144 Forced to Abdicate
◎The demon was brought to justice, and the emperor passed away◎
Fu Hua woke with a start. Cui Rumei, feeling unwell, patiently comforted him despite her heavy belly, burying her head in her arms like she was holding a child. "Your Majesty must have been lost in sleep. How could there be a ghost? Your Majesty must have had a nightmare."
"I dreamed that the people rushed into the palace and killed me. My head was hung on the city gate!"
Cui Rumei patiently wiped his sweat and said softly, "Dreams are always the opposite of what they actually are. This is a good omen, indicating that Your Majesty is in good health!"
"Really?"
He was like a fragile child, panicking and seeking comfort.
"Your Majesty, General An requests an audience!"
Fu Hua turned over, "What is he doing here so late?"
"General An came to report the riot the day before yesterday." Cui Rumei said.
"Then let's meet."
Before entering the house, An Shikai deliberately removed his soft armor and laid down his weapons. "Your Majesty, the people who rioted that day have not been apprehended. The young man who led them escaped during the chaos, but I will do my utmost to search for them. I just wonder what should be done with these children?"
"Kill them, kill them all! Kill them all!" Fu Hua said without hesitation.
An Shikai remained kneeling on the ground for a long moment before saying, "Forgive me for speaking so much, Your Majesty, this wanton slaughter of innocent people is truly unwise. Human sacrifice has long been abolished. How can you commit this sin based on one-sided testimony?"
"You are indeed talkative."
"I know Your Majesty is upset and doesn't like to hear these words, but honest advice is hard to hear. The Empress and the elders have all advised you. Please reconsider and let these innocent children go."
He was a foreign minister, a military commander, and it wasn't his place to say these things. But seeing the princess so confused, as a minister, he wanted to give her some advice.
"General An must have killed more than a hundred Qianbei soldiers alone." Fu Hua's words wiped out the general's loyalty.
"Defending our territory and killing the enemy is for the sake of the people living a good life and for the sake of the Great Zhou not being looked down upon. I will do whatever it takes and I am not afraid of retribution. But these are a hundred innocent children. What have they done wrong?"
Fu Hua was a little annoyed and waved him away, "You can leave now."
No matter who tries to persuade him, he won't change his mind, and the more they try to dissuade him from sacrificing human life, the more he'll do it. He seems to be a man of his own accord, doing whatever makes him happy, often without considering the consequences.
In fact, he has been such a person since he was a child. For the sake of a foal, he would not go to welcome Princess Rongguo, and for the sake of the stability of his own kingdom, he would sacrifice his sister who already had someone in her heart.
He has always been like this and has never changed. When he was just a prince, he didn't dare to be too willful. But after becoming emperor, no one could restrain him anymore, so he became more and more absurd and crazy.
"Your Majesty, please think about the people who have been separated from their families, Your Majesty!!"
"An Shikai, retreat!!"
An Shikai retreated dejectedly, "Judging from the general's expression, I think he has hit a wall?" A young eunuch wearing a veil hat said that he was waiting for him outside the door.
"What's wrong with His Majesty? Why are you becoming more and more confused?" He was away from home all year round and could only see the emperor once every few years. Military generals were not particular about trivial matters and often did not pay much attention to any minor changes in the princesses.
But this time, he felt so unfamiliar. This didn't seem like the emperor who had taken the trouble to pick him up when he first boarded the plane. He couldn't understand what had happened in the past few years. The previous emperor had asked him to assist the new emperor, but he was such a heartless person. He knew how to repay the favor, but he didn't want to help the tyrant.
The young eunuch explained, "For over a year, Your Majesty has trusted the words of the treacherous ministers and the evil concubine, and has become increasingly neglectful of your loyal subjects. Now you are truly at a loss as to what to do, and it is heartbreaking."
There was not a single wrong thing in these words. Fu Hua's transformation surprised many people who had watched him grow up.
"Can you help me rescue my niece?" An Shikai asked.
"Yes," the young eunuch patted his shoulder again, signaling him to rest assured, "but please don't worry about the recent events, General. Just wait patiently."
