Chapter 850 Conditions
Tang Ning's words undoubtedly showed his willingness to surrender. The people outside all looked happy when they heard it. After all, they wanted to "hand over" the power of the court peacefully, and it would be best if they could do so without causing any conflict.
Several people spoke up one after another.
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Prince Hui and I only want the power of the court and will never harm you."
"Yes, as long as the Empress is willing to give us the Imperial Seal and decree that Prince Hui govern the country on your behalf, we will never harm you or anyone else."
"Your Majesty, don't worry about anything else. Even if Prince Hui is the regent, you are still the Queen, the master of the harem. No one can surpass you."
Tang Ning listened to the noisy promises outside and couldn't help but sneer: "You can't get past me? Then why did you rebel and besiege the palace today?"
The people outside suddenly froze.
Tang Ning said coldly, "Don't even mention how I, the empress of the previous emperor, can still be the head of the harem after Prince Hui takes power. Where will all the women in Prince Hui's palace be placed? Even if Prince Hui can reluctantly respect me as you say, I'm afraid I will become a puppet in your hands and will never be able to leave this harem again."
"Your Majesty, you are overthinking it. King Hui will definitely not..."
"Won't?"
Tang Ning interrupted the voice outside without hesitation: "What a fool you think I am! The Imperial Seal is legitimate, but Your Majesty's prestige far surpasses that of the deposed emperor. Whether it's the Black Armor Guards, the Imperial Patrol Battalion, the Four Suburban Battalions, or even the court officials, they may not recognize that it is that dead object."
"I have given you the Imperial Seal. Aren't you afraid that I might regret it later? Or that once I escape, I'll take control of the military outside the city and wipe you all out? Unless you can kill those loyal to Your Majesty and me, seize all the military power in the capital, and even use me to win over the people in the court, ensuring that I pose no threat to you, you will never let me leave Yongzhao Palace."
"If I give you the things today, the best outcome for me will be to become a puppet in your hands, trapped in the palace for the rest of my life. Worse still, once you've ensured that I pose no further threat, I'm afraid I won't even be able to live."
Tang Ning stood at the back of the crowd, his voice cold:
"You have always acted with ruthlessness, just like when you burned down the Eastern Palace and wiped out my father, the emperor, and my mother. You will never leave any trouble for yourselves."
The people outside who were originally talking nonstop were left speechless by what the queen said.
Because they knew very well that what the Queen said was right. Even if they took the imperial seal and gained power today, they would never let the Queen go.
When Xiao Yan seized power, he replaced most of the court officials. Not to mention Cao Dejiang, Qian Baokun and others, even many court officials in important positions in the six ministries were only loyal to the new emperor and empress. The few people who commanded the military power in the capital were all Xiao Yan's confidants.
These people only recognize people, not seals. Once the queen escapes and attacks them, they will not be able to withstand it.
Moreover, they had already discussed it before forcing the emperor to abdicate. They would not take action against the queen immediately after gaining power. They also needed to use the queen to "appease" and "control" some people, and even use the queen's name to enforce royal orthodoxy and use the emperor to control the princes to avoid unrest below.
The queen cannot be released. Even if she doesn't die in the end, she will have to spend the rest of her life in the palace.
No matter how shameless they were, they couldn't say that they would not imprison her in front of the queen who had seen through her.
The sky outside had completely darkened, and dark clouds obscured the bright moon. Even though the area near Yongzhao Palace had been blocked, the movements here could not be concealed for too long.
It is obvious that the Queen will not surrender easily. If she continues to delay and alarms Yu Yanfeng and others, a fierce battle will be inevitable.
King Hui looked towards the Queen's seat in the palace with a calm gaze and said seriously, "Your Majesty is a wise woman. I know it's hard to convince you with such lies."
"It is indeed impossible for me to let you go, whether for the sake of the court or the border, but I can assure you that I will never harm your life. If you can help me achieve my goal, I will order Cen Guang to do everything in his power to search for Xiao Yan. If he is still alive, he will be brought back to the capital to reunite with you."
"I swear on all my descendants that I will ensure that you and your wife live a life of wealth and happiness for the rest of your lives. As long as you behave yourself, I will crown Xiao Yan a king after I ascend the throne, allowing him to live a life of honor and glory. I will also never touch your Rongsheng Academy, your relatives, and your friends without cause."
"If you break this oath, I will die a miserable death, and my entire bloodline will be extinct!"
"Father!"
The Prince of Hui was filled with astonishment. He never expected that the King of Hui would make such a vicious oath. Even the people from the aristocratic families nearby could not help but look at him.
If it was just an ordinary oath, no one would take it too seriously. However, if one swore an oath on all his descendants, breaking the oath would result in the extinction of his entire bloodline. Few people would dare to make such a vicious oath that is like a curse on their own descendants.
The Queen was obviously frightened by King Hui, and the secret guards in front of the palace also looked shaken.
Yue Jian whispered, "My Lady..."
Tang Ning pressed her hand and spoke slowly, "King Hui is really bold."
Her gaze seemed to fall on Prince Hui, who seemed to understand the sarcasm in her words and his face turned pale.
Tang Ning's tone was less sharp when she spoke again: "Okay, I can agree to issue an order to let Prince Hui take over the government temporarily, but I have two conditions."
King Hui said urgently, "Speak."
Tang Ning said indifferently: "First, I will not be a puppet. If King Hui wants to govern the country, I can give up half of the power of the court, so that King Hui and I can sit in the court together, and Liang Xiang will assist in the administration..."
"The Queen..."
"Let me finish speaking!"
Tang Ning coldly interrupted the question that King Hui was about to raise: "I do not trust you. Even if you swear on your bloodline, I still won't believe you. If I give up all my power, I will probably die. If you don't save His Majesty, what else can I use to check and balance you?"
"I can issue an edict to give up half of my power, and I can also announce this tonight in front of all the court officials and ladies in Xinde Hall, but I cannot give you the imperial seal. I can come forward to control the court officials for you, but the throne will only be given to you when His Majesty is safe."
"Also, I want the Princess of Hui and the Princess of Hui to come into the palace to accompany me in keeping vigil for the Empress Dowager."
"Impossible!" Prince Hui said sternly, "Father, Ayun is pregnant. How can we allow her to enter the palace..."
"It is because she is pregnant that she can guarantee that after tonight, you and King Hui will not take the risk of killing me."
Tang Ning said calmly, "I will stay in the palace, and I will be surrounded by your spies. You must naturally provide me with sufficient protection to ensure that the oath King Hui made before was not just a casual remark."
"Your Highness can rest assured. As long as King Hui does not go back on his word, I will never touch the Princess and the Crown Princess. I will also do my utmost to protect them and the Crown Princess's unborn child."
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