Jiang Xian glanced at Zhang Qian, then at Yuan Yuan, and said dryly, "Oh..."
oh?
This emperor!
Really...
This is infuriating!
Zhang Qian's mind raced, and tears streamed down his face as he said, "Your Majesty, do you really intend to watch treacherous officials rise to power and cause immense suffering to the people of Great Qi before you are satisfied?"
Jiang Xian: "..."
He glanced at the expressionless Yuan Yuan before asking Zhang Qian, "Then, Lord Zhang, what do you think should be done with A Yuan?"
Zhang Qian is speechless.
His wrinkled face was streaked with tears, and he looked utterly disheveled.
Was this emperor stupid?
He's so angry!
Okay, let's get back to the topic.
Zhang Qian wiped his face and said in a trembling voice, "It has been more than a year since the late emperor passed away. Because I miss the Empress Dowager so much, she appears in my dreams every night..."
Yuan Yuan: "..."
Jiang Xian: "..."
Jiang Xian glanced at Yuan Yuan in surprise, then at the Empress Dowager.
Wasn't this what A-Yuan said to the Empress Dowager?
Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager used this as an excuse to appease Zhang Qian in order to avenge herself and bring down A Yuan.
What was even more unexpected was that Zhang Qian, that senile old man, actually believed it?
It turns out that whether it's the truth or not doesn't matter.
The important thing is that someone is willing to believe...
Moreover, this can also be used as a weapon to harm A Yuan.
unlucky!
Jiang Xian cursed inwardly.
He flicked his sleeve forcefully, frowned as he looked at Zhang Qian: "The Empress Dowager has fallen ill and become confused. Lord Zhang is getting old and has also become confused!"
It has been almost two years since the late emperor passed away, and it takes ten months for a woman to go from pregnancy to childbirth!
Could the Empress Dowager possibly carry a pregnancy for eighteen months?
Minister Zhang, out of consideration for your age, I will not hold it against you.
I advise you to keep your mouth shut!
If people knew that the Empress Dowager of our dynasty was pregnant for eighteen months before giving birth, wouldn't she be regarded as a monster?
Monsters are to be taken to the sacrificial altar and burned alive!
"Will you take responsibility then?"
Jiang Xian spoke at length.
Yuan Yuan never realized that Jiang Xian's eloquence could be so remarkable...
He thought with satisfaction: the books he had read had not been in vain.
There is still hope for this emperor.
Zhang Qian was rendered speechless by the emperor's rebuke, his face turning red.
It took him a long time to catch his breath.
The Empress Dowager on the bed turned from white to ashen, and at one point almost fainted.
Zhang Qian, however, became increasingly angry, to the point of almost having a heart attack.
The palace was silent for a long time before the Empress Dowager spoke weakly: "Yuanyuan, I'll ask you one more time, where is my child?"
Yuan Yuan looked at the Empress Dowager indifferently through the wisps of incense smoke: "Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant."
I've said everything I should and shouldn't have said.
The Empress Dowager was heartbroken.
Then, Yuan Yuan said something that broke her heart even more: "After the late emperor passed away, all his children and concubines died in the chaos of the palace."
Since the Empress Dowager is still alive, she should fulfill her duties as Empress Dowager and pray for the late Emperor and for the Great Qi Dynasty.
Fotaishan, a place of natural beauty and spiritual energy, is often bathed in Buddhist light, making it an ideal place for quiet meditation and recuperation.
"Let the Empress Dowager choose a day to go to Mount Fotai to worship Buddha."
"What did you say?" The Empress Dowager almost lost her voice.
Yuan Yuan turned his head indifferently to look at her: "Pray well for yourself, for your child, and for Yin Yuan as well."
The Empress Dowager felt a metallic taste in her throat and spat out a mouthful of foul blood.
Her face was contorted with bulging veins, the blood at the corners of her lips gleamed exceptionally, and her eyes bulged out dramatically: "Yuan Yuan! I'll kill you sooner or later!"
"I'll be waiting anytime." Yuan Yuan curled his lips in a mocking smile.
Some people always like to blame others for the bad consequences of their own mistakes, and then they dream of revenge...
That's really laughable.
The palace maids rushed in and out, carrying and pouring water for the Empress Dowager.
Finally, Zhang Qian slunk out of the palace.
As soon as the person left, Yuan Yuan said, "Ying, follow them."
From the shadows, a voice responded.
Jiang Xian covered her mouth and nose: "A-Yuan, let's go too!"
The whole room reeked of blood, medicine, and incense—it was absolutely awful!
I'm about to throw up from smelling it so much!
Yuan Yuan glanced at the Empress Dowager on the bed and gave a proper bow: "Your Majesty, please rest well. A month later, we will arrange for someone to send Your Majesty to Mount Fotai."
Empress Dowager: "..."
The palace maid exclaimed in surprise—
"The Empress Dowager has vomited blood again!"
