Chapter 554: Chapter 179: Identity! Orphan! The Old Emperor Passes Away! (A 10,000-word mega Chapter, please subscribe)_6
When they confirmed that the news was real, one after another they hastened non-stop toward the Imperial Palace, each trying to outdo the others.
The Imperial Palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty was now filled with people, one after another.
The palace had entered a state of heightened alert.
Barely a few steps forward, one would see a group of guards or soldiers patrolling.
Everyone’s heart was very heavy.
Above everyone’s heart, it felt as though a massive stone was pressing down, even though the skies above were clear, yet many people felt as if a dark cloud was looming over the city.
"Hu Banban... Hu Banban, how could my father the Emperor suddenly pass away? Just the day before, I had seen my father... How could he pass away?"
The Little Prince had already cried himself into a tearful figure, grasping Hu Banban’s sleeve, hoping that Hu Banban would tell him something he wanted to hear.
Like, the news of His Majesty’s demise was actually false.
Or that His Majesty had awoken.
Unfortunately, Hu Banban, with a face full of sorrow, shook his head and said to the Little Prince, "Your Highness, you will still have the chance to see His Majesty one last time before the late Emperor is laid in his coffin."
The Little Prince was struck as if by lightning.
At this moment, a person emerged from the palace ahead, draped in a python robe, bearing a resemblance to the deceased old Emperor.
He did not look at Hu Banban but instead turned to the tear-streaked Little Prince and reached out to ruffle the Little Prince’s head.
This person said, "Eighteenth brother... follow me."
"Yes... Your Highness, my brother!" the Little Prince responded, choking back sobs.
Hu Banban, meanwhile, quickly bowed in respect, "This old servant greets the Crown Prince..."
"There’s no need," the Crown Prince of Great Zhou shook his head, "With such an event today, there is no need for complex formalities. Let’s keep everything simple. We will address the matter of our father the Emperor’s passing after the arrangements are complete."
"Yes, Your Highness," Hu Banban nodded.
Inside a palace ahead, a magnificent coffin quietly lay in the middle of the grand hall. And within this coffin, a body lay in silence.
The palace was crowded with many people, their cries filling the air.
There were Princes, Imperial Grandsons.
Ministers and Consorts.
Anyone entering here could feel a sense of grief, but within this grief, there seemed to be an indescribable undercurrent at play, hidden in the hearts of everyone present.
"Eighteenth brother, come and see our father," led by the Crown Prince, the Little Prince and he approached the side of the coffin.
"Huh..." the Crown Prince of Great Zhou exhaled. His eyes appeared somewhat red, having obviously cried before. He said bitterly, "To think that I did not get to see our father at his last moment, I truly am unfilial!"
The Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty was actually not young, his head also had many white hairs. After all, his son, Nanjun County Prince, was already in his forties or fifties.
Even among the group gathered around the coffin, not one appeared young.
Except for the Little Prince, whose hand was being held by the Crown Prince of Great Zhou.
"Your Highness!" At this moment, an elderly Minister suddenly bowed deeply to the Crown Prince of Great Zhou, "A nation cannot be without a ruler for a day! With the Emperor having passed away, I beseech you to ascend the throne and oversee the late Emperor’s funeral!"
With the demise of an Emperor, he could no longer be addressed as His Majesty but would be respectfully referred to as the "late Emperor."
"Our father passed away today, how could I..."
"Your Highness! The late Emperor said long ago that the day of his demise would be the day Your Highness ascends the throne!" another Minister bowed to the Crown Prince.
"I am overwhelmed with sorrow; how could I possibly ascend to the throne at this time..."
Another Minister interrupted the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, it has always been the case that only the sovereign of a country can oversee a predecessor’s state funeral. Your Highness must ascend to the imperial throne to demonstrate filial piety!"
"Yes! Your Highness can now don the Dragon Robe, hold the jade seal of Great Zhou, report to the Heavenly Court, inform the Underworld, and ascend to the throne!"
"Please, Your Highness, ascend to the throne!!!"
One Minister after another urged the Crown Prince of Great Zhou. He sighed deeply and was about to agree as per protocol when suddenly a commotion arose from outside.
"Disaster has struck!!" A Eunuch ran in, flustered and out of breath, and with a thud knelt down, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, disaster has struck!"
He hurriedly shouted, "Fire! The Imperial Palace... the Imperial Palace is on fire!"
"Such a huge fire!!!"
What?!
After hearing the eunuch’s cries, the expressions of everyone in the palace changed drastically.
The Crown Prince of Great Zhou’s face darkened instantly as he instructed the person next to him, "Take good care of the eighteenth brother."
Then.
He walked straight outside of the palace and immediately saw the towering inferno not far away. He also heard the chaotic shouts from outside—those guards of the palace were all extremely anxious, yelling out for people to put out the fire.
Just from the rolling flames, one could tell that at least several palaces had been engulfed by the raging fire.
The Crown Prince of Great Zhou’s eyes sharpened as he gritted his teeth and said, "Issue my command, seal off the Imperial Palace! Seal off the Imperial City! Make sure all the people inside the palace are under control. Do not let anyone suspicious get away."
On the day of his father Emperor’s demise, such a fire had suddenly erupted; he did not believe it was an accident.
Today, the mood of everyone in the Imperial Palace was like a roller coaster.
Great shock.
Great sorrow.
Great panic!
Great fear!
The death of an Emperor was already enough to shake the whole Dynasty, and yet, as the Emperor had just passed away and the Crown Prince was about to ascend the throne, such a sky-high blaze had mysteriously ignited within the palace.
The situation was seriously serious!
Even those who might be slightly implicated feared they would be punished along with their entire families!
They might even be killed rather than mistakenly let go!
Even those who felt the incident had nothing to do with them were panicked, after all, who wouldn’t fear being inexplicably implicated.
"Follow me to take a look!" the Crown Prince of Great Zhou directly ordered hundreds of palace guards and, disregarding the advice of others, rushed towards the direction of the fire.
It didn’t take long.
He had arrived.
The surging flames, carrying rolling heat waves, came crashing toward them, making the Crown Prince of Great Zhou and all of the palace guards feel uncomfortably scorched in their eyes.
Palace maids, eunuchs, and guards were frantically carrying buckets full of water.
They tossed the water into the flames which was to no avail against the fire.
"Crown Prince!" Suddenly, a sharp-eyed palace guard pointed to the surging sea of flames ahead and shouted, "There seems to be... there seems to be something in those flames!"
The Crown Prince of Great Zhou looked intently in the direction he pointed.
Indeed.
He too saw something strange—what appeared to be a human figure. And that figure seemed to be walking slowly towards them.
Amidst the flames, a voice echoed, "It seems you, wretch, are unwilling to say anything!"
That figure had already walked out of the flames.
It was none other than Fan Wu!!!
One could see that Fan Wu was grasping a person in his hand as if he were holding a small chick. Even though he came out from the midst of the inferno, there was not a single trace of burn on him.
Fan Wu said with a smile, "I knew it, that old Emperor asking me to stay wasn’t for simple reasons. And look, I’ve caught a little rat."
"..."
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