When the Pei family left Beijing, the anger of the court officials reached its peak.
With their families in tow, truckloads of supplies were shipped out of the capital, one after another.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the Pei family's household supplies are shipped by Shanhe Express."
"Your Majesty is ridiculous!"
"He's clearly a tyrant!"
"How can we allow this tyrant to continue to seize the throne?"
"Your Majesty must have treacherous villains around him."
"Purge the court!"
Who is the evil villain?
"A tyrant emperor is not worthy of sitting on the throne. What we need to do is not to purge him, but to depose him!"
Deposed emperor?
When they heard the word "deposed emperor", some people felt their hearts boiling with excitement, while others felt cold all over.
I can’t afford it, I can’t afford it!
Even the deposed emperor could come up with this idea. They are indeed a group of people who don’t know their own life or death.
You guys play by yourselves, I’m a coward so I’ll leave first.
"coward!"
"A bunch of rats!"
"Why bother arguing with a bunch of foolish people? If you want to depose the emperor, you must invite the Empress Dowager out."
"The Empress Dowager's surname is also Pei."
"Liu Peishi, first of all, she is a member of the Liu family."
"Are you planning to have Prince Duan replace His Majesty? Have you asked Prince Duan what he thinks?"
"There's no need to ask for his opinion. When the time comes, he'll have to think about it even if he doesn't want to, or else he'll just have to find another one."
So cruel!
Is this about becoming a powerful official?
"The Empress Dowager has been living in Weiyang Palace for months and hasn't come out. No one else can see her. What should we do?"
"Then find a way to release the Queen Mother."
"What's the plan?"
"Let me explain it to you in detail."
…
For several days, Xiao Qin'er's eyelids were twitching and her heart was in a panic. She always felt that something bad was happening, but she couldn't find the source.
She secretly sent someone to "keep an eye on Concubine Xiao to see if she has any unusual movements recently."
She personally returned to her parents' home and found nothing unusual. Her sister, Concubine Xiao, was also quiet.
Could the source be the prince?
Prince Duan Liu Yi had not gone out for several months. He was drunken and dreaming every day, letting things happen outside and never asking about them.
Determined to live a decadent and corrupt life to the end.
Xiao Qin'er called the steward over and asked, "Has anyone been whispering nonsense in the prince's ear recently?"
"Your Highness, no one is talking nonsense. However, two court officials requested an audience with the prince, but were turned away by the gatekeeper."
"Who wants to see the prince?"
"This is a visiting card, please take a look, Your Majesty."
Xiao Qin'er opened the visiting cards and found that they were all from unknown people.
Her eyelids were still twitching and her heart was getting more and more panicked, but she couldn't find the reason.
Until one bright autumn morning, I heard news from the palace...
Bang!
The porcelain shattered and she was completely dumbfounded.
It turned out that the source of her uneasiness was in the palace.
The eunuchs colluded with each other and took advantage of the opportunity when His Majesty Liu Zhao was attending the morning court and the Empress was in the Prince of Qin's Mansion to lead people into the Weiyang Palace and rescue Empress Dowager Pei.
A group of middle and lower-level officials accompanied Empress Dowager Pei to the Jinluan Palace and accused Liu Zhao of being unfilial. It was not that Empress Dowager Pei needed to rest, but that Liu Zhao had imprisoned her in the Weiyang Palace, trying to whitewash the situation and deceive the world.
How can such a foolish and unfilial person be qualified to be a king?
The ministers demanded the emperor be deposed!
The ministers were in an uproar!
The most serious imperial power crisis in the Zhou Dynasty in decades broke out.
It was also the most serious conflict between the imperial power and the court in the past hundred years of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
What should the emperor do?
How will this matter develop?
This group of eunuchs and middle and lower-level officials who snatched Empress Dowager Pei away, no matter what the outcome is, no matter who becomes the emperor, you are all dead.
The imperial power and the court do not allow such people to exist.
When Xiao Qin'er heard this, she was so shocked that she almost suffocated.
Because this group of traitors actually mentioned the name of Prince Duan Liu Yi in the Golden Palace.
"What kind of hatred or grudge does this have? My prince has done nothing, yet he was dragged into this rebellion. Is someone deliberately trying to kill him?"
"It must be the second brother who is behind this. He is definitely involved in this matter."
"What should I do? What should I do?"
"If you're not careful, you'll end up with your property confiscated and your head executed."
"Princess, don't worry. What if His Majesty is incompetent..." a maid spoke up.
"Shut up right there! Who sent you to serve me? Who is your master?"
Xiao Qin'er was furious and pointed at the maid with anger in her eyes.
The maid knelt down and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. I am your person in life and your ghost in death."
"Shut up! You harbor evil intentions and have evil intentions. Come, imprison her and torture her severely. I want to know who sent this lowly servant."
The old woman dragged the maid away regardless of her cries and pleas for mercy.
Xiao Qin'er's face turned pale and her whole body trembled. "Where is the prince? Where is the prince now?"
"Your Majesty, the prince is in the study."
Xiao Qin'er didn't care about anything else, lifted her skirt and rushed into the study.
Prince Duan Liu Yi was half drunk and half awake, his eyes were blurry.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
"Hmph! What a good day!" Liu Yi sneered.
Xiao Qin'er didn't have time to dwell on Liu Yi's attitude. She spoke frantically, "A eunuch rebelled, storming into the Weiyang Palace and seizing the Empress Dowager. A group of fearless officials from the middle and lower ranks escorted the Empress Dowager to the throne room, accusing His Majesty of being unfilial and a tyrant, and demanding that the Empress Dowager depose the Emperor."
boom!
