Chapter 471 Listening to Mother Tell Stories!
The officials remained silent, which puzzled the lower-ranking officials. They could understand their silence, given their lowly status and limited influence, but why were the three regents also silent?
Aren't they usually the most opposed to Shen Lanxi? Why don't they stand up together to fight against Shen Lanxi and condemn her?
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "Entering the capital without an imperial edict is tantamount to treason! They are the ones who should be purged!"
Official: Shouldn't the ministers stand up and suggest establishing a crown prince at this time?
Someone stepped forward, but it was Zhou Ruyuan, not a regent.
"Our father is critically ill, and it is only right and proper for us, his sons and subjects, to enter the palace to attend to him. Why is the Regent trying to obstruct us? Does the Regent not have anyone to inherit the throne of our Great Zhou?"
"My lords, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. My father is unwell, so I urge you to make a decision as soon as possible!" Zhou Ruyuan said, looking at the three regents.
Grand Tutor Liu Mingxin frowned, some were deep in thought, and others looked to the side.
Seeing that no one spoke, Zhou Ruyuan frowned and continued, "The three regents were all personally appointed by the Emperor and are trusted and relied upon by him. Now, our Great Zhou is in turmoil, and foreign enemies may take advantage of the chaos to invade. Now is the time to choose someone who can stabilize the situation. I urge the three regents to think carefully!"
Wu Yanzhi glanced at Liu Mingxin, but he made up his mind not to express his opinion.
Unlike the other two, Liu Mingxin was not able to remain calm and said, "Our Great Zhou is about to fall into internal strife. At this time, the court should not make any changes. The most important thing now is to appease the people and find a way to resist foreign enemies."
Zhou Ruyuan immediately frowned and replied, "It is precisely to appease the people that we need to establish an heir apparent, so that all the people in the world know that the Great Zhou will not descend into chaos. Once the eight princes know that an heir apparent has been established in the court, they will definitely return to their fiefdoms and dare not commit any further offenses!"
Or should we say, who should be chosen as the crown prince?
Currently, the only person of suitable age and with the most prestige in the capital is Zhou Ruyuan. He has recommended himself and pushed himself into the position of crown prince.
Liu Mingxin couldn't think of a rebuttal, so he turned to look at Shen Lanxi in the high position.
The latter spoke up: "Currently, there is no suitable candidate for a prince in the court. Originally, Prince Zhennan was suitable in terms of both age and prestige, but unfortunately, the matter of Princess Zhennan's assassination attempt on me has not yet been investigated, and it is not certain whether Prince Zhennan was involved. Therefore, Prince Zhennan can only temporarily avoid suspicion."
Upon hearing her words, Zhou Ruyuan immediately retorted with a cold look in his eyes, "Whether you believe it or not, I have never sent anyone to assassinate you."
Shen Lanxi: "But this matter was indeed done by Bai Qingling, which means it's related to you. The court is currently in dire need of capable people, and considering Your Highness's past achievements, I will not implicate you."
Zhou Ruyuan's face turned black with anger, but he couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.
He already knew that Bai Qingling was the one who carried out the assassination. If his father were still alive, he would probably have been imprisoned along with him.
"The remaining princes are all too young; even if they were made crown princes, they wouldn't have enough authority!"
Some officials nodded, while others remained silent.
Shen Lanxi: "The matter of establishing an heir can be discussed later. What we need to do now is to unite against external threats. Prince Zhennan, is what I'm saying correct?"
Zhou Ruyuan nodded in agreement, feeling quite frustrated. He couldn't very well suggest choosing an adult prince from his fiefdom.
"Since the Prince of Zhennan has agreed, let's discuss together how to resist the eight ambitious princes!"
After a moment of silence, Zhou Ruyuan said, "I am willing to lead the troops to repel them."
Shen Lanxi: "The eight princes come from different directions. The Prince of Zhennan can only choose to fight against one of them. The Ministry of War will recommend candidates for the remaining seven."
As long as one can lead troops, this is an opportunity.
"good."
Afterwards, Shen Lanxi selected eight people from the Ministry of War, and then, with a single order, summoned all 200,000 soldiers who had previously been stationed in the fields.
The mobilization process takes time, but Zhou Ruyuan's city guards are faster; they led their troops and set off ahead of time.
"Your Highness, what if Zhou Ruyuan escapes?"
Shen Lanxi raised the corners of her mouth and sneered: "His mother, his beloved woman, the child, don't they want them anymore?"
Forehead?
Previously, Emperor Renxiao had her family in his hands, but now she has a chance to fight back.
...
The news of the eight princes' plot to rebel quickly spread like wildfire.
Shen Lanxi posted notices around the capital city, recruiting soldiers!
Shen Conglian transformed himself from an idle old playboy into a conscription general, leading his several unemployed sons on a vigorous campaign to recruit soldiers from all over the country.
Shen Congli and Shen Congyi watched as Shen Conglian donned his armor and looked majestic, and then secretly went to find Old Madam Shen.
Within two days, he received the title of deputy general from Shen Lanxi, one going to cultivate land and the other to raise horses.
Immediately after the old headmaster of Bailu Academy retired to his hometown, Shen Yuanxu was elected as the headmaster of Bailu Academy.
The first thing he did after taking office was to dedicate a page to Shen Lanxi in the academy, specifically telling the legendary story of how Shen Lanxi transformed from an exiled family member into the regent of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The same course was being conducted at the girls' academy. The girls' first lesson was to learn about the great and legendary figure, Shen Lanxi.
Seven teams, consisting of Shen Yuankun, Shen Yuanhao, Qian Feng, Zhao Zheng, Xiao Fang, and Wei Dongzhu, gathered beneath the imperial city.
Shen Lanxi, dressed in a python robe, stood on the city wall.
"What is your mission?"
The next military general: "Suppress the rebellion of the Eighth Prince!"
Shen Lanxi: "What is your mission?"
"Defend the nation and protect the safety of our people!"
Shen Lanxi: "I will be waiting for you in the capital. When you return in triumph, I will reward you according to your merits and promote you to higher ranks!"
“Each of you will receive the fairest treatment here with me!”
The generals below shouted in unison, "Regent! Regent!"
The officials who came to see him off were all secretly thinking that these soldiers probably only knew Shen Lanxi and not the emperor.
Shen Lanxi watched the seven teams set off.
...
"Mother, you called for me!" Shen Lanxi thought that it was about time.
For the first time, Zhou Xinrou sat up straight with a sharp look in her eyes.
"I called you here because I want to tell you a story!"
Shen Lanxi: "I feel very honored to hear stories from my mother!"
Zhou Xinrou's expression was aloof, as if she couldn't understand the sarcasm in Shen Lanxi's tone.
“My parents are unknown. The Empress Dowager found me abandoned when she was offering incense outside the city, and then took me back to the palace to raise me.”
Shen Lanxi said calmly, "The Empress Dowager told me about these things."
Zhou Xinrou: "I was childhood sweethearts with the former crown prince, and we had already pledged our lives to each other. Unfortunately, Emperor Renxiao launched a palace coup, and I was pregnant with the former crown prince's child. As a result, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to choose a scholar who was going to the capital to take the imperial examination to marry me."
Shen Lanxi: "So, you chose Shen Congwen?"
Zhou Xinrou said with a sorrowful look in her eyes, "Mother has no choice. If Emperor Renxiao finds out, he will definitely not let me off. The Empress Dowager also wants me to preserve a bloodline for the former Crown Prince."
After a moment of silence, Shen Lanxi asked, "Does Shen Congwen know?"
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