Not only Xie Zhaozhao couldn't understand it, but even an old fox like Xie Anfeng didn't know.
After the deaths of several princes, Emperor Hui vomited blood and fell into a coma for several days, and never stood up again.
The imperial court meetings were moved to the Imperial Study, and sometimes to the Imperial Bedchamber.
Later, people gradually had a strange feeling. The imperial court had always been wary of the empress's interference in politics. In particular, the founding emperor of the Great Han Dynasty set the first taboo of the court, which was that the empress's family should not interfere in the affairs of the court.
Even among the two empresses of the Wei family, there was no precedent for a hen crowing at dawn, yet Consort Xi began to interfere in politics.
Whether in the imperial study or in the imperial bedchamber, Consort Xi would always be present during discussions.
The Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet suddenly announced that Consort Xi would be the head of the harem, which surprised everyone, but not too much.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Emperor Hui's health visibly deteriorated day by day, and the harem fell into disarray, requiring someone to manage it.
On August 16th, the imperial edict announcing the Empress's investiture was proclaimed to the world, and the court officials suddenly discovered a grim fact: Empress Xie had begun reviewing memorials and handling state affairs.
The imperial court was immediately thrown into an uproar.
The Imperial Censor tearfully advised His Majesty not to open this door, as it would violate ancestral rules.
Citing classical texts, the author enumerates the drawbacks of women interfering in politics, stating that "when a hen crows at dawn, the country will perish."
Emperor Hui seemed to rely heavily on Empress Xie; anyone who impeached the Empress was punished with a beating.
Every day, officials were carried back to their residences with their buttocks bruised and battered, while others wailed and cried in court.
Grand Secretary Liu looked at Xie Anfeng and asked, "Lord Xie, what do you think?"
Xie Anfeng stated righteously and sternly: "I believe that although Your Majesty is slightly unwell, the cabinet is working diligently and is still able to handle state affairs. There is no need for Your Majesty the Empress to interfere in politics."
Grand Secretary Liu breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully Lord Xie wasn't confused.
The majority of people in the court protested against Empress Xie's ambition.
Empress Xie did not back down and continued to review the memorials as usual.
Despite the ministers' earnest pleas, the Grand Secretary Liu and Minister of Personnel Zhang (Zhang Yanyan's father) joined forces to resist Empress Xie's interference in politics. They stopped submitting memorials and instead discussed matters orally whenever possible.
Unfortunately, Emperor Hui was old and senile, and actually issued an edict to imprison Grand Secretary Liu and Minister Zhang!
Among officials in the imperial court, there are neither absolutely honest nor absolutely corrupt officials. Who doesn't have three or five enemies? Even though Grand Secretary Liu and Minister Zhang devoted their lives to serving the country, when they were imprisoned, a bunch of officials still praised them, saying that they deserved their punishment.
Empress Xie had a large following, with officials from the Three Departments and Six Ministries praising her iron-fisted approach to combating corruption, and there were countless people singing her praises.
On the day that Grand Secretary Liu and Minister Zhang were imprisoned, Xie Anfeng knelt outside the Imperial Study, begging His Majesty to spare Grand Secretary Liu and Minister Zhang, saying that they were both loyal ministers and that His Majesty should not hurt the hearts of loyal ministers.
He knelt for three hours, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
A pair of dark purple satin shoes appeared before me.
Empress Xie's voice came from above: "His Majesty's words are law, and he will not retract his decree. Minister Xie, please do not make things difficult for His Majesty and return."
Xie Anfeng asked coldly, "Where is my daughter?"
"What do you not trust about having me by your side?" Empress Xie said. "If you want to save Grand Secretary Liu and Minister Zhang, I can forgive them with His Majesty's help, but they have offended His Majesty. They may be spared the death penalty, but they will not escape punishment."
"Your Majesty the Empress is meddling too much!"
“If Lord Xie is reluctant to let them be punished, there is another way: I heard that the Zhang family has 30,000 servants. If they hand them over, they can be pardoned.”
Xie Anfeng looked up at his younger sister. She was dressed in gorgeous clothes, noble and dignified, but no longer had the bright and sunny demeanor of her younger days.
"Is this what His Majesty desires?"
"Of course not!"
"What do you need his guards for?"
“It’s not that I want it, but that he offered it up in exchange for the lives of an entire household.”
"Your Majesty, it's always good to leave room for maneuver in the future."
"Since Lord Xie is so benevolent, how about you give me 100,000 of the Xie family's Black-Clad Guards?"
"The Xie family has never had 100,000 Black-Clad Guards. All of them went to the Northwest to fight against Wei this time... Her Majesty is already the mother of the nation, what more could you possibly want?"
"I am not ungrateful! I am only concerned for the safety of the nation." Empress Xie said in a serious tone, "His Majesty is in such poor health, and state affairs cannot be delayed for even a day. He trusts me and entrusts me with handling state affairs, but you all stand up and criticize me to the point of being completely torn apart. What heinous crime have I committed?"
There were no other officials outside the Imperial Study, but there were secret guards and personal guards.
The two spoke softly, but Xie Anfeng stopped talking to her.
He had considered retiring and severing ties with Empress Xie, but as the head of the Xie clan, he had to protect the entire clan.
The Northwest campaign had not yet achieved a final victory, and his son-in-law and eldest son were still on the front lines.
His daughter is still being held by the Empress.
He couldn't leave the court; he had to protect the Xie family and the children.
He cannot only think of himself; he must mediate within the court.
Even if the world believes that the Xie family has treacherous ambitions, he cannot back down.
He had to do everything he could to prevent chaos in the imperial court and temporarily tolerate Empress Xie's interference in politics.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Empress Xie sneered: "Whether you agree or not, I will live for myself this time."
She turned and left with an air of grandeur. Xie Anfeng cried out, "Zhaozhao is innocent! She is about to give birth. Considering that she has respected Your Majesty as her mother since she was a child, we beg Your Majesty to let her return to the manor."
Empress Xie didn't turn her head and said, "Lord Xie, you are overthinking it. Unlike you, I don't treat her as a pawn of the Xie family. I love her more than all of you."
*
Xie Zhaozhao knew nothing about what was happening inside or outside the palace.
The Wenhui Hall where she lived was guarded both in front and behind.
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