Page 426
Orange felt as if the huge rock hanging in his heart suddenly disappeared, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. He didn't expect that Kong Deming only deposed the old emperor and didn't depose Xu Tianran as well. That would cost him some extra time and effort.
"Xu Sheng" said coldly: "The Crown Prince colluded with the evil soul master and the Holy Spirit Church, which is against heaven and earth and unjust. He is guilty of a crime that cannot be forgiven. He cares about human life and kills innocent people indiscriminately. He is worse than an animal!"
"Such a person is a traitor to heaven and earth, and his crime is unforgivable. If he is not eliminated, heaven will eliminate him! How can he be qualified to sit on the throne of the crown prince!"
His tone became more and more forceful, and in the end he was almost scolding word by word.
Some ministers who secretly opposed Xu Tianran and the evil soul master couldn't help but cheer in their hearts when they heard this.
Xu Tianran's face was cold, but the gloom in his eyes soon disappeared. He bowed to the old emperor on the dragon throne in a serious manner, and said humbly: "Father, Master Kong, I was also temporarily deceived by the Holy Spirit Church and made a big mistake. Please punish Tianran."
He had already understood what Confucius meant. Since he had not explicitly opposed it, he would not interfere. His position as the crown prince was still secure, but he still had to pretend.
The old emperor sighed and said bitterly, "Naturally, this is all the evil I have planted for you. If I hadn't been obsessed with the Holy Spirit Church ten years ago and let the Holy Spirit Church take root in Mingdu, you wouldn't be facing this dilemma."
"If we don't cooperate with them, the Holy Spirit Church will only harm our Sun and Moon people more recklessly. I know that you are also facing a lot of pressure, so let me bear all the blame."
As he spoke, the old emperor showed a guilty look on his face, and said: "I will voluntarily go to the Sun and Moon Imperial Mausoleum for the rest of my life and fast every day to inform the spirits of my royal brother and the people of Sun and Moon. Ahem..."
"Tianran, when you succeed to the throne, you must be a wise ruler."
Xu Tianran cried and said, "Tianran will follow the teachings of the emperor."
The father and son sang double yellow songs to each other, performing a very sad drama.
The old emperor took over Xu Tianran's crime of linking the Holy Spirit Church lightly. The old emperor himself was ill and looked miserable, a pitiful sight.
Huo Yuhao wanted to laugh when he saw this. He really wanted to chase after him, but was interrupted by another person.
"Wait a minute, what qualifications do you have to blame my brother!"
Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment, and looked in the direction of the voice, wanting to see who was against him. Not only him, but other ministers were also stunned.
It was the Third Prince who spoke.
Huo Yuhao was a little surprised. He never expected that the person who spoke for Xu Tianran was actually the Third Prince.
Aren't they competitors?
The Third Prince said in a resounding voice: "How can you understand my brother's foresight?"
Xu Tianran was also stunned, staring blankly at his third brother.
The Third Prince continued, "It is true that my brother cooperated with the evil soul master Holy Spirit Church, but you only saw his cruelty to innocent people. Where did you see his behind-the-scenes planning?"
He began to analyze slowly: "The Holy Spirit Church has two Ultimate Douluo and many Titled Douluo, and there are countless strong men above Soul Saint. Being able to command them to serve one's own purposes is a reflection of the prestige of my brother."
"My royal brother is a man of great talent and knowledge, with a noble character and a respect for the wise and humble. That's why so many people follow him wholeheartedly, even the evil soul master. My royal brother appoints people based on their merits, and even the evil soul master can be appointed as the national teacher. I have seen evil soul masters enter and leave his palace many times."
"It is precisely because of so many powerful people following him that my brother is able to sit on the throne of the crown prince without any dispute. Only a wise ruler like my brother can lead the Sun-Moon Empire to ever-increasing prosperity."
"Although the Holy Spirit Church often harms the people, this is just a small price that my brother has to pay for the future of the Sun Moon Empire."
"With the help of the evil soul master and the Holy Spirit Church, the Sun Moon Empire will have the opportunity to defeat the Three Douluo Kingdoms. What do the lives of some people mean?"
