Among the several people, Zhao Ceying was the first to come to his senses, came to Zhao Zongquan's side, and looked at the blood edict carefully over and over again.
From the characteristics of handwriting, to writing habits, to the "treasure of destiny" stamped at the end...
After repeatedly comparing everything in this blood edict with the edict in his memory, Zhao Ceying took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement and ecstasy in his heart, raised his head and grabbed Zhao Zongquan's sleeve.
"Father, this is indeed your Majesty's handwriting!"
Zhao Zongquan naturally understood what his son meant. He unconsciously stroked the blood-stained silk in his hand and murmured: "Yes, even though it was written by fingers, you can still see His Majesty's handwriting, and this Yunlong Red Gold Her crimson gauze robe is unique in the world and cannot be faked."
Hearing what Zhao Zongquan said, Zhao Ceying became even more excited and said loudly: "In that case, my father is now a canonized prince. Please wait and pay your respects!"
】
After saying that, Zhao Ceying lifted up her clothes and knelt down to worship. Behind her, Gu Tingye, Shen Congxing and others all bowed down: "I'm here to see His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"No, no, absolutely no! Get up quickly and don't worship me!"
Zhao Zongquan was startled and suddenly jumped up from the ground. In a hurry, he even accidentally dropped the blood edict in his hand.
Everyone was indifferent and still couldn't kneel down.
Only Wei Chen looked at the blood edict that fell on the ground, then looked at Zhao Zongquan, and frowned deeply.
Zhao Zongquan's heart skipped a beat when he met Wei Chen's meaningful gaze, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
The imperial edict has been implemented. This is the crime of deceiving the emperor!
Logically speaking, after making such a big mistake, Zhao Zongquan should have immediately knelt down on the ground without saying a word, kowtowed to the bloody edict lying in the dirt and apologized, shouting that he was guilty of death.
But when Zhao Zongquan thought about it again, he felt that it would be better to just make a mistake and let the blood edict leave his hand.
His mind was completely blank before, and he took over the blood edict from Wei Chen in a daze. He did not consider that accepting the blood edict would be equivalent to taking over the responsibility of King Qin to rescue him, and he would be involved in the Chu Dynasty from then on. The struggle for position can easily lead to the destruction of families and clans, and there is no way out.
Only when he came back to his senses did Zhao Zongquan realize what a dangerous situation he had fallen into. The flimsy blood edict in his hand was simply a hot potato, and he couldn't get rid of it if it stuck to him.
Zhao Zongquan is cautious by nature and does not want to make such a hasty decision that affects his wealth and life.
So he coughed dryly, pretended not to see Wei Chen's eyes, ignored the blood edict that fell on the ground, and just turned his back silently, as if nothing happened just now.
Seeing this, Wei Chen couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth a few times. Zhao Tuanlian was really thick-skinned to do this.
Seeing that things seemed to be at a deadlock, Zhao Ceying stood up and said tentatively: "Father..., His Majesty the Crown Prince, it is a great good thing that you are canonized as the Crown Prince by His Majesty and inherit the throne. There is really no need to panic."
"What prince! What your highness! Don't mention these words! I..., I'm panicking!" Zhao Zongquan gritted his teeth, with a look of fear on his face, and stopped Zhao Ceying who wanted to continue to persuade.
"Your Highness, please stop delaying!"
Gu Tingye said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty would rather break his fingers and spill blood than write a blood edict and pay it to His Highness. This shows how critical the situation in the palace is. Nowadays, traitors are rampant and Your Majesty is in danger. Do you want to betray His Majesty's trust?"
After all, Gu Tingye was Zhao Zongquan's brother-in-law and an official of the imperial court. Unlike his own son, who could reprimand him at will, Zhao Zongquan could only slow down his tone and said:
"Zhong Huai, you are also a man who has learned a lot about the past and present. You should understand my difficulties. I am just an unknown member of the clan. Even if I am appointed in a critical situation and reluctantly ascend to the throne, I will inevitably be in trouble in the future!"
