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"All of you come to the Imperial Study and help me with my advice."

At the end of the celebration banquet, Emperor Xingwu was also drunk, at least he staggered when he stood up. Qin Hong immediately called his second and third brothers to help support their father. He fell a few steps behind and gave his father's left and right arms to his second and third brothers.

Emperor Xingwu didn't seem to care which son was supporting him, and just walked out.

Qingyang and his elder brother followed the father and his two sons silently, and the ministers would leave the Taiji Hall on their own.

It was already afternoon, the sky was still blue and the sun was still warm, but the wind in December was still cold, making people's skin feel tight.

Qin Hong also smelled of alcohol. Actually, he didn't like to drink heavily, but alcohol was indispensable in banquets of all sizes.

"Uncle Wang has drunk too much, don't take it to heart, sister." Qin Hong was afraid that his sister was only calm on the surface, but was still angry and sad about Uncle Wang's behavior of forcing her to drink.

Qingyang smiled, looking at her eldest brother, then at her second and third brothers, who were both supporting their father and looking back at her. She spoke in a voice that all three brothers could hear, "I will be tolerant of those who respect me, whether they are relatives, friends, or subjects. However, I will never tolerate those who insult or look down on me, even if they are relatives or friends."

Blood ties are indeed a bond, and Qingyang cannot completely sever it. So although she disliked the noisy and ridiculous behavior of her three royal brothers that day, she would not alienate and ignore them just for this reason. So although she hated Uncle Wang's behavior of forcing her to drink today, she would not immediately think of "dragging Uncle Wang out and beating him with dozens of boards" as a severe punishment.

She also does not have the power to directly punish Uncle Wang.

But this does not mean that Qingyang will just let it go. She will always remember that if Uncle Wang does not learn his lesson and dares to do the same thing again next time, she will punish him lightly for a minor offense and severely for a serious offense. This goes for Uncle Wang, the three royal brothers, and other relatives and friends as well.

It would be best if the three royal brothers could understand, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t. Anyway, she has made her words here today. If anyone messes with her in the future, don’t blame me for not reminding them.

Qin Hong, who had always been respected by his sister, only heard that his sister was really angry with Uncle Wang. Qin Bing and Qin Ren, who had been glared at and scolded by their sister from time to time since childhood, saw the familiar or even stronger dominance and coldness in his sister's eyes.

At this moment, Emperor Xingwu, supported by his two sons, suddenly laughed out loud. The more he laughed, the louder it got. He even pushed his two sons away and walked forward. When he had finished laughing, Emperor Xingwu said without turning back, "Lin'er and Er Lao have just returned from the expedition. I will give you five days' leave. You will resume your duties on the ninth day. Okay, all of you, please leave. I can still walk."

After saying this, Emperor Xingwu left his children behind and left.

Qingyang looked at his father's back.

She left Beijing in May and returned in December. It had been seven months since she last saw her father. This was the first time she had been away from her father for such a long time since she was three years old.

It was only seven months old, and she was still seventeen years old. Apart from being thinner and tanned, and having more military achievements and prestige, Qingyang did not feel that she had changed much. However, her father, who was still fifty-seven years old, had more wrinkles on his face, his hair was whiter, and even his back had the hunchback that Deng Chong had only revealed after he had a serious illness.

Qingyang was not so naive as to think that his father would have an easy time in these seven months.

The Northern Expedition was an uncertain one, and the life and death of a pair of children hung in the balance. If she was defeated, injured, or died, her father would not only be grieving, but would also bear the eternal infamy of a man who spoiled his beloved daughter and played with the country. If she won military merit and prestige, her father would only be relieved for a while, because what would follow was how to continue paving the way for her.

That was a road that Qingyang could only strive to be qualified to stand on, but it had to be paved for her by her father himself. While paving this road, her father had to personally drive down her eldest brother and his son who was already standing on it, and this was only the first step.

Without paying any more attention to his three royal brothers, Qingyang took Qinfang, who had come to pick her up, and headed towards the East Palace.

Qin Bing was anxious to go home to see his wife and daughter, and to ask his wife about the ins and outs of his elder brother's dethronement. He said hello to his elder brother and third brother and left in a hurry.

