sjar Chapter 857 Consort Rong
Chapter 857 Consort Rong
Today is not a grand court assembly.
However, all the civil and military officials gathered in the Taiji Hall within a short period of one hour.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his expression unreadable as he looked down at the civil and military officials who were engaged in lively discussion.
"Did His Highness really walk back?"
"How could it be fake? The entire city saw it; he walked back!"
"So, does that mean the Second Prince's leg has already been healed?"
"His Highness the Second Prince is His Majesty's eldest son. Since ancient times, the succession has been based on the eldest son of the legitimate wife. If it weren't for his leg ailment, we would never have agreed to depose the Crown Prince! Now that His Highness's leg has been healed, it is only right that the Crown Prince be reinstated!"
“I think we should reinstate the Crown Prince. The Second Prince is both a man of great talent and military prowess, and his political achievements are outstanding. The current prosperity of our Great Zhao is largely due to the Second Prince’s contributions. The Imperial Observatory has long predicted that the Second Prince is the chosen one! Who else but him should take the position of Crown Prince?”
"Have you all forgotten about the Second Prince taking forbidden drugs back then?!"
"Hey, what forbidden drugs? It's all the fault of those quack doctors. It's one thing if they can't cure His Highness, but they even secretly gave him forbidden drugs. Ignorance is no excuse, so how can you blame His Highness?"
"That's not what you said back then!"
"If it weren't for His Highness's leg, who would have agreed to depose the Crown Prince! Aren't we all completely convinced of His Highness's authority?"
"Nonsense! Since the crown prince has already been deposed, how can there be any talk of reinstating him?"
"It's nothing new throughout history to reinstate a crown prince, so why can't we reinstate one?"
"That may be true, but the Third Prince is also quite good; he has done a very good job in his duties over the past few years."
"That's certainly true, but how can you compare to His Highness the Crown Prince? His Highness was able to propose tax reform at the age of ten! Just think about it, after several major wars, our Great Zhao treasury couldn't afford a single penny. Every year there were famines in various places, and you all fought tooth and nail in the court over disaster relief funds. Those were tough years for the Ministry of Revenue!"
"Even the wealthy landlords rely on surplus grain. The national treasury, so vast, is always stretched thin. If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince turning the tide, how could you all be enjoying such good days! Your salaries have increased more than tenfold, haven't they?"
"Lord Zhou, don't forget that when you were working at the Hanlin Academy, your whole family came to the capital. Your salary wasn't even enough to rent a house. Now you've bought a big house. We all know your mother. She hates corrupt officials more than anything. She's in charge of ensuring that not a single penny is taken. How did you get that big house? If your salary hadn't increased, you'd still be renting a house!"
"And Lord Li, your daughter's wedding last year was quite a grand affair, but your Censorate is full of sycophants. Your wife takes medicine all year round, yet you still managed to save up such a dowry. Isn't that all thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"Hey, hey, His Highness the Crown Prince hasn't been reinstated yet, can't you all keep your voices down!"
"We naturally support the Second Prince!"
"..."
The vast Taiji Hall was suddenly more bustling than a vegetable market.
At first they kept quiet, but then they started arguing.
Without anyone even starting, everyone immediately started talking about reinstating the crown prince.
The Third Prince stood to the side with his head down and a gloomy face. He listened to the buzzing sound in his ears and felt his scalp tingling. It felt as if something was slowly gnawing at the blood vessels in his body, making him want to pick at the skin on his fingers to dig out the bone-deep irritation.
From the moment he learned that Zong Que was not dead, he knew that, given Zong Que's personality, he would definitely come back one day.
However, he never expected that Zong Que would actually walk back.
I walked back!
Ah.
What a big joke.
Heaven is truly unfair! Even after all that, all the imperial physicians and renowned doctors declared that Zong Que's legs would never allow him to stand again, and he would be crippled for life.
But he actually stood up.
Did you walk back?
Isn't that ridiculous.
Who the hell treated him?! How the hell was he cured?!
Those quacks at the Imperial Medical Academy! Quacks! They're all utter useless trash!
What good things have happened to him?
How was it cured?
The Third Prince was preoccupied with this matter, almost completely deaf to anything else. In his frustration, he kept picking at the skin on his fingers, unaware that he had broken them.
Duke Xiao, who was standing to the side, glanced down at the Third Prince's actions and his vision went black.
The rabbit dies and the hound is cooked; sooner or later, the Xiao family will be destroyed!
When Zong Que returned to the capital, he didn't have to do anything; he could win over half of the court officials just by standing there. It's been more than five years since Zong Que injured his legs—five years! For the past five years, all of them have worked for nothing!
Zong Que, let alone the fact that the Great Zhao has been established for less than a hundred years, even if we look at the entire two thousand years of history, such a prodigy can be counted on one hand.
Everyone has different thoughts.
However, they all unanimously acknowledged one fact: if Zong Que were to return unharmed, even His Majesty would not be able to decide on the position of Crown Prince.
"Boom" sound.
Then, the sound of drumming "dong, dong, dong" rang out again.
The emperor finally raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the assembled court officials and looking out towards the Taiji Hall.
The imperial guards rushed from below the palace and knelt down.
"Report!"
"Rong Xin, the younger sister of the former Duke Rong Che, beats the drum to appeal for justice for her brother!"
All the ministers turned their heads in unison with a "whoosh" and looked out of the hall.
Rong Xin, the younger sister of the former Duke of Rong, was the Consort Rong who committed suicide by burning herself in the palace seventeen years ago.
The noisy court fell completely silent in an instant.
Only the sound of the Dengwen Drum remained, one drumbeat after another.
Boom, boom, boom!
It's like the mournful cry of the heroic souls buried in Chenzhou, spanning a full seventeen years.