Chapter 196: The Woman as the King
After personally beheading the Emperor of Qi and Concubine Mei, Princess Zhaoyang issued an order: "All of Qi Yuanxiu's concubines and children must be killed without mercy. Those among his subjects who surrender must be taken to Xiajing, and those who refuse must be executed."
Princess Zhaoyang turned her head and pointed to the corner: "Except for these two."
Everyone looked in the direction of her finger. The pale and thin young woman sensed many unfriendly looks, shrank back, and protected her young daughter behind her even more closely.
They were Emperor Qi's concubine Yi and her daughter who was less than ten years old.
The crowd could not accept that the two women were pardoned. Anger outweighed fear, and they started shouting loudly.
"Why don't they have to die?"
“That’s not fair!”
The concubines, princes and princesses of Emperor Qi glared at Concubine Yi and her daughter, the malice in their eyes almost solidified into substance.
If they had not been tied up, they would have pounced on them and torn the mother and daughter into pieces.
"Fairness?" Princess Zhaoyang seemed to have heard something extremely ridiculous. "In this palace, the word fairness has never existed."
Rather than so-called fairness, she believes that the strong are respected.
When a person has power, he can control the power of life and death.
Father, children, enemies, kill them if you want, no reason needed.
"But I'm in a good mood today, so I don't mind letting you die knowingly."
Princess Zhaoyang spoke calmly, "Nine years ago, Concubine Yi was kind enough to give me a meal."
That winter, Concubine Mei punished her by making her clear the snow on the palace road with her hands.
She stayed in the snow for six hours. Her hands, which were already suffering from frostbite, were torn and bleeding, and the white snow was stained red with blood. Finally, she was exhausted and collapsed outside Concubine Yi's palace.
Concubine Yi felt sorry for her and ordered the palace servants to carry her into the palace, give her a bowl of ginger soup, and prepare a sumptuous meal for her.
In fact, it was not that sumptuous, with only three dishes and one soup.
But for Princess Zhaoyang, who had to eat leftovers and rotten rice all day long, this was like a delicacy of jade and stone.
What's more, Concubine Yi herself was not favored, and it was common for the harem to flatter the powerful and bully the weak. For her, three dishes and a soup might have been a luxury.
Nine years passed in a flash. Princess Zhaoyang always remembered the kindness of this meal, and she also remembered that Concubine Mei punished Concubine Yi for it and made her kneel in the snow for two hours.
"A meal of kindness in the past is repaid with a spring of gratitude today."
Princess Zhaoyang spoke in a calm tone and with a serene look in her eyes, as if she had already come to terms with the sufferings of the past.
"And you." Princess Zhaoyang held the sword in her hand, blood dripping from the tip of the sword. "Damn it."
The insults stopped abruptly, and the concubines and children of Emperor Qi were like chickens with their necks strangled, their faces flushed red.
During those ten years, they either watched coldly or, in order to please Concubine Mei, often humiliated Princess Zhaoyang, beating and scolding her, treating her worse than even the lowest-ranking maid in the palace.
She was just a princess who was married off to a foreign country. Her biological father had abandoned her, and the Emperor of Qi didn't even take her seriously. Even if she died in the Qi Palace, no one would stand up for her.
Who would have thought that things would change.
In the past, they were high and mighty and took pleasure in bullying her.
Today they have become prisoners, kneeling at her feet, their lives in danger.
Princess Zhaoyang stopped looking at the captives' pale faces and raised her hand slightly: "Let's begin."
"yes!"
Two Xia soldiers stepped forward and untied Concubine Yi and her daughter.
Concubine Yi stood up limply with the help of the wall, pursed her lips, bowed in the direction of Princess Zhaoyang, held her daughter's hand tightly, and followed Xia Jun to the side hall.
Princess Zhaoyang would give them a sum of money, and no one would know their past. From then on, they would hide their identities and live ordinary lives.
......
After Concubine Yi and her daughter left, the Xia army started with the concubines of Emperor Qi, dragging them out and executing them on the spot.
In the Golden Palace, shouts and cries were heard one after another.
"Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"
"Although I haven't helped you, I haven't hurt you either. Can you please let me go? Please! Please!"
"Xia Fei, you vicious woman! Even if I die, I will transform into a ghost to haunt you, haunting you with nightmares and keeping you awake day and night!"
Princess Zhaoyang's ears hurt from the noise and her brows were slightly furrowed. Seeing this, Xia Jun was startled and hurriedly covered the concubine's mouth and dragged her out forcibly.
With the sword raised and falling, heads rolled to the ground, and blood flowed like a river in front of the Golden Throne Hall.
After killing all the concubines and children of the Emperor of Qi, it was the turn of the princes and officials of the Great Qi.
Except for a few officials who were of strong integrity and would rather die than surrender, all the others surrendered, prostrated themselves on the ground, and shouted "Long live His Highness Zhaoyang."
Princess Zhaoyang was very pleased with their tact.
Princess Zhaoyang originally planned to trick them back and kill them, but now she has changed her mind and decided to send them directly to mine.
They will definitely be grateful to me.
-
In the early morning of April 26, the 25th year of the Qingyuan reign, the Xia army attacked the imperial city of Daqi, and the military supervisor Princess Zhaoyang personally beheaded the Qi emperor.
The Great Qi, which had lasted for 270 years, was destroyed, and its territory of nearly 4 million square kilometers was incorporated into Daxia.
Since then, Daxia's territory has expanded nearly twice, totaling eight million square kilometers.
Looking at the present time, even during the heyday of all dynasties, the territory area was only five million square kilometers at most.
Eight million square kilometers of territory is truly unprecedented and will never be surpassed.
The more than 20 years of Emperor Qingyuan's reign were later called the Qingyuan Reign. This year-long campaign against Qi played a crucial role and laid the foundation for the subsequent Qianyuan Prosperity.
......
Of course, the above is just a postscript.
After dealing with the prisoners, Princess Zhaoyang sent someone to deliver the news of the demise of the Great Qi Dynasty back to Loushan Pass in an urgent manner for 800 miles. The envoy then took the train to deliver the good news to Xiajing.
On May 24, Emperor Qingyuan was discussing state affairs with important officials in the court when a message of victory was delivered.
Emperor Qingyuan was immediately delighted. He ignored the presence of many ministers and laughed loudly, "This girl looks just like me!"
The officials stared at the ten teeth of Emperor Qingyuan exposed to the air in silence for a moment. They strained their brains to force those four words out, ignoring the deeper meaning behind them. A smile played on their lips, and they all bowed their hands, saying in unison, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
What else can they say besides congratulations?
Anyone who dares to say something spoiling the fun at this critical moment would be risking his life.
After the joy, Emperor Qingyuan ordered a general amnesty and ordered the Xiasheng Newspaper Bureau to work overnight to publish the news that Daxia had destroyed Daqi in the newspaper, so that the people of Xiajing would know and rejoice together.
Finally, Emperor Qingyuan said, "My dear ministers, you have worked hard recently. You will have the next two days off and do not need to attend court. If there is anything, we can discuss it in the morning court tomorrow."
For everyone present, the extra day off was a happy event, and the fall of the Great Qi was an even greater happy event, the kind that all the people celebrated and the whole country rejoiced, but they couldn't laugh.
It felt like a mountain was pressing down on their hearts, making it hard to breathe and making them feel upset.
Over the past year, good news has been coming from Loushan Pass every once in a while.
Either the Loushan Pass generals led by Pei Yuchun led their troops to capture several cities, or Princess Zhaoyang captured several cities with her wisdom without using a single soldier.
Even though Princess Zhaoyang never fought in battle, her wisdom and strategy were obvious to all.
To be fair, compared with the previous princes who only knew how to trip each other up in the court, and the third prince who was ordered to supervise the army but was captured because he underestimated the enemy, lost a finger, and became disabled, Princess Zhaoyang can be regarded as a qualified heir to the throne.
To this day, they have long accepted their fate and tacitly acknowledged Princess Zhaoyang's status as the hidden crown prince.
They were just... confused and panicked.
