Imperial Palace, Throne Room.
Broken limbs and arms, blood splattered everywhere, the ground was in a mess!
The court officials were locked up in a side hall and were not allowed to enter or leave.
Some people trembled, their minds recalling the moment of the palace coup, when the Dragon Cavalry Guards rushed out in full force, swords drawn, and attacked without hesitation, not caring about the identity or status of the person being attacked.
There was only one thought in their eyes: to kill people on orders!
The scene was too bloody and scary!
Today, most court officials have clearly realized that the emperor sitting on the throne came from the military.
I'm not good at being affectionate, and I don't want to play the game.
When something happens, just do it, or kill!
It has always been simple and rough!
Before, everyone pointed at Liu Zhao's nose and scolded him for being a tyrant, filed impeachments, and argued in the court. However, Liu Zhao's reaction was calm, which made many court officials mistakenly believe that Liu Zhao had just ascended the throne and lacked confidence.
However, unexpectedly, once the palace coup occurred, Liu Zhao took the most direct, swift and most shocking approach without any hesitation: kill!
The eunuch officials who forced the emperor to abdicate were killed on the spot. Judging from their attitude, they didn't even want to keep them alive.
"Master Lu, what should we do?"
In the side hall, someone finally couldn't help but ask quietly about the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Lu.
Lord Lu's expression was indifferent, "Wait!"
A bunch of idiots!
Who is behind all this?
"Will the Empress Dowager be alright? Your Majesty has locked us up in a side hall without asking any questions or allowing us to enter or leave. What's his real intention? What if Your Majesty does something to the Empress Dowager... and no one tries to dissuade us? What will happen?"
Some people are worried.
Although they disliked Liu Zhao and were extremely dissatisfied with his various decisions, they never considered deposing him. They were even more unwilling to see Liu Zhao bear the reputation of a matricide.
"If the Emperor treats the Empress Dowager... then the world..."
No one could accept a matricide sitting on the throne.
The court advocated filial piety, but the emperor personally killed his mother. Isn't the so-called filial piety a joke and a contradiction in one's own face?
So someone must dissuade the emperor at the critical moment.
Lord Lu said softly, "Your Majesty wouldn't be so confused!"
Matricide?
It's not like I'm crazy.
As long as your majesty is not crazy, he will not go to that step.
"The Queen will not sit idly by."
"But the Empress is not in the palace, the palace gates are closed, and the capital is under martial law..."
"Don't worry about things happening, just be patient and wait."
Inside the Golden Palace, the corpse was carried away and the palace maids knelt on the ground to clean up the filth.
Empress Dowager Pei sat dejectedly on a chair, guarded by several eunuchs.
The Dragon Guards are stationed outside the palace gates, and no one is allowed to enter or leave without the permission of His Majesty.
Liu Zhao sat on the dragon throne, drinking tea, staring at the bloodstains on the ground with an unclear expression.
He occasionally glanced at Empress Dowager Pei.
One look made Empress Dowager Pei tremble all over and almost faint.
The palace servants cleaned the Golden Palace, leaving only a faint smell of blood.
The brass incense burner was lit, and the rich fragrance dispelled the last trace of bloody smell.
It was not until this moment that Liu Zhao stood up from the dragon throne, walked down the steps, and walked towards Empress Dowager Pei step by step.
He waved his hand and all the eunuchs withdrew.
Next was the time for the mother and son to talk, and Liu Zhao didn't want anyone else to hear.
He asked softly, "My Queen Mother hates me so much that she wants to depose me?"
Empress Dowager Pei burst into tears. "I have no idea what happened. Those eunuchs beat up the palace maids around me, grabbed me, and ran away. I ran all the way to the Golden Palace before I realized the situation was dire, but it was too late. I was a hostage, a pawn, and a victim."
"Your Majesty, do you mean that all this has nothing to do with you?"
"Of course it doesn't matter." Queen Mother Pei's face was pale, but her skin was still firm.
Although he was frightened and looked a little embarrassed, he was in good spirits and could maintain basic decency.
Liu Zhao didn't believe what Queen Mother Pei said.
"Ever since childhood, my mother has been dissatisfied with me. How do I know that you don't have the intention to depose the emperor?"
Empress Dowager Pei angrily rebuked, "Even if I harbored the desire to depose the emperor, I took no action and never mentioned it to anyone. I have nothing to do with these treacherous ministers. If Your Majesty wishes to accuse me of slander, I have nothing to say."
"Have I ever done anything wrong to you? You actually want to depose the emperor?" Liu Zhao asked sternly.
Queen Mother Pei was furious. She cast aside her fear and donned her armor. "How have you ever been worthy of me? From childhood to adulthood, have you ever listened to what I said? For the sake of your wife, you even abandoned your own mother. Am I wrong to call you an ungrateful wolf?"
"presumptuous!"
"I am your biological mother, so I cannot scold you. Even if you are the emperor, you must serve me, otherwise you are unfilial!"
Bang!
Liu Zhao slammed his fist on the table, startling Empress Dowager Pei.
Empress Dowager Pei's confidence was shattered. She sobbed and cried, "I was used! You locked me up in Weiyang Palace, with no access. I haven't seen anyone for months, and I don't even know what's happening outside. I never knew those people were so bold as to kidnap me and force me to depose the emperor. Even though I'm dissatisfied with you, I never really wanted to depose the emperor. I just occasionally thought about it and said a few angry words."
She cried sadly.
Being imprisoned in the Weiyang Palace was the most humiliating period of her life since she married Emperor Chengzong Wende.
She was a daughter of the Pei family, married to a prince, was named princess, and later entered the palace to become queen.
