The first day of the first lunar month of the sixth year of Kaiping.

Kyoto, Imperial City, Harem Jingtai Hall.

Emperor Kaiping wore a cirrus crown on his head, which was decorated with twenty-four curly beams, one foot high and one foot wide. They were tied with jade rhinoceros hairpins when wearing them. The gauze robe he wore was crimson, with red lining and collar.

,sleeve,

The lapel and train are all edged in black, and the gauze skirt and knee coverings are also made of crimson. The neck is drooping with a white Luo square heart-shaped collar, the waist is tied with a gold and jade belt, and the feet are wearing white socks and black waistcoat, and a sash.

Empress Chen was also dressed in finery and was sitting on the left side of Emperor Kaiping. On the right was the imperial concubine Wu, and the rest were standing at the foot of the steps.

The six princes knelt down and worshiped Emperor Kaiping one by one, and then recited the Zhengdan congratulations.

Although the words were just clichés, this has been a long-standing tradition of the Liu family. After the lengthy ceremony, Emperor Kaiping encouraged the princes with a few words, focusing mainly on three of them.

The eldest prince, King Liu Xian of Lu, and his biological mother, Concubine Wu, were the first of the four concubines and were extremely favored by Emperor Kaiping. They seemed to be only one step away from becoming the queen who ruled the sixth palace.

The second prince, Prince Qi Liu Yun, and the sixth prince, Prince Xiang Liu Zhi, were both children of Empress Chen. In comparison, the queen was more fond of the sixth prince.

The fourth prince, King Yan Liu Zan, is a descendant of the concubine Qin. He is the most low-key among the four adult princes. Moreover, his mother-in-law is not a prosperous person and has not been favored in the palace in recent years. Although her status is second only to Empress Chen

Like Concubine Wu, she was among the first concubine and the fourth concubine, but in the eyes of Emperor Kaiping, she was no different from the ninth concubine. It was just because the Qin family was clumsy and foolish and never caused trouble in the palace, so she was not deprived of her honorary position.

The Ninth Prince Liu Gui and the Eleventh Prince Liu Ci were underage, so they were not crowned kings. They never dared to do anything wrong on occasions like this, and had no chance to speak.

In the eyes of most courtiers, the eldest prince, the second prince and the sixth prince are probably the three most likely to compete for the position of crown prince.

The second prince had the advantage of having a good reputation. Daliang inherited the old system of the previous dynasty and always established direct descendants. Therefore, as the eldest son, Liu Yun could gain the loyalty and support of some civil servants without any effort.

The eldest prince was the favorite of Emperor Kaiping. This was also the reason why many people thought that the Chinese dynasty had not established a crown prince for a long time, so some ministers gradually became his supporters.

Logically speaking, the sixth prince Liu Zhi is the least likely, and he has no advantage compared with his two elder brothers. However, Empress Chen is particularly doting on this youngest son. Even though she knows that the possibility of him ascending to the throne is extremely low, she often

He would whisper in Emperor Kaiping's ears and try his best to give the young son some support.

Emperor Kaiping looked at the princes who had their own concerns, waved his hands expressionlessly and said: "The second son will stay, and everyone else will step aside."

The understatement was like a strong wind sweeping into the palace.

As everyone knows, the most important court meeting in Daliang is the Zhengdan Dynasty that will start later. In previous years, no prince has ever attended, but now he asked the second prince to stay. The profound meaning of this move made many people in the palace change their expressions.

The second prince Liu Yun tried his best to control himself, but he still couldn't hide the joy in his eyes. He knelt down and said respectfully: "My son, I obey the decree."

The other princes could only kneel down and receive the order.

Liu Zhi, the sixth prince, had a calm expression. When he bowed his head and saluted, there was a slight sarcastic arc on his lips. In his view, his second brother had a foolish temperament, great ambition and lack of talent. The more he appeared in a big scene where hundreds of officials gathered, the easier it would be to make a fool of himself, which was not worth mentioning.

fear.

There was a bit of anger in the eyes of the eldest prince Liu Xian, but the moment he raised his head and wanted to speak, Concubine Wu gave him a stern look full of warning, making him swallow back what he wanted to say.

When the princes stood up and walked out, Concubine Wu walked away from Emperor Ping and showed a quiet smile, saying softly: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a favor from you."

Emperor Kaiping smiled and said, "What's the matter?"

Concubine Wu said gently: "This matter is related to the eldest prince. I wonder if your majesty can allow him to stay temporarily?"

Emperor Kaiping nodded slightly.

Queen Chen's face remained calm and she seemed not to care about this.

The eldest prince turned around and walked to the front of the steps, standing in a row with the second prince.

Seeing Emperor Kaiping looking at her with questioning eyes, Concubine Wu sighed softly and said: "Your Majesty, Xian'er was deceived by a villain before and missed important affairs of the country. He should be punished. But that incident has already passed.

For half a year, Xian'er has been lacking people to support him. Being so difficult to set an example for the prince will also make those outside criticize the majesty of the Tian family. I have been thinking about it day and night recently, and I really can't settle down in my heart."

Emperor Kaiping was noncommittal and waved the other concubines to leave. Soon, apart from the palace attendants, only he, Empress Chen, Concubine Wu and the two princes were left in the palace.

The eldest prince couldn't help but feel a little nervous when he saw this posture.

Emperor Kaiping said calmly: "Liu Xian, how much do you know about the things in Qibao Pavilion?"

The eldest prince swallowed subconsciously and looked up at the steps. Emperor Kaiping's eyes were not cold, and his mother and concubine did not look at him. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to answer honestly: "Father, I am just looking for Xu."

Song asked for money several times, but did not know that he was involved with the traitor. Although the father and son are stupid, they will not forget that this world belongs to the Liu family, and they will never do stupid things that harm the foundation of Daliang.

"

Although Concubine Wu didn't look at him, she felt relieved.

She knows better than anyone how terrifying the Nine-Five Master around her is, and playing tricks in front of him is the stupidest behavior. Now it seems that her advice to Liu Xian in the past six months has been in vain.

Emperor Kaiping sneered and said slowly: "Since you are so smart, how can you explain Pei Yue's attack in Xingyang City? That night, in addition to the Hengduan Mountain bandits, there were fifteen masters, and the leader was named Nian.

Xu, do you recognize him?"

The eldest prince's face instantly turned pale. Without thinking, he knelt down and said in a trembling voice: "Father, my son... After Xu committed suicide, my son was so worried and angry that he did something stupid for a moment. I beg your father for mercy."

crime!"

Concubine Wu was so astute that she immediately deduced the truth of the matter from this brief conversation. She turned her head and gouged out the eldest prince, then knelt down at the feet of Emperor Kaiping with a face filled with shame, and said to herself: "Your Majesty, are you my concubine?

Educate virtuous children well. Everything is my fault. Please forgive me. I am willing to accept the punishment."

Emperor Kaiping glanced at this most gentle and considerate woman, and slightly lowered his tone and said, "Please be flat."

Concubine Wu did not dare to disobey, and still stood aside, looking at Liu Xian with anger in her eyes.

Emperor Kaiping looked at the trembling eldest prince below the steps and said in a deep voice: "Although Pei Yue is a minister, he is my minister, not your Liu Xian's minister, not to mention he is also the imperial minister appointed by me! You are so big

How dare you send your generals to assassinate the imperial minister secretly? If Pei Yue brings this matter to the court, how will I face the people of the world!"
Chapter completed!