Chapter 458 Conferring upon him the title of Grand General Who Protects the Nation and Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm!

Just when everything seemed to be going well, Shen Lanxi bared her fangs.

"Arrange our people to go for both the military and civil examinations."

"How many should we arrange?" Che Mingyuan looked into Shen Lanxi's eyes, feeling somewhat flustered.

Shen Lanxi raised the corners of her mouth: "Arrange as much as you can!"

Che Mingyuan wiped his sweat and quickly went to make the arrangements.

Zhao Zheng had asked her a question before: when would she recall Qian Feng and the others?

Now is the time!

"Arrange for Xiao Fang, Qian Feng, Cheng Zheng, Song Niangzi, Liu Baodai, and others to go to the capital!"

"yes!"

It's clear that these adults have absolutely no desire for peace in the capital!

The next day, Zhou Qiwu suddenly entered the palace with a letter, and half an hour later, he came out in a hurry.

The next day, Zhou Qiwu returned to Tianjin with his children to attend the funeral. Liu Binglin, the father of Liu Chengen, a naval officer, suddenly fell ill and died.

Emperor Renxiao, moved by the memory of his veteran minister, specially appointed officials from the Ministry of War to escort him.

This time, Shen Lanxi was different from last time. She made a high-profile appearance to participate in the martial arts examination arrangements, personally overseeing the selection process, and was busy all day long.

Amidst the peaceful atmosphere, Emperor Renxiao ordered the recall of the eldest prince.

The relationship between the Central Government and the Central Government became delicate once again, and attention seemed to be drawn to Zhou Ruyuan.

Zhou Ruyuan returned home with a heavy heart, and even the news that Shen Yuantang had given birth to a boy did not bring him joy.

Bai Qingling saw this and knew that the household was in a difficult situation, so she arranged for a concubine who was not pregnant to serve them that night.

"Your Highness, we have a son in the manor, and several of our concubines are also pregnant. Our manor is full of offspring. Shouldn't we inform the palace of this joyous occasion?" Bai Qingling thought of her son who had been in the palace and had not yet been brought back, and a plan came to her mind.

In the past, upon receiving the news, he would have gone to the palace immediately to offer his congratulations.

Now?

I suspect even my father wouldn't be very happy, but I'm sure my mother would be.

"Come with me to the palace tomorrow to talk. You haven't seen Yu'er for a while."

Bai Qingling's face was full of joy: "Thank you, Your Highness. I am content with you in this life!"

Looking at her gentle and considerate appearance, Zhou Ruyuan felt a little hot and humid. He put his arm around Bai Qingling and led her into the inner room.

In Bai Qingling's hazy eyes, hatred was intense!

Even if the prince dotes on her, what good is it? Her body is no longer capable of bearing children. The palace is pressing her for more, and every time Consort Shu summons her, she establishes rules and has people emphasize the importance of having many offspring.

If it weren't for the prince's future, those lowly women wouldn't even dream of getting into his bed or getting pregnant with his child!

...

Two days before the martial arts examination, Emperor Renxiao suddenly received news that the eldest prince had fallen from his horse and his fate was unknown!

Emperor Renxiao coughed up blood and fainted in the court!

The civil and military officials were in a panic and chaos. All the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital were mobilized and worked until noon before Emperor Renxiao finally regained consciousness, although half of his body was unresponsive.

The officials were crowding at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, anxiously pacing back and forth, all eager to know about Emperor Renxiao's condition as soon as possible.

The first thing Emperor Renxiao did upon waking was to grit his teeth and say with difficulty, "Lanxi, call Lanxi!"

Wang Bao ordered his men to quickly spread the word.

Amidst the watchful eyes of all the officials, Shen Lanxi entered the inner palace.

"Uncle, what happened? How did you get like this?" Shen Lanxi asked, her face full of worry.

"Uncle, I'll send someone to fetch the people from Medicine King Valley to treat you right away!"

Emperor Renxiao said with difficulty, "The court is in your hands!"

