Chapter 507: Appointing a New Crown Prince

Chapter 507: Establishing a New Crown Prince

With this in mind, Ji Yuntang simply found a corner to sit in and made herself invisible.

The newly reunited couple didn't disappoint her either—they truly ignored her completely.

She could only helplessly listen to their conversation.

Shen Shiran and Hua Feixue embraced for a long while before reluctantly letting go.

She asked, "Chu Yi, where have you been these past two years?"

"Ah Ran, I'm sorry, I made you worry."

Hua Feixue briefly told Shen Shiran about her experiences over the past two years and explained, "Ah Ran, at the time it was a matter of urgency. My master's junior brother had to take me away, and I only had that one chance to escape. It wasn't that I deliberately left without saying goodbye."

Shen Shiran's nose stung and her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up in her sparkling eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"Chu Yi, you needn't say more. I understand everything. As long as I can see that you're still alive, I'm content!"

Hua Feixue gazed at Shen Shiran with tender eyes, all the words in her heart boiling down to a single sentence: "Thank you, Ah Ran."

After saying this, she suddenly thought of something and asked, "Ah Ran, why did you fall into the water this time? Did someone do something to you?"

Shen Shiran bit her lower lip and shook her head. "Chu Yi, no one did anything to me."

"Empress Dowager Yuan put out the word that you were to be buried. I thought you were dead, so I..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Hua Feixue already understood.

Shen Shiran thought he was dead, so she didn't want to live either—she threw herself into the water.

She narrowed her eyes, a look of stern disapproval on her face. "Ah Ran, you shouldn't have played with your own life like that. You still have your own parents and family."

"Even if I truly died, you should have lived on."

Tears streamed down Shen Shiran's face as she clutched his hand. "Chu Yi, I am already your betrothed. If you died, I would not live on alone."

She knew Chu Yi's circumstances and understood his difficulties, and she couldn't help but feel even more sympathy for him.

Her heartache soon turned into overwhelming worry.

Knowing that Chu Yi was still alive, a huge weight was lifted off Shen Shiran's shoulders, and she no longer held back.

She sniffled, then said, "Chu Yi, you shouldn't have come back. Do you know that Empress Dowager Yuan is out to kill you? She spread the news of your death precisely so she could establish a new crown prince and put him on the throne."

"Chu Yi, you're in grave danger right now. If Empress Dowager Yuan finds out you've returned to the capital, she will definitely not spare you. You need to get out of here now!"

Hua Feixue's heart lurched. Her first thought wasn't for her own safety, but about Empress Dowager Yuan establishing a new crown prince.

She looked grave and grabbed Shen Shiran by the shoulders. "Ah Ran, is this true?"

Shen Shiran fought back tears and nodded. "It's the absolute truth. Three days ago, Empress Dowager Yuan summoned a group of trusted ministers and personally told them in the imperial study. My father was among those summoned."

"However, she didn't order anyone to spread the news, saying it should wait until after your burial, for fear that announcing it too early would cause public unrest."

Hua Feixue's face went completely cold, and she radiated murderous intent.

She had previously thought Empress Dowager Yuan was doing this to force him to come out of hiding, but now she finally understood what Ji Yuntang meant by saying Empress Dowager Yuan's motives were anything but simple!

She'd been scheming for so long—she wanted to wipe out the entire Chu imperial clan in one fell swoop!

Their conversation drifted to Ji Yuntang's ears, and she quickly weighed the severity of the situation in her mind.

Empress Dowager Yuan publicly declared Chu Yi dead, so she could establish a new crown prince.

And aside from Chu Yi, the only legitimate prince, the Chu imperial clan had no one left—Empress Dowager Yuan could only pick someone from another family.

Establishing a new crown prince would mean the complete overthrow of the Chu imperial clan.

And as for the true crown prince Chu Yi, whether he showed himself or not, Empress Dowager Yuan still held Emperor Chu hostage.

Even if Chu Yi came with troops to seek revenge later, she wouldn't panic at all.

Even if the truth came out and the people learned Chu Yi wasn't dead, the new emperor would already be on the throne by then. Empress Dowager Yuan could simply claim she mistakenly thought the body they found was Chu Yi, completely washing her hands of the matter.

Moreover, Chu Yi was a fool—even with legitimate imperial blood, no one would likely support him taking the throne.

By then, everything would be set in stone, and the Chu bloodline would have no chance of a comeback.

What Ji Yuntang could figure out, Hua Feixue naturally could too. Her eyes turned red, and her hands at her sides clenched so hard her fingertips went white.

She forced down the hatred in her heart and continued asking, "Then do you know, Ah Ran, who Empress Dowager Yuan plans to make the new crown prince?"

Shen Shiran thought for a moment and replied, "I heard from my father that, to be fair, Empress Dowager Yuan had originally consulted with the heads of the Five Great Families, planning to pick a talented and outstanding young man from the Five Great Families to be recommended as crown prince."

"The candidate had already been chosen—a young master from the Qi family—but at the last moment, the National Diviner suddenly barged into the hall, saying his divination had revealed that the emperor star had descended, in the southwest direction."

"Furthermore, the National Diviner accurately described this person's appearance and birth chart, implying to Empress Dowager Yuan and the heads of the Five Great Families that if they didn't make the heaven-chosen one the crown prince, they would surely face disaster and their families would be destroyed."

"The family heads didn't believe it at first, but they couldn't resist the National Diviner's repeated warnings. Empress Dowager Yuan, also out of fear, sided with the National Diviner, saying it's better to be safe than sorry, and persuaded the heads of the Five Great Families to follow the National Diviner's advice."

"That very night, a strange phenomenon occurred in the palace—ten thousand butterflies swarmed toward the hall, and the National Diviner declared that the emperor star had shown itself!"

"Later, Empress Dowager Yuan sent people with a portrait to the southwest to find that young man. Chu Yi, guess what happened next?"

Hua Feixue asked hastily, "Ah Ran, don't keep me in suspense—just tell me!"

Shen Shiran said, "The person they found turned out to be an unknown young man from a collateral branch of the Yuan family, whose name was apparently Yuanchao. Empress Dowager Yuan also sent people to protect Yuanchao."

"As for what happened after that, I don't know, nor do I know whether the heads of the other four families believed it."

A cold gleam flashed in Hua Feixue's eyes as she said through gritted teeth, "Whether those old foxes believe it or not, I don't know—but I don't believe a single word of this convoluted scheme."

The Five Great Families were headed by the Yuan family. If they hadn't supported her back then, Empress Dowager Yuan wouldn't have been able to bring down the Chu imperial clan so easily.

They were inherently bound by shared interests. If given the chance, any of them would want to push their own family's descendants forward as crown prince, to make their family into royal in-laws.

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