8 Dethroned
"Your Majesty, what are you talking about?" Shen Zhiyuan helped her walk towards the Yangxin Palace. His steps were a little unsteady, but he still insisted.
"It is my duty to protect Your Majesty. Even if we are not in the Imperial Garden, I will still protect Your Majesty."
Back at the Yangxin Palace, the imperial physician arrived soon.
He carefully cleaned Shen Zhiyuan's wound. When he saw the knife wound that was so deep that the bone could be seen, he couldn't help but gasp: "Master Shen, this wound is too deep. If it was half an inch off, it would have injured the tendons and bones."
Li Zhaoyi stood aside, watching the imperial physician sew up the wound with needle and thread. Cold sweat oozed from Shen Zhiyuan's forehead, but he said nothing. Her heart ached as if it were being pricked by a needle.
She picked up a handkerchief beside her and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. Her voice choked with sobs, "If it hurts, just say it. Don't hold it in."
Shen Zhiyuan looked at her with gentle eyes: "I'm not hurt. Your Majesty, don't worry. It will be fine in a few days."
After the imperial physician treated the wound, he prescribed medicine and told Shen Zhiyuan to rest well, not to get angry, and not to get hurt again.
Eunuch Zhang quickly ordered the small kitchen to boil the medicine, while Li Zhaoyi personally helped Shen Zhiyuan lie down on the soft couch in the inner hall.
"Your Majesty, please go and handle government affairs. I will just rest here for a while." Shen Zhiyuan lay on the couch, his face still pale, but he was still thinking about state affairs.
"I'm not busy." Li Zhaoyi sat beside him, holding his uninjured hand.
"Government affairs can wait. You need to rest well. The imperial physician said you cannot get angry or overwork yourself. From today on, I will personally monitor your daily life and diet."
Shen Zhiyuan looked at her serious expression, and a warm feeling rose in his heart, but he still advised: "Your Majesty is the emperor, how can you do these trivial things for your ministers? Just let the palace maid do it."
"You were injured because you saved me, so it's my duty to take care of you." Li Zhaoyi said stubbornly.
"Besides, you are my husband and an important official. It is only natural for me to take care of you."
Shen Zhiyuan looked at the determination in her eyes and knew that he could not persuade her, so he could only nod helplessly: "Then I will trouble you, Your Majesty."
In the next few days, Li Zhaoyi really took care of Shen Zhiyuan personally.
She changed his dressings personally every day, and watching the hideous wound slowly heal, her heartache eased a little; every day she would personally watch over the small kitchen boiling medicine, making sure the temperature was just right before giving it to Shen Zhiyuan to drink;
She would also make a simple summary of the day's government affairs, and read them softly to Shen Zhiyuan when he was resting, and ask for his opinion.
Shen Zhiyuan's injuries gradually improved, but Li Zhaoyi found that she was becoming more and more dependent on him.
She was used to him explaining military strategies beside her, used to him helping her analyze memorials, used to him standing in front of her in times of danger, and even used to taking care of his daily life.
Once, when she was changing the dressing for Shen Zhiyuan, she accidentally touched his wound, and Shen Zhiyuan groaned in pain.
She was so scared that she quickly withdrew her hand, her eyes red: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."
"It's okay." Shen Zhiyuan grabbed her hand and patted it gently, "It was my own fault for not paying attention. Your Majesty is not to blame."
Li Zhaoyi looked at his gentle eyes, and the throbbing in her heart became stronger and stronger.
She knew that her feelings for him were no longer simply the relationship between a monarch and his subject, or between a teacher and his student.
She liked him, liked his strictness, liked his gentleness, liked the way he risked his life to save her, and liked the way he cared about the people of the world.
But she also knew that there was a huge gap between them, that of the emperor and his subjects. She was the emperor and he was his subject. She could not like him, and she could not let him know her feelings.
Once this relationship is discovered, it will not only destroy him, but also bring turmoil to the country.
"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?" Shen Zhiyuan asked softly, seeing her distracted look.
Li Zhaoyi came back to her senses and quickly covered it up, "No...nothing. I was just wondering how the investigation into the assassin was going."
Shen Zhiyuan's eyes darkened: "We are still investigating, but judging from the assassin's martial arts skills, he doesn't seem to be a gangster.
They look more like palace guards, or perhaps assassins trained by a minister. I suspect this matter is related to someone in the court."
Li Zhaoyi's expression darkened. "Whoever dares to attack me and hurt you, I will never let him go!"
"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will find out the truth as soon as possible and give you an explanation." Shen Zhiyuan looked at her determined eyes and secretly vowed in his heart that he must protect her and not let her suffer any harm again.
Li Zhaoyi looked at Shen Zhiyuan, feeling both moved and sad. She knew that she could no longer let this relationship develop, but she could not control her heart.
Before the assassination case was solved, the turmoil in the court had already begun.
As soon as the court session began that day, Imperial Censor Zhou Mingyuan knelt at the foot of the steps, holding a memorial in his hand, and declared in a resounding voice, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial!
I believe that it is against the will of heaven for a woman to rule. Now, because Your Majesty favors Shen Zhiyuan, an assassin has been allowed into the palace. If this continues, it may undermine the foundation of the country. I implore Your Majesty to dismiss Shen Zhiyuan and select another member of the royal family to assist in the administration!"
His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, and the court instantly exploded.
Several conservative ministers immediately echoed this sentiment, some saying, "Shen Zhiyuan was a traitor deposed by the previous emperor, so it is inappropriate for Your Majesty to summon him out of the mountain."
