nycdaug Chapter 221: The Second Prince Seizes Power as Regent
Chapter 221: The Second Prince Seizes Power as Regent
After a moment, he turned to Eunuch Wu and said, "The Emperor is gravely ill, and the court cannot remain without a leader for even a single day. As the Emperor's eldest son, the Crown Prince should be sharing His Majesty's worries at this time. Eunuch Wu, please inform them to immediately summon the ministers of the six ministries and the cabinet ministers to discuss state affairs with the Crown Prince."
Eunuch Wu was startled and quickly agreed, "Yes, I'll do it right away."
The Prince of Dongping nodded, looked at the unconscious emperor again, and then turned and left.
After Prince Dongping walked away, Eunuch Wu's expression became more solemn.
He whispered to Doctor Chen, "Doctor Chen, the emperor's condition must be kept secret and must not be disclosed to anyone else!"
Doctor Chen nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, Eunuch Wu, I understand the seriousness of the matter."
Eunuch Wu sighed, his mind filled with thoughts.
He vaguely felt that the actions of the Prince of Dongping seemed to have a deeper meaning, but the emperor was currently in a coma and there was no one in the court to take charge of the overall situation. He could only obey the arrangements of the Prince of Dongping for the time being. After all, the prince was the best choice.
At the same time, Grand Tutor Zhou in the Heavenly Prison seemed unusually calm.
He was sitting in the corner of the cell when a ball of paper suddenly rolled to his feet. He opened it and his expression froze in an instant.
A cold voice murmured, "Prince of Dongping, Qin Yu, it turns out to be you."
Outside the palace gates, warm sunlight streamed down, illuminating a dark figure not far away. Though warm, the sunlight couldn't dispel the bone-chilling chill that enveloped the figure.
The Prince of Dongping walked out of the palace slowly, raised his eyes slightly, glanced at the figure lightly, and walked past him with an expressionless face.
The moment they passed each other, the Prince of Dongping opened his thin lips and said in a voice as cold as ice: "It is not your turn to meddle in my affairs."
Qin Yu stared straight ahead with a stern expression, his tone carrying an undeniable warning: "Stay away from Wan Wan."
The Prince of Dongping paused, turned slowly, and a hint of a smile appeared on the corner of his lips: "Oh? Who are you to say this to me?"
Qin Yu's eyes darkened, a chill rose in his eyes, and his voice was low and dangerous: "Do you want to die?"
The Prince of Dongping chuckled lightly, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "Oh, so it turns out that it's just some people being sentimental."
Qin Yu clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, but he didn't say anything more.
He gave the Prince of Dongping a cold look, then turned and disappeared into the night.
The Prince of Dongping stood there, looking in the direction Qin Yu had left, a sinister flicker in his eyes. He murmured softly, "Just an ancient man."
The night wind blew by, lifting a corner of his robe and obscuring the unfathomable light in his eyes.
The emperor fell into a coma, and in an instant, the whole court fell into chaos as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed.
Although the prince stepped forward and tried his best to take charge of the overall situation, the situation was so complicated and the forces of all parties were undercurrents, which made people confused and at a loss as to how to deal with it.
However, all these difficulties ultimately stemmed from the empty imperial treasury.
Whether it was the drought ravaging the north, the floods raging in the south, or the insect plagues and shipwrecks ravaging the east and west, the imperial court was unable to allocate sufficient silver to support the disaster. Without the imperial government's disaster relief funds, the impoverished government offices across the country could not afford to rebuild towns and resettle refugees.
Not everyone has the courage and financial resources like Yan Wanwan, who can single-handedly rebuild the disaster-stricken area from ruins and even turn it into the prosperous paradise it is today.
"Your Highness, replenishing the national treasury is now a top priority."
An old official stepped forward, his voice heavy and urgent, "If there's no more money for disaster relief, the people will be displaced and the disaster will intensify. Not to mention the Northern Di who are watching covetously. If they knew that Great Xia is facing internal and external troubles, I'm afraid they would march south without hesitation, straight to Jingzhao!"
Another minister echoed worriedly, "Yes, Your Highness. The Northern Di have wicked ambitions and have long coveted our Great Xia territory. The treasury is empty, and military pay is scarce. Even with General Yan commanding the northern border, she's only a woman. How can she resist the Northern Di cavalry?"
In the court, all the ministers spoke out one after another with solemn expressions.
They couldn't imagine the catastrophe that would befall Daxia if the Northern Di invaded. This was Yan Wanwan's first time on the battlefield, and although his adoptive father was the invincible Prince of Zhennan, it had nothing to do with him.
