Chapter 170 Queen
Ge Huaichuan was tortured by Jiang Yingli's three questions until his face turned pale, his whole body was shaking, and he even had difficulty breathing.
The ministers kneeling behind Ge Huaichuan and Jiang Yingli didn't look much better either. Only Song Zhang on Ge Huaichuan's right seemed calm.
Xiao Chenglan stood on the imperial steps, staring at Jiang Yingli intently, with an indelible light flashing in his eyes.
Jiang Yingli knelt in the hall, looking up at him with determination in her eyes, as if to say - Your Majesty, I will always stand with you.
He waved his sleeves and swept his fingertips over the ministers below.
"Listen to what the Imperial Concubine said. Where is there no Queen's style?"
"You ministers all talk about the immortality of righteousness and the immortality of propriety, yet none of you has paid attention to the state affairs that are currently awaiting discussion. You are bent on stopping me from appointing a queen. After hearing Concubine Xi's three questions, do you feel ashamed as your subjects?"
After being asked this question by Xiao Chenglan, many people who came to persuade him fell silent and lowered their eyelids silently.
Ge Huaichuan took a deep breath, his brows raised, and snorted coldly: "Noble Concubine Xi, you are just quibbling! We should relieve the emperor's worries about national affairs, but can we ignore the etiquette and laws? This is the government hall, His Majesty is discussing state affairs with the ministers, and you, as a concubine, have barged in rashly. You don't have the demeanor of an empress at all, but instead act like a spoiled concubine who is arrogant!"
"Ge Huaichuan, you're so outrageous!" Xiao Chenglan was furious. He grabbed a nearby black jade pen holder and prepared to smash it down. "Someone, drag him away..."
"Your Majesty!" Jiang Yingli suddenly spoke.
She looked at him and shook her head, meaning don't be angry and let her do it.
Xiao Chenglan clenched the pen holder tightly, but finally let go.
Jiang Yingli glanced at Ge Huaichuan. Her eyes did not show the panic of being accused of being a demon concubine. Instead, she was full of determination, and there was a hint of mockery in her tone:
"Lord Ge is a man of great righteousness, and he deeply detests the demon concubine. Throughout the dynasties, there have been many people like Lord Ge. However, the concubines who are favored are often called demon concubines, and they say that we are disrupting the government and are about to destroy the country. But is this really the case?"
"How could it not be so, Imperial Concubine Xi? You have trespassed into the palace today and, as a mere woman, have questioned an important official of the imperial court. You are a disaster to the nation!"
"You are just a woman, yet you look down on women, yet you are so fearful. We, the so-called concubines, have been raised in the deep palace, and all we have seen is the palace walls and a tiny corner of the world. If we could really overthrow the country in a small space, Your Excellency should not criticize us first, but be ashamed of our own abilities first."
"Aren't you well-read in the books of sages? Aren't you well-informed? Could it be that your strategies and talents are no match for the angry smile of a favored concubine?"
Jiang Yingli finished speaking calmly, and Ge Huaichuan's face beside her had already turned red.
The expressions of the ministers around were also extremely shocked, only Song Zhang seemed to be thinking about something, as if he had been touched by what he had just said.
"You should focus your attention on the barbarians who covet Daye, not the women in the harem. Your name should be left in history through your own achievements, not by conquering a woman. You see women as enemies of the government, but you never consider that we too have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. We too wish to follow a wise monarch, hoping for peace and prosperity."
"I and many other concubines in the harem can create lifelike embroidery and perform delightful dances. We can do it, but you may not. But do you really not know how to do it? No, you simply haven't learned it. The same is true for us. If we could study history and political theory from a young age like you, we would also become capable ministers who care about the world and offer advice to the emperor. How come in your eyes, we have become mere women who scheme and deceive the emperor all day long, causing the downfall of Daye? It's really ridiculous. The orange tree in the south is not as good as the tangerine tree in the north. Your Majesty taught me this principle when I was fifteen. Lord Ge, at your age, don't you still understand it?"
The more Jiang Yingli spoke, the more determined she became.
She is not some enchanting concubine. She is just in love with His Majesty and is an ordinary woman.
If she destroyed your Majesty's country, would there be any benefit to her?
