freenovelworld Chapter 398 Rebellion
Chapter 398 Rebellion
Time passed by at a leisurely pace. During this time, Xiao Siyu successfully passed the imperial examination with top honors and was appointed a sixth-rank official by Emperor Zhou, thus beginning his official career.
However, just two days ago, less than a month after Xiao Siyu took office, a major event occurred in Beijing, causing widespread panic.
Xiao Qinian and the other officials are now spending all their time in the imperial court handling official business and have not yet returned.
"Hey, why haven't your dad and the others come back yet?" Lin Qin paced anxiously around the room.
"Mom, don't worry, this has nothing to do with Dad and the others. They'll be fine. They must be too busy to come back right now," Xiao Siyue comforted her.
Actually, she didn't know what they were doing. Two days ago, she heard a message from her father, sent by Anwei, saying that a prince had rebelled and almost killed the Zhou Emperor, and that her family should not go out.
As for the prince's rebellion, she didn't know, but she knew it was a very serious matter. If one were to accidentally get involved, it would be a disaster that would wipe out one's entire clan.
So for the past two days, she gathered her personal guards and surrounded the Xiao residence, being extremely cautious. She didn't dare send anyone to inquire, believing that if anything happened, her father would definitely send someone to deliver a message. She just needed to protect her family.
That evening, Xiao Qinian, Xiao Sizhe, and Xiao Siyu returned home looking exhausted.
"Father, Second Brother, Brother, you're finally back." Xiao Siyue quickly had tea served to them. They looked like they hadn't slept for days. She told them to have a sip of tea first and then have someone wash up. As for what she wanted to know, she said, "Don't worry about it for now."
"Thank you, Yue'er." Xiao Qinian smiled, took the teacup, and took a sip.
"Yue'er, has anything happened in the manor these past few days?" Xiao Qinian asked, putting down his teacup.
"Father, don't worry, nothing's wrong in the manor. I'm just a little worried about you all." She had put in a lot of effort these past few days.
"It's good that you're alright. Yue'er did a great job. We're fine too, just a little tired." Xiao Qinian was very relieved. When the incident happened, he entrusted the safety of the mansion to Xiao Siyue because he knew his daughter was smart, and he could only feel at ease leaving her in his care.
"It's good that you're all alright. Dad, why hasn't Third Brother come back?" Xiao Siyue asked, puzzled and a little anxious.
"Yes, your third brother has something to do, but he's fine, don't worry." Xiao Qinian said this, and Xiao Siyue was no longer in a hurry.
"Dad, you two go wash up first."
After washing up and resting for a while, the three of them regained some strength and were in the mood to talk to others about what had happened in the past few days.
Inside the Xiao family's main hall, apart from the Xiao family members, all the other servants were assigned to stand guard outside.
Knowing that they were alright made me feel relieved.
Xiao Qinian glanced at everyone and said, "Don't worry, this matter has nothing to do with us."
"Father, you only said before that a prince had rebelled, but who was it? What's the situation now?" Xiao Siyue asked, nearly scaring the whole family to death.
"Yue'er, what did you say?" They only knew that something had happened in the capital's palace, but they didn't know that it was actually a prince's rebellion.
After the initial surprise, they wondered how Siyue knew while they didn't.
"Yue'er, how did you know?" Lin Qin quickly asked Xiao Siyue.
Xiao Siyue looked at Xiao Qinian with a pleading expression. In her haste, she had blurted it out. What should she do now?
"I told Yue'er. When the incident happened, we were left in the palace, so I sent someone back to tell Yue'er what happened," Xiao Qinian explained.
“There are so many people in our family. You only told Yue’er about such a big thing. What if Yue’er gets into danger?” Old Master Xiao looked at Xiao Qinian with great dissatisfaction.
"Father, this matter is too important. The fewer people who know, the better. Yue'er is thoughtful and has people protecting her. Haven't you seen how well Yue'er has done these past two days?"
"That's true, but I'm not sure I'll do it again next time."
"Yue'er, you're such a tight-lipped girl. You haven't uttered a single word in two days," Xiao Qinian teased.
"Hehe, I'm just listening to Dad." Xiao Siyue chuckled foolishly, trying to get away with it.
"Alright, we don't blame you. You did a great job. You're truly my granddaughter." Grandpa Xiao praised Xiao Siyue and didn't forget to praise himself as well.
"Qinian, continue. We're also quite curious. Who's so bold as to dare to rebel?" Everyone was very curious, their eyes fixed on Xiao Qinian.
"It's the eldest prince. The eldest prince suddenly rebelled, attacked His Majesty, and forced His Majesty to abdicate."
"The First Prince? Isn't he usually good at pretending? How could he be so impulsive?" Xiao Siyue exclaimed. Based on her understanding of the First Prince, someone with such a heavy mind, who could pretend and torment for many years, would not act so easily without certainty.
These matters involve other countries, and the eldest prince, in desperation, has chosen to take a gamble and will rebel this time.
"Then..." Xiao Qinian knew what Xiao Siyue wanted to say as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Naturally, it failed. He was too young. His Majesty lured him into a trap, and the eldest prince was captured on the spot."
"How was the eldest prince dealt with?" Even if Emperor Zhou were soft-hearted, he wouldn't let Shi Jun off easily, let alone the current emperor, who is not a soft-hearted ruler.
"The eldest prince has now been demoted to a commoner, his valuables in his mansion have been confiscated, and he has been imprisoned in the mansion. The second prince has been granted the title of Prince of the County, and is completely out of the running for the position of Crown Prince."
Everyone sighed, never expecting such an ending. A prince, with a noble status since childhood, has now been demoted to a commoner and his freedom restricted. This sense of loss is something that ordinary people would find hard to accept.
But why does the Second Prince's expression still look like that? Could it be that he has also rebelled?
"Father, what's going on with the Second Prince?"
"The Second Prince, although he did not participate in the rebellion, was the one who prompted the First Prince to rebel. His Majesty will naturally not let him off the hook. Although he did not suffer the same severe punishment as the First Prince, he still received a heavy penalty." Xiao Qinian sighed inwardly. These two princes had fought for so many years, but in the end, they were both severely injured, and neither of them sat on the throne.
"This matter has far-reaching implications. Many officials in the capital have been investigated and punished. The most serious case involves the Crown Prince's maternal family, who have all been imprisoned in Yaru Prison and will be executed soon. Although it has nothing to do with us at the moment, we should still keep a low profile and be careful not to give anyone any leverage." The Xiao family has always been low-key, but Xiao Qinian still gave them some instructions just in case.
"Yes, we know that, we'll be careful."
"Yes, don't worry, third brother, we'll be careful," everyone said in unison.
Xiao Siyue noticed that her brother Xiao Siyu seemed a bit down and guessed that he was having a hard time accepting such a big thing that had just entered officialdom.