208: 208 Eldest Master Han's Spectacle

208 Eldest Master Han's Spectacle

In the imperial court hall, a stifling atmosphere permeated the air. The interim emperor, fifth prince Feng Jun Yun sat gloomily in his seat at the center of the hall. He didn't use the throne of the emperor to show his loyalty to the real emperor and sincerity towards his promise to his imperial brothers. Instead, they arranged a new seat just a level below the emperor's but still higher than the rest.2

Currently, the fifth prince's gloomy look is focused on the person kowtowing in front of him and the presence of all the ministers and officials. That person is no other than eldest master Han. As for eldest master Han, he is not aware of how ugly is the fifth prince's countenance at the moment.

Facing the sudden incident of his father's poisoning, he felt the threat to his position as the rightful heir of the family. Thus, he decided without even consulting the elders and other members of the Han family. That is to concede defeat. Sooner or later, switching sides is only a matter of time anyway. Why not do it right now? A reason is even conveniently presented to them. So after hearing the physician's diagnosis, he ordered the servants to prepare a carriage to send Right Prime Minister Han to the palace.

In eldest master Han's mind, he believes that the one behind the Right Prime Minister's poisoning is the fifth prince. That's also what everybody else thinks. He is convinced that this is the fifth prince's way to put pressure on the Han family since they are the most adamant about supporting Emperor Feng Jun Yi. And by publicly conceding and asking for the fifth prince's help, will not only save his father's life, but it will also show his sincerity and intent to show his allegiance to the fifth prince's faction.

He fully believed that his father will approve of his decision, especially since he chose to prioritize his father's life above all else. So without conflicting thought, he said, "Your majesty, please save this servant's father. He was attacked by some unknown people and is currently suffering from an unknown poison. Only the son of heaven like your majesty can save him."

Eldest master Han's words can be considered as flattery by calling him "your majesty" and "son of heaven". But with the real emperor being still alive, those words can be an accusation of treason. This made the fifth prince's blood boil in anger, especially because he is innocent. But the circumstances point towards him and even his people think he is the one behind it and visited him earlier to praise him. And the most frustrating thing is, he can't prove his innocence since no one formally accused him. It is all 'We know you did it but we won't say anything'.

In an inconspicuous corner, second master Han stood horrified at his kneeling brother whilst witnessing how the fifth prince's expressions became darker by the second. He had to fight the urge to drag his dense elder brother because although he is worried that his elder brother will say more to further infuriate the man in the highest seat, he is more afraid to be implicated and be the target of the fifth prince's anger-filled gaze.

Second master Han regrets not following his elder brother out earlier. Thinking that since he left for the palace way ahead of time before the morning court starts, he assumed that he would request to have an audience with the fifth prince privately. But to his horror, eldest master Han spent all that time kneeling at the center of the hall, even before a single minister arrived, to wait for the fifth prince.

It confuses second master Han greatly. He doesn't understand how his brother's brain work. Although he acknowledges that he is far from being intelligent, he at least knows that his brother's action and words indirectly accuses the fifth prince of the crime of poisoning Right Prime Minister Han. He believed that, but confronting the person, especially someone in power, in front of this crowd, is seeking death. If he was in the fifth prince's position, he would also assume that eldest master Han actions are meant to provoke him.

When Lin Xulian and Yi Rong arrived at the imperial hall, they could feel the tense atmosphere lingering in the air. The eunuch leading them on the way is as nervous as when he came to fetch the head imperial doctor. Which entails that whatever the situation is inside the hall, it must have been going on for a while. The similarly nervous eunuch guarding the door even cracked his voice when announcing their arrival.

Seeing that a man is prostrating in the middle of the hall, and identifying him as the eldest son of Right Prime Minister Han, Yi Rong quirked his eyebrows in interest and mirth.

Lin Xulian on the other hand internally rolled her eyes, especially after noticing that the fifth prince's countenance is as dark as the abyss. She could already guess that eldest master Han's tactlessness must have caused it.

During her time as the empress, she was constantly wondering how a shrewd and wise man like the Right Prime Minister can produce a dunce as his son. The man is not only tactless but also not self-aware. He is quick to voice his opinion and engage in argument without reading the room or fully understanding the situation with his head held high. As if his only purpose is to emphasize his existence.

These characteristics of his often resulted in an awkward situation. And at the end, he would act like he did not do anything wrong or turn a blind eye that in other people's eyes he looked like a fool. It doesn't help that no one dared to contradict him because of his identity and status. So despite knowing that he is just mediocre, he acts like he is someone high and mighty.

Hearing the eunuch announcing the arrival of some people, the ministers inside the hall collectively heaved a sigh of relief. This speaks volumes considering that in this patriarchal society, the arrival of a woman in this male-dominated hall didn't even cause a spark. It's either they didn't notice or the relief they felt is enough for them not to care. Their main priority as of now is to break the tense atmosphere and placate the man in the highest seat. Even a distraction is more than welcome.

And when they recognized the new arrival, their relieved faces brightened even more. They believed that with the Head Imperial Doctor's appearance, the matter with the Right Prime Minister Han will, at least, be dealt with, and eldest master Han's current spectacle will be put to a stop. Whether the Right Prime Minister recovers or not, it's the least of their concern. As long as eldest master Han leaves the center of the call, or better leave the imperial hall altogether. They never look forward to discussing the empire's affairs more than now.

The fifth prince indeed got distracted by the arrival of Head Imperial Doctor Yi Rong. He ordered someone to fetch the man to be present at the morning court to deal with the eldest master Han's request. But before he could say his order, the masked woman following a few steps behind Yi Rong caught his attention. And for some reason, his head started aching. 

pqdm.com