radicalducati Chapter 337 The Emperor Passes Away and the Crown Prince Ascends the Throne
Chapter 337 The Emperor Passes Away and the Crown Prince Ascends the Throne
Chapter 337 The Emperor Passes Away and the Crown Prince Ascends the Throne
The elite soul-guided soldiers around them took the soul-guided cannons on their backs and scanned their surroundings with eyes like hawks.
Xu Tianran stared straight at Ye Nanxiao, his eyes filled with fervor, wishing he could immediately embrace the cute "maid" in front of him and test his ability to regain what he had lost.
Ju Zi was sitting closest to Xu Tianran, so she naturally noticed Xu Tianran's expression and unusual behavior.
When Xu Tianran stared at Ye Nanxiao, Ju Zi's heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong.
"Could it be that the bastard fox's disguise has been discovered?" Orange forced herself to remain calm and moved to Xu Tianran's side.
"Your Highness? The prayer is about to begin."
Hearing Ju Zi's reminder, Xu Tianran finally came to his senses, turned to look at Ju Zi standing in front of him, and nodded.
He couldn't rush things. In front of all the ministers, he had to remain calm and not let anyone see anything amiss. There were still people among them who were dissatisfied with him, and he couldn't give them a chance to target his "precious maid," whom he had finally met.
At this moment, the ministers' chanting had ended, and Chen Qi, who was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward, bowed to Xu Tianran, and said, "Your Highness, please proceed to the Sun and Moon Altar to begin the prayer ceremony!"
Xu Tianran gave Ye Nanxiao a deep look, then said to his personal maid, "Push me to the Sun and Moon Altar!"
The personal maid nodded, walked behind Xu Tianran, and helped him onto the wheelchair.
"Ju Zi, come with me," Xu Tianran said gently, but he suddenly felt that Ju Zi, whom he had always regarded as his own, was not as good as the maid who had just amazed him.
Orange crossed her hands in front of her to calm her racing heart and slowly followed behind Xu Tianran.
Ye Nanxiao, who was disguised as a maidservant, was also included in the group, which puzzled many ministers who were not qualified to follow.
"His Highness is showing us that the Crown Princess still enjoys his favor. Otherwise, how could even the Crown Princess's maid be qualified to join the procession?" a minister, squinting and stroking his beard, analyzed.
"So that's how it is! I was wondering how even a lowly maid could be qualified to go to the royal altar!"
"It seems the Crown Prince is still somewhat dissatisfied with us! It's all the Meng family's fault!"
"Tonight, I will serve His Highness the Crown Prince! I will take over the Meng family's shops!"
"Excellent! I'll do my part too! Don't refuse, or I'll make you pay!"
Among the ministers, only high-ranking officials of the court were allowed to enter the altar of the Sun and Moon Imperial Family. For example, the ministers of various departments and the leader of the Soul Master Corps were qualified to accompany Xu Tianran to the Sun and Moon Altar.
The Sun and Moon Altar is located on a small hill deep within the Imperial Palace and is only used on major holidays and special occasions.
It took Xu Tianran and his group a full quarter of an hour to reach the Sun and Moon Altar.
The altar was already filled with offerings, and many elite soul-guided soldiers carrying soul-guided cannons stood around it.
Xu Tianran waved for the maid to leave and nodded to Ju Zi.
Orange stepped forward and pushed Xu Tianran onto the altar.
A group of ministers
Ye Nanxiao quietly surveyed the entire altar, and the mysterious symbols carved on the altar steps caught his attention.
As soon as Xu Tianran ascended the altar, the mysterious symbols on it lit up, shimmering with a faint glow.
Ye Nanxiao noticed that his forehead was a little hot, and the frozen flower pattern under his bangs was slightly lit up, with the same flickering amplitude as the mysterious symbols on the Sun and Moon Altar.
"Xue'er, why is the Frozen Flower lit up?" Ye Nanxiao asked.
"These mysterious symbols have attracted the Frozen Flower. We should try to figure out what these mysterious symbols are. It is very likely a problem with this altar, or perhaps this altar itself is not just a decoration built to show off its power! It may really be a genuine altar that has been passed down through generations!" Snow Empress said, making a hand seal in front of her chest to communicate with the Frozen Flower.
A glint flashed in Ye Nanxiao's eyes. Could this Sun and Moon Altar be a relic of the divine realm that could resonate with the Frozen Flower?
