I Am a Salted Fish in Ancient Times

Chapter 75

Xiao Shan glanced at Xiao Jin, nodded, and then knelt beside him to pay his respects to the Emperor. The Emperor, still in a fit of rage, let out a cold snort and did not permit him to rise.

Xiao Shan knelt obediently on the ground, fully understanding the Emperor's current state of mind. Over the years, the Emperor genuinely invested in grooming Xiao Jin, wholeheartedly treating him as his successor. Moreover, Xiao Jin had indeed performed well as the Crown Prince.

But on an otherwise ordinary morning, Xiao Jin suddenly threw a metaphorical bucket of cold water over the Emperor, abruptly declaring his intention to abdicate without offering any reason. Even an ordinary person would find it hard to accept such a shock, let alone the Emperor.

Xiao Shan stole a couple of glances at the Emperor, thinking that today's situation would be difficult to resolve. He also wondered if the two heart pills the Emperor had taken would be effective. If the Emperor were truly to be angered to the point of illness, both he and Xiao Jin would indeed become sinners.

However, the Emperor wasn’t like ordinary people; he experienced more in his life than most have tasted salt, and he has faced various emergencies. He should be able to withstand anything.

As Xiao Shan was lost in his thoughts, the Emperor coldly observed the people kneeling before him, his gaze sharp as a knife, particularly focused on Xiao Jin. Then, he spoke again, his voice icy, "Do you truly no longer wish to be the Crown Prince?"

The chill in the Emperor's words implied that if Xiao Jin dared to speak again of renouncing his position, he would grant his wish. Besides Xiao Jin, he had other sons; it wasn't that Xiao Jin was irreplaceable.

Xiao Jin bowed to the Emperor and said, "Your son is incompetent, truly unworthy..."

"Wait a moment." Xiao Shan quickly interrupted Xiao Jin, "Father Emperor, I just arrived and am not aware of what exactly happened. How did we come to talk of deposing the Crown Prince?"

His tone and expression were very innocent, and although the Emperor knew he was feigning ignorance, he still let out a cold snort and said, "You should ask your good Second Brother about that. He asked to be deposed himself; it has nothing to do with anyone else."

At this point, the Empress, with tears streaming down her face, hurriedly spoke up, "Your Majesty, Xiao Jin certainly did not mean that. I will return to the palace immediately to properly instruct him and ensure he does not joke about such matters again."

The Emperor ignored the Empress and looked at Xiao Jin, saying, "Zhen truly did not expect that you would be unable to withstand even a slight adversity."

The Emperor was aware of why Xiao Jin requested to be deposed as Crown Prince. It was entirely because the Empress and Consort Lan brought up the messy affairs of the Gu family, which also implicated Xiao Shan.

The Emperor told Xiao Jin everything, waiting to see how he would handle the situation. To be honest, the Emperor ascended to the throne by stepping over the bones and blood of his own brothers.

If Xiao Jin truly disregarded brotherly affection and followed the Empress' wishes to attack and harm Consort Lan and Xiao Shan, the Emperor would not be surprised.

After all, for an emperor, being ruthless and decisive was far better than being indecisive and controlled by others.

However, if Xiao Jin could find a way to make the Empress and Consort Lan coexist as before, while preserving his brotherly bond with Xiao Shan and intimidating the Gu family, the Emperor would also be very approving.

In fact, if Xiao Jin could achieve this, the Emperor would be genuinely pleased. Because what he couldn't accomplish, Xiao Jin could.

But while the imagination is beautiful, reality is cruel.

The Emperor had various thoughts in his mind and never expected Xiao Jin to use the worst possible strategy.@@@@

Using his position as Crown Prince to threaten the Empress and others—this could hardly be called a strategy; it was practically brainless.

If this was all Xiao Jin could come up with, the Emperor couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed deep down.

From the Emperor's words, the Empress understood why Xiao Jin suddenly acted so irrationally. She looked at Xiao Jin in disbelief, completely unable to comprehend why he would do such a thing.

