Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 265: Stand alone

The court officials hurried into the hall, but did not see Emperor Sheng as expected.

Standing in the hall before him was the young Royal Highness the Grandson of the Emperor, with Eunuch Fushun standing beside him.

On the left, Shen Zhengsheng and Lu Yongzhu, who were escorted into the palace by the Imperial Guards during the day, were clearly present.

Then came Censor Zhang Xian and Minister of the Honglu Temple Jia Shaobo.

Prince Rong took in the entire scene in the palace. His gaze paused on the empty dragon throne behind the imperial desk, then fell on Zhao Yuanye and spoke first:

"Yer, where is your royal grandfather? What on earth is going on?"

Zhao Yuanye stepped forward and said sternly, "Uncle Rong, my lords, something unexpected happened today. I summoned you all to see me late at night because I have something important to discuss."

When he spoke, everyone present was shocked.

After all, His Royal Highness the Grandson is still young and has never spoken in front of them before.

Even if His Majesty is inconvenienced today, it should be Prince Rui who stands before them.

But now they realized that the young prince had such courage and eloquence.

As a result, the court officials who had been impatient just now secretly restrained their expressions.

After all, Prince Rui has not appeared for a long time, which may be a problem. You must know that after Prince Rui, Prince Xiang has been imprisoned, and now... only His Royal Highness the Emperor's grandson is left.

Seeing that no one interrupted him, Zhao Yuanye breathed a sigh of relief.

The teacher once told him that in any situation, if one is timid first, others will look down on him, so today, he will not show any fear!

"The first thing—"

"Some time ago, the Imperial Tutor, under divine command, set up a trap to expose Cui Daoyuan's conspiracy and corruption. Now, Cui Daoyuan has confessed all his crimes."

"Censor Zhang."

Zhao Yuanye said this and turned to look at Zhang Xian.

Zhang Xian immediately stepped forward and handed Cui Daoyuan's confession to Prince Rong, who was standing at the front, and said respectfully:

"I, your humble servant, am under the Imperial Order to investigate a case of forming a clique for personal gain. Cui Daoyuan has confessed to the crime before the Ministry of Personnel and signed a written confession. I invite Prince Rong and the others to review it."

Just as Prince Rong and other important ministers were filled with shock and were passing the confession document around, Eunuch Fushun suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Zhao Yuanye standing beside him.

He served the emperor personally, and he knew the truth about the imperial tutor's clique and selfishness.

This isn't a trap set by the Emperor and the Imperial Preceptor; it's clearly the Emperor being set up by the Imperial Preceptor!

After His Royal Highness the Grandson said this, the Emperor was now speechless. In this way, the Imperial Preceptor was not only innocent, but also merited.

Your Highness, this is going against His Majesty's wishes. This...

Eunuch Fushun felt something was wrong, but before he could think about it, he heard Zhao Yuanye's voice again:

"The Imperial Tutor is willing to tarnish his own reputation to help Grandpa Huang. Eunuch Fushun knows the whole story best."

Fu Shun lowered his eyes when he heard this, and saw that His Royal Highness the Grandson was staring at him, and his heart began to beat fast.

No, he... he couldn't disobey His Majesty...

"Today's events are all thanks to Eunuch Fushun's attentiveness in informing the Imperial Preceptor promptly. Otherwise, the Imperial Preceptor might not have known about it, and I could have already retired after completing my mission."

Zhao Yuanye spoke with a smile, his eyes curved, but Fushun's heart skipped a beat and his face turned pale.

He thought that the Emperor's teacher's life or death was uncertain, and no one knew that he had leaked the information.

But he had good intentions. He just wanted to relieve the emperor's worries, so he passed the message to the imperial teacher.

Who would have thought... who would have thought that this unnecessary action of his would become the last straw that broke the camel's back!

Others will not care whether he is sincere or not. As long as the actions of the Imperial Teacher are exposed, he will undoubtedly be an accomplice in the murder of the Emperor!

His Highness' words reminded him to be careful with his words and actions, and to think carefully before speaking...

Fushun was suddenly filled with grief. He looked up and saw everyone looking at him. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said in a hoarse voice:

"......Yes."

"That day, when His Majesty was discussing with the Imperial Preceptor, I was serving tea beside them..."

As Eunuch Fushun spoke, he lowered his head.