"How can you, with your short-sightedness, understand the unconcerned and heroic demeanor of my brother?"
At this point, the Third Prince suddenly knelt down in front of the old emperor and Kong Deming, begging, "Father, Elder Kong, please don't punish my brother. He is also doing this for the future of the Sun and Moon Emperor."
After saying this, the Third Prince raised his butt and knocked forward.
All the officials were stunned.
Xu Tianran gritted his teeth and glared at the Third Prince. He had cut ties with the Holy Spirit Church at the first opportunity, but the Third Prince was so vicious that he praised him in public but actually criticized him, and tied him to the Holy Spirit Church again.
The old emperor felt like he couldn't breathe. He stretched out a trembling finger and struggled to point at his third son: "You, you... cough cough cough..."
His cough got worse.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but laugh. He controlled "Xu Sheng" and said to the old emperor in a serious tone: "Your Majesty, a family with a son who can speak out will not ruin it. A country with a minister who can speak out will not perish. I think what His Royal Highness the Third Prince said is very right."
"The Crown Prince must have had a long-term plan for cooperating with the evil soul master. Even if many people died, it was all part of the Crown Prince's plan."
"You really shouldn't have listened to me. If you hand the Sun-Moon Empire over to this kind of person, there won't be any need for the Douluo Three Kingdoms to attack. The Sun-Moon Empire will have been killed by the prince on its own."
The old emperor coughed a few more times, and when he felt his body relax, he gritted his teeth and asked, "According to what you said, if I don't listen to you, will Sun and Moon be destroyed?"
"Xu Sheng" snorted lightly, held his head high and puffed out his chest. After pausing for a few seconds, he confidently and contemptuously uttered two words: "It's hard to say."
"you……"
The old emperor felt his heart tighten, his right hand clenched his left chest, and he couldn't breathe. He struggled to stand up from the dragon throne, but he couldn't even exert this little strength.
His eyes widened, and his sunken eye sockets never closed. He just kept staring at Huo Yuhao, and his already extremely weak vitality was completely drained away.
Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment. He was very familiar with the old emperor's stiff look.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty has passed away!" A guard next to him trembled all over and let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The entire court suddenly became a mess.
Under the simulated light, Huo Yuhao's face turned dark.
He swore that he had never used any means such as soul shock, but he never expected that the old emperor's mental and physical condition was so bad that he was angered to death.
He didn't close his eyes even when he died. He really died with his eyes open.
Chapter 427 Xu Tianran's Death Is Approaching
The old emperor's withered body remained stiff in his last posture before death.
He stared straight ahead, unwillingly trying to remember the last scene he saw before he died. His raised right index finger pointed at someone. When he was alive, his finger was always trembling, but after death it finally remained stable.
The old emperor of the Sun-Moon Empire, a king who had seized the throne from his brother through bloody means, ended his exhausted life completely at this moment.
From the time he launched the coup to now, the time he actually ruled the entire Sun-Moon Empire has been only ten years at most.
But the old emperor’s death was much more useful than when he was alive.
Huo Yuhao in the simulation showed a trace of emotion on his face. He really didn't expect that the old emperor would die of anger in the morning court.
He finally helped to settle the blood feud with Cai Tou.
But now that the old emperor was dead, Huo Yuhao had some trouble. He died too early and too suddenly, leaving a bad impression.
"His Majesty!"
Several of the old emperor's confidants looked at the old emperor's body with trembling voices.
After a brief moment of surprise, Xu Tianran's eyes showed a hint of joy, and then he hid the surprise very well. Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes, and he cried in grief: "Father——"
The other princes also reacted and started crying along with Xu Tianran. They fell to their knees on the ground, each crying more sadly than the other.
“Father——”
Kong Deming's eyes widened slightly, then he gently shook his head and let out a deep sigh of relief.
After that came the civil and military officials, who remained kneeling the entire time, and from time to time someone would wipe away tears with his clothes.
