The Lucky Heiress

Chapter 616: Chapter 616: The Big Finale (1): Confrontation at the Spirit’s Front_1

“It was given to me by my father the Emperor before I left Beijing three years ago.” Wei Jinyi stated.

Before Wei Jinyi left Beijing three years ago, he had confessed his fake illness to the Daxing Emperor along with his plans and intentions.

After learning of this, the Daxing Emperor did not chastise him, but instead gave him this edict.

Wei Jinyi, back then, did not harbor intentions of ascending to the throne, and yet the Daxing Emperor still entrusted him with this edict.

The Daxing Emperor said, if he didn’t want to use it, no one would ever know of its existence as long as he didn’t show it.

If he needed it in the future, the edict would legitimize his claim.

When Wei Jinyi first received the edict, he felt nothing much of it. Now, in retrospect, he understood the Daxing Emperor’s deep thoughtfulness and concern.

Perhaps the Daxing Emperor had long foreseen that he might not meet a peaceful end, and that there would be a prince who would seize the throne and make life difficult for King Rui.

Upon hearing this, a shocked look flashed across King Yu’s eyes.

He evidently couldn’t comprehend why the Daxing Emperor would have given the edict so early to King Rui. Did the Emperor foresee Chu Yi’s recovery three years ago?

Or did he consider Chu Yi as the optimal successor, even though he expected Chu Yi to have a short life?

King Qin’s face was serene, as though he had expected this all along. This remained unchanged even though he had been the most favored prince in the past two years.

After listening to Wei Jinyi’s answer, Chu Lan fell silent for a moment. Then a smirk graced his lips as he lifted his hand, signaling the eunuch to bring forward a chair. He subtly and leisurely sat down, watching Wei Jinyi and the court officials with composure.

Chu Lan spoke casually, “Edicts can be falsified. Who knows whether King Rui could have fabricated the edict to usurp the throne?”

Lord Lu replied, “The Prime Minister and I, along with the Imperial Historian Lord Zhang, and the Imperial Tutor Zhang have examined it. The handwriting on the edict does align with the late emperor’s, and the seal is also fine.”

Chu Lan rebutted, “All of you can’t be trusted either—who knows if my ninth brother has bribed you to help him usurp the throne?”

Lord Lu responded, “If King Jing does not trust the three of us, we can invite others to examine whether this edict was truly written by the Daxing Emperor!”

Chu Lan retorted, “Is that so difficult? It’s just that the forgery is more sophisticated, and thus unreliable.”

Regardless of anything else, Chu Lan was adamant that the edict in Wei Jinyi’s hand was fake, and no one could argue otherwise.

Then Chu Lan addressed the officials behind Wei Jinyi, “This edict was brought back from outside by King Rui. Do we have any precedent since the founding of our dynasty where the Emperor gives the edict of succession to the prince to keep outside the palace? How can such an edict be credible? Even if it were true, it is such an irregularity that it could be deemed worthless.”

Chu Lan’s statement stirred the crowd. Indeed, it was hard to ascertain the authenticity of an edict of succession brought back from outside the palace. It could not be readily accepted.

Still, some officials voiced their support, ready to stand with Wei Jinyi who had the Daxing Emperor’s edict legitimizing his succession.

Among those were Xiu Fengyuan and Zhao Xun, who were familiar with Wei Ruo.

Although their current positions in the court were not high, they remained the most resolute amidst the unpredictable situation.

Just as everyone was swayed by Chu Lan’s words, Wei Jinyi spoke again: “What if this decree mounted behind the plaque in the Qianqing Palace is credible?”

Upon Wei Jinyi’s utterance, everyone simultaneously looked up at the plaque inscribed with “Justice and Brightness”.

Chu Lan’s expression hardened, a visible chill seeping into his gaze.

Wei Jinyi spoke, “The Daxing Emperor left two copies of his will. The other one is placed behind this plaque. Someone can now be sent to retrieve it. The content matches the one I hold.”

As long as the edict was read aloud amongst them all, Chu Lan would have no case.

Immediately, Lord Lu asked, “King Jing, may we now retrieve the plaque?”

Chu Lan did not respond right away but chuckled in a low voice, “So, I overlooked this after all.”

Lord Lu turned to Chu Lan, his eyebrows knitting in confusion, “King Jing?”

Chu Lan dropped his laughter, his mocking gaze set on Wei Jinyi, “Ninth brother, I have to admit, I have underestimated you and the Emperor’s affection for you.”

He then addressed the gathered court officials, “Even if this edict is true, I have still been the acting Emperor for half a month. Do you really think we should entrust the court to King Rui, who has never participated in politics, simply based on this suddenly appearing edict?”

All the officials fell silent, expressing varying reactions—some appeared to support Chu Lan, while others sided with Wei Jinyi.

However, at this point, the majority among them chose to wait and watch, not daring to express their position rashly.

Their silence indicated that even if Wei Jinyi held the late Emperor’s edict, he would not win the backing of most of the court officials.

Only people like General Lu, Xiu Fengyuan, and Zhao Xun declared their firm stance in favor of Wei Jinyi as the legitimate successor to the throne.

Wei Jinyi then spoke up, “What if Chu Lan is the one who harmed our father?”

These words stunned the gathered officials into speechlessness.

What? The Daxing Emperor was killed by King Jing?

The officials were too astonished to speak, leaving the Qianqing Palace in total silence.

King Yu was the first to react, rushing forward to point an accusing finger at Chu Lan, “You dare plot against our father! How dare you stoop so low as to commit such an atrocious act?!”

Chu Lan appeared unruffled, “My ninth brother, you really have pulled out all the stops for this position, even fabricating such a monstrous crime. You said I plotted against our father. Do you have proof? Our father is lying in his coffin right behind me. You claim he was assassinated. Are there any signs of injury on his body?”

If there were any suspicious marks on the Daxing Emperor’s body, they should have been discovered and he would not have been prepared for his burial in such a peaceful manner.

All eyes immediately turned to Wei Jinyi. Lord Lu asked Wei Jinyi, “Does King Rui have any evidence to support his previous statement?”

Wei Jinyi did not respond immediately.

Seeing his silence, Chu Lan laughed, “It seems that these are simply my ninth brother’s guesses. To publicly make such serious accusations based solely on your own suspicions reveals quite a bit of desperation.”

Under Chu Lan’s scrutiny, the court officials fell silent again.

“I have proof.”

Suddenly, a clear female voice cut through the silence in the hall.

Everyone turned to look and saw Wei Ruo dressed in mourning clothes walking in from the rear of the hall.

Seeing Wei Ruo appear, a flicker of surprise passed through Chu Lan’s eyes.

Wei Ruo walked up to the crowd, stood in front of the altar, pointed to the Daxing Emperor’s coffin behind her, and said, “The Emperor’s body is the best evidence. He was poisoned to death. Although it doesn’t show on the surface, his internal organs suffered severe damage. It’s obvious at a glance.”

Looking at Wei Ruo, Chu Lan’s expression changed from surprise to a sneer, “Queen Rui never fails to surprise. Dare you attempt to desecrate the Daxing Emperor’s body? Furthermore, suppose his internal organs are damaged, so what? His body, long plagued with chronic illness, has been on long-term medication. It is not unusual to find abnormalities in his organs.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn