Chapter 217: Conferred the title of Princess (asking for monthly votes)
Recently, the Xu family rebels in the south of the Yangtze River have been making a big fuss about the defeat of Li Yi and Chang Kuo, and insisted that the Queen's luck has run out, threatening to attack the capital in the near future and force the Queen to return power to the Crown Prince Li.
More and more people responded. In addition to the bureaucrats and gentry who were already dissatisfied with the Queen's enthronement, there were also various forces with selfish motives who secretly fanned the flames.
In addition, the Xu family's rebels were forcibly recruited from various places. It has only been a few months since the rebellion, but now they have more than 100,000 soldiers, and their power is growing rapidly.
People in the government and the country were uneasy.
At the morning court session that day, Emperor Shengce discussed strategies to quell the rebellion with all the officials. Some people impeached Li Yi, believing that the unfavorable progress of the war was due to Li Yi's inability to command troops, and that the commander-in-chief should be replaced immediately.
Some people also opposed it, believing that changing the commander during the battle would be detrimental to the morale of the army.
Many other officials proposed to gather the forces of all kings and parties to jointly fight against the rebels.
This proposal was also refuted. The various princes might have different intentions. Ordering them to send troops might give them the opportunity to strengthen their own power by suppressing the rebel army, which might lead to the worry of nurturing a tiger to cause trouble.
Amid the arguments, the Holy Ce Emperor did not express his opinion until the Left Prime Minister Chang Sun Yuan stepped out and said solemnly: "The measures of the adults can only temporarily alleviate the danger on the surface——"
He stood before all the officials, raised his eyes slightly and looked at the empress sitting high on the dragon throne: "I have a method that can eliminate future troubles, completely put an end to this war, and make all parties return to their hearts. I just don't know if the saint is willing to do it?"
"As the king, I will follow your advice, no matter what method is used, as long as it can help to save Dasheng from danger."
Chang Sun Yuan bowed slightly, and said in a powerful voice: "Then I will dare to ask Your Majesty to return power to Crown Prince Li Zhi!"
Above the Golden Palace, all the sounds suddenly disappeared, leaving only a silent feeling of fear and alertness that quickly spread.
Crown Prince Li Zhi was shocked and looked at the Left Prime Minister in disbelief.
"You must know that the reason why Xu's rebels started their rebellion was to force the sage to return to power. The reason why they were able to gather more than 100,000 people was precisely because of this. This is enough to show where the hearts of the people of the world are!"
Zhang Sunyuan's voice was clearly heard by everyone: "If the sage is willing to return power, the rebel army will naturally lose the support of the people and will no longer have a foothold. If the people of the country are united, the Li family will be safe!"
"I have said all I can. I wonder if Your Majesty is willing to step down as the Emperor Emeritus for the sake of the people of Dasheng?"
His words were relatively polite, and he did not explicitly point out that the Ming Queen was the root cause of the disaster. He only used the tone of advice to force her to abdicate.
Moreover, in Chang Sun Yuan's view, his willingness to honor the Queen as the Supreme Emperor rather than the Empress Dowager was also enough respect for the other party and was the biggest buffer and compromise.
The emperor's officials were already pale with fear, and some wanted to leave, but were stopped by Wei Shuyi.
Sitting on the dragon throne, the empress was neither surprised nor angry when she heard the words.
"If this move can save the Li family from danger, I will not hesitate and will hold the abdication ceremony in this hall today—"
The empress raised her hand, took off the emperor's crown, handed it to a eunuch beside her, and asked him to give it to the prince.
All the officials were shocked. Some of the court officials stepped out of line, knelt down, and cried out in horror: "Your Majesty!"
The Emperor of the Holy Ce turned his head slightly and looked at the Crown Prince, his voice without joy or anger: "Since I am concerned about the stability of the Great Sheng, I still want to ask the Crown Prince, do you think you have the ability to govern the country? If so, I will be at ease."
