This is the only room in the "Top Grade" category.
Jian Yang was truly unwilling to give it up so easily.
But if they didn't give it to the emperor, the two would have to sleep in the same bed.
Recalling the scene from the night before they left the palace, she awkwardly dug her toes into the ground.
Just as she was struggling with this dilemma, the emperor calmly said, "Don't worry, Empress, I have no improper thoughts about you."
Jian Yang was instantly enraged upon hearing this!
But she didn't understand what she was angry about. She just angrily took off her outer clothes, climbed into the inner side of the bed, covered herself with the quilt, and ignored everyone.
Upon seeing this, the emperor couldn't help but smile, then took off his clothes and lay down on the outside of the bed.
That night, Jian Yang vaguely felt herself being embraced.
Her alarm bells rang immediately, and she snapped back to reality.
The expected outcome did not occur at all.
The person next to her didn't do anything to her at all.
He simply held her quietly, dispelling the chill of the night for her.
Ultimately, she succumbed to sleepiness and slowly closed her eyes.
It seems the emperor's health is still not very good; the last time was purely accidental.
Once they crossed the border of Yunzhou, Qian Sanbao immediately bid farewell to the two men.
The emperor naturally agreed and thanked him for his care along the way.
Qian Sanbao was overwhelmed with gratitude and tears welled up in his eyes. After bidding a reluctant farewell, the emperor and his subject went their separate ways to their respective homes.
As soon as Qian Sanbao left, the emperor immediately ordered his guards to be vigilant and take strict precautions along the way.
He then explained to Jian Yang, "Once we leave Yunzhou, without Qian Sanbao's cover, the Dingbian King's men will definitely not let this go."
His guess was right.
During the rest of the journey, Jian Yang encountered at least five assassination attempts!
Fortunately, he escaped danger each time under the emperor's protection.
Half a month later, the emperor and empress finally arrived safely in the capital.
When the King of Dingbian learned that his assassination attempt had failed completely, he was so angry that he berated his subordinates severely!
The subordinate was also extremely aggrieved and complained, "Your Highness, it's not that I'm not doing my best, but the Emperor is protecting the Empress very well and has been secretly sending more people to protect her. I simply can't get close to her."
Seeing that the Prince of Dingbian was about to lose his temper again, his advisor quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, please don't be angry. I have another plan."
Tell me about it.
The strategist immediately revealed his plan, and the King of Dingbian was overjoyed and praised the strategist lavishly.
Three days later, the memorial impeaching Prime Minister Jian, submitted by the Prince of Dingbian, was presented to the emperor.
After reading the memorial, the emperor pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Summon Prime Minister Jian to the palace."
Half an hour later, Prime Minister Jian, having received the news, rushed into the palace in a great hurry.
"My dear minister, please take a look first." The emperor handed him the memorial.
After reading it, Jian Xiude was shocked and knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"
The emperor wearily raised his head and said indifferently, "Of course I know you are innocent, otherwise I would not have summoned you to the palace at this time."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Jian was immediately moved to tears, repeatedly saying, "Your Majesty's discerning judgment is beyond measure; I am deeply grateful."
The emperor waved his hand, "But my dear minister, you will likely have to endure some hardship in the coming days."
Prime Minister Jian, being a man of great principle, said, "Your Majesty's good intentions are naturally understood by me."
Morning next day.
As expected, the Prince of Dingbian unleashed a barrage of attacks, relentlessly impeaching Jian Xiude in front of all the officials.
They even brought out so-called "witness testimony".
Officials belonging to the Dingbian King's faction also joined the ranks of those being criticized and denounced.
Prime Minister Jian and his supporters naturally argued their case and tried to prove their innocence.
Ultimately, the two factions argued so fiercely that they handed the decision-making power over to the emperor.
"We have both witnesses and physical evidence. We implore Your Majesty to make a fair judgment and not disappoint the hearts of us old ministers!"
The Prince of Dingbian glared with his tiger-like eyes, making no attempt to hide the pressure he was putting on the emperor with his gaze.
The emperor feigned a submissive demeanor, but finally sighed and conceded, "In that case, I will temporarily remove Jian Xiude from his position as Prime Minister and confine him to his residence until the truth is ascertained!"
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Jian immediately seemed unable to withstand the blow, staggering back a few steps with a pained expression on his face!
Officials belonging to his faction also knelt down to plead for him.
For a time, pleas for mercy rose and fell throughout the hall.
Although the Prince of Dingbian was dissatisfied with the emperor's handling of the matter, the emperor had already made a great concession by being willing to take action against Jian Xiude.
If he pushes too hard, it might actually incite a rebellious spirit.
Besides, even if he wanted to interject, he couldn't.
Therefore, he decided to do as the emperor said for the time being, and deal with other matters later.
"Silence!" Zhang Gonggong shouted.
The hall immediately fell silent again.
"My mind is made up. No one should try to persuade me further, or they will be treated as accomplices!"
After the emperor finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left the hall.
The King of Dingbian felt a surge of satisfaction as he looked at the dejected Prime Minister Jian.
He followed closely behind the emperor out of the main hall and into the imperial study.
"Is there anything else you wish to report, my dear minister?"
The Prince of Dingbian remained neither humble nor arrogant, saying, "His Majesty left in a hurry just now, and there is still an important matter that has not been dealt with."
The emperor frowned suspiciously. "What is it?"
The Prince of Dingbian said with a serious expression, “Empress Jian is arrogant and dissolute because of the Emperor’s favor. I hope Your Majesty will depose her as soon as possible.”
The emperor quickly suppressed the anger in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "My dear minister, everything should be done with moderation and restraint. Do not be too aggressive."
The Prince of Dingbian remained unmoved, continuing to say to himself, "I hope Your Majesty will depose the Empress as soon as possible."
The hall suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, the emperor spoke in a low voice, "My dear minister, you may step down now. I will consider this matter."
Only then did the King of Dingbian take his leave, satisfied.
After he left, the emperor, who had been looking aggrieved and heavy-hearted, suddenly became cold and ruthless.
"Yongfu, go to Weiyang Palace and tell the Empress about what happened today."
He paused, then said, "Have the Empress write a letter to the General of Zhenbei immediately to request reinforcements."
Eunuch Zhang readily agreed.
At this moment, Jian Yang had just returned from paying her respects to the Empress Dowager at Fuxi Palace.
Seeing that Eunuch Zhang was rushing over in a hurry, they immediately went up to ask him what was wrong.
Eunuch Zhang then told her everything that had happened in the court that day.
Upon hearing this, Jian Yang immediately slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"This is outrageous! That old geezer is going too far! If I can't afford to offend him, I'll just stay away. I'm resigning as Empress!"
Having failed to hunt her down, they've now set their sights on her cheap father.
It seems like running away is the only option.
"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Zhang earnestly reminded her, "Given the current situation, it's not that you can simply choose not to be Empress just because you don't want to."
"Originally, he didn't dare to openly harm you, only daring to attempt assassination, precisely because he was afraid of Prime Minister Jian. Now that Prime Minister Jian is in dire straits, do you think you can remain unscathed?"
A single word awakened me from my dream!
Jian Yang paused for a moment, then agreed with Eunuch Zhang's statement.
Indeed, she had offended Consort Yu and Prince Dingbian too badly before, and these two would certainly not let her off easily.
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