Chapter 79: Beautiful Daughter vs. Heirless Emperor
Ever since the emperor seized the eldest princess' fiefdom in a rage, the clan members have been much more well-behaved, and even Prince Duan's palace did not dare to act presumptuously.
If they really angered the emperor, all their current prosperity and wealth would be gone, and they would have no place to seek justice.
The court was calm and peaceful. Prime Minister Liu obeyed the emperor's arrangements in everything. He did not raise any objections to the queen's enthronement. He even took the lead in singing praises and praising Ji Yunhuan.
There was harmony in the court and the harem until June, when a sudden thunderclap occurred and the northwest suddenly rebelled!
The Northwest is a place where all kinds of people live together. In addition to the people of the Dazhao Kingdom, many other ethnic groups also live there. For the sake of local stability, the court appointed local prominent families to manage miscellaneous affairs and only sent troops to maintain law and order.
The emperor was open-minded. He did not restrict the entry of people from other countries, nor did he prevent trade among countries. Over the years of development, the northwest region became prosperous and was no longer in the dire situation of nine out of ten houses being empty.
Prime Minister Liu knelt in the hall and denounced the wolfish ambitions of the tribes in the northwest. "They are not of our race, so their hearts must be different. They disguised themselves as merchants to enter the city, colluded with the local prominent families, and directly occupied the Protectorate. Now they have issued orders, and they don't take the court seriously."
"Your Majesty is so generous and kind, but you have nurtured such a ferocious person. I beg Your Majesty to lead the army in person to quell the rebellion in the northwest and enhance the prestige of our country."
Xu Junzheng's eyelids kept twitching. He had been exiled to the Northwest for eight years and had watched the Northwest transform from a barren land into an orderly one. Although it was not as prosperous as the south of the Yangtze River, it was already a very good life for the local people.
The Northwest Protectorate was established by the imperial court, but most of its officials were local celebrities and prominent families. Only the position of Protector-General was appointed by the imperial court.
He was promoted by the Protector-General and became a minor official in the Protectorate. He got to know many local prominent families. They were living a good life, so why would they risk their families being exterminated by rebelling?
"Your Majesty! I think this is inappropriate. It's just a group of bandits that have invaded the Protectorate. The local garrison can handle it. There is no need for Your Majesty to lead the army in person."
Prime Minister Liu kowtowed with a thud and said passionately, "If the local garrison could handle the situation, the urgent war report would not be sent to the capital. Lord Xu, are you trying to excuse the Northwest rebels?"
"If Lord Xu hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten that Lord Xu has been doing well in the Northwest these years. He has been in close contact with the prominent families in the Northwest as a guilty subject. Could it be that he has long had a rebellious heart, so he speaks for the Northwest traitor?"
Xu Junzheng's face changed, and he said angrily: "Don't slander me. I am loyal to His Majesty, and heaven and earth can bear witness to that! But Prime Minister Liu is so anxious that His Majesty is in a hurry to lead the army. Is there no one else in the court who can be used?"
"The prince is still young. If something goes wrong with your majesty, wouldn't it be the time for you evildoers to cause chaos in the court?"
Prime Minister Liu sneered, "Master Xu, are you asserting that Your Majesty will lose? Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and with the protection of God, you will definitely be invincible! Master Xu's words are alarmist and will shake the morale of the army..."
"That's enough!" The emperor stood up from the dragon throne. "You two are my loyal ministers. You are both for the country. I believe in your loyalty."
"I understand Lord Xu's concerns, but I conquered the northwest. They will not submit to anyone except me. I cannot bear to add to the chaos of war. I will lead the army in person and make a quick decision to restore peace to the people on the border."
Three days later, Ji Yunhuan reluctantly saw the emperor off at the city gate.
War drums were beating, flags were flying in the sky, and the emperor, wearing armor and leading tens of thousands of elite soldiers, headed far to the northwest.
Ji Yunhuan watched the emperor's figure getting smaller and smaller until he could no longer see him. He rubbed his red eyes and went down the city wall with Taohong's help.