The eunuch had already bowed his head and was holding the crown before the prince.
The eunuch's hands were shaking, and the beads on the crown were shaking, but the prince was shaking even more.
Zhang Sunyuan looked over and said firmly, "Your Highness is already thirteen years old. It's time for you to take on the important task of governing the Li family!"
Seeing that the Crown Prince was still hesitant and sweat was rolling down his face, Chang Sun Yuan lifted his robe and knelt, raised his hand and said: "Your Highness, I beg Your Highness the Crown Prince to inherit the throne and put the overall situation first!"
At this juncture, the time had come, and many officials immediately knelt down and shouted, "We ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to inherit the throne!"
The Holy Emperor, who had taken off his crown and showed his graying hair in front of all the officials, sat still, just watching the Crown Prince who was being pushed up high by Changsun Yuan and others.
The prince plucked up his courage and looked up at the dragon throne on the imperial steps.
However, he did not have time to imagine what it would be like when he sat on the dragon throne, for he was overwhelmed by instinctive fear when he made eye contact with the Holy Emperor.
The prince knelt down tremblingly: "I am not capable of governing yet, please take back your words, sage!"
Chang Sunyuan's voice sank: "Your Highness!"
The prince bowed his head and said in a trembling voice: "My Lords... I am still young, and I am not fit to shoulder the responsibility of governing the country...!"
The thirteen-year-old child's voice was already filled with fear and crying.
Chang Sun Yuan felt both pain and hatred.
At this moment, it is the best opportunity to force the Queen to abdicate. Even with his Changsun family and other ministers risking their lives to advise against it, they are unable to help this cowardly prince!
This is the crown prince who was “cultivated” by the Queen!
The ministers wanted to persuade him again, but the prince had already knocked his forehead and pleaded with tears, "Please, Saint, take back this order!"
The Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies sighed softly, and the tense eunuch understood and returned to the imperial steps holding the crown.
At the signal of the Emperor of the Holy Sepulchre, the eunuch gently placed the crown on the dragon table.
She looked at Chang Sunyuan and the others who were kneeling there and said, "How can I be at ease to entrust the important task to you when your Highness refuses to do so?"
"In that case, I would like to ask Lord Changsun, at this time of unrest, by asking me to abdicate in this way, do you intend to use the ignorant young emperor to disrupt the government?"
The emperor with gray hair stood up, his tone suddenly becoming solemn.
Chang Sunyuan raised his head and said: "I am loyal to the Li family and have never had any other intentions!"
At this point, the face has been torn, and there is no need to cover it up: "It was the saint who claimed to be temporarily in charge of the government, but was reluctant to return power to the Li family. It is precisely because of such perverse actions that the current disaster has occurred! We are making truthful suggestions, and we are not ashamed of heaven and earth, the late emperor, and the country and the people. What is wrong with us!"
"What a mistake!" The Emperor of the Holy Ce asked firmly, "In the face of the current disaster, changing the commander in the middle of a battle is a dangerous move, not to mention changing the throne! Now we are not only facing internal troubles, but also foreign invasions. Lord Changsun asked me to abdicate at this time and let my young son ascend the throne. Where does this put the safety of Dasheng? Are you really doing nothing wrong? Are you really not ashamed?"
"As for the disaster of Xu's rebellion, is it my fault or the result of internal and external collusion? Lord Changsun should know better than me!"
Chang Sunyuan's face changed, and he was about to speak, but he saw an official quickly stepped out and said, "...The Xu family's rebels threatened to attack the capital in a few days. I think there must be an insider in the court! Please investigate thoroughly!"
Soon, those who agreed came out one by one.
"That's right. There are many suspicious points in the grain and grass robbery. There must be a traitor who leaked the secrets of grain and grass transportation to the Xu rebels in advance!"
"Everyone knows that Xu Zhengye's subordinate Xue Ren is a cousin of Lord Changsun's wife. If they start a rebellion, they will definitely try every means to win over the court officials. Lord Changsun is in a high position, so how could they not take any action? Therefore, if you say that Lord Changsun didn't know about Xu's rebellion in advance, I really don't believe it!"