"You... protect the nation..."

Shen Lanxi: "Uncle, please stop talking. Lanxi understands everything. Lanxi will definitely guard the court and the capital. Lanxi promises that the capital will be peaceful until Uncle recovers!"

Emperor Renxiao was already panting heavily after just a few words; he still had things to say.

His condition...

"Uncle, don't worry, I will make sure no one leaks your medical condition!"

Emperor Renxiao breathed a sigh of relief, and his tightly clenched teeth loosened.

Lanxi is a good girl; she knows what he's thinking!

Emperor Renxiao closed his eyes wearily.

Wang Bao had someone guard him while he went outside the palace to announce the imperial edict.

"By the grace of Heaven... Shen Lanxi is hereby appointed as the Grand General Who Protects the Nation and the Grand Marshal of All Armies, to command all the troops of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This is the imperial decree!"

Shen Lanxi: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"

The civil and military officials stared at Shen Lanxi in disbelief. What was His Majesty trying to do?

Shen Lanxi must have taken His Majesty hostage, otherwise His Majesty would never have done something so crazy!

To let a woman command all the troops of the Great Zhou is insane, absolutely insane!

The news that Shen Lanxi had been appointed as the Grand General of the Nation and the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm quickly spread throughout the capital.

Meanwhile, news of Emperor Renxiao vomiting blood in the Great Buddha Hall also quietly spread.

The first order Shen Lanxi issued after taking the throne was to seal off the harem, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving, and also arranged for archers so that not even a bird or a bee could fly out!

The second order is to strictly guard the city gates. From this day forward, all people entering or leaving will be rigorously questioned. Archers in position, not a single carrier pigeon or hawk will be able to fly out of the capital!

The third order is that, from this day forward, all officials must reside in the small cabinet to handle government affairs and are not allowed to go home!

The fourth order, under the guise of protection, was to surround the residences of all officials.

The final order was given in front of all the officials, which silenced any dissenting opinions the officials might have.

In this tense atmosphere, the martial arts examination began.

With Shen Lanxi in charge of the palace, the martial arts examination was handed over to Wei Dongzhu and Zhao Zheng.

The order was issued swiftly, and the execution was equally rapid. When Zhou Ruyuan returned from his investigation, he found the capital city as impenetrable as an iron barrel.

"Your Highness, we cannot enter the city. Entering the city is like lambs to the slaughter!" Jiang Wuyai immediately noticed the strange situation at the capital's city gate and stopped Zhou Ruyuan.

His mother and his family are all in the capital. How could he not go back?

What exactly happened in the capital? Why didn't he receive any notification?

"Wait a minute, observe for another day tomorrow, and then decide whether to proceed or not!"

"yes!"

Song Daoxi's medicine was very effective. Emperor Renxiao regained some sensation in one side of his body, and his mood finally improved. Listening to Wang Bao's report, he was able to settle down and focus on raising troops.

He was very satisfied with Lanxi's arrangement, because only in this way would all his sons not rush to attend to his illness.

Are they really attending to his sickbed? They're all hoping he dies soon so they can step down.

Zhou Ruyuan waited outside the capital until the martial arts examination was over before deciding to enter the city.

"The defenses are a bit tighter, but the people of the capital can still come and go freely. The top three in the martial arts examination are even parading through the streets today, so it's quite lively!"

He could hear the sound of gongs and drums even from hundreds of meters away.

Jiang Wuyai was still worried: "Your Highness, it's best to be cautious!"

Zhou Ruyuan couldn't wait any longer: "Let's enter the city today. I'm eager to know what's going on inside!"

Jiang Wuyai had no choice but to follow.

Just then, the officials launched an attack on Shen Lanxi, and she decisively brought out Emperor Renxiao, letting the officials know that Emperor Renxiao was still alive and well.

Emperor Renxiao was furious. He dismissed several officials and, in front of all the officials, praised Shen Lanxi and appointed her as the head of the regents.

(End of this chapter)