Performance
Since some time ago, the sky of the capital city has gradually been stained with a gray hue.
At first, it was just some vague rumors among the people in the market, which grew and spread silently like duckweed on the water.
"Have you heard? Something big seems to have happened on the front line..."
"What big thing could happen? Haven't we always been winning battles?"
"Oh, it's hard to say. I have a distant cousin who's an officer in the army. He sent someone back a few days ago with a message, just asking the family to make early preparations. He didn't dare say anything else..."
"Prepare? Prepare for what?"
"It seems to be His Majesty..."
Whispers circulated in teahouses, taverns, and street talk, becoming more and more intense and true as they spread.
Panic is like a silent plague, rapidly eroding people's hearts.
Food prices began to fluctuate inexplicably, the once bustling night market closed early, and every household had their doors and windows closed, as if some huge disaster was about to befall.
This feeling of anxiety finally passed through the palace walls and reached Wang Jingzhi's ears.
Prime Minister Wang sat in the duty room, listening to the report. The cup of tea in his hand had already gone cold, and he did not raise it for a long time. His wrinkled face showed deep fatigue.
"The Jing family... is finally starting to make trouble." He muttered to himself.
He thought about it, stood up, straightened his court clothes, and walked towards Xuehan Palace.
Inside the palace, Concubine Yu sat alone in front of the window, looking at a crabapple tree in full bloom outside the window. Her eyes were blank, and no one knew what she was thinking. However, in just a few days, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and there was an unconcealable weariness and sadness in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
"Your Highness." Wang Jingzhi bowed.
Concubine Yu slowly came back to her senses and gestured for him to sit down: "The Prime Minister is here. I have also heard some of the rumors outside."
"Your Majesty, you will understand." Wang Jingzhi bowed. "The Jing family wants to use this to unsettle people. Their intention is clear. They want to urge the court to make a quick decision."
After Wang Jingzhi finished speaking, Concubine Yu remained silent for a long time.
Until the tea in Wang Jingzhi's hand had gone cold.
She then said, "The overall situation? In their eyes, the overall situation is that they are taking advantage of the uncertainty of Yi'er's life and death to hastily push Yan He into that position so that they can fulfill their desire to control the government!"
Her tone turned sad. "But I...how is my Yi'er doing? No one knows, and no one tells me. Every day without news, my heart feels like it's being fry in a frying pan!"
Wang Jingzhi was also heartbroken, and consoled her, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. Take care of yourself. General Xue Cheng is still searching diligently, so there may be hope. However, the current situation in the capital..."
"The Jing family holds the power of His Royal Highness Prince Qing and holds the righteous position. For now, the only option is to endure for the time being, do our utmost to negotiate, and wait for accurate information. This is the last resort of procrastination."
Concubine Yu closed her eyes and a tear slid down from the corner of her eye.
How could she not understand Wang Jingzhi's helplessness? This was the words of a wise and prudent man who was planning for the country.
Having lost Yi'er, the backbone, their faction seemed to be in a high position and powerful, but in fact they were like a rootless duckweed. Facing the righteous banner of the Jing family to support the future leader, they were restricted in every way.
"I understand." She waved her hand weakly. "I'll have to trouble Prime Minister Wang, Prime Minister Shen, Prime Minister Nong and the others to take care of everything. We must not let Yi'er's hard work go to waste."
"I obey your order." Wang Jingzhi bowed solemnly and walked out.
Although they are in a weak position, they have been operating for a long time and are able to sustain themselves for a period of time.
He thought to himself, let's wait a little longer.
But all the delays came to nothing the moment the Beishuo envoy arrived in the capital.
The Beishuo delegation was quite large, and the envoys had solemn faces. The wording of the letter they submitted was extremely sincere, even with a hint of grief.
In the letter, Beishuo Khan Tuoba Hong detailed how Ning Lingyi unfortunately fell off a cliff and died during the Northern Expedition, and how heartbroken he was.
Because of the alliance between the two countries and the imperial edict of marriage, he regarded Ning Lingyi as his "Grand Concubine". Because the road to Mobei was long and the body was difficult to preserve, and he was afraid of desecrating the holy body, he had temporarily placed her in the royal ancestral tomb according to the highest etiquette of Beishuo, waiting for the future.
This envoy was sent to offer condolences and generous funeral gifts, aiming to express Beishuo's deep condolences and its desire for an eternal alliance with the Southern Dynasty.
In Beishuo's view, this letter from the country may be an act of deep affection and courtesy.
But in the eyes of the Southern Dynasty's rulers and ministers, this was like a thunderclap!
Wang Jingzhi, Shen Qingyan, Nong Zishi and others all looked extremely unhappy.
They knew very well that Tuoba Hong might be somewhat sincere, but this sincerity trampled on the face of the Southern Dynasty.
"What a shame and humiliation!" Nong Zishi was so angry when he saw the manuscript in the government hall that he was shaking all over and almost tore the paper into pieces.
