northernbook Chapter 398 Xiangming
Chapter 398 Xiangming
Xu Sheng held Luo An's Jianjing acupoint without moving, straightened his head, cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Esteemed sirs, back then, Luo Qing, the number one scholar of Dongyang, married into the Jun family of Nanyue. Later, the late emperor of Nanyue had twin sons, namely my brother and me."
My brother's surname is Luo An, and mine is Xu Sheng, following our father's. My brother studied medicine with our father at the Heavenly Palace Medical Center and eventually inherited the position of head of the Heavenly Medical Manor; I studied martial arts with my stepfather, Qin Feng, and was granted the title of Prince in the Southern Yue Kingdom. This is common knowledge throughout the land.
Xu Sheng's voice contained internal strength, so it could be heard clearly both inside and outside the Taiji Hall without the need for the eunuch to transmit it.
Whether Luo Qing married or married into the family is another matter, but the fact that the late Emperor of Nan Yue had twin sons is something that no one in the world knew!
Xu Sheng was dressed in an indigo python robe, and Luo An in an apricot-white brocade robe. They did not look like twin brothers. Rather, they had outstanding temperaments and an arrogant air about them when they stood on the stage. They were quite similar.
More importantly, senior officials who had served the late emperor could all see that Luo An resembled the empress more than Xu Sheng, at least six-tenths of the time. Furthermore, Luo An was noticeably more composed than Xu Sheng, and indeed more like an elder brother.
So, it seems the late emperor really did have twin sons, but the one who died with him was the younger son. However, this makes sense; given the late emperor's circumstances at the time, it would have been impossible for the eldest son to be given to him.
Seeing that some officials were nodding in approval, Xu Sheng continued, "Before my mother died, she left a will for my brother. The will is her last wish. As the youngest son of the late emperor, I traveled thousands of miles to find my brother, simply because I could not bear to see my mother's last wish never seen by the heavens."
Xiang Ru and Xue Longpan looked at each other, both shocked. How could they have been completely unaware of the late emperor's will?
Xu Sheng solemnly said, "Eunuch Wei, proclaim the imperial edict!"
A palace maid appeared from behind Eunuch Wei on the right, carrying a jade tray with an imperial edict on it.
Eunuch Wei respectfully held the imperial edict with both hands, stepped forward, and opened it: "The late emperor has issued an edict."
All the ministers knelt down. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Luo An lowered his body, broke free from Xu Sheng's grip on his Jianjing acupoint, and kicked Xu Sheng's knee.
Xu Sheng took the highest level of vigilance he had ever shown to Luo An, and knelt down, pressing three fingers together against Luo An's lower back.
A martial artist's understanding of the major acupoints on the body is no less than that of Doctor Luo An. Xu Sheng struck hard, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Luo An felt an electric current spread from his lower back to his ankles, his lower body went numb and he couldn't stand up. He fell down with a thud.
Xu Sheng gave Eunuch Wei a wink, and Eunuch Wei quickly read aloud: "The imperial edict reads: I have two sons, the eldest being Luo An..."
"Your Highness!" Someone opened the door and poked their head out, waving repeatedly at Xu Sheng, as if it were urgent.
In front of everyone, Xu Sheng scrambled backward. Luo An instinctively tried to pull him back, but only managed to brush against the hem of Xu Sheng's clothes.
Xu Sheng ran to the door, but the man reached out and pulled him inside, then closed the door again.
Luo An touched his lower back, stood up, looked at Eunuch Wei, and raised his hand as if to snatch the imperial edict.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Eunuch Wei retreated and pulled his hands back, and said urgently: "...Luo An is being raised in Dongyang. If he returns to Nanyue in the future, he will be made Crown Prince Xiangming to inherit the throne and make it last forever."
Two sons, one was named Prince Xiangrui and the other Crown Prince Xiangming, which sounds quite reasonable.
Eunuch Wei placed the imperial edict in Luo An's hand and then knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
No one dared disobey the imperial edict. Even though everyone was surprised and doubtful, they still respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The imperial edict, made of silk brocade, was neither new nor old. Two or three years would be acceptable, but it could not possibly be more than ten years old. The faint scent of ink indicated that it was fresh ink.
Luo An had seen the dignified and elegant Wei-style calligraphy in the study; it was indeed something the late emperor often wrote, and it even bore the late emperor's seal.