On July 20th, Emperor Liang personally led his ministers and Queen Yan to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices. In Meng Zhi's absence, the Xuanjing Division and the Forbidden Army were responsible for guarding the temple.
According to the rules of the Daliang royal family, the emperor and the queen entered the temple first, while the rest waited outside the temple.
Emperor Liang and Queen Yan walked into the Ancestral Temple, accompanied only by Gao Zhan and two eunuchs. There were four masters of the Xuanjing Division guarding the door.
After the nine people entered, the door slowly closed from the inside. Emperor Liang noticed something was wrong, and just when he was about to call out "escort", four guards from the Xuanjing Division drew out their long knives and killed the two eunuchs.
Gao Zhan was startled and quickly ran to Emperor Liang and Queen Yan, spreading his hands to protect them behind him.
"Bold, is the Xuanjing Division going to rebel? Where is Xia Jiang?" Gao Zhan shouted while holding his voice.
The four Xuanjing Division masters put down their butcher knives expressionlessly and did not continue to move.
"Here comes someone to protect you, protect you." Gao Zhan shouted deliberately loudly, hoping that people outside could hear him.
After half a day, there was no movement outside the temple, and Emperor Liang's heart gradually sank.
"Xia Jiang!?" Emperor Liang said angrily: "Come out and see me!"
Not long after, Xia Jiang and King Yu walked out of a secret door behind the Ancestral Temple.
Emperor Liang was shocked when he saw the secret door. When he saw King Yu clearly, his whole body froze.
"Your Majesty." Xia Jiang walked up to Emperor Liang with a smile and said, "I have been waiting here for a long time."
Emperor Liang glanced at Queen Yan beside him and said sadly: "Ms. Yan, are you also involved?"
Queen Yan lowered her head guiltily and silently walked to King Yu.
"Your Majesty, Jing Huan doesn't want this child either." Queen Yan said, "Jing Huan promised me that as long as you abdicate and live your life in the harem, he will serve you till the end of your life."
"Foolish woman." Emperor Liang said angrily: "This evil obstacle dares to force the palace today, so he has no intention of letting us leave the Ancestral Temple alive."
Queen Yan was shocked and turned her head to look at King Yu, only to be greeted by a pair of vicious eyes.
"Mother, please don't blame me." King Yu said sadly, "Today I, Xiao Jinghuan, am going to slay the dragon, and I must not let outsiders know about it."
Queen Yan took three steps back in disbelief. She really didn't expect that Prince Yu, whom she raised as her own son, would actually want to kill her in the end.
"Didn't you promise me that you would never kill His Majesty?"
Emperor Liang snorted coldly: "What a shame, King Jing has an army of 400,000 men. If you kill me today, King Jing will not give up easily in the future."
Xia Jiang said proudly: "Your Majesty doesn't have to worry about it now."
Prince Yu took out a small bottle and said, "Father, do you know what's in here?"
Emperor Liang snorted: "It's nothing more than poison."
King Yu praised: "My father is really smart. No wonder he has been able to sit on the throne for decades. This is the charming fragrance specially prepared for you by Mr. Xia."
Xia Jiang explained: "Although the name of Charming Incense sounds nice, it is a strange poison in the world. Anyone who takes it will fall into a state of suspended animation, like a living dead. In fact, the body of the poisoned person is already dead, but he still has one breath left."
Emperor Liang narrowed his eyes and said, "The important ministers outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple will never tolerate you and other rebellious ministers and traitors."
King Yu laughed proudly and said: "The important ministers outside the Ancestral Temple will soon be attacked by assassins. When they react, they will find that my father has been poisoned and comatose, and the medicine has no effect.
In order to protect the country and the country, the country cannot be without a king for a day, so the ministers can only take out the imperial edict of succession from the father and announce the successor in public."
Emperor Liang realized something and quickly took out the edict of succession from his body, opened it and looked at it, his eyes widened.
