Chapter 434 Turmoil
When Huo Lin announced his intention to establish an empress, the once joyous Golden Palace fell into a deathly silence, as if plunged into an ice cellar.
After a brief silence, several elderly ministers with white hair and beards stepped forward and knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed! Although the Imperial Noble Consort has made a contribution by giving birth to the imperial heir, the establishment of an empress is a matter of great importance to the nation. How can it be done so hastily?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The position of Empress has been vacant for a long time, and we must be more cautious. The Imperial Noble Consort has only been in the palace for a short time, and her seniority and prestige are not enough to convince the public."
According to ancestral rules, an empress must be of excellent character, background, and seniority. The Imperial Noble Consort is young and has just given birth, so she should rest and recuperate first. The matter of establishing an empress can be discussed later when the princes and princesses are a little older!
Opposition arose one after another. Some genuinely felt it was against the rules, while others were driven by their own family interests and did not want to see a woman with a shallow foundation but who had won the emperor's favor sit on the throne as empress.
Huo Lin sat upright on the dragon throne, listening to the buzzing discussions below, his eyes gradually turning cold.
Ha, a bunch of old fools, all they care about is her becoming empress and blocking their way to stuff people into the harem.
Do we have to wait until they stuff those ugly and deformed children in to give birth to princes before they are qualified?
Moreover, these people are all men, so how could they know the hardships of childbirth, and why do they think such a contribution is not significant?
And you're still talking to him about ancestral rules? If our ancestors saw this chaotic and corrupt court, they might be furious!
Although his heart was churning with turmoil, Huo Lin did not immediately show it on his face. He simply scanned the excited faces below with his eyes until the noise in the hall gradually subsided.
The invisible imperial pressure made everyone feel breathless.
"Have you finished speaking?" Huo Lin finally spoke, his gaze sharp. "Did you think I was discussing this with you?"
“Your Majesty!” An elderly member of the imperial clan stepped forward tremblingly. “The establishment of an empress is a grand ceremony of the nation. It requires the Imperial Observatory to select an auspicious day and the Ministry of Rites to make preparations. It is not something that can be accomplished in a day. If we act hastily, I fear it may bring misfortune.”
"The auspicious day will be chosen by the Imperial Observatory, and the ceremony will be prepared by the Ministry of Rites." Huo Lin's tone left no room for doubt. "What I want is the result. If anyone feels that they are not up to the task, they can submit their resignation now, and I will grant it."
These words silenced everyone.
The Minister of Rites and the Chief Astrologer were sweating profusely and immediately kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, we obey your command and will do our utmost!"
Huo Lin snorted coldly, no longer looking at the ashen-faced officials, and stood up directly.
"Court adjourned!"
After saying that, he ignored the shouts behind him and turned away.
After the court session ended, Huo Lin went to the palace where Shen Yi was recuperating.
As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard Shen Yi's familiar voice coming from inside, though it sounded a little weaker than usual.
“Oh dear, my little princess, you are so precious and noble, why have you come here again? My temple is too small, if I accidentally bump into you again, I cannot bear the responsibility.”
"Shen Yi, you're injured like this and you still have the mind to joke around. Look at your shoulder, so much blood, the gauze is still soaked with red! Also, have you taken the medicine the imperial physician prescribed? Is it bitter? I brought some candied fruit..."
Huo Lin paused, raised an eyebrow, and quietly approached, peering through the half-open window.
Shen Yi was seen leaning against the couch, his left shoulder wrapped in thick bandages, his face pale, but his peach blossom eyes were smiling as he looked at Mingzhu.
As Mingzhu rummaged through the jars, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and she kept muttering complaints.
"It's all my fault. If you hadn't saved me, you wouldn't be so badly injured, sob sob..."
Seeing her crying pitifully, Shen Yi deliberately teased her: "Oh, now you know how to feel sorry for me? Back in the palace, who was it that would rather avoid me than see me?"
"You! What time is it and you're still saying this!" Mingzhu stomped her foot in anger, wanting to smash the candied fruit jar in his face, but she couldn't bear to, so in the end she could only shove the jar into his arms.
"Who cares about you? Go take your medicine, it'll just make you suffer!"
After saying that, she turned around and tried to run away, but Shen Yi quickly hooked a small piece of her sleeve with his right hand.
"Hey, don't go! The princess personally sent me these candied fruits. I haven't even tasted them yet, how would I know if they're bitter or not?"
Mingzhu paused, shook off his hand, and blushed: "It's so bitter! I came here today specifically to make you suffer!"
She spoke fiercely, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
Huo Lin stood outside the window, looking inside, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He said there was something wrong with those two, and sure enough, true friendship is revealed in times of trouble.
Shen Yi, this scoundrel, even after getting injured, he's using this as a way to win people's hearts. He's quite adept at using the self-inflicted injury tactic.
He coughed lightly, pushed open the door, and went inside.
The two people inside were startled. Mingzhu, like a frightened rabbit, jumped back a step, her face turning bright red.
"Royal...Royal Uncle..."
Shen Yi remained calm and casually greeted, "Oh, the Emperor has arrived?"
Huo Lin walked to the bedside and his gaze fell on Shen Yi's tightly bandaged shoulder.
"Can't die?"
Shen Yi gave a nonchalant laugh: "I won't die, it's just a superficial wound, I'll be fine in a few days. You can curse me all you want, it's just a pity that this newly made robe is now soaked in blood."
Mingzhu muttered under her breath, "What time is it and you're still thinking about the robe..."
Huo Lin ignored his words, glanced at the palace servants and Mingzhu, and ordered, "You all step back and wait outside the hall."
"Yes." The palace servants immediately bowed and filed out.
Mingzhu paused for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something, but swallowed her words and followed her out with pursed lips.
Once only the two of them were left in the room, Huo Lin looked at Shen Yi again: "What did you find out?"
Shen Yi's nonchalant expression vanished, and he gestured to the outer robe draped over the back of the chair beside the bed.
"It was found in the hidden pocket inside the outer robe, which was taken from the leader of the assassins. I didn't have time to examine it closely, but it seems to have some connection with the Empress Dowager."
Huo Lin immediately stepped forward and took the item from the spot Shen Yi pointed out.
Inside was a half-burnt black iron token with strange patterns, not in the style of the Great Liang Dynasty, and several secret letters soaked in blood with blurred handwriting.
Huo Lin's eyes were deep as he unfolded the secret letters. Although the handwriting on the letters was blurry, several keywords and contact methods were quite indicative of their purpose.
As expected, after all the twists and turns, it still couldn't be separated from the Cining Palace.
For that little bit of power, they would even collude with foreign enemies and wreak havoc on the country.
What a devout Buddhist empress dowager!
Huo Lin's aura instantly became chilling and biting, like an ice storm in the dead of winter.
Sensing the murderous intent emanating from Huo Lin, Shen Yi lowered his voice, his tone becoming grave: "Your Majesty, these things..."
Huo Lin carefully put away the token and the secret letter, placing them in his inner sleeve pocket. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with an unfathomable darkness.
"I understand." His voice was calm, yet carried an oppressive air of impending doom. "However, these broken items alone are far from enough to completely bring down the Empress Dowager."
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