Ma Sanbao drove three horses to Yanjing to bring a secret decree from the previous emperor and an imperial edict from the new emperor.

The secret decree was specially given to Eunuch Li by the late emperor before his death, and asked Ma Sanbao to bring it back.

The late emperor's will was almost the same as Shen Yuyao's prediction. The general meaning was that the emperor asked Prince Ning to protect the peace of the northern border and must not return to Kyoto to attend the funeral.

However, the new emperor's decree was exactly the opposite, ordering Prince Ning to immediately return to Kyoto with his family to attend the funeral without any mistake.

The imperial edict was a copy obtained by the subordinates of the East Factory who were planted around the new emperor by all means. The real copy was on the way to Yanjing.

Xia Yu frowned slightly, and handed the combined will and imperial edict to Shen Yuyao who was standing beside him.

Shen Yuyao took it but did not rush to read it. Instead, she smiled and said to Ma Sanbao, "Good boy, you must be exhausted. Go eat something and take a rest."

Ma Sanbao knew that the couple must have something important to discuss, so he quickly responded and left.

When Ma Sanbao walked out of the room, Shen Yuyao's expression suddenly became serious.

"Your Highness, it seems that the Lu family can no longer wait..."

Xia Yu naturally knew that all of this was caused by the Lu family. She had long blamed Xia Yu and Shen Yuyao for the death of Prince Jin.

She couldn't wait to seek revenge on the couple.

"The Lu family is hiding very well. The ministers in the court have been fooled by her and are all rushing to serve as her pawns!" Xia Yu pursed his lips slightly, his eyes full of coldness. "How could the ministers know that the new emperor they are loyal to is just a puppet?"

Shen Yuyao saw an extremely dangerous aura in Xia Yu's eyes, the aura of a hunter seeing his prey.

The look was so fierce that she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.

Could it be that Xia Yu already has a plan in mind?

"Once the imperial edict arrives tomorrow, Your Majesty must not obey it and return to the capital!"

Shen Yuyao clenched the two imperial edicts in her hands.

She knew that if Xia Yu was ordered to return to Kyoto, he would never come back.

No, this is absolutely not possible!

But how could Xia Yu disobey the order at this time?

Shen Yuyao was in a state of confusion for a moment.

"Once the imperial edict arrives, I will naturally go to the capital..." Xia Yu narrowed his eyes, "However, the journey is long, and accidents are always inevitable!"

"Your Majesty, you?"

Shen Yuyao's eyes were full of confusion.

Accident?

She and Xia Xiaoxian had simulated countless situations that the Ning Palace would encounter after the emperor's death, but they were unable to solve the problem of "disobeying the emperor's order."

Xia Xiaoxian also read "The Book of Three Lives" several times for this purpose. Unfortunately, the book did not record how Xia Yu survived this disaster.

At this moment, her heart was really full of curiosity.

"Yuyao, don't worry! I will certainly not let Prince Ning's Mansion be bullied by others." Xia Yu comforted her.

Shen Yuyao nodded and said to Xia Yu, "Your Highness must think twice before acting and never act rashly."

Xia Yu smiled slightly, "Am I the reckless person?"

......

The next day, Yanjing City.

Sure enough, the new emperor's edict arrived in the afternoon.

The content was naturally exactly the same as the one Ma Sanbao brought back. In the Yangxin Palace, Xia Yu led his wives, concubines, and children to kneel on the ground, with everyone's forehead pressed tightly against the ground.

The eunuch who came from the palace read out the late emperor's will with tears in his eyes: "For thirty-one years I have received the Mandate of Heaven. I have been filled with anxiety and peril, and have worked tirelessly every day to benefit the people."

As soon as this sentence was read, a woman in the hall cried out in grief.

"But I came from humble beginnings, without the vast knowledge of the ancients, and my love for good and dislike for evil are far behind."

When Shen Yuyao heard this, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Crown Prince Xia Chongwen is benevolent, wise, filial, and friendly. The whole nation is loyal to him. He deserves to ascend the throne. Civil and military officials, both internal and external, should work together to assist in governing the country and ensure the safety of our people."

"Gold and jade shall not be used in funeral and sacrificial rituals. The mountains and rivers of the Xiaoling Mausoleum shall remain as they were and shall not be altered. All subjects of the land shall mourn for three days and take off their mourning clothes, and marriages shall not be affected. The kings shall not come to the capital when they visit their own states. Those who are not included in the decree shall follow this decree."

When the eunuch finished reading this, everyone burst into tears.

When the crying subsided a bit, the eunuch delivering the decree cleared his throat and added, "All the concubines in the harem who have not given birth will be buried alive with the emperor!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a thunderbolt, shocking everyone who had just been crying so hard that they all stopped crying.

Shen Yuyao naturally knew that the last sentence of the will must have been a forged edict by the Lu family.

Her goal is to clear away all obstacles that prevent her from reaching the pinnacle of power.

Including those concubines of the previous emperor, whom she even needed to respect as elders.

"I obey the decree!"

Xia Yu responded in a deep voice.

After the eunuch finished reading the late emperor's will, his tears still lingering on his face, he immediately changed his expression: "Everyone, the new emperor has ascended the throne. The imperial decree has been issued. Prince Ning, please accept it."

"Please, sir."

"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Prince Ning Xia Yu and all his relatives return to the capital immediately to attend the funeral. This is my decree."

Everyone in the hall looked bewildered upon hearing this.

There were two imperial edicts, one from the previous emperor not allowing Prince Ning to return to Kyoto, and one from the new emperor ordering Prince Ning to return immediately.

Everyone looked at Xia Yu in confusion, wondering what choice to make.

"I obey your order."

"I will leave for Beijing tomorrow to attend the funeral!"

......

Crash!

The precious ornaments in the hall were scattered all over the floor.

Mrs. Lu was still not satisfied, so she grabbed the teacup that the palace maid had just handed to her and smashed it to the ground.

Eunuchs and palace maids were kneeling on the ground inside and outside the hall.

"Get out! All of you get out of here!" Mrs. Lu grabbed a vase from the antique shelf next to her and threw it out. The sound of the vase breaking to the ground did not reduce her anger at all.

The eunuchs and palace maids in the hall were trembling with fear. Some of the palace maids were scratched by the broken porcelain fragments, and blood was oozing out, but they still dared not move.

The eunuchs and palace maids outside the palace secretly rejoiced and quietly moved away.

No one dared to approach Lu's bedroom again.

At this time, Mrs. Lu was so angry that her face was hideous. She was already very thin, and now she was so angry that she was even more frightening.

"Why?" She gritted her teeth and said, "Why did Xia Yu dare to disobey the order and not return to Kyoto?"

She raised her hand again and pushed all the memorials on the table to the ground. "I am now the empress dowager of the Great Xia Dynasty. Why can't I take his life?"

She yelled at her wet nurse, Cui, like a madman, "You're the Queen Mother, yet you still can't settle scores. Tell me, why is that?"

Cui stood aside, not daring to speak.

"I've outlasted the Empress, the Consort, the Crown Prince, and even the Emperor himself. Why can't I take his life?"

"They acted in unison, killing the King of Jin and yet they received no punishment!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Mrs. Lu broke three pieces of porcelain in a row.

Several more eunuchs and palace maids in the palace were injured.

Everyone was silent.

"What's the point of being the Queen Mother?"