At this moment, he had vaguely understood what was going on.

His Royal Highness the Grandson must protect the Imperial Preceptor, and everything the Imperial Preceptor does is for His Royal Highness the Grandson.

Among them, the one who connects His Highness and the Imperial Teacher is Lord Jiang.

Today, His Highness has become the final winner. If there is anything that is not satisfactory, it is that Lord Jiang’s life or death is still uncertain.

As someone who serves the emperor, he knows best how much the emperor fears Lord Jiang.

But now the emperor lies stiffly on the bed, unable to speak, so Lord Jiang has escaped a disaster.

When his thoughts reached this point, Eunuch Fushun suddenly froze, and a vague guess came to his mind so incredibly.

and many more......

In the heart of His Royal Highness the Grandson, who is more important, Lord Jiang or the Emperor?

Will His Royal Highness, the Grandson, in order to protect Lord Jiang,...

No, no, impossible!

Fushun shook his head repeatedly in his heart, but couldn't help but think of the deceased Crown Prince.

The emperor thought he had hidden his thoughts well back then, but he might not be able to hide it from the Crown Prince's bedmate - the Crown Princess.

And just now...just now he did leave His Majesty, His Highness and the Crown Princess alone in a room!

Fushun's legs suddenly felt weak. He had just clearly heard the imperial doctors whispering:

Your Majesty was in good health in the past, so how come his condition became so serious after being stimulated twice?

Could it be that just as he left——

Oh, right, he was about to come back, but His Highness pulled him away again...

Thinking of this, Fushun felt his scalp tingling and his back chilled. He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Zhao Yuanye calling him:

"Eunuch Fushun, bring here the letter Uncle Rui presented today."

Fushun shuddered suddenly and saw Zhao Yuanye looking up at him intently.

Those clean and clear eyes clearly had no other meaning, but they made Fushun feel even more frightened.

He hurriedly turned around, took the letters that were sorted out on the table, and handed them respectfully to Prince Rong. When he stepped back, he lowered his head even lower.

He has no evidence.

Just now, the Crown Princess made a temporary decision to let His Royal Highness the Grandson take charge of the matter, while she herself retreated to a side hall to wait.

Even if there was any "physical evidence", it would have been completely destroyed by now.

His words are not enough to prove his point. Once His Highness and the Crown Princess die because of "slandering", he will not be able to feel at ease no matter who serves His Majesty!

Besides, now it's not just his worthless life that's at stake, even the safety of His Majesty is at stake...

Fushun's mind raced for a moment, but he couldn't find any way out of the situation. His face turned pale and he closed his eyes in despair.

Zhao Yuanye noticed Fushun's expression, then slowly withdrew his gaze and spoke to the people who were passing the letter around:

"The Shen and Lu families were surrounded today because Uncle Rui used these letters to inform Grandfather the Emperor that Generals Shen and Lu were collaborating with the enemy and committing treason."

"The truth behind the letter is related to an old incident..."

"General Shen, please speak."

Zhao Yuanye turned and looked at Shen Zhengsheng.

Shen Zhengsheng immediately recounted the battle in which he broke his arm and the grudges he had with Gu Changshen. Jia Shaobo also stepped forward to verify the authenticity of the letter.

Prince Rong and the others were startled when they heard this, but not because of what happened in the past, but because they could already imagine how thrilling and dangerous the argument between Shen Zhengsheng and Prince Rui in front of the emperor today would be.

At this time, someone couldn't help but ask:

"Your Highness, in this case, may I ask where the Emperor is now? And what happened to Prince Rui?"

Zhao Yuanye's face was filled with sorrow when he heard this. Only then did he look a bit like a child. He said in a trembling voice:

"The case of the Minister of Personnel forming a clique for personal gain has wide-ranging implications. Prince Rui's uncle, in a moment of whim, wanted to save Cui Daoyuan, so he took an unconventional approach and attempted to frame a loyal and honest person to confuse the public."

"After this incident was exposed, the Emperor was furious and had an argument with Uncle Rui in front of the Emperor."

"Uncle Rui repeatedly contradicted him, and Grandfather, in a rage, kicked him, causing... damage to his heart meridian."

"And Grandpa Huang himself...was overcome with rage and fainted, suffering from a stroke and paralysis."

"What!!!!"

Suddenly there was a cry of surprise in the hall.