Qin Hong and Qin Ren went to the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites respectively with their own thoughts.

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East Palace, when Qingyang walked behind Chongyuan Palace, he felt the unprecedented silence inside.

Her gaze lingered on the wall of Chongyuan Palace for a moment, then she swept across Jinghe Palace where her second brother had lived, and Chengming Palace where her third brother had lived. Her eldest sister's palace was not in this area, so she could not see it even if she wanted to.

But Qingyang still remembered that after she moved into Jiuhua Palace, because she was close to her three royal brothers, she went to her eldest brother's house for dinner, went to her second brother's house to laugh at him for getting up late, and she went to her third brother's house even more frequently.

After her second and third brothers moved out of the palace, her eldest brother became the one who stayed with her the longest. After her princess's mansion was built, Qingyang imagined the scene of her eldest brother and sister-in-law holding hands with Zheng Ge'er to send her out of the palace. Unexpectedly...

In the huge East Palace, she is the only one left.

The meaning behind this is what she wanted, but at this moment, Qingyang felt more lonely.

Suddenly, several figures came out of Jiuhua Palace, and the one walking in front was her mother.

Qingyang smiled and ran directly towards her mother who had been waiting for her for a long time.

Concubine Li had welcomed the emperor in armor, and had been rubbed and smoked by the emperor's armor. Fortunately, it was the twelfth lunar month, and her daughter's armor only smelled of dust from the journey, and not sweat. However, she still felt very distressed because she had personally experienced all kinds of inconveniences during the southern tour.

"Come on, the hot water is ready. Let's go take a shower first. After you change your clothes, we can talk about personal matters."

Qingyang had longed for this bath. Her last bath had been before she left Jizhou. On the march back, she could only simply wash herself with hot water every two nights, and even washed her hair only three times. The camp was too cold, and each shower increased the risk of catching a cold. She wore a helmet during the day anyway, so Qingyang preferred to endure the discomfort rather than fall ill and have the soldiers dismiss her as a "frail princess."

But the helmet couldn't block the dust swept by the cold wind from the north, so Qingyang decided to wash his hair first.

Concubine Li washed her daughter's hair with her own hands and changed the water four times. Only then was her daughter's long black hair thoroughly clean and fragrant.

Three bathtubs were also prepared. When Qingyang came out of the first tub wrapped in a towel, her face was as red as her body which was rubbed by her mother. She felt much better when she left the second tub. When she sank into the third tub, Qingyang took a long breath and really began to enjoy the bath.

Concubine Li was extremely tired. She sat on the brocade stool with her upper body leaning on the edge of the bucket, staring at her daughter who had turned into a fairy again.

As she looked at it, Concubine Li blinked and two lines of tears rolled down her cheeks.

Qingyang helped his mother wipe away her tears: "Why are you crying, mother?" If he felt sorry for her, he would have cried enough before.

Concubine Li sobbed softly, "I feel sorry for your father. Ever since your eldest sister was punished, he hasn't summoned me again. I only saw him again in Qianyuan Palace after you came back. It's only been a month, and he... has aged so much. It's hard for mother... When he's sick, he needs someone to take care of him. Why wouldn't he ask me to come over?"

When the emperor was young, she wished she could stay in Qianyuan Palace less often to avoid his favor. Now that the emperor is old, she wants to stay in Qianyuan Palace for a long time to take care of him, but the emperor avoids her.

Qingyang sank into the water, emerging after a few breaths. He wiped his face and said to his mother, "Everyone knows that the emperor favors you alone. He must have seen that my eldest brother was truly intending to resign, and he wanted to help him. If I had been with him during this time, outsiders would have suspected you of fanning the flames in his attempt to dethrone him. So, he didn't see me for your own good."

Concubine Li was stunned for a moment, then she cried, "It's been more than half a month since this happened, why is he still unwilling to see me?"

Qingyang raised his head and closed his eyes, saying, "Because the new crown prince hasn't been decided yet, if either my mother or I get close to my father, we'll be suspected of trying to seduce him."

So the emperor gave her and her second brother five days of leave, so the emperor would make a decision at the morning court on the ninth day.

