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Chapter 1314: Side Story: The Mighty Great Qi (4)

While the courtiers did not get to see the Emperor, they did see King Rong.

With the imperial edict in hand, Qi Haoran brought the Crown Prince out to meet the courtiers.

Everyone knelt on the ground and listened to the imperial edict with indistinguishable expressions. They really wanted to believe in King Rong and the Crown Prince, but seeing how common it was for members of the royal family to turn against each other, they couldn’t help but doubt the authenticity of this imperial edict.

Was the Emperor free to act?

Other than the Second Prince, who was only a little surprised, the rest of the princes also looked at the Crown Prince suspiciously.

Even Rong Xuan, who had retired and was only a Duke at the moment, ran to Prince An’s Residence to look for Fan Zijin to gather information. When he couldn’t find Fan Zijin there, he entered the palace with a solemn expression to seek an audience.

Oblivious to the undercurrent behind the calm facade, Qi Haoran happily exchanged pleasantries with Rong Xuan. “Brother Rong, you came at the right time. Big Brother wants to find someone to play chess with. I’m so busy here that I don’t have time to accompany him. Why don’t you go keep him company?”

Rong Xuan was stunned. Then, he nodded with a complicated expression and said, “Okay.”

Along the way, Rong Xuan was a little silent. From time to time, he would glance at Qi Haoran. Seeing that Qi Haoran’s expression was unchanged, his heart sank even more.

Until he saw the Emperor having lunch in the hall.

Qi Xiuyuan was throwing a tantrum about lunch. Upon glancing over, he saw that the table was filled with lightly-flavored dishes and there was not even a single meat dish. Could it be that as the Emperor, he could not even eat a meat dish?

Eunuch Wan tried to persuade him with a fawning expression. “Your Majesty, Chief Physician Hua said that your stomach is still weak. Thus, you should eat something light for the next few days and must stay away from greasy food. After all, you haven’t completely recovered.”

Qi Xiuyuan was unwilling to listen. Perhaps because he was about to put down the heavy burden he had been shouldering for so long, he was a little willful right now. He said, “I won’t listen to these reasons. In any case, I want to eat meat. Hurry up and get the imperial kitchen to serve new dishes.”

Qi Haoran ran forward and coaxed, “Big Brother, it’s almost noon. How can you nurse your health if your mealtimes are so irregular? Make do with these for now. I’ll get them to prepare meat for you tonight. Tell me what you want to eat and I’ll get the imperial kitchen to make it all for you.”

Qi Xiuyuan looked at him suspiciously. “Don’t lie to me.”

“No lying, no lying.”

Only then was Qi Xiuyuan satisfied. When he saw Rong Xuan standing beside Qi Haoran, he said with a smile, “Jinyu, it’s great that you’re here. Come, play chess with me. They’re all unwilling to keep me company. You mustn’t decline.”

Seeing that the Emperor was in a better condition than two days ago, Rong Xuan smiled and agreed. “Okay.”

Eunuch Wan quickly prepared a pair of chopsticks for Rong Xuan, then slipped out of the hall under the excuse of retrieving the chess set that the Emperor most often used.

Eunuch Wan quickly stepped forward to stop King Rong and said with a bitter expression, “Your Highness, His Majesty really mustn’t eat meat and fish. Considering his stomach is weak and he almost died this time, he ought to follow the doctor’s instructions.”

“I’ll get someone to invite Master Ji Yuan of the Lingyin Temple later. Clear out His Majesty’s small kitchen and prepare it for the master.”

Eunuch Wan was stunned momentarily before coming back to his senses. Lingyin Temple’s vegetarian food was famous in the capital, and Master Ji Yuan had superb culinary skills that allowed him to whip up vegetarian food that tasted and looked just like meat dishes.

Since the Emperor was just gluttonous and wanted to eat some meat, this kind of vegetarian food was most suitable.

Eunuch Wan immediately smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ll make the necessary preparations right away.”

In the hall, Rong Xuan glanced at the palace servants. Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and dismissed them.

Seeing that the servants still acted according to his instructions, that particular thought in Rong Xuan’s heart grew stronger. He said helplessly, “Your Majesty, there are no soldiers guarding outside.”

Qi Xiuyuan held his chopsticks and said in a daze, “Why would there be soldiers guarding my main residence?”

