kingnovel Chapter 348: Prince Kang's Rebellion
Chapter 348: Prince Kang's Rebellion
Facing Tuoba Rao's request, Pei Heng's eyes flashed.
"Tuoba Rao, don't push your luck!"
"Oh! It doesn't matter if you don't want to swear. At worst, I'll die in Nanqi today, and one day my royal brother will definitely go south to wipe you out and avenge me! But, hehe, I just regret that you may not live to see that day!"
"Witch, stop spreading lies to confuse the people!" King Kang roared. Faced with the obstruction of Duke Yong and Marquis Yong'an, he was extremely anxious.
Pei Heng hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath:
"Okay, I promise you!"
"Okay, that's great!" A hint of affection flashed in Tuoba Rao's eyes, but it quickly disappeared silently. She raised her hand and let Pei Heng help her up.
Staggering to her feet, she pointed at King Kang opposite her and said word by word:
"I didn't kill your emperor. Your emperor was killed by King Kang!"
When these words were spoken, everyone in the bedroom gasped.
"His Royal Highness Prince Kang killed the Emperor? How, how is it possible?"
"Witch! Don't try to shirk responsibility by making random accusations! Your Highness is kind and filial, how could he possibly kill his father?"
"You are so slanderous!"
Inside the hall, everyone was furious and started cursing at Tuoba Rao.
"Humph! I came here to steal the map. After I steal it, I'll naturally run as far away as possible. Why would I bother to go through all that trouble and assassinate your Nanqi Emperor? Don't you think your own death isn't fast enough?"
Tuoba Rao covered his wound and leaned lazily against Pei Heng. Pei Heng pushed him onto Duke Yong with disgust, and Duke Yong frowned and endured it.
"and,"
Despite being very busy, Tuoba Rao still managed to glance at Duke Yong in a charming way.
"Furthermore, it was your Prince Kang who told me that the blueprints were in your Emperor's bedroom. Not only that, during the time this princess was staying in the harem, your Consort De also deliberately tipped me off to a slack in the palace guards, which is how I was able to sneak into the bedroom."
Facing Tuoba Rao's accusations, Prince Kang's expression became increasingly worse, and Concubine De beside him suddenly burst into laughter.
She flung her sleeves madly and walked forward. Her still charming face showed no trace of sadness or joy, only indifference.
"Son, mother has long told you that there's no need to go through so much trouble! Look, all this going around in circles is such a waste of time!"
After that, she raised her hand and waved, then walked to the center of the crowd and said expressionlessly:
"To tell you the truth, I did all this!"
"Mother!" King Kang shouted.
Prime Minister Cui sighed visibly.
Concubine De didn't even listen to him and continued to speak:
"I was the one who leaked the blueprints to Tuoba Rao, and I was the one who killed the emperor."
"why?"
Duke Yong shouted loudly.
"Why? Of course it's because I hate him!" De Fei's eyes gradually turned red, and she curled her lips in a cold smile. "Back then, I just smiled at the emperor on the street, and he snatched me into the palace and imprisoned me for nearly thirty years."
"Because of him, I lost my beloved. I never got to see my fiancé again until I died. I was trapped in these high walls for the rest of my life, deprived of freedom! We were affectionate for a few years before entering the palace. But what about him? He fell in love with every woman he met, and then abandoned her! Even someone as virtuous as the late queen could be cruelly abandoned! He abandoned Concubine Jiang in the palace for over a decade without paying any attention to her! Didn't Concubine Wen, the most favored concubine in the harem, end up dying tragically in the cold palace? He's so cold-hearted, I've seen through him!"
"I just want him to die! Not for anything else, just to vent my hatred! I've long been tired of this harem life! I just want to make a big move, hahahahaha, this is refreshing and clear!"
"Mother, please stop talking!"
Prince Kang already knew what Concubine De was going to do.
His mother, after giving birth to him, lived in seclusion in the palace and didn't take care of him much. But whenever he got into trouble, his mother was always the first to rush to help him solve it.
At this moment, seeing that his patricide was exposed, his mother was willing to sacrifice herself to save him.
King Kang felt a dull pain in his heart.
"Defei, although you admit to assassinating the emperor, it contradicts Princess Tuoba's accusation." Duke Yong said coldly.
"This is what I did!"
De Fei screamed with all her might, quickly pulling out the hairpin on her head and thrusting it into her throat.
"At worst, one life for another!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly raised her hand and stabbed her neck.
"Mother concubine!"
Prince Kang took a quick step and grabbed Concubine De's hairpin. The sharp hairpin pierced his palm and blood dripped down.
He looked at Concubine De and said seriously:
"Mother, I can live without Father, but not without you! Mother, I promise, I'll take you away! Let's go back to your hometown, where we can see cherry blossoms all over the mountains in spring, admire the moonlight over the lotus pond in summer, appreciate chrysanthemums in autumn, and walk in the snow in winter! We'll never come back here again!"
"Really... is it okay?"
Tears fell from the corners of her eyes. This was the dream scene she had been thinking about for nearly thirty years. Could she really see it again?
"Of course! I'll send you off once my son finishes dealing with things here!"
Prince Kang supported Concubine De and tried to comfort her softly, but then he heard Duke Yong shout:
"Prince Kang and Concubine De colluded with Beimang to assassinate the emperor. Their crime is unforgivable! Capture them!"
The silent hall immediately became tense.
To the Duke of Yong's surprise, the commander of the imperial guards actually drew his sword against him. The imperial guards who were trying to capture Tuoba Rao just now all drew their swords and surrounded the civil and military officials present.
The gate of Jingde Hall rumbled and slammed shut from the inside out.
"King Kang! You want to rebel!"
Duke Yong shouted loudly.
"Haha, Duke Yong, you don't think I don't have a backup plan, do you? I've been planning for this day for a long time! Rebellion? My father passed away and passed the throne to me before his death! How could I rebel?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Prime Minister Cui took out a blank imperial edict from his sleeve, walked to the emperor's desk in full view of everyone, picked up the imperial brush and wrote the edict of succession, then stamped it with the imperial seal. He held the edict high and said loudly:
"The Emperor's will is to pass the throne to his fifth son, Prince Kang."
King Kang sneered, looking at the people in the encirclement who were looking at each other in bewilderment, and then he resumed his usual nonchalant attitude:
"I am now the legitimate heir to the throne. My Lords, a man of insight is a true hero. If you disobey my orders, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"
Immediately, the court officials who once supported King Kang quickly walked out from the crowd, knelt on the ground and shouted:
"Your Highness, we swear allegiance to you until death. The country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. We respectfully welcome Your Highness to the throne! Long live the new emperor, long live the new emperor!"
Only Pei Heng, Sun Zhonghuai, Duke Yong, Marquis Yong'an and others were left in the center of the bedroom, as well as Concubine Jiang, Prince Kang, Prince Heng and the eldest princess in the inner chamber.
"Since you have made your choice, then accompany the late emperor!"
King Kang took a step back and waved his hand.
"Kill without mercy!"