Chapter 200 Forced Ascension to the Throne

Chapter 200 Forced Ascension to the Throne

The Chongde Hall was so empty and quiet that it had a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

"You vile woman, how dare you kill my brother!"

King Liang walked into the spacious Chongde Hall and looked at Xue Qingning, whose neck was held to a long sword.

He was tall and slender, about thirty-five years old, and looked just like Prince Ding, quite handsome.

However, at this moment his face was full of ferocity, and his eyes were filled with intense killing intent.

Xue Qingning looked around. Today, all the Imperial Guards had been sent out to fight Xie Yu, and even the Imperial Guards had been sent to capture other princes and grandsons.

The palace is now empty, but unexpectedly, it left a gap for this person.

Xue Qingning felt the coolness on her neck. "Ninth Imperial Uncle, Prince Ding is someone who would die for you. Why do you have to pretend to be a brotherly lover?"

"You brothers have been lying low for so many years, one holding military power and the other taking it all for the throne, haven't you?"

"Now that you are no match for Prince Qi and your army has collapsed like a house of cards, what use is there in keeping this puppet alive?"

Prince Liang, Xie Yun, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, grabbed her by the neck, "That's not someone you can kill!!"

The pressure around Xue Qingning's neck tightened, and gradually her eyes bulged, her face turned blue, and her lips turned black. She could neither breathe in nor out.

Just as she was about to be strangled to death, Prince Liang, Xie Yun, threw her aside.

Xue Qingning immediately collapsed to the ground, clutching her neck and coughing violently.

Prince Liang, Xie Yun, then took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the area he had just touched.

He wiped it clean, threw it on the ground, and muttered disdainfully, "So dirty."

Xue Qingning propped herself up, glaring at Xie Yun with a contemptuous smile on her lips.

"Ninth Imperial Uncle is now a stray dog. Tell me, do you need something from me?"

By using "I" directly, she meant that she did not treat King Liang as an elder, but rather as an equal.

The King of Liang's face grew even more menacing, his eyes seeming to want to kill Xue Qingning.

Suppressing his anger, he said, "You seem to have excellent connections?"

After a pause, he continued, "The Cangjue army was secretly let in by your Xue family. Don't think you can hide it from anyone."

"You have committed a grave crime. Moreover, even I was defeated by them when they joined forces. Do you think you can defeat any of them with your current strength in Luoyang?"

Xue Qingning lowered her eyes slightly; what the King of Liang said was the truth.

"If they can defeat me together, they can defeat your Xue family as well."

Xue Qingning sneered, got up, and elegantly tidied her appearance.

"Just say what you have to say!"

"My remaining troops will help you defeat Xie Yu. As for whether you use Xie Yu as a bargaining chip or for other purposes, I will not care."

Xue Qingning gazed at him.

King Xie Yun of Liang said, "If your son ascends to the top one day, I request a fiefdom to settle down in."

"If you fail, we will all still be alive. Why not form an alliance and work together to accomplish something great?"

"Now I need to leave Luoyang with my remaining troops. You can't keep the Imperial Seal, so you might as well hand it over to me."

Upon hearing this, Xue Qingning couldn't help but shrug and laugh, "So the Prince of Liang is still eyeing the Imperial Seal?"

"The Prince of Ding has been searching for half a year without success. Ninth Imperial Uncle, do you think I would give it away so easily?"

King Liang: "Now you have no choice but to hand it over. Tomorrow, whether it's the Cheng Army or the Qi Prince's army, as long as they attack Luoyang, your Xue family will not be able to hold onto that treasure."

Yunhan values ​​legitimacy and requires the imperial seal to be granted the throne; only then can one be considered a true Son of Heaven.

If you can't gather all the dragons, then it's a fake dragon.

Xue Qingning thought about the few remaining soldiers she had, which would take Xie Yu several days to defeat.

When Shen Nanzi and Prince Qi return, she really won't be able to hold on.

Having made up his mind, he smiled and said, "Deal."

The King of Liang was not easily fooled, so when he was about to send out his troops, he had Xue Qingning take out the imperial seal and place it on the imperial desk in the Chongde Hall.

King Liang was worried that Xue Qingning would produce a fake, so he took out the original imperial seal for comparison before he felt comfortable sending troops.

As darkness fell, the remnants of the Liang King's army surrounded Xie Yu's forces.

When the sky is ablaze with fiery red, illuminating the horizon.

Xie Yu was prepared for this. When he saw that defeat was inevitable, he decided not to make any futile sacrifices and surrendered without any resistance.

His soldiers became prisoners, and he was also taken into the Chongde Hall by Lie Feng.

Something strange happened in Chongde Hall today; all the lamps in the hall were lit, illuminating the hall as if it were daytime.

When he saw the imperial seal on the imperial desk and looked at the Prince of Liang whom he had not seen for a long time, he seemed to understand everything.

The troops that King Ding had hidden outside Luoyang must belong to King Liang.

Now that the defeated King Liang has come to cooperate with Xue Qingning, it seems they have other plans.

