Chapter 87
The sudden death of Prince Li caused a stir in the capital, especially after the Eastern Depot's investigation revealed that Prince Li had indulged in wine, women, and drugs, and died from excessive sexual activity...
Prince Li's death was quite dishonorable.
People were initially speculating whether the emperor was behind it.
However, seeing that the Empress Dowager remained quiet and did not cause any trouble, his doubts were dispelled.
Speaking of Empress Dowager Liang, there are truly many complicated stories to tell in the capital.
Other mothers care about their children in everything and want to give them all the good things. But what about Empress Dowager Liang?
She was eager to protect other people's children, even though Consort Shu was her rival who made her, the Empress, feel particularly aggrieved back then!
But I don't know what the Empress Dowager was thinking.
He just happened to love Consort Shu's two sons.
On the contrary, she not only doesn't care about her own son, but she also always contradicts him and holds him back.
This is... quite a unique flower!
His Majesty is quite unlucky to have such a birth mother.
Prince Li's death was a disgrace to the royal family, and his funeral was very perfunctory.
However, neither the Empress Dowager nor the widow and orphans of Prince Li said anything, and the officials in the court naturally did not want to offend the emperor over such a trivial matter.
At a time of great turmoil in the capital, even the most unyielding censors have become somewhat quiet, let alone others.
However, the imperial city was never truly peaceful.
Within days, the emperor was assassinated and disappeared! The capital was in an uproar!
Fortunately, a few days later, the Eastern Depot found His Majesty and escorted him back safely.
But how could the emperor not be furious after being assassinated?
The Eastern and Western Depots practically turned the palace and the capital upside down, uncovering quite a few remnants of the deposed crown prince's influence, including the deceased Prince Li.
First, the buried Prince Li was exhumed and his corpse whipped. His princely title was revoked, his imperial genealogy was stripped, and his relatives were imprisoned in the Eastern Depot, never to see the light of day again.
After that, anyone even remotely involved in the assassination of the emperor was completely wiped out by Emperor Chengyuan.
After thoroughly cleaning up the entire imperial city, the emperor dropped a bombshell on his officials and the people of the land.
His Majesty is going to marry the Empress!
Well, His Majesty has been on the throne for two years and has not established an empress. The unhappiness in the harem has already caused a group of ministers to go bald with worry, fearing that the emperor may have some unspeakable hidden illness.
The earlier the emperor has offspring, the more stable the court and the country will be.
This was originally a good thing!
Countless powerful and wealthy people began to vie for positions to help their daughters secure promotions.
However, what did His Majesty say?
Who is he going to marry?
Your Majesty, please repeat that, we didn't hear you clearly!
The former wife of the Marquis of Xuanwu, the one who has already become a nun at Guiyun Temple?
Your Majesty, you can't joke like that!
They won't accept it!
Absolutely not!
However, Emperor Chengyuan sneered and on the spot dragged out an imperial censor who was jumping up and down cursing Wen Xin as a second-marriage woman, a slut, of questionable character, of low status, restless, and seducing the emperor, and beat her to death with sticks.
The noisy courtiers fell silent instantly.
However, the officials still did not support the emperor's decision to make Lady Wen empress.
Not to mention that the Wen family had already declined, the fact that Wen Xin had already been married was unacceptable to both the court and the public.
I don't know what's gotten into His Majesty, that he insists on making a woman of questionable character his empress.
Have all the innocent women in the world died?
Even though Consort Shu, who was once the most favored concubine in the imperial harem, was a virgin, she was still a concubine in Yangzhou!
Unfortunately, the emperor was determined to make Lady Wen his empress.
His cold, menacing gaze swept over the civil officials below the steps. "She has saved my life time and again. To me, she is both a benefactor and a lucky star. What is wrong with me marrying my destined one?"
"Could it be that you all wish for my early death so that you can usurp the throne of the Great Yuan?"
This is a very serious crime!
The court officials hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty and express their loyalty.
Even though many civil officials and nobles were dissatisfied with the tyrannical and uncontrollable despotism of the emperor, the emperor was the emperor and the ministers were the ministers.
As long as Emperor Chengyuan was on the throne, they had to kneel before him and pledge allegiance to him; otherwise, they would be considered traitors and villains who would be remembered with infamy for eternity.
However, the officials did not believe it. How could a weak woman from the inner quarters of the palace save His Majesty time and time again?
Later, they learned that the Wen family had accidentally discovered a problem with the incense used by the emperor, which was a great favor.
And then there was the assassination attempt on the emperor last time...
On the first day of the third month, His Majesty, disguised as a commoner, visited Guiyun Temple to discuss Taoism with Daoist Tianfeng. In the afternoon, while taking a walk in the back mountain of the temple, he was ambushed by a group of assassins and accidentally fell into a mountain stream.
Fortunately, Lady Wen was gathering herbs nearby and rescued the injured emperor in time, treating him so that His Majesty could return to the palace unharmed.
Civil and military officials: "..."
What an outdated damsel-in-distress plot!
How come they didn't know?
Oh, in those days, the emperor was furious because of the assassination attempt, the capital was filled with the stench of blood, and everyone was on edge. Who would dare to investigate what happened during the days His Majesty was missing? What if they were mistaken for accomplices?
However, some officials suddenly remembered that on the second day of the month, the Wen family had hung up white banners, saying it was to commemorate Wen Liliang's eldest granddaughter, the former wife of the Marquis of Xuanwu, who was now practicing Buddhism at Guiyun Temple with her hair still intact.
Huh?
Could it be that after Madam Wen disappeared, her maid went to the Wen family for help, and then the Wen family immediately pronounced Madam Wen dead without saying a word?
The officials could probably guess what the Wen family was thinking.
They believed that Wen, a divorced woman, had already disgraced the family, and now that she had disappeared, she had even lost her last shred of chastity.
Even though the Wen family has declined, they are still a scholarly family. How could they possibly accept such an impure woman?
Regardless of whether Wen Xin is dead or not?
The Wen family all considered her dead!
She's probably not really dead. When she comes back, the Wen family will probably come knocking on her door and force her to her death.
Tsk tsk, the Wen family really does some inhuman things!
They are blood relatives after all, and besides, she has already been practicing in a Taoist temple. Even the most traditional family would want to find her. At most, they would make her become a nun, but they wouldn't really take her life.
However, this Wen family... does Wen Liliang consider his own granddaughter an enemy?
However, the Wen family probably never imagined that they would have such great fortune, actually saving His Majesty and winning His Majesty's heart.
In fact, because of the incident at the Marquis of Xuanwu's residence, the emperor had a deep memory of Lady Wen. After being saved by her once or twice, the emperor consciously approached her and gradually discovered that she was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and was a woman of great intelligence and wisdom.
The emperor was a normal man, how could he not be moved by such a beautiful and refined woman?
Moreover, the beauty had already divorced and was alone, which suited His Majesty's wishes perfectly.
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