Crown Prince Jinnian sat upright in his high seat, his brow furrowed. He swept his gaze over the ministers and said in a deep voice, "Since you all have no confidence in County Master Yan, why didn't you step forward and lead the troops to the battle?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone shut their mouths instantly. Except for Qin Yu and Yan Feibai, who else would dare to face the Northern Di cavalry? It wasn't like they had lived long enough.
Seeing this, the prince sneered. These cowards were the ones who had disapproved of the emperor's appointment of Yan Wanwan to the battle. Had all the people of Daxia been killed? Actually letting a little woman lead the troops was not a blow to the Northern Di people, but to the reputation of Daxia itself.
"Everyone is talking about filling the treasury. Do you have any good ideas?"
An official from the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, since it was Grand Tutor Zhou who tampered with the national treasury, we should investigate him and his accomplices, confiscate their property, and prosecute them. All the confiscated items can be used to replenish the national treasury."
Soon someone else said, "The most urgent task is to investigate local taxes and severely punish corruption. At the same time, we should increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and cut unnecessary expenses. In addition, we may be able to raise money from wealthy merchants to solve the urgent problem."
The Crown Prince nodded slightly, his gaze deep, but he didn't immediately express his opinion. He knew that while Grand Tutor Zhou was certainly detestable, his followers were widespread throughout the court and the country, and their influence was complex and intertwined. A thorough investigation of this case would likely implicate a wide range of people and have far-reaching consequences beyond imagination. The court was in turmoil, and the situation was difficult to control. Although he was the Crown Prince, he dared not act rashly, as he lacked the confidence to control it all.
There was silence in the hall. All the ministers held their breath and focused their eyes on the prince.
However, the prince hesitated again and again and was slow to make a decision, which made them look down on him.
Although the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, he is ultimately too young, indecisive, and lacks courage or responsibility. At such a critical moment, he can't even make a decision. How can he shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country?
After a long while, the prince finally said, "First, we should raise money from the wealthy merchants to solve the urgent problem."
In an instant, some people sighed softly, some shook their heads secretly, and some even had a flash of disdain in their eyes, but they all responded respectfully, "I am willing to obey the orders of the Crown Prince."
Just as he finished speaking, Eunuch Wu's high-pitched voice rang out, "The Emperor has arrived!"
Everyone instantly showed surprise on their faces and looked towards the palace entrance. Soon, Eunuch Wu and the second prince Yuan Cheng walked in supporting the emperor.
The emperor sat weakly on the dragon throne, looking down at the prince and the others. He asked in a hoarse voice, "What did you just say?"
Soon, a minister informed the emperor of the prince's proposal. Unexpectedly, the emperor's eyes widened, and he pointed at the prince and cursed him with dismay, "You useless piece of shit! Look at what you've proposed! Is it any use raising money from merchants now?"
The prince knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold earth, his voice trembling, "Father, please calm down. I... I just..."
"Just what?" The emperor slammed the dragon table, furious. "As the crown prince, you are so short-sighted! I really misjudged you!"
The prince trembled all over and kowtowed quickly: "I know I am wrong, I beg your Majesty to punish me!"
The emperor sneered, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Punishment? What's the point of punishing you? Now that the Northern Di have moved south, disasters are raging, and the treasury is empty, you can only come up with such a foolish plan! I really... really..."
When he said this, he suddenly started coughing violently and his face turned pale as paper in an instant.
Eunuch Wu, standing by, quickly stepped forward to support the emperor, saying urgently, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"
The Emperor waved his hand, suppressing a cough. His cold gaze swept across the courtiers in the hall, finally landing on the Crown Prince. "Crown Prince, listen carefully. From today on, you will reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors. The affairs of the court will be temporarily handled by the Second Prince. If you dare to act on your own again, I will not forgive you!"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's face instantly turned pale, but he dared not disobey in the slightest. He could only kowtow and say, "Your son... obeys your order."
The ministers in the hall looked at each other, their hearts filled with shock.
The Crown Prince was stripped of his power to govern, and the Second Prince took his place. What did this mean? The situation in the court was likely to undergo a drastic change.
The emperor waved his hand wearily: "Dismiss the court."
All the ministers responded in unison: "We will take our leave."
The prince slowly stood up, his face as pale as paper, his eyes filled with confusion and helplessness. He glanced at the emperor, then at the second prince standing proudly beside him, his mind awash with thoughts.
However, at this moment he was powerless to change anything and could only drag his heavy steps and slowly leave the hall.