As soon as Duanmu Junyu finished speaking, Duanmu Shenghua stepped forward to plead for Duanmu Qingxin.
Duanmu Junyu glanced coldly at Duanmu Shenghua, not giving her a chance to speak, and directly ordered Jinzhu: "Read the imperial edict!"
Jinzhu glanced at Duanmu Shenghua, who seemed ready to ask for permission, and said loudly, "His Majesty has decreed!"
Jinzhu produced an imperial edict, and the assembled officials immediately knelt down.
Su Xuening also knelt down.
Duanmu Qingxin was surprised that Duanmu Junyu was about to read out the imperial edict as soon as she arrived, and immediately looked at Duanmu Shenghua for help.
Duanmu Shenghua stared intently at the imperial edict, frowning as she said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Duanmu Junyu said expressionlessly, "You were the one who made the most noise when I wanted to isolate the crown prince. Now that I am officially establishing the crown prince, you are trying to stop me. We can talk about it after the imperial edict is read out."
"His Majesty……"
Before Duanmu Shenghua could say anything more, Jinzhu began reading the imperial edict: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."
Forced into a corner, Duanmu Shenghua had no choice but to kneel down.
Duanmu Qingxin could only kneel down in a panic.
"Since I ascended the throne by the late Emperor's edict, I have never been weary or complacent in any important military or state affairs, personnel appointments, or administrative matters. I have diligently continued the great legacy, working tirelessly day and night, upholding the illustrious legacy of our ancestors. The entrustment I have received is of paramount importance, and the succession and celebration rest in the hands of my virtuous daughter. My eldest daughter, Duanmu Xuening, is the first heir of the imperial clan, a natural choice ordained by Heaven. Therefore, in accordance with the initial edict, following proper rites, and respecting public opinion, I hereby solemnly inform Heaven, the ancestral temples, and the state, bestowing upon her the imperial seal and establishing her as Crown Princess, placing her in the Eastern Palace, to ensure the continuation of the imperial line and to soothe the hearts of the people. From this day forward, I hereby command the Crown Princess to ascend the Wenhua Hall with the imperial seal, to manage all affairs of state, and to oversee the military and the nation. All matters submitted by the various departments, besides my own, may also be decided by the Crown Princess. This is hereby proclaimed throughout the land, so that all may know."
Duanmu Junyu's imperial edict establishing the crown prince was not too surprising, after all, her previous attitude had already been clear, and it was obvious that she favored this new prince, so it was not unreasonable for her to establish this new prince as the crown prince.
It's a pity about the previous Crown Prince. She was always groomed to be the heir apparent, but in the end, she didn't get the position!
Some of the courtiers had already begun to look at Duanmu with sympathy and affection.
Duanmu Qingxin's face turned ashen. Even though she had expected this outcome, when she actually faced it, she still felt as if her heart had been stabbed by a sharp knife.
Why is the Empress so biased towards her, not giving her even the slightest chance? What did she do wrong to deserve this treatment from the Empress?
Duanmu Shenghua's face darkened upon hearing the imperial edict establishing an heir.
Duanmu Junyu really went to great lengths to pave the way for this bastard child!
Jinzhu was also quite excited as she read the imperial edict. Just a few months ago, her young lady was only the young lady of the Eastern Chu General's Mansion. Later, she became the Holy King's Consort of Eastern Chu, then the Princess of Western Liang, and now she has become the Crown Princess of Western Liang. In the future, she will be the Empress of Western Liang.
Whether it's the lady, the young lady, or the young master, they've all had a tough journey, and now they've finally reaped the rewards of their hard work.
Jinzhu excitedly held the imperial edict and presented it to Su Xuening: "Your Highness, please accept the edict."
Just as Su Xuening was about to accept the imperial decree, Duanmu Shenghua said urgently, "Wait."
Upon hearing Duanmu Shenghua's voice, Su Xuening's gaze sharpened slightly, but she completely ignored her, directly reaching out to accept the imperial edict and loudly proclaiming, "Thank you, Your Majesty, I accept the edict and express my gratitude."
The ministers were somewhat surprised to see that Su Xuening completely ignored Duanmu Shenghua and directly accepted the imperial edict.
I didn't realize that this new crown princess, who seems so docile, would dare to openly defy Prince Hui. You know, Prince Hui is usually the one who has the final say in court.
Sometimes, even His Majesty doesn't dare to refute what Prince Hui says, yet she doesn't take Prince Hui seriously at all.
When Qianmu Shenghua impersonated Duanmu Junyu as empress, she couldn't maintain both identities in court at the same time, so she secretly found another person with a similar build to her sisters to switch between the two identities.
When Duanmu Shenghua was Empress, Prince Hui would not attend court. When Duanmu Shenghua attended court as Prince Hui, the Empress was an imposter, and all the officials often witnessed Duanmu Shenghua completely disregarding the Empress, yet the Empress remained unperturbed.
Over time, the empress lost more and more authority.
On the contrary, Duanmu Shenghua's prestige in the court grew stronger and stronger. Seeing how much the Empress valued her, many officials joined the Huiwang Party in order to curry favor with her, which made Duanmu Shenghua's power in the court grow stronger and stronger!
Seeing Su Xuening's quick wit, Duanmu Junyu couldn't help but smile: "The Crown Princess has heavy responsibilities. You will have to help the Empress Dowager handle state affairs in the future."
Su Xuening bowed and said, "Your subject will do his best."
Duanmu Junyu nodded in satisfaction, overjoyed: "Alright, get up, everyone."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
All the ministers stood up.
Only Duanmu Shenghua and Duanmu Qingxin remained kneeling on the ground.
Duanmu Shenghua did not rise, but looked at Duanmu Junyu with a gloomy expression: "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess has important responsibilities and needs to help Your Majesty manage state affairs. The First Prince has just returned to your side and has never been involved in state affairs before. I am afraid he is not up to the task. I ask Your Majesty to choose someone else."
As she spoke, Duanmu Shenghua winked at the other officials.
Seeing this, the officials also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince has always been groomed by Your Majesty as the Crown Prince, and has been helping Your Majesty handle state affairs. I believe that the Second Prince is more capable of shouldering the great responsibility."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
More and more officials are stepping forward to urge Duanmu Junyu to re-establish an heir apparent.
Duanmu Junyu listened to their words, but couldn't be bothered to get angry.
Knowing they would say these things, she immediately had Jinzhu read the imperial edict upon entering court, precisely because she didn't want to hear them say things she didn't want to hear.
But now the imperial edict has already been issued, and Ning'er has already received it.
Even though the crown prince has already been established, they still want her to re-establish the crown prince. How little respect do they have for her!
"Although the Crown Prince has just returned to my side, she is intelligent, and I am not yet on the verge of death. If there is anything she does not understand, I can teach her step by step."
No sooner had Duanmu Junyu finished speaking than Duanmu Shenghua retorted impatiently, "If Your Majesty is going to teach, why go through all this trouble? The Second Prince has been groomed as the Crown Prince all along, why doesn't Your Majesty just make him the Crown Prince directly!"
Duanmu Junyu gave a mocking cold rebuke and retorted bluntly, "Why do you think I don't make her the crown prince?"
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