The prince is more stable

Chapter 813 Revisiting the Old Case
The enthronement ceremony was so solemn and dignified.

However, at that moment, someone disrupted the ceremony and shouted out a statement that was completely unrelated to the ritual.

The assembled officials in the Daqing Hall were in an uproar, all turning to look at the person who had spoken.

The speaker was Lu Changshen, a censor from the Censorate and an advisor.

Lu Changshen was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the eighth year of the Jiayou era. Due to the struggle between the old and new factions, the court policies were constantly changing. Lu Changshen was originally a member of the new faction, and his official career was full of ups and downs. At the height of his career, he served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

During the Yuan You era, when the old party was restored and Sima Guang overthrew the new policies, Lu Changshen, as a new party official, was demoted and at his lowest point served as the deputy military commissioner of Hongzhou.

Being demoted to militia captain was bad enough, but to be a deputy one at that was already a bad situation.

Later, the New Party made a comeback. After Emperor Zhezong assumed personal rule, Zhang Dun was appointed prime minister. With a stroke of his pen, the prime minister brought this key member of the New Party back to Bianjing from Hongzhou, appointing him as a censor and advisor.

At this moment, Lu Changshen stood upright and righteous in the hall. The officials hurriedly retreated, as there was no one around Lu Changshen for about ten feet, for fear of being associated with him.

Faced with Lu Changshen's sudden attack, Emperor Huizong of Tang frowned on the dragon throne.

He felt uneasy early this morning, his eyelids kept twitching, and even his heart was beating wildly for no reason, as if something big was about to happen.

Originally, the enthronement ceremony went smoothly. Zhao Ji only needed to approve the memorials for investiture and amnesty, and the ceremony would be more than halfway complete. Next, there would be various sacrifices, worships and other ceremonies, but those were just formalities. Soon he would be the legitimate emperor of the Song Dynasty.

At this critical juncture, someone actually jumped out and created chaos, and Zhao Ji's ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger.

In front of three thousand court officials, Zhao Ji could only suppress his rage and unease, and tried his best to ask calmly, "What is unforgivable?"

Lu Changshen stepped forward, his face fearless, and declared loudly, "Your Highness Prince Duan, I request a thorough investigation into the case of the untimely death of the former Crown Prince Chongxian!"

The reason he was addressed as "Your Highness Prince Duan" was because the enthronement ceremony had not yet been completed; strictly speaking, Zhao Ji was not yet the official emperor of the Song Dynasty.

"Crown Prince Chongxian" was Zhao Mao, Zhao Xu's only youngest son, who was only three months old. Later, Zhao Xu bestowed upon him the posthumous title of "Chongxian" and posthumously granted him the title of "Crown Prince".

When the Crown Prince Chongxian was mentioned, the courtiers in the hall were even more astonished, and discussions arose everywhere.

The Crown Prince Chongxian died more than a year ago, which is a long time ago. Moreover, the case had been closed after the Imperial City Guard investigated it, and the Emperor Zhao Xu at the time accepted the result.

Such a distant matter is suddenly being discussed at the new emperor's coronation ceremony; this is clearly very strange, and something big is about to happen.

Most of the court officials in the palace were intelligent people, and intelligent people generally think in a way that allows them to draw inferences from one instance to another.

Soon, some people realized that Lu Changshen's use of the case of the premature death of Crown Prince Chongxian at the registration ceremony was clearly not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather had his own purpose and deeper meaning.

So, could the premature death of Crown Prince Chongxian be related to Zhao Ji?

If this is confirmed, it would be a huge scandal!

Seeing the ministers whispering and looking at him strangely, Zhao Ji suddenly felt his hands and feet turn cold, and he could not even feel his own heartbeat. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead and his face gradually turned pale.

Taking a few deep breaths, Zhao Ji tried to suppress the fear and anxiety in his heart, calmly stared at Lu Changshen, and slowly said, "Imperial Censor Lu, today is my enthronement ceremony. Is it inappropriate for you to bring up this matter during the ceremony?"