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On the fourth and fifth days of the twelfth lunar month, Emperor Xingwu asked Yan Xizheng to discuss the contents of Donghu's letter of surrender with Yelu Chong and his brothers. For example, Donghu would have to submit to Da Qi and pay tribute every year in the future, the number of tribute horses, cattle, sheep, and furs, and the amount of ransom that the Donghu royal court would pay to redeem Yelu Chong and others. As for the tens of thousands of war horses that Da Qi's soldiers had driven back from the grasslands, they were Da Qi's spoils of war and had nothing to do with Donghu.

Yelu Chong knew that his injuries were most likely incurable. Between his own integrity and the lives of his brothers, wives and children, Yelu Chong chose the latter.

Since the contents of the letter of surrender were agreed upon, at the morning court on the sixth day, Yelu Chong, who was sitting on a chair and was carried into the hall, endured the humiliation and pressed the seal of the King of Donghu on the letter of surrender. From then on, there would be no more trouble for Yelu Chong and his brothers. When the Donghu envoys headed by Yelu Xu returned to the grassland and delivered the ransom, Da Qi would release Yelu Chong and his brothers' families.

After the foreign affairs were resolved and Yelu Chong and his brothers were brought down, Emperor Xingwu issued an edict, instructing the Secretariat to send the previous edict deposing the crown prince to all prefectures and counties and announce it to the world.

As soon as Yan Xizheng and Dai Lun received the imperial edict, Emperor Xingwu leaned back into the dragon throne and coughed for a long time.

The emperor's old age has long been obvious to all. At such an age and with such a cough, the position of crown prince is still vacant. How can the ministers not be anxious?

Therefore, civil officials immediately requested the emperor to select a new crown prince as soon as possible to consolidate the foundation of the country.

This was indeed a major event that concerned the people of Da Qi. All the civil and military officials knelt down and begged the emperor to choose a new prince.

Emperor Xingwu coughed for a moment, then glanced at his ministers, some old and some in their prime, and sighed, "I know, I know. This is the Great Qi Dynasty I founded. The Crown Prince's affairs are more pressing for me than they are for you. So, Yan Xizheng, Dai Lun, Nie Ao, the six ministers, as well as Prince An, Prince Yong, Lü Zan, Zhang Jie, Hou Wanzhong, Xue Ye, and Fan Zhong, after court is adjourned, you all come to the Imperial Study and assist me with my counsel."

Prince An was the deposed crown prince, but he was also the eldest prince of the emperor. Emperor Xingwu wanted him to participate in the discussion of the new crown prince, which was to completely eliminate the ministers' intention to continue supporting Prince An.

For a moment, more than half of the ministers looked at Prince Xian who was standing next to Prince An. Prince Jing was still on vacation and had not come to court, otherwise he would have also faced the scrutiny of the ministers.

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After the court was dismissed, Yan Xizheng and sixteen others were divided into two rows, civil and military, and waited outside the imperial study.

Before entering, Fan Zhongxian stated, "I dare not offer any advice on such a serious matter. I don't understand it either. When the Emperor asks, just speak up. No one needs to look at me. In the end, I will obey the Emperor. I will recognize whichever Highness the Emperor appoints."

Lü Zan, Zhang Jie, Hou Wanzhong, and Xue Ye all had the same idea.

Prince Yong, who was also part of the military formation, asked: "...Then why did the Emperor call you here? Just to listen to the excitement?"

Yan Xizheng: "This is a matter concerning the country and the people. Since the emperor trusts us, we can just speak frankly and impartially later. There is no need to worry too much."

Everyone was silent, but speaking frankly, it was not that simple. If they supported the right person, it would be fine, but if they supported the wrong person, they would offend the new prince.

At this time, He Yuanjing came out and invited everyone in.

【Author’s words】

In fact, there are two ways for Qingyang to sit on the throne. One is the legitimate way paved by her father, and the other is to kill her father and brother and spill blood. But in this article, Qingyang has a deep love for her father and her father is already paving the way for her, so she said that she can only wait for her father to pave the way for her, but this does not mean that she is useless and only knows how to pick up ready-made things.

100 little red envelopes, see you at the second update tonight!