“So Your Majesty is willingly abdicating the throne to the Crown Prince?”

Having been the Emperor for more than 20 years, Qi Xiuyuan understood Rong Xuan’s doubts immediately. Since even Rong Xuan suspected that he was being forced to abdicate, the other courtiers must share similar sentiments.

He immediately blew his beard and glared. “I’m not a sick cat without claws. Who in this world dares to imprison me?”

He snapped angrily, “How did Haoran and Wenchen handle this matter? How could they cause such a misunderstanding? They’re simply incompetent and can’t do anything right.”

Rong Xuan said helplessly, “Your Majesty, you can’t blame them for this. You know Haoran’s temper. If the courtiers don’t show their thoughts on their faces, how can Haoran guess what they’re thinking? As for the Crown Prince, I’m afraid he’s still reeling in shock. How could this have occurred to him?”

Rong Xuan stood up and knelt down. “Since Your Majesty wants to do this, why don’t you step forward and explain it to the courtiers? This could also help to dispel unwanted thoughts.”

With a complicated look in his eyes, Qi Xiuyuan asked, “What did the Fourth and Fifth Prince do?”

Smiling, Rong Xuan said, “The two princes are filial and didn’t do anything. Still, it’s not good to create this knot in their hearts.”

Rong Xuan did not care if there was a knot in their hearts, but if the two princes attacked the Crown Prince with their suspicions, it would inevitably shake the foundation of Great Qi.

Qi Xiuyuan sighed faintly and said, “In terms of governing the country, I admit that I’m not inferior to anyone. However, when it comes to teaching children, I’m indeed much inferior to Haoran and Ah Ling. The Second Prince was raised by them. Even though he has a mother like Concubine Zhao, he wasn’t led astray. On the other hand, the Fourth and Fifth Prince are easily incited by others. They forgot how Wenchen had brought them out to play and taught them how to read since they were young.”

Rong Xuan lowered his head and did not speak. In fact, the princes of this dynasty were considered very blissful. Other than being especially biased towards the Crown Prince, the Emperor treated the other princes equally.

In the royal family, which Emperor could abandon government affairs and specially pay attention to the education of the princes?

Which Emperor would play games with the princes and tour the Imperial Garden with them every day?

Qi Xiuyuan was the only one.

Even a minister like Rong Xuan could not do it, but the extremely Qi Xiuyuan actually achieved such a feat. He was certainly a good father.

Even then, the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince could still be instigated to have disloyal thoughts. It could be seen that the issue lay with their nature.

Moreover, the princes of this dynasty did not fight with each other. The Crown Prince and the Second Prince both had the self-awareness of being older brothers, especially the Crown Prince. He especially doted on his younger brothers and had brought them along to play since they were young.

Therefore, Rong Xuan didn’t think that the Emperor and Crown Prince were responsible for their disloyalty.

Qi Xiuyuan was sad for a moment. He immediately summoned the Cabinet, the ministers of the six ministries, and the princes to talk about the abdication matter in front of them.

The Emperor said, “Due to my poor health, I’ll leave the matter of the abdication to you. There’s no need to consult me if there’s anything unresolved. Just ask King Rong and the Crown Prince.”

When the ministers came, they also noticed that there were no soldiers guarding nearby. Moreover, the Emperor was very free. It could be seen that he was indeed abdicating the throne willingly.

The Minister of Rites hurriedly asked, “When does Your Majesty think is a good time for the abdication?”

Qi Xiuyuan glared at him and said, “Shouldn’t you be asking the Imperial Astronomer?”

The Minister of Rites hurriedly looked at the Minister of Revenue for help. The two ministers were good friends, so the Minister of Revenue quickly stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, seeing as spring is soon to end, why don’t we wait until the beginning of spring next year? That way, it’ll be easier to set the era name and the Ministry of Rites can also have enough time to make preparations.”

Having long planned what he would do after he abdicated, Qi Xiuyuan was anxious to get it done and over with, so how could he wait until next year? He said, “Even if it’s an important ceremony, we should be thrifty and not be extravagant. I think a month is enough. Let the Imperial Astronomer fix a date soon. Also, I have a headache whenever I see you these days, so don’t come again unless you absolutely have to. If you have questions, look for the Crown Prince and King Rong. If not, look for Prince An.”

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