Chapter 156 The new emperor ascends
the throne smoothly Minglan's eyes darkened, "The Ningyuan Marquisate has been able to survive until now because of the dowry of Second Brother Gu's biological mother. This title should have belonged to Second Brother Gu."
This happened a long time ago, and even Princess Pingning had never heard of it. How did Minglan know about it? Princess Pingning looked at Minglan in shock. Minglan did not shy away from saying that Second Brother Gu and the Bai family's wife were the complete victims of this scandal. The Gu family was too greedy.
"Zhong Huai! Princess! Princess!"
Minglan saw her own carriage coming, and Yun Jinyan was greeting them. When the carriage stopped, Yun Jinyan jumped out of the carriage. Seeing this, Gu Tingye wanted to go forward to help her. Yun Jinyan smiled at Gu Tingye, then walked over to Minglan and bowed to both Minglan and Princess Pingning.
"Princess, I'm here to take you and Zhonghuai back to the mansion!" Yun Jinyan winked at Minglan mischievously. She always called Minglan in the mansion, but outside the mansion, she still paid attention to etiquette and called her Princess Minglan, not giving anyone a handle.
Minglan smiled back at her, then said goodbye to Princess Pingning.
Yun Jinyan took Minglan to Gu Tingye's side, and as if she didn't see Gu Tingye, she said directly to Gu Tingye: "Zhonghuai, let's go back to the mansion!"
Gu Tingye frowned when he saw Yun Jinyan's behavior. He heard that there was a girl with Gu Tingye and the two of them behaved very intimately. He thought that he had always misunderstood Gu Tingye in the past, so he ignored the news. When he saw her today, it turned out to be true, but this girl was too rude and ignored him, which made him very unhappy; then he looked at her behavior, she didn't look like a decent lady in the capital, but more like a girl from the rivers and lakes, which made him very unhappy; then he saw that she called Gu Tingye by his name and behaved frivolously, which made him even more unhappy.
Lord Gu opened his mouth to scold, but Minglan spoke before him, "Lord Gu, we'll take our leave now. If you have anything to say, you can talk to Second Brother Gu another day."
Lord Gu was blocked by Minglan, and the anger in his heart dissipated. Minglan was a princess, and Lord Gu couldn't refuse her face. He could only talk to Gu Tingye another day.
After Minglan and her group left, Lord Gu returned to his carriage. Xiao Qinshi saw everything that had just happened, and she sneered sarcastically: You see, even if he didn't interfere, Gu Yankai couldn't get along well with Gu Tingye. Gu Yankai is a self-righteous man who thinks he can control everything. It's ridiculous!
Seven days after the emperor's coffin was laid to rest, ministers began to petition the empress, saying that the country could not be without a ruler for a day, and
requested that the crown prince take the throne, but the empress ignored them. The prime minister led all the ministers to kneel in front of the Daqing Hall and presented a petition to the empress, with earnest words: "Your Majesty's passing is a great sorrow to the country, but the country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and the people's hearts urgently need to be stabilized. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is both virtuous and talented, and is the people's hope. We earnestly request that the empress follow the will of heaven and the people's wishes and quickly hold the succession ceremony to inherit the throne and stabilize the country."
The empress sat in the hall, listening to the news from the eunuchs, her face as gloomy as water. "Your Majesty's body is still warm, but they are eager to push the prince to the throne. Could it be that they have really forgotten your majesty's benevolent rule and magnanimity in the past?" The queen knew that once the prince ascended the throne, although she was the queen mother, the real power might fall into
someone else's hands, which she did not want to see. Minglan could see through the subtleties and struggles in the queen's heart, but the situation was pressing. Facing the requests of the ministers, she could not do anything against the trend at this time. Only by adapting to the times can she consolidate her position and find opportunities to gain more real power. Moreover, the stability and development of the Song Dynasty urgently needed a clear monarch to lead the direction. Being in a state of no master for a long time was not a blessing for the country.
Minglan thought for a moment, and softly advised, "Your Majesty, everyone knows that you have a broad mind and take the overall situation into consideration. The prince's ascension to the throne is the will of heaven, and it is also necessary for the stability of the country. Your Majesty is grieving the death of His Majesty, so she has no time to care about the new emperor's ascension to the throne. The ministers urged the new emperor to ascend the throne out of concern for the future of the country. Your Majesty, why don't you take this opportunity to show your tolerance and wisdom. The prince will ascend the throne sooner or later, and the ministers asked for your permission, and you followed the trend, which is also a good story. You can also use this to win the hearts of the ministers and win the respect of all the people. . In this way, not only did your Majesty not lose power, but your position was consolidated invisibly. "
Minglan's words gave the Queen new thoughts. She nodded slowly, with a gleam in her eyes. "You are right. I cannot let personal emotions override the interests of the country. The crown prince's ascension to the throne is inevitable, and I, as the Queen Mother, should do my utmost to assist and ensure a smooth transition of the country. "After speaking
, the Queen stood up and walked out of the hall with firm steps. Facing the ministers kneeling outside the hall, the Queen showed a look of sorrow.
"I know what you all mean. The succession of the crown prince is a blessing for the country and the hope of the people. How could I not understand the big picture? However, the crown prince has just entered the court and ascended the throne. He still needs the assistance of trusted ministers to ensure the stability of the court and the prosperity of the country."
After saying this, the queen changed the subject and said, "I want to temporarily help the new emperor manage the government at the beginning of his ascension to the throne to ensure a smooth transition. At the same time, I also hope that the prime minister and all the ministers will work together to assist the new emperor in handling state affairs. When the new emperor is able to handle state affairs and can take charge of the government, I will return power to the new emperor, retire to the harem, and enjoy my old age. What do you think of this arrangement? "When
the ministers heard this, they looked at each other. The prince is not a young master, so why does the queen need to govern? But thinking about what the queen said, the prince will come to Beijing from Yuzhou, and he is indeed not familiar with the people in Beijing. It is reasonable for the queen to assist him. What's more, the queen is wise and has assisted a benevolent monarch. It will be even easier for her to assist the new emperor.
Prime Minister Zeng Gongliang looked at the empress from afar, and their eyes met in the air. Zeng Gongliang looked at the ministers beside him and knelt down first. Seeing this, the ministers also knelt down and agreed: "Your Majesty is wise, and we obey your order!"
The new emperor ascended the throne smoothly, and rewarded the ministers who had made contributions. Zhao Zongquan knew that Gu Tingye had been living in Sheng Mansion, so he gave Gu Tingye a new mansion. Minglan's princess mansion was also repaired and could be moved in at any time.
"Ming'er, do you want to choose a day to move to the princess mansion? The princess mansion is closer to the imperial city, and it is convenient for you to go to the palace every day."
Mingxi asked while tidying up Minglan's clothes and jewelry. Minglan was different today. She had to go to the palace every day to accompany the empress dowager. Most of her previous clothes and jewelry were no longer usable, and she had to buy some new ones that met the princess's regulations.
"I don't want to move there yet. I'll be the only one living in the princess's mansion. Grandma and Daddy will definitely not allow you to move with me. It's so lonely. It's more comfortable to live in our mansion. The whole family is together, warm and lively." Minglan hugged Mingxi and rubbed against her to act coquettishly.