Those guards who were standing before also knelt down. For a moment, the entire hall of the Sun and Moon Palace was filled with wailing and sobbing.
Huo Yuhao and his companions stood proudly, their eyes full of indifference, forming a sharp contrast with the crowd around them who were kneeling and crying.
However, it is unknown how much of that crying was real emotion.
At least Xu Tianran's grief was just pretend, he was actually smiling inside.
Once the old emperor died, he would be the one who benefited the most.
Even if an uninvited guest suddenly appeared, he was still the first heir to the throne. Although the other party had the support of powerful people, he could not fundamentally shake his position.
He could push all the impeachments against him, whether it was cooperation with the Holy Spirit Church or brutality, onto his recently deceased father.
Moreover, the other party angered his father to death in the court, so the situation was in his favor.
No matter how guilty the old emperor is and how unjustly he obtained his throne, he is still the ruler of a country, and the other party has no right to deal with him.
As the crown prince, he has the same filial piety as the other party, and the other party is not much more legitimate than himself.
Sometimes, filial piety is a higher level of political correctness than justice. Even if patriarchy plays an absolutely negative role, children should never sacrifice their own parents for the sake of justice.
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. He actually did not agree with such values, but it was obvious that the people in this palace and the people of this era agreed with them.
He snorted and decided not to continue attacking the old emperor and Xu Tianran on these two topics. He held the ultimate leverage over Xu Tianran in his hands.
Huo Yuhao did not pay attention to Xu Tianran and the other princes, but was observing Kong Deming, thinking about how to reveal this ultimate accusation.
Anonymous? Or not? To whom? In the palace or in Mingdu?
If you want to be anonymous, should you distribute newspapers in Mingdu or broadcast on the radio?
If he is not anonymous, what identity will he use? Xu Sheng, the Holy Son, or Huo Yuhao himself?
It sounds like there is no difference, both are accusations against Xu Tianran, but they focus on different effects.
Of course Huo Yuhao could reveal it in the palace right now, but this would be the ultimate insult to men. He was sure that Xu Tianran would do something desperate.
Although Xu Tianran's cultivation was basically achieved by taking drugs, he was still a Titled Douluo after all. If he were to self-destruct out of anger, he could still blow up the imperial palace, which was something Huo Yuhao didn't want to see.
Kong Deming slowly walked to the throne, gently closed the old emperor's eyes, sighed again, and then turned to look at the ministers: "Your Majesty has been suffering from a serious illness for many years due to overwork, and passed away today."
"Although your majesty has made mistakes, he is still the one who is destined to rule. All the officials of the Sun and Moon Empire obey your orders."
As he spoke, the sadness in Kong Deming's words turned into powerful momentum.
The ministers said respectfully, "I am here."
"Today, your majesty will be buried. The holy body will be moved to the funeral palace and sent to the Sun and Moon Imperial Mausoleum on an auspicious day."
"At present, the new emperor has not been appointed, so the sacrifice ceremony will be postponed. The Minister of Internal Affairs will speed up the construction of the Sun and Moon Temple. At that time, an outstanding member of the royal family will be selected to succeed the throne during the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heaven."
Kong Deming slowly looked towards "Xu Sheng" and saluted in the direction of Beidi Douluo, saying, "Brother Zhang, I am a descendant of the royal family who has been exiled to a foreign country. I have been taken care of by you for so many years."
Although he didn't go into detail, Kong Deming's meaning was already hinted.
"Xu Sheng" is also qualified to participate in the competition for the throne and face off against Xu Tianran. As for whether he can succeed, it depends on his own ability.
Kong Deming maintained absolute neutrality, neither openly supporting nor opposing anyone.
All the ministers and royal relatives could not help but swallow their saliva. The throne that was originally a sure win for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly turned into a fierce battle between him and the bloodline of the late emperor this morning, and the outcome became unpredictable.
On the surface, Xu Tianran has been operating in the palace for many years and has a solid foundation, but Xu Sheng, who suddenly appears, is overbearing and has the potential to defeat Xu Tianran.
The world is going to change tomorrow.