“If a thorough investigation is desired, you may submit a memorial separately. After the ceremony, I can order the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to begin the investigation. However, you have disrupted the ceremony and angered Heaven. Can you bear the consequences of this crime?”

In the end, Zhao Ji became increasingly stern and imposing, dressed in imperial robes and wearing a twelve-tasseled imperial crown, which added to his imperial majesty.

Faced with Zhao Ji's questioning, Lu Changshen showed no fear and coldly replied, "If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, it will be difficult to explain to the people, and His Highness Prince Duan's ascension to the throne will be illegitimate and improper. Therefore, I request to conduct a thorough investigation at this time!"

The discussions in the crowd grew increasingly frantic. Lu Changshen's tone and attitude made it almost clear that he considered Zhao Ji a suspect.

Zhao Xiaoqian was somewhat surprised to see himself at the front of the court.

The usual practice in court disputes is that cannon fodder comes out first to stir up trouble, then more important figures step forward and charge into battle in the name of justice, and finally the big boss comes out to produce irrefutable evidence and decide life and death with a single word.

The process is correct, but this Lu Changshen... he's clearly cannon fodder, but this cannon fodder seems to be quite formidable.

Turning his head to look at Zhang Dun standing on his left, Zhao Xiaoqian whispered in his ear, "Did you arrange this guy surnamed Lu?"

Zhang Dun stroked his beard and hummed in agreement.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at him with admiration. If even the cannon fodder is this fierce, then the big shots behind him must be going to be unstoppable.

Looking at Zhang Dun again, Zhao Xiaoqian noticed that he seemed uneasy, his attention was clearly not on the chaos in the hall, and his eyes were wandering as if he had something very heavy on his mind.

Zhao Xiaoqian's heart sank. Could this old bastard be turning against him at a time like this?

"Lord Zhang, what's wrong?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Zhang Dun hesitated for a moment, then said, "Zeng Bu is missing."

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly looked around and found that Zeng Bu, the Privy Councilor, was indeed not in the court.

Zeng Bu was present when the imperial ancestral temple was offering sacrifices to Heaven. Zhao Xiaoqian remembered that he had nodded and greeted him at the time, but now that the emperor and his ministers have arrived at the Daqing Hall, Zeng Bu has disappeared.

Zeng Bu would never be absent from such an important occasion unless there was an emergency. Therefore, this means that something unexpected has happened!

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes immediately darkened. After looking around, he said in a deep voice, "Could it be that he heard something?"

Zhang Dun said in a deep voice, "Although Zeng Bu is also a member of the New Party, he and I have always been at odds, especially on the matter of establishing a new emperor. Zeng Bu is determined to support Prince Duan, Zhao Ji, and I have argued with him more than once. His sudden disappearance at the coronation ceremony today is obviously very strange."

After a pause, Zhang Dun suddenly said, "Your Yan Yun army is almost at Bianjing. There are already rumors in Bianjing. However, the army has official documents from the Privy Council and the Ministry of War to mobilize troops, so the local government and garrison along the way have not stopped them. But I'm afraid this matter cannot be kept from Zeng Bu."

"As the Privy Councilor, he knows best whether or not troops have been mobilized. He probably heard the news just now and went to the Privy Council to verify the situation of the troop movements in Yan and Yun."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "Zeng Bu is a variable; we must control him, otherwise things may change."

At this time, everyone was inside the Daqing Hall, and Zhao Xiaoqian was standing in a relatively forward position, so he could not leave quietly.

The attention in the hall was no longer on the grand ceremony; the officials were all discussing it, and Zhao Ji was glaring at Lu Changshen with bloodshot eyes, drawing everyone's attention to the two of them.

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked, quietly took a few steps back, then moved a few steps to the side, and slowly moved into the imperial clan's court, getting close to Zhao Hao.

When Zhao Hao saw Zhao Xiaoqian move closer without leaving a trace, he knew that something must have happened, and his fat body also quietly moved closer to Zhao Xiaoqian.

During the enthronement ceremony of the Song Dynasty emperor, a touching scene unfolded as a father and son ran towards each other.