"In the mythology of the Sun and Moon Empire, the gods communicate with the human world through the Sun and Moon Altar, listening to the voices of the people of the Sun and Moon. This altar is very likely a relic left by the gods," Ye Nanxiao analyzed in his heart.
After glancing at the wary soul guide soldiers, Ye Nanxiao memorized the Sun and Moon Altar. Now that he was deep in Xu Tianran's territory, he could not act rashly.
Soon, Ju Zi walked down from the altar on her own, leaving only Xu Tianran inside.
"The remaining ceremonies will be completed by the Crown Prince. The Crown Princess may first send the prayer document back to the Crown Prince's palace for safekeeping," Chen Qi said as he walked to Ju Zi's side, carrying an unidentified animal-skin document.
The animal-hide scrolls used for prayers have been passed down through generations of the Sun and Moon Empire, and must be returned to their original place for safekeeping immediately after use.
Orange nodded and led Ye Nanxiao away, leaving the Sun and Moon Altar first.
Watching Ju Zi leave, Chen Qi returned to the group, his gaze sweeping over Xu Tianran, who was in the midst of the ceremony. Confirming Xu Tianran's focus was entirely on it, he lowered his voice and said to Xu Taihe, "Old Master Xu, why do I feel that the Crown Prince doesn't seem to care about the Crown Princess as much anymore?"
In the past, when Xu Tianran appeared with Ju Zi, he would make some intimate gestures, such as holding hands and letting Ju Zi lean down to listen to his whispers. But today, Xu Tianran didn't even linger his gaze on Ju Zi, and even asked Chen Qi to deliver the prayer document on his behalf, which made Chen Qi start to worry.
Once Xu Tianran's novelty about oranges wears off, the position of Crown Princess might be coveted by some scheming individuals.
Among aristocratic families, there has never been a shortage of women who aspire to be empresses.
Xu Taihe nodded slightly; he felt the same way.
Previously, when Meng Wu spoke rudely to the Crown Princess's maid and secretly provoked Ju Zi, Xu Tianran's punishment seemed to be to protect Ju Zi, but in reality, he was using this as a pretext to deal with the Meng family, one of the leading aristocratic families, and also to strip himself of his power and place his own people in the Ministry of Works.
After the punishment was announced, Xu Tianran did not offer any words of comfort to Ju Zi, nor did he even linger his gaze on her.
Since the two noticed this detail, Ma Yi naturally noticed it as well.
"Does the Crown Prince perhaps intend to change his Crown Princess?" Ma Yi's eyes gleamed. The ministers who followed him all had one advantage: they were fertile. The more children they had, the more girls of marriageable age they would naturally have.
Xu Tianran, sitting on the altar, was unaware that his small actions had secretly sparked a new contest between the doves, hawks, and neutrals.
With his hands in a prayer gesture, Xu Tianran's mind was filled with Ye Nanxiao's face.
"Since she's Ju Zi's maid, she'll be mine in the future," Xu Tianran thought matter-of-factly.
"However, those old guys in the royal family started making a fuss about my infertility, and even proposed to find a pure bloodline from the royal family to carry on my lineage."
Xu Tianran could already foresee that the royal family members who would be in charge of the royal genealogy would inevitably ask him to adopt a child or have a child through artificial insemination in order to continue their bloodline.
The first method is fine; Xu Tianran is confident that he can keep his adopted son firmly under his control. As long as he lives, the Sun Moon Empire will be in his grasp. But the second method...
A surge of anger suddenly rose in Xu Tianran's heart. He had already been deprived of his legs and his vital sexual abilities. How could he allow the possession he had set his sights on to be taken away?
"Get to that chair as soon as possible!"
With his mind in disarray, Xu Tianran's hand movements slowed down.
The glowing symbols on the altar began to dim, and Xu Tianran pushed his wheelchair off the altar.
"Your Highness, we congratulate you on completing the ceremony!" Xu Taihe and the others stepped forward and knelt down to pay their respects to Xu Tianran.
Xu Tianran was about to raise his hand to decline the formalities when he suddenly sensed an undisguised killing intent.
The runes flashing on the Sun and Moon Altar seemed to be suppressed by some equal force, and they dimmed.
Ju Zi led Ye Nanxiao into the Crown Prince's Palace and used her soul power to transmit her instructions, "There might be sentries secretly watching you in the palace. Be careful when you're looking for clues! Don't let anyone notice anything amiss. We only have about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. When that time is up, whether you find any clues or not, you must leave with me!"
