Chapter 748 Gathering - Take You Away

The emperor clearly hadn't expected to hear Bai Moqin's voice. His pupils widened suddenly, and when he saw that it really was Bai Moqin in front of him, he couldn't help but tremble.

"Why are you here? Hurry up and leave, you need to get out of here."

The emperor didn't know how Bai Moqin had slipped past everyone's eyes to get in, but he knew that the palace was now very dangerous.

"No, I will not leave. I came here today to help Father Emperor leave. How can I run away by myself?"

“Nonsense! Your brother is eyeing the throne with covetous eyes. As the emperor, how can I let the throne fall into his hands?”

As the emperor spoke, he took out a tiger tally from a hidden compartment under the bed and placed it in Bai Moqin's hand.

"This is the tiger tally for commanding the three armies. Take it and leave the palace immediately. Then go to the border to find General Song and have him lead the army to escort you back."

The emperor then handed another edict of succession to Bai Moqin, saying, "Your father has lived long enough, but it's a pity that he hasn't seen you children yet."

The emperor's voice choked with emotion. Thinking of his nephew and daughter who were still in the Great Zhou, he added, "When you become emperor, you must bring your elder brother back to acknowledge his ancestors."

As Bai Moqin listened to the emperor's final words, her eyes welled up with tears, and she immediately shook her head firmly.

"I want you to hand over this tiger tally and this imperial edict to me openly and honestly. As for your brother's recognition of his ancestors, that's your business. I won't do it."

"Nonsense, is this the time for you to be willful?"

Seeing that Bai Moqin was being stubborn, the emperor glared at him as a warning.

"Your Majesty, do you think I would enter the palace unprepared? Do you think I have no belief at all that I can get you out safely?"

Bai Moqin looked at the emperor with unwavering eyes, the confidence in her gaze clearly conveying herself to him.

The emperor knew his son well and knew that once he made a decision, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

Since he was able to enter his bedchamber safely, he must have made considerable preparations beforehand. Even if things went wrong and the eldest prince discovered his entry into the palace, the emperor thought that if he couldn't fight him, he could threaten him with the throne and force the eldest prince to send him out of the city.

After considering the matter, the emperor finally agreed to let Bai Moqin stay, but he still whispered a few words in her ear.

All day long, Bai Moqin hid in the emperor's bedchamber, listening to the empress and the eldest prince take turns trying to persuade the emperor. During dinner, the emperor finally couldn't stand their coercion and agreed to write the abdication edict the next day.

The Emperor and Empress were overjoyed by this, but the Emperor also made a request: that Bai Moqin not be bothered, and that he did not want to be disturbed by anyone tonight.

With the abdication edict in place, the eldest prince would become the emperor of Wei. These were not conditions at all, and the two naturally agreed without a second thought.

The Empress returned to her bedchamber in high spirits, preparing to have the imperial kitchen prepare a special meal for her.

Just then, a palace maid came to report that the deposed crown princess had entered the palace.

What is she doing here at this hour?

The Empress glanced at the sky; it was already past 7 PM. Why had she come?

"Let her in."

Although the Empress disliked the deposed Crown Princess very much, she had to be more tolerant of her because of the Princess's background with the Great Zhou Dynasty.

As soon as the deposed crown princess entered the empress's bedchamber, she first respectfully bowed to the emperor.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."

Now that the Crown Prince has been deposed and the Crown Princess is no longer in office, the fake Sun Ruoyun can no longer refer to herself as "your subject".

"Greetings, Princess. May I ask what urgent matter brings you here at this hour?"

The Empress did not allow the fake Sun Ruoyun to rise, but instead allowed her to remain in the bowing posture, standing in place.

"Your Majesty, this matter is not particularly important, but it certainly won't be a bad thing for the Empress and the First Prince."

He always spoke half of what he meant and left the rest unsaid. The fake Sun Ruoyun had been by Sun Ruoyun's side for many years and could be said to have captured about 70-80% of Sun Ruoyun's style of doing things.

Seeing that she was not displeased by her predicament, and that she spoke with utmost calmness and composure, the Empress held her in higher regard.

"Look, we were so busy talking that we forgot to offer the princess a seat."

As the Empress spoke, she instructed the palace maid beside her to bring over a stool, and the fake Sun Ruoyun then sat down.

The fake Sun Ruoyun clearly had something to say, but she kept it to herself, and the Empress probably didn't want many people to hear it.

So the Empress dismissed her attendants and, with a kind and amiable expression, said with concern, "Princess, you have been in Wei for quite some time now. If you have any worries, why don't you tell me?"

Upon seeing this, Sun Ruoyun revealed a sorrowful expression. "To be honest, Your Majesty, it was not my own wish to be married off to the State of Wei. However, the emperor's command is hard to disobey, and even though the journey was long and arduous, I had no choice but to follow the marriage procession to the State of Wei."

"But it's only been a little over a year, who knew, who knew..." Sun Ruoyun said, and tears streamed down her face like rain.

“A few days ago, the First Prince came to the manor to find Ruoyun and mentioned that he wanted Ruoyun to join his manor. Ruoyun thought at the time that how could she, with her withered and broken body, be worthy of His Highness the First Prince, so she declined his offer. But lately, even though Ruoyun has the status of a princess sent for a political marriage, she still can't help but be subjected to cold words and sarcastic remarks.”

"Now that Ruoyun has married into the State of Wei, she knows that she is now a citizen of Wei and there is no way she can return to the Great Zhou. So Ruoyun thought of asking Your Highness if you could point her in the right direction."

The fake Sun Ruoyun's words were brilliant. She both indicated that the Crown Prince had taken a liking to her and that she dared not accept his offer because of her status.

She even listed the ways she had been bullied and asked the Empress to give her some advice. Wasn't this obviously a way of telling the Empress to simply follow the Crown Prince's wishes and remarry him?

Of course, if it were just that, it wouldn't be so bad. But when she mentioned the Great Zhou Dynasty and her status as a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she was telling the Empress that even if she remarried the eldest prince, she would still need a title.

"What a cunning woman! Yet she speaks so frankly, which not only makes her hard to dislike but also earns her admiration."

The Empress sighed inwardly, but outwardly pretended to be troubled and thought about it for a moment.

"In fact, given her status as a princess, she could easily become the prince's principal wife. However, as the princess just said, she is a woman who has been married before, and the prince, as a member of the royal family and the emperor's most favored son, has already married a principal wife in his early years. Therefore, there is no reason for the principal wife to step down."