Chapter 214 The Central Palace
Liang Benwu looked closely and was shocked.
The five people brought to the palace by Liu Zhengfeng were none other than the military officers of the imperial guards who conspired with him to commit a crime!
The leader was Zhang Chengren, the leader of the imperial guards.
Five people were lying on the ground, all with bruises on their faces and noses, and two of them had bruises on their bodies, looking extremely miserable.
Liu Zhengfeng went to the palace to pay his respects to the emperor and said in a loud voice, "I have been ordered to take charge of the imperial guards to apprehend the traitors and their followers. I have fulfilled my mission and have apprehended all the leaders of the traitors. The rest of the accomplices who are willing to surrender are being temporarily detained in the Heavenly Prison."
Lu Haozhi sat at the head of the group and smiled faintly, "Liang Benwu, these five people are your foreign aid, right?"
Liang Benwu's face was pale and his legs were trembling. Although it was March, sweat had soaked through his purple robe. He no longer had the momentum he had to challenge the emperor.
Lu Haozhi held Meng Yan's hand and said with a smile, "You claimed to have colluded with the leader of the Imperial Guards, and you thought I was yours. You also conspired with these people to stage the act of forcing the emperor in the palace today. Liang Benwu, do you really think I'm a three-year-old child who will allow you to stir up trouble and keep me in the dark? In this world, the surname Lu is the real Lu."
Liang Benwu's face twisted. He knew the situation was hopeless and he was doomed today. Yet, he refused to lose and shouted stubbornly, "You foolish emperor! I am a founding hero and a veteran of two dynasties. I come to your palace to offer my sincere admonition, out of a sincere heart dedicated to serving my country! You favor the evil woman Meng, perverting social order and moral principles, and unjustly murdering loyal officials. Now, you can slaughter and slay all the pillars of the court! I will go to the Taimiao to weep for the late emperor. The great legacy he left behind has been ruined by an unworthy descendant like you!"
He spoke foul words and even brought up the late emperor. Even though Lu Haozhi had been a king for several years and was much more cunning than other young men of the same age, he still couldn't help getting angry.
He sneered and was about to speak when Meng Yan at the side spoke first, "Liang Benwu, you keep calling me a witch. But I want to ask you, what crime have I committed that you can curse me like this?"
The voice is sweet, crisp and clear, and sounds like a sweet peach in summer.
Everyone in the hall had heard Liang Benwu's hoarse voice like an old crow, but when they suddenly heard this sound, they felt extremely happy both physically and mentally, and they all sighed in secret. Regardless of other things, just based on this sound, she was worthy of being the emperor's favorite concubine for many years.
Meng Yan's eyes were bright as she looked straight at Liang Benwu.
This question has been hidden in her heart for two lifetimes.
Even though she knew that Liang Benwu was only framing her to fight for the position of empress, she still wanted to ask, where did this term "witch" come from?
Liang Benwu snorted coldly, his face sullen as he scolded, "You've been a seductress, possessing the emperor's heart for years. You're not virtuous, and now you're even trying to trick the emperor into making you his empress. Aren't you still a monster?! The emperor has made you his empress, but in the eyes of the people, you're unworthy! The emperor is so foolish that he's allowed you, a seductive concubine, to wreak havoc in the palace. Everyone in the world has eyes, and you'll be infamous in the history books for eternity!"
Meng Changyuan, who was listening nearby, became furious and could not help but blurt out, "Old pig dog, what are you talking about!" He swung his arm and gave Liang Benwu a solid slap in the face.
Although Liang Benwu was thicker-skinned than others, he could not withstand the slap from the general. His mouth was crooked, his eyes were slanted, saliva was flowing from the corners of his mouth, and three of his teeth fell out.
Meng Yan smiled, then stood up gracefully from Lu Haozhi's side and raised her voice, "Lord Liang, I'd like to ask you something. What are moral principles? It's the duty of women in the harem to serve the emperor. Do you think that moral principles mean disobeying the emperor and offending him? Liang Benwu, if it was your daughter Liang standing here today, what would you say? As the prime minister, you are collecting young and beautiful women from your clan to present to the emperor. Does that count as seducing the emperor?"
Liang Benwu covered his face with his hands. With Meng Changyuan watching him closely, he dared not utter a word, fearing that he would have a few more teeth knocked out. He had already received a punishment before he was even sent to the Ministry of Justice's prison.
He didn't say anything, but instead put on an arrogant look, as if he didn't want to be on the same level as the woman.
