Phi-Fic Chapter 747: Sent to prison!
Chapter 747: Sent to prison!
Three days later, the capital city was clean and quiet.
The ear-piercing sounds of clashing weapons were gone, as were the constant wails and cries.
The ground, which had been stained with blood, had been washed clean at some point.
When the people opened their doors, they saw that the streets were clean and tidy. Although they weren't exactly tidy, at least they recognized the streets they knew.
For the nobles and gentry of the capital, these three days were a period of psychological shock, going from the sky to the ground, then from the ground to the clouds, and then being slammed into the mud again.
The Ming Prince's Mansion remained quiet.
The gate of the Prince Kang's mansion was sealed with an extremely glaring seal.
The once grand palace was now completely deserted.
As for Prince Kang, he, like Duanmu Chen, knelt outside the Chengqian Palace.
The only slight difference was that Duanmu Chen was taken to a side hall in the palace, rested for a day and a night, and then returned to kneel down.
The two were only a few feet apart, but neither of them uttered a sound.
They all had their heads down, their brows furrowed, and their faces were all pale and dejected.
In this battle for the throne, they both lost.
As for King Ming, he clearly couldn't be considered the victor. At best, he was just an onlooker who watched the show unfold.
But for King Kang, he could never accept that King Ming, who had been under his control for more than a decade, had suddenly come to his senses.
He should have been the one leading the charge, but this time, why did he choose to remain silent?
Was it because he had already foreseen this outcome?
Or perhaps, he has become suspicious of himself?
King Kang knew that this time, no matter how he argued, the emperor would not believe that he had been instigated by King Ming.
After all that hard work and planning, it all fell apart at the last minute.
He knew that yesterday, the Prince of Changle had personally escorted his family back to the capital.
However, listening to the reports from the people inside to the Emperor, it seemed that they had not been mistreated; at least, their three meals a day were quite good.
He also knew that at this point, he dared not hope for more. His only hope was that he could atone for his sins with his death and save his family.
Finally, the chief eunuch came out of the hall and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to the hall."
Prince Kang's whole body trembled, then he was overjoyed, "Father Emperor is finally willing to see me?"
However, because Xu had been kneeling for so long, his legs became unresponsive.
The chief steward quickly summoned several eunuchs to help him up.
"Your Highness, please stretch your legs here for a bit, so that you won't be disrespectful in front of the Emperor when we enter the palace later."
King Kang felt his eyes throbbing.
Even now, this chief steward is still worried about losing face and status.
But he knew in his heart that he had no identity left to rely on.
Upon entering the inner palace, the emperor was reclining on a soft couch.
Without saying a word, King Kang knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face.
"Father, your son is unfilial and knows he was wrong! Your son dares not ask for your forgiveness, but only begs that you spare my children for the sake of me being your own son."
The Emperor frowned slightly, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions as he looked at his son. He had always been far too trusting of this son.
He had always thought that the King was impulsive, easily angered, and prone to violence. But he never expected that this third son would exploit this weakness of his second son to the fullest extent!
This exploitation lasted for more than a decade, demonstrating just how deep this son's cunning was.
"You know you were wrong now? I ask you, if your people had successfully entered the Prince An's residence, would your people have spared the lives of the Prince An's master and servants?"
King Kang stiffened, lowered his head, tears and snot streaming down his face, and remained silent, not daring to utter a sound.
"You are my son. I have given you the throne and wealth, yet you are still not satisfied and even think of seizing what does not belong to you. What makes you think you are smarter than Prince Ming? Or do you think you are more ruthless than the Crown Prince?"
King Kang dared not utter a sound, but only sobbed softly.
His only hope now is that the Empress will come. As long as his mother is there, at least he can save his life.
"Do you think no one knows what you've been doing in secret? Do you think I don't know that you sent someone to contact Prince Keli of the Turks?"
Prince Kang was completely terrified. He looked up in disbelief and met the Emperor's extremely stern and furious gaze. He immediately knelt down, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, and dared not move an inch.
"Why aren't you speaking up for yourself? Didn't you say you knew you were wrong? Why don't you explain in detail where you went wrong?"
Prince Kang always felt that he still had a glimmer of hope, which was that the emperor was unaware of his secret dealings with the Turks.
Now that the Emperor had said it to his face, he felt that everything he had was a joke!
But he saw no hope whatsoever for the future.
Perhaps, the Emperor knows more than just these things.
The Emperor even knew how the Crown Prince died. He had bribed the traitor within the Crown Prince's inner circle. He had also revealed the Crown Prince's travel routes and times to the Turkic assassins.
This time, what reason do I have not to die?
The Prince of Kang was ashen-faced and increasingly frightened. Before the Emperor could even ask him any more questions, he slumped to the side and fainted.
Seeing how useless he was, the Emperor shook his head and said, "Guards, strip Prince Kang of all his titles and everything he owns, and throw him into the imperial prison. No one is allowed to visit him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Duanmu Chen, who was kneeling outside, saw his uncle being dragged out by the guards. At that time, the Prince of Kang still had his eyes closed.
Duanmu Chendi's heart tightened and trembled. What should he do?
He didn't know if his beloved grandfather would spare his life out of respect for his father.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that death was so close to him.
Soon, the chief steward came out and said, "Someone, Prince Fu'an, please go back and rest. The Emperor is tired, so we will summon him another day."
"Yes, Steward."
Duanmu Chen didn't understand for a moment. Send him back? Back where?
It wasn't until he got off the car, feeling dizzy and disoriented, that he realized he had been taken back to the Prince An's residence.
However, upon seeing the two rows of guards at the entrance, he knew that he had been placed under house arrest by the emperor.
As soon as he entered the gate, the steward of the manor came out to greet him. "Your Highness, you've finally returned. The Princess Consort and Consort Sun were both taken to the palace by Her Majesty the Empress and haven't returned yet."