Chapter 129 (None)

The room was filled with a suffocating smell of death and decay. Jiang Ling steadied himself, turned around and went to the main room, and ordered repeatedly, "Open all the curtains and put in more gardenias and jasmine."

Huang Liang hurriedly instructed the eunuch, and Jiang Ling paused, then lowered his voice and said, "Summon Ding Shang!"

Since Emperor Yuanming fell seriously ill, Ding Shang had been frequently on guard duty in the palace. He arrived quickly. Seeing Jiang Ling's serious expression, his face darkened. "Your Majesty, is it the Emperor...?"

Jiang Ling interrupted him, "The Emperor is still alive. Go and summon Crown Prince Alang back yourself. Also, guard every place carefully!"

Ding Shang had a general idea of ​​what was going on. He didn't dare to delay and hurriedly led his personal guards to the school to summon Xiao Yunzan and Xiao Yunlang to arrange for heavy defenses.

Jiang Ling continued to make arrangements, "Summon the imperial physician to treat the Emperor... Also, summon the Ministers of the Six Ministries of the Privy Council and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, as well as the Grand Secretary and Minister of the Imperial Clan Court to come for an audience. Consort Lin, the First Princess, and the Second Princess, all come together."

The emperor's death ceremony was elaborate, and since it was the height of summer, a large amount of ice was needed. The underground palace had been repaired and needed to be inspected again...

With a series of matters to attend to, Jiang Ling was about to continue speaking when a eunuch guarding the bedroom came to urge her on, so she had to put it aside for the time being and hurriedly went into the room.

As usual, Jiang Ling sat on the brocade stool in front of the bed, poured a cup of water and handed it to him, saying softly, "Your Majesty has woken up. You can't sleep after drinking tea, so drink some water. I'll have the Imperial Kitchen prepare some easily digestible food later."

With Jiang Ling's hand, Emperor Yuanming sipped water to moisten his lips, then shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry, I won't eat."

Jiang Ling put down his teacup and said, "Is Your Majesty feeling unwell anywhere? I have summoned the imperial physician, and he will administer acupuncture to Your Majesty later."

"I'm fine, I don't need anything. You may all leave, I want to speak with the Empress."

Emperor Yuanming spoke very slowly, making a hissing sound in his throat, but he was clearly conscious.

The servants in the room withdrew, the windows were wide open, and the room was bright and cheerful. The gardenias and jasmine were all snow-white, vying to release their fragrance.

Emperor Yuanming's expression softened. He took a breath and smiled, saying, "It smells so good! My nose used to be so stuffy that I couldn't smell anything, but now I can smell the flowers again. Thanks to you, I have flowers and plants to keep me company all year round."

Jiang Ling walked over, picked up a gardenia and a bunch of jasmine flowers, and said, "The fragrances of gardenia and jasmine are both strong and assertive, neither willing to yield to the other, and they're fiercely competing."

Emperor Yuanming held it in his hand and laughed, his expression dreamlike: "I had a dream. I dreamt of my father and mother. They were the same as before. My father strictly ordered me to study hard, and my mother asked a few questions about my well-being before falling silent."

Jiang Ling felt a little dazed when she thought of the dream she had earlier.

Emperor Yuanming took a few quick breaths, his brows furrowed tightly, in pain and struggle. Looking at the flowers in his hand, his expression gradually relaxed, and he said expectantly, "Fortunately, I have you. With you being good to me, always by my side, and with you loving me, I lack nothing."

Jiang Ling found it absurd and remained silent. For some reason, she thought of those palace dramas that had become blurry, and thought to herself, "No love, no love, you're crazy. Who would fall in love with the emperor in a palace drama? It's not like I'm Consort Hua."

Consort Lin, Consort Liu, Consort Zhao, and even Consort Hua would not love him.

Jiang Ling added silently, "None of them love you!"

Emperor Yuanming stared intently at Jiang Ling, who sat there, lost in thought, without uttering a word.

He heard her words, her long-lost feelings!