Lu Haozhi pulled her to sit down, "You're pregnant, why are you sitting down to talk?" Fang sneered again, "You said that the title of Empress was bestowed upon me, but the people of the world don't agree?"
Without uttering a word, he shouted at the entire court, "Do you all think the same way?!"
The officials in the palace, not to mention the Liang clan members, the rest of the people also had hesitant expressions on their faces.
Everyone knew that the Emperor favored Meng, a noble concubine who had allowed her to enter the throne room and sit shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor. If she were to be crowned Empress again, would the entire world be shared with her?
How could a woman, no matter how great her achievements were, stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor!
Lu Haozhi smiled slightly, "Song Siwen, present it!"
Song Siwen immediately walked out of the train, holding a thick stack of memorials in his hands. He opened them and spread them on the ground in two layers.
He held the memorial in his hands and read it aloud. Every word was as flowing as water and resounding.
It turned out that this was an article written by common people to petition the emperor to make Meng the empress, and the person who wrote it was the famous scholar who wrote "Biography of Virtuous Women" for Meng Yan!
The article enumerated Meng's merits and virtues, praising her with the utmost lavish words, and even compared her with the daughters of great sages in ancient times, saying that if she could not become the queen, then there would be no other daughter in the world who could be the queen.
The literary talent of the famous scholar was extraordinary, and it made the civil and military officials tremble with fear.
The article was not long, and Song Siwen finished reading it in a moment.
One person couldn't help but ask, "Master Song, this is the end, but what's left?"
Song Siwen said, "The following are the signatures and fingerprints of the people of the capital city who voluntarily asked the emperor to make the imperial concubine the empress."
This statement shook the entire court.
The papers covering the ground were filled with public sentiment and opinions!
This is what is called popular support.
Lu Haozhi held Meng Yan's hand and spoke loudly, "Everyone, what else is there to refuse to obey? Let me ask you, is there any other woman in this world who can win the hearts of the people like Meng?!"
Everyone in the hall bowed their heads in silence, and there was complete silence.
Song Siwen was the first to bow down, shouting, "I am sincerely convinced. Long live the emperor and a thousand years for the queen!"
Immediately afterwards, Meng Changyuan and Liu Zhengfeng also bowed down.
With a leader, the rest also realized what was going on. Meng was destined to be the queen. Song Siwen and others were in charge of the civil affairs, and Meng Liu was in charge of the military affairs. The Liang family was doomed and there was no room for recovery. They all knelt down and kowtowed in a hurry, willingly accepting Meng Yan as the queen, fearing that if they knelt too late, they would be swept into the Liang family's faction by the emperor and liquidated together.
For a moment, people in the palace shouted "Long live the emperor".
Lu Haozhi was very pleased and immediately ordered Rong An to read out the decree to confer the title of queen.
"...You, the Meng family, are born into a distinguished family. You are gentle and virtuous, with elegant manners and graceful manners. You deserve to be the mother of the world. You have inherited the legacy of the virtuous women of the past. I hereby appoint you as Empress. I decree this!"
Meng Yan knelt down to thank the emperor for his grace, and the matter of her being crowned queen was finally settled.
She took the imperial edict and looked up at Lu Haozhi.
The Emperor of the Great Zhou also looked straight at her and smiled at her.
From now on, they can finally stand side by side.
Lu Haozhi took Meng Yan's arm, put away his smile, and said solemnly, "Liang Benwu, as the Prime Minister, has no idea how to repay the grace of Heaven and has committed treason and rebellion. His crime is unforgivable. I hereby remove him from all official posts and temporarily detain him in the Ministry of Justice's prison. I order the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Supervisory Council to jointly investigate this case!"
At a command, the warriors outside the door entered the hall, stripped Liang Benwu of his court robes and sash, and dragged him out like an old dog.
Liang Benwu's face was ashen and he didn't move a muscle, allowing himself to be dragged out of the hall.
A thrilling confrontation ended just like that.
After the court was dismissed, Meng Changyuan walked out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity and down the steps. From time to time, colleagues came over to congratulate him.
He just responded indifferently, without showing any special joy.
Liu Zhengfeng came over, patted him on the shoulder, and smiled, "Brother Meng, great news!"
Seeing it was him, Meng Changyuan smiled and said, "Thank you very much." He then said, "Now that the emperor is vigorously cracking down on stubborn forces, it's a good opportunity for us to show our talents. We should celebrate together. Brother Liu has made such a great contribution today. His future is limitless."
Liu Zhengfeng smiled and said, "Eat the emperor's salary and be loyal to him. As for the future, just do your part." As he said that, he saw Meng Changyuan's expression was indifferent, even a little dazed, as if his sister becoming the queen was not a big deal.