“Xie Yu,” the Prince of Liang walked up to him, speaking in the tone of an elder, “You should have just stayed a carefree prince. You had to meddle in this field that is not suitable for you. Now you have become someone else’s prey. It’s a real pity.”

"Don't blame Ninth Prince. He's been beaten into a corner by the Princess Consort you like, so he has no choice but to let you suffer."

Xie Yu looked at Prince Liang, Xie Yun, and asked, "Is it only the Imperial Uncle who wants the Imperial Seal?"

"Without the Imperial Seal, it won't work!" He looked like he was being forced into a corner. "Capturing you in exchange for an Imperial Seal is too much of a bargain. If you were Ninth Imperial Uncle, the whole world would belong to him."

"It's a pity that one of us lacks a legitimate identity and the other lacks the power. What a shame!"

Xie Yu sneered, not wanting to respond.

Prince Xie Yun of Liang turned to Xue Qingning and said, "Alright, now the money and goods are settled."

Xue Qingning looked out of the hall with a cold expression. "Wait a moment, there are still a few things to do before the Prince of Liang can take the imperial seal away."

There was a commotion outside the palace. King Liang turned around and looked behind him.

A group of imperial guards led many children into the palace. They were of varying heights and ages, ranging from thirteen or fourteen to three or four years old.

Two of them were too small, so the guards had to carry them in.

They were all boys, dressed in the same fine clothes.

Xie Yu turned around, and the moment he saw the children, he became furious.

"Xue Qingning, what are you doing?"

Xue Qingning remained silent, still quietly gazing outside the hall.

Two figures, one large and one small, stepped into the Chongde Hall, their backs against the darkness outside.

When the light fell on their faces, everyone could see that the newcomers were Xue Yubai and Xie Hongrui.

They walked straight to the front, then turned to look at the others.

Their expressions and composed gait made it seem as if the Chongde Hall belonged to them.

King Liang frowned. "Xue Qingning, you've gone back on your word and are you playing me for fools?"

Xue Qingning smiled faintly, "Our forces are evenly matched now. If we're going to fight, it will take several days."

"Tomorrow, Prince Qi and Xie Chengze's troops will arrive in Luoyang. It seems that our only option is to run away."

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, now that you have lost your fiefdom and only have a few remaining soldiers, and you don’t even have any food or supplies, you have too few bargaining chips.”

King Liang was furious: "If you go back on your word, I will fight you to the death. We'll fight to the death, and neither of us will escape."

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, please listen to me,” Xue Qingning said, “Our Xue family still has 100,000 troops at our disposal, but they are too far away to be of any use in this immediate crisis.”

"Even if we leave Luoyang, we still have the ability to put up a fight and stir up some trouble."

"But Ninth Imperial Uncle, your vitality has been severely damaged, and it will be difficult for you to make a comeback!"

King Liang was well aware of his current predicament. "What do you mean?"

Seeing that the results were good, Xue Qingning looked at Xie Hongrui and said, "The Yunhan court has been in limbo for half a year, which is an unprecedented case in history."

"A country must have a monarch!"

As soon as Xue Qingning finished speaking, everyone understood what the Xue family intended to do.

The Xue family has a young ruler, and the King of Liang holds the imperial seal. As long as their power rises again, they can still become the legitimate rulers of Yunhan.

Of course, Xue Qingning meant that they were in charge, and the Prince of Liang could only remain the Prince of Liang.

However, in the eyes of the King of Liang, as long as he obtains the imperial seal, he can eliminate all these obstacles, and he will ultimately be the rightful heir.

Xie Yu: "You want to ascend the throne? Just because you've forcibly detained these princes and grandsons?"

Do you think you can sit securely on this dragon throne?

Xue Qingning sneered: "Whether you can sit comfortably or not is none of your business, you defeated opponents."

“How can we not be qualified?” a prince, already the height of an adult, spoke up, his face brimming with youthful ambition.

"The one most qualified in the world right now is the Sixth Prince. What is Xie Hongrui anyway!"

"How can a grandson like him overstep the status of us princes?"

Xue Qingning waved her hand, and immediately a guard stepped forward and plunged a knife into the prince's chest.

The sound of flesh being pierced was especially clear inside the Chongde Hall.

Xie Yu's scalp tingled. He turned his head and saw the scene before him. His eyes widened in horror, and he screamed in anguish, "Xie Ying!"

However, when the longsword was pulled out of Xie Ying's stomach, the boy opened his eyes wide, instinctively covering the spot where he had been stabbed, his eyes filled with pain and disbelief.

A prince was assassinated in public.

With a 'plop', Xie Ying spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

In an instant, the cold Chongde Hall was filled with fear and the smell of blood.

Xie Yu, trembling, turned his head and looked at the Xue siblings standing at the head of the table, his eyes bloodshot.

They tried to break free from the oppression, but they dislocated their arms, leaving them powerless and hanging limply at their sides.

He endured the pain and screamed in agony:

"Xue Qingning, you're not human! Xie Ying is a child you watched grow up, how could you do this to her? You vicious woman!!"

"If you want Xie Hongrui to become emperor, I, Xie Yu, will be the first to object."

