Chapter 348 The situation is reversed
The emperor knew that the current situation was difficult to reverse. He was well aware of the importance of Princess Jingrou in the hearts of Qian Bolin and the Crown Prince. Even if he ordered them as a king, they might not obey.
Besides, Duke Qian had just led his troops to the front line not long ago. They sacrificed their lives and shed their blood on the border, fighting to protect Dayuan. How could he, as an emperor, not care about the life of his own daughter who had been lost for many years?
Otherwise, the loyal ministers would be discouraged and no one would be willing to go to the battlefield and fight for Dayuan.
Although he was very reluctant to hand over the country to the vicious Fourth Prince, compared to having the country invaded by foreign races, this unfilial son was still a descendant of his Teng family after all.
After recognizing the situation, His Majesty said, "I can write an edict, but you must agree to my two conditions."
The fourth prince did not expect that the emperor still wanted to negotiate with him. He said with disdain, "Father, you are no longer qualified to negotiate."
His Majesty said fiercely, "Then you can just kill me. Without the succession edict written by me, I want to see how you can face those old ministers. Even if you can ascend the throne through brutal means, I'm afraid you will be in danger."
Although the Fourth Prince rebelled, he also knew that with the edict of succession he would definitely be more legitimate, so he was no longer so arrogant.
"Then please tell me your conditions, father. As long as they are not too excessive, I will consider them."
"First, after you ascend the throne, I want you not to kill my brothers and sisters. You can even demote them to commoners, but you cannot harm their lives."
The Fourth Prince originally wanted to eliminate dissidents and get rid of all the princes who had competed with him for the throne after he ascended the throne. He thought about it for a while, then nodded and said, "Okay, I promise you."
However, the emperor did not trust the fourth prince. "I want you to swear an oath. If you break the oath, you will not be able to sit firmly on the throne."
Although the Fourth Prince did not want to swear, in order to get the imperial edict as soon as possible, he still obediently swore the oath as instructed by His Majesty.
"I have already sworn the oath. What is Father's second condition?"
"Secondly, Canglang Country is eyeing our Dayuan Country covetously. It is only a matter of time before the two countries go to war. I want you to protect our Teng family's territory well. I don't want this beautiful country to be occupied by foreign races as soon as it is handed over to you. Otherwise, I will not be able to rest in peace even if I die."
The fourth prince was very unhappy that the emperor questioned his ability. He said excitedly, "Your Majesty, you don't need to tell me this condition. I will definitely do it. Your Majesty, just rest assured and go on your journey after writing the edict. I will definitely protect the country of our Teng family and will not let you die with regrets."
After the emperor gave these instructions, he began to write the edict. When he finished, he put down his pen and signaled Li Dequan to take the edict down to the fourth prince.
At the same time, the Fourth Prince also instructed his generals, "General Yang, you will be the one to escort my father to his death. Remember to act quickly and do not let my father suffer even a little."
General Yang nodded, "I will make sure Your Majesty passes away peacefully."
However, at the moment when Li Dequan and General Yang passed by each other, the prince snatched the imperial edict, then drew his sword and put it on General Yang's neck.
When the Fourth Prince saw this, he thought that the Young Master was regretting that he had neglected the overall situation for the sake of a woman. If he turned against him at this time, it would be difficult for his people to fight against the Shen Ce Army. He felt a little panicked.
But he still pretended to be calm and warned fiercely, "My Lord, what do you mean by this? Don't you want Princess Jingrou's life?"
The prince said casually, "It's not impossible for the Fourth Prince to get the imperial edict, but I have to see Huan'er first. Only after ensuring Huan'er's safety can I give the imperial edict to the Fourth Prince."
The Fourth Prince was relieved to see that the Crown Prince was not going back on his word and just wanted to make sure Princess Jingrou was safe. He then said to the maidservant beside Concubine Li, "Hurry up and go to my mother's bedroom to inform the princess and ask her to bring the person over."
The little maid nodded and hurried away to pass on the message.
The Crown Prince then found out that Qianhuan was imprisoned in the palace. Before entering the palace to rescue him, he sent people to the Fourth Prince's mansion to search for her. However, the secret guards reported that there was no one in the mansion. The Fourth Prince was indeed cunning.
Qian Yuying held Qian Huan, whose hands were tied behind her back, with a knife and brought her to the main hall. The prince and Qian Bolin asked in unison, "Huan Er (sister), are you okay?"
Qianhuan shook her head and said, "Ziyu, brother, don't worry, I'm fine."
