In the vast Hall of Mental Cultivation, as Emperor Xingzhao uttered these words, everyone held their breath, looking at him motionlessly.
"Minister Shen, draft my decree. Feng Bao, prepare the ink and brush. You shall kneel and listen to the decree."
Emperor Xingzhao's voice was still hoarse, sounding extremely uncomfortable to everyone's ears, like being in a desert and having sand forced into one's mouth.
But undeniably, his majesty remained.
After suppressing the thoughts of the ministers, Emperor Xingzhao, as if nothing had happened, gestured for Shen Yun to draft the decree.
Shen Yun's heart was filled with unbearable excitement.
They had finally reached the most crucial step.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince cannot be deposed." Minister of War and Grand Secretary Huang Fengxian reacted first, speaking out.
Deposing the Crown Prince was a matter of state. How could it be done so casually, as if playing house, to depose one and install another at will?
Furthermore, if the Crown Prince were deposed and Prince Duan installed, what would become of them, the established Crown Prince faction?
Minister of Justice Tang Kaiquan quickly chimed in, citing a plethora of historical classics and philosophical texts to defend the Crown Prince.
In short, after a lengthy discourse, the central idea was singular: the Crown Prince must not be deposed.
Emperor Xingzhao listened with a cold expression.
These officials were unlike Shen Yun.
When they spoke, their hearts were biased, leaning towards his good son, Liang Xinran.
It seemed that Liang Xinran's actions were not limited to what had been exposed so far.
There were many more things he was unaware of.
But what of it? He had already concluded from the depths of his heart that his son was unfit to be the heir.
A Crown Prince who played with women to the point of contracting a venereal disease and transmitting it to the Emperor through a palace concubine was likely unique in the Great Liang dynasty for a hundred years.
No, perhaps he was unprecedented and would never be surpassed!
Remembering this matter, Emperor Xingzhao's inner rage burned fiercely, impossible to extinguish.
Consequently, he even found Tang Kaiquan and Huang Fengxian displeasing to his sight.
Meanwhile, Shen Yun had already drafted the imperial decree to depose the Crown Prince and install Prince Duan as the heir.
Under Emperor Xingzhao's gaze, Feng Bao brought the imperial seal to be affixed. The decree was completed.
A heavy stone was lifted from Shen Yun's heart.
Below, the Grand Secretaries were still engaged in heated debate and argument.
This day was destined to be an unusual one.
As dusk fell, the sky darkened, and a cold winter rain began to fall.
It made the already unbearable winter even colder.
But no matter how cold the day was, it could not compare to the coldness in Liang Xinran's heart as he was confined to the Crown Prince's mansion.
He had already learned of his deposition from Huang Fengxian.
He was disheartened and had even contemplated suicide with his sword.
But his maternal grandfather, Duke Huang, stopped him.
Duke Huang was very angry. Looking at his grandson before, he hadn't seen anything wrong.
With the help of the officials in the Eastern Palace, his handling of state affairs was considered quite proper.
He might not have been outstanding, but he hadn't made any major mistakes.
But now, seeing him, one felt he was utterly incapable of great tasks.
However, being his biological grandson, what could he do but support him!
Duke Huang pulled Liang Xinran to sit on a chair, his sparse eyebrows furrowed tightly.
"This is but a minor matter, why are you so distraught?"
"Grandfather, Father wants to depose me, to depose me! How can this be a minor matter?"
This was a matter of utmost importance to him.
From birth, he had been told that he was destined to be the Crown Prince.
For the first decade or so, Liang Xinye, that Crown Prince, had blocked his path.
Fortunately, his birth mother had schemed, leading to his temporary elevation.
He had finally ascended.
He felt as if something he had pursued for a long time was finally within his grasp.
He felt secure!
Thus, he gradually began to let himself go.
Whatever he wanted, he would send people to get it.
If he couldn't get it, he would snatch it. If he couldn't snatch it, he would kill the person to obtain it.
Under this modus operandi, he became increasingly arrogant.
And because there was no one to restrain him, none of his imperial brothers could match him.
