Volume 1 Chapter 7 Taking the Knife from the Neck
Wang Teng’s old bones couldn’t bear it. After being kicked, his forehead was covered with cold sweat and it was obvious that he was in great pain.
Xiang Yun ignored him, returned to sit in front of the dragon throne, and said in a cold voice: "Listen to the decree, Wang Jiaojiao, the imperial concubine of the Wang family, is so bold and reckless that she colluded with ministers to seek the position of queen and intended to rebel and disrupt the government. She should be executed along with her entire clan;
However, I, the new emperor, have ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty to the whole world. I hereby deprive you of your title of Imperial Concubine and demote you to a concubine. You will live in Yuxue Palace forever. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave the palace forever!"
"Wang Teng, listen to my order. Minister Wang Teng has appointed people based on personal connections and colluded with the imperial concubines in the harem to plot a rebellion. His entire clan should be executed. However, I am kind-hearted and consider him a veteran of three dynasties, a pillar of the country, and his contributions to the Great Sun Dynasty. I order him to be stripped of his position as Minister of State."
Wang Teng trembled when he heard this, and his body hunched over a little bit, as if he had aged several dozen years in an instant. He murmured in an old voice, "I am a guilty subject. I accept your order and thank you for your grace!"
Xiang Yun nodded with satisfaction. If he were alone, Wang Teng would probably ignore him. But now that he had Qin Yu with him, Wang Teng would not dare to make any move and let him do whatever he wanted.
Because as long as he dared to move, Qin Yu would deal with him without him having to do anything.
It is so comfortable for the imperial power to have the support of ministers!
"By the way, since there is suspicion of nepotism and intention of rebellion, in order to avoid suspicion, choose a day to hand over the military orders of the three armies!" Xiang Yun said lightly.
In addition to the garrisons of each state, prefecture, county, city, and township in the Great Sun Dynasty, there are three armies directly under the imperial court.
They are the Black Armor Army responsible for logistical supply and emergency support;
The Lieyang Army is responsible for the main operations, frontline fighting, and guarding the borders;
The Akabane Army is responsible for spying on the enemy, covert assassinations, and rapid response support!
These three armies are the foundation of the Great Sun Dynasty and also the most powerful force of the Great Sun Dynasty. The military order to mobilize the three armies has always been under the control of the auxiliary king Wang Teng.
This is a sword against Xiang Yun's chest, which has been making it difficult for him to breathe. Now with Qin Yu's support, it is a good opportunity to take back the military token!
"I obey your command!" Although Wang Teng agreed, he began to feel anxious. Yes, he still had three armies, and now even his daughter was demoted. The Wang family would never be able to turn things around. The only bargaining chip in his hand now was the military token to mobilize the three armies!
If I hand over the military command, given Qin Yu's character, I will surely die. It is better to fight to the death now. Maybe I will be the one sitting on the dragon throne tomorrow!
Thinking of this, Wang Teng calmed down and no longer cared about what happened next. He just waited until he got home, then mobilized the three armies and rebelled!
In addition to the sharp sword against his chest, Xiang Yun, although he took a breath, there was still a knife on his neck, which made him dare not act rashly.
This knife is the imperial guard that guards the capital and the palace. Next, Xiang Yun will be the holder of this knife, otherwise he will not be able to sleep or eat!
"Since the matter of crowning the queen is still controversial, let's put it aside for now and discuss it later."
Xiang Yun changed the topic, glanced at the ministers, and said: "Listen to the decree, the assistant minister Liu Bu, committed treason and murdered the queen. His crime is unforgivable. Although the main culprit has been brought to justice, the emperor's anger is still not extinguished. His body must be torn into pieces and fed to the dogs. His property must be confiscated and his entire clan must be executed!"
"Qin Fuguo will be in charge of this matter. Please submit a memorial with the specific details later."
Confiscating property, this is a very lucrative job. Qin Yu was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately stepped out and said, "I obey your order!"
Xiang Yun felt a pain in his heart. The wealth of the most powerful official in the dynasty was probably several times richer than his national treasury.
Although a portion of it will still be added to the national treasury, it will be at least less than half.
However, if he wants to take the lead, he must give some sweet benefits first. Otherwise, if Qin Yu, who is now the only powerful emperor, goes against him, he will become a puppet emperor again.
After enjoying the sweetness, it’s time to take action.
Xiang Yun sneered in his heart, and then said: "From today on, the Imperial Guards that Liu Bu commanded during his lifetime will be in charge of me personally, and the rest of the duties will be assigned by Qin Fuguo."
Xiang Yun simply gave up all the benefits and only wanted the Imperial Guards. As long as he could protect his own life first, he could take his time to think about everything else.
Besides, if he had to do everything by himself, he would be exhausted. It would be better to let Qin Yu, the old fox, help him manage it first.
The concessions Xiang Yun made were already big enough. Qin Yu had no reason to stop Xiang Yun from taking charge of the Imperial Guards, and the ministers remained silent.
Qin Yu himself didn't care. The emperor was still too young. What if he was in charge of the Imperial Guards? As long as the commander of the Imperial Guards was his own man, he wouldn't be able to make any waves no matter what he did.
After achieving the result he wanted, Xiang Yun said loudly: "If you have something to say, please report it. If not, please leave the court!"
After a morning court session, the changes in the court were so great that the entire structure of the Great Sun Dynasty was turned upside down. From then on, Qin Yu, the auxiliary minister of the country, became the only one in power, truly second to none!
After leaving court, Xiang Yun felt tired and hungry. Then he remembered that since he traveled here yesterday, he had only had some tea and cakes, and had not eaten any meal.
