Chapter 98

Speaking of the connections within the imperial court, Prince Xian had been meticulously cultivating them for years, and his influence was certainly no less than that of Prince Chu. If the throne successor were to be chosen according to the traditional rules of primogeniture, Prince Xian would have no chance. But now, with Emperor Xuan's edict, Prince Xian has a chance. Overjoyed, how could Prince Xian allow this group of officials who supported his second brother to cause trouble and change the situation?

At that moment, Prince Xian gave a subtle nod. Immediately, more than a dozen officials stood up, sternly condemning the group of officials who were crying, accusing them of defying the imperial edict and showing disrespect to the emperor.

The group of crying officials, seeing that someone was criticizing them, were delighted. They all jumped up, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, pointing at the noses of the officials who supported Prince Xian, and began to curse them. They said that each of them was a shameless villain, a treacherous and wicked person. It was they who had corrupted the court's atmosphere, misleading the emperor and causing him to issue such a chaotic decree. All the mistakes were theirs.

If the Great Hao Dynasty were to fall into turmoil and destroy the hard-won favorable situation, they would be eternal sinners, and their names would surely be written into the "Biographies of Corrupt Officials" in the history books, leaving them with a legacy of infamy.

The officials who supported Prince Xian, of course, were not willing to back down. They retorted, saying that the group who supported Prince Chu had no talent, only talking about propriety and morality. In reality, they were all hypocrites, appearing righteous on the surface but engaging in all sorts of despicable acts in private, and had no right to criticize others. The emperor had seen through their true nature, which was why he issued the edict to establish a capable person as the crown prince.

For a moment, the Golden Hall was filled with flying spittle and heated arguments. Both sides held their own views, and the situation was chaotic. The turmoil was even more intense than the fight between Xiao Sheng and the Son of Donghuang just a while ago.

To be honest, Xiao Sheng had never thought about becoming emperor. But suddenly, Emperor Xuan issued an edict, stating that he, along with his second, fourth, and eighth brothers, would be eligible to compete for the throne. At this moment, Xiao Sheng's feelings were very complex. Even he did not know whether he was angry or happy, resentful or joyful.

Just as Xiao Sheng felt somewhat lost, the officials belonging to Prince Chu and Prince Xian were arguing more intensely, and the scope of the conflict was expanding, involving more and more officials.

Suddenly, a censor from the Censorate strode over, stood in front of the Fourteenth Prince, raised his finger, and pointed directly at his nose, sternly lecturing the Fourteenth Prince.

"Establishing the eldest legitimate son as the heir is an eternal truth. Only a person with pure bloodline can inherit the throne, to prevent the ambitions of the wicked. Only when everyone is in their proper place, and no one dares to have improper thoughts, can the country be at peace. Therefore, the Second Prince, as the legitimate son of the Empress, inheriting the throne is a matter of right and destiny.

Prince Fei, you are a bastard, with impure blood. No matter how high your martial realm is, you are still a waste! Such a person cannot inherit a family, let alone a country. It is absurd, ridiculous, and laughable!

Prince Fei, if you have any self-awareness, you should immediately submit a petition, declaring that you have no ambition to inherit the throne, and then go home to reflect. Otherwise, if you dare to covet what you have no right to, you will end up in disgrace and infamy!"

Before today, everyone in the court, inside and out, called Xiao Sheng "Prince Fei." But after his duel with the Son of Donghuang, Chen Suibian, no one would have thought that Xiao Sheng was really a waste and dared to look down on him.

But to his surprise, there was actually someone fearless enough to stand in front of Xiao Sheng, point at his nose, and continue to call him "Prince Fei." Even though Xiao Sheng had no desire to be emperor, he couldn't help but feel angry.

Xiao Sheng's face darkened, and he stared intently at the censor, coldly smiling. "What did you say? Your voice was too low just now, I didn't hear clearly. If you have the nerve, say it again."

Xiao Sheng had just killed someone, and the smell of blood and the aura of killing still lingered on him. Once this killing aura was released, it was not something a mere civil official could withstand. Although the censor was also a martial practitioner with the strength to tear tigers and leopards, in front of Xiao Sheng, he suddenly felt a chill and his legs trembled uncontrollably.

Subconsciously, the censor could no longer stand. He shivered all over and fell to the ground, but his mouth was still hard. "S-Say, s-say, s-say, what's the big deal? Prince Fei, you are a bastard, a bastard! Your bloodline is low, how can you have the right to be the emperor of the Great Hao Dynasty? If you really have delusions, your end will be even worse than Chen Suibian's!"

Xiao Sheng coldly snorted, raised his right hand, and was about to give the censor a hard slap to teach him a lesson. But before he could strike, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. An old man with white eyebrows and white hair, who seemed weak and on the verge of death, stood in front of Xiao Sheng. It was Eunuch Zhang.

Xiao Sheng's mother, Empress Mu, was once the most favored concubine of Emperor Xuan. Before he was ten, Xiao Sheng often followed Emperor Xuan and was very much favored. Therefore, he was not unfamiliar with Eunuch Zhang.

Seeing Eunuch Zhang come over, Xiao Sheng thought he was there to stop him. Although he was unhappy, he still had to give Eunuch Zhang some face. He put down his hand and nodded, greeting him, "Eunuch, it's been a long time, how are you?"

