hotmtlnovel Chapter 1940 Outliving the Emperor
Chapter 1940 Outliving the Emperor
After Zhou Shiyue finished speaking those two sentences, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became unsettled.
The officials all seemed like bobbleheaded puppets, looking left and right, each wanting to see if the others would move first.
Zhou Shiyue stood there, looking relaxed, watching everyone.
His confident expression put some psychological pressure on those cowards.
They glanced at Zhou Shiyue, thinking to themselves that the Prince of Jin's obvious confidence and composure meant he must have planned everything in advance.
Has he already convinced most people in secret?
If they stand up, wouldn't they become the scapegoats? If their opposition is ultimately ineffective, they might even incur the wrath of the Prince of Jin and the Crown Prince.
Even Prime Minister Shen isn't here anymore, so what can they do?
Just then, Grand Secretary Shu and three ministers stepped forward.
As soon as they stepped forward, three more ministers hesitated and took a step forward.
When Lord Chen saw one of the officials from the Ministry of Justice, he gave Lin Rong a wink.
Lin Rong ignored him.
"Lord Lin, how can you be like this? This Lord Fu is your subordinate, and you're not going to do anything about it?"
Lin Rong still ignored him.
This is a crucial moment for everyone to make a choice. What does he want to say? Everyone has their own ambitions; he just needs to wait and see how the prince will arrange things.
But Lord Chen could not tolerate it.
He knew about the situation in this family.
So, Lord Chen whispered a shushing sound to Lord Fu, who turned to look.
Lord Chen pointed to his stomach and mouthed, "Lord Fu, don't you want Princess Jin's help with the nasty thing in your father's belly?"
This Lord Fu is also a very filial son.
Recently, his father's belly suddenly got bigger, just like he was several months pregnant.
I've already seen a doctor, but they were also at a loss.
But if you're talking about illness, his father is ruddy-faced and full of energy. He can eat and sleep well, has a good appetite, eats five meals a day, and speaks in a loud voice.
Just because an old man's belly suddenly swelled up like this, and he occasionally showed signs of morning sickness like a woman, he didn't dare to go out, for fear of being ridiculed and being pointed at and said to be strange.
So recently, Mr. Fu has been locking himself in his room, sighing and complaining.
As a filial son, Lord Fu was naturally restless.
This matter arose because one of their servants got into a dispute with someone from another household, and the other household's servant reported it to the authorities, bringing the matter to his attention.
During the first interrogation by Lord Chen, the servants of the other party blurted out, "Isn't your master pregnant like a woman, staying at home every day to rest and prepare for childbirth?"
Upon hearing this, Lord Chen's eyes widened like copper bells, and he quickly began to investigate.
By the time Lord Fu arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture, it was too late; Lord Chen already knew.
Lord Fu was at a loss and could only take the opportunity to ask Lord Chen if there was any solution.
He had heard before that Lord Chen seemed to have some kind of evil spirit growing on his body, and after it was cured, he asked if it was Princess Jin who cured him.
Lord Chen thought that the First Mystic Sect definitely needed to make a name for itself, so he agreed.
Lord Fu also told him that he would ask to see Princess Jin when he had time.
Now, is Lord Fu going to stand against Princess Jin's husband? And does he even want to save his father?
Lord Chen's words truly hit Lord Fu's weak spot.
Lord Fu had already stepped forward, but after seeing Lord Chen's lip movements, his expression changed, his hands clenched tightly, his face shifted repeatedly, and then he stepped back.
They've joined the ranks again.
He dared not move.
The other two people who had stepped forward earlier stared at him wide-eyed, incredulous.
No, what's going on, Lord Fu?
They clearly agreed that they would receive a large sum of money after the matter was completed; they all bowed down to the money.
But now Lord Fu has actually backed down.
Another official from the Ministry of Works, who had initially seemed somewhat reluctant, felt a pang of unease upon seeing the way the official looked—his expression was unpleasant, and he kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.
He glanced at Lord Chen again.
Lord Chen had achieved his goal and was feeling quite pleased with himself. He was being carried off the platform and looked up at the palace ceiling, his eyes darting left and right. He looked so smug that he was practically whistling.
The official from the Ministry of Works became even more flustered. Could it be that Lord Chen knew something inside?
What if they lose their heads before they even see any money?
At that moment, Lord Chen glanced at him sideways, then grinned before turning his head away.
This is clearly...
The official from the Ministry of Works was pounding with fear and quickly retreated back into the queue.
His heart was pounding; he couldn't calm down at all.
No, although he loves money and is very greedy, what can he do with so much silver if he doesn't even have a head?
Will it still get copied in the end?
Lord Chen and Lin Rong must have their eyes on him, right? Although Lin Rong doesn't look like Lord Chen, his gaze is quite cold and ruthless when he looks over.
Does this mean they're about to arrest him?
How terrifying.
Lord Chen glanced at him and almost burst out laughing.
isn't it?
Are you that timid?
He had only intended to try and intimidate Lord Fu, and he was already pleasantly surprised that Lord Fu had backed down. He hadn't expected to get a free scare instead.
The Crown Prince and Zhou Shiyue also witnessed this scene.
The uncle and nephew also found it somewhat amusing.
Although they didn't know what Lord Chen had done, Chen Deshan had done a meritorious service.
"What are your opinions? Do you oppose the Crown Prince's succession?" Zhou Shiyue's gaze swept over the ministers who had stepped forward, his tone noticeably colder. "That's fine, but each of you must give three reasons."
He continued, "Since the other officials all support the Crown Prince, after these officials state their reasons, please help refute them."
Is the Prince of Jin going to have all the officials come and argue with these few people?
Shu Ge Lao's face darkened.
This is going too far.
There were only six or seven of them, how could they possibly face so many people?
Moreover, does one person really have to give three reasons?
"Your Highness, we don't have any issues with His Highness the Crown Prince, but the Emperor is merely ill. If we force him to abdicate because of this..."
Grand Secretary Shu first stated the biggest reason: if this crime were pinned on the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince would be unable to explain himself to the whole world.
Before he could finish speaking, Grand Secretary Meng spoke up.
"Didn't you hear what the imperial physicians said? They all said that His Majesty's illness requires at least several years of rest and he must not overexert himself."
Zhou Shiyue also said, "What Grand Secretary Shu means is that the Emperor should continue to work hard, and it would be best if he worked himself to death. Only when the Emperor dies can the Crown Prince rightfully succeed to the throne."
Shu Ge Lao's expression changed drastically.
The Prince of Jin is talking nonsense!
He didn't mean that at all!
Zhou Shiyue raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that what Elder Shu means?"