Chapter 254: Chapter 253 DecliningHuo Dingyuan responded to his words and said, "Since Your Highness is pleased, then please forgive the crimes of the Xue and Zhang families. The mastermind has been executed; why should the weak women and children bear the guilt?"


    He came with the grand and imposing Huo Family Army to plead for mercy.


    Qi Wuya glanced at the army behind him, pondered for a while, and then smiled and nodded: "Let’s follow General Huo’s advice. Children under five shall be spared the death penalty and taken along with the female family members to the Imperial Music Bureau."


    The Imperial Music Bureau was an official brothel.


    As long as someone intervened, the convicted slaves there could avoid disaster.


    He knew Huo Dingyuan’s legitimate daughter and grandson were at the Zhang Residence.


    He was saying this now also for their sake.


    "Your Highness is wise."


    Huo Dingyuan, having received the answer he wanted, then ordered his deputy to lead the troops to assist with the cleanup of the bodies and treatment of the wounded.


    Qi Wuya consoled the surviving officials, decided to discuss state affairs in court the next day, and then sent the soldiers to escort them back.


    To say ’escorting’ was more like monitoring.


    Once the mask was torn off, there was no need for pretense anymore.


    Qi Wuya began to reorganize the Imperial Army, appointing Han Chen as Commander of the Imperial Army, and placed his own trusted people in some key positions.


    After that, he discussed the patrolling and shift changes of the Imperial Palace guards.


    He was busy until nightfall.


    Only then did he return to Taian Palace and drank a cup of hot tea.


    A palace attendant brought dinner.


    The Han brothers were in attendance at his side.


    Han Chen, carefree and laughing, said, "Congratulations to Ninth Prince, you will achieve your wish tomorrow."


    In his view, the officials were so frightened that tomorrow they would naturally petition Qi Wuya to ascend to the throne.


    Qi Wuya thought so too, but he did not get carried away, his gaze solemn as he said, "The Crown Prince is still here. We need a little more time."


    Indeed.


    The next morning’s court session.


    Great General Huo Dingyuan led the officials to request Qi Wuya to ascend to the throne.


    Qi Wuya declined: "The Crown Prince is still here. We should do our best to treat his illness."


    In fact, countless people had tried to treat the Crown Prince, but he had not improved.


    Disliking medicine, he had also grown increasingly violent, injuring many Imperial Physicians and civilian doctors.


    Now, there were not many who dared go to the Crown Prince Mansion.


    "The Crown Prince’s foolishness is set; it is beyond human power to change. Beiqi is in turmoil within and under threat from without, urgently requiring Your Highness to take charge. Please, Your Highness, give priority to the greater good and ascend to the throne soon."


    These words were spoken by Minister of the Ministry of Justice Yu Shenzi. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He lived up to his name of cautiousness, never involving himself in the princes’ struggles, but recently he had spoken in favor of Qi Wuya at crucial moments, and now he was clearly in his camp.


    Qi Wuya still refused: "Yu Shenzi’s concern for Beiqi is clear to me. But the Crown Prince was established by the late Emperor. Filial piety and brotherly respect are paramount; I dare not be disrespectful in the least."


    The officials: "..."


    Such hypocrisy!


    Listening to him, it seemed as if he wasn’t the one who initiated a massacre the day before.


    To say he cared about his reputation, he privately raised loyal soldiers and slaughtered within the palace.


    To say he didn’t care about his reputation, they asked him to ascend to the throne, yet he acted with all the decorum of reverence and filial piety.


    They really couldn’t understand this future Beiqi Emperor.


    The Eldest Princess said he was extremely hypocritical, with thoughts profound, and indeed it was true.


    "Ninth Prince, you have a heart of filial piety and fraternal duty. The late Emperor would be consoled in his afterlife. However, the late Emperor’s final concern was for Beiqi. Your ascension to stabilize the court is the truest act of filial piety!"


    The one who spoke was Tao Hua, who had just been appointed as Imperial Censor.


    He was subordinate to the former Imperial Censor Ma Ting, always suppressed, and now he had risen with Qi Wuya’s support, naturally speaking on his behalf.


    He also had the ability; once he spoke, he hit the key point.


    There were bursts of agreement:


    "Mr. Tao’s words make sense."


    "Please, Your Highness, consider carefully the true meaning of great filial piety."