Eunuch Zhang also nodded, coughing and sighing, "Fourteenth Prince, it's been a long time, you've grown and improved. Alas, the Emperor is very pleased with your achievements, but Empress Mu can no longer see it. Alas~"

After sighing a few times, Eunuch Zhang looked at the censor and shook his head. "A mere fifth-rank official dares to speak so boldly and show disrespect to a prince? Cough, cough, the world has truly changed."

The censor, relying on his status as a supporter of Prince Chu and the presence of many people, although his legs were trembling, he still spoke firmly. "I am just speaking my mind, how can it be considered disrespect? Eunuch Zhang, the Emperor's decree is chaotic. As a veteran of three dynasties, you should advise the Emperor to retract the chaotic decree and restore order. Otherwise, you will be remembered in history as a sinner and a disgrace!"

Eunuch Zhang sighed, "What a smooth tongue. Unfortunately, I am just a servant of the Emperor. Whether I am praised or cursed, I don't care. I only know that the Emperor is the sky, the law! The Emperor's words are golden and never false. Defying the imperial edict and insulting a prince are grave offenses. Combined, they deserve—death!"

As he spoke, Eunuch Zhang slowly stepped forward, extended his hand, and slapped the censor's head. The censor was shocked and never expected Eunuch Zhang to really act. He quickly used his hands and feet to retreat backward.

Unfortunately, all the censor's struggles were in vain. Eunuch Zhang's palm landed precisely on the censor's crown. A strange sound, "crack," echoed, and the censor's head was smashed like a watermelon, and he fell backward, dead on the spot.

Eunuch Zhang calmly took out a white handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped the blood and flesh off his hand, and then threw the handkerchief away, coldly saying, "Although you deserve death, you only have one life, so I can only forgive you 9,999 times. If you have another life, you can repay it then."

Pausing, Eunuch Zhang turned to Xiao Sheng, bowed slightly, and asked, "Fourteenth Prince, are you satisfied with how I handled it?"

Xiao Sheng felt relieved and nodded, "Thank you, Eunuch."

"Not at all, not at all. As a servant, it is my duty to help the Emperor and support the princes. What's the trouble?"

Eunuch Zhang smiled slightly, looked around the hall, and said coldly, "These arrogant people, who think they know everything and believe they have the right to lecture everyone, I never waste words with them. I kill one, and then another, until they are all gone. Then there will be peace. The Great Hao Dynasty has plenty of people. If there are vacancies in the court, there will be many people fighting for them. It's a joke to worry about a lack of officials."

The mutual attacks and arguments among the civil officials were a common occurrence. Although the arguments were intense and the insults were harsh, no one had ever seen anyone dare to actually kill someone. In an instant, almost all the civil officials were shocked by Eunuch Zhang's action. They were speechless and dared not say another word.

Eunuch Zhang looked around the hall and said calmly, "I have spent my whole life in the palace, so I have no great knowledge or wisdom. I only know that whatever the Emperor says is right and just.

The Emperor says that there are always ignorant people who try to divide people into legitimate and illegitimate, and claim that a son's status is determined by his mother. All of this is nonsense. Siblings from the same father share the same blood, and there is no distinction between noble and low. The Emperor's sons are all dragons, all equally noble. Anyone who dares to insult a prince based on their birth will be punished with death without mercy."

Pausing, Eunuch Zhang opened his mouth, which had few teeth left, and smiled at the Empress, Prince Chu, Prince Jian, and Prince Xian, asking, "Empress, Second Prince, Fourth Prince, Eighth Prince, do you think the Emperor's words are reasonable?"

The Empress and Prince Chu both had iron faces, coldly snorted, and said nothing. Prince Jian sighed twice and remained silent. Only Prince Xian clapped and praised, "Eunuch Zhang, well said. The Emperor's words are always reasonable. Otherwise, how could he be the emperor of the Great Hao Dynasty?"

The officials who supported Prince Xian immediately cheered loudly. The officials who supported Prince Chu tightly closed their mouths, fearing that a wrong word might bring disaster.

Seeing this, Prince Chu, although he was seething with anger, was helpless. He looked at the Empress, hoping for her guidance.

The Empress's face was extremely ugly, never expecting her fortieth birthday to turn into such a mess. But she still maintained a bit of calm. She knew that Eunuch Zhang was a ruthless and heartless old eunuch, the most loyal old dog by Emperor Xuan's side.

If these officials continued to cause trouble and defy the imperial edict, Eunuch Zhang would not hesitate to start a massacre. In the end, it would not only be futile but also weaken the Empress's influence in the court.

Given the situation, resistance was useless. The best strategy was to retreat temporarily and plan for the long term.

Thinking this, the Empress coldly said, "Even if the Emperor's words are unreasonable, they become reasonable. All officials, stop this nonsense. Follow the Emperor's words and establish the rules. However, this matter should be carefully considered and not rushed. I am tired today, so everyone can disperse. Guards, escort me back to the palace."

As she spoke, the Empress ignored Eunuch Zhang and the others, swept her sleeves, and turned to leave. This tumultuous Empress's birthday banquet finally came to an end.

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