Some said, "Recently, rumors have been circulating that Your Majesty has an ambiguous relationship with Shen Zhiyuan. If it is not clarified, you may be ridiculed by the world." Some even suggested that "Your Majesty should choose a husband and son-in-law as soon as possible and give birth to children so that you can stabilize your regime."
Li Zhaoyi sat on the dragon throne, her fingers tightly gripping the armrests, her knuckles turning white.
She looked at the ministers kneeling below and listened to those harsh words, and felt a surge of anger rising from the bottom of her heart.
What "women ruling is against the will of heaven" and "ambiguous relationship"? They just saw that Shen Zhiyuan helped her implement the new policy, which touched their interests, so they found an excuse to impeach him!
"Sir Zhou," Li Zhaoyi suppressed her anger and said in a cold voice, "Sir Shen was summoned by me personally. He assisted me in rectifying the administration and pacifying the refugees.
Strengthening the northern border defense line is all for the sake of the country and the people. How can there be any talk of "favoring"?
As for the 'ambiguous relationship', it's nothing but nonsense. As imperial censors, why are you spreading rumors instead of investigating the assassination? What is your intention?"
Zhou Mingyuan refused to give in. He raised his head with a stubborn look in his eyes, "Your Majesty, everything I said is true!
"Although Shen Zhiyuan is talented, he is ultimately a traitor. Furthermore, his recent closeness with Your Majesty has inevitably drawn criticism. For the sake of the country, Your Majesty must remove him!"
"How dare you!" Consort Li slammed the dragon throne, her voice carrying the majesty of an emperor. "Lord Shen is my trusted minister. Anyone who dares to speak of his dismissal will be punished for disobeying my order!"
But as soon as she finished speaking, several ministers stood up and pleaded with her to "think twice."
There was a huge uproar in the court. Some supported the removal of Shen Zhiyuan, some believed that the assassination case should be investigated first, and some remained silent, obviously waiting and watching.
Li Zhaoyi looked at the chaos in front of her and felt powerless. She thought she had grown up, but in front of these old ministers, she still seemed so weak.
At this moment, Shen Zhiyuan walked out from the ranks of court officials. He had just recovered from his injury and his face was still a little pale, but he still stood tall and straight.
He walked to the foot of the altar, but without kneeling, he bowed slightly. His voice was steady but carried an undeniable power: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Li Zhaoyi looked at him and suddenly felt relieved. She knew that Shen Zhiyuan would always stand by her side.
"Lord Zhou said that women ruling is against the will of heaven," Shen Zhiyuan's eyes swept over the ministers who opposed him, and his words were sonorous.
"In the past, Empress Wu Zetian ruled the country, reduced taxes and levies, emphasized agriculture and sericulture, and brought peace to the country, where the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Could it be that Empress Wu Zetian was also 'against the will of Heaven'?
Your Majesty has been entrusted with the task of ruling in this critical moment. Since ascending the throne, you have worked tirelessly day and night to provide disaster relief to refugees and plan for the northern border. Everything you have done is for the sake of our country and our people. How can you say that 'a woman ruling is against the will of heaven'?"
His words were like a sharp blade, instantly piercing Zhou Mingyuan's excuse. Zhou Mingyuan's face turned pale, but he still wanted to argue: "Sir Shen, Empress Wu's later years..."
"The mistakes made by Empress Wu in her later years cannot overshadow her achievements in the early years of her reign." Shen Zhiyuan interrupted him and continued,
"Furthermore, Your Majesty is different from Empress Wu. Your Majesty is kind-hearted, determined, and dedicated to protecting the people. I, your servant, have assisted Your Majesty in the right way and have done practical things. How can I say that I am 'favored'?"
As for the title of "traitor", the late emperor dismissed me because I spoke frankly and gave advice. Now Your Majesty summons me out of retirement because I have the talent to govern the country.
Everything I do is for the benefit of the people of this world. If you can find any trace of selfishness in me, I am willing to die!"
He stood in front of all the officials, like a solid barrier, blocking all the malice and criticism from Li Zhaoyi.
Li Zhaoyi sat on the dragon throne, looking at his back, her eyes suddenly warmed.
She knew that Shen Zhiyuan was not only defending herself, but also clearing her name and telling everyone that she, the empress, was qualified to sit in this position.
"Master Shen, you're just making up stories!" Zhou Mingyuan was still unwilling to give up. "Recent rumors in the palace..."
"Rumors stop at the wise." Shen Zhiyuan looked at him coldly, "The assassin entered the palace, and the real culprit behind the scenes has not yet been found out. Instead of tracking down the murderer, you spread rumors.
"You are confusing the public. I would like to ask, do you want to clarify the rumors, or do you want to use this opportunity to undermine your Majesty's foundation?"
This sentence was like a bombshell, silencing the ministers who agreed with it instantly.
Yes, as soon as the assassin entered the palace, someone rushed to impeach Shen Zhiyuan. This was too much of a coincidence. Maybe there was a conspiracy behind it.
Grand Tutor Xu also stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, what Lord Shen said is absolutely right.
The assassination case has not yet been fully investigated. The most urgent task is to find the real culprit behind the scenes, rather than arguing about irrelevant matters. Since Lord Shen assisted His Majesty, his achievements are obvious to all.
If you dismiss Lord Shen, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of knowledgeable people throughout the world. I beg Your Majesty to understand this."
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