He pondered in his heart and smiled, "After several busy days, I finally finished my work today. I have prepared some wine at home and would like to invite Brother Meng to come over for a chat. I wonder if you would honor me with your presence?"
Meng Changyuan was delighted and agreed immediately.
Liu Zhengfeng walked side by side with him, muttering to himself, "Speaking of which, ever since my younger sister called off that marriage proposal, many families have come to her house to propose marriage in the past two months. But my younger sister has such a strange temper that she's not a good match for any of them. She's already eighteen years old, and still unmarried. How can she stay a spinster? It really worries my younger brother and my wife."
Meng Changyuan's heart sank when he heard the first half of the conversation, but when he heard the second half, it suddenly lifted his heart again. He couldn't help but say, "A girl from the Liu... family must be smart and beautiful, both beautiful and intelligent. How could she be an old maid? You're worrying too much, my dear brother."
As soon as he said this, he felt a little regretful.
What was he so happy about? A woman as good as Miss Liu would never be his!
Liu Zhengfeng's eyes flickered slightly, and he curled his lips into a smile, "Then I'll take advantage of Brother Meng's good words."
After the court session, Lu Haozhi still had some government affairs to deal with, so he stayed in the Yangxin Palace.
Meng Yan went to Shoukang Palace first to pay her respects to Empress Dowager Jiang.
As soon as I stepped into the long street, I saw Concubine Ren Shuyi and Noble Lady Bai Yuxin leading the concubines in the harem standing in two rows under the Longfu Gate, waiting quietly.
When she saw her coming, Bai Yuxin smiled happily and said, "Your servants respectfully welcome Her Majesty, the Queen, and I wish you great joy!" After that, she and Concubine Xian took the lead in kneeling down and paying their respects.
Meng Yan accepted it graciously, smiling slightly, "Everyone, please stand up. The ceremony hasn't started yet, so there's no need to rush to change your words."
The concubines stood up, and Ren Shuyi smiled first and said, "Since the emperor has issued an order, Your Majesty is the legitimate empress, and the concubines should change their words."
Bai Yuxin stood behind Ren Shuyi, a faint smile on her lips, looking very steady, but the ecstasy in her eyes revealed some of her worries.
Meng Yan smiled at her and raised her head slightly. The warm spring sun shone on her phoenix crown, making it dazzling.
She said, "I'm going to see the Empress Dowager now. I have something to trouble you two with." She paused for a moment and added, "The Emperor will take care of the affairs of the former court. We will clean up the harem."
Ren Shuyi and Bai Yuxin smiled knowingly and said in unison, "We will obey the Empress's order!"
In the Yiku Palace, Liang Chengbi, with disheveled hair and dirty face, sat blankly on the Arhat bed.
Ever since she was placed under house arrest, all the maids in the Yiku Palace were taken away, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not sent anyone to serve her.
Apart from having one meal delivered to her every day, she didn't even see a ghost.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never experienced the feeling of being unserved.
As the days went by, anxiety, panic, and baseless suspicions gnawed at her heart like ants, leaving her riddled with holes until she became numb.
At first, she still managed to wash and groom herself every day, but when she looked in the mirror at the increasing number of white hair and wrinkles around her eyes, another kind of panic gripped her.
She knocked over the bronze mirror and stopped washing her face, not daring to look at what she looked like now.
How will Lu Haozhi...deal with her?
The Liang clan is powerful, so her father will surely save her...
In a trance, I heard the sound of the palace gate opening outside, and then the sound of footsteps came.
Liang Chengbi was delighted, thinking that Lu Haozhi had finally issued an order to pardon her.
She stood up and walked quickly towards the door.
The door to the main room was pushed open from the outside, and a ray of sunlight shone in, stinging her eyes and causing pain. She couldn't help but raise her hand to block it.
When Ren Shuyi and Bai Yuxin saw her, they were also stunned.
The old woman in front of him with gray hair, wrinkles all over her face, old clothes and a strong body odor, was actually the arrogant Concubine Liang?
Bai Yuxin narrowed her eyes, and finally recognized the shadow of Liang Chengbi in the past from the hostility in the corner of his eyes.
Seeing that it was the two of them, Liang Chengbi couldn't help but blurt out, "How could it be you..." As she spoke, she turned into ecstasy, "Did, did the emperor ask you to come and take me out?!"
Ren Shuyi said calmly, "According to the Queen's decree, Liang is demoted to a commoner and handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for interrogation!"
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