Three days pa.s.sed, but the emperor remained unconscious. This news caused a commotion and unrest in the court. And n.o.body knows how, but the news also reached the citizens of the capital resulting to various rumors and conclusions.
Some said that the emperor accidentally drank too much because he was too sad since it was the empress"s death anniversary. While some said he purposely tried to commit suicide due to depression.There are also some who said that the emperor is already dead but the palace is hiding it to avoid the brutal struggle for the throne. Although most people don"t believe it. But of course spreading this kind of rumors are considered as a capital crime and punishable with death. And anyone who is caught are immediately sentenced to death without trial. This caused the public to panic.
Either way, in this society where men are considered women"s G.o.d, the way he dealt with his wife"s pa.s.sing is considered irresponsible. To top it all, he is the emperor. Women should be the least of his concern no matter how fond he is of her. All in all, the public are starting to become unsatisfied with him.
With this chaos going on in the capital, the court is no better. And after three days of the emperor"s unconscious state, the head eunuch serving directly under the emperor lead the court a.s.sembly. Feng Jun Yi gave him the authority above all servants in the palace and the right to stand in equal with Ministers.But this is provided with the condition that he can"t a.s.sociate himself with anyone. This is to a.s.sure that he won"t be used against the emperor. In return, he and his family will receive a n.o.ble status and wealth.
On this day, he invited not only the Ministers and Princes but also the emperor"s concubines and family heads of each n.o.ble family. The purpose is to open and announce the Emperor"s will. This shocked everyone since the will should be made by the emperor if he has an heir. But Feng Jun Yi doesn"t even have a single child so everyone a.s.sumed that it should be empty.
On the side, Left Prime Minister Li suppressed his excitement and peeked at his remaining grandson, the fifth prince Feng Jun Yun. He can"t help but connect the emperor"s incident to his grandson"s sudden declaration that he is finally willing to fight for the throne. After all it was too coincidental.
He felt proud and at the same time regretful. Regretful that he didn"t choose this unexpectedly bright grandson and insisted on the second prince. If only he knew that the younger grandson is more outstanding from the start, the throne should already be in his Li family"s hand long ago.
The fifth prince on the other hand can feel his grandfather"s stare. Not only his but also the Minister"s under him. He can"t help but curse internally. He knew that these old men think that the emperor"s incident is his doing. But actually it"s not. But if they continue their obvious gazes, he is certain that their enemies will label him as a suspect. And he doesn"t want that. Even if he did do something to Feng Jun Yi, he would not expose himself. But these dumb old men didn"t even try to conceal their emotion and blatant greed. If he could, he would gouge their eyes out. He regretted his action of informing them of his decision to fight for the throne. No wonder his brother never succeeded. Even his allies are too stupid and easy to read.
"Are they thinking that the previous emperor"s decree can still protect me? My mother and brother is a testament that it is not enough! These stupid subordinates will be the death of me." Feng Jun Yun thought in rage. But his face didn"t show it. Instead, he is showing a sullen and grieving face for the emperor"s misfortune.
The fourth prince quietly observed the Ministers, especially the previously known enemies of their emperor brother. And he could clearly see their victorious expressions. If it was in the past, he would think that they had a hand on Feng Jun Yi"s incident. But he doubts his emperor brother will fall in their schemes.
In addition, the note they found said that the enemy is the Zhixiang country. Even though the imperial doctor said that it was alcohol poisoning, being unconscious for three days doesn"t seem normal. But if it was done by that Liu Yeyin mentioned in the letter, then they can a.s.sume that it"s possible. After all Mo Jin mentioned that she came from the Qiangdu. She is definitely not simple.
Feng Jun Yao already mentioned this to his third and sixth brother. To his surprise, he learned that Feng Jun Yi already knew about the Xing sibling"s enmity. Unfortunately, he doesn"t know about the enemy from Qiangdu. Maybe if he did, he could be more careful.
Thinking about the Xing siblings, Feng Jun Yao glanced at Imperial n.o.ble Concubine Xing. She has a docile and low-key demeanor sitting silently. Even after knowing the truth, he still can"t believe that this little kid, on his point of view, caused his sister-in-law to flee.
Suddenly, he felt a burning gaze full of hostility towards him. He abruptly turned his head only to see his fifth brother. But the hostile air is already gone and Feng Jun Yun isn"t even looking towards his direction. Now he isn"t certain if it was just his imagination. And he also cannot find any reason for his brother to turn hostile towards him.
******
Seeing that everyone that was invited for the reading of the Emperor"s will already arrived, the head eunuch stood at the center of the hall in front of the emperor"s throne. Two eunuch carried a rectangular chest wrapped in a golden yellow silk with a golden thread rope binding.
Left Prime Minister Li stood proud without any emotion in his face. But inside, hi blood is already boiling. Once the chest is empty, he will endorse his own grandson for the throne. Then he is certain that Feng Jun Yun will grasp this opportunity to completely obliterate Feng Jun Yi.
But his heart sunk after hearing the head eunuch"s first words. "Acknowledge the Emperor"s decree!" Everyone kneeled in acknowledgement. But Prime Minister Li and his people including the fifth prince have a complicated emotion. Even Xing Baihe knitted her brows for a second then immediate restored her amicable façade. Because these words means that the will is not empty.
"Zhen, the fourth emperor of Gonglu country, Feng Jun Yi, hereby announce that the sixth prince Feng Jun Ying will succeed the throne and be the fifth emperor if there is no crowned prince named during the reading of this decree. Your highness, the sixth prince, please accept the decree." The head eunuch"s loud voice filled the hall. But to Left Prime Minister Li, it was like a thunder.
Feng Jun Ying rose from his seat and went to the center of the hall and knelt while holding his hands out to receive the decree. Then the head eunuch placed the golden scroll in his outstretched hands. Feng Jun Ying then slowly rose and elegantly stepped towards the throne.
The moment Feng Jun Ying turned around to face the crowd, everyone kotowed once then loudly cheered. "Long live the emperor!""I, Feng Jun Ying accepts this responsibility entrusted by his majesty the emperor. But I still believe that he will wake up eventually. And I will definitely return this throne to him. However, until that day comes I implore everyone in this hall to aid me in protecting and holding our country together." Feng Jun Ying said with authority that surprised everyone.
They never had the chance to interact with the sixth prince while he was growing up because of his weak physique. And even after he was well, he remained low-key and spent his days training rather than socializing. So this display of dominance with a tinge of humility, they don"t know how to respond other that saying yes.
The fifth prince people on the other hand had to force themselves to voice out the word yes through clenched teeth. But seeing Feng Jun Yun"s unfazed look, they inexplicably calmed down and blindly a.s.sumed that he still has a back-up plan.