Chapter 460: Unworthy of the Position
After a night of fierce fighting, Xiao Beicheng and his followers were eliminated.
Some of the rebels who committed rebellion were also executed, and the haze that had shrouded Yandu finally dissipated.
Although the war is over now, there are still many important tasks that need to be dealt with. It is necessary to restore the normal operation of the court as soon as possible, rectify the court order, immediately count the officials in the court, and identify the loyal and treacherous.
At the same time, the people in the city must be comforted. After all, after the war, the people in the city are inevitably afraid.
Xiao Nanyan ordered the repair of damaged houses and streets, and at the same time, strictly enforced military discipline, prohibiting soldiers from disturbing the people, so that the people could return to a stable life as soon as possible.
In particular, he properly arranged for the several rescued Helian princes and ordered their mothers to take their sons back.
In the court, Fu Mingyuan handed over a list:
"Your Highness, the list of officials in the city has been compiled. Among them are 37 people who are affiliated with Xiao Beicheng. They have been connected for more than ten years. Now they have been apprehended and are awaiting their fate."
Xiao Nanyan took the list and scanned the names. "Those with proven guilt will have their property confiscated and exiled. Those who were complicit will be dismissed and investigated. Those who still have a conscience will be retained for probation."
"Also, release all loyal officials imprisoned in connection with this mutiny and restore their family's reputation."
Xiao Nanyan paused:
"Remove Yan Feng from his position as commander of the Imperial Palace and demote him to a commoner. Reinstate Chu Jin as Imperial Preceptor. As for the defense of the city, hand it over to Zou Xu. Since he has turned from evil to good, he should be given a chance to prove himself."
After explaining these things, it was already dusk.
Several princes were taken back by the concubines, except for the sixth prince Helian Ji.
His mother, the former Empress Dowager Li, gathered several old ministers and blocked the outside of Taining Palace.
Empress Dowager Li entered the palace and approached Xiao Nanyan with a serious expression:
"Prince Regent, now that the rebels have been eliminated and the government is stabilizing, it is only right that my son Helian Ji be restored to the throne. After all, before Helian Feng's rebellion, Ji'er had been firmly seated on the throne. He is the legitimate and rightful Emperor Tianqi. Restoring him to the throne is only natural."
Several old ministers entered the hall and knelt down to agree:
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother is absolutely right! Please, Prince Regent, follow the will of Heaven and the people's wishes and restore His Majesty to the throne as soon as possible!"
Suddenly, an old official named Zhang stepped forward and said in a trembling voice:
"Prince Regent, Helian Feng committed treason and rebellion, imprisoned the emperor and usurped the throne. His crimes are unforgivable! Even if he is lucky enough to survive, he should be punished for treason. At the very least, he should be expelled from the palace and imprisoned for life as a warning to others!"
As soon as these words came out, several people immediately echoed:
"Master Zhang is right! If these traitors are not severely punished, how can we deter the court? How can we appease the late emperor?"
The air outside Taining Palace suddenly became heavy, and all eyes were focused on the palace.
Xiao Nanyue sat upright at the desk next to the throne, his face as gloomy as water, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table, and he never uttered a word.
The halo of the glass lamp cast bright and dark shadows on his face, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
After a long while, he slowly raised his eyes and swept his gaze over the ministers outside the palace. His voice was not loud, but it was filled with great force:
"My Lords, please be patient. The Sixth Prince's abdication decree is written in black and white, and is sealed with the imperial seal. It is not a forgery."
He paused, his tone becoming a bit colder:
"As for the restoration, the throne is no joke. Can you give it up or restore it at will? What do you think of this country? This matter concerns the foundation of the country. We need to wait until the political situation stabilizes before discussing it."
Talking about Helian Feng, a complex expression flashed in his eyes:
"As for the treatment of Helian Feng, I will make the decision myself, so you don't need to worry about it."
Upon hearing this, the court officials looked at each other in confusion, with doubts in their hearts.
Everyone knows that it was Xiao Nanyue who supported Helian Ji to sit on the throne last year.
At that time, he used the young emperor to control the princes and was the most direct beneficiary, allowing him to control the government with justification.
But now that the rebels have been eliminated, he is not in a hurry to restore the young emperor to his throne. This is really unreasonable.
Some people secretly speculated: Could it be that the regent thought Helian Ji was naughty and feared that he would be difficult to control in the future, so he wanted to choose a new emperor who would be easier to control from among the rescued princes?
Or... he simply wanted to take over and sit on the throne himself?
What is particularly puzzling is that he did not comment on the treatment of Helian Feng.
But looking at Xiao Nanyue's gloomy face and remembering his iron-fisted approach to suppressing the rebellion, no one in the court dared to ask any more questions, and could only shut up in disappointment, no matter how many doubts and dissatisfactions they had in their hearts.
Xiao Nanyan was extremely intelligent and naturally understood the thoughts of these old ministers.
However, this matter involves a wide range of issues and cannot be easily resolved by simply saying "reset".
What he needs to consider is not only the throne of emperor, but also the future of the entire Apocalypse.
It is obvious that Helian Jide is not worthy of the position.
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