"When the traitor Luo Guanlin was serving as the Imperial Censor in the court, he also had close contacts with Lord Changsun!"
"We, the ministers, request that we thoroughly investigate whether the Changsun clan has any connection with the rebel army, so as to purge the court!"
The Emperor of Shengce immediately ordered the Palace Office and the Imperial Guards to search Changsun's mansion, and they soon found evidence of secret correspondence.
Many other court officials also claimed that "Chang Sun Yuan had long harbored rebellious intentions."
"If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext!" Chang Sun Yuan sneered, "The Ming surnamed man has been framing people time and again, how can he ever get tired of it?"
This remark was a satire on himself being framed by the Queen Ming, and also referred to the Ming family's previous act of framing the young master of the Chang family.
Therefore, the other party has secretly set up this situation and was just waiting for today.
This situation was probably set up when the Queen decided to deal with Ming Jin.
First, he went with the flow to show his shame. It seemed that he was at a disadvantage for the sake of justice, but in fact, he had already made up his mind to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate Changsun! Changsun Yuan stood up trembling, his eyes full of grief and anger: "... I, Changsun, have been loyal to the Li family for more than a hundred years, and I am destined to rise and fall with the Li family! Now I have to watch this country fall into the hands of a woman of another surname!"
The Holy Ce Emperor closed his eyes, also showing an expression of great pain and grief: "Come here, take the traitor Chang Sun Yuan to the prison to await trial."
Some ministers shouted "No" and tried to stop the imperial guards.
Looking at those who were still using the crowd to put pressure on her, the Holy Ce Emperor did not hesitate: "Anyone who obstructs us will be regarded as an accomplice of the Xu family's rebellion and will be punished together!"
Since she was determined to get rid of Changsun, she was prepared to cut off her arm.
There were still some people who refused to retreat, so the imperial guards entered the palace with swords on their shoulders and took them all away.
There were countless angry shouts, scolding and cursing. Only when all the voices disappeared did the Holy Book Emperor lower his eyes and slowly sit back in the dragon throne.
Looking at the rows of officials in the hall, one can see that many important positions are vacant.
These officials, headed by Chang Sun Yuan, either held important positions or were heads of powerful families. Their interests were closely intertwined. Killing them would be like pulling out a poisonous sore or cutting off one's own arm.
This is why she dared not to act rashly against these people.
The vacant important positions need to be filled by people with the right abilities to avoid the collapse of order, and the dissatisfaction, anger and resistance caused by this move also need to be quelled one by one...
These are all huge problems, and no matter how we deal with them, there will be endless consequences.
But today, the situation between her and Changsun has become a life-and-death one. She needs to kill Changsun to temporarily quell the chaos in the court and the country, and she also needs to kill Changsun to deter Xu's rebellious army.
She had no choice but to strike first.
Overnight, all members of the Changsun clan were thrown into jail, and those implicated were removed from office and imprisoned.
The empress's move was like a sudden storm. For a moment, the court and even the entire capital were shrouded in blood and rain.
In the early morning, Chang Suining stood under the corridor, watching a dead leaf covered with frost falling in the morning light.
The people from the Chang family who were escorting grain and fodder had already left the capital for several days, but she had not left with them. It was not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't.
Although this matter was approved by the Ministry of Revenue, the empress could not have been unaware of it. If she was also among those escorting the grain and fodder, this trip would not have been allowed.
Even if the empress was busy with court affairs, she could not watch her mother and her brother leave the capital with everyone else to find her father. This move would be too suspicious and would attract too much attention.
Rather than arousing the empress's suspicion and preventing anyone from escaping, the best way would of course be to let the people from the Chang family who were escorting the grain go farther away, and then she would take her brother out of the capital alone to "seek medical treatment."
