Chapter 69 Ascension to the Throne
Unexpectedly, this person, who doesn't seem very shrewd, has such insight. I really underestimated her before. Xiao Qinya stood up: "Let's stop here for today. I have some things to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer."
After saying that, he left the hall under Xiao Yu's watchful gaze.
After the person had gone far away, Xiao Yu blinked and took a long time to come to her senses. They let her off so easily?
This Grand Princess is so strange. She came all this way just to say a few random words to me.
Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm sure she won't bother me anymore, which is a good thing.
In the sweltering heat of June, good news arrived from outside the city within two days: General Li had led the Imperial Guard to the city. The two armies faced off, and the rebels' morale was low due to the intense heat, which temporarily relieved the panic of the people in the city.
Xiao Yu left the courtyard, opened an oil-paper umbrella, and sat by the lotus pond to fish.
The lotus leaves unfolded, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of lotus. Fish hid under the lotus leaves, occasionally peeking out. As soon as the bait was thrown in, it was snatched up by a swarm of fish. Perhaps the fish in the lotus pond were too clever, because every time Xiao Yu raised his fishing rod, the fish had already hidden back under the lotus leaves.
Half an hour later, Xiao Yu sighed as he looked at the lotus pond. Had all the fish in the Prime Minister's mansion become spirits? Half a day had passed and he hadn't caught a single one.
At this moment, a large group of people came from afar, surrounding a woman in gorgeous palace attire. Xiao Yu frowned as she looked over and stood up.
The woman possessed an elegant and noble air, radiating an innate majesty. As she approached, Xiao Yu hurriedly bowed, saying, "This humble subject greets the Grand Princess."
Xiao Qinya gave a soft "hmm" and bent down to help the person up.
Behind her stood numerous officials, including her father-in-law and three of her brothers-in-law, which surprised Xiao Yu.
Why did everyone end up here?
“Come with me to the palace,” Xiao Qinya said.
Entering the palace?
Xiao Yu was startled and couldn't quite process the meaning of those words for a while, but she didn't dare to show it. At this moment, she needed to remain calm.
She discreetly observed the woman before her, a series of questions swirling in her mind: Why did this woman summon her to the palace? What was the purpose of her summons? Why were so many people present to announce her entry?
Could something serious have happened?
Is it related to me?
In just a few moments, a huge wave of emotions surged in Xiao Yu's mind.
Noticing the subtle change in her expression, Xiao Qinya raised her eyebrows slightly, her tone full of unyielding authority: "What, you're unwilling?"
Xiao Yu swallowed hard, glancing at Song Yunzhou. Seeing his serious expression, she knew that her father-in-law's family couldn't possibly harm her. Besides, could she really resist in this situation?
Behind the officials stood two neat rows of armored soldiers wielding halberds. She composed herself, suppressed her panic, and nodded.
Seeing her nervousness, Xiao Qinya took her hand, and the officials parted to make way for her.
"Let's go." The tone left no room for argument.
"Um."
Xiao Yu took a deep breath, lifted his foot, and suddenly caught sight of Song Luoning coming over after hearing the noise. He paused, clearly seeing worry in the young lady's eyes. Xiao Yu's heart clenched: "Can I explain this to my wife?"
"Prime Minister Song will explain. Let's go." Xiao Qinya glanced at Song Luoning indifferently. The woman was as calm as a chrysanthemum. As expected of the old fox's daughter, she could still be so calm at this moment. She was much more interesting than the person in front of her.
etc!
Such a wise woman, coupled with the old fox family controlling the government, made her momentarily confused. Throughout history, there have been many cases of relatives of the empress interfering in politics. Was her decision right or wrong?
If the Song family continues to be as loyal as they are now, that's fine. But what if they develop rebellious intentions one day? Thinking of this, Xiao Qinya felt a chill of fear. But the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. It seemed as if there was a force pushing things forward in the dark.
For the first time, Xiao Qinya regretted her rashness. Her hands, hidden beneath her wide sleeves, tightened. She led Xiao Yu out of the villa, onto the carriage, and the officials followed behind. The two remained silent the entire way.
Xiao Yu's heart remained clenched with anxiety until the carriage entered through Xuande Gate, passed through Daqing Gate, and stopped in front of Zichen Hall.
