Chapter 864: Royal Princess....
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Crown Prince now hated Lu Zuidie and abolished her status as the Crown
Princess Consort. He also did that to show his father that he and Lu Zuidie had nothing to do with Duke Lu’s residence.
This incident also involved Han Yueting. He was engaged to the Crown Prince’s sister, making her the Prince Consort. Therefore, the emperor considered deposing his son after the incident.
Various rumors then spread among the people, but it was more than that. The commoners knew the Crown Prince had once conspired with the people around him to take many other innocent lives.
He could not refute, even if he wanted to. At this time, some began discussing the Wei and Gongsun families. Everyone said the Crown Prince was heavily involved in the Wei army’s destruction three years ago.
Some even obtained the letter containing proof of the Crown Prince colluding with the enemy. These people then made countless copies of the letter to spread throughout the capital and all over the country.
The whole world was furious, and even the emperor could not protect his son.
Everyone, including the commoners, had finally learned about the Crown Prince’s many evil deeds.
Everyone felt injustice for the Wei and Gongsun families. Several prominent families also stepped forward to demand that the emperor punish his son, the Crown Prince.
At that moment, a newspaper comic from the capital described how the Crown Prince colluded with the enemy to harm the Wei family and many others.
The news circulated among the people, and even those who could not read understood the story. Everyone was outraged and sought revenge for the Wei family.
Immediately after, an acting crew appeared among the people and performed the General’s Order play. Finally, everyone learned the truth about what had happened in the war three years ago.
“The Crown Prince is so hateful. General Wei and the others fended off the enemies and the border, but the Crown Prince interfered and schemed to harm the family.”
“What right does the Crown Prince have to hold his title?!”
“Duke Lu and the whole Han family are involved in this incident, too!” “The emperor isn’t innocent either.”
“You’re right! Why did the emperor accuse the Wei family of rebelling?”
Simultaneously, the Imperial Court was in turmoil. No one knew who had caused such an uproar.
Su Binglan had only been in the capital for over a month, yet she had already weaved a net for all who had betrayed the people she loved.
The emperor suddenly fell ill, so his son and King Fan began to fight for the throne. Su Binglan had already delivered a message to Lan Ruozhu, telling him to prepare for war.
As summer approached, the princes from various states sent people to the capital after hearing the news. They visited using the emperor’s name but wanted to seize his position.
The capital was in utter chaos, and the kings began to fight for power. The battle was fierce, resulting in countless dead or severely injured. Then, the rumors among the people became increasingly intense.
Almost all the commoners knew the truth behind the unjust deaths of the Wei family and their army. The Crown Prince’s actions turned the commoners’ and generals’ hearts cold.
Some generals were supposed to protect the Imperial Palace, the emperor, and his sons. However, they no longer wanted to protect such treacherous people.
Although all of Chu Country was in chaos soon after, Lan Ruozhu controlled the situation with thunderous methods.
General Shangguan and Luo Jin’an then appeared. Lan Ruozhu even used several of his caravan forces to restrict the various kings. When summer arrived, Dingzhou had a bumper harvest of grain to feed the soldiers.
Therefore, no one was Lan Ruozhu’s match. Later, his army marched into the capital and took over it. They also occupied various parts of Chu Country. During the hottest period of summer, Lan Ruozhu gained control over the situation.
The commoners were thrilled when they found out Young General Wei Jin’an was still alive. When they realized Lan Ruozhu had recovered from his illness, they knew he would become their emperor.
Everyone celebrated the good news as if it were a festival. The other kings were no match for Lan Ruozhu, as he had caravans, water shipment routes, and highly competent generals by his side.
Even the emperor and Crown Prince’s armies were no match for the Deceased Royal’s Mansion. Since many of the emperor’s soldiers knew about the emperor and Crown Prince’s evil deeds, the soldiers did not resist Lan Ruozhu’s army.
The emperor’s soldiers even willingly pledged their loyalty to Lan Ruozhu. After all, these soldiers had relatives and hoped for them to live in a peaceful environment.
Everyone knew there would be fewer to no wars in Chu Country when Lan Ruozhu became emperor. After all, the commoners knew about the changes that had occurred in Dingzhou.
The two siblings managed to suppress Chu Country’s internal strife in an extremely short time. The emperor and Crown Prince even became prisoners in the aftermath.
A month after the war, Lan Ruozhu proclaimed himself emperor and conferred his sister, Su Binglan, the title of the country’s princess. He then gave the Su family the duke’s residence.
The country quickly recovered from the war. With Lan Ruozhu’s formidable army protecting the country, its people could finally live peaceful lives. Everyone walked the streets with bright smiles.
On that day, a new newspaper issue appeared. The commoners were excited as they queued up to buy newspapers. Although the commoners were frugal, they were willing to spend a single copper per newspaper.
That was because they could learn about the latest political news in Chu Country by reading newspapers.
“Hey, the new issues are out. We better get in line quickly before they sell out!”
“In the last issue, Prince Ruozhu reduced our taxes and exempted the reclaimed land from taxes for the next three years. He even gave us seeds for our land.’
“Those are high-yield seeds for potatoes, sweet potatoes, and wheat.”
“That’s right. I have relatives who live in the prefecture. They grow potatoes and sweet potatoes in the spring. During the summer harvest, one acre of land can produce five to six thousand pounds of potatoes, not to mention the high-yield wheat.
“My relatives produced so much grain that they couldn’t finish everything. Prince Ruozhu even arranged for his people to purchase the extra harvests from the villagers. He even bought them at higher prices.” “Hey, it’s Emperor Ruozhu now, not Prince Ruozhu.”
“I’m so happy that he’s our new emperor. It’s so safe to go out now.”
“l heard Emperor Ruozhu will also be transporting cement to us. Apparently, cement roads are much better than dirt roads. It’s spacious and smooth.”
The commoners excitedly discussed the new changes occurring throughout the country.
Su Binglan and Luo Jin’an walked along the streets of the capital city. They smiled as they listened to the commoners’ conversations.
Su Binglan said, “Ruozhu has unsealed your family’s manor and wants to return it to you. You can restore your surname, too, Jin’an..”