"Your Majesty is the regent princess of our Southern Dynasty. How can you allow Beishuo to bury your body, which is worth millions of gold? Even if...even if something unfortunate happens, the coffin must be brought back! This is the state order, there is no room for negotiation!"
Wang Jingzhi just listened silently, but sighed.
He knew that the moment the Jing family had been waiting for had finally arrived. This letter from the empire was their perfect excuse to launch an attack, and they would certainly seize the opportunity.
But before the three of them could come to a conclusion, they heard Concubine Yu summoning them.
When we arrived at Xuehan Palace, we were filled with sorrow.
"Prime Minister Wang, Prime Minister Chen, and Prime Minister Nong," Concubine Yu looked up at the three important ministers, and tears finally burst out of her eyes.
"You are all people Yi'er trusts. My Yi'er, she is lying alone in that cold and unfamiliar place... How cold and uncomfortable she must be!"
"The country is in a difficult situation, I know. I beg you, no matter what, you must bring Yi'er back! You can't let her wander around in a foreign land and become a lonely ghost..."
"She is the flesh that fell from my body..."
Wang Jingzhi, Shen Qingyan and Nong Zishi all looked sad when they heard this.
Wang Jingzhi was the first to lift his robe and kneel, saying in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences! Your Majesty has shown me kindness, and I cannot repay you with my life! Bringing back Your Majesty's coffin is our duty. Even if it means sacrificing our lives, we will do our utmost to facilitate this and will never let Your Majesty wander around in Beishuo!"
Nong Zishi and Shen Qingyan also knelt down. Nong Zishi's eyes were filled with tears, and his voice was choked with sobs: "Don't worry, Your Majesty! Even if Nong Zishi has to risk his life, he will definitely welcome Your Majesty back to the court!"
The next day, at the grand court meeting, the atmosphere was as solemn as if a rainstorm was about to come.
At the very beginning, old ministers loyal to Ning Lingyi came forward and passionately demanded that the letter from Beishuo be rejected sternly, denouncing it as rude, and strongly demanded that Ning Lingyi's remains be brought back.
Before he could finish his words, an official, looking worried, interrupted, "The Northern Shuo cavalry is sharp, and the Western Qiang are still under siege. If we become completely hostile to the Northern Shuo over this, we'll be attacked from both sides. I think it would be better to appease them first and then make plans after the Western Frontier is pacified."
As soon as this statement was made, several people echoed it, all saying that the overall situation should be given priority and one should not act on impulse.
"Absurd!" Someone immediately couldn't contain themselves and refuted them harshly. "Your words of cowardice are no different from treason! Your Majesty's body is still warm, how can you bow to the enemy? If this precedent is set, where will our national dignity be? Where will the morale of our army be?"
"I second the motion! Your Majesty is the foundation of the nation, and must not be slighted! The coffin must be brought back immediately!"
Seeing the dispute brewing, several officials exchanged glances. One of them slowly stepped out of their post and said, "My dear colleagues, Your Majesty's passing is a tragedy shared by the entire nation. However, the country cannot remain without a leader for even a single day!"
"The most urgent task is to establish a new ruler as soon as possible, stabilize the government, and coordinate a response to the Beishuo and Xiqiang incidents. Otherwise, the court will be in turmoil and government orders will not be implemented, which will be a real crisis for the country!"
This statement was like dropping cold water into boiling oil, triggering even greater controversy.
"Nonsense! His Majesty's coffin hasn't even been brought back yet, how can you so easily talk about appointing a new ruler? This is disloyalty and unrighteousness!"
"Exactly! The most urgent task is to welcome His Majesty back, not to establish a new master!"
"That's wrong! The purpose of establishing a crown prince is to better welcome His Majesty back and to ensure the stability of the country! How can we put the cart before the horse?"
"His Royal Highness Prince Qing is Your Majesty's brother. He is legitimate and should ascend the throne as soon as possible to bring peace to the world!"
"Your Highness Prince Jing is the direct descendant of the late Crown Prince and has the right to inherit the throne!"
For a moment, the palace was in chaos. Some people demanded that the coffin be brought back, some advocated easing the tension with Beishuo, some urged the immediate establishment of a new monarch, and some argued about the choice of the new monarch...
Various sounds intertwined and collided, almost overturning the dome of the hall.
Wang Jingzhi and others tried to mediate, suppressing overly radical remarks, refuting the urgent calls for establishing a new monarch, and considering the situation on the front line. Their voices were hoarse and they were exhausted.
In the midst of this chaos, the eunuchs outside the palace suddenly sang: "His Royal Highness Prince Qing has arrived!"
The noise suddenly stopped.
All eyes were directed towards the palace gate.
In the morning light, a young man dressed in the prince's uniform walked steadily into the hall.
It was Prince Qing Ning Yanhe, who had not appeared in public for many days.
His face still had the handsomeness of a young man, but the hesitation between his brows had disappeared. He glanced at the ministers who were arguing endlessly, and finally stopped at the copy of the letter from Beishuo State spread out on the imperial desk.
