At this moment, the Crown Prince's succession to the throne was a foregone conclusion, and no one raised inappropriate questions about the 20,000 extra soldiers that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had taken advantage of.
Even Qin Songfeng didn't show any strange expression.
But he knew in his heart that he was related to Su Xu by marriage after all, so it was normal for the prince not to trust him.
Instead of feeling uncomfortable about being suspected, he felt even more respect for Su Bi.
Today, I saw that the soldiers led by Bai Luoqiu were disciplined and brave. They were far better than the soldiers who were used to the comfortable life in the capital.
He even found it hard to imagine how the prince had managed to raise such a group of elite soldiers without anyone knowing. One could imagine how much effort and money he had put into it.
Even if he really colluded with Su Xu, with the combined strength of the Yulin Army and the Five Cities Army Forces at over 70,000, it would be difficult for them to gain an easy victory over a mere 20,000 men.
Not to mention that all ministers' relatives were placed under house arrest in the Linhua Palace, so they would have to be cautious in their actions.
In today's battle, it seemed that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince relied on him and the Yu Lin Army to easily win, but in fact, no matter what his position was, the Crown Prince could rely on the 20,000 private soldiers to capture Su Xu, which could be said to be a plan without any alternatives.
Qin Songfeng lowered his head even more.
Fortunately, fortunately he listened to his sister and did not stand against the prince.
He is a qualified king. His wisdom and decisiveness are enough to enable him to ascend the throne under any circumstances.
Under Su Bi's order, Sun Shangshu, Bingbu Shilang and other Su Xu's accomplices were all taken to Tianlao to await trial. Sun Guifei was also temporarily imprisoned, awaiting her fate.
After everything was settled, Su Bi ordered people to ring the funeral bell.
In Linhua Palace, everyone suddenly heard the sound of bells ringing.
The bell rang nine times, heralding the emperor's death.
When the funeral bell rings, it means that everything is settled.
Ning Xihua quickly ordered the palace servants to remove the brightly colored decorations and hang up white gauze cloth and lanterns.
Looking at the ladies who seemed somewhat at a loss, she soothed them.
"Now that His Majesty has passed away, I'm sure you'll all be anxious to return home to handle related matters, so I won't keep you any longer."
After saying that, he ordered Huai Liu, "Arrange more manpower to ensure that all the ladies are safely sent back to the mansion. There must not be any mistakes."
Huai Liu immediately leaned forward and accepted the order.
Seeing that they could finally go home, the ladies did not want to stay any longer. After hurriedly paying their respects to Ning Xihua, they followed the eunuchs' guidance and left.
However, Qin Songya knelt down directly in front of Ning Xihua after everyone had left.
Ning Xihua quickly pulled her up and said, "This is against etiquette."
Qin Songya bowed her head firmly and said with a smile, "It will be done soon."
She was about to become the empress, so it was of course in accordance with etiquette for her to kowtow and express her gratitude.
"I told you not to thank me, why are you still being so stubborn?"
Qin Songya shook her head. "Without the Crown Princess's advice that day, I wouldn't have come to my senses today. Without your help and the Crown Prince's help, I would never have been able to escape from that cage. This favor is like a rebirth, I dare not fail to thank you."
Seeing her like this, Ning Xihua felt a warm feeling in her heart.
His action helped a struggling woman break free from her shackles and gave her the ability to control her own destiny.
This kind of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment from being sincerely appreciated really makes people feel happy.
"I appreciate your kindness."
Qin Songya also smiled and said, "In addition, I would like to ask the Crown Princess to say a few good words for me so that I don't have to..."
"Don't worry, your brother has done a great job in protecting the emperor. His Highness will allow you to divorce Su Xu, and neither the Qin family nor you will be implicated."
Ning Xihua nodded. She could still take care of this little thing for Su Bi.
"Then thank you, Crown Princess and Your Highness!"
After saying goodbye to Ning Xihua, Qin Songya walked out of the gate of Linhua Palace as if relieved.
"Princess, are we still going back to the palace?"
"No, go back to General Huaihua's Mansion!"
That was her home.
…
By the time Ning Xihua had dealt with all matters in Linhua Palace and taken off her jewelry and put on white mourning clothes, it was already approaching dusk.
She collapsed on the imperial concubine's couch in the yard, so tired that she didn't want to move a finger.
When Su Bi arranged for people to expose the truth about the plague in Yizhou on the street and led Su Xu to force the emperor to abdicate, it was she who took the initiative to propose holding a banquet that day to gather all the important officials and their families together.
Although Su Bi always acted carefully, she also wanted to do her part. If anything went wrong, at least she could have more leverage by holding these officials' wives in her control.
But receiving guests is not something that humans should do.
Although Chang Yi and Song Yi basically helped with all the preparations, she was still exhausted from all the greetings, jokes, and welcoming and seeing off guests today.
Not to mention that she was still worried about Su Bi, and she had to maintain a dignified demeanor on the surface, and she had to use her power to control the situation at the critical moment. At the end of the day, her back and waist ached, and her face was stiff.
So she simply stayed there, closed her eyes and pretended to take a nap, while waiting for Su Bi to come back.
While she was half asleep and half awake, someone covered her with a thin blanket and then held her in his arms.
"It's autumn now, and the nights are cool."
Ning Xihua squinted her eyes and found that the sun had completely set, with only a small patch of gorgeous sunset remaining on the horizon.
She rubbed her head against his chest and felt that only at this moment did her heart finally settle down.
"Are you back?"
Su Bi touched her face and said softly, "Well, I'm back. I'm sorry to have worried you."
Ning Xihua raised the corners of her mouth and complained coquettishly, "I've been toiling all day, my waist is sore, can you rub it for me?"
Su Bi laughed out loud, but still massaged her waist.
Ning Xihua finally reacted and tilted her head to glance at him, "What are you thinking about?"
Su Bi smiled and shook her head, her eyes gentle.
"Just think about how to serve the lady."
Ning Xihua turned her head away and ignored him, forgetting that this man's mind was often filled with indescribable garbage after marriage.
"You don't even ask me how things are going?"
Ning Xihua was pressed by him and groaned, "What's there to ask? It's the same if you succeed, I will ascend to heaven, if you fail, I will go to hell."
The words may be spoken unintentionally, but the listeners may take it seriously.
However, Su Bi's heart was moved by these two casual words she said.
She was willing to accompany him, to heaven or hell, for the rest of her life, and never leave him.
Su Bi smiled softly. He certainly wouldn't let her down.
"My father has passed away, and the Qin Tianjian has just chosen a date for the coronation ceremony. The ceremony will be held after the funeral is completed. By then, you will be the empress of Dali."
Ning Xihua didn't show much emotion after hearing this. She just held down his hand on her waist, turned around and looked at him seriously.
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Su Bi was a little confused.
Ning Xihua shook her head, reached out and touched his cheek, and asked him, "Are you sad?"
Su Bi was stunned for a moment. "What?"
Still looking into his eyes, she asked softly,
"I mean, His Majesty's car crashed. Are you sad?"
She did not forget that no matter how distant their feelings were or how distant they were, Emperor Shao Yuan was still her father.
He already has no mother, and today, he just lost his father.
Su Bi was stunned for a moment, looking at the soft light in her eyes, a corner of his heart suddenly collapsed, and he was instantly in disarray.
He habitually buried his face deeply in her neck, and his voice was a little muffled.
"In fact, I already knew that he was poisoned by Su Xu and Concubine Sun, but I didn't stop it."