Although the state banquet had been canceled, no one dared to leave the Chaoyang Hall without the Emperor's order. They could only sit in the hall and talk among themselves. They began to compare their acting skills. At this moment, Hua Xi Wan was not fighting alone. The people around her all looked as if the sky was about to fall.
"How could this happen? I hope God will bless the Crown Prince and that he will be safe. Good luck."
"God bless the Crown Prince. He is blessed. He will be fine."
Although these people were acting more than being sad, Hua Xi Wan could feel the heaviness in their hearts. It was not that they felt sorry for the Crown Prince, but they were worried that if the Crown Prince really died, it would cause unrest in the imperial court. She looked down and saw some envoys from the affiliated countries. They were whispering to each other. They were obviously shocked by this incident.
The Crown Prince was the heir to the throne. The saddest thing was that the Qilong Emperor only had one son. If the Crown Prince died, the entire Dazhao would face a situation where there would be no successor. At that time, the Qilong Emperor could only choose one from a bunch of nephews. This would lead to chaos among the parties.
At this moment, some people in the hall had already begun to think. If the Crown Prince really died, and the child in the Crown Princess's womb was not a son, who would they support?
Nghi An Marquis, Hua Hesheng, and the Lu Clan listened to the discussions around them. They felt uneasy. The husband and wife could not help but look up at Hua Xi Wan, who was sitting opposite of them. They only saw Hua Xi Wan's frightened face and Yan Jinqiu lowering his head to comfort her.
If the Crown Prince died, Xian Wang Fu would definitely be implicated in this dispute. It was not important whether Xian Wang had this ambition or not. What was important was that Xian Wang's status meant that he could not avoid this dispute.
"Oh, what should we do? Nothing must happen to the Crown Prince." Count Jingping's wife looked frightened. She was really afraid and was not pretending. After all, the Count Jingping's family was gradually declining. It was not easy to get on the Crown Prince's boat these years. Now that the Crown Prince met with this accident, it was too unlucky.
"The Emperor's oral order. The Crown Prince is critically ill. Everyone is temporarily not allowed to leave the palace to pray for the Crown Prince."
When the second oral order came out, some smart people sensed that something was not right. The Emperor's actions seemed to want to lock them all up in the palace. Could it be that the Crown Prince's sudden illness was due to someone behind the scenes using some method?
Ever since the Crown Prince had been poisoned, Zhu Que Palace had been surrounded by layers of imperial guards. Everything the Crown Prince ate, used, and wore had all been screened by the taiyi doctors before being sent to the Crown Prince. His food and drink had also been tasted. In this situation where even flies could not get in, the person behind the scenes was still able to do such a thing. This person's power was too great. No wonder the Emperor was so afraid.
If the Crown Prince suddenly died, then the ones who would benefit the most were the imperial nephews in Jing. No wonder the Emperor would do such a thing.
After this oral order came out, everyone in Zhao Yang Palace was in a state of panic. Some of the more timid womenfolk were so frightened that their faces changed color and they couldn't even speak properly. No one could guarantee that the Emperor would not go crazy from the pain of losing his only son and vent his anger on these innocent people.
In the previous dynasty, there was an Emperor who killed more than a dozen members of the imperial family after losing his beloved son. As for palace attendants, taiyi, and other officials, there were countless. The previous dynasty also went downhill because of that incident and was replaced by the Dazhao dynasty a few decades later.
It was not that they were too timid, but with the example of the previous dynasty, they did not dare to joke around with their own lives.
The charcoal fire in the palace had already been extinguished. No palace attendants came to add new charcoal. The palace gradually became cold. Yan Jinqiu took Hua Xi Wan's cloak from Bai Xia's hands and put it on her. Then he whispered in her ear, "If you are cold, lean against me. No one will dare to come here at this time."
Hua Xi Wan tightened the collar of the fox fur cloak and silently leaned against Yan Jinqiu. Although she was not particularly sensitive to politics, she knew that this was not a simple matter from the expressions of the people present, so she did not speak casually.
As time passed, the hall that was filled with discussions gradually quieted down. When a group of Imperial Guards in cold armor surrounded the entire hall, everyone's faces turned pale. They didn't even need to put on an act.
Suddenly, a white light flashed outside the palace. Everyone looked outside the palace in shock and heard a shocking thunder. The thunder seemed to explode in everyone's hearts. Many people began to tremble.
"A sudden thunder in winter is not a good omen."
No one knew who suddenly said this, but the entire palace fell silent.
It was rare for there to be thunder in the dead of winter, not to mention that it was snowing now. This sudden clap of thunder was an omen of disaster.
Yan Jin Qiu gripped Hua Xi Wan's hand and said in an almost inaudible voice by her ear, "Do not be afraid." He tilted his head and looked at the expressionless imperial guards outside the palace. He frowned slightly and found that Hua Xi Wan's hands were cold. He took off his cloak and put it on Hua Xi Wan.
"You …" Hua Xi Wan looked at Yan Jinqiu's thin clothes and reached out to take off the dark cloak. However, she was stopped by Yan Jinqiu.
"Don't move. You caught a cold when you were young. You can't be cold again." Yan Jinqiu said with a serious face, "Listen to me."
