Mu Sheng and Huo Zheng walked into the palace hall together. They saw that the hall was filled with smoke and extremely quiet. The wide curtains on the beams hung from the roof, isolating the scenes inside the hall, making people feel The situation in the palace could not be discerned at a glance. After the two of them walked a few steps, the eunuchs serving on both sides consciously opened the curtains to let the two of them pass.
After lifting the last layer of curtains, I saw that the bed in the middle was also covered by a thick bed curtain.
Seeing this situation, Mu Sheng felt more and more uneasy in his heart. What was different here from usual was that for some reason, there was a faint aura of death on the bed. It was difficult for ordinary people to feel it, but he was a cultivator, so for him This kind of breath is very sensitive.
Before the prince could think deeply, the left prime minister Huo Zheng knelt down and bowed to the bed, paying homage: "Your Majesty, I have brought the prince to see you."
Seeing this, Mu Sheng had no choice but to kneel down and kowtow: "Father, I heard that your old man was seriously ill, and I was very anxious. I worry about whether my father is in good health every day, and I want to come and serve you every day. Today I have the opportunity. I hope that, father, you will promise that your sons and ministers will stay with you and respect you. Long live my emperor, long live me."
There was a wordless silence. Mu Sheng knelt on the ground and waited for the emperor's response, but the only response he received was silence. Mu Sheng raised his head in confusion and looked in the direction of the dragon couch.
At this time, Prime Minister Zuo Huo Zheng spoke in a deep tone and said slowly: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's filial piety, I think the late Emperor's spirit in heaven will also feel the same. Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, please forgive me."
Huo Zheng's words exploded in Mu Sheng's heart like a bolt from the blue, and his mind suddenly buzzed.
Mu Sheng turned to look at Huo Zheng and said in a trembling voice: "Master Xiangguo... you... what did you mean just now? Father, what happened to him?"
Huo Zheng said with a sad expression: "Your Highness, I would like to express my condolences. Emperor Daxing passed away in Changle Palace at 3:00 pm on November 16th, the 34th year of Datong. There are detailed records in the palace."
Mu Sheng was stunned when he heard this. He had never thought that the emperor had traveled westward on a crane a few months ago.
Mu Sheng knelt down until the late emperor collapsed, knelt down and cried bitterly: "Father, I'm late. Father, I didn't even see you for the last time...Father..."
Thinking about it carefully, since he came to this world, this man named Father has taken good care of him. He was implicated in the fight for the throne among the princes and sent him to live in another place. This is another form of love. Protect.
Although he was actually a tool used by the emperor to suppress the prince in the battle to seize the heir, he was finally given a way out. At least in the emperor's heart, he still had a place besides the former prince and An Guojun's son Xiu.
Huo Zheng saw the prince crying bitterly against Long Tao. He stepped forward to help the prince up and comforted him: "Your Majesty has specially asked me to assist you in your successful ascension to the throne. Your Majesty, please express my condolences."
Although Mu Sheng cried bitterly on the surface, he was secretly shocked in his heart. What? The emperor actually passed away more than three months ago? What on earth is Prime Minister Huo going to do? He was a fool and guessed that there might be a big problem here, and that his position as crown prince might not be so upright.
He suddenly remembered that Gongzi Xiu was inexplicably deposed as a commoner by the emperor's decree more than two months ago. Now he thought that Gongzi Xiu might have been plotted against him? The emperor had already passed away at that time. How could he order the liquidation of Er Yang and An Guojun? Now everything is very clear, except that he is currently the biggest beneficiary of this conspiracy, but he has no sense of participation at all from the beginning to the end. In the end, he is still a tool repeatedly used by some careerists. ? This made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
After figuring out all the key, Mu Sheng calmed down and said in a deep voice: "Master Xiangguo, I want to see my father one last time."
Upon hearing this, Huo Zheng waved his hand, and the two eunuchs guarding the emperor's dragon bed came forward and slowly opened the curtain.