His Empress Jiang, the Empress Jiang whom he trusted wholeheartedly, never loved him; on the contrary, she despised him to the extreme!

"It's pitiful. You won't give what you don't have, so of course no one will reciprocate your sincerity," Jiang Ling thought to himself.

"Humans are reincarnated, how many worlds are there in total? The worlds we see are not good, and this world is even more filthy."

Jiang Ling fell into deep thought, considering other possibilities and feeling a longing in her heart: "Go somewhere else in the future, forget the memories of this world. Go to a world full of peace, love, and tranquility. These flowers will accompany you on your journey."

Emperor Yuanming gazed at Jiang Ling, and the pain and resentment in his heart mysteriously disappeared, tears streaming down his face.

Although she disliked him, she didn't hate him and blessed his next life. She gave him flowers and accompanied him to a heavenly world.

The court officials, including Zheng Xiang, rushed over. Xiao Yunzan and Xiao Yunlang, who had returned from the school, were already waiting in the main room. The sisters Xiao Jiatong and Xiao Jiatang were also led to a side room to wait.

Seeing that Emperor Yuanming was barely breathing, Jiang Ling pressed his hand and said, "Your Majesty, the eldest princess, the second princess, Azan, and Alang have all arrived. I will go and let them in."

Emperor Yuanming blinked, and Jiang Ling sighed inwardly before ordering someone to call them into the room.

Xiao Yunzan and Xiao Yunlang knelt on the footboard, crying and calling out "Father" repeatedly. Xiao Jiatong and Xiao Jiatang, looking dazed, followed suit and knelt behind them.

Emperor Yuanming's eyes moved with difficulty, looking at all his children before finally settling on Jiang Ling.

With his children all around him, Emperor Yuanming let out a long convulsion and passed away suddenly.

Huang Liang, who had been standing to the side, wiped away his tears and went to report the death.

The death knell tolled, and the courtiers waiting in the inn knelt and wept bitterly.

A solemn atmosphere filled the Chuigong Hall. Jiang Ling changed into mourning clothes and began the funeral arrangements with Consort Lin. She directed the eunuchs to conduct the funeral preparations in an orderly manner and set up the mourning hall.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and the next important matter is the succession of a new emperor. After Zheng Xiang and his entourage knelt and bid farewell to Emperor Yuanming, they went to the guest house to discuss and enthrone Crown Prince Xiao Yunzan.

As the crown prince, Xiao Yunzan's ascension to the throne is a matter of course and in accordance with propriety and rules. However, he has just lost his baby teeth and is still young. According to the usual practice, Jiang Ling should act as regent, assisted by court officials.

In the past, the Empress Dowager's regency was merely a temporary measure. From the very beginning of the Great Yin Dynasty, the emperor had guarded against interference in politics by the harem. The concubines in the harem had never held power, and the Empress Dowager's regency was just a formality; the affairs of state were still decided by the court officials.

But things are different now; Jiang Ling has long been in actual power. If she were to become regent, she would become a true emperor.

The Privy Council, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works remained silent, their attitude unclear. Former Minister Wang of the Ministry of Personnel was forced to retire, and Jiang Gong was promoted to the new Minister. He, along with Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Revenue, Minister Wen of the Ministry of Rites, and the head of the Council of State Affairs, were all Jiang Ling's men.

The opponents, unsurprisingly, were Grand Secretary Wei and Prince Xian.

The two argued incessantly, their faces turning red with anger.

The old Prince Xian was so angry that his beard flew wildly. He jumped up and pointed at Zheng Xiang and the others, cursing, "This is the Xiao family's territory! The Xiao family's territory, how dare you step forward and hand it over to a woman from another family to rule! You are planning to sell out the Xiao family's territory and divide the spoils!"

Grand Secretary Wei was a refined man. Seeing that he was hurling such foul language, he frowned and advised, "Your Highness, please refrain from using such vulgar language. Speak your mind properly."

