"What are they trying to do? Are they attempting to force a coup?"
In the Daqing Hall, Zhao Ji, his face dark, spat out the words through gritted teeth, his killing intent palpable.
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Xin is your son. How could he possibly do something so treacherous and rebellious?"
Hearing this, Liang Shicheng, standing below the jade steps, was instantly startled and quickly stepped forward to explain.
"Son? Hmph!"
After giving Liang Shicheng a deep look, Zhao Ji let out a cold snort.
"Your Majesty, this matter is escalating. In this old servant's opinion, why not summon them all into the hall to discuss it? They are all crowded outside the imperial palace..."
As Liang Shicheng spoke, he subtly observed Zhao Ji's expression from the corner of his eye.
He had been by Zhao Ji's side for so many years and understood his temper better than anyone.
He actually didn't care much about the taixuesheng students blocking the palace gates to submit memorials, nor did he particularly care about Tong Guan's life or death, as Tong Guan's actions in Hebei had truly disappointed him.
What he cared about was his own face, the dignity of an emperor that could not be offended!
He himself had his suspicions about the truth of Liu Fa's death, but at that time, he needed a victory to prove himself right, nothing more!
Now, Zhao Zhen had brazenly exposed this matter, which was equivalent to delivering an extremely resounding slap across the emperor's face!
"Face? Do they still care about face? Do they care about the court's face? Do they care about my face?"
Liang Shicheng's words had done the opposite; they had only angered Zhao Ji further. He exploded like a massive balloon.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Prince of Xin is young and sometimes acts without considering the gravity of the situation. As a father, shouldn't you be guiding him on how to act?"
Hearing the venomous undertones in Zhao Ji's words, Liang Shicheng himself shivered in fear.
If Zhao Ji were to truly unleash his fury at this moment, the rebellion, which had only just subsided, might stir up new troubles.
"Does he still have me, his father, in his eyes? If he had even a shred of loyalty and consideration, would he be sitting so brazenly at the palace gates?"
As Zhao Ji roared, the eunuchs attending him all prostrated themselves on the ground.
They even held their breaths, not daring to exhale loudly, for fear that Zhao Ji would vent his rage upon them.
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Calm down! This is not the time to lose your temper. Prince of Xin has great merit at this moment, you, you..."
"Enough!"
Before Liang Shicheng could finish speaking, the enraged Zhao Ji grabbed a paperweight from the table and hurled it down.
Facing the paperweight flying towards his face, Liang Shicheng directly lowered his head without dodging, allowing the heavy paperweight to strike the top of his head.
"Clang—"
As the paperweight fell back to the ground, blood flowed profusely from Liang Shicheng's head.
"Your Majesty, all the mistakes are this old servant's fault. If you are unhappy and want to vent your anger, punish this old servant. While Prince of Xin's actions this time may have been somewhat imprudent, he is, after all, your imperial son. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider!"
Liang Shicheng spoke, enduring the sharp pain in his head, and kowtowed heavily on the ground three more times.
Seeing the bright red blood on the ground, Zhao Ji, who had been consumed by fury, finally managed to calm down.
"Go and tend to your wound. Then, have that unfilial son bring those people in!"
After taking several deep breaths, Zhao Ji finally relented.
"Yes!"
Upon hearing his words, Liang Shicheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, having managed to pass the most difficult hurdle.
Trembling, he endured the intense dizziness and stumbled out of the hall. Supported by two young eunuchs, he hurried towards Xuande Gate.
"Godfather, perhaps we should find an imperial physician to treat your wound first? You look..."
Seeing the blood dripping from Liang Shicheng's head, the young eunuch Shuangxi's eyes welled up with tears as he spoke.
"Why speak of such things? Don't you know what time it is? Stop wasting words and hurry!"
As Xuande Gate came into view, Liang Shicheng could no longer afford to hesitate.
Zhao Ji was stubborn and suspicious. Even Liang Shicheng couldn't guarantee he could always guess the emperor's thoughts.
He had finally managed to appease the emperor temporarily, and he was more afraid that the emperor, left alone in the hall, might reconsider and become angry again!
However, the wound on his scalp was already quite deep, and now that he was quickening his pace, the bleeding from the wound became uncontrollable.
"Godfather, let your son carry you! If you continue like this, you'll lose too much blood!"
Seeing the white cloth on Liang Shicheng's head visibly turning red, Shuangxi quickly knelt before him.
"It's rare for you to be so filial. Do as you say!"
After giving him a deep look, Liang Shicheng no longer refused and climbed onto Shuangxi's back.
Although Shuangxi was a eunuch, he had undergone castration later than other young eunuchs, and his build was sturdier than theirs.
Even carrying Liang Shicheng, he moved with great speed. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had brought Liang Shicheng to the outside of Xuande Gate.
"I can't go out looking like this. You go and invite Prince of Xin and Prime Minister Fan in to speak!"
Upon seeing the situation outside the gate, Liang Shicheng hesitated again.
If he went out in his current state, it would undoubtedly lead to many unnecessary speculations. Now, he could only have the young eunuch deliver the message first.
"Godfather, don't worry, I'll go now!"
"Speak politely. They are the Prime Minister and His Majesty's imperial son!"
After Shuangxi had taken only a couple of steps, Liang Shicheng, still feeling uneasy, admonished him again.
"I understand, Godfather. Don't worry!"
After cupping his hands towards Liang Shicheng again, Shuangxi hurriedly walked out of Xuande Gate and went straight to Fan Zhengguo and Zhao Zhen.
"Your Highness Prince of Xin, Prime Minister Fan, may I request that you both step inside the palace gate to speak?"
Zhao Zhen was currently at the height of his influence, and Shuangxi recognized him immediately. He quietly approached Zhao Zhen and immediately lowered his voice.
"Who are you?"
Seeing the bloodstains on Shuangxi's body, Zhao Zhen's pupils constricted.
"My name is Shuangxi. I have been ordered by Grand Commandant Liang to invite Your Highness to speak!"
As Shuangxi spoke, he pointed again in the direction of Xuande Gate.