TRBDM -Chapter 219 The Throne Within Reach

Gao Yong froze; he hadn’t expected Zhao Lingchen to show up.

When the late emperor was alive, everyone—let alone the court ministers—feared the military seal in Zhao Lingchen’s hands.

Gao Yong bowed respectfully: “Your Highness, we place the state above all else. We intend to depose the Crown Prince and enthrone the new emperor.”

Zhao Lingchen lifted her eyelids, saying nothing.

“Lingchen!”

The Empress felt her pillar of support had arrived.

Previously, Zhao Lingchen had spoken up for the Crown Prince. Today, seeing the ministers move to depose him and knowing Zhao Lingchen came personally, the Empress mistakenly thought the tide was turning in her favor.

“Lingchen, you must make a stand for Xuan’er. These people dare openly defy the late emperor’s wishes and depose the Crown Prince!”

Zhao Lingchen cast a glance at the Empress; her peach-blossom eyes were icy with disdain:

“Oh—Prime Minister Gao, do tell us, on what grounds are you deposing the Crown Prince?”

Gao Yong had long rehearsed his lofty justification: “The Crown Prince is of mediocre talent and limited ability, unfit to shoulder the responsibilities of heir apparent. Moreover, he is physically weak and has yet to produce a legitimate heir, failing to ensure the continuation of the royal line. This is a grave fault.”

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess had once borne a young heir. But at age two, the boy ate poisoned date cakes and died prematurely.

Since then, the Crown Prince had produced no offspring.

The death of the young heir was the Empress’s greatest sorrow.

“Gao Yong, how dare you bring this up! If it weren’t for Zhao Jingyan poisoning my son, my Lin’er wouldn’t have died so young!”

Despite extensive efforts, the Empress had never uncovered the culprit behind the young heir’s death. The killer had been right in front of her, yet she had been powerless.

Now Gao Yong was using the Crown Prince’s lack of offspring as an excuse. The Empress could barely contain her rage, wishing she could plunge a dagger straight into his neck.

“Empress, choose your words carefully. If you falsely accuse the Third Prince without proof, don’t blame us for cutting ties. After deposing the Crown Prince, the new emperor intended to grant amnesty to the realm and allow Your Highness to live in the outskirts of the capital with the Crown Prince. But with your aggressive stance, I doubt that will happen.”

The Empress couldn’t help but sneer at these words.

Hah! Zhao Jingyan’s move was ruthless.

It was as if he had stabbed someone in the neck and, just as they were about to die, pulled them back to life, calling it a heroic rescue.

Ridiculous—absolutely ridiculous!

A mouthful of repressed rage clogged the Empress’s chest, leaving her gasping for breath.

“Eldest Sister, you must make a stand for me!”

Seeing her mother falter, Zhao Jingxuan immediately ran to Zhao Lingchen, clutching the sleeve of her robe tightly.

Zhao Lingchen could clearly feel Zhao Jingxuan trembling violently.

Yet she felt no sympathy at all.

In this cannibalistic royal household, Zhao Jingxuan had been raised by the Empress as a sheltered flower in a greenhouse—weak, useless, and unaccomplished.

He had enjoyed twenty years as Crown Prince. It was time to face reality.

“I have no objection to deposing the Crown Prince.”

Zhao Lingchen’s words struck like a boulder thrown into water, sending towering waves roaring.

The Empress and Zhao Jingxuan stared in disbelief.

“Eldest Sister, what did you say?”

Zhao Jingxuan’s grip tightened sharply, pinching Zhao Lingchen painfully.

Jiang Yuelin stepped forward: “Your Highness, please let go. You’re hurting the Princess.”

Panting heavily, Zhao Jingxuan shifted his attention to Jiang Yuelin, shouting: “Are you deaf? They’re deposing me! Why aren’t you stopping them?”

In Zhao Jingxuan’s eyes, the Ministry of Justice was aligned with the Crown Prince; they should be on his side.

Pushed to this extreme, Zhao Jingxuan had resolved to fight to the bitter end.

He was incompetent and could only be trampled under Zhao Jingyan’s feet!

However, even his last shred of hope was shattered. Jiang Yuelin said: “Your Highness, the situation has already been decided. The Dali Temple cannot stop it.”

