Chapter 771 Mother and Daughter Disagreement
"Father, history is written by the victors! There's no point in saying more!"
Li Sanqi stepped forward, stood in front of the crowd, bowed, and shouted, "Please issue an edict to establish your son as the Crown Princess!"
Others joined in, shouting, "Your Majesty, please establish Princess Huaiyang as the Crown Princess!"
The officials of the Three Departments swallowed hard, lowering their heads to minimize their presence. Yet, they couldn't help but steal glances at Emperor Xiaozhao's expression every now and then. They looked like thieves, utterly ridiculous.
The King of Chu had recovered from his shock, but he still instinctively clung to Emperor Xiaozhao's legs.
He looked up at Emperor Xiaozhao, then couldn't help but glance at Li Sanqi, who seemed confident of victory.
Should we change course and pledge our loyalty to Li Sanqi?
They are, after all, siblings, and he has made it clear that he only wants to be a wealthy and leisurely person.
Would Li Sanqi treat him the same way he treated the deposed crown prince and the Prince of Qi?
After agonizing for a long time, King Chu thought of the deposed crown prince's rebellion, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and hugged Emperor Xiaozhao's legs tightly once more.
Then he began to silently chant: Those who plot rebellion never have a good end! Those who plot rebellion never escape punishment! ...
Father must have a backup plan! Father will definitely be the ultimate winner! Long live Father! Long live Father! Long live Father!
Clinging to the Emperor's coattails is definitely the right thing to do!
No one cared about the King of Chu's thoughts.
Everyone was waiting for Emperor Xiaozhao's reaction.
***
Meanwhile, news from the Imperial Study was also constantly being relayed to the inner palace.
All the concubines were summoned to the Empress's bedchamber. The Empress sat high on the main seat, with Lady Wen sitting beside her.
When news came that the Yongchang Marquis's family had been convicted of murdering the deposed crown prince, and that the Prince of Chu had also been implicated, and that the Prince of Chu was shifting the blame to the Princess of Chu and the Yongchang Marquis's family, Consort Liu couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
His eyes swept contemptuously toward the Empress and Lady Wen, who sat in the main seats.
Success or failure hinges on today!
The empress dared to gather everyone in the harem together and even dared to order that anyone who disobeyed would be killed; she never thought of leaving herself a way out.
There was no need to hide the news from the Imperial Study from others.
Upon hearing the news from the front, even the usually shrewd and calculating Madam Wen couldn't help but change her expression.
Firstly, they were alarmed that Emperor Xiaozhao had indeed decided to kill the Yongchang Marquis's family.
Secondly, he was also angry at the King of Chu's weakness and incompetence.
As for the third point, she was genuinely worried about how things would turn out.
Although Wen Jue has taken control of the entire palace guard, no one knows what will happen until the very last moment.
Upon receiving the news from the Imperial Study, Lady Wen was still preoccupied and her expression was uncertain. But the Empress seemed not to have heard it at all, remaining unmoved.
Consort Liu couldn't help but sneer, "Your Majesty the Empress is truly composed!"
"Given all this, you don't actually think His Majesty would still appoint the Prince of Chu as Crown Prince, do you?"
The Empress merely glanced at her and said nothing more.
Fifteen minutes later, when new information arrived, Liu Jieyu collapsed from her chair to the floor.
The reason was simple: the next news that "King Qi was stripped of his title of Prince Qin, demoted to a commoner, and exiled three thousand miles away," and that she was "stripped of her title, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in the cold palace, never to be seen again."
Madam Wen's expression changed, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
But the Empress remained expressionless throughout.
Upon hearing this news, she merely glanced indifferently at Liu Jieyu, who was sprawled on the ground, seemingly lost in thought, before coldly ordering her to be dragged away.
Regardless of whether Emperor Xiaozhao punishes the mother and son or not, she has no intention of letting them live past today!
Seeing the Empress's calm demeanor, Lady Wen couldn't help but say, "The Empress is indeed the Empress; she is much more composed than ordinary people!"
"I was worried you wouldn't be able to control these people, but it turns out I was worrying for nothing."
As she spoke, she thought of something else, "Just in case, haven't all the underage princes and princesses in the harem been kept under control?"
The Empress nodded: "Mother, don't worry. I have already brought everyone under control."
Even if she failed, she wanted to leave Emperor Xiaozhao with no other choice.
Madam Wen nodded gently, then, as if remembering something, suddenly said, "Have we forgotten that the Qiao family is raising several imperial grandsons?"
The Empress narrowed her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Xiao Qi said not to touch those children."
Madam Wen's face immediately turned cold. "What does she, a mere maid, know?"
Seeing the Empress's displeasure, Madam Wen quickly softened her tone and said, "The Seventh Princess is, after all, a woman, so it's normal for her to be soft-hearted."
"But this is a do-or-die situation! If things get to the worst, the only way we can turn the tide is to wipe out the Li family line and leave the Emperor with only the Prince of Chu as his sole option!"
"If the Seventh Princess doesn't understand this principle, surely Her Majesty the Empress does?"
The Empress frowned and reiterated, "Xiao Qi said not to move, and that means not to move! Mother, don't keep targeting the Qiao family just because of your past conflict with Madam Qinghe."
"Me, keeping an eye on the Qiao family? Am I settling a personal score?" Madam Wen was furious.
They're risking their lives, they're going all in!
Shouldn't we strive to do things to the best of our ability?
The Empress suppressed her emotions and soothed her with a gentle tone, saying, "Mother, don't be angry. That's not what I meant."
"Mother should also consider that Xiaoqi and Madam Qinghe have a good relationship. If today's plan succeeds, with this relationship with the Qiao family, those who are close to the Qiao family can help Xiaoqi stabilize the court more quickly."
"The Great Yan kingdom belongs to the Li family, but it's not something that the Li family alone can support!"
Although Madam Wen was unwilling to admit it, she knew that the Empress had a point. Therefore, she abandoned the idea of having the Empress send people to arrest the children of the Qiao family and bring them to the palace.
However, just as the thought had faded from her mind, she suddenly turned to look at the Empress.
"What did you just say?" Madam Wen thought she had misheard.
She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, utterly astonished at the Empress.
"You just said that the Qiao family is helping whom? To stabilize the court?"
The Empress, who had been expressionless the whole time, finally revealed a faint smile and said in a gentle tone, "Mother, you heard me right."
"I'm talking about Xiaoqi, my youngest daughter, Li Sanqi!"
Lady Wen looked at the Empress in astonishment, her whole body trembling with anger.
"You, from the very beginning, intended to support Li Sanqi, not Li Chengming?"
"You, Li Sanqi, and who else?"
"Wen, Wen Jue?"
"Wen Jue was also bribed by you?"
The Empress gave Lady Wen a disapproving glare, "Why is Mother so agitated?"
What do you mean by bribery?
"Wenjue is your son, but he is also my brother. Does it matter whose opinion he listens to?"
"Besides, whether it's the Prince of Chu or the Prince of Huaiyang, they are both my children. No matter who comes to power, their maternal family, the Marquis of Yongchang, will certainly benefit."
"Why should Mother be so fixated on who came to power?"
"Or perhaps, Mother and my elder brother have some other intentions?"
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