    "We ask Your Highness to choose an auspicious time to ascend to the throne and stabilize the court and the people’s hearts."


    ...


    They all knelt down in a rush.


    He was obviously very sincere in his heart.


    But Wuya still did not agree.


    He insisted on treating the Crown Prince and handed over the heavy responsibility of caring for him to Huo Dingyuan.


    After leaving the court session, Huo Dingyuan went straight to the Crown Prince Mansion.


    The Crown Prince had truly lost his mind.


    In such chilly weather, he was wearing only his thin inner garments, frolicking and playing tag with the Palace Attendants.


    After all, he was a grown man, and even in his folly, he still knew how to seek pleasure.


    He was being improper with the Palace Attendants.


    He showed no mercy or tenderness.


    After harassing one, he would go after another.


    The whole Crown Prince Mansion was a den of debauchery, like a brothel.


    Huo Dingyuan watched for a while and suddenly understood Wuya’s intentions: where was his sense of filial piety and fraternal duty? He simply could not tolerate the Crown Prince. Even if he was a fool.


    Thus, if Wuya was to agree to ascend to the throne, the Crown Prince must not be spared.


    The Crown Prince was the Eldest Princess’s most cherished brother, the person she cared for the most.


    There was a vendetta between him and the Eldest Princess for the murder of her child.


    Wuya had arranged for him to take care of the Crown Prince.


    The answer was clear—Wuya wanted him to kill the Crown Prince.


    So, should he kill him or not?


    Huo Dingyuan watched the Crown Prince, who was laughing foolishly in his joy, and should have stepped forward to stop him, should have reminded him to put on more clothes in the cold, should have scolded the servants for their poor care, should have warned him not to be harmed by his indulgence in women...


    As a subject, there were many things he should have done.


    But he did nothing.


    He turned away, looked at the darkening sky, and muttered a sigh, "That plum blossom wine is really something."


    *


    Beiqi Palace


    Taian Palace


    Wuya was still dealing with petitions as usual.


    Now the contents of the petitions were uniformly pleading for him to ascend to the throne.


    Finding them uninteresting, he threw them aside, not wanting to look anymore.


    Han Mo helped to tidy up, picking up the petitions and stacking them on the desk.


    After thinking for a while, he still asked, "Does Your Highness plan to imitate Grand Ancestor Qi and decline the throne three times?"


    Wuya shook his head, "I don’t have that kind of leisure."


    Han Mo didn’t understand, "Then why keep refusing?"


    Wuya regarded him as a confidant and did not hide his thoughts: "I’m waiting for the Crown Prince to die."


    Han Mo frowned, "In his current state, the Crown Prince is better off than dead. If anything happens to him, Your Highness will be suspected again."


    He no longer called him "Ninth Prince."


    After all, a person who was about to ascend to the throne needed to be addressed differently.


    "As a subordinate, I know Your Highness doesn’t care about reputation and other ethereal things, but even Emperor Da He has begun to consider his reputation, probably influenced by that person. That purely good—"


    He mentioned Sang Yan, planning to use her as a pretext to persuade Wuya to care about his reputation.


    Wuya thought of Sang Yan and did indeed hesitate for a moment, but still said, "The Crown Prince must die. And he must die by Huo Dingyuan’s hand."


    Saying this, his eyes glinted as he fixed his gaze on him, adding a reminder, "You might want to think about the reason behind this."


    Han Mo was extremely intelligent.


    With the reminder, he quickly understood the implications: Huo Dingyuan commanded fifty thousand troops of the Huo Family Army, and with his eldest legitimate son Huo Ran holding military power on the border, the Huo Family’s influence was vast, naturally arousing the King’s wariness.


    But if Huo Dingyuan killed the Crown Prince, he would have a vulnerability.


    Of course, this weakness would not be enough to restrain the formidable Huo Family.


    Yet it signified that he had offered his loyalty to the heavenly family.


    Wuya needed to know Huo Dingyuan’s loyalty and controllability.


    In this way, he could eliminate the Crown Prince, avenge and settle his grudges, and also subdue this fierce tiger, killing two birds with one stone.


    Han Mo, having thought everything through, couldn’t help asking, "Will General Huo really kill the Crown Prince?"


    Wuya didn’t speak, just quietly watched him with a smile.