The father and son finally leaned together, and Zhao Xiaoqian whispered a few words in his ear. Zhao Hao's expression changed several times before he nodded.

Then, Zhao Hao's face turned pale at a visible speed, and beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead. He clutched his stomach with one hand and, taking advantage of the discussions among the officials in the hall, staggered towards the hall door.

Outside the palace gates, there were many censors on duty, who kept a close eye on the officials and were responsible for recording their improper words and deeds to fill the gaps in their impeachment cases and materials.

Zhao Hao staggered to a censor, bent over and looked extremely pained. He gestured and said a few words. The censor suddenly took two steps back, subconsciously covered his nose, and pointed outside the hall. Zhao Hao thanked him and hurriedly left Daqing Hall.

The series of movements were skillful and fluid, leaving Zhao Xiaoqian dumbfounded.

Now he finally understands the true meaning of the saying "A shameless person is invincible," with his acting skills that come out of nowhere and his soul that can leave at any moment...

He deserves to be the son, while the other person is the biological father. He's still quite capable; he really has a lot to learn.

Zhao Hao secretly ran away, and Zhao Xiaoqian knew that he must have arranged for people to arrest Zeng Bu.

Inside the Daqing Hall, the struggle had reached a fever pitch.

Today is Zhao Ji's enthronement ceremony, but Lu Changshen revealed the case of the young prince's death in front of three thousand court officials. If Zhao Ji tries to cover it up, he will obviously not be able to explain himself, because Lu Changshen's tone clearly indicates that he has identified him as the murderer.

The emperor has killed people before, and the one he killed was the youngest prince, the only one who could inherit the throne. This is no small matter. If he doesn't give an explanation now, the coronation ceremony today simply cannot continue.

Zhao Xiaoqian coldly stared at Zhao Ji, who was sitting upright in the hall. The distance was quite close, and Zhao Xiaoqian could even see Zhao Ji's body trembling slightly. It was not excitement, but fear.

If today's events are not handled carefully, Zhao Ji will fall from grace and into the depths of despair; there is no third option.

Empress Dowager Xiang, sitting upright to one side, had a somewhat complicated expression.

From the moment Lu Changshen uttered his first cry, Empress Dowager Xiang knew that Zhao Hao and his son had begun their operation.

The atmosphere among the courtiers in the hall had been stirred up, and their gazes toward Zhao Ji were now filled with suspicion.

If this matter is brought up during the coronation ceremony, and if Lu Changshen doesn't have substantial evidence to prove Zhao Ji's innocence, his fate will certainly be tragic.

Therefore, Lu Changshen is fighting a desperate battle, and anyone who fights a desperate battle must have some trump card up their sleeve.

Empress Dowager Xiang grew increasingly uneasy. She didn't know who the final victor would be today. Faced with such a terrifying and enormous storm, the Empress Dowager was just an ordinary woman who could be swallowed up by the waves at any moment.

She sat in the hall facing the assembled officials, giving her a clearer view of their expressions.

When she saw that many New Party officials showed no surprise at Lu Changshen's appearance, and that their expressions and eyes were filled with indifference and determination, Empress Dowager Xiang knew that the palace coup plotted by Zhao Hao and his son was not only military but also involved in the court.

This was a meticulously planned conspiracy, a scheme orchestrated by someone who was caught off guard.

Empress Dowager Xiang's expression was complicated. For some reason, she couldn't help but look at Zhao Hao in the court.

Until she saw Zhao Hao clutching his stomach, staggering towards the palace gate, gesturing a few words, and then continuing to stagger out of the palace gate.

Empress Dowager Xiang's expression finally changed. For Zhao Hao to disregard etiquette and leave alone on such an important occasion, something must have happened.

So, has there been any new development in today's outcome?

The sight of Zhao Hao staggering away with his buttocks tucked between his legs left Empress Dowager Xiang speechless with sorrow.

The thought that she would have to spend the rest of her life with such an ugly and rude fat man filled Empress Dowager Xiang with sorrow.

She even bent over for him!

(End of this chapter)