Children of Loulan

Chapter 486 Change of Owners

In the court, although there was no one in charge, the officials were still discussing the selection of the next king. At the same time, the queen's palace was also closely guarded by the imperial guards. The queen, the king, and Parti Khan who stayed by their side to serve them were all imprisoned here.

The queen looked at the unconscious king anxiously. She angrily went to find the guards, hoping to ask a royal doctor to continue to develop an antidote for the king. However, the guards ignored her request. The queen knew very well that these people were deliberately delaying time to kill the king, and then announced to the world that the king died at the hands of the prince.

Although she knew the other party's conspiracy very well, she was helpless and could only hide in the corner and cry silently like a child.

On the other hand, in the Eastern Palace, Hawule and Muzepal suddenly encountered a group of ferocious imperial guards. They first showed looks of astonishment and confusion on their faces, and it was obvious that they had never expected such a thing to happen.

However, just as they were about to rise up in resistance, their eyes all fell on the items in the hands of the imperial guards. Those were the items of their sister Partihan, as well as the king and queen.

Seeing this, Hawle and Muzepal's faces turned pale instantly. After looking at each other, they slowly put down their weapons. Because they knew what these things meant - this was a naked threat!

At this time, the leader of the imperial guards stepped forward, his voice cold and majestic: "My master said that as long as you stay in the East Palace honestly and don't move around casually, the safety of the king, queen and princess can be guaranteed. However, if you are unwilling to cooperate, in addition to them, we cannot guarantee the safety of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

At the same time, Xilin was summoned again in the court. She leaned on Aunt Kui, and her steps seemed a little heavy, as if she was carrying a heavy burden. When she walked into the hall, the eyes of the courtiers were all focused on her, but she just looked at them blankly, revealing a kind of helplessness and confusion in her eyes.

"May I ask, my Lords, why have you invited me here?" Xilin's voice trembled slightly, and she seemed to be filled with fear and anxiety about what was going to happen next.

At this time, a minister came forward with a respectful face, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the crown prince has dared to harm the king, causing the king to be poisoned and in critical condition. There is no way to save him. However, the country cannot be without a king for a day, so after careful consideration, we, the old ministers, have decided to choose one of the remaining five and six princes to inherit the throne."

After listening to the minister's words, Xilin nodded slightly to show her agreement and said, "This is naturally the way it should be. In my opinion, the fifth prince is a man of noble character, filial and polite, and is indeed a suitable candidate to inherit the throne..."

However, before she finished speaking, she was suddenly interrupted by another voice. The voice said, "Your Majesty, this is wrong!" Then, the speaker continued, "After repeated considerations and discussions, the old ministers unanimously agreed that the Sixth Prince is more suitable to be the next king."

Upon hearing this, Xilin was struck by lightning. Her face was filled with horror and she waved her hands repeatedly, saying in a trembling voice, "This is absolutely not possible! Not to mention that the king and the crown prince are still alive. He has a fifth brother ahead of him. It is not his turn to inherit the throne no matter what! Not to mention that there is still the queen. No matter who ascends the throne, she will become the queen mother in the future. If the sixth prince becomes the king, how can the queen let us mother and son go so easily?" The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. Her eyes gradually became moist, as if she was really afraid that the queen would do something bad to her and her son.

At this time, a minister beside her advised: "Your Majesty, you don't have to worry so much. As long as the Sixth Prince can successfully ascend the throne, you will be the Queen Mother in name only. And the Queen allowed the Prince to poison the King. How can such a cruel and vicious woman be qualified to be the Queen Mother of Loulan?"

Xilin was slightly moved after hearing these words, and seemed to be somewhat persuaded. However, she still hesitated for a moment, and finally shook her head and sighed: "Even so, that won't work! The Sixth Prince is still young now, how can he take on the responsibility of being a king?"

One of the court officials continued, "Since ancient times, it has been common for young sons to ascend the throne. As long as we, the old officials, can assist him carefully and give him advice at all times, with the Sixth Prince's talent and intelligence, he will definitely become a wise ruler."

After hearing this, Xilin lowered her head and thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Logically speaking, Loulan is now at the most critical moment, and it really needs my son to step forward and shoulder this heavy responsibility. And with the full support of all the adults, I should feel relieved. However, it is inevitable that the adults will occasionally have some differences in political views. In this case, it might be more appropriate to elect a regent."

Upon hearing this, Doctor Zhengyi nodded in agreement and continued, "It would be great to have a regent to assist. But who should be chosen as the regent? The king's brothers are no longer alive, and the other sons of the king..." At this point, he couldn't help but shook his head helplessly, as if he was not very satisfied with these princes.

Xilin frowned slightly, lowered her head and pondered for a while, then slowly said: "In the current situation, the actions of the Crown Prince and the Queen are indeed traitors, and before becoming the King, they also planned a rebellion and assassination, which is also not advisable. In this case, after thinking about it, it seems that only Prince Xin may be useful!"

As soon as she finished speaking, someone immediately refuted: "But Prince Xin also planned to murder the crown prince, and was imprisoned in the mansion for this, and was not allowed to step out of the mansion for the rest of his life!"

Xilin raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and explained: "It is true that Prince Xin did assassinate the crown prince. However, the current situation is that he is the only one who has not made a move on the king. Moreover, after what happened before, he no longer has any power. Let him serve as the regent, and I will send people to follow him all the time. I don't think he will cause any big trouble. As long as the Sixth Prince can handle state affairs completely independently, he will naturally abdicate as the regent."

At this moment, someone suddenly stood up and refuted: "But he has always been eyeing the throne! If he is allowed to take the throne of regent this time, who can guarantee that he will not rebel in the future and take over?"

Xilin couldn't help but sigh when she heard this, with a helpless look on her face. She slowly said, "That being said, this is the only solution. After all, it's better than finding someone from another family to be the regent. If I can't control him in the future and he eventually seizes the throne, then at least he is still the son of the king, and the country is still in our hands. But if we use someone from another family as the regent, if he has the ambition to seize the throne in the future, then the country will really change hands!"