She lived a smooth life, except for being annoyed by Emperor Chengzong Wende's favoritism towards other women, or being annoyed by Empress Dowager Xiao.
Most of the time, she has the final say and does whatever she wants in her own little piece of land.
But he suffered a major setback at the hands of his own son Liu Zhao.
Empress Dowager Pei had lived a smooth life, but now she suffered such a great loss in her old age. How could she not feel resentment?
Complaints and cursing are inevitable.
If you say how bad her heart is and whether she dares to act on it, you are probably overestimating her.
Most of the time, Empress Dowager Pei is good at talking but terrible at taking action.
He is the kind of person who has the desire but not the courage to do it.
She had the guts to point at Liu Zhao's nose and scold him for being unfilial, and asked her to plan to depose the emperor, but she didn't have the brains or the execution to do so.
Liu Zhao knew it well, but he had no intention of letting Empress Dowager Pei go.
He said coldly, "I will make the decision to send the families of Marquis Lu and Pei Meng to the northwest to reunite with their families."
When Empress Dowager Pei heard this for the first time, she was dumbfounded!
"What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty?"
Liu Zhao smiled maliciously, "This time, my mother advocates deposing the emperor, which damages my reputation and authority. How can I not respond? However, Marquis Lu and Pei Meng are important ministers of the state and cannot be easily touched. My mother is my biological mother, so I naturally cannot touch you. But the Pei family, my uncles, it is time to let them know the great grace of heaven and the majesty of the imperial power."
"What are you going to do?" Empress Dowager Pei was anxious. "He is your uncle, my brother from the same mother. He has done nothing in his life and has never offended you. You can't do this."
Liu Zhao sneered, "Who gave him the surname Pei? Having the surname Pei is a sin!"
Queen Mother Pei burst into tears. "You can't do this. I am innocent, and the Pei family is innocent... He didn't offend you, and I didn't really hurt you..."
"Enough! When my mother stood in the Golden Throne Hall and allowed those treacherous ministers to talk nonsense, she had already hurt me. People are all made of flesh and blood. If I have been hurt, then no one else can expect to get away with it. Come, send the Empress Dowager back to Weiyang Palace to recuperate!"
The eunuchs followed orders.
Empress Dowager Pei was anxious. "I don't want to go back to Weiyang Palace. I don't want to be locked up. I will live in Cining Palace, and Weiyang Palace is for the Queen. I won't compete with her."
“It’s too late!”
Liu Zhao waved his hand, and the eunuchs no longer hesitated and forcibly dragged Empress Dowager Pei out of the Golden Palace.
He sat on the steps tiredly, feeling depressed and unhappy.
Qian Fu hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and said boldly, "Your Majesty, the ministers are still imprisoned in the side hall. Should we release them from the palace and return home?"
Liu Zhao hummed, "Let them out of the palace. Maintain martial law in the capital. Are there any survivors?"
"have!"
"Order the Jinwu Guards to torture him severely and uncover the mastermind behind this."
"I obey your command!"
After a pause, Qian Fu continued, "Princess Duan and Prince Zheng were kneeling at the gate of Prince Qin's mansion. Prince Duan was drunk and unconscious, and was thrown to the ground by Princess Duan."
Liu Zhao scoffed, "The Queen will handle this matter."
"Your Majesty, don't you doubt Prince Duan?"
"I know the fourth brother's temper. He doesn't have the courage to do this."
Everyone knew that the fourth brother, Liu Yi, was disobedient to Liu Zhao. However, he kept it to himself most of the time, imagining all sorts of grievances and portraying himself as the most pitiful person in the world, bullied by his eldest brother.
If he were asked to fight Liu Zhao with real weapons, Liu Yi, who had lived under Liu Zhao's shadow since childhood, really didn't have the courage to do so.
Because he knew that he could not defeat Liu Zhao.
His dissatisfaction and grievance were mainly because he wanted to compete with Liu Zhao fairly, but Emperor Chengzong Wende did not give him the opportunity to prove himself.
He was living a life of drunkenness and dreams, just because he didn't want to admit that in his father's heart, he had already lost before the formal competition even started.
A complete defeat.
It's equivalent to completely denying him.
Bravery, talent, ability, and the people's hearts...
The defeat was complete, without even a chance of a comeback.
He numbed himself and wallowed in self-pity.
Liu Yi neither dared nor cared about colluding in private to try to depose the emperor.
The shadow that has been with us since childhood is not so easy to overcome.
This is the downside of having brothers.
Liu Zhao didn't bother to pay attention to his other half-brothers and sent them away with just a look.
When it comes to his brothers, Liu Zhao would devote some of his energy to taking care of one or two of them.
As a result, Liu Yi was left with a trauma, feeling aggrieved and doing all kinds of bad things.
He really grew up under the shadow of Liu Zhao's violence. He felt so wronged, so pitiful, and so helpless...
Qian Fu asked, "Do we still need to send people to surround Prince Duan's mansion?"
"Surround them! Don't let your guard down until the situation becomes clear."
"I obey your command!"
Qian Fu bowed and left, first going to the side hall to give an oral order, allowing the court officials to leave the palace and return home.
All civil and military officials breathed a sigh of relief.
"How is it going?"
"Does His Majesty have any orders?"
"I request to see His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty is busy with state affairs and is not seeing anyone. My Lords, it is late today. We can leave your business for tomorrow."
"The traitors are forcing the palace to rebel. Such a serious matter cannot be left until tomorrow. No, I must see Your Majesty today."
Led by someone, all the officials rushed towards the Golden Palace.
Qian Fu was unable to stop it and could only send someone to inform His Majesty.
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