novelaction Chapter 389 The mantis stalks the cicada
Chapter 389 The mantis stalks the cicada
Chapter 389
Inside the palace, the Third Prince and his entourage had been advancing unimpeded since their arrival, encountering virtually no resistance. While more cautious than the First Prince, the Third Prince was also more brash. After all, his mother was the highest-ranking imperial concubine in the harem, and word had long since spread that she had already made arrangements within the palace. The Third Prince understood that the lack of resistance within the palace was due to his mother having cleared the way for him.
As for the eldest prince, he personally dictated the contents, watching intently as Eunuch Su completed the imperial edict of succession. As the chief eunuch beside Emperor Yuancheng, Eunuch Su usually wrote most of the imperial edicts dictated by the emperor. Therefore, when he wrote the imperial edict this time and announced it later, no ministers would naturally harbor suspicions.
As Eunuch Su picked up the imperial seal and slammed it heavily on the imperial edict, the eldest prince's smile widened, his face filled with pride. As for Emperor Yuan Cheng, who was now surrounded by guards and whose fate was uncertain, the eldest prince, under the strong temptation of power, had already thrown his father out of his mind.
"Hahaha!" The eldest prince snatched up the written edict from the table and burst into laughter. The laughter was full of pride and arrogance, as if he had already ascended the throne of the emperor.
Upon seeing this, the guards beside him immediately knelt down with a plop and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!" The sound echoed throughout the room and reverberated in the palace.
Immersed in their excitement, they had no idea that on the bed, the emperor, who had been declared incurable by the imperial physician, was clenching his hands tightly, with veins bulging on the backs of his hands and his nails almost digging into his palms.
Meanwhile, the excited clamor within the palace, along with the elation of the eldest prince and his companions after receiving the "Edict of Succession," completely drowned out the silent battle unfolding outside. The subtle clink of blades clashing, the suppressed groans of soldiers, were isolated from the bustling atmosphere outside, as if the brutal battle unfolding outside had no connection to the world within.
"bump!"
The familiar, heavy sound of kicking the door rang out again, drawing the excited crowd inside to look outside. Outside, a man in elegant attire stood facing the wind. The air, which had originally emanated a faint scent of ambergris, was suddenly filled with the pungent smell of blood.
The eldest prince's excitement suddenly sank. He glared fiercely at the person who had kicked the door. He looked closer, realizing it was the third prince. The smell of blood deepened his foreboding. But clutching the will in his hand, he felt a surge of confidence. He demanded, "Third brother, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to force the emperor to abdicate?"
The Third Prince turned a deaf ear to the First Prince's questioning and simply raised his hand. Immediately afterwards, the guards behind him swarmed in from both sides, charging into the hall like tigers.
Upon seeing this, the eldest prince's face suddenly changed, and he hurriedly resisted with his personal guards.
But the difference in numbers between the two sides was too great. Even though the eldest prince was quite skilled, he was quickly defeated when surrounded by several people in this relatively narrow palace.
Before long, the First Prince's group was decimated by the Third Prince's men. The First Prince was pinned to the ground, looking even more miserable than Eunuch Su had been before.
The eldest prince struggled hard, roaring like a trapped animal: "My father has issued an edict to pass the throne to me. Your actions are regicide! Let me go!"
"Ha!" The third prince sneered and suddenly kicked the eldest prince on the wrist.
The eldest prince was still tightly clutching the imperial edict in his hand, which he had not dropped even during the fierce fight. He groaned in pain but still refused to let go.
The Third Prince was unfazed by this. He took the hilt of the sword from his personal guard and, without hesitation, stabbed it straight into the middle of the First Prince's arm. The First Prince let out a sharp cry of pain, and subconsciously loosened his grip on the imperial edict.
As soon as the imperial edict arrived, the Third Prince immediately released his grip. He lifted it and pretended to examine it carefully, but in a split second, he held it to the candlelight. The flame touched it, and the edict instantly burst into flames.
The eldest prince's eyes were bloodshot when he saw this. He completely ignored the hilt of the sword still stuck in his wrist and shouted at the top of his lungs, "No! Don't!"
Unfortunately, the more he struggled and suffered, the happier the Third Prince felt. When the imperial edict in his hand burned out, the Third Prince tossed the ashes under his feet and crushed them fiercely. He looked down at the tearful First Prince and sneered, "Brother, you're still too impatient. If a reckless man like you were to be handed over to you, even after my father's death, I'm afraid he would be so angry that he would crawl out of his grave."
Since ancient times, the victor becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit. Ridiculing a defeated individual wouldn't satisfy the Third Prince for long. After sneering, he turned without hesitation and walked towards the dragon bed.
His personal guards understood their master's thoughts very well. Seeing that his master was unwilling to pay any more attention to the eldest prince, they simply pulled up a piece of his clothes, rolled it up, and stuffed it into the eldest prince's mouth. Now the eldest prince could only whimper and could no longer shout.
Eunuch Su and the other palace servants had already been hiding in panic behind desks and other corners when the Third Prince and his men barged in. Seeing the Third Prince walking towards Emperor Yuan Cheng, Eunuch Su hurriedly emerged from under the desk, his voice choked with sobs, his eyes filled with hope: "Third Prince, I thought I was doomed this time. Fortunately, you're here!"
The Third Prince has always looked down upon palace servants like Eunuch Su. Even though he had served Emperor Yuancheng for many years, in the eyes of the Third Prince he was nothing more than a eunuch.
Seeing Eunuch Su rushing towards him, the Third Prince dodged to the side and asked coldly, "How is Father?"
Eunuch Su was already accustomed to his attitude. Realizing that he had lost his composure, he quickly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief and replied, "Your Majesty has been in a coma for two days and is unconscious. Doctor Fang and others said that Your Majesty has been ill from overwork and I'm afraid he won't survive tonight..." As he spoke, he couldn't help sobbing again.
The Third Prince glanced at him with disdain, but remembering that he was still useful, he suppressed his impatience and asked, "Did the Emperor give us any instructions on how to proceed?"
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Su looked up at the Third Prince with a bewildered expression: "This... Your Majesty's coma came too suddenly, and I really didn't have time to explain."
The Third Prince has many spies in the palace, and this inquiry is just a test for Eunuch Su.
Hearing his answer, his heart instantly settled. Then, he quickly put on a mournful expression, slowly walked to the bedside of Emperor Yuancheng, sat down, and gazed sadly at the emperor on the couch, sighing, "My father is in poor health, and as a prince, I am deeply grieved. If I could suffer for my father, I would not hesitate, even if it meant death. But the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. If my father... Alas, for the sake of the country, even though I am grieved, I can only swallow my sorrow and shoulder the heavy responsibility. Now that my eldest brother is acting absurdly, and the other princes are young, why not let me take charge of state affairs temporarily? Eunuch, what do you think?"