"How dare you tamper with the imperial edict!" Emperor Liang gritted his teeth and looked at Empress Yan angrily.
As smart as Emperor Liang, he already realized who stole the imperial edict.
"It seems that you have been planning for today for a long time? I really gave birth to a good son!" Emperor Liang snorted secretly.
King Yu slowly approached Liang Emperor and said: "Father, Emperor and Mother, please drink the charming fragrance obediently and don't force your subjects to do things they don't want to do."
Gao Zhan angrily stood in front of Emperor Liang and shouted: "As long as the old slave is here today, you can't even think of harming His Majesty."
Xia Jiang said disdainfully: "Eunuch Gao, you are a eunuch who has no power to tie a chicken. Stop trying to be brave. I will give you a pleasure later."
King Yu kicked out and wanted to kick Gao Zhan away. Unexpectedly, two people suddenly jumped out from the roof and blocked King Yu.
"Dongchang secret agent." Xia Jiang said in a deep voice.
The two Dongchang spies were arranged by Gao Zhan just as a precaution, so there were not many of them.
?They protected Gao Zhan and Emperor Liang and retreated. Unfortunately, the gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple was guarded by four masters of the Xuanjing Division, and they could not get out at all.
"King Yu, don't hesitate. If your Majesty escapes today, we will all die."
King Yu gritted his teeth and directly captured Queen Yan, pouring the charming fragrance into her mouth.
On the other side, Xia Jiang and four of his men have surrounded the Dongchang spies.
Two fists are hard to beat with four hands. Gao Zhan brought too few people to protect Emperor Liang this time, and he soon fell to Xia Jiang's butcher's knife.
Gao Zhan himself didn't even block a single move, and was directly taken down by a master of the Xuanjing Division, who injected him with charming fragrance.
Emperor Liang was desperate at this time and could only shout to King Yu: "Prince Jing will definitely avenge me."
Hearing this, King Yu shouted angrily: "You only have Jamel Xiao in your heart. Don't forget that I am also your son. Why do you favor one over the other?"
Emperor Liang snorted coldly: "Jing Yan is both civil and military, and has a heart to help the world and the people. On the contrary, you will do whatever it takes to get the throne. The country of Liang must not be left in the hands of people like you."
King Yu was so angry that he pinched Emperor Liang's mouth and his face began to become distorted.
"Father, you forced me to do this."
Emperor Liang struggled, but unfortunately his body had long been emptied of alcohol and sex. How could he be a match for King Yu?
King Yu poured a whole bottle of charming incense into Emperor Liang's mouth, and soon his eyes closed.
Emperor Liang slowly collapsed to the ground. Except that he could breathe, he was no different from a dead person.
Xia Jiang had two Dongchang spies disguised as assassins, and he took Prince Yu out of the Ancestral Temple through a secret passage.
The important civil and military ministers outside the Ancestral Temple were suddenly attacked by a group of assassins. When the masters of the Xuanjing Division finally "repelled" the assassins and rushed into the Ancestral Temple, they saw Emperor Liang and others lying on the ground, along with the bodies of two assassins.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Four masters of the Xuanjing Division told the minister that Emperor Liang was assassinated and was hit by a poisonous arrow.
The minister immediately asked the imperial physician to diagnose and treat Emperor Liang, who concluded that Emperor Liang was too deeply poisoned and was destined to never wake up in this life.
King Yu came after "hearing the news", hugged Emperor Liang and cried bitterly, looking like a filial son.
When the news reached Zhiluo Palace, Concubine Jing immediately realized that Emperor Liang had been assassinated by King Yu.
A palace maid walked up to Concubine Jing and said: "Your Majesty is unconscious. The ministers will soon take out the edict of succession behind the plaque and support the new monarch on the throne. My dear concubine, you'd better leave the palace first! People from the Jiangzuo Alliance
Reception outside the palace."
Concubine Jing sat there calmly, motionless, with no intention of getting up.
"I can't leave." Concubine Jing said calmly: "If I leave, Prince Yu will really be able to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, occupying the rightful position."
