sbdcsierra Chapter 355 The New Emperor Ascends the Throne
Chapter 355 The New Emperor Ascends the Throne
The guards followed the order and stepped forward to surround Jun Mo and Shang Buqun. However, they were so shocked by the aura emanating from Prince Jing that they all raised their swords and hesitated. For a moment, no one dared to be the first to rush forward.
"Stop!" The Queen Mother stomped the phoenix-head cane in her hand and stared in disbelief at the fifth grandson who had always been filial to her and had a compassionate face.
As he remembered, in order to accompany her in worshipping Buddha devoutly, he ignored the scorching sun, walked ten steps from the foot of the mountain for her, bowed three times, and worshipped for several miles. He also smiled and lit incense for her himself.
How could he become like this now?
The fifth prince taunted the Empress Dowager, "Grandmother, the game is over. This time, I am serious! Don't be so naive and think you can turn the tide!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Fifth Prince looked at Jun Mo with a vicious look, raised his knife and pressed it against the Empress Dowager's neck again: "Fourth Brother, if you know what's best for you, you'd better give up your martial arts, otherwise, the Empress Dowager will be killed on the spot because of you!"
The emperor burst into tears and compromised with great sorrow: "Stop! I promise you! I will give you the throne and the imperial seal! Stop it!"
Before the Fifth Prince could make a move, the Queen Mother suddenly stretched her neck and slashed at the sword in the Fifth Prince's hand.
Instantly, blood gushed out from the Empress Dowager's neck like a fountain.
"Grandma!"
"Mother!"
"The Queen Mother!"
Everyone was terrified and screamed.
The fifth prince was so frightened that he dropped his sword and jumped away several meters.
Jun Mofei rushed over and hugged the fallen body of the empress dowager, pressed the wound on her neck with his hand, and sobbed in panic: "Grandmother, please hold on! Quickly call the imperial physician! Didn't you escape from the palace with the children? Why did you come back?"
"I still don't believe that your fifth brother would go astray. I want to come and persuade him." The Queen Mother said as she stretched out a hand to the Fifth Prince, with the same kindness in her eyes as before.
The Fifth Prince's face turned pale. He obviously didn't expect the Royal Grandmother to be so fierce. He was frightened and at a loss for what to do.
The Queen Mother's hoarse voice sounded: "Old Fifth, you have always been a kind child in my heart. I remember that year, in order to let a little bird get the care of its mother, you climbed up the tree in the rain and put it back to the nest. You were only eight years old that year. I saw the kindness in your eyes, and it was not a lie.
Put down your butcher knife and become a Buddha. Stop hurting your relatives! Grandma is going to meet your great grandfather. Don't let her leave with regrets. Promise her!"
The Fifth Prince was in a state of confusion. All the kindness that the Empress Dowager had shown him flooded into his mind. His lips trembled, and he could not utter a word for a long time, but he nodded involuntarily at the Empress Dowager's pleading eyes.
The Queen Mother closed her eyes forever with a relieved smile.
"Grandmother!" Jun Mo hugged her tightly and burst into tears.
The emperor's eyes were filled with guilt, and he pounded the floor in agony: "Mother, I was wrong, please wake up! Please wake up!"
"Wuwuwu..." Wailing sounds were heard everywhere in the imperial study.
Jun Mo suddenly let go of the Queen Mother, flew up, and attacked the Fifth Prince directly with a palm.
"Old Five, you deserve to die!"
The fifth prince reacted very quickly and hid under the table.
The shadow guards around him were no pushovers either, each of them highly skilled in martial arts. In an instant, more than a dozen of them flew over at the same time to resist Jun Mo, using fierce attacks.
At the same time, Jun Mo's secret guards were also entangled by a large group of the Fifth Prince's guards.
Jun Mo was beaten for half the night last night and was covered with bruises from the emperor's whip. The wounds were not bandaged and he was beaten again and again. Even though he was in high spirits and felt tireless, his body eventually sent out signals of fatigue and his movements became slow.
Seeing that Jun Mo had been slashed with sword wounds again, the emperor shouted anxiously, "Stop! Stop! Lao Wu, make them stop, I will agree to anything you want! As long as you let everyone go, I will agree to anything you want!"
The fifth prince raised his hand and the shadow guard retreated.
Jun Mo, covered in blood, half-knelt on the ground with a sword in his hand. He held on for a breath and did not let himself fall. His eyes were filled with anger and viciousness.