Liu Yi's head exploded and he sobered up instantly.
Xiao Qin'er continued, "What's even more terrible is that those treacherous ministers actually mentioned Your Majesty's name. Now everyone might think that the prince was behind this."
After all, Empress Dowager Pei advocated the dethronement of the emperor, and the person who benefited the most was Prince Duan Liu Yi.
"Your Highness, what should we do? This concerns our lives and property. Your Highness must make a decision."
Prince Duan Liu Yi's eyes were red, "Can we win?"
"Are you crazy?"
Liu Yi's facial features twisted as he angrily asked, "Can I win if I ask?"
Xiao Qin'er was confused, "Who are you asking if they can win?"
Liu Yi wiped his face and asked, "What's the situation outside now?"
"I'm not sure yet! I only know that the palace gates are sealed, and the Jinwu Guards and Dragon Cavalry Guards are out in full force."
Liu Yi sighed, closed his eyes, and was silent for a moment, "Bring me some wine!"
Xiao Qin'er cursed, "You're crazy! You still have the mind to drink at this time."
Liu Yi was furious and pointed at Xiao Qin'er's face, "You are indeed a foolish woman! Only by not drinking at this time can you save your life, do you understand?"
Xiao Qin'er didn't understand, but she didn't stop the servant from getting the wine.
Liu Yi, holding the wine jug, solemnly said to Xiao Qin'er, "When I get drunk, you and the eldest brother will carry me to the Queen Mother to prove my innocence. My daily drunken stupor is the best evidence."
Xiao Qin'er was confused and asked, "Aren't you going to look for His Majesty?"
"Your Majesty has no time to care about you right now. Only the Empress can save our family."
Xiao Qin'er nodded in agreement, then asked worriedly, "This matter really has nothing to do with you, right?"
Liu Yi was furious. "You blocked the news and took charge of the gatehouse, forbidding anyone to reveal what was happening outside to me. I have been deaf and blind for the past year. What happened in the palace has nothing to do with me. The only connection is that I am the Queen Mother's biological son."
Xiao Qin'er hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please calm down. I'm just worried. Could it be the Second Brother who's behind this?"
"I don't know! The most important thing is to save your life first."
Liu Yi stopped talking nonsense and picked up the wine jug and poured it into his mouth.
He successfully got himself drunk and passed out.
Xiao Qin'er quickly ordered the servants to load Liu Yi into the carriage and called her eldest son, Liu Zheng, over. "Listen to me the whole time today and say whatever I tell you. Whether our family can survive depends on your performance today."
Liu Zheng was confused, but still obediently followed his mother out of the palace.
Instead of going to the palace, I went directly to the Prince of Qin's Mansion.
The Qin Palace was surrounded by the Dragon Cavalry Guards for protection.
Xiao Qin'er revealed her identity and stated her purpose before she was able to reach the gate of Prince Qin's Mansion.
She did not knock on the door before entering, but directly put the unconscious Liu Yi on the ground. She then pulled Liu Zheng to kneel at the door without saying a word.
Liu Zheng quietly asked, "Mother, how long do we have to kneel?"
"Shut up!"
After a while, she said again: "Kneel down until the Queen trusts us."
Can you gain trust by kneeling at the door?
Xiao Qin'er advised, "Learn more. You'll need to be able to handle things on your own in the future, so you need to learn how to adapt to changing circumstances."
Liu Zheng nodded.
It was just a coincidence for him.
He had been training in the Beijing Camp and recently took a month off to go on a blind date. Unexpectedly, after only a few days back, he encountered a group of reckless people forcing him to abdicate.
Gu Jiu sat in the study, clacking away on his abacus.
Everyone in the palace was extremely anxious.
"Your Majesty, the palace gates are sealed, no one is allowed to enter or leave. No news can be transmitted from the palace, and the servants cannot enter. We don't know what the situation is in the palace now."
"Why aren't you anxious at all, Madam?"
"My Lady, the Duan County Princess and Young Master Zheng are kneeling outside the gate. The Duan County Prince is drunk and is not sure whether he is alive or dead. He was thrown to the ground."
"Why is Princess Duan causing trouble at this time? Don't you know that the Queen is busy? Send them away quickly."
"No need to send them away." Gu Jiu finally stopped what he was doing.
She rubbed her fingers and said, "Let them continue to kneel."
"Your Majesty, are you suspicious of Prince Duan?"
"No! I want to use Prince Duan as bait to fish."
A group of eunuchs, a group of powerless middle and lower-level officials, were so bold as to rush into the Weiyang Palace to rescue Empress Dowager Pei, and even dared to advocate the dethronement of the emperor in the Golden Palace. They were not only very bold, but they simply regarded themselves as God's own sons.
If you say there is nothing special about this, and that it is just a group of officials who are "loyal, brave, and serve the country and the people", Gu Jiu would twist his head off and kick it like a ball.
It's obvious that someone is behind this.
At first glance, the person who benefited the most was Prince Duan Liu Yi.
Naturally, Prince Duan Liu Yi became the biggest target.
Now it seems that Prince Duan Liu Yi has also become a pawn in the hands of others, being used as a shield.
“Interesting!”
Gu Jiu sneered, "Your Majesty has been on the throne for less than a year, and you've already had multiple conflicts with the court officials. Apparently, some people thought your Majesty's throne was unstable and worth a try. However, their methods were too clumsy."
Who does Empress Dowager Pei think she is?
Even if Empress Dowager Pei could nominally advocate the dethronement of the emperor, would her words be effective?
Does she have authority commensurate with her position?
A woman who has no power, no political acumen, and only has the title of empress dowager, is pushed out and destined to end up as cannon fodder.
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