Chapter 122 Perilous Situation
"Imperial Noble Consort Lü Jia has followed me since the time I was a prince. She is known for her kindness and good deeds, a fact acknowledged by everyone in the palace, from the Empress Dowager and me down to the maids and eunuchs. Now, no one in the harem does not respect and obey her."
Yinzhen stared intently at the crowd below, stretched out his hand toward the Crown Prince, and spoke with an unquestionable certainty: "I have five sons and two daughters, most of whom were born to the Imperial Noble Consort. They are all equally healthy and intelligent, with the Crown Prince being the most outstanding. The fact that my children are all like this shows that the Imperial Noble Consort is also a person who understands etiquette and knows how to teach, and is naturally worthy of being the Mother of the Nation."
After speaking, he paused for a moment, lowered his eyes to observe the expressions of the people below, and spoke again with a hint of melancholy in his tone—"As for what you all said, the late emperor had four empresses. Who can say which one was the best, and who can say that one was definitely better than the other?"
"Your subject dares not!" The person who had spoken out to stop him earlier immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness.
Who dares to say that? Even if others don't say it, just consider the late emperor's first empress, Empress Hesheli. How similar she was to Empress Chun Yuan! Both came from prominent families, were young couples, and died in childbirth. Yet the late emperor still made Niohuru empress.
There was no reason to stop it, but the only thing they could come up with, no matter how hard they tried, was that the Emperor could not stop them.
Seeing that no one below had spoken, Yinzhen sat back on his dragon throne and said in a deep voice, "Since there are no objections, then this matter is settled. The Imperial Observatory has calculated that the eighth day of next month will be an auspicious day, and the Ministry of Rites shall begin preparations from today. My dear ministers, let us begin our meeting."
...They've even calculated the date. Everyone silently wiped the sweat from their brows. The Emperor was determined to appoint an Empress. They were glad they hadn't upset the Emperor at this time. Just look at the official who hadn't been able to stand up and was still kneeling in the same spot. The Emperor was clearly angry and deliberately wanted to leave him hanging.
Before the court assembly had even ended, the news had spread throughout the Forbidden City as if it had grown legs.
"The Imperial Noble Consort is going to be made Empress!" The palace servants practically spread the news with great excitement.
In Yongshou Palace, Xuexin happily gripped Lü Jiayingfeng's hand tightly, tears of joy almost overflowing from her eyes. In the hall, Hong Xihai was bowing haphazardly, thanking the Emperor and the Crown Prince, which made Lü Jiayingfeng smile from ear to ear.
She raised her hand and tapped Xuexin's forehead—"This is a good thing, why are you crying? There are only three true masters in this Forbidden City: the Emperor, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager. Now I can be considered one of them."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Hong Xihai, who was pacing back and forth in the hall, and waved to him with amusement. "Don't keep pacing around like that. It's making my eyes dizzy. Everything is still not settled, so we can't let our guard down. You two have to keep watch for me these days. It's not over until everything is truly settled."
"Yes." Although the two were overjoyed, they still nodded solemnly upon hearing the Empress's words.
Her caution proved to be well-founded.
The once tranquil and desolate atmosphere in the small Buddhist hall of Jingren Palace was now tinged with a tense atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing. Ever since Huichun received that unusual note, she had been extremely uneasy. In the past, even when Consort Cao wanted to contact someone, she would hide it in the food. But today, it was delivered directly to the backyard early in the morning.
The master had been holding that piece of paper for quite some time, but hadn't made a sound...
Yi Xiu's face turned slightly blue from straining, and her fingers clenched so tightly that they cracked. Her knuckles, white from gripping the letter, showed just how much force she was using.
After holding her breath for a long while, she suddenly exhaled, her chest heaving violently. As if she had witnessed something utterly unbearable, her voice was hoarse and strained—"How could the Emperor make her Empress! How could she be worthy!"
While she was in the Prince's mansion, because of her sister, she had to give up the position of the first wife that was within her grasp and could only become a secondary wife. When the emperor ascended the throne, she lost her rightful position as the Empress. He first conferred the title of Empress Chun Yuan, making her the second empress. When the emperor ascended the throne, it was during the mourning period for the late emperor, so everything was simplified. Even her empress conferment ceremony was far inferior to that of the previous dynasty.
Now that she has been deposed, it won't be long before the emperor wants to reinstate an empress! How could she possibly accept this!
"You all want to step on my head! Even if I fall, I will not let you get away with this!" Yi Xiu's eyes were bloodshot as she stared fiercely at the void in front of her and shouted, "Hui Chun! Go and write back to Consort Cao. Tell her that if she still wants Wen Yi, she must do as I say. Otherwise, once Lü Jiaying becomes Empress Feng, no one will be able to help her."
Meanwhile, the scenery throughout the palace was absolutely magnificent.
"The Emperor did indeed make him Empress." Nian Shilan slumped against the table, her eyes filled with anxiety—"Is there any news from my brother's side? Has the Emperor said how he intends to punish Prince Dun?"
These days, Shilan has been living in constant fear. She has witnessed the changes in the Emperor's attitude towards her brother. After falling out of favor and then regaining it, her heart has never been at peace. Even the most foolish woman can sense whether her husband truly loves her. She cannot be sure what the Emperor is thinking now.
At the same time, the matter was indeed being discussed in the imperial court.
Hongzhao listened as the ministers below jointly presented eight pieces of evidence against the disgraced minister Yun: "Disrespect for the emperor, betrayal of the late emperor, forming cliques for personal gain, disrupting the court, blocking channels of communication, assaulting ministers, harboring ulterior motives, and abusing military power."
Each and every one of these crimes was laid bare before him, each a capital offense, yet Hongzhao understood that even the most unforgivable sins would be forgiven by the Emperor. Rumors already circulated that the Emperor had mistreated his brothers. It would be far too unworthy for him to bear the stigma of murdering his own brethren.
"Your Majesty should govern the country with strict laws and severe punishments to prevent another upheaval. Such disrespectful behavior must be punished by exterminating nine generations of the family to serve as a warning to others." The censor Zhang Lin, who had just been recounting the various crimes of his accomplice Nian Gengyao, immediately submitted a memorial requesting the emperor to impose strict laws and severe punishments. The emperor, listening at the head of the table, frowned more and more deeply.
Nian Gengyao had long been a major concern for Yinzhen, but he was wary of the nearly untapped profits at hand and of Consort Nian in the palace. Therefore, he dared not act rashly in important matters. Yinzhen was unwilling to be accused of mistreating meritorious officials, which is why he exercised so much restraint.
But this handle is indeed easy to find.
As soon as Hongzhao followed his father into the Imperial Study after court, a memorial of greetings from the Northwest was presented to the Emperor.
“Since it’s a greeting, then put it over there.” Yinzhen said, pointing to Hongzhao’s small table next to him. “You’er, you can follow what your father taught you for now.”
Hongzhao secretly raised an eyebrow as he looked at the stack of documents. If he remembered correctly, there were some incredibly interesting things inside.
As expected, when he opened the first book, Hongzhao's thoughts were confirmed. He pondered for a moment, and since his father wanted a knife to get rid of Nian Gengyao, he might as well hand it to his father himself.
He carefully measured the distance, holding the memorial in his hand, and quickly took two steps before kneeling down in the hall. This sudden movement startled Su Peisheng, who rushed over to help him up.
"Father, this is treasonous! Your son dares not read this memorial."
Yinzhen was puzzled at first, but after hearing what he said, he immediately understood what was going on and thought to himself that he was indeed his good son.
"Give it to me." He leaned back slightly, his expression becoming serious.
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