His heart was filled with emotion, and he suddenly felt a little impatient.
seven
With the year-end approaching, although there was still no clue about the assassination of the official and the situation in the court was gradually changing, the prime minister had no choice but to put on a smiling face and enter the palace to offer congratulations during the New Year.
On the morning of New Year's Eve, the heavy snow had just stopped. Emperor Huan had changed into his imperial robes and was about to go to court when the Empress suddenly called to him. When he stopped, she leaned against the incense burner behind him and said: "I have begged Your Majesty so many times, do you really not want to sing that song of Suzhou Bai for me?"
Emperor Huan paused for a moment, then left without turning back or saying a word.
In the imperial court, the officials stood in rows, bowing their heads and kneeling in worship.
Emperor Huan repeated the same words he uttered every year at this time, his gaze sweeping lightly over the palace gate. There, a cold glint flashed, only to disappear swiftly behind the door.
He knew what it was.
After saying "Rise," Emperor Huan said to the Prime Minister in a gentle tone, "Prime Minister, you have worked tirelessly for the country year after year, which greatly pleases me. In the years to come, I hope that you, Prime Minister—" He paused, his expression suddenly turned stern, and his voice rose sharply—"
As if on cue, dozens of Imperial Guards suddenly surged in from the palace gates, brandishing spears and halberds, and surrounded the Prime Minister. The court officials were terrified, heads bowed and hands clasped to the side, not daring to utter a sound.
He had been waiting for this day for a long time. Countless acts of forbearance were merely a means to bide his time, allowing Jiang Wei to secretly contact loyal ministers to orchestrate assassinations, vacating positions held by the prime minister's confidants so he could fill them with people he trusted. For example, the death of Lin Jian, the former commander of the Imperial Guards, ultimately led to the rise of his trusted men. Now, most ministers in the court should obey his orders, and as for the harem, it is likely already under the control of Jiang Wei, who has suddenly launched his attack.
After years of planning, it has finally come to fruition.
Emperor Huan raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Just then, the commander of the Imperial Guards lowered his head and said loudly: "Your subject is late!"
The smile suddenly froze!
Emperor Huan's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed: You
"Your Majesty." The words were cut off by the Prime Minister, who stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the Imperial Guards, showing no fear whatsoever. He laughed loudly, his tone carrying a hint of reproach towards a junior: "Is Your Majesty going to put on another good show for this old minister?" As soon as he finished speaking, the spears and halberds pointed at him all turned around and faced Emperor Huan!
Your Majesty is clever; you devised a plan to bring a newly selected opera troupe into the palace. But I, your humble servant, am unable to ascertain who has infiltrated this troupe. Your Majesty instructed Jiang Wei to feign death, but only to have him fake it, thus revealing Your Majesty's intentions outside the palace. The Prime Minister chuckled, "Unfortunately, someone had already warned me. Therefore, I sent men to investigate the corpses thrown out of the palace, but one was always missing. I am not talented, but I excel at discerning Your Majesty's intentions. After careful consideration, I have roughly figured out the whereabouts of the corpse and Your Majesty's plan."
Afterwards, he secretly sent people to investigate, and finally found a mouse hole in an inconspicuous corner of the palace wall, with a person waiting beside it. They caught a small mouse that had run from inside the palace to outside through the hole, with a roll of silk wrapped around its tail.
He took out the scroll of silk from his robes: "Your Majesty's plans and the names of those to be killed are all on it. I took precautions beforehand, thus saving the pillars of the nation from slaughter. I also followed Your Majesty's method, teaching them to feign death to survive. As for those ministers who, along with Jiang Wei, killed for Your Majesty, I have already dealt with them for Your Majesty."
As if to corroborate his words, the ministers who had been bowing their heads suddenly raised their heads. Several people who were rumored to be dead were now standing perfectly fine in the court, including Lin Jian, the commander of the Imperial Guards who had been poisoned. However, none of the emperor's privately cultivated confidants were present at this moment, presumably all of them had been killed by the prime minister.
All the civil and military officials in the court obeyed the Prime Minister's orders.
His fingertips trembled slightly, his fist clenched tightly, then slowly relaxed. Emperor Huan calmly rose, laughing as if it were nothing more than child's play: "Alas, years of planning, all for naught. The Prime Minister is indeed a master strategist."
When he heard the voice of the Imperial Guard Commander sound like Lin Jian, he knew that the situation was hopeless. He had lost completely.
He looked up at the palace gate and saw that the snow, which had clearly stopped, was falling again.
He smiled slowly and said softly, "It's snowing. I've always been afraid of the cold. Court is adjourned!"
eight
Step by step, they walked back to the inner palace, ascending the jade steps leading to the Empress's palace. Every step of the jade steps was stained with blood and littered with the limbs of the dead.
Emperor Huan recognized Jiang Wei's severed head on the last jade step. The last bloodline of the loyal Jiang family, who had stood against the Prime Minister, was thus lost.
It was his fault.
But he still smiled slightly, smoothed out every wrinkle on his clothes, and pushed open the gate to the Empress's palace.
Inside the hall, hot wine had already been prepared for him.
He sat upright and ordered all the palace servants and guards to leave. The Empress came with a wine cup and knelt before him: "After drinking this wine, Your Majesty will no longer be afraid of the cold."
He lowered his gaze and looked deeply at her: "The Empress is truly my virtuous empress and the Prime Minister's fine daughter."
Of course. The Empress looked up, her smile the most perfect curve of her lips, and met his gaze. "My father has a wonderful daughter," she thought. "She told him about His Majesty's question, 'Doesn't a puppet have its own destiny?' thus saving him from His Majesty's schemes. After His Majesty's passing, she will be the future Empress Dowager. Her life will be one of unparalleled wealth and glory."
He raised the corner of his mouth: She will be the Empress Dowager sooner or later. He paused for a moment, his voice low and hoarse, "Why?"
Why?
The Empress's smile faltered for a moment, then she laughed even more heartily: Originally, she only wanted to take away a little bit of His Majesty's power, thinking that this would keep him by her side forever. Who knew that once she took a little, she couldn't stop. Later, she found that she could no longer keep His Majesty, so why didn't she go all the way and take everything she could with her father?
"In that case, how about I bestow another favor upon her? When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, she may take his surname. The vast empire and the centuries-old legacy, I will give them all to her!" He suddenly burst into laughter, a display of utter madness. Almost snatching the wine cup, he said nothing more, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
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