latelenovela Chapter 396 The final outcome
Chapter 396 The final outcome
In the Golden Palace, when the Second Prince produced the real jade seal, the game was already won.
"Uncle, before his death, Father was wary of his elder brother, the Crown Prince, so he entrusted this item to me for safekeeping. At the time, he was just worried that the Crown Prince might do something foolish if he was pushed to the limit."
I never imagined that Father Emperor only predicted things correctly once, but not Your Majesty's ambition.
He told me that if I was isolated and helpless, I could seek help from my aunt and my uncle.
But on the day of the palace coup, I was placed under house arrest by my aunt and was unable to see my father one last time.
"Uncle, you are truly heartless."
The second prince's accusations put the new emperor in an awkward position.
Now he is the one who is isolated and helpless.
When the imperial guards brought several princes into the palace, the court officials were shocked to realize that the eldest princess and the new emperor were trying to eliminate any potential threats.
No wonder the Second Prince made his move today.
"You killed my sister?"
The new emperor could no longer sit still upon seeing the eldest princess's corpse.
He ran down, pushed aside the guards, and held the princess's body, sobbing uncontrollably.
He was raised by the eldest princess, who treated him like a mother.
Moreover, if it weren't for his elder sister protecting him back then, he would never have survived.
"You ask me why I want to exterminate them all? Heh... Hahaha... What a joke, isn't this how the royal family has always been?"
If it weren't for my elder sister protecting me back then, do you think the late emperor wouldn't have killed me?
"If I hadn't kept a low profile all these years, pretending to be content with a life of pleasure, and even deliberately spoiling my sons, would he have let me off the hook?"
The court officials remained silent, refusing to utter a word.
Who can say for sure about something like this?
The youngest of the five princes could not bear to hear such words.
He was young, but having grown up in the palace, he knew best the cruelty of surviving there.
Either you die or I live.
He stepped forward and said, "What the Imperial Uncle said is just speculation. Father has never said anything about how he would treat you. He has even mentioned the Imperial Uncle to us many times."
Now you've committed such a heinous act of fratricide, and you still want to pin the blame on my father, the Emperor! You're utterly shameless!
The fifth prince is still young, so even if he makes wild remarks, it can be considered as innocent childish talk.
The premise is that no one knows that the eldest princess died at his hands.
As Shen Lan watched these scenes of family drama unfold, she felt nothing but endless sorrow.
In this world, money, power, and status—as long as human greed persists, kinship and love can all be thrown to the back of one's mind.
She looked at Li Ge, wondering how he was feeling at that moment, and whether he was satisfied with the outcome.
"I will hold a grand funeral for my aunt. She once said that she wanted to be buried next to my father's mausoleum."
As for you, Imperial Uncle, since you dislike Tanzhou, why not stay in the capital and retire there?
Staying in the capital, living under my own nose, should prevent me from causing any trouble.
Li Ge suddenly said, "Your Majesty... oh no, Your Highness Prince Zheng, this servant has just received news that the official boat carrying everyone from the Prince's residence sank at the ferry crossing, and no one on board survived."
“Ah… Ahhh…” King Zheng cried out in a hoarse voice.
He glared fiercely at Li Ge, gritting his teeth as he said, "What a loyal lackey! What a traitor!"
Hahaha... Nephew, you'd better open your eyes and see clearly, who knows what kind of skin someone is wearing?
With your innocent heart, how could you possibly outwit a cunning fox like him? Don't end up like me.
The second prince was also alarmed.
He never intended to exterminate them all.
He only wanted to imprison the people from Prince Zheng's residence to prevent them from causing trouble.
Li Ge had arranged many things and eliminated future troubles for him, but he still couldn't be happy.
The second prince said in a deep voice, "Uncle, the steward's intentions are good, but... he is not loyal to you."
"Oh? Is he loyal to you?" King Zheng mocked.
Li Ge is an arrogant person, and in the past, we could use our power to suppress him.
Now he himself is the source of power, and he only walks the path he has paved.
The second prince naturally wouldn't listen to slander at this time, but a thorn was still planted in his heart.
Li Ge could see that too.
He and the Second Prince were never on the same side. If he weren't important, the Second Prince wouldn't have accepted his help.
After King Zheng was taken away, the scene became quiet.
Now that all the princes are here, without the late emperor's will, anyone can ascend the throne.
Of course, any intelligent person could see that the Second Prince had many helpers behind him and was confident of victory.
Even if the other princes had their own ideas, it would be useless without sufficient support.
"Today in the court, we impeach Li Ge for crimes such as indiscriminate killing of innocent people and abusing his power for personal gain during his tenure as head of the Imperial City Guard."
"This matter is still unresolved. Why don't you princes discuss how it should be handled according to the law?"
Minister Zhao's statement seemed to indicate that he was considering the princes' feelings.
But the second prince was very clever. Having come this far, how could he easily give up?
"Minister Zhao, the Golden Palace is not a public court, not a place for judging cases. Manager Li is just following orders, so you can't blame him."
The Second Prince even assured everyone, "What the Imperial City Guard has done is indeed against the will of Heaven. Why not remove the Imperial City Guard's secret guards and let the Imperial City Guard continue to be responsible for guarding the palace?"
As for Manager Li, he is young and injured at the moment, so his priority should be resting and recuperating. We can discuss the rest later.
Although the court officials were somewhat dissatisfied, they had no other choice.
If you push someone too far, you never know what they might do.
Li Ge's lips slowly curled up, it was unclear who he was mocking.
Shen Lan frowned; she sensed something different in the Second Prince's words.
Even if the Second Prince remembers Li Ge's kindness and doesn't kill him, he probably won't give him an important position in the future.
Shen Lan felt a pang of sympathy.
That's just how he is; whatever he decides to do, he does it without hesitation, even if it means sacrificing himself.
At this moment, Shen Lan really wanted to take him away and keep him away from all this deceit and treachery.
"Please, Second Prince, ascend the throne!" Li Ge shouted.
Half of the officials immediately echoed, while a few others knelt down sparsely. The remaining officials, some still confused, did not respond.
As for those who are truly dissatisfied with the Second Prince, they have already set their sights on the other princes.
The second prince remained completely unfazed; he had already anticipated this situation.
Li Ge had warned long ago that fratricide could also happen to the Second Prince.
The second prince looked at his younger brothers.
They stared at him with mixed feelings, their companionship and support from the imperial tomb gone, replaced by cold stares.
Perhaps he should have listened to Li Ge back then.
If you don't nip the problem in the bud, it will lead to endless troubles.
He held the imperial seal and walked step by step up to the dragon throne. He turned around and looked down, and his brothers reluctantly knelt down.
The three shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" did not evoke any sense of excitement in Shen Lan.
Perhaps due to the ever-changing situation, these shrewd ministers had lost faith in the emperor.