Why don’t these ministers understand such a simple truth?
Besides, why can't she be the queen?
She knows honor and disgrace, distinguishes good from evil, manages the harem well, and gave birth to the crown prince for Daye. His Majesty also loves and respects her. No one is more qualified to be the queen than her.
Xiao Chenglan stood on the imperial steps, his eyes never leaving Jiang Yingli's face for a moment.
The anger he had just felt towards Ge Huaichuan for criticizing Jiang Yingli had dissipated, or rather, now his heart was no longer filled with any other emotions except admiration and praise for Jiang Yingli.
His pear has grown up.
This is what he called the sharpness.
Now her brilliance was so dazzling that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
He walked down the imperial steps step by step, came to Jiang Yingli, helped her up with his own hands, and held her hand tightly.
He looked at the ministers who were usually eloquent in the Emperor's Palace but were now speechless under questioning. He gradually began to laugh and said loudly: "I will not allow the historians to hide a single word of today's events. The right and wrong, merits and demerits, will be judged by future generations."
Ge Huaichuan suddenly realized, "Your Majesty, this cannot be allowed. Today was just a verbal exchange, and when things got heated, there were bound to be inappropriate words. How can you be so transparent?"
Xiao Chenglan looked at him quietly: "My dear, don't you think you are righteous and fight against the evil concubine for the sake of the country? Why do you feel guilty?"
"This...your humble servant..." Ge Huaichuan hesitated for a moment and suddenly looked at Song Zhang.
"Master Song, don't you have anything to say?"
Ge Huaichuan thought that a big family like the Song family, which had stood the test of hundreds of years and attached great importance to order and etiquette, would definitely be dissatisfied with Concubine Xi ascending to the throne with such a humble background.
At least the queen should come from a scholarly family, how could she come from the common people?
Song Zhang also has a lot of say. As long as he opens his mouth, His Majesty can no longer act on his own, otherwise it will chill the hearts of important ministers.
Song Zhang looked at his nose and his heart, and said calmly, "I wonder what Lord Ge wants me to say?"
Ge Huaichuan's eyes widened: "Sir, have you forgotten why you came here today?"
Song Zhang knelt on the ground and arched his sleeves to Xiao Chenglan: "This old minister has come here to deliver the files to Your Majesty."
Ge Huaichuan was so angry that his beard trembled: "You just clearly..."
"You just asked me if I was going to Changqing Palace. I just thought I'd come along since it was on the way. I really don't know what you're admonishing me for."
Ge Huaichuan suffered another heart attack.
Song Zhang, this old fox, had been sneaking among them and taking advantage of the situation, but now he turned against them!
It would be fine if the Song family didn't want the position of queen, but why did they specifically choose Concubine Xi?
If the Song family does not object, it is a disguised form of support.
In this way, the chances of this matter turning around are better than zero!
But Ge Huaichuan couldn't understand. All the relatives of Concubine Xi had left the capital due to their crimes. She had no one behind her. If they supported her to ascend the throne, they would not be able to win over any forces. What benefits could the Song family get?
Seeing Ge Huaichuan gradually fall silent, Xiao Chenglan smiled happily. He took Jiang Yingli's hand and walked up the imperial steps.
Jiang Yingli let him lead her hand, stood beside him, and looked down at the ministers in the hall with him.
Xiao Chenglan's voice rang out, brooking no room for argument.
"This matter ends here, and no further discussion is allowed. I have ascended to the throne, standing at the pinnacle of power. Isn't it ridiculous that I cannot make the one I love my queen?"
"From now on, Imperial Concubine Xi is my empress. My lords, please pay your respects."
Soon after he finished speaking, Song Zhang knelt on the ground first and was the first to spread his sleeves and kowtow.
"Your Majesty, may you be well. Your Majesty, may you be well."
The other ministers saw the attitude of the Song family and realized that there was no way out of this matter, so they followed Song Zhang and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, may you be well! Your Majesty, may you be well!"
Ge Huaichuan had a gloomy face and also bowed down, but he did not say a word while blending into the crowd.
Jiang Yingli could naturally see that he was not truly convinced.
The argument in the palace today was indeed just a verbal dispute, but she believed that in time, she, as the queen, would be able to convince everyone.
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