Phi-Fic Chapter 631 Internal strife
Chapter 631 Internal strife
Lou Zhen did not answer, but just waved his hand behind him. The next moment, a team of royal guards rushed out from the palace gate, all of them on high alert, waiting for the order to take action.
Concubine Cheng was stunned for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she immediately said, "No, Yi'er is still in their hands, no one is allowed to act rashly!"
Lou Zhen didn't even glance at Concubine Cheng, he just stared at Xiao Yi, "Your Highness, it's not that I don't care about your safety, but under the current circumstances, I can't do anything stupid, I think you should understand."
Seeing that Lou Zhen's expression was cold and serious, and there was no sign of disguise or threatening at all, Concubine Cheng became completely anxious.
"Lou Zhen, you are so brave, are you really going to ignore Yi'er?"
Xiao Yi met Lou Zhen's gaze, his face still smiling, "Mother, Commander Lou is right. Under the current circumstances, sacrificing my life is indeed the most correct choice."
"Yier!" Concubine Cheng looked at Xiao Yi in surprise, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I sacrifice your life? Moreover, if you die, the throne..."
Lou Zhen said, "The youngest among the princes is the Ninth Prince, who is only eight years old now, and is at an age that is easy to control. As long as the Imperial Concubine is the Queen Mother and rules the country from behind the curtain, and with the assistance of this humble general, the government will naturally remain stable."
Although the Fourth Prince promised him many benefits, which were indeed tempting enough, the Fourth Prince fell into the hands of Shen Yanxi and others.
Moreover, compared to having the Fourth Prince ascend the throne, if he could personally push a puppet who is easy to control to the throne... it would be a good choice if he thought about it.
There was a gleam in Lou Zhen's eyes, and his expression revealed his greed and desire for power.
Seeing this ugly face, Pei Zhaozhi was furious again. "You are crazy, Lou Zhen. You are just a commander of the imperial guards. Do you think the officials will agree to this?"
"Whether he agrees or not depends on my ability." Lou Zhen looked contemptuous. "Now the entire palace is under the control of this general. As long as I get the will, if anyone has any objection, it would be questioning the emperor and committing treason. Such a person can naturally be executed!"
Jiang Suining stared at Lou Zhen. "But can Commander Lou kill all the civil and military officials in the court? Although you control the Imperial Guards, you don't have military power. You can certainly support the Ninth Prince to ascend the throne, but what about after he ascends the throne? How can you ensure that the other princes will not make trouble? And how can you ensure that those military generals will not aim at the imperial city? If Commander Lou really does this, I'm afraid that your beautiful dream of controlling the government will not last for a few days, and you will become a dead soul under the sword of others."
The reason why Lou Zhen could easily surround the imperial palace and take control of it tonight was because the Imperial Guards under his command were responsible for the defense of the imperial palace. In addition, Emperor Xiao was in a coma, and the people in the palace were already in panic and extremely unstable.
But once Emperor Xiao really died, and a young and weak prince was pushed to the throne, the throne would likely become fat meat coveted by many people, and everyone would want to take a bite.
By then, the entire imperial city, and even the entire Beiyang Kingdom will be plunged into chaos.
Lou Zhen's expression remained unchanged, he just sneered and said, "How do you know that I don't have the power of the military."
Pei Zhao was stunned. "Lou Zhen, you are the commander of the Imperial Guards. Could it be that you are colluding with the generals?"
"It can't be considered collusion, but this general has stayed in the military camp in the past, and naturally we haven't lost contact over the years." Lou Zhen spoke calmly, acting as if he was confident.
Shen Yanxi looked at Lou Zhen carefully, but did not completely believe what he said.
"Even if what Commander Lou said is true, how can you be sure that those generals are willing to support you? Even the Imperial Concubine will not watch the Fourth Prince die."
The topic was brought back to Concubine Cheng and Xiao Yi.
Concubine Cheng's tightly knitted brows clearly revealed her anxiety and nervousness at the moment, "Commander Lou, Yi'er must not die. A puppet prince can never stabilize the situation. Moreover, there are so many court officials supporting Yi'er. As long as Yi'er ascends the throne, he will surely be able to suppress all discussions quickly. This is the best choice."
"The Imperial Concubine did rescue the Fourth Prince, but under the current circumstances, do you think they will let him go? Or, do you think we should lay down our swords and become their prey just because of the Fourth Prince?" Lou Zhen's tone was filled with displeasure.
Shen Yanxi and his men would never surrender and submit. There was no other way out before them.
The resoluteness in Lou Zhen's eyes made Concubine Cheng feel cold all over, "Have you already decided to betray me and Yi'er?"
"Your Highness, you are wrongly accusing me. Before the Fourth Prince was captured, I never had such thoughts."
However, tonight was too smooth, so smooth that he suddenly realized that it was not that difficult to hold power as long as the time was right. And since they both controlled the palace and forged the will, why didn't he go a step further!
Concubine Cheng took a deep breath when she was looked at by Lou Zhen. She suppressed her panic, looked at Xiao Yi again, and gritted her teeth to assure him, "Yier, don't worry, as long as mother is here, I will never let them touch you!"
The smile on Xiao Yi's lips faded, and his eyes revealed a little complexity. He looked at his mother and was silent for a long time before he said, "Mother, it's useless. You can't make the decision."
Concubine Cheng's eyebrows jumped, "Yier..."
"Mother, I would like to ask you a question. If you were asked to choose between giving up everything tonight and giving up your son's life, what would you choose?"
"I..." Concubine Cheng had a very complicated expression.
Yi'er is her only child, her flesh and blood, so she naturally cannot abandon him. But tonight has come to this point, if she really gives up... What Lou Zhen said is right, that will only lead to death.
Xiao Yi saw Concubine Cheng's dilemma and he smiled again.
"Mother, there is no need to be so embarrassed. You can choose according to your own heart. I just want to know the final answer."
Xiao Yi's calm words made Concubine Cheng suddenly ask: "Have you already determined in your heart that your mother will give up on you?"
Xiao Yi didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes confirmed this.
Concubine Cheng's heart sank little by little, "When did the love between you and me become so cold?"
"My Lady Concubine, now is not the time for you and the Fourth Prince to discuss mother-son affection."
"Shut up."
"My lady, I..."
"I told you to shut up!" Concubine Cheng interrupted Lou Zhen fiercely, "Yier is my son. No matter what, I will protect his life. No one can hurt him!"