Chapter 873: Queen's Thousand Years
Cao Dejiang hurriedly took a half step forward and asked, "Eunuch Pan, is the Empress safe? Has she suffered any harm since leaving the palace?"
Pan Xi smiled broadly: "Don't worry, Prime Minister Cao, the Queen is fine."
"Those people in Beiling..."
"Yes, were those people caught?"
Qian Baokun and Mr. Huo all looked worried.
After they entered the palace to "keep vigil", they were trapped in the Xinde Hall and never went out again. After King Hui and his men forced the palace and were captured, the imperial guards stayed outside and did not allow anyone to enter or leave.
In order to prevent the news from leaking out, and also to prevent the people brought into the palace by King Hui and others from becoming desperate and harming the court officials entering the palace, all communication between Xinde Palace and the outside world was completely cut off.
After the queen left the palace, martial law was imposed, and they knew nothing about what was happening outside the palace. However, they were not stupid. Even without any news, they could imagine that King Hui and his men would not only take action in the palace tonight.
The aristocratic families are putting all their efforts into rebellion and forcing the emperor to seize power, which will surely cause chaos in the capital.
Qian Baokun was worried about his family and also worried about the chaos in the city. He couldn't help but ask, "Is everything okay outside? Have all the bandits been captured?"
Pan Xi seemed to understand what he wanted to ask, and smiled to comfort him, "Don't worry, Master Qian, everything is fine outside, and everyone else is safe at home. The Empress has already instructed everyone to protect their families."
"As for the others..."
Pan Xi said, "The Beiling spy Ming Ke has been executed on the spot. All the Beiling assassins hiding in the capital have been strangled. Lord Geng and his men have captured the culprit who has been causing chaos in the capital recently."
"The Beijing Patrol Battalion and the Black Armor Guards have completely taken over the capital. The previous rebels have been killed or captured. With Lord Wu and Lord Geng away, there will be no more chaos in the capital. As for the palace, Commander Yu has already led his men to clear it out. Everything is now secure, and you all can rest assured."
"real?"
"Very good!"
Qian Baokun and the others all relaxed. They actually didn't know the Queen's plan, and they didn't even know that she wanted to liquidate the aristocratic families before tonight.
Apart from the shrewd Cao Dejiang who vaguely sensed something was amiss, no one had expected that the various events in the court were the result of the Queen using the rebellion of Prince Hui and others to completely purge the capital and capture the Beiling spies.
Previously, the Queen was competing with the aristocratic families, but later when the aristocratic families became weak, they became rampant, and the Qingliu faction was suppressed, so that His Majesty was trapped in Southern Qi. They all thought that something really went wrong, and they were even more anxious when they were panicked.
Not to mention that King Hui and others only realized they were being plotted against today, even Qian Baokun and others only realized something was wrong after entering the palace earlier.
Knowing the Queen's plan, they were shocked by her boldness and methods. While they were glad that the Queen had not lost power, they were also worried that something unexpected would happen when they learned that she had left the palace to personally capture the Beiling spies.
Now that the queen has returned safely, many court officials who are loyal to the queen are filled with joy.
Only King Hui and others looked even paler.
Pan Xi glanced at the people in the hall and said, "Prime Minister Cao, the Empress is still waiting. I have to take Prince Hui and the others there. The Empress has instructed that you, Prime Minister Liang, and the others should also go."
Everyone looked at King Hui and his men, knowing that what would follow would probably be a complete reckoning. The court officials who had colluded with King Hui collapsed to the ground.
Pan Xi leaned over and said, "Prince Hui, please come in."
The imperial guards who were originally standing in the hall came forward one after another and took Prince Hui and others away. Liang Guangyi led Shi Qingrong and followed behind with cold eyes.
"Prime Minister Cao" and other court officials all looked at Cao Dejiang.
Cao Dejiang said, "Look at what I am doing. Let's go and see the Queen."
…
The nights are long in spring, and when everyone arrived at Mingzheng Hall, the moonlight had not yet faded.
There were already people sitting in the hall. Tang Ning, dressed in gorgeous clothes, asked about the affairs of the palace in a calm voice. The commander of the imperial guards, Yu Yanfeng, bowed and said something. Feng Qiuli, Yue Jian and others were also standing in front of the hall.
People entered the hall one after another, and many people's eyes fell on Feng Qiuli.
If it weren't for the bloodstains still on his clothes, no one would have believed that this gentle and calm man in front of them would have appeared with a sword in his hand and a human head in his hand.
"Empress, the people are here."
King Hui and others were pushed and forced to kneel in the hall.
Cao Dejiang and others also knelt down and saluted.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen."
"Long live the Queen, long live the Queen."
The sound filled the hall. Tang Ning sat on the dragon throne with a calm expression: "Everyone, please stand."
The people in the hall stood up one after another, and they could see the young woman above them if they raised their heads slightly.
She was not very old, with skin as white as jade, red lips and dark eyebrows, and her face still had a bit of girlish innocence, but her black eyes were dark and steady. Paired with a bright yellow dress, the young woman had an even more majestic and sharp look, making people dare not look directly at her.
Unlike the past when the queen was hidden behind curtains to receive court officials, today she sat openly on the dragon throne and accepted the court officials' kowtows.
This was against the rules, but no one questioned it. Even the stubborn old men in the Censorate stood quietly below without saying a word.
They wanted to leave their names in history, not seek death for no reason.
Tang Ning glanced at everyone before speaking calmly, "I believe everyone present is aware of what happened tonight. King Hui, do you have anything to explain?"
King Hui slumped to the ground, looking up at his superiors: "The victor is king. I have nothing to say. But Song Tangning, you are using the country and the court to set up a war, just to trick me and the noble families. Aren't you afraid that if something goes wrong, it will really destroy the Great Wei?"
"I have made great ambitions and have failed, so I deserve death. But what good are you, Song Tangning?"
"You and Xiao Yan deliberately delayed the war with Southern Qi to achieve your goals, allowing the flames of war to rage throughout the northwest, disregarding the lives of civilians and soldiers. You are unworthy of the throne!"
King Hui knew that he had no way to survive after tonight. Neither Xiao Yan nor Song Tangning would ever spare his life. But even if he died, he would make them both disgraced, and no one would have an easy life.
The court officials in the hall all had different expressions. It was obvious that King Hui's words had touched their hearts to some extent. However, before they could think more about it, Feng Qiuli, who was standing beside them, had already spoken.
"What a joke! Beiling has poured all its might southward, secretly forming alliances with Southern Qi and the various tribes of Western Xinjiang. If it weren't for your majesty's scheme to divide us, with the current strength of Wei, I'm afraid they would have already divided us up."
"Your Majesty risked his life to break up the alliance between Beiling and Southern Qi, and he has already sent people to the Western Frontier to intimidate and subdue the various tribes. Your Majesty set up a trap in the capital in order to use Beiling's spies to send a message to Beiling, making them believe that Your Majesty is in trouble and that the Great Wei is in chaos."
"You think His Majesty and His Majesty are like you, only concerned with their own ambitions and greed. When you were plotting to seize the imperial power, His Majesty had already secretly led his men north, waiting for the opportunity to capture Beiling!"
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