmother was forced to commit suicide because of this evil villain Xiao Jingyi. This way, the people of the world will know Xiao Jingyi's crimes, and the dignity and respect of the royal family will be upheld."
Emperor Wen remained silent, looking at the prince with complicated eyes, as if he was thinking about something. He noticed that the prince's expression was very sincere, not like he was pretending.
He looked at Eunuch Gao standing beside him, signaling him to prepare to record the decree. Emperor Wen ordered: "Eunuch Gao, draft the decree. I want to execute Xiao Jingyi's entire family, and Xiao Jingyi himself will be torn into pieces by five horses! At the same time, Xiao Jingyi's trusted disciples will also be executed! To serve as a warning to others!"
Eunuch Gao took the order and began to draft the imperial edict. Emperor Wen looked at the scene in front of him with a heavy heart. He hoped that through this incident, the problem could be completely solved and the court could be clear. At the same time, he also hoped that the prince could truly understand his responsibilities and no longer be easily used by others.
The prince stood there, his eyes flickering, as if he wanted to say something, but was hesitant. Seeing this, Emperor Wen waved his hand, signaling Eunuch Gao to leave first. After the door was closed, Emperor Wen turned to look at the prince and asked calmly: "What's wrong? Do you have anything else to say to me?"
The prince took a deep breath and replied in a low voice: "Father! This time, Xiao Jinghan's memorial has not yet arrived in the capital, but the whole world knows about it. Someone must have deliberately leaked the news to create public pressure. These people have sinister intentions and they deserve to be killed!" His voice was filled with a hint of anger and dissatisfaction.
Emperor Wen remained silent. He had thought about this as well. He narrowed his eyes and said to the prince, "I will investigate this matter myself. I am going to the imperial mausoleum. Please pay more attention to the affairs of the court!"
The prince bowed respectfully to Emperor Wen and said, "I will obey your will, father!"
Emperor Wen nodded with satisfaction, turned and walked out of the imperial study.
When he arrived at the door, he saw Concubine An waiting for him on the roadside. Concubine An was wearing a white mourning dress with only a white chrysanthemum on her head. She looked very plain. But her eyes were very red and swollen, and it was obvious that she had been crying for a long time.
Emperor Wen's eyes darkened. He knew very well that in the harem, the only one who was truly sad about the passing of the Empress Dowager was probably Concubine An.
As for the Queen... maybe she had been hoping that the Queen Mother would die sooner! Thinking of this, Emperor Wen could not help but feel a strong sense of disgust.
What made Emperor Wen even more upset was that when he thought of the Queen, he used to have some affection for the Prince, but now that feeling was gone.
At this moment, he was only thinking about how to legitimately abolish the position of crown prince and let Cheng Jin take his place. However, it was not easy to achieve this goal, which really troubled and annoyed Emperor Wen. He frowned and sighed deeply in his heart: Oh! This is really a headache!
Emperor Wen walked up to Concubine An, held her up with his hand, and asked softly, "Why don't you rest in the bedroom?"
Concubine An looked up at Emperor Wen, tears in her eyes, and choked up, "I want to see the Queen Mother off for the last time..."
Emperor Wen sighed, patted Concubine An's hand gently, and comforted her: "Okay, I'll take you with me." After that, he took Concubine An's hand and set off for the imperial mausoleum together.
The atmosphere in the residence of the imperial mausoleum keepers was particularly solemn and dignified. Concubine An was sitting in front of the Buddhist temple, reciting scriptures devoutly to bid farewell to the late Empress Dowager Xue.
Emperor Wen slowly walked out of the imperial mausoleum, and Kong Boda stood quietly beside him, wearing white mourning clothes. Emperor Wen's face was gloomy, and he asked in a cold voice: "Have you found out?"
Kong Boda lowered his head and replied in a heavy voice: "The Cining Palace has been burned to ruins. The Empress Dowager was the only one there. I am really powerless to do anything!"
After hearing this answer, Emperor Wen closed his eyes sadly. After a moment of silence, he asked again: "Where did those rumors come from?"
Kong Boda could not help but hesitate, feeling uneasy. Emperor Wen opened his eyes in dissatisfaction and glared at Kong Boda angrily: "Speak! Do you still want to hide something from me?"
Kong Boda gritted his teeth, his lips trembling slightly as he said, "The news from all over the country was spread by Yuewu's secret agents, and the rumors in the capital were spread by Yuewu's eldest princess Huyan Zhuozhuo's subordinates!"
Emperor Wen's face was gloomy, and there seemed to be a flame burning in his heart, but he still tried to control his emotions and asked in a low and stern voice: "Is the Third Prince involved?"
Kong Boda lowered his head even more and answered cautiously: "This...I haven't found out!"
Emperor Wen's eyes became colder and colder. He snorted coldly and said in a firm tone: "Pass on my decree. The Queen Mother will observe a three-year mourning period. The wedding of the Third Prince Chu Chengyan and the Grand Princess Yuewu Hu Yanzhuozhuo will be postponed for three years!"
Kong Boda was slightly stunned, and asked hesitantly: "Should the Fourth Prince's wedding be postponed?"
Emperor Wen's eyes were as cold as ice. He said coldly: "One imperial grandson will be in mourning!"
Kong Boda dared not say anything more and immediately left respectfully. Emperor Wen stood quietly in front of the imperial mausoleum, looking at the solemn and solemn scene in front of him, with an unspeakable sense of loneliness in his heart. He stared into the distance silently, and his figure seemed extremely lonely.