During the time when Princess Zhaoyang was ordered to supervise the army, women in both the court and the army made contributions of varying sizes and gradually came to the fore.
For example, the top scorers in civil and military examinations from the previous year, Zhao Muqing and Li Jin.
The former was rewarded for his contributions in compiling historical books and was promoted one level to become a fifth-rank academician.
The latter accompanied the Xia army in the western expedition against Qi, made great military achievements, and was personally appointed by His Majesty as General Zhaoyong.
In addition to the two of them, women such as Ruan Ran and Xia Duo also made contributions.
On the contrary, the men who entered the court with these women have been mediocre and have achieved nothing so far.
They were deeply disappointed, and their fear and vigilance towards women reached its peak.
They tried to curb their growth, but failed repeatedly.
Those women were much smarter and more alert than they imagined. They could always easily resolve their difficulties and accurately avoid the traps they set.
But compared to the confusion of not knowing where to start, what made them most panic was——
When Princess Zhaoyang ascends the throne, the days when men were respected will be gone forever.
They no longer have privileges.
Women no longer regard their husbands as their gods, nor do they obey their husbands' orders blindly.
Some men may even have to rely on women to survive.
"Oh, what can I do?"
Looking at the female officials in front of them, whose backs were as straight as pine trees and who walked as fast as the wind, the men felt despair sweeping over their bodies, making them feel cold all over.
"Anyway, I don't have any other options. I can only take it one step at a time."
If they really reach the end of their rope and have no other way out, perhaps they will give it a try.
Even if it means losing your life.
But now, they don't want to die, nor do they dare to die.
The old man with white hair and beard sighed, shook his head, and hobbled away.
Fu Ci swore by a box of seafood that Zhang Tizhu had sent from Hangzhou Prefecture yesterday, and the old man burst into tears when he turned around.
"If I had known this would happen, why would I have done it in the first place?" Fu Ci snorted twice. "In order to suppress women to the lowest level, they put mountains of pressure on them, such as the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues."
"To be frank, even dog training wouldn't involve such vicious methods."
"Now that they've been hit back, they've finally become afraid."
"If you ask me, everyone is still too soft-hearted. They should just take charge, respect women, and send all those men back home, letting them bear and raise children, serve their parents-in-law, and take care of the household chores."
Fu Ci muttered to himself, his words full of resentment.
Du Qingtang lowered his eyes, walked down the stairs, and said seriously, "I'll go back tonight and discuss it with my eighth sister to see if she can find a way to develop a drug that can help men get pregnant and have children."
Fu Ci couldn't help but burst out laughing: "That's a good idea. If Eighth Sister can really develop this, all the women in the world will worship her as a miracle doctor!"
However, looking at the officials' bitter faces, Du Qingtang felt secretly happy: "There's no point in crying. Even if we cry till the throne room is flooded, it won't change the status quo."
Fu Ci tapped his chin with his finger: "Your Highness should be able to return to the court soon, right?"
Du Qingtang nodded: "At most half a month."
Fu Ci put his hands behind his back, his wide sleeves swaying as he muttered, "The generals at Loushan Pass are probably going back to the capital too. They've made such great contributions, so they're definitely going to be rewarded."
Du Qingtang gently shook the tablet, bringing up a slight breeze, and hummed softly: "Maybe."
The two chatted casually and parted ways in front of the cabinet door.
Du Qingtang walked into the duty room and saw documents half a person's height placed on the desk.
She made a pot of tea, placed it within easy reach, and went about her business.
Among them was a document sent by the Ministry of Personnel regarding the appointment of officials in Qi.
Whenever the Xia army arrived at a place, they would kill most of the officials, leaving only a very small number of obedient officials.
One is to deter the people, and the other is to prevent future troubles.
——Daxia has a vast territory and the emperor is far away. No one can guarantee whether the former Daqi officials will do things that are detrimental to Daxia under the banner of reviving the previous dynasty.
Du Qingtang read the list of successors compiled by the Ministry of Personnel from beginning to end to make sure there were no problems. He wrote the word "read" in the lower left corner and asked the clerk to send it back to the Ministry of Personnel.
