kingnovel Chapter 245 Weird
Chapter 245 Weird
The eunuch delivering the imperial decree was outside the courtyard gate, extremely anxious. Finally, an official from the Ministry of Rites who had accompanied him offered a good idea.
"His Majesty the Emperor has decreed that Consort Lu and the Second Prince should open the gates to receive the decree!"
And so, Wei Lu and Zhao Wangchuan listened to this unified shout for a full hour in the courtyard.
In the end, Wei Lu still let Zhao Wangchuan open the door. After all, she was still a little curious and wanted to know what else the man planned to do to her and her son.
The moment the door opened, Zhao Wangchuan was so startled that he almost slammed it shut again.
Outside the door, eunuchs, palace maids, palace matrons, officials from the Ministry of Rites, and others stood in rows, chanting slogans.
When the gate opened, everyone looked at Zhao Wangchuan, who was walking in front.
Zhao Wangchuan bears a striking resemblance to the emperor, though the emperor has a pale complexion, while Zhao Wangchuan has a deep tan.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Second Prince." It was another uniform greeting.
Zhao Wangchuan looked at the people kneeling on the ground in front of him and said with a headache, "Get up."
He didn't want to acknowledge the title of the Second Prince. But his identity was an undeniable fact.
After being allowed into the courtyard, the people there all rushed towards the carriages.
Immediately afterwards, the palace maids, dressed in uniform, entered the courtyard in a grand procession, each carrying a rectangular tray covered with a large red cloth.
Following closely behind the palace maids were the palace matrons carrying various boxes of fabric.
In the middle is an official from the Ministry of Rites holding a document.
Behind them were eunuchs carrying large, valuable ornaments such as coral trees.
After entering the courtyard, the eunuch delivering the imperial decree and the officials from the Ministry of Rites announced the decree.
Zhao Wangchuan and Wei Lu knelt helplessly to listen, but dared not accept the imperial edict. The contents of the edict were simply too absurd.
For some inexplicable reason, the emperor deposed the empress. Most shockingly, he then made Wei Lu empress and Zhao Wangchuan crown prince.
At such a time, when the Wang family was forced into this situation.
As expected, the emperor's heart always belonged to Empress Wang.
In such a tense situation, the emperor actually chose to push Wei Lu and her son into the limelight, which is chilling.
They, mother and son, were thrust into the public eye, placed in such a position, enduring attacks from various opposition factions. This made Empress Wang and the eldest prince seem like figures deserving of sympathy.
If, at this point, a member of the Wei clan were to lose their temper and jump out to impeach or criticize any of the Wang clan's faults, it would turn into an opportunity for revenge.
In that case, all the things about the Wang family that had been so hard-won would be downplayed by the public, who would instead turn around and criticize Wei Lu and her son for kicking someone when they were down and for showing no tolerance.
At that time, the current predicament of the Wang family will finally be resolved.
“Wang’er, we made a mistake returning to the capital. We shouldn’t have shown up. If only we had chosen to take revenge in private. That way, we wouldn’t have been hurt again today.” Wei Lu looked worriedly at Zhao Wangchuan, whose lips were tightly pursed and whose expression was uncertain.
"Mother, it's alright. We won't be living here permanently anyway. Trust your son, I'll make sure you get out to sea safely. When the time comes, we'll build our own kingdom overseas, and we won't care about this filthy place." Zhao Wangchuan quickly comforted Wei Lu when he saw that she was about to cry.
"Alright, Mother, believe in our Wang'er. This matter must be resolved as soon as possible; I can't stay here any longer," Wei Lu pleaded.
"Mother, don't worry, we'll be able to leave in ten days at most. Just bear with it," Zhao Wangchuan continued to assure her.
“Alright, Mother will listen to Wang’er.” Wei Lu nodded firmly.
The eunuch holding the imperial edict and the official from the Ministry of Rites holding the documents looked at the mother and son in front of them, completely bewildered.
After comforting Wei Lu, Zhao Wangchuan was the first to accept the imperial edict. Wei Lu followed suit. The mother and son stood in the middle of the courtyard, receiving the homage of the crowd.
After the audience and the exchange of the emperor's gifts, Wei Lu said to the eunuch who delivered the decree, "Gentlemen, please return. Take all the palace maids and nannies back to the palace as well. Please inform His Majesty the emperor that he will come to fetch us to the palace in ten days."
Everyone was stunned when they heard Wei Lu's words. There was no reason for the Empress and the Crown Prince to live outside the palace. Moreover, it wasn't even a royal villa.
“Go back and report back like this; the Emperor won’t blame you.” Zhao Wangchuan quickly interjected, not giving them a chance to object.
"Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, please see these esteemed guests off for us. Wang'er, your mother is tired, please help her inside." Wei Lu immediately adopted the air of an empress and spoke in an unquestionable manner.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites and the eunuch delivering the imperial decree tried to persuade them again, but Wei Lu and her son had already gone far away. Their large group was all stopped in the courtyard.
"That's strange. The Empress and the Crown Prince were right in front of us just a moment ago, but after only two steps, they're already a hundred meters away from us."
As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard gate, a palace maid couldn't help but mutter to herself.
"That's right, why does this place seem so eerie? Could it be that the Empress and the Crown Prince are actually 'Piao Piao'? After all, the rage back then was so intense, escaping would have been impossible," a palace maid added. "Piao Piao" refers to a ghost.
"Shut up. Keep talking if you don't want to live. Are the Empress and the Crown Prince people you can discuss in private?" At this moment, the eunuch's cold voice rang out in front of them.
As they spoke, the group had already left Wei Lu and her son's manor. With a bang, the gate slammed shut, leaving them outside once again.
"Hurry up and get in the carriages, and get back to report. The Emperor is waiting for news," said an official from the Ministry of Rites.
These words served as a reminder to everyone. They still had to return to face the emperor's wrath and accountability.
However, someone still couldn't help but glance back at the manor. This glance startled her, causing her to gasp in surprise.
"Granny Jing, what's wrong?" a palace maid asked kindly.
The woman called Granny Jing pointed in the direction of the manor, her lips trembling as she remained speechless for a long time. Those around her curiously followed the direction she was pointing.
Immediately, gasps of alarm echoed throughout the convoy. Some of the more timid ones were already crying.
"My God, what on earth is going on?" The eunuch delivering the imperial decree stared at everything in disbelief, forcing himself to believe that they must all be seeing things.
"Hurry! This is terrifying. We've only just left the gate, so why is the manor already a mile away? Go back and report to His Majesty. This is unbelievable!" The leading official from the Ministry of Rites hurriedly ordered.
After those people had left in a panic, Uncle Lin emerged from behind a maple tree. He walked expressionlessly toward a tall cedar tree.
After Uncle Lin's figure disappeared behind the tree, the woman who was cutting pig feed reappeared nearby at just the right time.
She hefted the basket on her back, causing some of the withered pig feed to spill out. The woman, however, acted as if she hadn't noticed and continued walking towards the distant farmhouse.