"I hereby order that, considering the merits of Qi Lu and his son Qi Delong, they be spared the lingchi death and beheaded on the spot. The 100,000 troops under their command will be temporarily handed over to Deputy General Han Qi for command. The three clans of the Qi family will be executed as a warning to others. If anyone dares to commit this offense again in the future, let this serve as a warning!"
After the court was dismissed, the ministers filed out of the Golden Palace.
"Alas, the Qi family is finished now. When the emperor gets angry, corpses will float a hundred steps away."
"I don't know what Qi Dongqiang was thinking. He was so audacious that he tried to murder your Majesty's own grandson, and I heard he even wanted to shoot Princess Chengqian. His death was truly well deserved!"
"I heard that today is the wedding day of that thief Qi Dongqiang. Now the wedding has become a funeral. No, in her condition, who would dare to hold a funeral for her?"
"Ah? Married? Which man married her?"
"Don't you know? He's a newly appointed eunuch in the Ministry of Revenue. He's incredibly handsome. It's said he's close friends with Princess Chengqian and Imperial Tutor Shangguan. It was Imperial Tutor Shangguan who arranged their marriage. After all the effort involved marrying off this virgin, she's turned against him and kidnapped his precious daughter. No wonder Imperial Tutor Shangguan won't let her go..."
"Then this young official is extremely lucky. He hasn't even gotten married yet, otherwise he would have been implicated and executed."
“Who says it’s not?”
Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Zhao Ying and Shangguan Shu were left behind. Emperor Jianxi held Shangguan Qingyue in his arms and listened to her boast, "Oh, Yue'er is so powerful that she became the military advisor of the pig demons?"
"Yeah, that's nothing. I even took down Daddy's flag!"
Emperor Jianxi looked at Shangguan Shu, who gave a dry laugh. Emperor Jianxi then burst into laughter, "Hahahahahaha, you are worthy of being my grandson!"
Emperor Jianxi enjoyed some family happiness and then began to discuss serious matters with Zhao Ying and Shangguan Shu.
"The Crown Prince sent a secret letter saying that he has finally found Queen Hyomin and is now on his way back. He will arrive in the capital soon."
Zhao Ying was pleasantly surprised. "Really? Is Mother really coming back?"
Emperor Jianxi smiled and nodded, "That's right. Cong'er said in the letter that he wanted your mother to write a few words, but your mother hadn't written in many years and said she had forgotten how to write."
Zhao Ying blushed upon hearing this. It was all their fault...
Shangguan Shu listened from the side, his lips curled up imperceptibly. He was still in a daze, unable to believe that Empress Xiaomin was still alive. Even more bizarre was that Empress Xiaomin was killed by Zhao Ying and Zhao Cong with a cannon...
Apart from anything else, he felt a little sympathy for Emperor Jianxi.
Then he thought again, damn, how dare he sympathize with others?
Wasn’t he dethroned by his own daughter?
We are both the unfortunate fathers of the world...
"I called you here to discuss how to make the news that Queen Hyomin is not dead public!"
Empress Xiaomin had already announced to the public that she had passed away. Now that she has been resurrected, she must give an explanation to the people and officials.
Shangguan Shu was the most experienced in this regard. Back then, he had used stories about gods and ghosts to create a scene of a spirit boy and a princess praying for blessings to gain the trust of the people.
This incident was caused by his woman, so of course he has the responsibility to help her get rid of the trouble.
Shangguan Shu reported back, and it was obvious that he had already thought of a solution.
"Your Majesty, please be strict. I have been dreaming about Empress Xiaomin frequently lately, so I want to go to the Ailing Mausoleum where she is buried to pay my respects."
"Oh?" Emperor Jianxi straightened his posture. "Runzhi, tell me what happens after the worship."
"Before the ceremony, Your Majesty should simply find a highly accomplished monk. On the day of the ceremony, in front of all the civil and military officials, he should tell Your Majesty that your dream is a sign that Empress Xiaomin will soon return to life. God, grateful for the relationship between Your Majesty and Empress Xiaomin, has allowed Empress Xiaomin to return to accompany Your Majesty!"
"Then when should my mother appear? And in what form?"
Shangguan Shu smiled faintly, "Don't worry, Your Highness. If Your Majesty and Your Highness don't abandon me, I can find someone to pretend to be Empress Xiaomin and make her fly over here. Then, your words will be very credible!"
Emperor Jianxi was surprised, "Who can fly on the clouds?"
Zhao Ying pursed her lips and said coldly, "You're not talking about the pig demon that often visits your Zhenguo Mansion, are you?"
Shangguan Shu suddenly smiled, "Exactly!"
Zhao Ying: How could you come up with that!
Emperor Jianxi suddenly remembered the pig monster in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. He didn't care about it and was just pretending to be one. However, he was not sure whether the pig monster could be obedient.
Emperor Jianxi asked truthfully, but Shangguan Shu looked at Shangguan Qingyue beside Emperor Jianxi and said with a smile, "Whether the pig demon is obedient or not, I'll have to ask Yue'er..."
Everyone reacted quickly and looked at Shangguan Qingyue with a smile. Shangguan Qingyue raised his chin proudly and heard Zhao Ying say, "Yue'er, just help the emperor's grandfather!"
The little guy patted his chest and said, "Leave the pig demon matter to Yue'er!"
The three adults smiled when they heard this.
Emperor Jianxi said, "Then let's do as you say, my dear minister!"
The family of three went back.
On the way, Zhao Ying handed Shangguan Qingyue to Nanny Li and took Shangguan Shu aside to talk.
"Ying'er, what's the matter?" Shangguan Shu's tone was a little expectant, as if he was expecting her to say something to him.
Zhao Ying asked in a low voice, "Shangguan Shu, what do you think of the incident you told me last time, which involved the Crown Prince?"
A hint of disappointment flashed across Shangguan Shu's eyes, but it disappeared in a flash.
He said sternly, "Don't worry about this. I understand. Even for your situation, the Eastern Palace cannot fall. Moreover, Empress Xiaomin is not dead yet. One day, her own son will ascend the throne. Only then will the position of Empress Dowager be honorable enough."
"But..." Shangguan Shu was a little worried.
"Just what?"
"The foundation of the country has been restored... Ying'er, can you really bear to see the emperor's kingdom fall into the wrong hands? After all, Zhao Cong has no blood relationship with you..."
Zhao Ying was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
Shangguan Shu immediately understood what Zhao Ying meant, "I understand."
"Since this is what you want, I will naturally comply with your wishes. Tomorrow at midnight, have Shao Yihui go to Yumang Mountain to pick them up. I will have someone send the wet nurse and child there in advance."
Zhao Ying was puzzled. "Why did it have to be Shao Yihui?"
"To be honest, after what happened with Qi Dongqiang, I'm not going to reuse him anymore. I don't trust him!"
Shangguan Shu smiled faintly, "You worry too much. Shao Yihui is not the person who doesn't care about grudges as you think. After thinking about it, I still think that Shao Yihui is more suitable to be with you."
"This matter concerns the destiny of our country and society, and we cannot afford to be careless in the slightest."
Zhao Ying looked at Shangguan Shu deeply. Shangguan Shu did not avoid her gaze at all. His dark eyes stared at Zhao Ying without blinking, as if he wanted to suck her in.
Finally, in his sight, Zhao Ying nodded.
Shangguan Shu smiled lightly.
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