353: The palace is in front of the palace, and there are twists and turns.
In the past few days, the situation in Beijing has become increasingly dull and solemn.
The news that Emperor Wu was in poor health and that the court meeting was postponed naturally attracted attention from all parties.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is Emperor Wu's delaying strategy, but everyone is happy with it.
After all, the internal guard cannot be ignored. The longer he delays, the more widely the rumors of the eldest prince's corrupt personal ethics will spread.
After this period of fermentation, the good reputation that the eldest prince had worked so hard to cultivate has been completely destroyed by the efforts of all parties.
In addition, there is another big news.
That was the Bachelor's Pavilion, which could compete with the Prime Minister's faction. They entered the scene with great fanfare and clearly supported the eldest prince.
The current situation has become particularly interesting.
Emperor Wu is interested in the eldest prince, and the Bachelor's Pavilion is also supporting it. The prime minister's faction is supporting the thirteenth prince.
The third prince, who has the second-in-line succession according to his eldest son's rank, does not seem to have the support of the three predators, but he should not be underestimated.
Because he joined the army in the frontier in his early years and made outstanding achievements, and his wife was also a general, she was deeply supported by the general camp.
Moreover, the mother of the third prince Nan Sheng also has a good background. She was born as a general and worshiped Dongxu Valley, and has been determined to be the next owner of the valley.
As for the strength of the sect in Dongxu Valley, it is equivalent to the combined strength of the Three Holy Lands in the far west. It is the absolute hegemon of a state and is a lot of shame.
anyway.
In addition to these three strong competitors, there are also people like the Seventh Prince who, although lacking in strength, are ambitious.
They feel that there is no point in being strong now, and the one who laughs last is the king.
Therefore, on the surface they have ceased their activities, but secretly they have been waiting for an opportunity.
Woo~!!!
Accompanied by a long trumpet sound.
The civil and military officials waiting in front of the palace immediately stopped communicating.
With serious expressions on their faces, they stared at the officials from other camps with vigilance, and silently lined up and walked towards the palace.
After the monarch and his ministers greeted each other, the group of people in the Bachelor's Pavilion exchanged glances.
Soon, a senior official from the Ministry of Rites came out and said: "The Holy Majesty, the Luan, the ritual utensils and other items have all been prepared."
Emperor Wu squinted his eyes, and his sallow complexion improved slightly: "Okay, very good."
"Your Majesty."
The bachelor responded: "We think that leaving the crown prince vacant is not good for the country. Since all the preparations have been made, we might as well strike while the iron is hot."
Emperor Wu glanced at the princes and asked, "In your opinion, who can be the heir apparent?"
The bachelor was obviously well prepared and answered with confidence: "Reporting to the Holy Spirit, since ancient times, the elders and the younger have been ordered in an orderly manner. This is the etiquette of human relations."
"In my humble opinion, the eldest prince is the best choice. This is in line with the laws of nature, the law of the ancestors, and in line with ethics..."
Wei Tao coughed lightly and stood up to refute: "I think Liu Xueshi's remarks are inappropriate, but it is not that I am targeting the eldest prince."
"It's because there are rumors in the capital that the eldest prince is not very well-behaved in private and acts violently and domineeringly, which has aroused a lot of public resentment..."
Xueshie Liu's face darkened, he frowned and said, "Prime Minister, you don't really believe these malicious and slanderous rumors, do you?"
"Of course I don't believe it, but there is a saying that there can be no smoke without smoke."
Wei Tao chuckled, stroking his beard and said: "I think that the matter of establishing the heir is not urgent. It is the most urgent matter to find out the matter first."
"If we insist on appointing the eldest prince as the crown prince now, it will arouse the criticism of the people and boil up their resentment, which will not be conducive to our country and the country."
Another bachelor came out and asked in a cold voice: "Is the Prime Minister serious?"
Wei Tao was not in a hurry and asked him with a smile: "Is the bachelor too impatient?"
Tit for tat and fierce rhetoric.
People from both camps are already eager to give it a try, and some are even starting to roll up their sleeves.
The martial arts of the Wu Dynasty was strong, and the civil servants were also capable of fighting, so they were not timid at all when it came to fighting.
Seeing this, Emperor Wu looked at the generals: "What do you think, sir?"
When the other ministers heard this, they looked at each other in tacit understanding: "I think what the Prime Minister said is reasonable."
Although they do not support the Thirteenth Prince, they are even more opposed to the First Prince. The opportunity to add insult to injury cannot be missed.
Seeing this, the people in Xueshi Pavilion also began to exert their efforts: "I think it is better to establish a reserve first, so as to stabilize the country..."
It's normal to quarrel in court, but it's abnormal not to quarrel.
According to usual practice, this kind of quarrel usually lasts for about two minutes, and the Emperor Wu will stop it with words.
However, today was obviously unusual. The ministers had just gotten angry, and before Emperor Wu could say anything, the third prince stood up.
Nan Sheng took a deep breath and said loudly: "I would like to inform my father, I have something to report."
The buzzing quarrels in the hall suddenly stopped.
Everyone looked at Nan Sheng in surprise, with confusion on their faces.
Because they noticed that Nan Sheng was talking about father and emperor, sons and ministers... This wording should not appear in the court.
To put it bluntly, this title is for private use and should not be used in formal situations. Even the crown prince has to address himself as the Holy One.