He walked straight to the imperial steps, turned around and faced the civil and military officials in the court.
"I have a few words to say."
The ministers held their breath and looked at him.
Ning Yanhe picked up the copy of the letter, scanned the words on it, and then threw it heavily to the ground!
"Ning Lingyi is my eldest sister."
"She is also the regent princess of our Southern Dynasty. She is a hero who has made unparalleled contributions to the country, including the recovery of Hebei and the expedition to the Western Qiang!"
"She never once bowed her head to anyone in her lifetime! How could she be humiliated in her death? How could a letter from the Khan of an enemy nation determine her status and bury her in a foreign land? This isn't marriage, this is trampling! Do they regard our Southern Dynasty as a nobody?"
He summoned the Beishuo envoys into the hall and demanded in a stern voice, "Your Majesty, Tuoba Hong, if you truly have any feelings for my sister and are truly sincere in your desire to establish friendly relations between our two countries, you should immediately return my sister's coffin to the Southern Dynasty! The Southern Dynasty court will conduct a memorial service and burial according to the highest regulations for a regent princess and a meritorious official of the country!"
"If Beishuo Khan still insists on marrying her, he must follow the proper etiquette and submit a letter stating his reasons, and let our dynasty decide! Instead of doing what he did today, which is almost like plundering and burying her, it will only bring shame upon the world, bringing grief to his relatives and joy to his enemies!"
His voice, though childish, resounded throughout the hall: "If Beishuo insists on refusing to return us, then you are considering our Southern Dynasty an enemy! I swear here that as long as I live, I will mobilize the entire nation to avenge this national humiliation and family feud! Even if I have to go to the ends of the earth, I will never give up on Beishuo!"
Every word is powerful and significant!
There was deathly silence in the hall.
Everyone was shocked by the young prince's words.
These words are well-reasoned, measured and appropriate. They not only preserve friendship, but also uphold the national dignity. This is the demeanor of heaven!
After a brief silence, Nong Zishi was the first to react. With tears streaming down his face, he dropped to his knees, "Your Highness Prince Qing is wise! I second your motion! Your Majesty's coffin must be brought back!"
"I second the motion!"
"I second your motion! Welcome back, Your Majesty!"
Everyone knelt down in a rush. Regardless of their faction, at this moment, they had to admit that Prince Qing's words were quite popular.
The Beishuo envoy had already been unhappy about coming to the Southern Dynasty on this mission, but had been forced to come due to the Khan's authority. Upon hearing Prince Qing's words, he bowed and said, "Prince Qing, please calm down. We of Beishuo have no intention of disrespecting Her Royal Highness. The Khan is truly heartbroken and fears that the princess's body will be harmed, so he has buried her first."
"Your Highness's words are quite reasonable. I will immediately write a letter to inform the Khan of the Southern Dynasty's intentions in detail! We will give the Southern Dynasty an answer on how to properly handle the situation!"
Upon seeing this, Wang Jingzhi immediately stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, please ask your envoy to quickly write the letter. Until your Khan has a clear response, this matter will remain on hold."
As a result, the funeral arrangements were carried out at this point in advance, and the discussion about the new monarch seemed to have been suppressed, but in fact it became even more rampant.
When the court was dismissed, all the officials left the hall one after another, and many of them were talking in low voices.
"Your Highness Prince Qing today... truly has the demeanor of His Majesty in the past!"
"Yes, he is usually very low-key, but at the critical moment, he is so courageous!"
"A long-lived ruler is a blessing to the country!"
Ning Yanhe listened to the faint discussions behind him with a calm expression. Surrounded by eunuchs, he boarded the carriage and returned directly to Jing Mansion.
In the study, Jing Pu Ze was making tea, and the hot steam blurred the expression on his face.
Seeing Ning Yanhe come in, he didn't stand up. He just smiled and handed over a cup of freshly brewed tea. "Your Highness has shown his brilliance in the court today, shocking the ministers. I would like to congratulate Your Highness."
Ning Yanhe took the teacup and felt the scorching temperature on his fingertips, but he didn't drink it.
Just now in the court, he made an impassioned speech to defend the state and his sister's dignity. He should be happy because he could finally do something for his sister.
But he understood how ridiculous it was for him to use his sister's death to establish his own authority and complete a political performance.
Sister Lingyi turned into a cold and mutilated corpse, lying in the distant Beishuo, but he wanted to use her death to ascend the throne of the emperor.
Self-loathing choked his throat, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Jing Pu Ze seemed to see through his thoughts and said slowly: "Your Highness has tasted the power for the first time today. What do you think?"
He was silent for a moment, recalling the moment when the court was completely silent, with all the officials bowing their heads. That feeling of a single word deciding the fate of the country, a single thought moving the world...
He slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.
He answered softly, with a tremor in his voice that he himself hadn't noticed:
"It's like walking on thin ice... but it's also like drinking fine wine."
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