Shang Buqun was very tactful and he immediately struck Jun Mo's neck with a palm.
As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Now is not the time to be stubborn.
The fifth prince said to everyone with a cold face: "As long as my father is willing to abdicate to me and honestly hand over the imperial seal, I can spare your life, including Prince Jing's family. I can spare your life and give face to my grandmother. Is this okay?"
The queen heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this and loosened the grip on the little princess in her arms.
She didn't know whether the Queen Mother used her life to awaken the Fifth Prince's remaining conscience, causing him to suddenly show kindness, or whether he was just bluffing to scare everyone. In short, she was finally able to put her mind at ease when he didn't kill his relatives in a frenzy.
The emperor knew very well that handing over the imperial seal was tantamount to handing over his last bargaining chip.
He summoned the remaining aura of an emperor and said to the fifth prince in a deep voice: "Before you hand over the imperial seal, I will make some arrangements. I can't let you hurt innocent people again. If you don't obey, I don't mind dying together!"
The fifth prince hesitated for a moment and snorted coldly, "Don't you just want to protect everyone? I promise you! However, in order for me to secure my throne, you must agree to a few of my requests first!"
"Okay! You say!" The emperor made up his mind and agreed to him first.
The fifth prince said shamelessly: "First, my father wanted to announce in front of all the civil and military officials that I was a hero who suppressed the rebellion, and my father was injured in the war and had to abdicate to live out his days;
Second, after my father abdicated, he moved to the summer palace with all his concubines and children. No one could return to the capital without my consent.
Third, my father announced publicly that Prince Jing had the intention of holding the emperor hostage to control the princes during the war, and he was demoted to Yinshan County. The whole family, including Prime Minister Rong, were to be exiled to Yinshan County and never allowed to return to Beijing.
Fourth, all your plans must be approved by me before they can be made. "
Only after all hidden dangers are eliminated can he sit securely on the throne.
"All right!" The emperor nodded weakly, as if he had aged a dozen years in an instant. "Tomorrow, I will draft an edict. Once all the imperial edicts are issued, I will give you the imperial seal!"
After getting a satisfactory answer, the Fifth Prince swiftly slashed at Jun Mo's feet as he lay on the ground with his sword.
"you!"
Just as Shang Buqun was about to raise his sword to fight him, the Fifth Prince put away his sword and said coldly, "It's just a minor injury. It will heal in a month or two. I just want him to stay at home and recover, and not come out to hinder my ascension to the throne!"
Then, the fifth prince ordered someone to bring the prepared medicine and give it to the emperor.
He even said in a high-sounding manner: "Don't worry, this medicine will only make you weak and unable to walk. When I ascend the throne, I will order the imperial physician to treat you and make you as good as before! I am a filial son, so you don't have to worry that I will take your life!"
The emperor endured it and ultimately did not lose his temper.
Seven days later, the emperor sat in the Golden Palace, and in front of all the civil and military officials and the fifth prince, he asked Eunuch Cao to take out the jade seal hidden under the dragon throne.
Then, he personally stamped the imperial seal on the imperial edict of succession, and then stamped it on a series of imperial edicts he had drafted to save the lives of the royal family and court officials.
In this way, even if the fifth prince ascended the throne, he would not dare to openly hunt down those royal relatives and ministers who were at odds with him.
After all the imperial edicts were read out, the emperor placed the imperial seal in the brocade box in his hand, amid the shocked eyes of the civil and military officials. He then handed the brocade box to the fifth prince and said, "Take the imperial seal. I will leave immediately for the palace to recuperate!"
The fifth prince took the imperial edict and the brocade box and smiled so hard that he couldn't stop.
Next, the new emperor ascended the throne smoothly and accepted the worship of civil and military officials.
After the old emperor's carriage left the palace, Jun Mo and Prime Minister Rong's family also headed to Yinshan County in a grand procession.
This time, Military Advisor Rong brought his wife back to the capital to honor his father, and Prime Minister Rong finally got his wish.
Four months ago, Princess Qingrou successfully gave birth to a son. The old prime minister has been in a very good mood since he had a grandson. Even being demoted to Yinshan did not affect his good mood.
In the evening, the new emperor entered the imperial study with great joy, holding the imperial edict in one hand and the brocade box containing the imperial seal in the other.
After sitting down, he wanted to open the brocade box to see the jade seal inside, but found that it couldn't be opened no matter what?