An Shikai understood that relying on oneself was not as effective as asking others for help. He had nothing more to say to Fu Hua, and no longer had any hope. He had initially been skeptical, but after hearing his sister's letter claiming her daughter had been taken for sacrifice, he had the opportunity to proactively investigate the riot. He thought he could rescue his niece this time, but Fu Hua refused to give in.
Putting himself in his shoes, he was also one of those separated from his family, so naturally, he was full of resentment towards Fu Hua.
"Tomorrow I will apply for leave to return home to see my mother. It will take over a month. Please be sure to fulfill your promise."
"Of course, all those children must be rescued, and they must be returned to their parents safely. This is also what the Empress wants. In the future, we will ask the general to assist the new master."
At this point, all the arrangements for the fifteenth day were finalized, waiting for the order. Fu Hu was completely unaware of this, just as he had never thought that a riot would happen.
He is not sensitive to the political situation, and it can even be said that he has no political vision.
As the day approaches, Rong Qianyu attends the event in her best attire. This is her last act of giving Fu Hua face. She wants to resolve everything herself. This ridiculous day should be over.
"The Queen has arrived!"
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen!"
The female relatives and ladies present all bowed, but Rong Qianyu did not comment. She walked straight to the talisman picture and bowed surprisingly deeply.
"Your Majesty."
"Are you well?" Fu Hua asked coldly.
Rong Qianyu kowtowed to Fu Hua and said, "That's great."
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress," Cui Rumei, pregnant, came over excitedly to greet him. "Your Majesty the Empress has not appeared for several days. I thought she was worried and depressed and didn't want to see anyone."
"Please be careful with your words, Concubine Ke. Why is Your Majesty worried?" asked Tan Lu.
She laughed playfully, her expression exactly like Fu Hua's. "Of course, it's for the Master Seal Holder. His body is still hanging on the city gate tower. Isn't your Majesty sad?"
Tan Lu always said to Rong Qianyu, "Please be kind with your words, Concubine Ke, and don't ruin the child's luck."
Rong Qianyu didn't answer, but walked forward and touched Cui Rumei's belly. Under the belly, the baby was moving vigorously. Life is so magical. There is actually a little person living inside.
She withdrew her hand, her eyes turned cold, and she disdained to talk to her any more. "Ke Fei, your child is almost full-term, right? Logically, you should rest more and not disturb the fetus."
Tan Lu smiled and took Rong Qianyu's arm. "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but Concubine Ke is a very busy girl. She is the most diligent in the harem!"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty," Cui Rumei said awkwardly, feeling deflated. "After today's sacrifice, I will return to the palace to prepare for childbirth. I will definitely give birth to a healthy prince for Your Majesty."
Most of the female relatives and ladies also disliked her. A person's character is passed down by word of mouth, and people's true character will be revealed over time. No matter who is a person, they can pretend to be someone they are not.
Rong Qianyu smiled and said, "I hope it's as you wish."
Looking around, all the guards today were familiar faces. Rong Pan met her eyes and nodded.
The old Taoist priest didn't know what kind of trick he was playing. After a while of pretending to be mysterious, he took out the incense he had prepared in advance and said, "Please burn incense and pray for blessings, Emperor and Empress!"
Rong Qianyu lost her focus for a moment and almost stumbled, but was helped up by Fu Hua, "Queen, be careful."
Rong Qianyu nodded in thanks. The ceremony began. The emperor and empress prayed, lit incense, chanted scriptures, ate raw meat together, and performed various strange rituals. Rong Qianyu felt a little overwhelmed because she couldn't find a chance to talk. If she was any later, it would be time for the guards to change shifts.
"Based on this direction, the southwest is the source of your majesty's misfortune. It is a place of great danger. Your majesty must go there personally and kill the source of the misfortune to prevent future troubles."
Finally, they reached the final stage, where Fu Hua had to personally solve the root of the problem. It was called a solution, but in fact, it was just setting up a target in the southwest. Hitting it was considered a solution, which was ridiculous.
Rong Qianyu suddenly stood up and called out to Fu Hua, and then the guards followed closely, ready for battle.
"Your Majesty, I think you should look for an imperial physician, not an alchemist!"