Hua Xi Wan's hand paused in the middle of taking off the cloak. Then she said, "This cloak is very big. Let's each take half." Then she untied the rope holding the cloak and put the large cloak on the two's backs.
When the others saw this, they followed suit. Even though some couples were usually very close to each other, they were not so particular at this time.
At this time, there was another flash of lightning, followed by a sudden clap of thunder.
"Dong." The death knell sounded. Then it sounded five more times.
When the Emperor died, the death knell sounded nine times. When the Emperor died, the death knell sounded seven times. When the Crown Prince died, the death knell sounded six times.
"The Crown Prince has died."
Everyone in the palace knelt in a daze at the sound of the death knell. They didn't seem to be able to react. A few days ago, the Crown Prince was rumored to be lustful and muddle-headed. Now he died so mysteriously.
After the death knell stopped, cries sounded in the palace. Even though many of the people present were the Crown Prince's elders, the Crown Prince was the Crown Prince of the country. His status had long surpassed seniority. Everyone present, no matter who it was, wanted to cry.
Even if they couldn't cry, they had to let out dry howls to express their sadness.
Hua Xi Wan used her handkerchief to rub the corners of her eyes. After a while, her eyes turned red and she cried.
In her previous life, her crying skills in front of the camera had always been very good. Even when she was surrounded by a group of people during filming, she could cry whenever she wanted. Now, there was a group of people competing in her crying skills.
In less than an hour, her handkerchief was soaked. Yan Jinqiu's eyes and nose were also red. Even though he wasn't howling like the others, anyone who saw him would think that he was really sad and not acting.
When the Qilong Emperor appeared, Yan Jinqiu and Hua Xi Wan were crying their hearts out. They formed a sharp contrast with the other members of the Imperial Family who were howling around them.
The Qilong Emperor who appeared in front of everyone seemed to have aged a few years overnight. His footsteps were somewhat unsteady. His gaze swept across the people kneeling at his feet. His gaze lingered on Yan Jinqiu and Yan Boyi. When he saw Yan Jinqiu and Hua Xi Wan leaning on each other, his gaze finally landed on Yan Boyi.
"I have lost my only son. Everyone … please kneel and rest." The Qilong Emperor's expression changed. The murderous intent in his eyes was gradually concealed.
Once these words were spoken, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. They could finally walk out of the palace safely tonight.
Because she had been kneeling for too long, when Hua Xi Wan stood up, she felt that her knees were cold and numb. She had almost lost all feeling in her knees. If not for Yan Jinqiu's quick reflexes, she would have sat on the ground awkwardly.
After supporting Hua Xi Wan, Yan Jinqiu also staggered a step. He looked like a weak young master. Fortunately, everyone was immersed in their own emotions. Not many people noticed this scene.
However, the Qilong Emperor saw the couple's actions. He lowered his eyes slightly and turned his gaze back to Yan Boyi.
At this moment, Yan Boyi was standing silently with his hands behind his back. His eyes were slightly red, but he didn't lose his heroic bearing.
The Qilong Emperor didn't ask anyone to stay. Everyone silently walked out of the Chaoyang Hall. When they saw that the bright red lanterns in the vermillion corridor had been replaced with plain white paper lanterns, their eyes were somewhat dazed.
The Crown Prince had passed away. What would happen to the capital in the future?
A layer of snow had accumulated on the limestone path. Because there were no palace servants to clean it, everyone had a hard time walking.
When Hua Xi Wan passed by Hua Hesheng and the Lu Clan, she only glanced at them discreetly. She didn't say anything.
After exiting the hall, Yan Jinqiu draped their cloaks over Hua Xi Wan's body. This made her walk appear particularly clumsy. Her palace satin shoes, embroidered with gold thread and pearls, made squeaking sounds as she stepped on the snow. Yan Jinqiu saw that it was difficult for her to walk. He didn't care that there were other people in front and behind them. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist so that she could walk more easily.
Princess Minhye held onto her servant girl's hand as she walked with great difficulty. After walking a short distance, she started to pant. She looked at Xian Wang in front of her. Almost half of her body was in Xian Wang Fei's arms. Her steps stopped.
Now that the Crown Prince had passed away, the Empress would be heartbroken. In the future, she wouldn't have the energy to manage her matters. Where should she go in the future?
She looked around in confusion. She only saw the cold palace and the members of the Imperial Family walking out step by step.
"Junzhu?" The servant girl beside her saw that her expression wasn't right and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Princess Minhye took back her gaze. "Let's go."
From Chaoyang Hall to the palace gates, Hua Xi Wan found that almost all of the festive items had been put away. She didn't even see any festive items on the palace maids and taijian they met on the way.
At the palace gates, everyone didn't have time to exchange greetings. They hurriedly climbed onto their carriages and left.
When Hua Xi Wan stepped onto the footstool to get onto the carriage, she turned back to look at her parents not far behind her. She nodded slightly to them and then bowed into the carriage.
Hua Hesheng watched as Xian Wang Fu's carriage gradually moved away. He sighed slightly and said to Lu Clan beside him, "Let's go."
Lu Clan nodded. His slightly cold hand touched Hua Hesheng's palm.
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