In fact, these matters should have been reviewed by Emperor Qingyuan himself, but in the past year, for some unknown reason, Emperor Qingyuan suddenly lost a lot of weight and suffered several serious illnesses. The most serious one left him bedridden for half a month before he could get up.
Nowadays, Emperor Qingyuan's health is not enough to support him in handling the heavy government affairs, so he let go of some of them and handed them over to cabinet officials.
Shi Zishan and Yan Tiande were not the type of people who would hold on to power, so they divided most of the government affairs among the six university secretaries.
But this made Du Qingtang even busier, and he often had to work until after dark before he could go home.
Today is no exception.
Du Qingtang was driving a tricycle on the street lit by warm yellow lights.
During this year, Du Qingtang built a large generator that could power an entire street, successfully bringing electric lights into the homes of tens of millions of people.
At Du Qingtang's suggestion, street lights were also installed on the streets to guide pedestrians at night.
Passing the street corner, several men in round-necked robes were walking together, each holding a newspaper in his hand.
The car window was half open, and the evening breeze carried their conversation into Du Qingtang's ears.
"Although you and I are both men, we have to admit that Princess Zhaoyang is extremely talented and has amazing strategies. She is truly a heroic woman."
"But she ordered the execution of all members of the Da Qi royal family, even sparing no three-year-old children. This is a bit too cruel."
"Brother Wang, you are wrong. Even a three-year-old child could become a hidden danger to Daxia."
"Brother Hu is absolutely right. Brother Wang, you shouldn't be too soft-hearted."
Brother Wang couldn't hide his shame in his words: "I was too presumptuous."
"That's fine. In fact, it's not just you, my brother. I'm sure many people think so. But when it comes to the safety of a country, we must be tough and indecisive..."
The sound of conversation faded away. Du Qingtang was about to go to the east of the city when he suddenly heard a loud gong sound.
“Ding ding ding—”
It was the hour of Xu, and public buses were still carrying passengers.
When the bus reaches a public platform, the conductor will ring the gong to remind passengers to get off.
Du Qingtang turned his head inadvertently and saw an old but familiar face.
The city of Xiajing is very big.
After that fleeting glimpse that day, Du Qingtang never saw the face that only appeared in his dreams again for three whole years.
During these three years, Du Qingtang would occasionally think of it, and felt that the glimpse was just an illusion.
Even if it wasn't an illusion, it wasn't the person she wanted to see.
It's just a pity that the most important elder in her past and present life is separated from her by the gap of time and life and death, and they will never meet again in this life.
No one expected that on this quiet night, Du Qingtang would meet the owner of that face again.
Du Qingtang subconsciously slowed down the car and followed the old man at a distance, neither too far nor too close.
Du Qingtang looked at his grandfather walking slowly on the sidewalk, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, in the bright yellow light.
Because of the length of his legs, his body tilts to the right when he walks.
Seeing that his face was itchy, he scratched it with his ring finger.
Seeing that he was sweating from the long journey, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing a palm-sized birthmark on his elbow.
I saw him turn left, and his tall but thin figure disappeared into the dark alley.
Du Qingtang returned to Duke Wen's Mansion from the west of the city, and Meng Fang was waiting by the stone lions as usual.
Halfway through dinner, Feng Xiu and Qian Ran also came back.
At the end of every month, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites were always the busiest. They were so busy that they didn't even have time to eat lunch. Now, as soon as they sat down, they started to eat with relish.
Du Qingtang accompanied the two girls to finish their meal, asked them to rest early, and then went back to the main courtyard to wash up.
After taking a shower and changing clothes, Du Qingtang sat quietly under the lamp for a while, took out the charcoal pencil and rice paper, and after a while of writing, he called Du Yi.
"Go to the west of the city and check on this person."
Du Yi took the rice paper and left.
......
Prince Cheng's Mansion.
Xia Qiyang tore the newspaper into pieces and scattered them around.
Pieces of paper fell like snowflakes.
Xia Qixuan's face was gloomy and sparks were almost bursting from his eyes.