"Why did father say this!"
Before Gu Tingye opened his mouth to argue, Zhao Ceying couldn't hold it back anymore: "Today, the prince has no heirs, and now that the edict has been issued, my father, in the name of the prince, orders the loyal and righteous people in the world to rescue King Qin, who will make great contributions to the country and succeed in the future. Datong is also justified, so why is there any trouble?"
No wonder Zhao Ceying is so impatient. After all, if Zhao Zongquan really becomes the emperor, then Zhao Ceying will be the prince.
A hundred years after Zhao Zongquan's death, the vast Zhou Dynasty, which covers thousands of miles, will all crawl under the feet of Zhao Ceying.
Just thinking about such a wonderful scene is enough to make Zhao Ceying tremble all over.
The God-given opportunity was right in front of him, and Zhao Ceying was naturally not willing to let this once-in-a-century opportunity go to waste.
"Innocent!"
Zhao Zongquan mercilessly shattered his son's dream and said in a cold voice: "Before today, some of the princes in the court recognized me, Zhao Zongquan. Even if I hold the edict, they can recognize me who appeared out of thin air. Prince? Besides, what good is the throne? Have you forgotten what happened to your grandfather? "
In desperation, Zhao Zongquan finally revealed a trace of his true inner thoughts.
His father, Zhao Gai, had been involved in a dispute over the reserve position and was frightened all day long, and eventually died young.
It is precisely because of this bloody lesson that Zhao Zongquan has been keeping a low profile in Yuzhou for so many years, and why he still hesitates and hesitates in the face of such a God-given opportunity today!
Being swept away by Zhao Zongquan's coercive gaze, Zhao Ceying suddenly became speechless, lowered his head and remained silent.
Seeing this, Gu Tingye was quite helpless and had no choice but to look at Wei Chen standing aside for help.
Wei Chen understands Zhao Zongquan's inner concerns better than others, but he is also a little impatient at this time. The situation is urgent now. If you delay a little longer, something may change. Wei Chen has no time to watch here. Zhao Zongquan, Zhao Ceying, Gu Tingye and the others were arguing.
Wei Chen looked solemn and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I am here to bear the great trust of your Majesty. I am responsible for the safety of the country and cannot tolerate any jokes. Now that I have delivered the decree, your Majesty is still timid and hesitant to move forward. , could it be that you want to resist the decree?"
Wei Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, looked directly at Zhao Zongquan, and his tone was extremely cold, almost like he was asking naked questions.
When Wei Chen said "resist the decree", several inner palace officials behind him all clenched their weapons, their eyes widened with anger, and if they disagreed, they would take action to take down the rebellious maniac.
The surrounding Zhao family generals also responded to the enemy, and the scene instantly became tense.
Seeing this, everyone present was startled. Zhao Zongquan quickly signaled to his generals to put down their weapons, then picked up the blood edict that fell on the ground and held it in his hands. He walked to Wei Chen and said with a smile: "How is Wei Scholar doing this?" By saying this, I don’t mean to resist the decree, it’s just, just..."
Zhao Zongquan couldn't find any good reason for a while, so he could only play the emotional card instead, pulling Wei Chen's sleeves and begging pitifully:
"Brother Xingyun, you and I felt like old friends when we met in Yuzhou that day, and we can be regarded as friends who have forgotten each other. I have never had any ambitions, and I just want to spend this life in peace. You also know it. The battle for the reserve position is so dangerous, so why are you bothering me? Do you want to drag me into this muddy water? I'll return this edict to you, and you'll be fine. You've never seen me before, right?"
Seeing Zhao Zongquan's heartfelt expression on him, Wei Chen also expressed his sincerity, holding Zhao Zongquan's arm and saying: "Brother, don't blame me, I don't mean to intimidate you. The current situation is like this, even if you If you don’t accept this blood edict today, you won’t be able to live an happy life in the future!”
Zhao Zongquan's eyelids twitched when he heard this, and he suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart. He quickly asked: "What does Xingyun mean by this?"
