Chapter 0683: Gong Yuan"s Wild Ambitions
The Regent spoke plainly, but beneath those words was an intent to point the finger at the true culprit. This shock left the First Princess so taken aback that the graceful demeanor she always possessed shattered to pieces. She was left pale and collapsed on the spot.
The Regent"s words were simply too much for her to take.
It had completely struck at the deepest parts of her heart.
She knew that the Regent"s intentions were malicious, but from a logical point of view, his words did not seem to be complete nonsense either. The strange transformation that had happened to Gong Jingyao was right before her eyes.
No one could have the ability to change a person"s gender with such a small amount of time.
As Gong Jingyao"s sister, she would often take care of him and would occasionally discover a few special characteristics. For example, he was slim in stature and his skin was very white. His personality seemed very gentle and his facial features had become more feminine over time.
If one were to think about it carefully, these changes started taking place at right about the time that she requested for Li Luo to purify the black lotus.
It was exactly in line with the Regent"s words, and her heart sank.
Could it be that Gong Jingyao"s gender had truly been hidden by her father from birth? All for the sake of tricking the Kingdom Protecting Formation? If that was the case, why had he never told her this important fact?! She had spent years attempting to purge the strange poison, searching far and wide for doctors to help. Had she ironically ruined Jingyao and completely wrecked her father"s grand plan?
A deep look of depression surfaced within her usually bright and confident phoenix eyes
There was nothing more frustrating than putting all of one"s efforts into accomplishing something and then realizing it had been a mistake from the beginning.
The First Princess was completely at a loss as to what to do.
Whilst the First Princess wallowed in self-doubt, everyone else discovered Gong Jingyao"s change, and it left them sh.e.l.l-shocked and in disbelief.
“Oh!”
An uproar erupted like a wave throughout the audience.
"This..." Even Li Luo was left dumbfounded. His heart surged and his complexion changed drastically. While the others were surprised by this change, he had a sudden epiphany.
No wonder he felt like the Little Emperor was becoming more and more feminine as he cleansed the black lotus poison.
So he was not a boy but a little girl instead?
The Little Emperor had now completely changed into a fully developed young lady. Although she was supposed to be ten years old, the Yin Yang Green Lotus must have catalyzed the development of her body, making her no different from an adult now.
Perhaps it was because of this that everyone could clearly discern the difference post transformation.
"Is this a machination of the Regent?" Jiang Qing"e asked with a frown.
"I think it"s unlikely to be the case?" Li Luo laughed bitterly. If the Regent had the unexpected ability to turn an Emperor"s son into a daughter before everyone"s eyes, would there be a need to even struggle for power?
"Such an art might exist in the world, but it"s not something a Duke can do. In fact, the average King expert would also be unable to do so," Mentor Chi Chan explained.
"Could this be an illusion? Confusing one"s senses?" Li Luo asked in disbelief. This was something he could not accept as the little boy he had been treating the entire year had suddenly warped into a girl out of the blue!
"There are countless Dukes here—how can all of us simultaneously be deceived by an illusion? Li Luo, you need to learn to accept reality," Chi Chan retorted.
Li Luo gave another empty laugh before inhaling a deep breath. "Well, it looks like the situation is going to be troublesome."
With the Little Emperor turning into a lady, their plan to take control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation had gone up in smoke. An Emperor who could not control the formation would not have the right to rule.
Today"s coronation ceremony had inevitably not gone smoothly nor simply.
With such a great opportunity before him, would the Regent simply stand by? This opportunity had been literally served to him on a platter.
Li Luo felt his heart turn heavy. House Luolan had already taken the First Princess" side, and despite their relationship with Gong Yuan not being at the level of a blood feud, they were still a thorn in his eye. If the Regent were to gain power, House Luolan"s future would be terrible unless his parents could return quickly.
As Li Luo continued to ponder the situation, a few extremely wizened senior officials on one of the platforms gradually got on their feet. They had expressions of confusion and fury as they glared at the First Princess. "Your Highness the First Princess, what is going on? You have to provide us with a full accounting!" These were senior officials who had supported Gong Jingyao as the Emperor. They had believed in the latter"s rightful ident.i.ty. However, this sudden gender change had completely taken them by surprise, and they were extremely riled up by this.
They possessed significant seniority and were quite an important group amongst those that supported the royal family. Now that they had raised their doubts, the rest of those who were loyal to the royal family began to glance at each with internal turmoil as worries surfaced in their hearts. The Regent had yet to make a move, but they were already falling apart!
How was the First Princess supposed to respond? That she simply was in the dark as well? How would that be of any use? They would only lose confidence in her, seeing that she had made such a severe blunder, not even being privy to this critical secret. Would there be any point in following such a leader in the future?
"It looks like the inheriting of the Kingdom Protecting Formation has failed," the Regent announced as he stood up.
"Royal Uncle, do you want to ruin the coronation ceremony?" the First Princess cried out coldly.
The Regent calmly explained, "As per the rules of the Gong family, if one is unable to inherit the control of the Kingdom Protecting Formation, then they will not be considered the true Emperor of the Xia Kingdom! I don"t wish to ruin this coronation ceremony, but if Jingyao were able to control the formation, then I would’ve simply relinquished all my power and retired, never to speak a word about the affairs of the royal court again. I just want to say that the Kingdom Protecting Formation is the most absolute means of protecting the Xia Kingdom. If this power is lost because the Emperor is unfit to wield it, then I believe it would not only just be me—the rest of the Xia Kingdom would also disagree with her ascension! The people would also be unwilling to live under such uncertain conditions!"
His voice was projected directly into the stands, causing unrest to foment within the crowd. The expressions of the leaders all changed as the Regent"s words had directly demonstrated his ambition for the world to see.
"Gong Yuan! Do you wish to commit treason?!" The First Princess" face turned a steely green and her chest heaved. One could see her anger and the complete lack of respect she had for the Regent.
"I am doing this for the Xia Kingdom!" the Regent righteously boomed.
After which, he turned to face the royalist faction and said in a deep voice, "Jingyao has failed to control the Kingdom Protecting Formation. If you wish to continue remaining stubborn and pedantic, then how can the Xia Kingdom resist when faced with a disaster in the future? How can we have the strength to protect the kingdom? The fact that the coronation ceremony has failed is a farce! However, there is still a chance to turn our fortunes around. As per the rules of the Gong family, any natural male born of the bloodline has the right to be accepted by the Kingdom Protecting Formation! Since Gong Jingyao is unable to do so, I will bear the burden instead!"
That last sentence resounded like thunder. Then he took a step forward, exuding boundless pressure that covered the skies. His tiger-like eyes were full of vigor as his years of cultivation produced an indomitable sight that demonstrated all of the tyranny and majesty of an Emperor. All of the leaders from the countless factions in the square had solemn expressions.
An unexpected event had occurred at the coronation ceremony.
It would be hard to prevent things from escalating after hearing the words uttered by Gong Yuan!