Chapter 397: He Touched His Son
The Duke Xingguo’s troops arrived.
The mysterious camp on the outskirts of the capital, a total of 8,000 people, was really in his hands. These men were well-equipped with the best weapons and armor. In addition, they were well-trained and could easily fight tens of thousands of people.
It’s just that, this time, there was no warning. After receiving Duke Xingguo’s message sent by carrier pigeon, they immediately set off. It would still take some time to arrive at the capital. The Duke Xingguo’s people in the capital played a significant role in protecting the Imperial Palace.
Once this large number of troops arrived, they quickly quelled the chaos.
Prince Wu and Prince An failed to capture the Imperial Palace in a short period of time, so they basically lost the game. Prince Wu ran away. By evening, Prince An was found.
After the situation was stabilized, Li Qi Kuang immediately ran into the palace and showed great love in front of the Emperor.
The Emperor was both angry and tired, but seeing that he was fine, he was relieved. He turned to Duke Xingguo and asked, “Where’s the Crown Prince?”
He was finding fault. Such a big incident happened, and the Crown Prince didn’t even come to show concern for me?
Duke Xingguo told the truth, “Your Majesty, at the same time the thieves attacked the Imperial Palace, Prince Yongqing led people to attack the Crown Prince’s villa. There were many casualties, and it is said that the Crown Prince almost…”
“Humph!” The Emperor didn’t find fault and was unhappy.
At this time, someone brought Prince An up. He knew it was over when the matter failed.
It is said that Prince An’s status has changed the most.
He used to be very arrogant, and both the Emperor and the Empress loved him! Things went well for him, but unexpectedly, this year, Prince Wu came back to compete with him. The Crown Prince and the Crown Prince’s son also became tougher.
He barely managed to hold on and didn’t fall behind too much, but unexpectedly, Li Qi Kuang came to reap the benefits.
To be honest, if it were the Crown Prince who ascended the throne, or Prince Wu who ascended the throne, although he was reluctant, he could still understand. The Crown Prince, needless to say, had been the Crown Prince for many years. And Prince Wu had been outside for so many years, his foundation was deep, and he hadn’t been messing around for nothing.
But what kind of thing was this Li Qi Kuang?!
He was not convinced!
The Emperor kicked him twice. “You dared to rebel?!”
Prince An knelt on the ground with his neck stiff. “Father, I didn’t rebel. I was eliminating evil influences around you!”
The Emperor kicked him again. “You’re still playing this trick on me?!”
Prince An’s face was full of tears. He cried as he said, “Father, I know that you love Prince Xiang the most. When he disappeared, you were heartbroken. But, I also have to tell you, Prince Xiang is not a good person. He is the most despicable and filthy person in the world. I… I don’t even want to say it!”
The current Prince Xiang couldn’t listen to this and shouted, “Ninth Uncle, don’t slander my father!”
The Emperor slapped Prince An again. “If you talk nonsense again, I’ll drag you out and chop off your dog head right now!”
After beating him, he felt that he was old after all and his heart softened. When he killed the former Crown Prince, he didn’t even blink. That was his legitimate eldest son from his original wife.
Now, he was so angry with this beast that he almost vomited blood and wished he could drag him out and chop him up, but he couldn’t say it after all.
Prince An was not convinced and wiped his tears. “You won’t let me speak, but I will! Prince Xiang’s actions are ugly. He is not worthy of being a prince. He has a fondness for men and never goes near women! He!” Prince An pointed at Li Qi Kuang. “Maybe he’s not even Prince Xiang’s son at all! Otherwise, why did Princess Xiang move out? There are so many people in the backyard of Prince Xiang’s Residence. Why is there only one son?”
The Emperor shouted in anger.
In fact, he didn’t hate Prince An. Except for not being able to give him the throne, he could still tolerate him for a lifetime of wealth and glory.
Later, he found out that Prince Wu was a tough nut to crack, so he deliberately supported him to restrain him and find a balance. Unexpectedly, he had whetted his appetite, and he dared to say anything!
“It’s true, Father! Don’t you know that he also molested children?”
Duke Xingguo was standing by the side. He didn’t really care about Prince Xiang’s actions. You know, his son and his precious grandson Jinzi, let’s not even mention the bad things they did. What qualifications did they have to laugh at others?
However, hearing this was not good! He would be silenced…
He regretted not standing outside the hall.
“Shut up! Shut up!” The Emperor punched and kicked his stupid son in front of him. The eunuch persuaded him from the side, “Oh, Your Majesty, don’t be angry! You can’t be angry!”
It was said that Prince Xiang should have come to persuade him, but… He remembered the imperial physician saying that the Emperor couldn’t get angry, or he would get sick. That… wouldn’t be bad, right?
