Yun could only nod.
Since there is an imperial decree, General Xu no longer needs to stop Yan Nan from sending it.
Now that he has personally seen His Majesty's coffin, although he said he should listen to the new emperor, the new emperor has not yet ascended the throne.
The Empress suspected the Crown Prince. At this time, the Empress was powerful, so what good options did he have?
Even if you realize it, so what?
Now that the Empress has arranged things to this extent, can the Crown Prince still ascend the throne?
This is what all the ministers are thinking.
If the empress were just an empress, the ministers might still argue their case, but after seeing Yan Nanji and the troops he led, everyone understood.
There's no need to argue about that.
They can choose not to compete, but the crown prince cannot.
The position of crown prince, which he had longed for for so many years, had finally fallen into his lap. Unexpectedly, he was stopped at this crucial moment.
And only then did he notice that among the ministers who came to greet His Majesty's coffin, there were no members of the Ning family...
The crown prince knew that arguing here was pointless. He could only comply.
His Majesty's coffin returned to the capital, and white banners were hung throughout the city.
Yan Nangui, along with the harem members and the princes and princesses, waited in the palace.
Soon, His Majesty's coffin returned to the palace.
Yan Nangui watched as the white-clad coffin was pulled in.
She walked over, but didn't hear clearly who called her.
We stopped at Taichen Hall.
His Majesty's funeral rites naturally began at this time.
Yan Nangui had the coffin lid opened, and she looked at Shu Chengfeng's appearance. It was cold, and he hadn't changed much, but how could a dead person be handsome?
Hearing Bao'er's cries, she reached out and gently stroked Shu Chengfeng's face and hair: "It's good that you're back. I won't lie to you about anything I promised. You've been too tired, tired for forty years. Take a rest. I'll take care of you from now on."
Bao'er lay there crying, looking at her father, but couldn't say a word.
The princes and princesses knelt not far away, not daring to look.
His Majesty's remains are not something that anyone can easily see.
The Empress's actions were against the rules, but no one dared to stop her.
The Empress Dowager was helped over; she hadn't expected the Emperor to die in Meng Haijiang's hands.
She cried, but couldn't utter a single word.
The Crown Prince knelt there but did not see Consort Ning, and he could not ask her at this moment, so he was extremely anxious.
The other princes who accompanied the emperor felt much more at ease after seeing their mothers.
The late emperor had to change his clothes and comb his hair again.
These tasks are naturally handled by specialists.
Once all of this was done, the Beichen Hall and the entire palace were also fully decorated.
The princes and princesses offered incense and prayers according to custom.
Inside the Beichen Palace, the Crown Prince stood there gritting his teeth: "What does Mother mean? Father made me Crown Prince in front of all the officials!"
"I'll give you two choices," Yan Nangui said calmly. "First, you can live as a prince. Second, you can be imprisoned for life."
"You! What does Mother mean by this? Does Mother really intend to rebel? Father just left, and you're already in such a hurry? I was personally appointed by Father!" The Crown Prince was shocked.
"Yes, you were personally appointed by your father. It's a pity your father is gone, I will not let you be emperor." Yan Nangui said calmly, "I promised him that I would take care of you, so I will not kill you. You don't need to struggle, you can't be emperor."
"My mother has no children and won't let me be emperor. Whom should she support? Why not me? I've already promised my father that I would take care of my mother and seventh sister. I swore a solemn oath that I can't break it." The crown prince gritted his teeth.
Yan Nangui took a deep breath and smiled: "Can't you figure it out?"
The Crown Prince remained silent; he genuinely couldn't understand it. It was simply that she was worried he might treat her and her daughter badly in the future.
To be honest, he could never treat her as his mother, but he couldn't say that.
But which prince could?
“The Ning family is powerful. If you want to be emperor, I can’t let them live. If I kill them and you become emperor, you will eventually become independent. I will also die one day. At that time, my precious baby will be in your hands. How can I be at ease?” Yan Nangui said calmly.
"If I don't kill the Ning family, I'm afraid I won't even be able to retire peacefully. So how could you possibly become emperor?"
"Is Mother openly defying Father's last will and testament?" The Crown Prince gritted his teeth. Defying the last will and testament was a grave crime.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to confiscate their property and exterminate their entire clan.
"Enough with the nonsense. You have two options. Think it over carefully. Someone, come here."
Soon, imperial guards entered.
"You've rebelled too?" the crown prince exclaimed in shock.
Zuo Zhizhen remained silent.
Although he was loyal to His Majesty, he wasn't a fool. What could he say now that things had come to this?
He also has a family of young and old. All I can say is, even if the crown prince is deposed, the next one will still be His Majesty's heir.
"You only have one day to lock him up in the Hall of Joyful Longevity. If you can't figure it out, I'll make the choice myself," Yan Nangui said calmly.
Despite his shouts, the prince was dragged out.
"Go and summon Consort Mei Hui and the Sixth Prince," Yan Nangui said.
Jiang Xiang agreed and went to invite him personally.
Consort Mei's heart raced; she was terrified. The Emperor had left, and she was heartbroken, but she feared even more that something might happen to her child.
Yes, she has always been loyal to the Empress, but even the Crown Prince has been...
She dared not not go.
The sixth prince encouraged her, "Mother, don't be afraid. Over the years, we have always listened to the Empress Dowager. We will listen to her again today. You have no outstanding family background and will not offend the Empress Dowager."
Consort Mei took a deep breath, nodded, and the mother and son went together to Beichen Palace.
Consort Mei Hui also suffered from poor eating and sleeping habits from the moment the Crown Prince was established on the front lines, so her complexion was not good during these times.
When visiting at this time, one must be extremely careful.
"Sit down," Yan Nangui waved his hand.
The mother and son sat down, and Yan Nangui said, "I cannot acknowledge Shu Hengyuan as the crown prince. It's not that the crown prince is deposed, but that there is no crown prince."
"Mother, but... Father really was..." The Sixth Prince hesitated for a moment before saying, "Father really did say that he would make the eldest prince the heir."
“I heard from the people in the Imperial Court that your father didn’t finish his sentence. I understand what he meant; he’s failing and pointed to the eldest prince. I won’t beat around the bush with you and your mother. Of course I know this is your father’s intention. It’s just that I can’t let him become the new emperor,” Yan Nangui said.
"Then... what does Mother mean?" No matter what, the Sixth Prince is only twelve years old. How could he not be afraid?
But he was, after all, his mother's eldest son. He had to stand up for her.
"I promised your father that I would not harm his offspring." Yan Nangui looked at Consort Mei Hui: "I'll be frank with you. Over the years, I've seen that you are a wise person."
Consort Mei rose and knelt down: "Your Majesty, please speak freely. As long as... as long as my children are well, I will agree to anything."
“Alright. You have three sons, and the eleventh prince is too young. Choose either the sixth or the ninth prince. He will be the next emperor. However, he will only serve for five years. After five years, he must abdicate. Even after abdication, with me here, he will still be respected.” Yan Nangui said.
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