Chapter 255 One person attains enlightenment, and even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven...
Does Prince Ning not know these things?
However—the Prince of Ning's feelings were complicated; he didn't know how to face these things, yet he couldn't bear to part with his mother. He knew he shouldn't plead for his mother.
Now that his last glimmer of hope had vanished, he finally gave up hope.
The young man knelt on the ground, his heart ashen, offering no further rebuttal.
"What...what do you mean by this?" The Third Princess's trembling voice rang out from the side.
She listened to so much of the conversation, swaying precariously. She wanted to plead for mercy, but her brother's words upon entering stunned her for a long time. The more she listened, the paler her face became. The Third Princess was not foolish; a deep sense of foreboding arose in her heart.
What exactly did the Empress Dowager do?
The Third Princess recalled how her husband had always advised her to befriend her elder brother, and just now he had earnestly urged her not to come over and plead for him. But the Third Princess refused, disregarding her own safety and following her brother. Tears welled in her eyes as the Third Princess turned her head and looked intently at her husband.
Wang Shi, who was supporting her, patted her shoulder, looked at the floor tiles and the portrait hanging on the wall, but didn't say anything.
The third princess clutched her lower abdomen, writhing in pain, but for the moment she couldn't care less about that: "...Ugh!"
The Empress Dowager's fate was already tragic enough, yet even so, my brother... still managed to save face for her... What became of the Empress Dowager?
She was in a state of utter confusion.
"—Xiao Chengzi, summon the imperial physician." Qi Chengming saw that the siblings were distraught and had no intention of pleading, so he knew they probably weren't listening. But he still said, "The Third Princess's offspring can inherit your fiefdom and title. Prince Ning, after this matter is settled, go out of the palace and establish your own residence. There are some tasks waiting for you at the Ministry of Revenue."
Amidst the flurry of activity, only Prince Consort Wang Shi had time to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor!"
The meaning is quite clear.
Although the new emperor intends to hold the late empress accountable, he will not abandon his former allies, Prince Ning and the Third Princess. Whether it is to show favor to his brother or to cultivate his reputation, the new emperor plans to give Prince Ning, his younger brother, an important position.
The moment these two imperial edicts are issued from the palace, those outside will understand...
Even though the late empress was on the verge of falling from power, Prince Ning remained unaffected and continued to be extremely popular.
Even after the coronation ceremony that day, the afterglow continued to linger.
As soon as Grand Secretary Mu left the palace, he returned to his residence and refused to see any guests. Many officials, both high and low, who had sent invitations, were turned away and left bewildered. Grand Tutor Wu and the Director of the Imperial Observatory were much smarter; they didn't even come to meet him and tacitly declined all private invitations.
"This isn't right." The retired former Minister of Justice, having been summoned by an old friend, narrowed his eyes warily. The major events of the past few days flashed through his mind. Suddenly, he grabbed his friend's hand and said urgently, "Go back quickly! Pretend you know nothing about this! Don't go anywhere. Do whatever His Majesty says!"
The former Minister of Justice was focused on solving cases and was completely unaware of the intricacies of court politics. His old friend wouldn't have come here to try his luck unless he was completely lost and had nowhere else to turn. Now, upon hearing this, the old friend was half-believing and half-doubting.
"Trust me," the former Minister of Justice said in a low voice.
He didn't understand the intrigues and power struggles of those people, but his mind was full of investigative procedures, allowing him to make connections across different situations. It was clear something big was about to happen. Instead of scheming now, it was better to do nothing; forming cliques was absolutely out of the question.
My old friend left, looking troubled.
All these clandestine activities taking place in the capital were clearly observed by the Imperial Guards and secret agents dispatched by Qi Chengming.
Song Gu sat silently in the new emperor's former residence, facing Qin Liusong, Zhang Ting, and He Dajia. These were all reborn officials in the palace, and while they used to have an unspoken understanding, now they no longer bothered to act, and the atmosphere was gloomy and desolate.
"What is the new emperor thinking?" Zhang Ting asked first. Even in his previous life, he didn't understand the court, so he had no reservations.
Qin Liusong shook his head, extremely worried: "What His Majesty wants to do is not important; we will just second his proposal. The problem is..."
