The dust has settled

When the Imperial Guard announced that the Crown Prince was leading troops into the palace with the intention of rebellion, the Emperor on the high throne finally realized that things were out of his control, and he tried to remain calm with trembling hands.

He was no longer the enlightened ruler who commanded widespread support, and his position was not as secure as he had imagined.

All that remained in his way were the personal guards he had formed in his youth.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has already passed through Jiayou Gate."

"Did you bring the person?"

The situation of father and son killing each other was unexpected. After receiving a positive reply, he issued an order to resist with all their might, promising a great reward to whoever could take the crown prince's head.

Even so, it was difficult to stop their repeated defeats, and a bloody path led all the way to the emperor's bedchamber.

His men kicked open the door to the imperial study and dealt with the soldiers surrounding the emperor before Rong Zhang stepped inside.

This is the threshold he has crossed in the past with different feelings of excitement, joy, and trepidation.

Now, however, peace and disappointment are intertwined.

The person sitting in the armchair had a calm expression, seemingly not taking Rong Zhang seriously, but he would still inadvertently reveal a flaw.

Rong Zhang now had some experience in understanding him, and he said, "Father, do you think I shouldn't have done this?"

Despite this predicament, the emperor remained aloof and said, "Your maternal grandfather was so loyal that he raised a bunch of traitors."

"Ha—Grandfather was blindly loyal. Besides, he's already dead, and no one will come to save you."

"What? Your uncle murdered your father, and now you want to do the same?!"

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Rong Zhang asked, "Do you even deserve to be called a father? Your grandfather didn't deserve it, and neither do you."

His cold face was filled with complex emotions, his chest heaving violently. "For over twenty years, what have you taken me for? A dog that would circle around you at your beck and call? Whenever I achieve something, you demote me in every way, but when I do something absurd, you give me a second glance. You just want me to accomplish nothing, to live only by following your whims. Don't you value Rong Xiao? Don't you often sigh to me that I'm not as good as him?"

At this point, he suddenly burst into laughter, "What about now? Open your eyes and look! That idiot Rong Xiao died so easily. You were so satisfied with him that you didn't hesitate to let Rong Xuan slander me, just to hand over the throne to him. So, I'll do as you wish and lead an army in rebellion? Now I'll make it a reality. You can go and join Rong Xiao in the afterlife, and be a good father and son with him in the afterlife."

Rong Zhang was emotionally agitated, but the person opposite him didn't change his expression, only watching him vent his useless anger.

Only after he calmed down did the emperor make a move, shouting only, "Bring him up."

Behind the screen, Jiang Yi, who was unconscious, was brought up with a knife to her neck.

Having grasped Rong Zhang's fatal weakness, the emperor's expression relaxed.

No matter how much power and military force he wields, he can't shake his habit of valuing family ties above all else. With Jiang Yi in his hands, he's just a cub, pretending to be fierce and showing off, but little does he know that he's not taken seriously at all.

"You little brat, how dare you start a rebellion?"

Rong Zhang's eyes were bloodshot with rage. "Release my mother!"

He clearly sent someone to pick her up. It's impossible. How could she have been arrested?

His hand trembled, pointing directly at the emperor, ready to stab him without a second thought, but seeing the glaring blood flowing down Jiang Yi's neck, he abruptly withdrew his hand.

Suddenly, a series of orderly footsteps came from outside the hall; the area had been surrounded.

Everyone in the palace realized this. Although they didn't know who was leading the troops to rescue the emperor, the sudden change in the situation revealed the emperor's ruthless side.

"Guards! Seize the traitor Rong Zhang and execute him immediately!"

He remained calm and composed, naturally giving instructions to the people entering the hall.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as he wished. Rong Xuan looked at the complicated scene before him, his eyes unmoved, and said calmly, "What you say doesn't count."

After saying that, he defeated the people who were holding Jiang Yi hostage while he was still in a daze.

The scene changed in an instant. Rong Zhang saw her fall to the ground with a pale face. His blood rushed to his head, and he gripped the sword in his hand, thrusting it straight at the emperor.

At Rong Xuan's command, no one present tried to stop him. The arrogant emperor's face froze as the sword pierced his heart.

He pointed at Rong Xuan, blood gushing from his mouth, unable to speak coherently, only managing to utter "you, you, you".

Rong Xuan didn't even glance at him before declaring, "The Crown Prince has rebelled, murdered the emperor, and forced the emperor to abdicate. Take him down!"

As the last note faded, the attendants swarmed forward, seized the Crown Prince and his men, and imprisoned him along with Jiang Yi.

Once the dust had settled, Yan Qing disconnected from the cat.

She had intended to go with Rong Xuan to capture Rong Zhang, but he refused her firmly, which was a rare occurrence since she returned to the capital.

When she was with Yan Qing, Rong Xuan nodded and agreed to everything. When she turned around, she found him looking at her with bright, puppy-dog eyes, as if what she said was the ultimate truth.

Even if Yan Qing insisted on going against him, he would only look at her sideways like a wronged little wife, and after failing to get the pitiful treatment he wanted, he could only agree.