The palace maid said anxiously: "His Royal Highness Prince Jing and the sect leader's plan is for me to protect the empress and leave."
Concubine Jing shook her head and said, "Only by staying in the palace can I help Jing Yan."
The palace maid was so anxious that she was ready to knock Concubine Jing unconscious and carry her out of the palace, but she found that before she could do anything, her hands and feet began to become weak.
"Xiaoxue, I have arranged for someone to take you out of the palace. You can sleep peacefully for a while!" Concubine Jing took off the sachet from her body and put it on the palace maid Xiaoxue.
After finishing everything, Concubine Jing got up and went to the Empress Dowager's palace first.
In the front hall of the palace, the civil and military ministers gathered together, and it was already a mess.
Emperor Liang was in a coma, his ministers had no backbone, and no one knew what to do.
"The country cannot live without a king for a day. I think we should take down the edict of passing the throne, first determine the prince, and let the prince take charge of the overall situation." Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites suggested.
"That's inappropriate. Your Majesty is just in a coma and has not died. It is inconsistent with etiquette to take the edict of passing the throne now." The Shiro of the Ministry of Rites disagreed.
"A country cannot live without a king for a day. Your Majesty is acting like this. How can we delay military and state affairs?" shouted the Minister of Industry.
No one in the group could make up their mind, so they could only turn their attention to King Yu.
In the absence of Prince Jing, Prince Yu, the Qizhu Prince, is the person with the highest status.
"My father, the Queen, and my Queen were killed. I really have no intention of dealing with state affairs. It is better for the ministers to discuss the outcome!" King Yu pretended to be sad.
Ministers, you look at me, I look at you, and you don’t know what to do for a moment.
Xia Jiang took the initiative to stand up and said: "Daliang is in a troubled time. The war in the north has not ended yet, and the East China Sea Kingdom has not withdrawn its troops. Military and state affairs cannot be delayed for a day. In my opinion, since the medicine is ineffective, your Majesty should first establish the
Crown Prince, let the Crown Prince take charge of important affairs."
Someone took the lead, and Prince Yu's party all agreed. For a time, the majority of ministers agreed to take out the imperial edict.
The Minister of Rites invited Zong Zheng of the Zongren Mansion to take down the edict behind the plaque in the main hall in public, and took out the edict that Emperor Liang carried with him for verification.
After the six ministers and Zongzheng checked the edict in public, they confirmed that Xiao Jinghuan, the famous king, would succeed him as emperor.
Xia Jiang even shouted in public: "The crown prince has been decided, but you guys haven't paid your respects to the new prince yet."
King Yu was overjoyed and was about to say a few words in a fake tone when he heard a voice coming into the palace.
"The royal concubine has arrived!"
King Yu twitched the corner of his mouth and swallowed the words that came to his mouth.
Concubine Jing slowly walked into the hall, supported by all the palace ladies and eunuchs.
Xia Jiang communicated with King Yu with his eyes, indicating whether he wanted to attack Concubine Jing.
King Yu silently shook his head.
Concubine Jing walked directly to the main hall, had a chair moved, and sat next to the throne.
"You all know your guilt." Concubine Jing sat down and said, "Your Majesty has not passed away yet, and you are clamoring for a new king to succeed you. Are you going to rebel?"
Concubine Jing's eyes widened, her aura fully aroused, and all the ministers lowered their heads.
Xia Jiang said bluntly: "Concubine Jing, the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics. This is the ancestral teaching of Daliang!"
Concubine Jing snorted coldly: "Your Majesty and the Queen are unconscious. The harem is temporarily managed by me. I have already asked the Queen Mother for instructions. Does Xia Shouzun have any opinions?"
Not long ago, Emperor Liang consecrated Concubine Jing as a noble concubine, and her status in the harem was only below that of the queen. If the queen was ill, she did have the right to take care of the harem temporarily.
"This is the former dynasty, not the harem." Xia Jiang shouted.