After getting off the carriage, Xiao Qinya took her hand. In front of the palace, a lifelike white dragon lay prostrate on white marble, majestic and imposing, with palace servants kneeling neatly on both sides.
What's going on?
Xiao Yu's gaze swept over the palace servants one by one, feeling both uneasy and surprised, as he allowed Xiao Qinya to lead him into the Zichen Palace.
“Say whatever I tell you to say later,” Xiao Qinya said.
"Hmm?" Xiao Yu turned to look at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes. The two of them went up the steps to the dragon throne.
"Sit down," Xiao Qinya said seriously.
? !
Sit down?
Xiao Yu was startled. He looked at the dragon throne and then at Xiao Qinya. What else didn't he understand? They wanted him to be the emperor. His heart was filled with turmoil, but he dared not show it on his face. He sat down on the dragon throne with trepidation.
Palace maids brought forward a robe, which Xiao Yu stood as they draped over his body. Then, the official in charge of ceremonies, holding an imperial edict, loudly proclaimed, his shrill voice echoing throughout the hall: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: During my reign, my virtue has been lacking, and I have failed the people. Now, there is a royal son, Xiao Yu, who is kind, filial, and exceptionally intelligent. I firmly believe that he will be able to inherit the throne and protect my prosperous nation. Therefore, from this day forward, I abdicate in favor of the worthy Xiao Yu, who will succeed to the throne..."
All the civil and military officials bowed in unison.
Xiao Yu swallowed hard, feeling a little flustered, when he heard Xiao Qinya lower her voice and say, "All of you, rise."
Xiao Yu steadied himself and repeated it again.
The civil and military officials stood up and lined up in two neat rows.
Next, the master of ceremonies read out the ancestral precepts of Baisheng. Throughout the process, Xiao Yu listened in a daze, and was led by Xiao Qinya the whole time.
After the reading was finished, the ministers knelt and bowed to the emperor before withdrawing.
Xiao Yu then came to his senses and looked at Xiao Qinya: "Am I the emperor now?"
Xiao Qinya was stunned for a moment, then her lips twitched. She felt that this person did not seem too shrewd. Wasn't that obvious enough?
"I suppose so. In the past, emperors had to go through the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven before their coronation was considered complete. Your situation is special now. If you wish, we can hold a coronation ceremony for you after the rebellion of Prince Chang is resolved."
Xiao Yu blinked, still wondering why they had chosen him to be the emperor. He glanced at Xiao Qinya, but ultimately didn't ask. He shook his head, thinking, "Forget it, these ancient rituals are too tiring."
She's inexplicably become the empress now, but what about the eldest daughter? She then asked, "What about my wife...?"
Xiao Qinya corrected her seriously, "According to etiquette, Your Majesty should now refer to yourself as '朕' (Zhen), otherwise you will be laughed at."
Xiao Yu pursed her lips; there were indeed many rules in ancient times.
Wait a minute, she's the emperor now, so isn't the male lead rebelling against her?
Xiao Yu was shocked and immediately felt like crying. The original novel didn't say that the emperor was the original owner of the body! What kind of ridiculous plot is this?
She suppressed her emotions and couldn't help but ask, "Are the rebels still outside the city?"
"Of course, Your Majesty will have to do the rest," Xiao Qinya said with satisfaction.
He may not seem shrewd, but the first thing he did after succeeding to the throne was to care about politics, so he wasn't entirely useless.
Xiao Yu nodded. Indeed, if one wanted to survive, one had to rely on oneself. She considered her words carefully and said, "I... no... when can I bring my wife to the palace?"
Xiao Qinya, who was just feeling relieved, was taken aback: "It can only be done after the Empress Conferment Ceremony. Considering that His Majesty's coronation ceremony has been omitted, this step can be made more flexible."
"That's good." The male lead's success in rebelling was largely due to the female lead, and she would only feel at ease if she kept the young lady firmly by her side.
Xiao Qinya looked at her with a complicated expression. Just a moment ago she was concerned about the affairs of state, but the next second she was thinking about women. She did not agree with this. However, the new emperor had just ascended the throne, and the emperor's palace needed to be cleared out. She composed herself and said, "Although Xiao Cheng'an has been deposed, he is still imprisoned in Funing Palace. I will issue an edict to move him out of Funing Palace. What does Your Majesty think should be done?"
