webnovelfull Chapter 354 Slapping the Face of the Incompetent Prince 13
Chapter 354 Slapping the Face of the Incompetent Prince 13
“Your Highness! The prince is of noble status, how could you possibly run into him by such a coincidence? This must be his conspiracy!” Ling Xi couldn’t help but stand up and say.
He walked to the center and knelt before the emperor. "Father, the status of a prince is so noble, how can it be decided so easily! I beg you to reconsider!"
The emperor stared at the third prince, Ling Xi, with an inscrutable expression.
As soon as Consort Yun uttered the words "My Imperial Son," the faces of all the civil and military officials were filled with shock.
They all knew about the incident years ago when Consort Yun, who was then Empress, lost a prince, and because of this, the Emperor demoted her to the rank of Consort.
Although she was a Noble Consort for many years, she was still respected by the Emperor and managed the inner palace.
If we were to acknowledge the prince now...
The ministers below pondered amongst themselves, their expressions revealing deeper meanings.
The emperor, however, did not care at all about the thoughts of his officials and the third prince, Ling Xi.
He also remembered the prince's mark. Seeing that the birthmark on Leng Yuexing's right inner arm was indeed the shape he remembered, he said in a deep voice, "There is no mistake! The newly appointed top scholar, Leng Yuexing, is indeed my son!"
"From this moment forward, immediately restore the identity of the First Prince of Leng Yuexing!"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, all the civil and military officials immediately rose and knelt down, shouting, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Throughout this entire process, Leng Yuexing didn't even have a chance to speak.
Seeing that Consort Yun was still holding his hand and crying softly, he said gently, "Mother, don't cry, your son has returned."
Hearing Leng Yuexing's words of comfort, Consort Yun wiped away her tears, then grabbed Leng Yuexing's arm and walked to the Emperor.
"Quickly pay your respects to your father, the Emperor!" Consort Yun whispered.
After Leng Yuexing paid her respects to the emperor, the emperor beckoned her to come to his side.
Leng Yuexing stood tall and straight like a pine tree, her gaze firm and steady, stepping onto the towering steps before her without looking to the side.
Each step seemed so unhurried, as if the steps were merely insignificant obstacles on the road to success.
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, scrutinizing his highly regarded eldest prince, Leng Yuexing, with a majestic gaze.
From the moment she began recognizing her son, Leng Yuexing displayed an extraordinary calmness and composure.
Faced with the curious, awe-inspiring, or envious gazes of the crowd, he always maintained his composure and equanimity.
He neither became complacent about regaining his status as a prince, nor did he show the slightest fear of the challenges and pressures he might face.
Seeing this, the emperor couldn't help but nod in approval.
He knew that to gain a foothold and make a difference in the court, which was full of power struggles, a noble birth was far from enough; he also needed to have extraordinary wisdom, courage, and strong mental fortitude.
At this moment, Leng Yuexing clearly already possessed these qualities, filling the emperor with anticipation for his future performance.
Currently, he has few princes, and most of them are mediocre. Apart from the third prince, whose maternal family is prominent, the other princes are not particularly outstanding.
Originally, he intended to make the third prince the crown prince, but he was afraid that the maternal relatives would seize power. Now that he saw Leng Yuexing, the emperor felt that the Great Yue Kingdom was saved!
The Third Prince Ling Xi watched as Leng Yuexing walked past him step by step up the stairs to the highest point he could only look up to, and his heart was filled with anger.
One wrong step leads to another, and from the moment the imperial examination began, everything spiraled out of his control.
Now, at the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet, he had not received any news that Leng Yuexing would be attending, leaving him caught off guard by this situation.
Seeing that his father on the platform had no intention of paying attention to him, he simply snorted coldly, stood up, and returned to his seat.
He felt that things shouldn't be like this now; besides her four useless husbands, Leng Yuexing had no other help.
His four husbands, the eldest of whom, Wen Yunsheng, came from a prestigious family but was only a teacher, while the other three husbands were of even lower social standing.
Ling Xi couldn't understand why his father had invited Leng Yuexing to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, as if everything had been pre-arranged.
Ling Xi grew angrier the more he thought about it. Seeing Leng Yuexing and his father talking in hushed tones, he felt a sense of panic.
It was as if something important had left him.
He drank his wine in a sullen mood, deciding to meet with his uncle that night to discuss important matters.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Leng Yuexing was kept in the palace by the emperor.
The emperor originally intended to bestow an ordinary palace upon Leng Yuexing, but after a conversation with her, he decided to let her directly take over the Eastern Palace.
They prepared to issue an edict the next day to restore Consort Yun's status as Empress.
Leng Yuexing was also extremely surprised after hearing the name of the palace.
The Eastern Palace was the residence of the Crown Prince. He had thought that the Emperor would observe for a while longer before allowing him to move to the Eastern Palace, but to his surprise, the Emperor decided to let him move in in less than one night.
Seeing a rare hint of surprise on Leng Yuexing's usually calm and composed face, the emperor laughed heartily and said, "I'm curious why Father is having you move into the East Palace now?"
"Yes," Leng Yuexing nodded slightly.
After pondering for a while, the emperor said in a low voice, "Father is getting old and doesn't know how much longer he has. Before that, we must arrange everything properly."
"Time is of the essence, and there isn't much time for further investigation, but Father Emperor trusts you!"
"If you can establish yourself in the court three months from now, your father will make you the crown prince," the emperor whispered in Leng Yuexing's ear.
He then straightened up, observing Leng Yuexing's reaction with a deep gaze.
Upon hearing this, Leng Yuexing merely smiled slightly and nodded respectfully, saying, "Thank you, Father. Your subject will certainly live up to your expectations."
Seeing that Leng Yuexing's expression remained natural, the emperor patted her on the shoulder and laughed, "My good son!"
He then beckoned to the attendants behind him to lead Leng Yuexing to the East Palace.
For many years, although the East Palace has been uninhabited, it has everything it needs. Eunuchs and palace maids are always on standby in the East Palace, waiting for their master to move in at any time.
The news that Leng Yuexing had stayed overnight at the East Palace soon reached the ears of her four husbands.
They were gathered together waiting for news from Leng Yuexing when they received the news that Leng Yuexing had taken over the Eastern Palace, and a look of surprise flashed across their faces.
Wen Yunsheng waved his fan, "It seems the emperor's health is much worse than we thought."
Ye Qingchen habitually stroked the beads on the abacus. "He couldn't even wait a moment before letting Yuexing take over the Eastern Palace. It seems that his health is indeed extremely poor. Perhaps he has less than half a year left."
"I expect that servants from the Crown Prince's Palace will come to pick us up and take us to the palace early tomorrow morning. We should prepare more things."
Mo Ran sneered, "What do you think the palace is, that you can just walk in with all those bags and packages?"
"I estimate I can only bring some personal belongings," Mo Ran added.
Chu Mu frowned and reached for the sword Leng Yuexing had given him at his waist. "If you won't even let me take this sword, then don't blame me for being ruthless to them!"