Does that mean they're just going to abandon the idea?! The young emperor's face turned purple with anger, his lips pursed so tightly they could hold an elephant. He angrily flicked his sleeves to brush the dirt off his back, saying, "Grand Tutor, at this crucial moment, you actually side with the Empress Dowager! How disloyal of you!"
Jiang Bai said, "I stand on the side of justice." After saying that, he patted him on the shoulder and then got off the carriage.
The young emperor really wanted to ride a horse with her, but he was afraid of being kicked again by the somewhat mad empress dowager. However, as soon as he leaned out of the carriage, he remembered the pile of shoe prints behind him and decided to give up.
If he really rode all the way back to the palace on horseback, how many people would see the footprints on his back? It would be too embarrassing!
However, when the carriage arrived at the palace gate, the emperor and empress dowager had to change to a palanquin. As soon as they got off the carriage, all the palace servants and guards saw the conspicuous shoe print of women's palace shoes on the dragon robe, and they were immediately in an uproar.
They had barely entered the palace and settled into their respective positions when news of the emperor being kicked by the Empress Dowager spread throughout almost the entire capital. The Marquis of Weiwu's residence naturally received the news as well.
After dinner, the Empress Dowager secretly summoned Marquis Weiwu to the palace, saying that there was an important matter to discuss. Upon hearing this, Zhang Lie immediately thought that the Empress Dowager had made a decision to help him ascend the throne as emperor as originally planned.
Overjoyed, he didn't hesitate or delay at all and quickly followed the summoned eunuch into the palace.
He had barely left when Grand Tutor Jiang Bai's carriage pulled up in front of the Marquis of Weiwu's residence. Jiang Bai alighted from the carriage, and servants went to knock on the door...
After Zhang Lie entered the palace, he was led by a eunuch directly to the outside of Cining Palace. The eunuch said, "My lord, please wait a moment while I go and inform the Empress Dowager."
Zhang Lie, without suspecting anything, politely said, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."
However, the eunuch went inside for about an hour before hurriedly coming out. He bowed to Zhang Lie and said, "Lord Zhang, I apologize for keeping you waiting. The Empress Dowager went to pay respects at the late Emperor's Mausoleum today, and the journey was arduous. She was probably too tired, so she fell asleep after dinner without realizing it. I didn't dare to go up and wake her. Now she has just woken up and is clamoring for you to come in!"
In the past, when Zhang Lie went to the palace to see the Empress Dowager, a eunuch would go in to report and he would be summoned immediately. This was the first time he had waited for an hour like today. He was initially furious, but when he heard the eunuch say that the Empress Dowager had fallen asleep without being noticed, he temporarily suppressed his anger, smiled and thanked the eunuch, and followed him into the Cining Palace.
Although he had already decided to rebel and was quite well prepared, he still wanted to use Chu Nian, the Empress Dowager, to ascend to the throne. Therefore, he was still very polite to Chu Nian, and immediately knelt down and shouted loudly, "Long live the Empress Dowager!"
This Zhang Lie is not only handsome, but also, because of his cultivation of profound energy, although he is already in his thirties, he looks only twenty-six or twenty-seven, making him exceptionally young and dashing.
Chu Nian's spiritual power probed Zhang Lie's body back and forth. Many years ago, he was already at the seventh level of Xuan Qi. More than ten years later, his Xuan Qi had reached the twelfth level, which was known as the Quasi-Saint level. If he took one more step forward, he would reach the Saint level, the highest realm of Xuan Qi in the Xuanwei Continent.
After a careful examination, Chu Nian quickly gained a general understanding of the twelfth-level profound energy.
Unfortunately, the original owner's physical body was weak. If Chu Nian wanted to use her own abilities to unleash powerful combat strength, she would first need to strengthen this physical body. Otherwise, she would just kill this disgusting scumbag right now.
"Lord, please get up quickly!" After checking, Chu Nian imitated the original owner's tone, speaking weakly and helplessly.
After Zhang Lie stood up, Chu Nian said again, "Show the Earl a seat."
"Yes." A eunuch agreed and quickly brought Zhang Lie a chair for him to sit down.
In this feudal dynasty where the separation of men and women was strictly observed, Chu Nian, as the Empress Dowager, could not sit and talk face-to-face with Zhang Lie, a foreign official, when she summoned him for an audience. The place where she sat was covered by a white gauze curtain, so Zhang Lie could only hear her voice and could not actually see her.
"It's so late, and I've summoned you to the palace to discuss important matters. I hope you won't take offense," Chu Nian said gently, just like the original owner of the body.
Zhang Lie laughed and said, "As a subject, I should naturally devote myself to the country, do my utmost, and die for it."
Chu Nian said, "It's good that Your Highness doesn't blame me." After a pause, she instructed the servants around her, "You may all leave now. I have some private matters to discuss with Your Highness."
Wen Wan, who was also behind the curtain with Chu Nian, couldn't help but whisper, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."
All the palace servants have left, leaving only the Empress Dowager and the Earl of Weiwu in this room. What kind of decorum is this? Aren't there already enough bad rumors circulating?
Chu Nian simply waved her hand impatiently, signaling her to leave.
Wen Wan felt helpless, but she dared not disobey the Empress Dowager's order. She bowed to Chu Nian and then withdrew with the other palace servants.
Zhang Lie was even more delighted. The Empress Dowager's move was most likely a plot to force the young emperor to abdicate with him. In that case, the young emperor would simply abdicate the throne. Even if there were objections in the court, he would have a million soldiers under his command, and no matter how much they objected, they would be powerless against him.
"What are your instructions, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, for summoning me to the palace?" Although Zhang Lie could not contain his joy, he still asked very politely.
Chu Nian said, "The matter that the Lord and I discussed a while ago, I have now..."
She paused deliberately. Zhang Lie pressed on impatiently, "Has Your Majesty made a decision? What is it?" Seeing Chu Nian remain silent in thought, he said with a sigh, "Your Majesty, we have known each other for many years. If it weren't for the Emperor's decree forcibly bestowing this marriage upon me, how could I have... Alas, perhaps our child would be as old as Qi'er now."
Chu Nian sighed, "The past is past, Lord, please don't bring it up again. However, if we were to have the chance to rekindle our relationship now, Lord..."
Zhang Lie quickly and confidently replied, "If such an opportunity truly arises, I will naturally not let it slip by. I have also promised Your Majesty that one day, Your Majesty... will still be the Empress."
Chu Nian said, “I am relieved to hear you say that, my lord. However, my lord has been married to my sister for more than ten years and has children. If you were to make me empress directly, I am afraid that some people would criticize you. I love you deeply and cannot bear to see you suffer such criticism!” As she spoke, she began to cry sadly.
Zhang Lie despised the original owner's pretentious crying at the drop of a hat, but on the surface he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, what does it matter if I suffer some criticism so that we can stay together in the future?"
Chu Nian: "I really couldn't bear it, so I came up with a solution that would satisfy both sides."
Zhang Lie asked curiously, "Oh? What kind of win-win solution?"
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