“Ninth Uncle, why are you doing this? Do you think that by saying this, Imperial Grandfather will be able to divert his attention and forget how you attacked the Imperial Palace? If you have hatred for your nephew, you can go directly to attack Prince Xiang’s Residence. Why did you attack the Imperial Palace? If Duke Xingguo hadn’t rescued us in time, what would you have done?”
Prince An spat at him, “Don’t try to instigate me, I just want to kill you! You and your father are both rats in the gutter!”
Prince Xiang was also furious at being spoken to so harshly.
The Emperor came to beat Prince An again, but Prince An grabbed the Emperor’s sleeve. “Father, your son is wronged! For so many years, I haven’t told anyone. I hate it! When I was nine years old, there were several times when Prince Xiang, he… he touched your son…” After saying that, he burst into tears.
“You!” The Emperor felt that all his blood had rushed to his head, and he was so angry that he was buzzing.
“He forced your son into a corner… and wanted to take off your son’s pants…”
Li Qi Kuang’s always calm and gentle face changed color.
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Duke Xingguo was even more shocked. Why didn’t I leave just now?! I’m going to die, I’m going to die…
The Emperor pointed at him. “You! You…” He rolled his eyes, and the personal eunuch rushed over to support him. “Call the imperial physician!”
“Quickly invite the Empress!” Prince An shouted. Empress, come and save me!
The Emperor was carried to the bed in a panic. The Empress and the imperial physician both came. The imperial physician was really frightened this time. “Your Majesty, I told His Majesty last time that he couldn’t get anxious or tired… This time it’s troublesome…” As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop. He was giving acupuncture, drawing blood, and feeding him emergency medicine.
Prince Xiang was closely surrounding the Emperor. The expression on his face changed…
The Empress was angry. “Li Qi Kuang, you know what His Majesty’s health is like, right?! You’re so capable, right? Why couldn’t you control the situation and make His Majesty so angry?”
Li Qi Kuang had no choice but to apologize in a soft voice, but he always blamed Prince An for his crimes.
Prince An was the Empress’s darling, so she immediately quarreled with Prince Xiang and drove him out. “Wait outside!”
In the room, only the Emperor’s personal eunuch, the Empress, and her personal maids remained.
Several imperial physicians came in and out from time to time, dispensing medicine and discussing.
The rescue continued until dawn, when it was time to get up. The Emperor instinctively opened his eyes, one eye was bigger than the other, his mouth was crooked, and saliva was flowing, but he didn’t realize it.
“Your Majesty?!” The Empress was startled when she saw him.
The Emperor’s eyes were dull, and his speech was unclear. “Pass on my oral decree, order Prince Xiang to be the regent…”
The Empress nodded in agreement. “Yes! Your Majesty, don’t worry! I’ll pass it on right away. You’re just angry, your body is still fine! Lie down for a while longer, you can say it yourself in the morning court!” She seemed to be comforting him.
The Emperor’s mouth moved, and he fainted again.
The Empress sat quietly, watching, and didn’t move for a long time.
The eunuch beside the Emperor quietly tried to walk outside, but the Empress coughed. “Why are you going instead of staying by the Emperor’s side?”
The eunuch broke out in a cold sweat. “This servant… wants to change clothes.”
“As the saying goes, a lazy donkey needs to be pushed…” She winked at the maid. The maid went out. Outside, the people around the Empress were already surrounding the area.
When it was completely daylight, the Empress glanced at the eunuch. “You are an old man by the Emperor’s side, and you are already a grandfather. You have lived peacefully until now, just waiting to enjoy your old age. At this time, you must cherish what you have.”
The eunuch looked at the Empress. He was always a little afraid of this empress, unable to figure out her temperament. So he quickly said, “His Majesty is ill, this servant will obey the Empress’s orders.”
“Hmm.” The Empress got up and came out. “Where is Duke Xingguo?!”
“This minister is here!” Duke Xingguo had been sighing about his future for a long time.
“His Majesty’s oral decree: Order the Crown Prince to be the regent!”
Li Qi Kuang was shocked. “Your Majesty, the Empress!”
The Empress looked at him quietly. “What?”
“Grandson… wants to go in and see Imperial Grandfather.”
“His Majesty is recuperating. If you go in and disturb him and something happens, can you bear the responsibility?”
Li Qi Kuang stared at the Empress gloomily. “Imperial Grandfather deeply trusts his grandson. Your Majesty, there is no room for maneuver in what Prince An has done. With your status, it’s not worth getting involved in this muddy water, right?”
“This Palace doesn’t understand. What do you mean by getting involved in muddy water? Prince An’s actions will be dealt with by the law. What does it have to do with this Palace? Although this Palace loves him, this Palace has never favored him! What’s wrong with the Crown Prince being the regent while His Majesty is recuperating?”
The Empress raised her eyebrows.
Li Qi Kuang knew something was wrong, but he didn’t know what was wrong. Could it be that he had kept the Crown Prince’s position but hadn’t handled it well?
