"Of course I've thought about it, but I just can't understand it. Yes, the emperor has no legitimate son. What does she want? The sixth prince is an option. Why not my son? Even if the sixth prince ascends the throne, will Consort Mei still treat her the same way she does now?"
"Isn't that too naive?"
“Whether Consort Mei will become like she is now, I don’t know, but the Ning family has enjoyed this for too long. You have never been favored in your life. Once the First Prince ascends the throne, won’t he go after the Empress? Don’t you know that yourself? Since you will, it is only natural for the Empress to go after you. There is no grudge, it’s just a matter of winning and losing.” Jiangxiang glanced at her a few times and sighed softly, “A bet is a bet, you should accept it.”
Consort Ning bit her lower lip tightly, looking at the poisoned wine, white silk, and dagger steadily held by the eunuch beside her, and laughed bitterly: "I'm willing to accept the consequences of my bet. My whole life has been a losing one."
In the end, she picked up the dagger.
Heartless, it pierced my heart.
"Your Majesty...please spare my son. I know he's not a very capable person." Consort Ning took a deep breath.
“I will tell Her Majesty. Her Majesty will not do anything to him,” Jiangxiang said.
Consort Ning fell silent.
She wouldn't die immediately, but she would bleed. She felt it and closed her eyes.
Jiang Xiang returned to Beichen Palace and told Yan Nangui these words.
“Loss. Yes, loss. There are no winners in the harem... So, I have to stand in the front court. I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to lose.”
"We servants will always stay with you and serve you," Jiangxiang said.
Yan Nangui smiled and said, "Okay."
The death of Consort Ning made the people in the harem even more frightened.
Now everyone knows what the Empress did, but it's too late. The dust has settled, and the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites are already preparing for the Sixth Prince's ascension to the throne.
Even after Meng Haijiang's victory, Wei Xiao and the other generals, knowing that the Empress had defied the imperial decree, dared not do anything.
The 300,000-strong army at Daiyang Pass is still in the hands of the Yan family father and son.
Who would have thought?
For the past twenty years, Yan Nangui has never been close to any prince, nor does he have a prince of his own, yet suddenly such a big commotion has occurred...
Therefore, everyone could only console themselves that the Sixth Prince was also His Majesty's son.
In particular, all the male members of the Ning family were beheaded, and officials of the Ning family line were either sent to local areas, killed, dismissed, or demoted.
Once the die was cast, no one struggled anymore.
Yan Nangui issued an edict instructing the generals of Daiyang Pass and Meng Haijiang to make arrangements and strive to return to see His Majesty off and also to participate in the new emperor's enthronement ceremony.
Meng Haijiang, Xie Yuan, and Wei Xiao sat facing each other, all with wry smiles.
"If you go back now, will you ever be able to come back?" Xie Yuan asked.
Xie Yuan never saw the Empress.
"If you're asking me this, I really can't say. Based on my understanding of the Empress, she's fine. But if we look at her from another perspective..."
Xie Yuan sighed, "Things have come to this, we can't just not go back, can we? You still have a son in the palace, don't you?"
“Yes, no matter what, I started as His Majesty’s guard. I couldn’t possibly not see His Majesty off. I never expected His Majesty to die so young, alas…” Wei Xiao sighed.
Wei Xiao also wanted to go back. He couldn't tell everyone what he was thinking, but he also longed to see the Empress.
Finally, after reaching an agreement, Xie Garden was retained.
It wasn't that he was afraid of death, but rather that he feared Meng Haijiang's people might suddenly retaliate.
Yan Nanxu stayed behind at Daiyang Pass.
On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month of the nineteenth year of the Jingjing reign (1143), the new emperor ascended the throne as the Jingkang Emperor.
However, the coronation ceremony has not yet been held.
He simply ascended the throne first.
Upon ascending the throne, his first imperial edict was to elevate the Empress to the title of Empress Dowager. The edict sounded eloquent, but the Emperor, being young and inexperienced in politics, beseeches His Majesty for guidance.
The second imperial edict was to bestow honors upon the officials who had rendered meritorious service in this war.
Yan Nanxu of the Yan family has now become a Duke.
At this point, the Yan family truly had nowhere left to be sealed off.
Of course, there are also Wei Xiao and Xie Yuan, who are now both dukes.
The soldiers will now be rewarded according to their merits. Although His Majesty is gone, the victory was won with the lives of the soldiers.
Since the emperor was young, the border soldiers naturally assumed that the imperial edict was the Empress Dowager's will.
Especially at Daiyang Pass, with Yan Nanxu's deliberate guidance, the soldiers were naturally extremely grateful to the newly appointed Empress Dowager.
In the palace, the new emperor issued another decree, elevating the Empress Dowager to the rank of Grand Empress Dowager, and ordering her to continue residing in Ruining Palace.
The various imperial concubines were granted additional titles, and Shu Chengfeng's harem was also expanded.
Now that Shu Chengfeng has left, the new emperor has also bestowed titles upon all the princesses.
Now, all the sisters have been given titles.
Brothers, we'll have to wait until after the mourning period.
Empress Ning was posthumously honored as Empress Gongqin.
The late emperor's funeral will not take place until the first month of the lunar calendar.
Officials from various regions arrived in Beijing one after another.
The Grand Empress Dowager finally met the Empress Dowager.
Empress Dowager.
Yan Nangui is not quite used to this title.
In Ruining Palace, Yan Nangui greeted the Empress Dowager: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"The wild geese fly south. I never realized you were such a wolf in sheep's clothing." The Empress Dowager had been wanting to see her lately, but didn't know what to say.
Thinking too much makes me less willing to speak up.
Yan Nangui sat down and said, "Mother, you don't need to worry. No matter what, I will still be filial to you."
"Be filial to me? You can even disobey the emperor's decree, do you think I would trust you?" the Empress Dowager said.
"Trust me. I won't lie to you. Mother, just live your life as before. I will continue to provide for you as always," Yan Nangui said.
The Empress Dowager remained silent for a moment, then waved her hand: "The rest of you, leave."
Yan Nangui glanced at her, then waved his hand, signaling Bai Wei and Baihe, who were following him, to leave.
"What does Mother have to say?"
"It's just the two of us left. Stop pretending and tell me what you really want to do." The Empress Dowager was actually a little scared.
She's really not a capable woman.
I've never seen a woman like Yan Nangui before.
The most powerful one I've ever seen is none other than Empress Dowager Jiang.
"Whether it's the eldest prince or the sixth prince, you don't care. It doesn't matter who becomes emperor."
"You just want to control the government, don't you?" the Empress Dowager gritted her teeth.
“Even if the eldest prince becomes emperor, I will still maintain control. It’s just that I can’t keep the Ning family, nor can I keep Consort Ning. Killing these people and then trying to control Shu Hengyuan would be too much trouble. So it’s better to choose someone else,” Yan Nangui said.
"You! You are a wolf in sheep's clothing! You..."
"Mother, you don't understand what I'm about to do, nor do you need to. I will watch over your son's empire for him. I will take care of his children for him. I will support his mother for him. That's enough. As for the Ye family, I will treat them well as long as I live. So, Mother, you don't need to think too much or do anything else." After saying this, Yan Nangui stood up: "The new emperor is young and there are many things to do, so I'll go back first."
"The wild geese are returning south!" the Empress Dowager exclaimed.
The wild geese fly south, turning back to look.
"You... I have never seen anyone like you before..." The Empress Dowager sighed deeply.
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