The Fourth Prince said to the Crown Prince, "Cecilia, since you have seen the person and confirmed the safety of Princess Jingrou, shouldn't you return the imperial edict to me?"
Qian Huan shouted anxiously, "Zi Yu, don't give him the imperial edict. If a man as vicious and cruel as him becomes the emperor, the people of the world will definitely not have a good life. Qian Mansion and Prince An Mansion will definitely not have a good ending in the future. I don't want you to help the tyrant for me. If that happens, I would rather die."
The prince was not willing to be controlled by others, but Qianhuan was too important to him. He comforted her, "Huan'er, whether it's the country and the people, Qianfu and Prince An's Mansion, these things don't need you, a weak woman, to worry about. I just want you to live well."
After saying that, the prince asked Chi Ying to arrest General Yang first, and then he slowly walked towards the Fourth Prince, ready to give him the imperial edict in his hand.
Just as the Crown Prince handed over the imperial edict and the Fourth Prince was about to reach out to take it, a voice of "Wait" rang out throughout the hall.
The prince quickly took back the edict and looked at Qian Yuying, only to hear Qian Yuying say, "Prince, your beloved is in my hands now, so the edict of succession should be given to me, not him."
The prince looked at the fourth prince with some joking and said, "It seems that the fourth prince has not yet discussed it with his princess. Why don't you two discuss it first, and when you decide who to give the imperial edict to, I will hand it over."
The Fourth Prince was also confused by Qian Yuying's sudden action. He yelled at Qian Yuying, "Bitch, why are you so crazy at the critical moment? Isn't the imperial edict the same whether it's given to me or to you?"
Qian Yuying shook her head and said, "Of course it's different. Now I'm just an orphan with no power. When my husband ascends the throne, he will definitely think I'm in the way in order to support the newcomer. By then, not to mention being the empress, even her life will be in danger. Don't worry, my husband, as long as my husband keeps his promise and makes me the empress on the day he ascends the throne, I will definitely appear in front of the court officials with the imperial edict and let my husband succeed to the throne legitimately."
The Fourth Prince was so angry that he wanted to stab Qian Yuying to death on the spot, but at this moment, he could only choose to endure it.
He comforted Qian Yuying and said, "Princess, you are worrying too much. This prince has already promised to make you the queen, and he will definitely do it. Then you can just share the glory and wealth. It is not safe for a woman like you to hold the imperial edict, so you should give it to your husband."
However, Qian Yuying laughed and said, "Haha, Queen? Wealth and glory? I'm afraid the first thing you'll do after ascending the throne is to kill me, an orphan girl with no background or power."
The fourth prince promised solemnly, "No, how could this prince treat his first wife like that? Princess, you must believe me."
Qian Yuying said sarcastically, "Trust you? It's because I trusted you too much that I ended up being abandoned by everyone. If it weren't for you, would I have instigated my mother to frame my own family? In order to protect the entire Fourth Prince's Mansion, I let my own mother plead guilty and become a scapegoat. I lost my family and the person who loved me the most in the world."
Thinking of Aunt Tong's death, Qian Yuying's tone became sad. She continued to accuse, "But you, not only are you not grateful for my contribution to the entire Fourth Prince's Mansion, you also think that I am now an orphan with no power and influence, and you want to get rid of me as soon as possible. I heard everything you said to Concubine Yang. You planned to make Concubine Yang the queen after General Yang helped you win the throne, and I, the princess, would be useless. At that time, you would poison me, a stumbling block, with a cup of poisoned wine and throw me into a mass grave."
The Fourth Prince did not expect that Qian Yuying had heard his conversation with Concubine Yang, and he did not know how to refute it at this time.
When Qian Yuying talked about this, her emotions were obviously out of control. She suddenly raised her voice and yelled, "You still want me to believe you? How can I trust a man who killed his father and his king?"
Qian Yuying was so angry that she was shaking all over at this time, and her hand that was holding Qianhuan with a knife was obviously a little unstable. Seeing this, the Prince gave Qianhuan a look, and Qianhuan immediately understood.
Qianhuan took the opportunity to use her shoulder to push away Qian Yuying's hand that was holding her with a knife, and then ran towards the prince with all her might.
When Qian Yuying saw the person running away, she became anxious and lost her mind. She rushed forward with the knife and tried to stab Qianhuan.
However, the prince was one step faster than her. He picked up Qianhuan who was rushing towards him, spun around to avoid the dagger, and then kicked Qian Yuying away.
At the same time, the prince gave the order, "Catch all these rebels."