novelraw Chapter 389
Chapter 389
Inside the Kunning Palace.
Yan Zheng walked out, exuding a frosty chill, and took Chu Ruoyan's hand to leave.
"What's wrong?" she had just asked, when she saw the Second Prince trotting out after them. "Chief Minister Yan, please wait!!"
Yan Zheng's brows furrowed sharply, but he heard Murong Rui say loudly, "I know my abilities are lacking and I cannot bear the heavy responsibility of the world. When Chief Minister Yan was in power, the administration was clear, and the empire was at peace. You are the only candidate to succeed the throne!"
These words made everyone's hearts tremble. Gu Sun opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
Yan Zheng's eyes remained very cold. "Your Highness's words fill this subject with trepidation."
Murong Rui knew he was still brooding over what just happened, and hurriedly said, "The Chief Minister need not be modest! I was foolish before; please forget my nonsensical words!"
This posture had already placed him in the position of a subject. The old ministers who still harbored a fluke of hope completely gave up this time.
Mei Hexuan immediately dropped to one knee. "As the Second Prince said, please ascend the throne, Chief Minister!"
Yan Zheng's brow twitched slightly as he saw the accompanying soldiers kneel down one after another, shouting in unison, "Please ascend the throne, Chief Minister!"
Prince Yu's face was incredibly ugly, but what could he say at this point? Blame this nephew for being disappointing?
While his thoughts were running wild, a person beside him stepped forward. "The Second Prince is right. The Chief Minister has outstanding abilities and great ambitions, and should not decline! I, Yan Xiuan, request the Chief Minister to ascend the throne!"
Shi Hong also stepped out. "The giant stone on the Wei River has appeared. The Murong family is unbenevolent, and a wise ruler has descended to the world. I, Shi Hong, also request the Chief Minister to follow the mandate of heaven and ascend the throne!"
Following closely were the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Censorate...
More and more people knelt down, leaving very few standing.
Even Prince Yu was pulled down to kneel by Duke Zou, avoiding being the one sticking out.
Chu Ruoyan looked at this scene in a daze, subconsciously bending her knees to kneel, but a strong arm beside her supported her, slowly shaking his head. "Ayan, don't."
The woman stared at him blankly, only to see him raise her hand and slowly say, "The reason Yan Zheng is where he is today is entirely due to my wife's merit."
The hall fell silent, the courtiers secretly guessing the meaning of this sentence.
Meng Yang was not surprised at all, and said loudly, "County Princess Changle is respectful, frugal, benevolent, and filial. She is quiet, upright, and an exemplary model. Having accompanied the Emperor for a long time, she has provided much internal assistance. I make bold to request that County Princess Changle be granted the title of Empress!"
Chu Ruoyan was stunned, and then saw the ministers change direction, kowtowing to her like a tide.
"Please don the phoenix robes, Princess, and enter the Central Palace! A thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"
She blinked in a daze, vaguely remembering that Yan Zheng hadn't agreed to be the emperor yet.
These ministers hadn't even bowed to him, but bowed to her first?
Someone below seemed to have noticed this too, and bringing a dragon robe from somewhere, knelt and presented it to Yan Zheng.
The man still didn't take it, just turned his face, looking at her with deep and focused eyes.
As if... he was asking for her opinion?
At this moment, a eunuch sprinted in from outside the hall. "Yan... Lord Chief Minister! Something has happened at the Fengtian Hall!!"
When the group rushed back in a hurry, they saw Concubine Yan running out like a madwoman.
Gu Sun hurriedly embraced his granddaughter, only to see her face full of panic as she said, "Grandfather, Grandfather! The Emperor is mad, he is mad!"
Everyone hurriedly entered the hall, only to see Murong Feng with disheveled hair, looking like a maniac.
He was wildly hacking with the Son of Heaven's sword in his hand. Many people had already fallen beside him, and the closest to him was Empress Dowager Su...
"Empress Dowager, watch out!"
