A flash of lightning tore through the overcast sky, and pedestrians on the street were all in a hurry, trying to find a place to shelter from the rain.
As a result, the Fuyuan Teahouse on Zhuque Street was crowded with people. Merchants traveling around, officials in the court, and poor beggars all crowded into the teahouse, either standing or sitting.
The waiter served tea to the guests at each table skillfully.
In a corner of the lobby on the first floor, a storyteller in a green shirt and with a goatee spoke eloquently as he recounted the anecdote of how the Night King defeated the enemy forces at Tatuo.
The audience in the teahouse all listened attentively and praised the performance repeatedly.
"That Night King was truly a god of war. He used those spies in Wangjiazhuang to carry out a counter-espionage plan and defeated the 50,000-strong Tatuo army in one fell swoop. He beat the Tatuo people so badly that they all fled home and cried to their mothers!"
"Good!" The audience applauded and admired the name Night King Chu Xuan even more.
By now, everyone in the capital knew that the enemy troops from Tatuo were approaching Tianque Pass. King Ye was given the task at a critical moment and acted like an iron wall, blocking the people from Tatuo outside Tianque Pass.
Half an hour later, the rain stopped. Some of the people in the teahouse were still reluctant to leave and planned to stay to listen, while others paid for their tea and left.
Outside the door, a carriage had been waiting for a long time. Kong Chenyang came out of the teahouse, got on the carriage and left.
There was nothing happening in the court today, and everything was peaceful in the palace. Could it be that Kong Chenyang, who was free, came to Fuyuan Inn specifically to listen to stories? Coincidentally, as soon as he entered the door, he heard the storyteller telling the heroic deeds of Chu Xuan at Tianque Pass.
It is better to meet by chance than to be invited. I listened to this for the whole morning.
Although the storyteller's words were somewhat exaggerated, it must be said that Chu Xuan was indeed a master in command of troops and was able to survive even when there was no food or grass. If the two of them were not in opposing camps and were enemies rather than friends, he really wanted to applaud him.
"Sir, there is news from the palace that Concubine Hui went to the Taiji Palace to visit His Majesty again today. Do you think we should..."
"Let her be." Kong Chenyang interrupted his men and said indifferently.
A woman is weak and alone, without any children or support from her family. It's just a woman's thought, ignorant and pitiful. Kong Chenyang didn't take this person seriously from the beginning.
The servant nodded his head in agreement when he heard this, and then brought up another matter.
"Recently, Concubine Xian has been quite restless. She has been summoning Prince Liang to the palace from time to time. The mother and son have kept the doors and windows closed. I don't know what they are planning. Do I need my subordinates to send someone in to investigate?"
Kong Chenyang snorted coldly, his face full of disdain: "How stupid! You don't have to intervene in this matter. Send someone to pass a message to Guangning Palace and tell our queen to stop enjoying herself all day long and do something for me. I supported her to be the queen, not to let her do whatever she wants with the title!"
Three days after Lu Yanluo left Beijing, Yue Meiren and Kong Chenyang joined forces and successfully held a ceremony to crown the queen without the emperor's attendance.
After Yue Meiren was canonized as the empress, she moved into Guangning Palace, the residence of the Empress Dowager, on the same day to receive the worship of the concubines and ladies of honor.
Everyone in the palace, and even in the entire capital, knew how Yue Meiren became the Empress Dowager, but everyone had to submit to Kong Chenyang's terror and bow their heads.
We are not fools. The emperor has been seriously ill and in coma for many days. It is impossible that the imperial edict to enthrone the queen was issued by the emperor.
On the day of the enthronement ceremony, the censor Li Tongguan pointed out in front of everyone that Yue Meiren had falsely conveyed the imperial edict and confused people, and that she was actually a witch who was a disaster to the country and was not worthy of being the empress.
Meiren Yue felt extremely guilty and her expression suddenly became panicked. Although she tried her best to remain calm, anyone with a discerning eye could see that she was not a queen by right and her character was not upright, so naturally she was unable to refute.
Seeing this, everyone present was about to stand up and agree, but unexpectedly, Kong Chenyang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
He walked a few steps to Yue Meiren, facing everyone's gaze, and said slowly: "My dear colleagues, the imperial edict has been issued, and it is clearly stamped with the imperial seal of His Majesty. You have seen it with your own eyes, how could it be fake? Could it be that you suspect that the imperial seal is fake?"
Kong Chenyang had a blank expression and spoke in a flat tone, but the pressure from his body made everyone present hesitate. They dared not say a word for fear of offending the killing god in front of them.
Although no one dared to speak, Li Tongguan did not want to give up. The Li family had been an outspoken censor since Li Tongguan's grandfather. The family's foundation accumulated over the years did not allow him to back down. Since he came today, he did not expect to go back alive.
The evil concubine is a disaster for the country, and treacherous ministers are in power. If they cannot be stopped now, the country will surely be in ruins in the future. How can he face the ancestors of the Li family then, and how can he be worthy of the mission given to him by Your Majesty.
Li Tongguan simply stood up, facing Chen Yang and Yue Meiren, with a firm gaze and a sonorous tone, and said with a spirit of fearlessness, "Today's ceremony of enthroning the queen has only the queen but no emperor, which is simply ridiculous! If your majesty is sober at this moment, he will definitely not enthrone this woman as the queen!"
"Yes!" After Li Tongguan finished speaking, several people in the crowd began to agree.
"My dear colleagues, Kong Chenyang controls the cabinet and has turned it into his own one-man show. He has deceived the world and stolen reputation, betrayed the trust of His Majesty, and is unworthy of being a minister. We must not tolerate his evil deeds any longer. Lord Li is right. The position of Queen has been vacant for many years, and His Majesty has never mentioned the matter of establishing a queen. Why did he suddenly decide to enthrone the Queen when His Majesty was seriously ill? Didn't everyone have any doubts?
For a moment, the officials in the field had different expressions and no one dared to speak without authorization.
A chuckle suddenly rang out from the silence, containing contempt and arrogance.
Kong Chenyang looked Li Tongguan up and down and said, "How old are you this year, Lord Li? Are you getting old and confused? You dare to speculate the emperor's will and disobey his will. If His Majesty were here, he would definitely punish you for disrespect!"
Li Tongguan said excitedly: "If Your Majesty were here, things would definitely not have happened to this extent. Kong Chenyang, you traitor, I will fight you to death!"
In this situation, Li Tongguan didn't care about anything else. He quickly took a few steps and hugged Kong Chenyang, and both of them fell backwards.
Kong Chenyang knew very well that Li Tongguan wanted to die together with him, so he was on guard. When he saw that things were going badly, he immediately used all his strength to hide to the side.
Li Tongguan missed her attack and tried to pounce again, but before she could do anything, she felt a light on her chest. She slowly lowered her head and saw that it was Kong Chenyang's hand. At this moment, he was holding a sharp blade and piercing through her chest without mercy.
"You..." Li Tongguan's eyes were full of disbelief, and he eventually died.