But this matter was different. Yan Qing knew that it was inconvenient for her to get involved. No matter how well prepared she was, swords and spears were indiscriminate. If she were hit by a flying arrow, it would be a real loss.

So they had to give up the idea of ​​watching the battle live and wait for the catch at the Cat Tea House.

Old Master Jiang is dead, but this news has been kept secret by the Jiang family, so outsiders are unaware. The previous defense deployment was also carried out by the Jiang family under his name, and their purpose is self-evident.

However, knowing all this, Yan Qing and Rong Xuan joined forces and, after much effort, firmly controlled the Jiang family. Their backup within the city had already been eliminated, and they were just waiting for Rong Zhang to lead his troops to force the emperor to abdicate, so they could use him to eliminate the emperor.

He didn't realize that the troops behind him had been cut in half until he stormed into the Taiji Palace.

His failure was inevitable.

With things finally settled down in the capital, Yan Qing rushed off to check on Deng Chan's situation.

She had already reunited with Cheng Changfeng under Fangbi's escort, and Cheng Changfeng, with the help of reinforcements sent by the imperial court, defeated Deputy General Jiang and recaptured the northern city, and the rebel army was captured.

The rebel leaders were all beheaded amidst the cheers of the people.

The plan for the Jiang and Jiang families to cooperate from the inside and outside has been completely thwarted. Soon, Cheng Changfeng will lead his generals back to the capital.

Just as Deng Anhua had predicted, Deng's father saw that Deng Anhua's power was waning and he had no one to rely on in the future, so he turned to the Crown Prince. Fortunately, before he could turn his attention to Deng Chan, she had already left the capital, thwarting his plan.

In just one month, Rong Xuan was enthroned as the new emperor, and everything was in need of rebuilding.

Cheng Yue was honored as Empress Dowager, but he still refused to touch upon Deng Anhua's matter, simply keeping her in Chenhua Palace. The other concubines were dismissed, and the harem became deserted for a time.

However, it didn't stay quiet for more than two days before it became lively again. To facilitate cooperation in governing the country, Yan Qing also moved into the palace, where she was accompanied by all sorts of cats. The halls that were originally inhabited by people were all taken over by the cats.

The servants in the palace should be dismissed if they have no duties, but with so many idle people being released from the outside, it's really unbearable.

Considering the precarious state of happiness, Yan Qing sent the more unruly and timid children from Jingyuan to the palace, which could be considered as creating some jobs for them. Serving kittens is always much better than serving people.

Every time she passed by Chenhua Palace while holding the kitten, she would think of that matter. She could also see that Rong Xuan was absent-minded, but the key to this matter still lay between Cheng and Deng.

"Why don't we let them meet? In any case, it's their decision to make."

Rong Xuan shared the same thought, but he was afraid Cheng Yue wouldn't agree.

But Yan Qing simply shook his head, telling him to go ahead boldly.

Since she had said so, Rong Xuan did as she was told and went to Cheng Yue's palace.

Here's what Cheng Yue said about this matter.

"A few days ago, Changfeng came to me with a request. He said he wanted to ask you for an imperial decree to grant him and Achan a marriage. Achan has always relied on her the most, and if the punishment is too severe, their relationship may become strained. I haven't been involved in affairs for a long time, so you can handle it yourself."

The sudden change in their identities did not alter their relationship. In the past, Cheng Yue had always treated him as her own son, and Rong Xuan had always considered himself to have two mothers.

It was so obvious, how could he not tell that this was someone speaking up for her?

Cheng Yue has never been one to beat around the bush. When he established his own royal residence, she called him to her side and told him directly that she could see that he also had ambitions. If he wanted to make something of himself, the Cheng family would be his help.

He refused at the time, choosing instead to support Rong Xiao from behind.

But fate played a cruel trick on him, and he still ended up in this position. The tranquility he was unwilling to break was built on ice.

Although Rong Xuan is nominally in charge now, it is Yan Qing who ultimately makes the final decisions.

Her first order was to appoint Li Yueshu to an official position in the court. With Yan Yang as an example, this was not something to be discussed extensively, and no one would dare to disobey her.

Therefore, the newly established women's official organization, headed by Li Yueshu, proceeded very smoothly.

Most of the other officials were also selected based on a list provided by Rong Xuan, which Yan Qing then reviewed before making a final decision.

This time is crucial, and the most important thing is to promote good officials who care about the people. Picking out these people is easy for her, since she only needs to follow that person closely for a few days and she will know his character very well.

Before long, the new court was reorganized, and the turmoil of a few months ago seemed like a thing of the past.

With Rong Xiao's complete defeat of the northern border, the border was at peace, and the court was filled with a new atmosphere. Several imperial edicts were issued to allow the people to rest and recuperate, and the region finally began to enter a virtuous cycle.

Happiness levels, which had previously fallen below 50%, are now slowly recovering.

From now on, all she has to do is supervise all officials from top to bottom, create a good environment for the people, and let them create their own good life with their own hands.

But after several months, Yan Qing noticed something was wrong.