Therefore, his actions became more and more arbitrary.
He felt the benefits of power.
He yearned for the position at the highest level even more.
But just when he thought his position was completely secure.
His good father had placed a major obstacle in his path.
That obstacle was his elder brother, who had long been deposed and exiled to the Bashu region.
He had returned, the deposed Crown Prince had returned.
Liang Xinran immediately felt threatened.
Therefore, the moment he saw Liang Xinye, he wanted to bring him down.
To crush him once again!
And this time, he didn't just want to exile him.
As long as the person was alive, the threat would always exist, and his position would not be stable.
Therefore, almost without warning, he directly attacked Liang Xinye.
And he attacked him again and again.
If one attempt failed, he would try again.
However, Liang Xinye, who had returned to the vortex of power that was the capital from his place of exile, seemed to have become smarter.
Before, he could easily predict Liang Xinye's actions with a little planning.
But now, despite his best efforts, he hadn't managed to inflict any serious damage. Instead, he had lost his position as Crown Prince.
How could he be willing!
However, despite his unwillingness, being threatened with deposition by the father who had doted on him for decades still filled his heart with immeasurable sadness.
And also a sense of bewilderment and helplessness.
It was as if his entire life had been spent striving for this position.
When he had strived to a certain point, and when he could clearly see the dawn, it had suddenly come to an abrupt halt.
Suffering such a profound blow, he found it difficult to bear.
He thought of ending it all by taking his own life.
"Your Highness, if you slit your throat, it would indeed be an end to everything.
If Prince Duan ascends, will he spare those involved in the 'Dragon Robe Incident'?
Will he spare your birth mother, and us who are loyal to you?"
Duke Huang's words struck directly at his heart. Liang Xinran, who was already in low spirits, suddenly found a direction to strive for.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Grandfather, it was me, I was deluded."
At any time, wanting to die is an unacceptable way of handling things.
It is escapism.
And now, it was not yet time for him to escape.
"Your Highness, His Majesty merely spoke of it. The decree has not yet been announced. Who can truly believe it?" Duke Huang persuaded him sternly.
They, the Crown Prince faction, had been marked from the moment they were branded. Their fate was inextricably linked with Prince Duan and the officials who sought to prevent the Crown Prince from ascending.
There was nothing more to be said, and they could not retreat.
If they retreated, they would not only lose their personal interests.
But their entire families!
As descendants, they naturally had to strive for the glory of their ancestors and not bring shame upon them through their own actions.
A eunuch stepped forward and suddenly spoke.
"Indeed, Your Highness, at least for now, you are still the Crown Prince.
If anything were to happen to the one in the palace, your enthronement would be a matter of course."
The eunuch, Little Li Zi's words were like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating ripples.
Liang Xinran, at this moment, found it difficult not to listen to him.
Duke Huang also cast a significant glance at the little eunuch before him.
He looked no different from other eunuchs.
With a delicate face, fair and thin, he stood before them, bowing and stooping, appearing very respectful.
However, it had to be said that his words held merit.
Once the imperial decree deposing the Crown Prince was issued.
Then everyone would know that the Crown Prince had been deposed.
And by then, it would be too late to do anything – without proper justification, words would not be effective!
But it was different now. If they were to act before the decree of deposition and installation was announced, and seize the Emperor in one fell swoop, changing the content of the decree to the Crown Prince's enthronement, wouldn't that be ideal?
Duke Huang excitedly shared his thoughts with Liang Xinran.
Liang Xinran was startled, but quickly wavered under the persuasion of everyone.
That's right, his father had been disloyal and unjust to him.
Why should he then concern himself with filial piety? Power was the ultimate authority.
Liang Xinran was inherently a bold person, but his constant fear of the formidable Emperor Xingzhao had prevented him from considering this possibility.
Now, with the reminder from others, his thoughts were firmer than anyone's.
"Let's do it!"
If they did it, there was a certain probability of success. If they succeeded, he would be the Emperor above all, his word absolute, and he would rule without question.
If they failed, then they failed!