The escort of the grain and fodder this time was undertaken by Chang Kuo's former subordinates. Most of those who were supposed to leave had already left, and the rest were mostly official slaves granted by the emperor.
Now that they had taken all the people and money with them, it would be much easier for her and her brother to leave.
"Ningning, look!"
Chang Sui'an, who was supported by the sword boy in the courtyard, suddenly called her and smiled at her: "I can already walk half a circle today!"
Chang Suining also smiled and nodded to him.
The palace doctor who was sent to treat Chang Sui'an's injuries, as well as the eunuchs who came to "visit" him every day, were all smiling: "...Mr. Chang has recovered so quickly, I think he will be able to recover within a hundred days and move around as usual!"
Chang Suining smiled and said, "I hope so."
She then suggested to Chang Sui'an, "Since you can walk now, come with me to Dayun Temple to fulfill your vow tomorrow. It's not good for you to rush around, so let's stay in the temple for a few days."
Chang Sui'an nodded in understanding: "Okay!"
Upon hearing this, the medical officer explained some matters that needed attention.
When several eunuchs returned to the palace, they reported the matter to the Holy Ce Emperor.
The Holy Ce Emperor then instructed: "Go to Dayun Temple and tell me that Young Master Chang is injured. Ask the monks in the temple to take good care of him."
Although there is no abbot in the temple, many monks are her eyes and ears. In addition to taking care of them, they can also pay attention to the every move of the Chang brothers and sisters in the temple.
But because of this, the Emperor of the Holy Ce never really thought in his subconscious what Chang Suining would choose to do through this trip to fulfill his vow.
Previously, when she heard that the Chang family intended to send money and food to support the army, she had thought for a moment that the girl would take this opportunity to leave Beijing, but this was not the case.
Only then did she agree to let the Ministry of Revenue approve this matter, and at the same time she also let down some of her guard.
Furthermore, recent political affairs have been extremely hectic and urgent, occupying her mind and attention. For example, in addition to the liquidation and suppression of the Changsun clan, there has been a secret report from the Western Regions that the expansion of Tubo is getting stronger, and the small border countries are either being annexed or surrendered to Tubo.
But Tubo's appetite obviously does not stop there. Recently, it has shown its intention to invade Dasheng's neighboring country, Tuyuhun.
It was late at night. The Emperor of the Holy Ce concealed the fatigue in his eyes and asked someone to announce Mingluo.
Mingluo arrived soon.
After the incident at the Confucius Temple, she was no longer able to serve in the Ganlu Hall.
She knew the reason. One of the reasons was that she was a member of the Ming family. Ming Jin had made such a big mistake. At such a critical moment, if she always accompanied the emperor, she would cause unnecessary criticism.
Now that the Changsun clan has been imprisoned... Is her aunt going to re-employ her? Unfortunately, she knew in her heart that the reason she had not seen the emperor for so many days was not only because she was a member of the Ming family, but also because of the look Chang gave her when she mentioned that Chang Suining was a calamity star in the Confucius Temple that day...
How could my aunt not have doubts? Therefore, compared to being reused, Ming Luo was more inclined to think that this was because the emperor had finally calmed down the chaos in the court and had the time to punish her...
Should she deny it till death, or find another excuse to ask the saint for a lighter punishment? Ming Luo imagined many punishments that would befall her, but she never thought that what was waiting for her would be an imperial decree to bestow a title.
As she knelt on the ground, she heard the eunuch read aloud: "…Mingluo, the daughter of Duke Ying, has been with me in the palace since she was young. She has been with me for many years and has received my teachings. She is prudent and virtuous, gentle and upright, intelligent and talented. She has the ability to participate in politics and share my worries. Therefore, I confer the title of Princess Gu'an on you, grant you the golden book, and grant you the royal title of Empress Dowager for eternity. I respect you!"
Ming Luo was stunned.
Not only did her aunt not punish her, she even granted her the title of princess... Why?!
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(End of this chapter)
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