"Waste! All of you waste!"
For a whole year, we sent out so many people, but we didn't succeed once!
If Tian Xiu had not been so loyal to him and was not happy to see him ascend to the throne, Xia Qiyang would have really suspected that Tian Xiu was fooling him.
Xia Qiyang flicked his sleeves, sat back on the recliner, stared at the glass lamp on the ceiling, and murmured, "No... I can't let her..."
He was stripped of his status as a prince and suffered humiliation and ridicule, but it was not for the purpose of handing over the throne to someone else.
Xia Qiyang remembered the newspaper he had just asked the servant to buy.
The newspapers praised Xia Danrong highly, but he didn't believe a word of it.
How could Xia Danrong, a woman, have such great abilities?
Why should she replace him and sit on the supreme position?
Xia Qiyang closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only determination and ruthlessness remained in them.
"You go out of town tomorrow so they can get ready."
"yes."
-
On the eighth day of June, the army returned to the capital.
On that day, Emperor Qingyuan and all the officials went out of the city to welcome him.
Not long after arriving, a train whistled towards us from a distance.
With a slight "click", the train door opened.
Princess Zhaoyang stepped out first and saluted, "I have fulfilled my mission and have successfully conquered Qi and incorporated it into the territory of Daxia."
After a year of traveling around, eating wind and drinking dew, and being exposed to the wind and sun all day long, Princess Zhaoyang inevitably became tanned and took on the color of honey wheat.
This makes her already heroic facial features even more aggressive, like a sword drawn from its sheath, its sharp edge exposed.
Seeing Princess Zhaoyang like this, everyone couldn't help but hold their breath and their hair stood on end.
They were deeply aware that this lioness, who had suffered a lot in her youth, already had sharp claws and fangs, which were enough to make her the leader of the tribe, allowing the tribe to continue to grow and become the overlord.
Emperor Qingyuan was very pleased and patted Princess Zhaoyang on the shoulder: "Good, good, good! You are worthy of being my good daughter!"
Princess Zhaoyang's gaze fixed on Emperor Qingyuan's thin face for a moment, she lowered her brows and eyes, looking respectful.
After Princess Zhaoyang, the commanders of the three camps, the firearms camp, and the general of Loushan Pass got off the train one after another and bowed to Emperor Qingyuan.
"I will pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Emperor Qingyuan nodded slightly and raised his hand to signal, "I will host a banquet at the Bixiao Palace tonight to welcome the heroes of the Western Expedition."
Everyone agreed and followed Emperor Qingyuan back to the city.
Those who had accommodation in Xiajing returned to their residence, and those who did not had accommodation stayed in the post house.
After the celebration banquet, Emperor Qingyuan will reward the generals of the Western Expedition according to their merits, and only then will the generals of Loushan Pass leave.
But by that time, they will no longer be guarding Loushan Pass, but Hongyan Pass, the westernmost part of Da Qi.
As a meritorious official lurking in the Great Qi, Ruan Liang went to the posthouse with General Feng and others to wait for rewards.
......
That night, princes and officials gathered at the Bixiao Palace to welcome the heroes of the Western Expedition.
In the main hall, Emperor Qingyuan sat on a high seat, tasting the imperial wine alone.
The sound of stringed instruments is pleasant, and the dancers dance gracefully.
During the banquet, everyone was toasting each other, chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
The accident happened in a moment.
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, the vermilion palace door collapsed, and dust flew everywhere.
Heavy and chaotic footsteps came from afar, and a large group of dark shadows stepped into the main hall.
The sound of stringed instruments suddenly stopped, and the dancers and musicians screamed and fled in all directions.
Unfortunately, they were still a step too late and were captured by the Black Armor Army who broke into the hall. A long knife pierced their chests and they died twitching in a pool of blood.
Screams rang out one after another. Princes and officials either fled in all directions or hid under the table without caring about their image, hugging themselves and trembling.
The generals sat there as steady as a rock, glaring at the uninvited guests.
Unfortunately, they were unarmed and dared not act rashly, otherwise they would have joined forces to drive out the Black Armor Army of unknown origin.