Concubine Jing said calmly: "If it is a general government matter, the harem will naturally not interfere, but when it comes to the crown prince's succession, I can no longer sit idly by and ignore it."
Xia Jiang was furious, but unable to refute. According to the rules of the Daliang royal family, the new king's succession must not only have the late emperor's decree, but also need the approval of the harem, which is in line with the law.
Now Concubine Jing is temporarily in charge of the affairs of the harem, which means that without her approval, Prince Yu cannot ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.
"My dear concubine, your majesty is still in a coma and cannot handle state affairs. The country cannot live without a king for a day! Liang always needs someone to take charge of affairs?" said the Minister of Rites.
Concubine Jing said in a deep voice: "In short, His Majesty is the emperor before he dies, and Prince Yu who ascends the throne is usurping the throne."
King Yu's breath was stagnant, and his eyes looking at Concubine Jing were very cold.
Xia Jiang even almost called people from the Xuanjing Division to go to the palace and kill Concubine Jing directly.
"Empress, do you want to represent His Majesty and temporarily handle the affairs of the country?" King Yu said sinisterly.
Concubine Jing said calmly: "I am a Taoist woman. I don't know anything about political affairs. I only know etiquette.
?Now that Your Majesty is still here, you can follow the edict and establish a prince first, who will temporarily take charge of state affairs.
If you go around and establish a crown prince, it will be usurping the throne, and you will all be rebellious officials and traitors."
After hearing this, King Yu's expression finally softened a lot.
The ministers whispered among themselves, and many felt that Concubine Jing's words were reasonable. The most important thing was that sentence. As long as Emperor Liang refused to die, or wrote the abdication edict himself, and King Yu directly ascended the throne, it would be unfair and unjust.
King Yu exchanged glances with Xia Jiang again, and finally Xia Jiang nodded. King Yu reluctantly accepted Concubine Jing's proposal and was temporarily granted the title of crown prince.
"Your Majesty and the Queen are unconscious. I am worried that the Imperial Hospital will not take good care of them, so I will send them to Zhiluo Palace first. Does the Crown Prince have any objections?" Concubine Jing asked, staring at King Yu.
"no!"
King Yu knew that Concubine Jing was born as a medical woman and was worried that she would save Emperor Liang.
The ministers discussed again, and King Yu's reaction was really strange.
Xia Jiang stood up and said: "Concubine Jing wants to take care of Your Majesty and the Queen. There is nothing better than this."
King Yu glared at Xia Jiang, but found that Xia Jiang gave him a calm expression.
Concubine Jing achieved her goal, drove out of the hall and returned to Zhiluo Palace.
King Yu pulled Xia Jiang aside and scolded: "Why did you let Concubine Jing pick up the father? What if he rescues the father?"
"Don't worry, Your Highness, there is no cure for the charming fragrance. His Majesty's brain has been destroyed long ago, and he is now a living dead." Xia Jiang said confidently:
"As for Concubine Jing, it's better to let her do the trouble, so as not to hinder our plan."
King Yu was dissatisfied and said: "Wouldn't it be better to just kill my father? You and Qin Prajna must use some charming incense."
Xia Jiang explained: "As soon as your Majesty dies, Prince Jing will rebel. Only when he is critically ill can His Highness justifiably issue the decree and summon Prince Jing back to the capital to see His Majesty for the last time.
If he resists and disobeys the decree, it will be a great act of unfilial piety, and His Highness will have reason to deal with Prince Jing."
King Yu slowly calmed down.
"Prince Jing has a heavy army. Until he takes back his military power, Your Majesty will be more useful alive than dead." Xia Jiangyin said harshly:
"As for Concubine Jing, she is also the most powerful weapon to threaten Prince Jing."
King Yu nodded, but he still felt a little uneasy.
"There is no cure for the charming fragrance." King Yu asked again.
Xia Jiang said firmly: "Since ancient times, no one who has been intoxicated by the charming incense has survived more than a month."