Fu Hua was stunned. "What are you doing?"
"Your Majesty, are you still not giving up? Do you think that the problem is solved by shooting at a target? You don't really believe it, do you?" As she spoke, Rong Qianyu took off the phoenix crown on her head, and threw the golden hairpins to the ground one by one. Everyone present was confused.
"First, you practiced witchcraft in the palace, ignoring government and attending court. Now you're killing a hundred children just for this villain's promise of a lasting rule. And now you're asking us to accompany you in sacrificing this evil spirit that came out of nowhere!"
"You are outrageous."
Fu Hua hadn't expected her to say such a thing. He was instantly embarrassed to be scolded like that in front of over a hundred concubines, female relatives, eunuchs, guards, and palace maids. Similarly, except for a few who knew the cause and effect, no one present knew what had happened to the Empress. The secrets of the palace could not be shared with outsiders, and the hardships involved had to be borne alone.
Rong Qianyu grew increasingly agitated as she spoke. She was now fearless, finally free from the need to judge anyone. These were the words she had suppressed for years from the bottom of her heart, and today she had to make sure everyone knew them. She couldn't be the only one to suffer.
"I am not a favorite concubine. As your Majesty's first wife, I have the duty to advise and remonstrate. I beg your Majesty for the last time, please stop making such a fuss. Look at the families whose children were taken away, look at the talented scholars who were not recognized. What has become of the capital now, and you are still here enjoying yourself!"
"Queen, are you crazy?" Cui Rumei shouted, with an inexplicable joy in her tone.
"Shut up!" Rong Qianyu was just having trouble venting her frustrations, so she pointed at her nose and cursed, "As a concubine, you don't try to persuade the emperor, but instead hang out with him all day! You still don't repent, you're disregarding human life, you're arrogant, and you have bad intentions!"
"Take the queen away quickly!" Everyone present was whispering. Fu Hua didn't want to make things worse, so he ordered people to take Rong Qianyu away so that the sacrifice could continue.
"Who dares!" The guard stepped forward to take Rong Qianyu away, but suddenly drew his sword from his side and grasped it in his hand. He turned around and picked up the jade seal on the altar to smash it. "Whoever dares to come forward, I will kill him!"
"Royal guards, the queen is crazy, take her away!"
"No one is leaving today." Rong Qianyu's expression was resolute, startling everyone present. The scene was chilling. Seeing that no one dared to step forward, she suddenly put down the jade seal and slashed her arm with a sword. In an instant, blood dyed the altar red, and everyone was stunned.
The sword was powerful and it was not just for show. The grief and anger were truly suppressed.
"The evil Taoist priest has brought disaster to the country and even dared to rebel and assassinate the emperor. The imperial guards fought desperately to resist. The evil Taoist priest was brought to justice and the emperor died!" Rong Qianyu held her bleeding arm with one hand and picked up a wine glass with the other hand and threw it heavily on the ground.
In an instant, hundreds of people were running around madly and wailing in chaos.
"Rong Qianyu, how dare you plot rebellion!?"
"The evil Taoist priest is trying to assassinate the queen. Capture him!" With an order, the imperial guards rushed forward. The old Taoist priest struggled for a while but was easily subdued.
"Rong Qianyu, you bitch hahahaha!"
"You dare to kill the king!!" Fu Hua was so angry that he was unrecognizable. His face was ferocious, his eyes were crazy, and his hands were shaking. He never thought that Rong Qianyu would dare to rebel.
He drew his sword and slashed at Rong Qianyu. At the critical moment, the person behind her suddenly drew out his sword and blocked Fu Hua's sword.
The guards were divided into two groups, but the majority were on Rong Qianyu's side.
When this man took off his turban, his face shocked everyone present. They had seen this man not long ago, on the city gate tower of the capital.
"Xue Ji!?" Fu Hua's head was buzzing with pain. He was not only shocked but also indignant. This confirmed the relationship between the two, and he himself became the funniest clown.
Not only did Rong Qianyu have an affair with the eunuch, she also dared to disobey his orders and even rebel. And he just gave up the throne of crown prince to them.
"You're not dead!?"
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