I saw that the emperor's body behind the curtain had been carefully decorated. Except for his pale complexion, he looked like an ordinary person on the surface, as if he was asleep. If it weren't for the vague aura of death exuding from his body, , Mu Sheng really thought that the emperor was just asleep.
The ruler of the once most powerful dynasty came to an end, and it seemed that his actions during his lifetime had foreshadowed his final outcome.
When Mu Sheng saw this, he felt very sad. He stepped forward and took the emperor's hand, looked at the emperor, and said with a choked voice: "Father, my son is here to see you..."
After crying for a long time before the dragon collapsed, Mu Sheng put down the emperor's hand and silently exited the dragon collapse. The eunuchs guarding the body on both sides lowered the curtains again to cover the dragon couch.
At this moment, Mu Sheng had too many questions in his mind that needed to be answered, but he knew very well that there were some things that he couldn't delve into deeply, and he couldn't even look at them if they were exposed to the sun.
After Mu Sheng calmed down, he directly gave an order to the palace servants waiting in the hall: "The rest of the people are leaving the hall. If you have anything to say, I want to talk to the Prime Minister."
After Mu Sheng finished speaking, the eunuchs in these halls were indifferent and completely ignored the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince.
Huo Zheng knew that this was a very secret topic that His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to ask.
Just when Mu Sheng was about to raise his voice and repeat his order, Huo Zheng stepped forward and explained: "Your Highness, if you have anything to say, just ask the veteran. The people in the palace are all deaf-mute people carefully selected by the veteran." People, they can’t hear and can’t speak out, so His Highness the Prince can just ask the old minister.”
When Mu Sheng heard this, he was surprised. Good guy, Huo Zheng is really impeccable in his work. He turned around and asked Huo Zheng, "I have one thing I want to ask Mr. Xiangguo. How did the late emperor die?"
Hearing this, Huo Zheng sighed and said: "Your Highness, the late emperor suddenly died suddenly in the palace that night after taking an overdose of pills. At that time, the old minister was the first person to rush to the late emperor's side. At that time, the late emperor was covered in black blood. , the death situation is particularly horrific, it is really... Well, the late emperor did not even leave a last word before he died. The truth is that when I rushed to the imperial couch late at night, His Majesty had already passed away, leaving only an edict of passing the throne. The emperor has returned to heaven, hey, I feel so sad every time I think of this."
After saying this, Huo Zheng pretended to wipe away the non-existent tears.
Huo Zheng suddenly showed a look of resentment on his face and said: "Your Highness, the late emperor's holy body was damaged and ended up in this situation, which was entirely caused by Zhang Daoling, the demon, that demon girl from the Three-Eyed Clan, who bewitched the sacred heart. The late emperor said this before his death. The two of them almost obeyed the advice. The old minister thought that it would be difficult to silence the world without killing these two people. Unfortunately, the old minister was just a mortal. These two people were responsible for evil magic and evil deeds. The old minister had no choice but to give in and temporarily appease the two of them. Wait. Since His Highness the Crown Prince has been honored with a great treasure, he should immediately send the Tsing Yi envoys to surround and kill these two people, in order to vent the hatred in the heart of the Prime Minister and comfort the late Emperor's spirit in heaven."
After hearing this, Mu Sheng calmed down the somewhat irritable Prime Minister Huo and quickly expressed his position: "Please be at ease, Sir. After I ascend the throne, I will definitely get to the bottom of the matter of the late emperor's violent death in the palace and give an explanation to the world."
Huo Zheng nodded slightly and said: "Okay! Okay, with the words of His Highness the Crown Prince, I will feel relieved."
In fact, Mu Sheng knew in his heart that it was indeed possible for these two people to help the late emperor realize his dream of immortality. He was also a monk himself, so he knew the truth and falsehood. Unfortunately, these two people were not very lucky. The late emperor did not tell them after his death, and the late emperor was extremely unlucky during his lifetime. Favoring the two of them, they even used 300,000 troops to conquer Taisha in the south for the great patriarch's dream of restoring the country. At that time, there was a lot of opposition to the southern expedition within the government and the opposition.
