klisemfg Chapter 233: Killing the Queen and the Second Prince
Chapter 233: Killing the Queen and the Second Prince
The queen suddenly panicked, her face turned pale, and she struggled hard to break free from the control of the Prince of Dongping.
However, the Prince of Dongping's hand was like an iron clamp, tightly gripping her jaw and making her unable to move.
Her eyes were filled with fear and despair, and her voice was trembling and sharp: "Let me go! Are you planning a rebellion?"
Upon seeing this, the Second Prince immediately shouted, "Prince of Dongping, I command you to let go immediately! Otherwise, I will make sure you die without a burial place!"
The Prince of Dongping sneered, his gaze sweeping across the Second Prince like a knife, his tone filled with sarcasm: "You haven't even ascended the throne yet, and yet you dare to call yourself 'I'? This is truly treasonous and you don't know how high the heavens are and how immensity the earth holds!"
As he spoke, he turned to look at the Crown Prince, a hint of deep meaning flashing in his eyes that only the two of them understood, and asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, do you think this medicine... should I feed it or not?"
The prince stepped forward without hesitation, took the medicine bowl from the Prince of Dongping, and poured it directly into the Queen's mouth.
The queen struggled desperately but could not break free. She could only watch as the bowl of poison flowed into her throat without a drop left.
"No! Imperial Physician! Come and save me!" The Queen screamed miserably, her voice filled with despair and fear.
However, before she could finish her cry, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and died.
The imperial physician trembled as he stepped forward to feel her pulse. After a moment, he said in a trembling voice, "Mother...Mother, she has passed away."
The Second Prince rushed forward and checked the Queen's breath. Finding she was truly dead, he was instantly enraged, his eyes red as he roared, "How dare you attempt to murder my mother! You deserve to die! Come, drag them away and execute them on the spot!"
The second prince's followers all echoed his opinion, and some even rushed forward desperately, wanting to capture the prince and gain merit.
However, the prince's party quickly stood in front, and the two sides were on the verge of a tense situation.
As for the other ministers, they stood there, stunned at the scene. At this point, the matter was no longer just a matter of murdering the emperor, but a life-and-death struggle between the crown prince and the second prince.
The Crown Prince looked at the Second Prince coldly, his voice as cold as ice: "Yuan Cheng, it is a foregone conclusion that the Queen poisoned Father. Were you... also involved in the murder of Father?"
The Second Prince was enraged, his face livid, and he retorted harshly, "That's complete nonsense! Who knows if this is a trap you've devised to deliberately frame Mother and me!"
The prince stopped arguing and walked over to the doctor. He kicked him in the knee and shouted, "At this point, why don't you explain everything clearly? Do you really want to wait for your family to be confiscated and your entire clan to be exterminated?"
The imperial physician fell to his knees, trembling and covered in cold sweat. He kowtowed repeatedly, his voice filled with fear. "Your Highness, please spare me! Your Highness, please spare me! This was all ordered by the Second Prince and the Empress! They forced me to bring arsenic from outside the palace and threatened my family's lives, saying that if I didn't comply, they would throw my entire family into the mountains to feed the wolves! I... I was truly forced into this! I never imagined they would dare to use arsenic to kill His Majesty!"
As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.
The ministers glared at the second prince, their eyes filled with shock and anger.
"Slander! This is slander!" The second prince's face turned pale and he protested at the top of his lungs, but his defense seemed feeble and powerless.
At this moment, the second prince no longer cared about the queen's death and just wanted to get away as soon as possible.
He hurriedly ordered the imperial guards to capture the imperial physician and attempt to kill him to silence him.
However, in the eyes of outsiders, this action undoubtedly confirmed his guilty conscience.
The ministers stood in front of the imperial physician and angrily scolded the Second Prince: "Second Prince, are you going to kill people to silence them? Are you going to silence us too?"
The second prince had already lost his mind and would not listen to any advice.
He yelled frantically, "Kill! Kill them for me! I am the emperor, who dares not obey my orders!"
Everyone retreated, fearing that the second prince would become so bloodthirsty that he would drag them down with him.
In this chaos, two crisp clapping sounds were suddenly heard.
The Crown Prince spoke coldly, his voice resounding through the hall like thunder: "Come! Execute this traitor who plotted to murder the late Emperor right here!"
In an instant, the soldiers hiding in the dark rushed out in droves. The guards were no match at all. They couldn't suppress the other side even with two against one. It wasn't long before those people pinned the second prince to the ground in just a few moves.
Before the Second Prince could even struggle, a large sword was raised high and chopped down mercilessly. Blood splattered everywhere, and the Second Prince's head fell to the ground, his eyes wide open in disbelief.
He couldn't understand until his death why he ended up like this when he had clearly obtained the imperial edict and was only one step away from the throne?
The hall was dead silent, the air seemed frozen, only the sound of dripping blood could be clearly heard, and the heavy atmosphere made it hard to breathe.
The ministers were shocked by the bloody scene and lowered their heads in shock and horror.
The prince stood in the center of the hall, his eyes as sharp as torches, coldly scanning everyone present.
His voice was deep and commanding, carrying an undeniable force: "The traitor has been executed. Everyone... do you have any objections?"
The ministers looked at each other, and no one dared to respond.
The second prince's head rolled to the ground, and his blood dyed the gold bricks red. The scene was so shocking that many people had not yet recovered from the shock.
The prince's party straightened their backs and stood behind the prince with firm eyes, as if silently declaring: the outcome has been decided.
However, in this dead silence, an old minister suddenly stood up tremblingly.
He was a senior official in the court, highly respected, but at this moment, his face was filled with grief and indignation, his voice trembling, "Your Highness, although the Second Prince has made mistakes, he is still of royal blood. Your treatment of him is too cruel! Moreover, the Empress just... just..."
Before he could finish his words, the Crown Prince interrupted him coldly, "Cruel? When Father was poisoned by these mother and son, did anyone think it was cruel? The Empress colluded with the Second Prince to murder the late Emperor. Their crime is unforgivable! I am merely enforcing justice and clearing up the court!"
The old minister was choked by the prince's words. He opened his mouth but had no answer.
Seeing this, the other ministers lowered their heads and dared not say anything more.
The Crown Prince looked around, his tone softening slightly, yet still carrying an unquestionable majesty. "Everyone, my father has passed away, and the country cannot remain without a ruler for a single day. As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to inherit the throne and stabilize the government. Regarding today's matter, I hope you will prioritize the greater good and not bring it up again."
Upon hearing this, the ministers bowed and said in unison, "We will obey the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
The prince nodded, then turned to look at the kneeling imperial physician, his tone cold, "Although you were coerced, you participated in the murder of the late emperor, a crime that is unforgivable. Considering your voluntary confession, I will spare your death sentence, but you will not be able to escape punishment for your crimes. Come, take him to prison and imprison him for life!"
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician kowtowed repeatedly as if he had been pardoned: "Thank you, Your Highness, for not killing me! Thank you, Your Highness, for not killing me!"
The guards stepped forward and dragged the doctor away, and silence returned to the hall.