Gu Sun only had time to shout this out before Empress Dowager Su walked straight towards Murong Feng. "Don't be afraid, my royal son, Mother is here. Come, give the sword to Mother first—"
Before she could finish the word, squelch!
Murong Feng pierced her heart with one thrust of the sword.
Empress Dowager Su's eyes widened in disbelief that her own biological son would actually strike her.
Murong Feng, however, was in a stupor, pulling out the sword and stabbing twice more. "Haha, kill them all, all go to hell!"
Blood instantly pooled on the floor, accompanied by gasps and sharp intakes of breath filling the hall.
Empress Dowager Su fell heavily into the pool of blood, but unlike Grand Tutor Rong, she didn't close her eyes even in death.
And Murong Feng, after stabbing his own mother to death, laughed wildly, waving the Son of Heaven's sword and shouting, "Immortal Master, Immortal Master! I am going to achieve immortality! I am the true emperor, the emperor who received the mandate of heaven to live for tens of thousands of years!!"
He hacked his way through, not looking at the path under his feet at all.
Suddenly he missed a step and fell heavily...
"Your Majesty!!"
Gu Sun was the first to rush forward, but just as he was about to get close, he was fiercely pulled back by Yan Zheng.
Swish!
A cold light flashed, just slicing off a lock of hair from his forehead.
Gu Sun stared wide-eyed as the emperor before him climbed up, his face covered in blood from the fall, yet looking as hideous as a demon. "Traitors! Traitors! You have all betrayed me, you are all going to die. I will have the Immortal Master turn you all into—"
The twisted face stiffened.
Then he was seen falling heavily forward, as if petrified.
Bang!!
Dust flew up, and the fallen emperor never rose again.
Gu Sun knelt beside him and cried out hoarsely, "The Emperor—has passed away!!"
The others didn't dare to move, all looking cautiously at Yan Zheng.
After all, the new emperor who was about to ascend the throne was right here. Who would dare to care about the life or death of the former emperor?
Yan Zheng looked at this emperor who had treated him well and also treated him poorly. After a long while, he waved his hand. "Ring the death knell."
Gu Sun gave him a grateful look.
Permitting the death knell to be rung meant agreeing to bury him with the status of an emperor!
The dull and heavy sound instantly spread throughout the palace.
Jiahui, who had been hiding in the palace, immediately ran out. "Imperial Father! Imperial Father!" She fell to her knees, crying.
Empress Pei in the Kunning Palace heard it and was stunned for a moment.
Murong Rui laughed loudly. "Dead? Good that he died, good that he died! Yan Zheng indeed acts fast. Haha, the tyrant is finally dead..."
As he laughed, tears couldn't help but flow from the corners of his eyes.
Why did it turn out like this? His previously wise and martial imperial father, why did he suddenly become like this?
Outside the palace gates, Princess Qingping, who was rushing into the palace to save the emperor, stopped.
She bowed three times in the direction of the Fengtian Hall, turned around, and said, "Let's go!"
The accompanying maid was puzzled. "Is the Princess not entering the palace?"
"We're late. Cousin Emperor has already..." Princess Qingping took a deep look at the Fengtian Hall. "Let's go!"
Inside the Fengtian Hall, it was dead silent.
Yan Zheng had the palace servants complete the major and minor encoffining rituals, then came to Chu Ruoyan's side. "Ayan, what are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about you." The woman looked up, her clear, water-like eyes crashing straight into his. "Yan Zheng, was it you?"
This question came out of nowhere, but Yan Zheng immediately understood that she was asking about the deaths of the Emperor and Empress Dowager Su... if it was his doing.
"No."
"I guessed it wasn't. If you could go this far, how could you have agreed to let Grand Tutor Rong remonstrate to his death? After all, the crime of 'killing one's teacher' is far less severe than 'matricide'." Chu Ruoyan gave a bitter smile, her eyes somewhat somber. "But Yan Zheng, just now in the corner of the Fengtian Hall, I saw someone..."
"Consort Hui, Xue Xian."