Everyone present was a fine person, and they immediately got a taste of this title.
In unison, everyone retreated silently, allowing the third prince Nan Sheng to perform freely.
"Nan Sheng."
Emperor Wu covered up the cold light in his eyes and said in a deep voice: "We will discuss the matter later. Now..."
When Nan Sheng touched his eyes, he couldn't help but tremble in his heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "Father, this matter is related to our country, and I have to say something."
Emperor Wu said quietly: "Is it related to the country? Is it more important than establishing a crown prince?"
"...Yes." Nan Sheng lowered his head slightly.
Emperor Wu stared at him for a while, then suddenly sneered: "Okay, okay, I want to hear how important what you say is."
Nan Sheng raised his head again, met Emperor Wu's gaze, and said word by word: "My son, I encountered Zuo Zonghe who was seriously injured a few days ago."
call…….
There was a sudden silence in the hall, and everyone couldn't help but hold their breath.
This news is so explosive, it is simply a bombshell.
Even an old minister like Wei Tao, with his mentality as stable as an old dog, was still greatly stimulated by this news.
They finally understood why Nan Sheng stood up.
This guy wants to use Zuo Zonghe to drag out the inner guards and question Emperor Wu!!
To put it in plain English, Nan Sheng is trying to... force her into the palace!
After a brief silence, the ministers came to their senses one after another and began to exchange glances frequently.
They realized that this was an opportunity. Since Nan Sheng took the lead in breaking this matter, it meant that he must have something in his hands.
As long as they followed Nan Sheng and stood firmly together, Emperor Wu would definitely choose to cut off his own arm if he took the overall situation into consideration.
Zhenfusi and Neiwei are the two swords of Emperor Wu. If one can be broken, all the ministers will laugh out of their dreams.
"Zuo Zonghe..."
Emperor Wu suddenly snapped the case and scolded: "He has a close relationship with Lao Qi and is suspected of colluding with demons. Since you caught him, why didn't you send him to the Zhenfu Division?"
Nan Sheng looked at him with his head high and his chest high, fearless: "Because he has been seriously injured and unable to recover, and there is not enough time."
"My son could only use pills to keep him alive at that time, and reluctantly got an address from his mouth, and then found something there."
"thing?"
Emperor Wu frowned subconsciously, doubts appearing in his eyes.
Because according to Hu Mei's report, Zuo Zonghe took the initiative to find Nan Sheng.
Therefore, Emperor Wu was well prepared for his attack, and even used poor health as an excuse to buy enough time for Hu Mei to find a scapegoat.
As long as Nan Sheng launched an attack in the court, Emperor Wu could get off the donkey and let the internal guards fake their own deaths and disappear from everyone's sight.
However, now that he heard Nan Sheng's words, Emperor Wu was a little confused.
Why was Zuo Zonghe seriously injured? Why was he unable to save himself?
What did he leave behind? What on earth is Nan Sheng doing?
Could it be that…….
Emperor Wu's mind moved and he came up with a guess.
Although his thoughts were racing, his face remained calm and he said in a deep voice: "According to what you said, Zuo Zonghe is dead now?"
boom!!
As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Sheng took out a corpse from the spiritual ring: "This person is Zuo Zonghe."
Liu Fu took a closer look and secretly transmitted the message: "Your Majesty, it looks like he is indeed Zuo Zonghe."
"There is no shortage of tricks in the world to change one's appearance."
Emperor Wu replied calmly, then pondered: "You said he is Zuo Zonghe, what proof do you have?"
Nan Sheng took out a few more items: "This is his identity badge, as well as his weapon, and this body can be inspected at any time."
Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes, immediately made a decision, and shouted in a loud voice: "Someone, please carry the body down and call the widower to come and conduct an autopsy."
After the guards carried the body away, he asked again: "You said Zuo Zonghe gave an address before he died and you found something?"
"Exactly.
Nan Sheng was prepared and took out a few photo stones and some old and new letters, and said, "Your Majesty, they are all here."
Emperor Wu looked at him deeply and said meaningfully: "Send it up."
He was now very sure that Nan Sheng had brought this matter up this time not to take advantage of the situation to force him into the palace, but for other purposes.
And when he opened the letter and saw the content, his pupils couldn't help but shrink, and he finally understood the purpose of Nan Sheng's play.
"wrong."
Wei Tao raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at the two people suspiciously.
The two of them sang and harmonized, and it seemed like they were playing a double act.
Did something happen recently? Did Emperor Wu see a turning point in the matter of internal defense?
its not right.
Didn’t Emperor Wu want to make the eldest prince the heir apparent?
Logically speaking, even if there is a chance to perform, it would not be given to the third prince, right? Wouldn't it be better to give it to the eldest prince?
"Weird."
Wei Tao was puzzled, but his experience and mentality allowed him to faintly smell the changes.
Quietly, he winked at the people on his side: "If something goes wrong, there will be a monster. Let's wait and see what happens."
"Surprisingly, unexpectedly..."
Emperor Wu put down the letter and couldn't hide the shock on his face: "It's actually... like this?"
His current reaction was really not acting, he was really shocked.
Because the content in the letter turned out to be... evidence that the eldest prince used the name of Emperor Wu to secretly create an internal guard.
This, this is really crazy...
Li Ke’s mother opens the door for Li Bu. She’s home.