Amidst the commotion, Xia Qiyang walked in surrounded by the Black Armor Army.
"Father, I hope you are well."
Emperor Qingyuan looked at his third son, whose cheeks were sunken and whose eyes were sinister, and put down his wine glass gently: "Third son, you shouldn't do this."
Just a few words instantly aroused Xia Qiyang's anger.
"What do you mean I shouldn't do this?"
"You're about to pass the throne to that woman Xia Danrong, so why won't you allow me to take back what belongs to me?"
Emperor Qingyuan shook his head: "No, you are wrong."
"I am the emperor, the master of this country. It is not your turn to interfere in who I pass my throne to."
"Even if you hadn't killed tens of thousands of soldiers and hadn't had your fingers chopped off by the Qi people, I wouldn't pass the throne to you."
These words undoubtedly touched Xia Qiyang's lungs. He was like an angry rooster, pointing the long sword in his hand at Emperor Qingyuan and shouting hysterically.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"You old thing, if you dare say another word, I'll kill you!"
Emperor Qingyuan looked directly at Xia Qiyang, his eyes showing no fear: "See, this is why I won't pass the throne to you."
Xia Qiyang clenched his fists, almost breaking the hilt of his sword: "Come here, kill this old man for me!"
Since he had done such a heinous act as forcing the emperor to abdicate, he had already prepared himself to be infamous for eternity.
Xia Qiyang doesn't mind being branded as a patricide, as he doesn't worry about having too much debt.
He doesn't care about what happens after his death while he is alive. He only wants the throne and the country, and doesn't care about anything else!
The Black Armor Army stepped forward in response, and their armors collided as they walked, making a crisp and murderous sound.
The moment he stepped onto the jade steps, the screen that occupied the entire wall behind Emperor Qingyuan slowly opened.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and took a deep breath.
Dozens of firearms soldiers held muskets, and the muzzles of the guns, which shone coldly under the light, were aimed at the Black Armor Army.
Fu Rui flicked his whisk, his shrill voice icy cold: "If you dare to take another step forward, I will kill you without mercy!"
The Black Armor Army was obviously well aware of the power of the muskets, and they were afraid and stopped at the same time.
The moment he saw the firearms army, Xia Qiyang's pupils contracted, and he suddenly understood something. He laughed briefly, staggered back, and only managed to steady himself by supporting himself with the tip of his knife.
Xia Qiyang's voice was sharp, breaking with excitement. "You knew it all along! You knew it all along, yet you allowed me to do this and even set up an ambush here, just to catch me in one fell swoop, right?"
Emperor Qingyuan looked at him coldly. He did not deny it: "I told you not to do this."
Xia Qiyang snorted, his face sneerful. "Don't make such high-sounding statements. I finally see clearly. You're a cold-blooded monster!"
"Father, oh father, open your eyes and look at me. I am also your son. Why would you rather choose that good-for-nothing bitch Xia Danrong than let me come back?"
Xia Qiyang realized that if he failed today, he would definitely not have a good ending. So he simply gave up and chuckled, "Father, have you forgotten that all the generals at Loushan Pass, except for my grandfather, are in Xiajing City?"
"Believe it or not, as long as you kill me, my grandfather will lead his troops into Xiajing City to avenge me."
When Xia Qiyang said this, he stared at Emperor Qingyuan's face, not missing any change in his expression.
If he could see Emperor Qingyuan's panic-stricken look, his trip would not be in vain.
Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed.
"Are you talking about the 300,000 troops at Loushan Pass, or the private army your grandfather kept in Loushan?"
Xia Qiyang was stunned, his foreboding growing stronger. He took two eager steps forward, then retreated in fear of the musket. His breathing was rapid and his jaw was trembling. "How did you know?"
Of course it was because of the general of Loushan Pass, Pei Yuchun.
In the 19th year of the Qingyuan Period, Pei Yuchun led his troops in training and accidentally discovered that there were tens of thousands of soldiers and horses hidden deep in the Lou Mountains.