I didn’t feel anything at first, but after this morning, my stomach started growling.
Xiang Yun went straight to the palace closest to him and ordered Yuan Ping behind him: "I will take a rest first. Ask the imperial kitchen to prepare breakfast immediately. Remember to prepare more and make it hot."
Yuan Ping responded softly and gestured behind him. A young eunuch followed him and left alone, heading towards the imperial kitchen.
Outside the palace, Xiang Yun was about to go in when Yuan Ping's voice came from behind him to remind him: "Your Majesty, Concubine Zhen is still waiting for you inside."
"Princess Zhen?" Xiang Yun was stunned for a moment, then he slapped his head and remembered that he had turned over Zhen Rou's card last night, and ended up staying in Qin Su's Yiku Palace for a night. He made the girl wait for a whole night in vain, and felt a little guilty.
Xiang Yun thought about it and went straight in. In the bedroom, he did not see the shadow of the little girl Zhen Rou. Looking towards the embroidered bed, it was obvious that there was someone lying on it.
Xiang Yun walked closer and saw that Zhen Rou was wrapped in a golden-threaded mandarin duck quilt, with only her lovely face and a bit of her shoulders exposed. It seemed that she was not wearing anything underneath.
Xiang Yun couldn't help but smile when she thought of this etiquette of serving the emperor in bed even though she was not yet a concubine.
Zhen Rou was still asleep at this time. Xiang Yun looked at her more closely and found that her eyes were slightly dark, as if it was caused by staying up late. There were several dry tear marks in the corners of her eyes. She looked pitiful and distressing.
Xiang Yun touched the gold-thread embroidered pillow under his head and found that it was soaked. This feeling was obviously not something that could be achieved by just a few tears.
And it was obvious that she had just cried not long ago. The more Xiang Yun thought about it, the more distressed he felt. He didn't expect that his unintentional action would make this lovely girl so sad.
As if she felt something, Zhen Rou slowly opened her eyes at this moment. The first thing she saw was Xiang Yun's slightly thin face and tender eyes.
Zhen Rou was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, are you back? Am I dreaming?"
Zhen Rou was obviously very tired, her voice was weak and her eyes were bloodshot.
Xiang Yun looked distressed and was about to tease the little girl, so he said seriously: "Why, you don't have to bow to me just because you saw me in your dream?"
After hearing these words, Zhen Rou had no idea that this was the real Majesty. She was so frightened that she quickly stood up and prepared to salute.
But her body was wrapped tightly in the golden mandarin duck quilt and she couldn't struggle out at all. Her strength only caused the quilt to bulge, and she was so anxious that tears came out.
After a while, Zhen Rou blushed and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I want to perform the ceremony, but I can't do it!"
Xiang Yun couldn't help but laugh angrily and said, "Nothing, you waited for me all night?"
Zhen Rou lowered her head and said softly, "I don't know when Your Majesty will return. I was so nervous that I didn't dare to fall asleep without permission. It's just that I was too sleepy before and couldn't help it... Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Xiang Yun nodded and said, "If I haven't returned yet, it must be because I have something important to deal with. You could have gone back first."
"I dare not..." Zhen Rou seemed to sense something and felt even more uncomfortable. She choked and said, "Your Majesty, I will go back to Shufangzhai now."
Zhen Rou tried to get up with a wronged look on her face, and it was obvious that she was deeply hurt. However, she was pushed back by Xiang Yun just when she was halfway up.
"Forget it, you are tired too, just sleep here for a while. I just came back from the morning court, so I need to catch up on some sleep as well."
After saying this, Xiang Yun took off his dragon robe and crown himself and lay down on the other side of the bed.
Xiang Yun was really tired. Going to court was a bit brain-burning, and there would be even more brain-burning things to come. He had to rest his spirits.
But just after he dozed off for a while, he found that the quilt covering him moved, and he felt something soft and hot in his hand. He turned his head and saw that Zhen Rou had been put into his quilt without him knowing when.
"What are you doing?" Xiang Yun just felt a little hot.
Zhen Rou's mosquito-like voice came from inside the quilt: "Your Majesty...serves His Majesty."
"Oh my god, how can I bear this?" Xiang Yun said quickly: "It's broad daylight, who taught you to do this?"
"My... mother taught me..."
Xiang Yun's mind was filled with black lines, and he sighed, "There is a long way to go for this kind of thing, let's talk about it later. Look at your current condition, you should go to sleep first and take care of your body."
"I'm not in the way..." Zhen Rou's body trembled a little, and she said uncomfortably: "Does Your Majesty dislike me? If so, I will go back..."
Xiang Yun had no idea what an honor it was for the women in the harem to be favored by the emperor. After spending all day in the cold harem, this was their only hope. Even so, there were still so many sisters competing for it.
As time goes by, the emperor will have more and more concubines, and the competition will become more intense. It is a blessing to have a turn once a year.
Even more people were forgotten by the emperor for their entire lives, and spent their entire lives from youth to old age in this cold harem.
If she could be favored by the emperor and conceive a prince, then she would have two hopes in this life and her life in the harem would be much easier.
But now the emperor was unwilling to even touch her. Zhen Rou couldn't help but feel terrified when she thought about ending up living alone in the future.
Xiang Yun is already eighteen years old. How can he not be moved with such a beauty in his arms? However, he still has some rationality. Zhen Rou cannot stand the tossing and turning at this moment, so it is better for her to rest first.
But now Zhen Rou looked so aggrieved and touching that Xiang Yun felt itchy in his heart. Finally, his blood rushed to his head, his eyes became hot, and he pounced on her with a roar.
Zhen Rou's scream came from under the quilt.
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