Orange turned to Ye Nanxiao and said, "Hurry up, keep up!"
Ye Nanxiao nodded and quickened his pace.
Entering Xu Tianran's bedroom, Ju Zi walked to the table piled with memorials, reached out and opened a small black box on the table, carefully placing the animal-skin document inside.
He then closed the small box, without moving, and reached out to tidy up the messy memorials on the table.
Orange was very meticulous in organizing the memorials, categorizing them according to their different types.
Ye Nanxiao lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on the orange's hand.
Orange picked up the memorial very gently, even smoothing out some wrinkles that had gotten from moving it.
Ye Nanxiao instantly took in the contents of the memorial.
The contents of one of the memorials caught Ye Nanxiao's attention.
"I believe that soldiers should use deception and appropriately rely on external forces to achieve their goals, reduce casualties among soldiers, and those who secretly pursue fame and fortune, like ministers crossing the river, can be manipulated and controlled."
The memorial was signed by Ma Yi, the leader of the hawkish faction.
When Ju Zi saw this memorial, a glint of light flashed in her eyes. This memorial contained a great deal of information.
After tidying up all the memorials, Ju Zi led Ye Nanxiao out of the Crown Prince's palace.
A sudden pang of heart palpitation surged into Ye Nanxiao's heart, causing his heart to skip a beat. He abruptly clutched his chest.
Panic spread rapidly in Ye Nanxiao's eyes, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
I've had this feeling before!
On the very day that Mingde Hall was destroyed by the Ice Bear King!
Ju Zi didn't notice Ye Nanxiao's unusual behavior. Just as she took a step, a series of urgent bells rang out from the palace.
Upon hearing the bell, Ju Zi's expression changed drastically, and she said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, it's time to return!"
The Sun and Moon Emperor is dead? Died at this time?
Ye Nanxiao was shocked. How could the Sun and Moon Emperor die at this time! Shouldn't he still be able to live for a long time to come?
The sound of bells echoed throughout the palace. Upon hearing the bells, the palace maids and soldiers knelt down, facing the Sun and Moon Hall, kowtowing and weeping.
A signal flare exploded in the sky above the Sun and Moon Altar.
Ye Nanxiao keenly sensed that when the signal flare exploded, five auras rushed out from the Crown Prince's Palace and headed straight for the small hill where the Sun and Moon Altar was located.
"Something's happened, let's go!" Ju Zi immediately pulled Ye Nanxiao and ran towards her palace.
The sky above the Sun and Moon Palace changed after the passing of the Sun and Moon Emperor.
A burst of flames erupted into the sky, and men in black appeared in the palace, killing anyone they saw without regard for their targets.
As the man in black appeared, some of the palace maids and soldiers who were kneeling and weeping tore off their clothes, revealing another layer of black clothing, and attacked the people kowtowing and weeping beside them.
One second your companion is the next, and the next you become a vengeful ghost.
Ye Nanxiao quickly regained his senses, grabbed a man in black, and struck him in the heart with a palm strike, killing him instantly.
"The Emperor of Sun and Moon has just died and someone is attacking the palace. Is it to shift the blame onto Xu Tianran, or to take this opportunity to reshuffle the power structure in the palace?" Ye Nanxiao didn't have time to think. He grabbed an orange and rushed out of the encirclement of several men in black.
The chaos came suddenly, and many soldiers were killed before they could react.
Rushing back to Orange's palace, Orange quickly activated the palace's defense system, and a pale yellow protective shield rose up, enveloping the palace.
"Quick, take advantage of the chaos!" Orange said.
Ye Nanxiao nodded, quickly changed his clothes, and with the "fox den" on his head, he was about to leave.
"Wait me a moment!"
Ju Zi didn't avoid Ye Nanxiao. In front of him, she quickly changed out of her long dress, put on a combat uniform, donned the soul guide armor, and casually tossed a set of women's armor to Ye Nanxiao.
"Cover me as I break out and gather the troops! This is an opportunity!" Orange said quickly.
Ye Nanxiao blinked, touched his nose, and then realized that he wasn't bleeding from his nose.
"The Emperor has passed away, the Crown Prince has ascended the throne, and the court is being reshuffled! I must seize this opportunity!" Orange said coldly.
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(End of this chapter)