Pei Yuchun secretly investigated, but was shot by a poisoned arrow on the first day of the first lunar month of the following year and was in a coma for several months before waking up.
It happened that Emperor Qingyuan sent Lan Yuanshou to Loushan Pass, so Pei Yuchun asked him to inform Emperor Qingyuan about the private soldiers in Loushan.
Emperor Qingyuan sent the royal secret guards to investigate and eventually locked in on Tian Xiu.
In recent years, Emperor Qingyuan has remained inactive.
To catch the thief and seize the stolen goods, let's see when Tian Xiu plans to take action. Once both the thief and the stolen goods are caught, we can deal with them together.
Besides, as for the Black Armor Army that followed Xia Qiyang to force the emperor to abdicate, the Emperor Qingyuan’s eyes were everywhere in Xiajing City. How could he be unaware of the private soldiers sneaking into the city?
So, today's scene happened.
However, Emperor Qingyuan did not intend to tell Xia Qiyang the truth, and just raised his hand slightly.
"Bang!"
The dense sound of musketry, accompanied by the screams of the Black Armor Army, was deafening, and frightened the princes and officials. They lay under the tables or hid in the corners, trembling.
“It’s horrible.”
"Who are you talking about?"
"Third Prince, Your Majesty, the Black Armor Army also has a Firearms Army."
Everyone was terrified when they thought that Emperor Qingyuan knew that Xia Qiyang intended to abdicate, but he went along with the situation and lured him into a trap, cutting off his retreat.
I was terrified, but also deeply grateful.
Fortunately, when Emperor Qingyuan opened up the imperial examinations for women, established schools for women, and recruited female soldiers, she did not jump out and sing a different tune from him.
Otherwise, they would probably be almost a full moon by now.
......
Under the pincer attack from the firearms army, all the Black Armor Army soldiers were shot dead in just a cup of tea.
Xia Qi Yang pulled someone to block the gun, but was beheaded by the Xuan Jia Army with a knife, and lay in a pool of blood with his head and body separated.
The main hall was filled with a strong smell of blood, which rushed straight into the brain, making people's stomachs churn and almost vomit.
Emperor Qingyuan slowly stood up and said in a loud voice: "My dear ministers, I am sorry for frightening you. Please go back today. I will allow you to rest for a day and we will meet again the day after tomorrow..."
Emperor Qingyuan's voice suddenly stopped. Everyone was confused and looked up, only to see the man in the dragon robe shaking twice, spitting out blood, and slowly falling down.
Fu Rui's eyes were bloodshot: "Your Majesty!"
The princes and officials were shocked: "Your Majesty!"
"Imperial Physician T! Quickly call the Imperial Physician!"
The palace maids moved the unconscious Emperor Qingyuan to a side hall, and Court Master Lan quickly arrived to take his pulse.
After Lan Yuan Shou withdrew his hand, Fu Rui asked with a gloomy face, "Your Majesty, why are you vomiting blood for no reason?"
Lan Yuanshou bowed and said, "Your Majesty has been feeling unwell for the past two years and has often taken painkillers. As the saying goes, every medicine is poisonous. Even though these are top-grade herbs, they still cause harm to Your Majesty's body."
"Plus, I've had several serious illnesses in the past year, and I was frightened today, so..."
Fu Rui asked again: "When will Your Majesty wake up?"
Dean Lan hesitated for a moment and said, "He will wake up in half an hour."
Fu Rui stopped asking questions and stayed by Emperor Qingyuan's bedside without leaving.
Outside the hall, princes and officials stood under the glass lamps, talking in low voices.
"Your Majesty has been ill frequently this year, but never like this. I'm afraid he's not well."
"What if he doesn't wake up..."
"What are you afraid of? Your Majesty has already hidden the imperial edict appointing the crown prince behind the Zhengda Guangming plaque in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. When the time comes, just have the Prime Minister go and get it."
In the corner, Fu Ci grabbed Du Qingtang's sleeves, his face filled with lingering fear: "Oh my God, tonight was really thrilling."
The scene of the emperor forcing the emperor to abdicate and vomiting blood, with blood flowing like a river in the main hall, kept flashing before her eyes.
