Chapter 799: Killing the Chicken to Frighten the Monkey
Prince Ying's face changed instantly and he didn't dare to respond to Tang Ning.
Tang Ning raised his eyes and looked at the others: "Or should we hand over the government affairs to you gentlemen?"
Everyone was silent and no one dared to say a word.
Even if they were unwilling to let a woman like the Queen interfere in government affairs, no one dared to respond to her words at this moment. Otherwise, they would be accused of treason and attempting to rebel against the authorities, and their entire nine clans would be implicated.
Seeing that he had suppressed everyone, Tang Ning softened his voice.
"Although I am not as talented and wise as Your Majesty, I have two Prime Ministers to assist me. All important matters in the court are decided after consultation with them. If there are any undecided matters, they will be reported to Your Majesty."
"I will never play with the Wei Empire. The reason I kept this a secret from you gentlemen is simply because I was afraid that someone would discover Your Majesty's departure from the capital in advance."
The court officials in the hall fell silent after hearing this. After a moment, someone from the aristocratic families couldn't help but speak out: "The matter of Southern Qi..."
"Your Majesty did not initiate the rebellion in Southern Qi; you were forced into it."
Tang Ning stood in front of a group of court officials. Although he was not tall, no one dared to look down on him.
She glanced at the people in the hall and said in a deep voice, "Beiling has coveted Great Wei for years and decided to send troops years ago. Your Majesty did not want to cause trouble at this time, but Beiling has agreed with Southern Qi that when they attack Luoyan Pass, Southern Qi will simultaneously launch an attack on the southern border."
"Pingyang County has just experienced war, and there are no important generals guarding Mu'nan Pass. At a time when all the court's attention is tied up in Beiling, if Mu'nan Pass is breached, the entire southern region will be plunged into dire straits."
Prince Ying couldn't help but say, "But hasn't Your Majesty already sent General Yin to Munan Pass in secret, and also taken away the deposed emperor's 100,000 private soldiers? With them stationed there, Southern Qi will surely not dare to invade. Why would Your Majesty start a war now..."
Tang Ning's face turned cold upon hearing this. "General Yin has gone to Munan Pass. His 100,000 private soldiers can indeed intimidate Southern Qi. But Your Highness, have you ever considered where the food and fodder needed to sustain the 200,000-plus troops stationed at Munan Pass will come from?"
"During the rebellion of the feudal princes, the court was already stretched to the limit. The Ministry of Revenue was almost completely depleted of food and fodder. Your Majesty practically emptied his private treasury and relied on private merchants to raise food and fodder to supplement the army's needs. Although we later captured several feudal princes and collected some of the spoils, that little was but a drop in the bucket for the entire court."
Tang Ning's voice was not loud, but it made everyone in the hall feel heavy in their hearts.
"If Beiling and Wei start a war, it will be a protracted one, and Munan Pass will require a large army to be stationed there constantly to deter Southern Qi."
"When food and fodder run low, and military supplies are scarce, does Prince Ying intend to subject the Northwestern soldiers to hardship, leaving them to fight the Rong tribe on the battlefield on an empty stomach? Or does he intend to force the soldiers at Munan Pass to tighten their belts and eat less, allowing them to guard the border out of patriotism?"
"If the army were to fall out due to a shortage of food and fodder, would Prince Ying personally go before the soldiers and explain the situation, asking them to understand the court and His Majesty and stand with the country through thick and thin?"
“I…you…”
The old prince Ying's face turned pale after being rebuked. After a moment, he shouted angrily: "You are clearly quibbling!"
"If food and fodder are insufficient, the court can find ways to raise them, but if the north and south go to war simultaneously, can the Wei Dynasty afford it?"
"Since Your Majesty knew Beiling's intentions, you could have used gentle tactics to appease Southern Qi first, instead of concealing it from the court and sending troops to provoke war without consulting anyone. Now the war in the south has not stopped, and Beiling's army is approaching again."
"Reports of war are coming in from the northwest, and the women in the palace are in charge. Your Majesty is so foolish and reckless. I'm afraid that the Great Wei will be destroyed by your hands!"
Everyone around gasped when they heard this, and Cao Dejiang's face darkened.
"King of England, you are so outrageous!"
Cao Dejiang shouted angrily: "Your Majesty has other intentions in doing this..."
Old Prince Ying snorted coldly, "What could he possibly mean? Even before he ascended the throne, His Majesty acted arrogantly and willfully, and now as the ruler of a nation, he still has no self-control. If it's because he attacked Southern Qi that the Northwest was defeated and Beiling was flattened at Luoyan Pass, I wonder how he'll have the face to face the ancestors of the Xie family."
"you!"
Pan Xi wanted to shout after hearing the King of England's extremely offensive words, but Tang Ning blocked his way with his hand.
Tang Ning raised her eyes to look at King Ying, who wanted to rely on the elders of the clan to preach because of the failure of the northwest war and Xiao Yan's absence from the capital, and the royal clan members who were ready to make a move. Her red lips curled up slightly.
"Old Prince Ying is indeed filial, but why didn't you show such awe-inspiring righteousness when the deposed emperor was incompetent and causing chaos in the country?"
She smiled.
"Are you deceiving His Majesty?"
Everyone around was startled, and saw that the queen, who had been gentle just now, suddenly looked cold.
"Since Old Prince Ying cares so much about the ancestors of the Xie family and is worried that he will be too embarrassed to see them after the fall of the Great Wei Kingdom, why don't I send you off first to greet the ancestors?"
"Come here, the King of England is disrespectful to His Majesty and his words are offensive. Drag him out and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"
Outside, Yu Yanfeng came in quickly with his guards and rushed directly towards the King of England.
The King of England was immediately horrified: "Queen, how dare you? I am a prince of the royal family and your Majesty's elder..."
"Only those with virtue can be respected." Tang Ning said coldly: "I am the master of the Central Palace, and Your Majesty has entrusted me with the important task of holding the imperial seal. My words are Your Majesty's words. Why should I not dare?"
She said to the guards:
"Drag the King of England out and give him a severe beating. This will allow the ancestors of the Xie family to see the filial piety of this descendant of the Xie family as soon as possible, and help save the reputation of the Xie family ancestors on behalf of Your Majesty!"
"Song Tangning, you..."
The King of England never expected that the Queen would fight him, and he never expected that the Queen would cane him, the prince, in court.
He opened his mouth to curse, but Pan Xi stepped forward and hit him hard on the jaw with a whisk, causing him to lose his voice due to the pain.
"Calling me by my maiden name is treasonous. I will punish you with ten more strokes of the cane!"
The guards grabbed the King of England's arm and dragged the struggling man out. Only a moment later, the King of England's screams were heard. The dull sound of the stick hitting the flesh made the other royal relatives pale, and the other court officials around him fell silent.
No one expected that the Queen would suddenly take action, and target the King of England.
Old Prince Na Ying is over fifty years old. If he is beaten with forty sticks, I am afraid he will really go directly to see the ancestor of the Xie family.
Everyone looked at the Queen with uneasiness, and those who were ready to make a move because Xiao Yan was not in the capital immediately quieted down.
Tang Ning turned around and walked a few steps toward the platform behind him. When he was looking down at the people below, his voice became cold.
"I am the Empress of Great Wei. I hold the Imperial Seal and am trusted by Your Majesty to stabilize the court. I will never allow anyone to slander Your Majesty, nor will I allow anyone to speak nonsense and disrupt the people's hearts in the rear during wartime!"
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