When the Jin army marched south, they almost overturned the nest of the mountain puppets that Mu Sheng had finally picked up for free, not to mention the many ministers who resigned from office after the two men became favored because they advised the emperor not to cultivate immortality. It can be said that these two people were favored by the late emperor but also bore the resentment of too many people. After the late emperor passed away, they were destined to become victims of political struggles.
Mu Sheng had an account in his mind. There were too many benefits from doing this with great fanfare. It not only erased the disgraceful history for the late emperor, but also restored officials who were implicated in the late emperor's cultivation of immortality. Very soon Being able to win over a wave of people, Huo Xiangguo can also greatly improve his own reputation in the court.
This matter must have been initiated by Huo Xiang himself. With the signature and seal of Mu Sheng, the new king, these two people can be sent to the guillotine with good reason. This is really a very cost-effective deal. The patriarch and It doesn't matter whether Zhang Daoling died unjustly or not. What matters is that for Mu Sheng and Huo Zheng, this is a good win-win deal.
Huo Zheng saw that His Highness the Crown Prince was so polite and suggested: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, it is for the sake of Your Highness that I urge you to take the throne in the East Palace before reading out His Majesty's last edict. Only in this way will the world's hearts turn to you. I think this is a great success." The emperor has passed away long ago, and His Highness should be enthroned as a great treasure as soon as possible to appease the people of the world."
When Mu Sheng heard this, his heart trembled. Who doesn't yearn for that highest position?
Mu Sheng knew that Huo Xiangguo was going to formally support him to ascend the throne, so he bowed slightly to Huo Zheng and said: "Master Xiangguo, now that the Emperor Daxing has passed away, I would like to ask Master Xiangguo for your hard work on everything in the government and the public. Guzheng will be in the East Palace for a long time." Short, the country is in a troubled time, everything depends on you, the Prime Minister."
When Huo Zheng heard this, his face relaxed slightly and he said with satisfaction: "Okay! Since His Highness the Crown Prince trusts the old minister, the old minister has decided to announce the late emperor's last edict after the spring meeting. Time is tight, so you must prepare in advance, Your Highness."
Mu Sheng naturally nodded in agreement.
Mu Sheng said: "Master Xiangguo, I still have something to ask for."
Huo Zheng said: "His Royal Highness, you are too polite. Your Highness, please just say it clearly."
Mu Sheng said: "Master Xiang Guo, Gu thinks it is inappropriate to exile Lord An Guo's son Xiu. When Gu was serving by the late emperor, the late emperor often praised him. After Prince Ni's death, he was very favored by his majesty. , in fact, had it not been for Gongzi Xiu's involvement in the former prince's rebellion and the revelation of the incident, he was actually the first heir in the heart of his father. It was recognized both inside and outside the court that Gongzi Xiu was the best choice for the prince. I thought that because of the late emperor's high regard for Gongzi Xiu , it is not really cruel to let the young master Xiu go out, but the most likely way is to go to Tibet, just like the story of Gu who went to Zhi County to die in Tibet, what does the Prime Minister think?"
Huo Zheng understood that the prince was seeking welfare for the young master. Seeing today's situation, the prince had basically guessed the truth. He knew that his position was unfair, and he was afraid that if he directly exiled the young master, he would be criticized by both the government and the public. The prince's pretentiousness is also for the sake of his own reputation. The aftermath needs to be dealt with in a more elegant way so as to look good.
Thinking of this, Huo Zheng also felt that what the prince said was reasonable, and he still had to give the future new king some face, and said: "What your highness the prince said is absolutely true. I will draft an edict right now to make the prince a marquis."
Mu Sheng bowed and said, "Then I would like to thank Mr. Xiangguo for your brotherhood."
"Ah! It's so boring to play alone. Even if there is one person to read a book and communicate with each other, hahaha..."