"I'm going to have a nightmare tonight." Fu Ci rubbed his arms and muttered softly.
Du Qingtang glanced at the moon: "It's already the middle of the night."
Fu Ci sighed and whispered to Du Qingtang, "Do you think His Majesty can turn this crisis into safety?"
Du Qingtang turned his head and looked at Princess Zhaoyang who was standing at the door of the palace. He pinched Fu Ci's mouth and said nothing.
Fu Ci snorted twice and said nothing more.
Half an hour passed quickly.
Emperor Qingyuan did not wake up.
Princess Zhaoyang called all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital, and after nearly two hours of tossing and turning, Emperor Qingyuan finally woke up.
Emperor Qingyuan opened his eyes and saw a face that was 70% similar to Qingyu.
"Father."
Not Qingyu.
It’s Zhaoyang.
Emperor Qingyuan blinked slowly and uttered incoherent words: "Do... Qing Palace... establish a crown prince..."
Princess Zhaoyang understood and looked at the princes and officials who had been waiting outside the palace for more than two hours. "Master Shi, please go to the Palace of Heavenly Purity with several cabinet officials to retrieve the imperial edict appointing the crown prince and read it out in public."
Shi Zishan bowed in response, and under the leadership of Yu Jue, he went to the Qianqing Palace with Yan Tiande and six university scholars.
In full view of the crowd, Shi Zishan took out the imperial edict from behind the plaque of "Zhengda Guangming".
Just as he was about to leave, Yu Jue said again, "Master Shi, there are two copies of the imperial edict appointing the crown prince."
Shi Zishan paused at the foot of the mountain, and Yu Jue took out another copy from the secret compartment and handed it to him: "Master Shi, please."
Du Qingtang glanced at Yu Jue, who noticed her gaze, looked back and smiled slightly.
Du Qingtang withdrew his gaze and followed Shi Zishan and others to Bixiao Palace.
Shi Zishan stood outside the side hall and opened the two imperial edicts at the same time as Yan Tiande. After verifying that they were correct, they read them aloud.
"In compliance with the Will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: The Second Princess, Xia Danrong, is destined by Heaven. I hereby strictly abide by the original decree, observe the ceremonial rituals, and comply with public opinion. I hereby inform Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temples, and the state of the country and grant her the imperial seal and seal, appointing her as the Crown Princess and placing her in the Crown Prince's seat, to strengthen the rule for thousands of years and to inspire the hearts of the people. This announcement shall be made to the whole world so that everyone may know." [1]
Shi Zishan's solemn voice echoed in front of the Bixiao Palace for a long time.
Although the choice of the crown prince had been anticipated long ago, it was not until this moment that everyone's other foot was completely put on the ground.
Princess Zhaoyang took the imperial edict and faced the princes and officials.
Everyone bowed their heads and said in unison: "Your humble servants pay their respects to the Crown Princess. May Your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand thousand years, and a thousand thousand years!"
A smile flickered across Xia Danrong's lips, then disappeared in an instant, and he turned serious again: "Stand up."
"Thank you, Madam!"
......
After Shi Zishan read out the imperial edict to appoint a crown prince, Xia Danrong asked the princes and officials to leave the island by boat on the grounds that Emperor Qingyuan needed to recuperate.
"By the grace of the Emperor, you gentlemen may return today. I have specially granted you a day's rest and you can return to your duties the day after tomorrow."
Everyone responded, bowing first to the hall and then to Xia Danrong.
"I will take my leave."
Princes and officials poured out of the Bixiao Palace like a tide.
At daybreak, a golden crow leaped out of the horizon, and wisps of morning glow coated the clouds with a layer of gold, which was dazzling beyond compare.
Du Qingtang and Fu Ci walked in the morning mist, their eyes relaxed and carefree.
"Xianyu, the sun is out."
Du Qingtang responded, and the two of them walked down the stairs: "Let's go home."
The clouds and mist dissipated, and golden light covered the whole body.
They just kept walking forward, never stopping.
The road ahead is bright and glorious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
