"You don't have to go. The Ninth Prince is not in the palace now."
"Not in the palace?"
Concubine De nodded, "His Majesty passed away tonight."
"What?!" Shen Qingqiu never expected that such a big thing would happen in just a few days. The news of His Majesty's death and what happened to the Ninth Prince.
"When I came over from the Imperial Study just now, the Eighth Prince and Li Xin were arguing with the ministers over the dispute over the throne."
"What? The emperor just passed away, and his son..." Now Gu Yanwei is still outside the palace. What should we do?
"Don't worry." De Fei said, "What everyone doesn't know is that the emperor had already drafted the imperial edict before he died and gave it to me. After his death, your majesty has already decided who will be the successor."
"You mean His Majesty has already drafted the imperial edict?" Shen Qingqiu never thought that the Eighth Prince had worked so hard for so long, but he never thought that the Emperor had already made a decision on the matter.
De Fei nodded and said, "When Sister Shu Fei passed away, the Emperor often came to my place because I was close to her. Over time, I became the one who relieved the Emperor's longing for her. Perhaps it was because of Sister Shu Fei that the Emperor still trusted me and gave me the imperial edict for safekeeping. I think this imperial edict should come in handy today."
——
“I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it.” After Shen Qingqiu finished reading the imperial edict, the Eighth Prince stepped back repeatedly, shaking his head and said, “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it, my father can’t do this to me, it must be you, it must be you who forged the imperial edict.”
Seeing the Eighth Prince's crazy look, Shen Qingqiu said: "Even here, the Eighth Prince knows whether it is true or false. As for you, the court has issued a clear order to prohibit the princes from replacing the military forces. And outside the palace gate tonight, except for my father's soldiers, the rest are probably those carefully raised by you, the Eighth Prince, in order to fight for the throne."
"What? It's a serious crime for a prince to raise troops. The Eighth Prince actually had such a plan a long time ago. He really has wolfish ambitions." A minister was the first to stand up and speak.
As soon as the topic started to get started, people began to raise doubts.
"You, you guys..." Li Xin pointed at the ministers in front of him, speechless for a long time. He was about to get the position of Prime Minister, but at this critical moment, Shen Qingqiu let him down. He gnashed his teeth in hatred.
"And you, Lord Li, really work hard for Qi Huangzi."
Li Xin suddenly sneered, "Oh, I am just on good terms with the Eighth Prince, how can I serve him like that? I don't know anything about what the Eighth Prince did."
Over the years, Li Xin had been working for the prince and always kept a trick up his sleeve. At critical moments, he was able to clear himself of all charges, and Gu Yanwei was unable to find any evidence against him.
"Li Xin, you..." The Eighth Prince pointed at Li Xin in anger. After a while, he laughed, "Okay, Gu Yanwei, I am defeated by you. You can kill me or chop me up as you wish!"
"Put the eighth prince in jail." As soon as the words fell, Chen Jie came in with two guards and dragged the eighth prince out.
"Your Highness, Lord Zhang was beaten with fifty sticks and has now fainted." Chen Jie said.
"Send Master Zhang back to the mansion and let him recuperate."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After everything was settled, all the ministers knelt down and said in unison: "Now that the emperor has passed away, we ask His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince to take charge of the situation."
"My father has entrusted Zhejiang Mountain to me, and I will not disgrace his mission."
An unknown amount of time had passed, but only Shen Qingqiu and Gu Yanwei were left in the imperial study.
Looking at Gu Yanwei kneeling in front of the emperor's bed, Shen Qingqiu slowly walked over and gently touched his shoulder, "Gu Yanwei, are you okay?"
——
Half a month later, Gu Yanwei ascended the throne as emperor.
"Your Majesty, long live the emperor."
"My dear ministers, please stand up."
"Your Majesty, I have something to report." Li Xin suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty imprisoned the Eighth Prince Gu Anguo half a month ago. Now that you have ascended the throne, the Eighth Prince's affairs have not been dealt with. I request Your Majesty to severely punish the Eighth Prince Gu Anguo."
Zhang Jie Li suddenly sneered, and Li Xin heard it.
"I wonder what Master Zhang is laughing at?"
"I have been disrespectful in court, Your Majesty, please do not blame me." Then he turned to Li Xin and said, "I just admire your skill in using the trick of crossing the river and destroying the bridge!"
Everyone in the court, whether civil or military, understood that Li Xin was anxious for the emperor to punish the Eighth Prince just to sever ties with him as quickly as possible.
During this period of time, Gu Yanwei has been hesitant because of the matter of the Eighth Prince. After all, they are brothers, and he doesn't want the people to think that he started to harm his brothers as soon as he came to power.
"My dear minister, you are right. It is time to make a decision on the matter of the Eighth Prince. In two days, the Eighth Prince will be exiled to the north."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
After the court session, Gu Yanwei went to prison accompanied by Chen Jie.
Seeing Gu Yanwei coming, the Eighth Prince smiled coldly, "Why, the emperor finally remembered me, is it poisoned wine or white silk?"
