12dz Chapter 264
Chapter 264
The ministers in the hall were stunned by this sudden change. They didn't understand what happened and why the emperor was so angry. For a moment, the hall was silent, with only the emperor's angry breathing echoing in the air.
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" The ministers knelt down one after another.
"Come here, circulate this memorial and let all the ministers have a look!" the emperor said sternly.
The guards immediately took action, carefully picking up the memorials and passing them to the ministers present. The ministers took the memorials and their faces changed drastically, in disbelief.
It turned out that the memorial recorded in detail the inappropriate behavior of Crown Prince Jun Yaotian on his way to disaster relief, as well as his indifference and arrogance towards the people of Nanlin.
These actions made the emperor extremely disappointed and angry. The prince had lost the responsibility and sense of duty that he should have as the crown prince of a country.
The memorial mentioned that on his way to Nanlin, Prince Jun Yaotian was attacked by bandits and all his food was looted. However, he did not choose to resist bravely, but chose to let the soldiers escort him away, and concealed the incident, allowing the people of Nanlin to fall into deeper trouble.
Although the bandits were numerous, they were clearly a mob compared to the elite soldiers brought by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. However, shockingly, upon seeing the bandits, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not choose to fight, but chose to flee.
The group tried their best to protect the prince and escape from the bandits' encirclement, but the relief food was looted by the bandits. A few days later, the prince and his men not only failed to take back the food from the bandits, but also despised the difficult living conditions in the local area and frequently went into the mountains to hunt game for food.
This move made the people of Nanlin very angry and dissatisfied. They were already in dire straits and had finally waited for the relief from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but they did not expect their food to be robbed. So, the angry people surrounded the county government office and demanded that the Crown Prince give a reasonable explanation and solution.
However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seemed unusually indifferent and arrogant. Instead of calming the people, he ordered his men to drive them away.
This move completely angered the people, and they had a fierce conflict with the soldiers.
As the civilians were unarmed, they were no match for the well-trained soldiers, and the scene was immediately tragic. Many innocent civilians were killed in a pool of blood.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still did not realize the seriousness of the problem and he still ordered his men to drive the people away.
As time went by, in just a few days, the area around Nanlin was littered with corpses and the people were suffering terribly.
The entire hall fell into deathly silence, with only the emperor walking back and forth angrily.
The ministers of the prince's party did not even dare to look up. They could only silently bear this invisible pressure. They knew that this incident was a huge blow to the prince.
The emperor's anger did not subside. He paced back and forth and said angrily: "Jun Yaotian is a rebellious son. I thought he could take on the important responsibility, but I didn't expect him to be so vulnerable. He doesn't care about the lives of the people and only cares about himself. Come, convey my decree to depose the crown prince and let the regent come to the palace to discuss matters in the Nanlin area."
"Your Majesty, no!"
"Your Majesty, please revoke your decree to depose the Crown Prince!" a minister shouted loudly, and his voice echoed in the hall.
"Your Majesty, please take back your order..." another minister echoed, his voice trembling slightly.
However, the emperor remained indifferent. This time he was determined to depose Jun Yaotian from the position of Crown Prince. He had given him too many chances, but each time he was disappointed.
The ministers were anxiously waiting for the emperor's response. The emperor slowly opened his eyes, and his eyes swept over all the ministers present. His voice was low and powerful, as if it carried some kind of irresistible majesty: "Adjourn the court."
After saying these two words, the emperor turned away, leaving behind a silent hall and ministers looking at each other in bewilderment.
Inside the Kunde Hall, the silence was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps.
A young eunuch rushed in, sweating profusely, his face pale and panicked. He fell to his knees and reported in a trembling voice: "Empress, it's not good, it's not good!"
The queen was sitting at the desk, sipping tea quietly, her brows slightly frowned, with an unhappy look on her face.
"How dare you! The Queen is fine. Why are you in such a hurry? How can you be so rude?" A trusted nanny beside the Queen scolded.
Her voice was sharp and harsh, causing the little eunuch's body to tremble involuntarily.
The young eunuch lowered his head, not daring to look up at the queen. His voice was trembling with tears as he said, "Your Highness, at the court this morning, the emperor was furious and issued an order to depose the crown prince."
The queen's eyes widened when she heard this. Her face turned pale instantly, and the teacup in her hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound. She stood up and asked with trembling lips, "What did you say? Wasn't the prince going to Nanlin to provide disaster relief?"
The young eunuch continued with a tearful voice: "In reply to the Queen, the Crown Prince had just arrived in Nanlin when his food supplies were robbed. The Emperor was furious."
The queen frowned, her heart full of questions and confusion. Even if the relief food was robbed, even if the emperor was furious, shouldn't he send people to suppress the bandits? Why did he depose the prince?
"Where is the emperor now?" asked the queen.
The young eunuch replied, "The Emperor is meeting the Regent in the Imperial Study."
The queen hurried out, and the nanny followed closely behind her, saying worriedly, "Queen, go slowly, don't be in a hurry, be careful not to fall."
The queen turned around and glared at the maid, saying, "How can I not be anxious? The emperor actually wants to depose the prince. Let's go. I want to see the emperor." Her voice was full of anxiety.
Upon seeing this, the nanny said nothing more, but silently supported the queen and went to the imperial study together.
The atmosphere in the imperial study was solemn. The emperor and the regent sat at the desk, both with serious expressions on their faces. They were discussing something about Nan Lin, their voices low and powerful.
Outside the imperial study, Eunuch Chang saw the queen coming hurriedly from afar. He hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen."
The Queen's face was filled with anxiety. She waved her hand and said, "Eunuch Chang, I want to see the Emperor. Go and inform him."
Eunuch Chang looked at the Queen's anxious expression and knew why she came. He gently advised, "Queen, the Emperor is discussing matters with the Regent and is still furious. The Queen should go back first!"
The Queen was like an ant on a hot pot, pacing anxiously. She knew that what Eunuch Chang said made sense, but she was really worried about the prince. She stopped, looked at Eunuch Chang and said, "Eunuch Chang, you know how I feel. Go and inform him that I have something urgent to see the Emperor."
Eunuch Chang looked at the queen's determined eyes and couldn't help feeling a little helpless. He knew that the queen had deep feelings for the prince, but this matter was indeed tricky. The emperor was determined to depose the prince, and if the queen saw the emperor at this time, she was afraid that he would be angry.
Eunuch Chang sighed and said, "My Queen, I understand your feelings, but the Emperor is discussing the Nanlin matter with the Regent. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to disturb them at this time. You should go back first!"
After hearing what Eunuch Chang said, the Queen was still anxious, but she also knew that he was right. She took a deep breath, calmed down, and said, "Then I will wait for the Emperor here."