Chapter 711 The Most Urgent Matter

Without waiting for anyone else to argue, Nangong Yue sneered, "If I really give up the throne, will you royal brothers accept it? My brother, the Prince of Qi, hired a courtesan in the capital, and he still owes this princess three thousand gold coins."

Zhao Yunhe's face twitched a few times. The other officials were not willing to be outdone and wanted to report the names of their masters.

"Prince Qi is a hopeless loser. Although Prince Jing is the third son, he is much more mature and stable than him. I think the throne should be passed to Prince Jing!"

"Come on, the Third Prince may be steady and composed, but he's a well-known blockhead. When he was in school, he couldn't even compare to Master Liu Yanchuo. How can he be the emperor?"

"I think the Fifth Prince is good!"

"I think..."

Their argument was so intense that they even wanted to fight.

Even if the princess will not choose the successor prince on the spot, it is always good to mention it. At least it can save their reputation and allow them to have something to brag about when their master comes to the capital.

Three months? That's simply too much trouble. If his master could get Nangong Yue's consent and directly ascend to the throne, he would be the most legitimate person and would also gain leverage for the future succession.

But Nangong Yue sneered, "Stop arguing! If we're talking about legitimacy, talent, and virtue, isn't my brother, the deposed crown prince, the most suitable? Don't forget, if we start fighting among ourselves, the deposed crown prince who's still on the run will wait for an opportunity to swoop in."

At this time, all the officials were obsessed with power and no longer thought about the deposed crown prince. When she shouted at them, they suddenly remembered that there was still a biggest disaster in the court, and that was the deposed crown prince.

Although the deposed crown prince is no longer in the capital, his legends are everywhere in the court. When he is still there, he can suppress all the imperial brothers. If he is not overthrown first, the others will have no chance of qualifying to succeed to the throne.

Nangong Yue said coldly, "My brothers are all well and good, but when the deposed Crown Prince was still standing, no one dared to speak out. Compared to him, we are all just straw men. Who is better than who?"

Upon hearing this, all the officials were choked and almost died of anger.

But they had no way to refute it, because those princes were indeed ugly, not even as good as the eldest princess.

Given a choice, who would be willing to support a idiot?

At the same time, Nangong Yue's words also allowed them to see another side of her.

Many people thought that based on the princess's words, she did have some real talent. It seemed that her previous achievements in assisting government affairs were not entirely due to the emperor's guidance.

Could it be that the eldest princess's previous frivolous behavior was just a way to hide her incompetence?

Nangong Yue at this moment seemed really different from usual. Usually she relied on gorgeous clothes to show her nobleness, but today, although her eyes were red, her eyes revealed a domineering aura that no one dared to violate.

The wide sleeves of her robe covered her bare hands. She put them behind her back and said without question: "If you have no objection, I will temporarily take the position of Crown Princess and continue to handle government affairs as usual. If you have any objections..."

The corners of her lips curled slightly, making everyone's heart unconsciously hang in the air: "If you have any objections, ask the Duke. After all, no matter who succeeds to the throne, he is the legitimate regent!"

Zhao Yunhe was unwilling to accept this. He was probably the one who was most eager to have the King of Qi succeed to the throne. After all, everyone knew that the King of Qi was a fool. If he was humiliated in front of everyone like this, the King of Qi would not know how to deal with him.

Moreover, ever since he inherited the position of the head of the family, the Zhao family has been getting worse day by day. Now Zhao Yunxuan has returned to Beijing and is quite favored by the late emperor. Is he standing on the side of the eldest princess?

Anyone else might seek refuge with the eldest princess, but he couldn't because he had so many frictions with Zhao Yunxuan!

Therefore, he stepped forward and accused: "After all, you still want to monopolize the throne of the emperor. Don't quibble anymore, you-"

Before he finished speaking, a sword light flashed, and Nangong Yue actually pulled out the imperial sword in the room and placed it on his neck.

Zhao Yunhe no longer dared to speak. Beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his forehead, and his legs were trembling.

When Concubine Li saw this, she became anxious: "Yue'er, what are you doing? How can a girl wield a sword or a gun? Put it down quickly."

Nangong Yue ignored her and said proudly, "Lord Zhao is only concerned with vying for power and profit while the late emperor's body is still warm. This is truly disrespectful. I am being polite by simply placing my sword on his neck."

She sheathed her sword with a clang and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Lord Zhao, you disrespected the late emperor. Go and reflect on this. I don't have the time to deal with you, a bunch of idlers, nor do I want to get involved in your vested interests. The most urgent matter is the national mourning. I just want to give my father a quiet burial."

Everyone understood the implication of her words: if anyone dared to complain again and disturb the peace of the late emperor's soul, she would chop them down with a knife.

All the civil officials were silent as a cicada, like quails, and dared not say a word. At this time, the princes had not yet entered the capital. Even if they wanted to show off their achievements, they should do so in front of the real master instead of losing their lives here in vain.

However, many military officers were impressed and felt that this princess had some courage.

Although Nangong Yue's action was a bit rude, it was out of love for his father. The ministers had nothing to criticize and nodded in agreement.

The Duke's eyes showed admiration. It seemed that His Majesty's judgment was not wrong this time.

But not everyone has the ability to control all the ministers.

The prime minister, who had been silent all this time, took two steps forward, bowed heavily, and cried sorrowfully, "Your Majesty!"

Following this cry of pain, all officials and concubines knelt down one after another, and there was a cry of grief inside and outside the palace.

The bells of national mourning rang loudly. The era of the late emperor had passed, and what was left was the weak empress Nangong Yue and several imperial brothers who were eyeing him covetously.

In the cold night, the candlelight in the Plum Pavilion is still on, and the plum blossoms are dormant in the cold night, with only a faint fragrance floating in the air.

The little boy was wrapped in a warm swaddling cloth and in his father's arms, and he showed no sign of waking up. If he hadn't smacked his lips from time to time in his sleep, the couple would have thought something had happened to him.

When the little boy was put back into the cradle, he stretched out his hands reluctantly. After crying a few times symbolically, he was fed by the wet nurse and laughed happily again.

"This little guy is really carefree." Hu Xiner couldn't help but sigh.

"This personality is just like you." Mu Qing looked at the smiling faces of his wife and children, and his heart softened, and his tense nerves relaxed.

After watching the little dumpling for a while, the two returned to their room. While the palace servants were fetching water for them to wash, Mu Qing hugged his wife tightly in his arms.