"Oh no! The Empress Dowager has fainted!"
"Quickly summon the imperial physician!"
...
The entire Huining Palace was in chaos, with people and horses falling over.
The Empress Dowager remained unconscious for three full days.
When he woke up, Huining Palace was much quieter.
The once bustling palace is now deserted, as if everyone has run away.
Weakly leaning against the headboard, the Empress Dowager opened her eyes, gazing at the fleeting shadows before her bed, and asked, "Where have all the palace servants gone?"
The palace maid was pale and trembling. After a long while, she finally replied, "Dead...dead..."
Dead?
The Empress Dowager exclaimed in shock, "Who killed him?"
The palace maid grew even more frightened and knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, it is the Ninth Prince, it is the Ninth Prince!"
These days, many palace servants in Huining Palace are saying that the Empress Dowager... is pregnant with the child of a member of the Imperial Guard...
Last night, under the cover of darkness, all those palace servants were strangled…
The Empress Dowager couldn't catch her breath and fainted again.
This dizziness lasted for a full month.
A month later, escorted by the Imperial Guards, the Empress Dowager was sent to Mount Fotai. The procession was very grand.
From this point on, all the people of Daqi knew that the Empress Dowager had voluntarily gone to Mount Fotai to live permanently, to pray for the late emperor and the princes and princesses who had died in the palace turmoil.
Before the Empress Dowager even arrived at Mount Fotai, she heard that something had happened in the capital...
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, after the palace banquet ended, Qianhua Palace was attacked!
Unfortunately, that night, it was Jiang Xian who stayed at Qianhua Palace!
Jiang Xian was drunk and couldn't explain how he ended up at Qianhua Palace and ended up in A Yuan's bed.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare to do that even if he had a hundred times the courage!
So, on the night of the assassination attempt, Jiang Xian, who was sleeping in a bad position, was stabbed in the thigh with two large holes, one on the left and one on the right.
An emperor was nearly crippled by two swords.
Jiang Xian, who was awakened by pain, cried and wanted to find her sister and A Yuan, which startled Dan Qing, who was in the side hall.
Danqing rushed over and fought with the assassins, sustaining minor injuries and severing one of their legs.
When Yuan Yuan returned from admiring the moon with a wine jug, he found his bedchamber in a bloody mess, in a sorry state.
He drank a lot of alcohol, but he wasn't too drunk.
Upon seeing this, he immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to seal off the palace gates and thoroughly investigate the assassin.
The investigation eventually led back to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review...
Assassinating the emperor is a serious crime!
No one in the entire Dali Temple was spared!
Of the entire group, some were beheaded, others were imprisoned...
The Dali Temple is now completely empty.
When the Empress Dowager, who was alone on Mount Fotai, received the news, she felt extremely desolate.
She entered the palace at a young age and, due to her beauty and good family background, was favored for a time. However, the emperor kept taking on new concubines, and later, in the magnificent palace, she was left all alone, pitying her own shadow...
After enduring until the late emperor's death, she met Yin Yuan and thought that her life could finally start over.
Unexpectedly, Yin Yuan died, and the child also perished.
Now, she has been forced to come to Fotaishan, where she spends her days with the ancient Buddha and the flickering lamp...
The Empress Dowager thought, she must take revenge!
revenge!
Yuan Yuan is also seeking revenge...
In the second year of the Chengwu era, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review hired assassins to kill Yuan Yuan, but inexplicably became the emperor's assassin, and the entire court was rendered ineffective.
Some corrupt members of the royal family were also implicated.
Yuan Yuan spent some effort to extract a considerable amount of wealth from these parasites, which he used to replenish the national treasury.
In the third year of Chengwu, Consort Lin of Beichen Palace gave birth to a son, named Jiang Chengye, who was immediately named Crown Prince.
To express his gratitude to the emperor, General Lin Qianshan surrendered an army of 500,000 men. The emperor, moved by the loyalty and bravery of the Lin family, bestowed upon Lin Qianshan the title of Marquis of Dingjun.
That year, Jiang Xian finally married his empress.
In the fifth year of the Chengwu era, Consort Lin of Beichen Palace gave birth to another prince, but according to rumors, he unfortunately died young...
In the same year, General Xie Yun, known for his bravery and skill in battle, was enfeoffed as the King of Pingnan for protecting the people in the south from the invasion of the Chu state.
Xie Yun's newborn son, Xie Zhi, also benefited from this honor and was granted the title of Young Prince Xie. The emperor even personally wrote an imperial edict to bestow this title upon him.
The fair-skinned and chubby little prince Xie, clutching the imperial edict in his chubby little hands, cried for three days and three nights, which broke the heart of the Prince of Pingnan!
At that time, Yuan Yuan had just led his army in a major battle against the Northern Di people.
After forcing the Northern Di to retreat a hundred miles, he handed the military tally to Ying and rode alone to Xiqiu to see Liuyue...
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