“You… you… you betrayed me long ago, sold out to Zhao Jingyan!”

At this point, no matter how the Crown Prince interpreted Jiang Yuelin’s words, it was meaningless. Jiang Yuelin had no intention of explaining.

Jiang Yuelin remained silent. Zhao Jingyan spoke first: “It seems Minister Jiang understands one truth well: those who recognize the times are truly talented.”

Zhao Jingyan, beaming with pride, turned to Zhao Jingxuan and said: “Your Highness, stop struggling. If this continues, the scene will only become more unpleasant. You are the former Crown Prince; all the face you deserve, I will give. Just cooperate obediently.”

Some ministers echoed him: “Yes, even the Eldest Princess agrees with deposing the Crown Prince, so we are even more in favor.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

Hearing one “agreed” after another, Zhao Jingxuan was forced to retreat step by step until he collapsed onto the ground.

The Empress rushed over and hugged him: “Xuan’er, Mother has wronged you… I’m so sorry.”

Zhao Jingxuan felt as if his soul had been torn apart. He stared blankly ahead: “It’s over… it’s all over… everything is gone.”

The Empress was unwilling, but no matter how much she resisted, there was nothing she could do.

She had done all she could—everything that could be done had been done—but it was powerless against fate.

From this moment on, the Crown Prince officially withdrew from the struggle for the throne.

Gao Yong waved his wide sleeves: “Attendants, first escort the Eldest Prince and the Empress back to the Eastern Palace. Starting tomorrow, the Eldest Prince will move out of the Eastern Palace.”

“Yes, sir.”

The imperial guards stepped forward, supporting the weak and helpless Zhao Jingxuan, leading him out of the Council Hall.

The Empress seemed to age ten years in an instant, her back bent as she left the hall.

After they left, Gao Yong and Zhao Jingyan exchanged a glance, seeing pride and arrogance mirrored in each other’s eyes.

The throne was within reach, practically in their hands.

From that moment on, Zhao Jingyan was emperor, and Gao Yong stood as Prime Minister, second to none, at the pinnacle of power. The entire Dachong Dynasty belonged to the Gao family.

Whoever dared oppose them would be executed without hesitation.

The Gao family was inherently ruthless and bloodthirsty; anyone who disobeyed would be killed immediately.

Zhao Jingyan walked to the dragon throne in the Council Hall. Once Gao Yong proclaimed the new emperor’s ascension, he could sit on the throne with full legitimacy, enjoying the sight of those below kneeling and shouting: “Long live the Emperor!”

He curled his lips into a slight smile and gave Gao Yong a subtle signal.

Gao Yong cleared his throat ceremoniously: “The nation cannot remain without a ruler for even a day. With the Crown Prince deposed, selecting a new emperor is the urgent task at hand.”

Other ministers chimed in: “Prime Minister Gao speaks correctly.”

When the ministers fell silent, Zhao Lingchen spoke: “Prime Minister Gao is right. Aside from Zhao Jingxuan and Zhao Jingrui, who poisoned his own brothers, there are eight other princes, any of whom could ascend the throne. Prime Minister Gao, who do you think is most suitable?”

Gao Yong was momentarily stunned. He had never considered that the other seven princes could challenge Zhao Jingyan.

He suspected Zhao Lingchen was deliberately testing him.

Gao Yong said: “Each prince has his merits, but the most outstanding is the Third Prince.”

Zhao Lingchen’s voice remained calm: “Since Prime Minister Gao says each prince has merits, why not have them compete to see who is truly the most outstanding?”

Gao Yong warned cautiously: “Is a competition even necessary? In both civil strategy and military prowess, the Third Prince is unquestionably first.”

Zhao Lingchen replied evenly: “Is that so? I have a different opinion.”

Gao Yong frowned: “Could it be that the Princess has a better candidate?”

Gao Yong had racked his brain and could think of no prince who could dare challenge Zhao Jingyan.

Even the Crown Prince wasn’t a match—who else could be?

“Since Prime Minister Gao asked, I will speak plainly. I recommend the Ninth Prince, Zhao Jingtian, to inherit the throne.”