"You are not qualified!! Even if you sit on the dragon throne, you will not be respected by the people."

Xue Qingning looked at him with disdain, "If you weren't still useful, do you think you'd still be alive to speak to me?"

“Shut his mouth. Today I will make you watch Xie Hongrui ascend the throne.”

Xie Yu smiled bitterly: "To ascend the throne without authorization is truly laughable."

The guards holding Xie Yu immediately stuffed a wad of cloth into his mouth.

King Liang looked at everything before him, a hidden sneer appearing on his lips.

A hint of fanaticism flashed in Xue Qingning's eyes: "How could it be a private ascension to the throne? Of course, an ascension to the throne requires the consent of all civil and military officials!"

"Even if they disagree, I have ways to make them all agree."

As soon as he finished speaking, officials led by Imperial Censor Zhang entered the Chongde Hall one after another.

They were all dressed in court robes and official hats, with solemn expressions.

After seeing Xie Ying's body, everyone fell silent.

Only after Xue Qingning waved her hand did the guards drag Xie Ying's body away through the side door.

The blood on the ground was quickly cleaned up, and incense and candles were lit on the sacrificial cauldron outside, sending up wisps of white smoke.

The stench of blood in the hall was quickly suppressed.

The officials, both civil and military, stood in two rows on either side.

The newly appointed Grand Master of Ceremonies of the Xue family entered the hall and, following the rituals of Yunhan, silently recited a long sacrificial text.

As the Grand Commandant, Xue Yubai publicly removed Xie Hongrui's outer garment, revealing the dragon robe he had already put on underneath.

Xue Yubai personally put on the crown presented to him by a palace attendant.

Xue Qingning stepped aside, staring at the scene before her with a somewhat crazed look in her eyes.

Her son finally sat on the throne he had always dreamed of.

Just as the ceremony was about to begin, the sound of arrows slicing through the sky suddenly rang out.

The lights in Chongde Hall were instantly extinguished by half, and the civil and military officials were so frightened that they immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, fearing that they would be hit by stray arrows.

Xue Qingning's expression suddenly changed. She shielded Xie Hongrui and said to Xue Yubai, "Activate the second plan."

Xue Yubai nodded immediately and loudly ordered, "Close the doors and windows, and launch a counterattack immediately."

In the blink of an eye, the Chongde Hall was plunged into darkness.

The princes and grandsons in the hall were immediately terrified and began to cry in the darkness.

The cries of nearly twenty children instantly drowned out all other sounds.

Chaos reigned inside the Chongde Hall.

All of this happened in an instant.

Upon remembering the imperial seal, Xue Qingning immediately rushed towards the imperial desk.

However, just as she lunged forward, someone beat her to it and snatched the imperial seal away.

Upon discovering the imperial seal was missing, Xue Qingning tensed up. "Brother, someone has stolen the imperial seal! Light the lamps quickly!"

The sound of weeping was deafening inside Chongde Hall, and with darkness still surrounding them, Xue Yubai couldn't hear Xue Qingning's voice at all.

"ah!"

A sharp, painful cry echoed through the Chongde Hall, and everyone knew immediately that someone had been shot by an arrow.

It was pitch black, and the whistling of arrows still whistled past my ears.

The crowd became restless, and everyone rushed out of the main hall like madmen.

Even though Xue Yubai had ordered the doors and windows to be closed, the power of numbers meant that the doors of Chongde Hall were still pried open.

The officials, trapped in darkness and danger, frantically tried to break free.

Faced with life and death, everyone wants to live.

They could vaguely hear Imperial Censor Zhang's low voice, "Hurry up, or you'll be dead. Prince Liang and the Xue family are probably fighting again."

"Without the imperial seal, what's the point of ascending the throne?!"

"Staying alive is the most important thing."

Once outside the main hall, taking advantage of the darkness, the officials hurriedly ran outside, lifting their official robes.

It was as if if they were even a step too slow, they would be shot dead.

The Chongde Hall went from solemnity to chaos, from bright light to darkness, in the blink of an eye.

When the lights inside Chongde Hall were relit.

The Chongde Hall was in complete disarray, and all the officials had fled.

Only the princes and grandsons who had been brought there by them remained, still crying out with their mouths open.

Xue Qingning looked at the ruined coronation ceremony and turned pale with anger.

Xue Yubai clenched his fists in anger, "Shut up! All of you shut up!"

The crying children wouldn't listen at all and kept wailing.

The guards had no choice but to take out their broadswords to scare them, saying, "Don't cry, or I'll kill you."

The older children stopped and sobbed as they thought about Xie Ying's fate.

The younger princes, not understanding, continued to cry and shout.

Xue Qingning couldn't care less about the crying at this moment; she just stared quietly at the imperial desk, her lips trembling.

The imperial seal is gone, it's really gone!

She then looked into the palace and found that the King of Liang was nowhere to be found.

None of the soldiers he brought were left.

"Brother, the Imperial Seal has definitely been taken by the Prince of Liang!"

"Chase him! Hunt him down immediately!"