The sky has fallen!
His Majesty didn't give him a chance to breathe this time!
This is the biggest crisis Qin Liusong fears most.
Isn't he the most trusted confidant and the earliest loyal follower of this new emperor?!
"Why isn't Steward Song saying anything?" He Santie couldn't help but ask. He noticed that the usually spirited Steward Song was listless and completely lost his energy today.
Song Gu stared blankly, utterly devastated, his face ashen: "..."
He hadn't recovered since returning from court.
In his past life, the new emperor had specially appreciated him, which is why he secretly entrusted him with that important task... He was the only one instructed to investigate the old affairs of the palace!
That was his honor!
How could this happen—
Why did the new emperor quietly hand over the tasks to Zhao Fuman and Cui Anshi after ascending the throne?
Is there anything about him that makes him inferior to that sly, smiling old eunuch?
Song Gu had countless grievances he wanted to redress.
He San looked at the situation from all angles, feeling utterly bewildered. Wasn't it normal for the new emperor to have his own plans and not tell them? Before, it was the confidants who fawned over the princes; now, it was the court officials and imperial power at odds. It was either the east wind prevailing over the west wind, or the west wind prevailing over the east wind.
He pondered this to himself.
The important thing is... how to let the new emperor know that he is on the new emperor's side.
...
The retired emperor in the palace was furious.
He had just finished the abdication ceremony and was feeling dejected. He then moved to the Imperial Palace to wait and see when the new emperor would get married. Before his wedding, the harem didn't need to move too early; they could gradually move to the Imperial Palace.
Once the imperial concubines made room for the new emperor's future family, the living conditions of the retired emperor inevitably declined. Since they were all his own concubines, the retired emperor was unwilling to have them crammed together so early.
And what was the result?
Turning his head, he saw that arrogant bastard brat declaring he would depose the late Empress! How outrageous! She was his legal mother; how could he possibly depose her?
"Go and fetch the Emperor! Go now!"
"Your Majesty, the Emperor... he said he's busy and will come to pay his respects when he has time..."
"This is utterly disregarding me! Very well! Where is Grand Secretary Cao? Where is the Minister of Personnel? Summon them secretly!"
"Your Majesty, they..."
They've all pledged allegiance to the new emperor.
The Emperor Emeritus's face changed drastically, and he flew into a rage. Now he could vent his anger freely in the palace, abandoning all pretense of imperial dignity and unleashing his utterly impotent fury: "Where is Prince Ning? I don't believe it..."
Before he could finish speaking, the newly arrived eunuch rushed in and whispered something in the Emperor Emeritus's ear.
The Emperor Emeritus's face turned visibly pale, and he choked, unable to speak.
"Your Majesty, calm down..." Dai Xiyu smiled ingratiatingly, standing awkwardly to the side watching the two eunuchs hurriedly massage the Emperor Emeritus's back to soothe him, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise.
He lowered his eyes, his expression turning bitter for a moment, inwardly filled with envy and resentment:
'What a miserable job! I'd rather have followed Zhao Fuman's example and served the Crown Prince.'
Dai Xiyu thought he would become the most trusted person by Emperor Hongren's side after the palace coup, but who knew that the retired emperor would inexplicably distrust him! Instead, he promoted two junior eunuchs to serve him.
According to Dai Xiyu, the retired emperor was not easy to serve and was not very magnanimous.
Listen to what he just raged about—it turns out the Emperor Emeritus knew all along that the Empress was wrong. If he had been so determined, he should have punished the deposed Empress then! Why wait until after the new Emperor ascends the throne? Isn't this blatantly making things difficult for the new Emperor?
And the situation outside...
Dai Xiyu also felt that if the Crown Prince didn't ascend the throne soon, His Majesty would truly be unable to contend with the powerful families. Wouldn't the Crown Prince be left to clean up the mess left behind? It would be better for the Crown Prince to choose his own time to ascend the throne—the problem was, why didn't the Crown Prince contact him? He only woke up after everything had settled down, and was summoned to serve the Retired Emperor without knowing anything, filled with deep regret!
We need to figure out a way to show goodwill.
