"Auntie, what...does this mean?"
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly: "Could it be that you really think Yu Nanyi's death was an accident?"
Consort Lin lowered her eyes, not daring to hide anything: "There are many suspicious points about the fire in Qingxin Palace, and I dare not make any speculations."
"Go ahead and say it."
Consort Lin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's talk about Eunuch Liu first. His body was found in the side hall. Even if he was exhausted and fell asleep, he should have been by the Emperor's side. How could he have ended up in the side hall?"
“Even during the pandemic, Qingxin Palace was guarded. The imperial physician examined the Emperor and said that he…” Consort Lin pursed her lips, “The Emperor was conscious before he died, so he should have called for help. Why didn’t anyone notice?”
"My niece believes that this incident was not an accident, but rather deliberate, but she has no idea who it was."
"Besides that, you've overlooked something very important." The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed slightly.
Others may not know, but he does.
Yu Nanyi has a subordinate unit called Secret Shadow.
Even if everything is as Consort Lin said, the Shadow Guard will not remain indifferent when Yu Nanyi is in danger.
The only explanation is that this unit was secretly eliminated that day.
Consort Lin raised her eyes, waiting for the Empress Dowager to finish speaking, but saw that she had already shut her mouth.
Just when she thought the Empress Dowager wouldn't speak again, the voice slowly rang out again: "Do you think that you are the ones who will benefit from the Emperor's death?"
She suddenly sneered: "The real beneficiaries are not in this palace at all."
If there is anyone in this world who hates Yu Nanyi the most, and who can fight against him, she can only think of Yu Nanqing.
This is a premeditated power struggle.
It was not accomplished in a few days, but rather after months, or even longer, the planning had already begun.
The Empress Dowager just doesn't understand that now that Yu Nanyi is dead and Yu Nanqing is not in the capital, how can he compete for the throne if he doesn't come back?
She still didn't understand how Yu Nanqing, being stationed on the border and unable to reach the capital, could be so meticulous in his duties.
No, from the beginning of the epidemic to the palace's arrangements, and then to the secret operation, Yu Nanqing alone could not have accomplished all of this. Therefore, she deduced that Yu Nanqing had already won over the court officials, and there must be his inside agents in the harem as well. If he were to return and seize the throne, it would be a great opportunity.
But now he's nowhere to be seen. Could it be that he has other plans?
Upon hearing this, Consort Lin seemed to realize something and was slightly startled: "Auntie, do you mean...?"
"Now that the throne is vacant, even if the emperor died under suspicious circumstances, it is likely that no one will care anymore." Not to mention that this is at a time when other countries are eyeing the Great Jin with covetous intent.
At this juncture, selecting a new ruler to stabilize the court is of paramount importance.
The Empress Dowager wanted to seize power, but Yu Nanqing had not yet made a move, so she could not be too hasty. She said in a cold voice, "You are right not to fight for it. Let's watch them fight like dogs, sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and reap the benefits."
Consort Lin lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and remained silent.
That's what she was thinking too.
However, unlike the Empress Dowager, Consort Lin did not want the supreme throne. She only wanted her son to be a carefree prince, to have a fiefdom, to live far away from the capital, and not to fight tooth and nail for the throne, but to live a peaceful life.
However, she also knew that the Empress Dowager would not allow her to do so.
On the thirteenth day of the first month of the twelfth year of Yuanhe, the news of the Empress Dowager's recovery from the epidemic spread throughout the palace. The Empress, who was originally in charge of the overall situation, had no choice but to step down and yield to the Empress Dowager under her pressure.
Fortunately, the Empress was relieved that the Empress Dowager did not mention the succession, because if the Empress Dowager did speak, it would definitely be Consort Lin's eldest son, not her legitimate son.
The Empress Dowager ordered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to select an auspicious day and bury Emperor Yuanhe's body in the imperial mausoleum. All the concubines in the harem who had no children were to be buried with Emperor Yuanhe.
Princess Yu Tingyi's body had been placed in an ice coffin for several months. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau was ordered to select an auspicious burial site for her.
According to the Empress Dowager, although the eldest princess was a member of the royal family, she should follow her husband wherever he went. Moreover, the eldest princess had a bad reputation during her lifetime, and burying her in the imperial mausoleum would not only be against the rules but also damage the imperial authority. Choosing an auspicious place to rest her soul was the greatest mercy shown to the eldest princess.
The court officials had no objections to the burial of the eldest princess and tacitly agreed with the Empress Dowager's words.
As for the matter of the new emperor that everyone was anxious about, the Empress Dowager only said that it involved the stability of the country and the nation and would be carefully considered.
While the palace was embroiled in a heated debate over the new emperor, Yu Nanqing had already left the capital with Su Wanyan.
Not only did the Empress Dowager not understand, but even Su Wanyan didn't understand.
She sat in the carriage, utterly bewildered: "Why? Why? Why is this happening?"
Yu Nanqing was so tired of hearing the question "why" that she was practically sick of it.
Su Wanyan was seen leaning against the carriage window, watching Yu Nanqing riding a brown horse leisurely alongside the carriage. She frowned slightly, looking at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.
Yu Nanqing smiled helplessly: "The matter in the capital has come to an end, and staying any longer would only be a waste of time."
"You're not going to care about the new emperor's ascension to the throne? Didn't you tell me to find Xia Yunshang before, saying you wanted to support the young emperor's enthronement?"
“I have done what I should do. If I still cannot win the throne, then it is because they are not as capable as others.”
The Chang and Shun families have already supported the legitimate prince as he intended, and they have also won over other court officials, even the censors, to their side. After all, Yu Jing'an has the advantage of being the legitimate son, so even if he is young, he should be rightfully the rightful heir.
As for the remaining faction of Prime Minister Liu, Yu Nanqing used the pandemic to eliminate most of his brothers and colleagues. As for the Empress Dowager, she had little influence in the court due to Yu Nanyi's wariness of her.
Even if she could deduce that Yu Nanyi's death was suspicious, or that she could compete with the Empress Dowager and Consort Lin, her chances of winning were far less than those of the Xia family.
If the Xia family still can't win after paving the way for them in this way, what can Yu Nanqing say?
Su Wanyan was extremely worried upon hearing this: "Tsk, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, don't you know that? If the court is thrown into chaos because of this, what will happen to the food supplies for the 100,000-strong army? If the court is unstable, how can you expect the soldiers on the border to be alright?"
Yu Nanqing raised an eyebrow, her mood suddenly improving for no apparent reason: "So Yan'er was worried about me."
"Yu Nanqing!" Su Wanyan reached out and pinched his thigh hard!
The horse seemed slightly startled and twitched a few steps. The sensation on her thigh made Yu Nanqing jump, and she quickly steadied the reins: "Yan'er, don't make a fuss."
"Me, making a scene?" Su Wanyan reached out and pinched him again: "You've stirred up trouble in the capital and now you're just washing your hands of it?"
"Yan'er! Yan'er!" Yu Nanqing quickly took her mischievous little hand and smiled, "Didn't Yan'er once ask me how I should control the situation in the court?"
"Yes, that's right, I asked, how was it?"
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