The journey was long and extremely dangerous. She only regretted that she could not pass on the blessing of peace to the emperor and bless him with a safe return.
After the emperor left, Ji Yunhuan managed the harem even more strictly, and his tactics were even more severe than before.
Apart from teasing the little prince, the empress dowager would eat vegetarian food, chant Buddhist scriptures, and pray for the emperor who was far away in the northwest.
Such days were particularly hard to bear. In the emperor's absence, the entire palace seemed to have lost its vitality. Ji Yunhuan used to dislike the emperor's noisy and clingy nature, but now she missed him even more.
A month later, a battle report was urgently sent back from the northwest front line over a distance of 800 miles, indicating that several horses had died from running and the soldiers had collapsed at the city gate due to exhaustion.
The news spread throughout the capital city like wings. The emperor went deep into the enemy camp but was ambushed and blown to pieces, leaving only a blood-stained helmet.
The Queen Mother fainted when she heard the news, and Shoukang Palace was filled with wailing.
The little prince was stunned for a moment. His small brain was not enough to understand such a complicated thing. When he realized that his father was dead, he burst into tears.
“Father…Father…whoa…whoa…whoa…whoa…whoa…whoa…”
Qin Yunhan cried so hard that he was out of breath. Even when his father wanted to hug him before leaving, he refused to give his father a good look.
He will never be angry with his father again, but his father will never come back, and he has become a fatherless child, wuwuwuwu...
Ji Yunhuan's eyes were slightly red, but he could hold on better than the others.
She sat in Shuhua Palace for half a day without eating or drinking, and no one knew what she was thinking about.
Taohong saw the state of the empress and thought about how difficult it would be for her in the future. She felt very sad. She brought a bowl of ginseng soup and sobbed as she advised:
"My queen, if you want to cry, just cry. You will feel much better after crying. There is still a long way to go, so you must take care of yourself."
Ji Yunhuan took the ginseng soup and drank it all. She touched Taohong's head and forced a smile that was uglier than crying.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something and was lost in thought for a moment. Go and bring the little prince back. The Queen Mother is ill. Don't let those trivial matters disturb her. Han'er will sleep with me tonight."
Taohong went to do it immediately. The presence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could comfort the Empress a little more, which was better than the Empress having all the time out of her mind.
That night, Shuhua Palace encountered an assassination attempt!
The killers seemed to know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in Shuhua Palace. Hundreds of them risked their lives to break in, clearing a path and heading straight for the master bedroom of Shuhua Palace.
The green tip of the knife stabbed towards the person on the bed without hesitation. As long as it hit the person a little, even without hitting the vital parts, the person would die of poisoning.
The person on the bed suddenly pulled back the quilt, revealing to be An Wu, who had been hiding there for a long time. The two men fought with each other, with swords flashing and every move was fierce and deadly.
The "Crown Prince" in the cradle poked his head out, but it turned out to be a steaming puppet. With a bang, it exploded into a string of fire.
The assassin who was trying to assassinate the prince had no time to retreat and his arm was directly blown off.
An Wu had already dealt with the enemy in front of him. He blew a sharp whistle, like the call of a bird, and it could be heard far away in the night.
Kill without mercy at all costs!
More and more secret guards came out. The killers realized that they had fallen into a trap, but they could not get rid of these well-trained royal secret guards.
The two sides fought each other. They were both people walking in the dark night. The fight was silent. The bright moon hung high in the sky, and it seemed as if a bloody pantomime was being performed in the yard.
The next morning, there was still a hint of blood in the air. The bodies in the yard had been cleaned up, and last night's fight seemed like a dream.
An Wu and An Liu were both injured. The poison on the sword was really fierce. With their physiques tempered by hundreds of battles, they could only rest and could not move at all.
Ji Yunhuan sat in the yard. It was summer, but she felt a little cold.
The little prince was not around, and she had no intention of letting her son go on the adventure together. She was enough on her own.
"Someone, go and get Chief Steward Liu. It's time to start arranging His Majesty's funeral."
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