After thinking for a moment, Dai Xiyu quietly slipped out and found an opportunity to have his godson quickly inform the new emperor that the retired emperor was still secretly convening his trusted ministers to plot something and was very dissatisfied with what the new emperor had done today, and so on...
This is mostly nonsense. But it doesn't matter; what's important is his willingness to pledge allegiance!
...
A few days passed after the coronation ceremony.
Qi Chengming was extremely busy and barely had time to eat. The alternation and replacement of the two forces was a very time-consuming process.
He brought all the people from the prince's residence to the palace. Aunt Fang and Eunuch Zhang from the Ministry of Rites' residence returned, and together with Eunuch Zhang's apprentice Zhang You, the three of them took over the Imperial Kitchen and kept it under tight control.
Commander Mao succeeded as the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, taking command of the palace guards with his former subordinates, while You Zi became the deputy commander. The militia was also transformed into the Luoyang Central Army, Qi Chengming's most trusted force, led by Zhou Zhu, responsible for the defense of Luoyang city and its gates. Together, they were responsible for Qi Chengming's safety, one inside and one outside the palace.
The secret bodyguards left by the late emperor to Emperor Hongren have now been passed down to Qi Chengming because they surrendered in time, but Qi Chengming has temporarily put them aside. Compared to the loyalty of these people, he now trusts the secret agent system commanded by Cui Anshi more, and has been sending people out continuously these past few days to thoroughly collect information throughout the capital.
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi were promoted to Imperial Eunuch De and Imperial Eunuch Cheng, representing Qi Chengming's reputation. During this time, they ran around the palace delivering imperial decrees, and their legs even became thinner from all the walking. Imperial Eunuch Cheng's face also became less round.
Song Gu still served as the Grand Steward, the head of the Nine Offices, and was responsible for all internal affairs in the palace.
Liu, the wet nurse, was temporarily settled by Qi Chengming at the Second Prince's residence.
As for her future arrangements, Qi Chengming planned to discuss it with her first—Qi Chengming did not intend to follow the emperor's usual practice of bestowing favors upon her husband's family.
Since that day, the late Empress had wanted to come and remove her hairpin to apologize, but Qi Chengming avoided seeing her. In the past few days, she has been quietly staying in her own palace, refusing to see anyone from her maternal family. She simply sent a message to them not to cause any more trouble and to take good care of Prince Ning and the Third Princess.
"She's quite clever," Qi Chengming murmured in his assessment.
Since his transmigration, he had hardly ever met this Empress. But through their many interactions, he could tell that apart from her occasional lapses in judgment regarding palace intrigue, she was otherwise very steady and precise in everything she did.
"If the concubines and princes had switched places, I might not even be here today..." Qi Chengming sighed, recalling his inexperienced rivals, the eldest prince, the third prince, the sixth prince, and the seventh prince.
He felt moved when he read the original book's plot.
Because most of the Qi emperors did not live long, the princes developed a strong sense of ambition and struggle for the throne from a young age. However, each of these princes had their own shortcomings, and even the youngest of them, the original male protagonist Qi Chengming, had the advantage of being older.
On the contrary, these ladies in the harem... Consort Rong is intelligent and ruthless, and the Empress is astute and adaptable. Just the fact that these two become princes is enough to make Qi Chengming's hair turn white with worry.
"But why are there still people who can't see the situation clearly?" Qi Chengming looked at the thick stack of memorials in front of him, all of which were submitted by the Grand Secretaries, and were the advice or impeachments of the officials of all ranks regarding the matter of deposing the late Empress.
Even the Empress herself could see clearly that she was doomed this time.
However, these court officials still argued incessantly, trying to get the officials who had spoken out on Qi Chengming's orders punished... really.
Qi Chengming dipped his vermilion brush in ink and wrote down a series of names in one go. These were the names of officials and ministers who would be promoted and ennobled after his ascension to the throne. Qi Chengming summoned Eunuch De: "Issue the decree."
After being sidelined for so long, it's time to promote his trusted confidants.
—Then some people should be removed from office.
Qi Chengming's gaze fell on the thick stack of memorials.
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The author says: I'm gradually becoming a skillful emperor.
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