Chapter 67 Rebels
In the summer of 223, Prince Chang launched a rebellion in Qingzhou under the pretext of purging corrupt officials from the court. Because Qingzhou was close to the capital, the rebels arrived at the foot of the capital before reinforcements arrived, and the court was in chaos.
The Grand Princess's Residence.
Xiao Qinya glanced at the crowd below. Very good, half of the people in Baisheng's court have gathered here.
Did those old foxes suddenly remember them at this point?
Seeing that she remained silent, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
Grand Secretary Zhang sighed, looking worried, and said, "Your Highness, the court needs someone to lead it right now, but His Majesty..."
At this point, Grand Secretary Zhang sighed again and shook his head: "What should we do now? The rebel army has already reached the city gates. Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"
Who would have thought that Prince Chang would rebel, intending to declare himself emperor, having already abandoned his son?
Xiao Qinya raised an eyebrow and said lazily, "If there are rebels, we should send troops out to suppress them. Are we going to open the city gates to welcome them?"
"this......"
With a sweep of his sharp eyebrows, he exuded an imposing aura: "Isn't there the Imperial Guard in the capital, and 100,000 Imperial Guards in the suburbs? Aren't these all just freeloaders? How much silver does the court allocate to the Ministry of War every year?"
Upon hearing the word "Ministry of War," the Minister of War trembled and couldn't help but wipe away his sweat. He knew that due to his inaction over the past few years, his subordinates had embezzled a great deal of military funds. If this were investigated, he would lose his official position.
He stammered, "Your Highness, the Ministry of War in recent years... in recent years..."
"Alright, I think you've reached the end of your tenure as Minister of War."
"Yes...yes..." The Minister of War was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt on the ground.
Xiao Qinya was too lazy to care. She glanced at Song Yunzhou. In recent years, the Prime Minister had been handling the affairs of the court, and she rarely interfered: "Prime Minister Song, do you have any ideas?"
"In my humble opinion, the Grand Princess is right. We have 100,000 Imperial Guards guarding the capital, so the mere rebels are nothing to fear. However, I would like to ask the Grand Princess for advice on how to proceed with the next steps."
Xiao Qinya scoffed, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table. This old fox, knowing full well that deposing the emperor would confirm his crime of being a traitor, wanted to depose the emperor himself, yet he wanted her to bear this infamy.
Do you think she's stupid and easy to fool?
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Song Yunzhou was also unsure. After all, although this Grand Princess was young, she was very deep. Back then, the late emperor had no children and initially planned to make her the Crown Princess. However, this plan was abandoned due to strong opposition from the ministers. Instead, a child was selected from among the princes to enter the palace and be personally taught. However, that child was far inferior to her in both talent and ability.
Unfortunately, the other party was a woman.
If he were a man, he would surely achieve great things.
He sighed regretfully.
Xiao Qinya, who had been watching him intently, naturally didn't miss the expression on his face and said with interest, "Since Prime Minister Song has said so, why don't we deal with the rebels first?"
Seeing that things were not going according to plan, Song Yunzhou frowned slightly, but remained calm and said nothing more: "Let's do as the Grand Princess wishes for now."
My thoughts were indeed seen through.
Xiao Qinya found his expression amusing and pretended not to know anything: "I think Prime Minister Song is not too satisfied with my handling of the matter. Or does Prime Minister Song have other ideas?"
Song Yunzhou choked. He was, after all, an important official of the court. He had spent half his life in the officialdom and had encountered all sorts of things. Today, he was being teased by a little girl. Not only was he powerless to resist, but he also had to endure it.
"This old minister has no dissatisfaction with the Grand Princess's handling of the matter, but I wonder which general is willing to lead the troops into battle?"
This was a brilliant move to shift the blame and attention to the military officers present.
Xiao Qinya gave him a deep look, then looked at the generals present: "Which general is willing to lead the troops into battle?"
The generals remained silent. Xiao Qinya squinted and scanned them one by one. All the generals present were military officers who had been stationed in the capital for a long time. There were probably none of them with actual combat experience. Moreover, Li Deshuang, the commander of the Imperial Guard, was not present. The Imperial Guard only obeyed the emperor's orders, and this emperor...
It's a real headache. Although there are still the Imperial Guards in the capital, their numbers are simply too small. Even though they can fight ten against one, they can't compete with an army of 100,000.
Xiao Qinya rubbed her forehead. These old guys!
"Go and have someone invite General Li here."
"yes."
The guard accepted the order and left.
Taking advantage of the lull, Xiao Qinya pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up to see the head of the household standing outside the hall, looking inside in a panic: "What are you doing, sneaking around like that? Come in and tell me what's going on."
The steward entered and bowed to her, disregarding the presence of the ministers, and said urgently, "It's terrible, Your Highness! News has just come from the palace that the Emperor is going to open the city gates to welcome the rebel army into the capital, and he is already on his way to the city gates."
"What?"
"how so?"
"this......"
The news was like a thunderbolt in spring. If the rebels entered the capital, would they all survive? Prince Chang didn't even care about the safety of his own son. Even a tiger can recognize its own cub; Prince Chang was worse than a beast.
The court officials were thrown into a panic.
At this moment, Song Yunzhou could no longer sit still. He had only brought people here to get the Grand Princess to make a statement, but he had neglected the Emperor: "Your Highness, the most urgent task is to intercept His Majesty."