The old Prince Xian, disregarding friend and foe, put his hands on his hips and spat at him, "You old man, you're always spouting nonsense, don't bother me, I'm not going to listen to your rubbish!"

Grand Secretary Wei was so angry that he fell backward, flung his sleeves, ignored the old Prince Xian, and sat there sulking.

Prime Minister Zheng's expression was not good. He asked, "May I ask, Prince Xian, what do you intend to do?"

The old Prince Xian shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hmph, what am I supposed to do? In any case, the Jiang family is not allowed to rule as regent!"

Jiang Ling learned of the argument as soon as it started at the inn. She was busy discussing the funeral arrangements with Consort Lin and planned to go there later.

Upon hearing Wenjuan's report that they had caused quite a commotion, he handed over his work to Consort Lin and went to the guest house.

When Zheng Xiang and the others saw Jiang Ling, they quickly rose to pay their respects: "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."

The old Prince Xian reluctantly raised his hand and immediately began to make things difficult, saying, "The Empress is not mourning before the Emperor's spirit, and this room is full of men. How can the Empress teach the Crown Prince if she comes here and disregards rules and etiquette?"

Jiang Ling ignored him, walked to the head of the table, and sat down with an air of authority. Her expression was calm as she slammed her hand heavily on the table beside her.

With a "smack," the old Prince Xian was startled. His expression changed, and he immediately became furious.

Before he could speak, Jiang Ling said calmly, "Prince Xian, I've always let you run wild because I respect your age and didn't hold it against you. It was my fault that you thought I was easy to bully. The Emperor has just passed away, and you've already started making a scene. Prince Xian, do you want to ascend the throne, or do you want to be buried with him?"

The room fell silent; no one dared to speak. The old Prince Xian felt a chill run down his spine. His face flushed with shame, he mustered his courage and said, "If Her Majesty the Empress wishes to silence me, she will find a reason! Even if you kill me, there are others in the Xiao imperial family! Unless Her Majesty slaughters the entire Xiao clan, don't even think about stopping this old man!"

Jiang Ling chuckled and said, "It's an honor for you that I stopped a senile old man like you. Prince Xian, let me ask you, you keep talking about the Xiao family, but in the decades since you were born, what have you done for them? You receive a prince's salary and enjoy wealth and luxury, but besides causing trouble, have you done anything worthwhile? You're a disgrace to your ancestors! The Emperor has just passed away, and you come to his coffin to make a scene. You still have the nerve to mention etiquette and manners!"

The old Prince Xian was so scolded that he almost couldn't catch his breath. Seeing him stagger, Grand Secretary Wei quickly stepped forward to support him. "Your Majesty, Prince Xian is devoted to the Xiao family's rule. He is getting old and is Your Majesty's elder. Your Majesty, please respect your elders, lest word get out and harm the Crown Prince's reputation."

Jiang Ling, abandoning her previous gentle demeanor, said in a deep voice, "To be old and not die is to be a thief! If you want to earn respect, you must first set a good example!" She said no more, summoning Ding Shang outside the door and instructing him: "The Prince Xian is senile; send him back. The Minister of the Imperial Clan Court will choose someone else!"

Ding Shang led the imperial guards in and dragged Prince Xian out. He tried to struggle, but the guards were strong and he couldn't move. His mouth was also gagged, so he couldn't utter a sound.

The Chuigong Hall was heavily guarded. When Grand Secretary Wei saw the large swords at the waists of the Imperial City Guards, he opened his mouth, but ultimately sat down with his head down and did not utter a sound.

Jiang Ling glanced at them and said, "I can reason with Prince Xian, but he seems unreasonable and incapable of reasoning. He can oppose me, but he must have a reason for it; using rules and etiquette to argue is simply absurd. You can also use rules and etiquette to oppose my regency. I assure you, as long as your arguments are reasonable, I will respect them, adopt your opinions, and will not hold you accountable later. Who wants to go first?"

Some people avoided Jiang Ling's gaze, while others sat upright with their eyes closed, and the atmosphere in the inn suddenly became heavy.