"I won't let you die. Father certainly doesn't want to see us killing each other. I will have them treat you well in the next two days. After two days, someone will send you to the north."
"You won't kill me?" The Eighth Prince stood up and frowned. He never thought that he could survive at the hands of Gu Yanwei.
"When you get to the North, live a good life!"
After coming out of the prison, Gu Yanwei felt like there was a stone pressing on his heart, and he walked to Chengchun Palace unknowingly.
After registering that day, Gu Yanwei let Shen Qingqiu move into Chengchun Palace.
"Your Majesty, why are you here?" Shen Qingqiu, who was playing shuttlecock with the palace servants, looked up and saw him, then put down the shuttlecock and ran a few steps to old Gu Yanwei.
Shen Qingqiu flew towards Gu Yanwei like a bird, and at this moment Gu Yanwei felt relieved when he saw her depressed mood.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?" Seeing him in a daze, Shen Qingqiu waved his hand unconsciously in front of him.
Gu Yanwei grabbed her hand. His eyes, which were always sharp, were now as gentle as a lake. Shen Qingqiu fell into them unconsciously.
"Qingqiu, are you willing to stay with me in this palace forever?"
"What?" Shen Qingqiu seemed to understand what he meant, but he was not sure.
"Qingqiu, after the Double Ninth Festival, I want to make you the queen."
——
The Double Ninth Festival in the palace was very lively, with brilliant fireworks, as if there was a folk celebration. Shen Qingqiu was having so much fun that he forgot the time, perhaps because he was happy to celebrate the festival, or perhaps because after today, he could legitimately stay with Gu Yanwei.
But over at the Jincheng Palace, Gu Yanwei frowned.
"What did you say?"
"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu's elephants are truly unstoppable. Our army has suffered heavy casualties. Your Majesty, please send troops to support us quickly."
"We have won several battles in a row, so why is it that suddenly..."
"I don't know why, where did the Huns get these elephants from? We are having a hard time dealing with them!"
Since the war with the Huns, the imperial court has sent out two generals, and the only one still available is General Li Sheng.
"Quick, summon General Li Sheng to the palace to see me!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
General Li’s Mansion.
"The imperial edict has arrived!"
Li Sheng and his family knelt in the yard.
"General Li, the emperor has something to ask you to come to the palace and make a suggestion immediately."
"Now?"
"Yes, General Li Sheng, hurry up, the situation is urgent."
Li Sheng rolled his eyes and said, "Please go back first, sir. I will change my clothes and go."
After Eunuch Li left, Li Sheng did not rush to change his clothes, but returned to the dining table and ate in silence.
Li Wanting walked up to Li Sheng anxiously and said, "Dad, the emperor must have something urgent to tell you so late. How can you still be in the mood to eat here? Come to the palace quickly."
"The Emperor summoned me so late in the night, it must be because of the war with the Xiongnu."
"You know this, how come you are still in the mood to sit here and eat?"
Li Sheng put down his chopsticks, looked up at his daughter and said, "Wanting, don't you like the emperor?"
Li Wanting didn't expect her father to mention this at this time. She blushed and lowered her head and said, "Father, why are you talking about this?"
That year, her father brought her to the palace. She was curious about everything in the palace. She saw a beautiful lotus flower by the lake and wanted to pick it. However, she slipped and almost fell into the lake. But at this moment, a strong arm stopped her waist.
That was the first time Li Wanting met Gu Yanwei. His handsome face and elegant figure are still vivid in her mind.
"Are you the family member entering the palace today?"
Li Wanting lowered her head quickly and said with a blushing face, "Yes." She looked at the clothes of the person in front of her and said slowly, "You should be His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince."
Gu Yanwei found it strange and asked, "I didn't tell you my name, how did you know?"
"It is said among the people that the Ninth Prince is eight feet tall, likes to wear golden clothes, and has a handsome face. You are exactly like the rumor, and even more..."
As she spoke, Li Wanting lowered her head, and her cheeks became redder, like the clouds at sunset.
"You are quite interesting. Whose family are you from?"
"In reply to your Highness, I am the daughter of General Li Sheng, and my name is Wanting."
"Wanting." Gu Yanwei repeated her name and nodded, "It is indeed a good name." She turned her head to look at the lotus in the pond and said, "This lotus is very beautiful, but if you pick it, it will wither in a few days. How can you bear to deprive it of its life like this?"
Li Wanting said in panic, "Your Highness the Ninth Prince, please forgive me."
"It's okay, it's normal for a little girl to like flowers, but you must be careful when walking and don't fall into the lake again." After saying that, he turned and left. Li Wanting looked at his back, unable to recover for a long time.
"Wanting." Her father's voice interrupted her memories. Li Wanting raised her head and looked at her father.
"Over the years, I have seen how deeply you love His Majesty. I have mentioned this marriage to His Majesty many times, but he always refused. This time, I will definitely let him make you the queen."
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