What an idiot!
Xiao Qinya frowned. Was he so eager to die?
I don't know how those old foxes could have chosen such an idiot in the first place.
Xiao Qinya glanced at them coldly and said, "Quickly send people to intercept them. Anyone who dares to resist should be executed on the spot."
Everyone gasped. What a crime it was to kill the emperor! Only this Grand Princess would dare to do that.
The family leader received the order and left in a hurry.
Xiao Qinya straightened her face and, without bothering with pleasantries, said bluntly, "Since you've had enough of being emperor, let's replace you. Let's leave this matter to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and select a new emperor as soon as possible."
"Your old minister obeys the decree."
Xiao Qinya glanced at him indifferently, not expecting that the old fox had gotten his way. She stood up and said sternly, "Come with me to the city gate. I want to see if these rebels want to eliminate me or..." After saying that, she glanced at the court officials.
The court officials avoided eye contact; most of those present had previously opposed the Grand Princess's succession as Crown Prince, but now, in this critical moment, they had to rely on her.
Xiao Qinya was the first to board the carriage, leading all the officials to the city gate.
A man dressed in a yellow robe with a nine-clawed golden dragon was seen confronting the city guards with a dozen palace servants.
Without even guessing, it was obvious who the other party was. Who else could be wearing a yellow nine-dragon robe but that fool? Xiao Qinya's expression turned serious: "You have completely disgraced the royal family. Guards, drag him away."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards rushed forward and surrounded the people. The palace servants panicked and knelt on the ground. Upon seeing this, Xiao Cheng'an shouted, "How dare you! I am the emperor! Do you want to rebel?"
"Why is Your Majesty referring to me?" Xiao Qinya asked coldly.
When he saw who it was, Xiao Cheng'an's face turned pale. Ever since he sat on the throne, even though he was the supreme ruler, he felt inexplicably afraid whenever he saw the Grand Princess. So when she asked him to issue an edict to keep Xiao Chengze as a hostage, he didn't dare to utter a word.
The Changwang army is right outside. As long as I open the city gates and let the army in, I'll be in charge. What do these people matter? But why did I feel like I was doomed the moment I saw Xiao Qinya? My feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, and I couldn't move an inch. I could only watch helplessly as the guards approached and took me away.
Xiao Qinya climbed onto the city gate, her gaze falling on the direction of the rebel army's encampment not far away, and asked in a deep voice, "Has General Li invited them?"
The steward replied, "Your Highness, General Li said he only obeys the Emperor."
Outdated and pedantic!
It wasn't that he was angry. For over three hundred years since the founding of the Baisheng Kingdom, the Imperial Guards had always been loyal only to the Emperor and disobeyed all orders from others. However, the only thing to be thankful for was that the fool Xiao Cheng'an had only cared about enjoying himself since becoming Emperor and hadn't incorporated the army into his ranks. Now, even if he wanted to, it would be too late.
The rebels have refrained from attacking the city, partly out of fear of the Imperial Guards stationed outside. This is a good thing, as it buys them time.
"Let's go back to the manor," Xiao Qinya said.
A large group of people returned to the princess's residence.
Upon returning to the residence, the people from the Imperial Clan Court arrived. The Minister and Vice Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, carrying a thick stack of imperial family genealogies, respectfully bowed to Xiao Qinya, who was seated in the main seat.
"Your Highness, there are currently no eligible young members of the imperial family in the capital," said the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.
Not a single one?
Xiao Qinya was startled. If she remembered correctly, although her two elder brothers had failed to win the throne and were punished, they both had children in the capital. How could they not have any?
It must be that the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs deliberately concealed this.
Xiao Qinya said in a deep voice, "How dare you! Do you think I'm easy to fool?"
The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs trembled with fright and hurriedly knelt down: "This old minister dares not, this old minister is only telling the truth."
Xiao Qinya stared at him, her imposing aura undeniable: "If I remember correctly, both the First Prince and the Second Prince had children in the capital back then."
The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs wiped his sweat and explained, "The First Prince and the Second Prince do indeed have offspring remaining in the capital, but..."
He glanced at the Grand Princess. He knew that the person in front of him was no ordinary person. The princess could kill without batting an eye. He wouldn't dare to lie even if he had a hundred lives.
He composed himself and continued, "After the new emperor ascended the throne, several members of the imperial clan were secretly murdered."
"What?"
Under the emperor's very nose, a member of the royal family was murdered, and no one is investigating?
This imperial court is becoming more and more disappointing.
Xiao Qinya pinched the bridge of her nose: "What exactly happened?"
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your Highness, all the royal princes died from poisoning, and the murderer has been brought to justice."
They all died from poisoning. How could such a coincidence happen? Who would believe it if I told them?
However, now is not the time to investigate. Xiao Qinya asked with a serious expression, "Any collateral branches?"
"this......"
"Find it quickly! What are you standing there for?"
These troublesome matters are truly a headache. Xiao Qinya pinched her brow. After some time, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs said, "There is another person in the capital. This person is a direct descendant of the Taizu Emperor. However, the deposed crown prince was framed back then. Although he was exonerated later, his direct line has since lost the throne."
She knew about the deposed crown prince's rebellion back then, but as for the throne... Xiao Qinya hesitated. Should it really be returned to the legitimate heir?
But the throne must not fall into the hands of rebels.
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