vstars Chapter 440 The Emperor Arrives, A Bloody Wedding
Chapter 440 The Emperor Arrives, A Bloody Wedding
The bride was ushered to the central hall, but there was no ceremony of bowing to heaven and earth or to her parents.
She had only bowed to the eldest prince through several walls of people, and was about to be led to the bridal chamber when His Majesty the Emperor arrived.
The newly crowned princess could only stop in her tracks and kowtow in worship with everyone else, while the wedding attendant helped hold up her veil.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
A large group of people were kneeling on the ground. Jiang Xiaoqi hid in the crowd. Naturally, he had to kneel when he saw his boss. He just regretted not having a "kneeling is easy" sign tied to his body.
Who knew the Emperor would come? We hadn't heard any news about it beforehand, not even the Minister of War, Lin Shenxuan, knew.
Could it be that His Majesty the Emperor suddenly decided that he couldn't miss his eldest son's wedding?
Everyone had their own thoughts, but the eldest prince couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.
Kneeling below were a group of strategists from the First Prince's residence, who were both surprised and delighted. Could their plan really be brought forward?
Whether from excitement or fear, their backs were damp with sweat.
The actors preparing to go on stage in the inner courtyard were also bewildered. It wasn't that they hadn't performed in wealthy households before, but performing in front of the emperor was definitely a first for them.
The troupe leader's legs were trembling, and he silently prayed that his men wouldn't mess things up.
It's one thing to make mistakes and drop the ball normally, but dropping the ball today could cost you your head.
"Father!"
"Alright, let's continue the ceremony!"
The emperor sat in the main seat, but the empress did not come with him.
The eldest prince, accompanied by his princess consort, solemnly bowed to the emperor once again. Afterwards, the princess consort was led away by the wedding attendant and the old nanny from the eldest prince's residence.
The guests' banquet was set up right under the stage, which shows that the Crown Prince was very good at making arrangements.
Guests could eat and drink while watching the play, but many of them had no interest in eating, drinking, or watching the play.
After all, her own son's fate is still unknown, and even the rarest delicacies taste bland now.
Lin Shenxuan went to the banquet alone; he dared not bring his wife along to risk her life.
The invitation from the Crown Prince's residence only arrived in the hands of these officials yesterday, catching them completely off guard.
No one dared to be absent, after all, this was no ordinary invitation; it was filled with details about their own children.
No matter how angry they were, they couldn't confront them head-on, for fear of harming their own sons, whose lives were now in the hands of others.
On stage, the actors, their faces painted with makeup, began to sing, recite, act, and fight, but the atmosphere in the audience remained somewhat oppressive.
The eldest prince sat to the left of the emperor, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the officials below the stage, a faint smile playing on his lips.
While everyone's attention was focused on the stage, Jiang Xiaoqi secretly observed the emperor. The emperor sat upright in the main seat, his expression unreadable.
Did Minister Lin actually consult with the big boss?
The emperor's sudden arrival begs the question: did he not know that the eldest prince harbored ulterior motives?
Jiang Xiaoqi glanced around at the number of guards the big boss had brought, and roughly counted them. Good heavens, there were only forty or fifty people.
Is this mindless trust in the eldest prince or a lack of fear for one's own life?
Sigh, Jiang Xiaoqi felt helpless. He had only been a compiler in the Hanlin Academy for less than a year and didn't want to lose his job and change employers anytime soon.
Well, I'll just keep a close eye on things later. If the eldest prince really dares to assassinate the king, I'll just save him while I'm at it.
As I pondered, the pace on the stage suddenly quickened, the actors' movements became more agile, and the plot seemed to reach its climax.
Jiang Xiaoqi felt a tightness in her chest, sensing that something was amiss.
Just then, several actors suddenly pulled out sharp blades from their costumes and pounced on the emperor.
Chaos erupted in the audience as officials screamed and fled in all directions.
A look of surprise and panic flashed across the Crown Prince's face as he stood up. The advisors behind him had already retreated far away.
Good heavens, the First Prince made this arrangement without even knowing it. It seems the First Prince doesn't truly trust them completely.
The scene was already in complete chaos, with the guards and the "actors" fighting each other.
The troupe leader was somewhat taken aback. These were all his men; when had they been recruited as assassins?!
It's over! It's all over! This is definitely going to be another Nine Clans Elimination game!
What a terrible thing to do! Greedily accepting the prince's order, he's really asking for trouble, like an old man hanging himself!
The leader of the Jiqing Troupe was in tears, his legs were trembling, and he had lost all strength and ability.
In stark contrast, His Majesty the Emperor remained as steady as Mount Tai, his expression—or rather, his face was expressionless—as he stared blankly at the chaos before him.
With just a slight raise of his hand, rows of archers appeared on the roof of the prince's residence, instantly turning the actors into pincushions.
Only then did the eldest prince react, shouting, "Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!"
The hindsight-based shouts were ignored, as everyone in the room had their own thoughts.
The prince's advisors were plotting their escape, while the eldest prince had no idea what these actors were all about.
These people weren't arranged by me at all, but if I explain this to my father now, will he believe me?
After all, he only got his father to come by kneeling and begging.
This is my own prince's residence, and all personnel arrangements have been made through me or the officials in charge. I am the most suspicious one.
But his plan wasn't to assassinate the emperor at all; he wanted his father to make him the crown prince!
Who?! Who is trying to harm him?!
The third? Or the fourth?
The ground was littered with corpses dressed in theatrical costumes, and the blood stained the ground red, even more vivid than the red carpet.
The emperor slowly rose, his icy gaze sweeping across the entire room. "A perfectly good wedding, ruined after all..."
"Father! Father! I don't know what's going on with these people. Someone must be trying to frame me on my wedding day!"
Father! You must do justice for me! I am innocent! How could I allow myself to shed blood on my wedding day? This must be a conspiracy by a villain!
They want to drive a wedge between us, father and son, and they also want to frame me, making me appear utterly unrighteous, unfilial, and disrespectful!
The eldest prince was in tears, his bright red wedding robes soaked through.
One of the officials whose sons had been arrested couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward.
"Your Majesty! I have important matters to report!"
This isn't the imperial palace, nor is it the morning court session; saying "present a memorial" seems a bit incongruous.
Perhaps this official was worried about his own child's safety and didn't care about etiquette or the occasion.
His own son has suffered countless hardships these past few days. Now that His Majesty the Emperor has become suspicious of the eldest prince, this is the perfect opportunity!
"Say!"
"My son has been missing for several days. There are rumors that the sons of many officials have been abducted by the Crown Prince."
He is currently locked in a secret room. The people who are here today to attend the banquet received the invitation from the Prince's residence yesterday.
This is the invitation from the First Prince's residence. Your Majesty, please take a look! None of us dare refuse to come!
The chief eunuch beside the emperor deftly bypassed the corpses and collected the invitations from this man and several other officials around him.
"Father! This is absolutely not true! This person is likely in cahoots with the mastermind behind the assassins!"
The eldest prince retorted directly, his mind unusually sharp for once.