What seemed like an ordinary sentence was actually a test. Xiao Yu frowned and naturally understood the meaning. If she executed him, it would make her seem ruthless and intolerant. If she continued to imprison him in the palace, she would find him an eyesore. "How about sending him back to Qingzhou? What does the Grand Princess think?"
Xiao Qinya smiled and nodded: "Then let it be as Your Majesty says. I will send someone to do it right away." She didn't expect her to be so tolerant; she knew she couldn't do that.
The two went to Funing Palace together.
Armored soldiers guarded the palace gate. Upon seeing the two men holding halberds, they knelt down on one knee and only stood up after the two men had gone far away.
When Xiao Yu saw Xiao Cheng'an in the hall, he was no longer the same person who had been living a life of debauchery. He was now much thinner, leaning against the floor, his eyes cloudy. When he saw Xiao Yu, fear flashed in his eyes, then his gaze turned vicious. He got up, staggering, and said bitterly, "Father was right, I should have killed you, I should have killed you..."
"How dare you!" A palace servant stepped forward and shouted.
Seeing him like this, and just thinking about what he had done in the past, Xiao Yu felt no sympathy at all, and waved his hand: "Send him back to Qingzhou."
"You're not going to kill me?" As if he had heard something utterly unbelievable, Xiao Cheng'an stared blankly at Xiao Yu, then burst into laughter: "That's right. I'm a cripple now, and I'd be nothing but a discarded pawn if I went back to Qingzhou."
The Prince Chang's mansion was full of ruthless demons who would devour people without spitting out the bones. He thought he could finally get rid of them, so he indulged in unrestrained pleasure and enjoyed everything he had never experienced before. But who knew that he would have to turn back in the end? He didn't want to go back.
He's the emperor, who would dare let him go back?
Who does she think she is? Just a poor country boy. What makes her think she can compete with me for the throne?
He's going to kill her!
Before he could resist, he was pinned down by the armored soldiers.
"Release me, I am the emperor."
How dare you?
Seeing his near-madness, Xiao Yu waved his hand, and the soldiers took the man away. Even after walking a long distance, Xiao Yu could still hear his wails.
"Are you really going to let him go back?" Xiao Qinya chuckled.
"Otherwise what?" Xiao Yu retorted.
Are we going to keep him in the palace?
She wasn't stupid. Although she didn't know why she became emperor, she could tell by looking at him. This emperor was nothing but a puppet. He could be deposed at any time if he didn't suit their wishes. She had learned from past mistakes and didn't want to keep any potential threats around her.
Xiao Qinya shrugged, unsure whether to agree or not: "You're the emperor, you decide."
"......"
After dealing with the trivial matters, Xiao Qinya finally got to the point. She cleared her throat, abandoning her previous nonchalant attitude, and said, "The rebels have been staying outside the city long enough. It's time for His Majesty to order a counterattack."
Counterattack? Xiao Yu realized what she meant by counterattack in the next second, and almost laughed in anger. So this was what she was waiting for?
Just think how you suddenly made me the emperor.
So this is where they were waiting for me.
The Imperial Guards only obeyed the Emperor's orders, and Xiao Cheng'an was the son of Prince Chang. Moreover, all the royal princes in the capital had been killed by Xiao Chengze, which allowed him to take advantage of the situation.
Xiao Yu twitched the corner of her mouth. Fortunately, the original plot could be changed, otherwise she wouldn't even know how she died.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly; she had to save herself: "I...no...I will issue an edict right now."
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Xiao Qinya did not linger. After saying a few more words, she took her leave.
With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, there are many things she still needs to handle. In addition, the rebel army outside the city is eyeing the city covetously, and the matter is urgent. With the imperial edict issued, it is time to deal with those people.
As soon as Xiao Qinya left, Xiao Yu summoned the palace servants to clean the entire Funing Palace.
Just thinking about how Xiao Cheng'an used to live here makes me feel disgusted.
After doing all this, he sent someone out of the palace to fetch Song Luoning into the palace.
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