Consort Lan, glancing between them, wiped her tears and cautiously said to Xiao Jin, "Your Highness, what has happened? If there is something troubling you, we can discuss it together. You can't be so reckless."

Xiao Jin's expression turned peculiar upon hearing this. He glanced at Consort Lan, his mouth moving as if to speak, but no words came out. The Emperor also couldn't help but look at Consort Lan, thinking to himself, I wonder what the Empress felt hearing this.

The whole situation originated with her, yet here she was, trying to find a solution for others.

It wasn't baseless worry; Xiao Shan truly dared to do such a thing.

Xiao Shan glanced at Xiao Jin and smiled, "I originally wanted to discuss these matters with Second Brother last time, but since you didn't want to listen, I had no choice but to report them to Father Emperor myself."

"You... you are being utterly reckless. Such matters cannot be spoken of carelessly," Xiao Jin said through gritted teeth, his forehead veins bulging with anger.

Today, Xiao Jin gave Xiao Shan a shock, and Xiao Shan returned the favor with a fright.

If he had known earlier, he would have taken responsibility for this matter as well. Today, he was destined to anger the Emperor, and there was no difference between provoking him once or twice.

Before Xiao Jin could say anything, the Emperor slammed his hand hard on the table and said word by word, "Xiao Shan, this is a serious matter. If you dare to speak without evidence, Zhen will not let it go lightly."

Xiao Shan replied, "Your son dares not. Everything I have said is backed by evidence. The individuals I mentioned are Consort Shu and the Fourth Prince, Xiao Yi."

"Absurd," the Emperor stood up and said coldly. Xiao Shan could have claimed it was Xiao Xian, and he might have believed it.

But he named Xiao Yi, the one devoted to poetry and painting, and Consort Shu, who always kept to herself and focused on her religious practices.

He thought he knew his inner court like the back of his hand. Could it all have been an illusion?

The Emperor stared intently at Xiao Shan, waiting for him to speak.

Xiao Shan then raised the documents in his hand and said, "Since your son dares to speak, he has evidence."

The Emperor did not immediately take the documents from him but instead called out, "Chang Le, summon Consort Shu and Prince Xian to the palace."

Before Chang Le could acknowledge the order, Xiao Shan added, "Father Emperor, it might be wise to also summon the Old Madam of the An family. Your son has questions to ask her directly."

The Emperor, both angry and amused, said, "What, are you suggesting that the Marquis of Anguo's household is also in league with Xiao Yi?"

Xiao Shan frowned slightly and looked at the Emperor with a shocked expression, "How could Father Emperor think that? Your son believes that Mother Empress, Mother Consort, Second Brother, and even the Gu family have all been affected by her actions. Now that everyone is here, it is only natural to question her thoroughly."

"By your logic, we should also summon the entire Gu family," the Emperor said with a sarcastic smile.

Xiao Shan thought seriously for a moment and replied, "They are not as crucial at the moment. We can delay summoning them until we have more clarity on the situation."

Pausing briefly, Xiao Shan continued, "We can temporarily hold off on summoning the Gu family, but it would be prudent to summon the Xie family."

The Emperor's gaze darkened as he asked, "And why is that?"

"Because Xie Chen has already uncovered the reasons behind the defeat of the Northern Border Army years ago. Your son is unsure whether to believe it or not, so it would be best to have them confront the An family directly."

"This matter also involves Father Emperor, as the Marquis of Anguo had once claimed that the battle was evidence of Father Emperor's intention to discard the Xie family after their usefulness had ended."

Finally, Xiao Shan dropped two bombshells, successfully diverting attention from Xiao Jin's desire to abdicate as Crown Prince.

Chang Le, who was waiting in the inner hall to receive the decree, heard Xiao Shan's words and internally cursed himself for rushing in immediately upon hearing the Emperor's command. If he had delayed a bit, he wouldn't have had to hear any of this.

Although the Emperor's expression remained calm, Chang Le knew that he was already seething with rage.

The hall fell into a dead silence. Xiao Shan said, "Father Emperor, let the decree be issued. Whoever arrives first can help determine the truth."