608 Father and Daughter, Divination (2)
Nangong Yan had stabilized her position as the Princess for so many years and had long had countless loyal supporters in the court. She was the Empress’s legitimate daughter, so she was the legitimate heir. It was not wrong to support her. Moreover, the father and daughter had an extremely good relationship. They weren’t guarding against each other.
Now that such a thing had happened, although the ministers who supported Nangong Yan were shocked, they were not completely in despair.
A country could not go without a ruler for a day. The Emperor was already old, and sooner or later, the country would have to be handed over.
From the looks of it, the Emperor had two choices: One was to choose a suitable successor from the collateral family, and the other was to bring the exiled jinx back to Nanzhao. However, in fact, these two choices were not as satisfying as the restoration of the Queen.
No matter what, the Queen was a lucky star. She had once been chosen by the holy artifact and had the protection of the Gu God. Who could compare to her?
What they had to do now was to calm the Emperor down and give him a decent way out. These were the ministers’ thoughts. They thought so, and so they did what they thought.
“Your Majesty, I have something to report.”
“If you’re pleading for the deposed Queen, then there’s no need.”
“Your Majesty…”
“If you want me to retract my order, there’s no need.”
The Emperor shut the mouths of the two high-ranking officials in a row, and the atmosphere in the hall was slightly restrained.
The Emperor glanced at everyone. “My latest edict has already explained it very clearly. The Prince Consort is indeed Prince Yan of the Great Zhou. The Princess has been keeping me in the dark for so many years. She has committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor, so it’s only right and proper for me to depose her. Are you questioning my decision, or are you questioning the laws of Nanzhao?”
When Nangong Yan poisoned the little black eggs, the Emperor did not say what she did to save some face for her and the Nanzhao Royal Family.
Some supported the Queen, so there were naturally some who opposed her.
“The Princess committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor first and lost the holy artifact of Nanzhao later. Such actions are really not worthy of being the Queen of Nanzhao!”
The person who spoke was a general surnamed Yue. His father was once Bull Egg’s subordinate. Back then, his father was also among the group of officials who opposed sending the Eldest Princess away. However, his father did not have a strong relationship with the Emperor, so he was ostracized by the Little Princess’s maternal family and resigned prematurely.
He was not protected by his father. He entered the military camp with his own abilities and became a general. He could not compare to the Divine General Helian Beiming, but he was still considered capable among generals.
The moment he spoke, many colleagues immediately echoed.
Among these colleagues, there were a few who were not convinced by the Queen and had been suppressed by the Prince Consort. Now that they could not find the Prince Consort, they vented their anger on the Queen.
The Emperor had a headache.
“Stop arguing,” he said. “Those who should be punished have been punished, and those who should be deposed have been deposed. I went to court today because I have something to ask the ministers for their opinions.”
He wanted to mention bringing the Eldest Princess back to Nanzhao. Unexpectedly, before he could speak, an attendant rushed over. He knelt outside the throne room and said in fear, “Your Majesty! I have something to report!”
The Emperor’s expression was a little unhappy at being suddenly interrupted, but he also understood that if it weren’t for the urgency, the servants wouldn’t have the guts to cause trouble in the throne room.
He said in a deep voice, “Tell me quickly.”
The attendant said, “The Gu Hall is on fire!”
The Emperor stood up. “What did you say? The Gu Hall is on fire? Are they alright?”
“I’m not sure yet,” the attendant said fearfully.
The Gu Hall and the State Preceptor Hall were called the two great temples of Nanzhao. They were places protected by the Gu God. No matter which place had an incident, it did not seem to be a simple matter.
The Emperor immediately sent the imperial guards to the Gu Hall. On the one hand, he wanted them to help put out the fire, and on the other hand, he wanted them to find out the truth about the casualties and fire. Unexpectedly, as soon as the imperial guards left, the State Preceptor Hall also sent news that there was fire there!
The two temples were both on fire. Did this mean something?
The Emperor frowned. “Court is over! Call the State Preceptor for an audience!”
The State Preceptor came quickly. After suffering from the fire just now, he did not even have time to tidy his clothes before he saw the Emperor in a disheveled state. In the imperial study, he cupped his hands and bowed. “Your Majesty.”
The Emperor looked at his half-burned sleeve and asked, “Is the State Preceptor alright?”
The State Preceptor shook his head. “I’m fine.”
The Emperor asked him, “Why was the State Preceptor Hall on fire?”
The State Preceptor thought for a while and said, “As far as I know, there was a fire in the storeroom.”
“Who set the fire?”
“No one.”
“You mean it set itself on fire?”
