Chapter 1119 Digging a Big Hole for Him
Luo Qinghan: "I have sent a secret letter to the Nanyue Kingdom, asking them to inquire about Xuanjizi's current situation."
Xiao Xixi was silent for a moment and spoke softly.
"I want to go to Nanyue."
Luo Qinghan paused, then continued to stroke her back and asked in a hoarse voice, "What should I do if you go to Nanyue?"
Xiao Xixi couldn't answer.
Luo Qinghan actually wanted to accompany her to Nanyue regardless of anything.
But that's not realistic.
Not to mention his identity as the Emperor of Da Sheng, just given the current situation of the Empress Dowager, it is impossible for him to leave Shengjing.
Xiao Xixi snuggled in his arms, and when she calmed down a little, she spoke softly.
"I just said that casually, don't take it seriously. Even if I go to Nanyue, I may not be able to help Master.
I will let my senior brother and the others go to Nanyue later.
With them around, the pressure on Master should be relieved a lot."
Luo Qinghan lowered his head and kissed the top of her head: "I'm sorry."
He knew that he was too selfish and he didn't want Xixi to be too far away from him.
He didn't want to be separated from her.
Xiao Xixi comforted him in return: "It's okay, there's no need to talk about this between you and me."
The guilt in Luo Qinghan's heart grew stronger.
He couldn't help but hug Xixi tighter.
He spoke softly in a very low, hoarse voice.
"Xixi, I can't live without you."
…
Xiao Xixi asked someone to invite Fang Wujiu over.
She told him the news of King Nanyue's death and asked him to go to Nanyue to see how his master was doing.
Fang Wujiu did not react much to the death of King Nanyue.
He had even anticipated this result.
The reason why Queen Nanyue was able to survive was all because Xuanjizi helped her change her fate.
Xuanjizi used half of his own life to extend her life for more than 20 years.
This is his limit.
I believe Xuanjizi himself was well prepared for this.
Fang Wujiu replied in a low voice: "Well, I'll go back and pack my things first. Tomorrow morning, I will go to Nanyue with my third junior brother. If you need help with anything in the future, you can go to the second junior brother."
Xiao Xixi nodded and agreed.
However, that night, a piece of news came from the Imperial Ancestral Temple:
The Empress Dowager is dying!
Luo Qinghan kissed Xixi's forehead and whispered to comfort her.
"Don't worry, just go to sleep, I'll be back soon."
He threw back the quilt and got out of bed. Without anyone helping him, he put on his clothes, shoes and socks and strode out.
Eunuch Chang put the cloak that had been prepared long ago on the emperor and whispered at the same time.
"From what the imperial physician said, the Empress Dowager is really dying this time. You should be mentally prepared."
Luo Qinghan had no expression on his face, and always looked calm.
"Prepare the carriages and horses. I want to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to take a look."
"Yes."
The emperor's carriage left the palace quickly and headed for the Imperial Ancestral Temple in the night.
As Luo Qinghan almost walked into the Taimiao, he heard a shrill shout coming from the front.
"The Empress Dowager has passed away!"
Luo Qinghan paused, then quickened his pace and walked forward.
Eunuch Chang and other palace servants hurried to catch up.
When they hurried to the bedroom where the Grand Empress Dowager lived, they saw her lying straight on the bed with her eyes closed, her face pale, and motionless, as if she had no breath left.
The imperial physician knelt on the ground, choking with sobs.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has passed away!"
Luo Qinghan stared blankly at the Empress Dowager on the bed, his gaze fixed on her old, thin, lifeless face. After a long time, he spoke in a low voice.
"Pass the order down and summon the clan members to the Imperial Temple."
"Yes."
When the royal family received the news of the death of the Empress Dowager, they were so frightened that they lost all sleepiness. They almost crawled out of their beds, put on their clothes as quickly as possible, and rode straight to the Taimiao.
Soon all the clan members gathered in the Taimiao.
They were dressed in plain white clothes, kneeling on the ground, and crying loudly over the body of the Empress Dowager.
Even the usually carefree King Luo Yechen cried for a long time tonight.
Luo Qinghan was the only person present who did not shed tears.
He just stood there quietly, watching the imperial physician cover the Empress Dowager's body with a white cloth.
A general's voice was heard outside the door, saying that he wanted to see the King of England for an important matter.
After obtaining the emperor's permission, King Ying Luo Yechen stood up and walked out.
The general whispered something in the King's ear.
Luo Yechen's face changed drastically after hearing this: "Is this true?"
The general said, "Of course it is true. The people are already outside the city gate. If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can go and see for yourself."
Luo Yechen guessed that the other party would not dare to lie about such an important matter, so he immediately turned around and walked into the house and spoke quickly to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the patrol officers just sent a message saying that the King of Qing Liao, the King of Lin Nan, and the King of Feng Yang were summoned by the Empress Dowager to come into the city to discuss a very important matter with her. They are already outside the city gate. What do you think we should do about this matter?"
Although Luo Yechen deliberately lowered his voice, many people present still heard it.
Those people's expressions changed one after another.
Princes are not allowed to enter the capital without being summoned. This has been an iron rule since ancient times.
Any vassal king who enters the capital without permission will be charged with treason!
Even though Prince Qing Liao, Prince Lin Nan, and Prince Feng Yang claimed that they were summoned to the capital by the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager's decree and the Emperor's imperial edict are two different things and cannot be confused.
Everyone held their breath and waited for the emperor's reaction.
Luo Qinghan looked at the body of the Empress Dowager, and finally understood the meaning of those words she said before her death.
She said that even if she died, someone else would come and drag him off the throne.
The other people she was referring to should be those vassal kings who were eyeing her covetously.
Since the early days of the founding of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the power of local princes has grown, becoming a thorn in the hearts of successive emperors. Almost every emperor wanted to reduce the power of the princes, including Luo Qinghan's father, Emperor Sheng Yong.
Unfortunately, none of them succeeded.
The local princes still had their own troops and they had absolute control over all the population, taxes and laws within their fiefdoms.
It is no exaggeration to describe them as local tyrants.
However, local emperors are always just local emperors. There are many ambitious people among them who want to remove the word "local" in front of the title and become real emperors, such as the late King Xiling.
Luo Qinghan originally thought that the lesson of King Xiling's failure would make those vassal kings fearful, and they would not make any major moves at least in the next few years.
What he didn't expect was that the Empress Dowager would dig a big hole for him before her death.
The Empress Dowager knew very well that the princes were eyeing the imperial power, but she still recalled people back to Shengjing at this critical juncture. It was obvious that she wanted them to compete with Luo Qinghan for the throne.
Even if she died, even if it meant risking the destruction of the Great Sheng Dynasty, she would make Luo Qinghan suffer a heavy defeat!
(End of this chapter)
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