This, this, this…
Everyone was dumbfounded. They had never heard of such an outrageous thing.
They knew that the practice of combining heirs had existed since ancient times and was most popular in the previous dynasty. However, it was incompatible with etiquette and law, and in this dynasty, even if it was not explicitly abolished, it was rarely seen again.
Moreover, it is a case of two men having a joint marriage?
Even if she was Princess Yong'an, she was kept by her lover, but there was no mention of giving him a formal status.
Xiao Shuo leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the desk, and said, "Is there anything wrong?"
He said slowly: "Prince Zhao has always been filial and obedient, and I believe he will be willing to fulfill the Queen Mother's wish."
"Prince Li, don't worry about it."
He looked meaningfully at the imperial edict on the desk.
Prince Li wanted to cry but had no tears. If this really happened, it would be a disgrace to their Darong royal family. He subconsciously looked at his colleagues present, wanting them to help persuade him, but everyone looked down at his sleeves, as if the patterns on the sleeves were so delicate and beautiful that they were reluctant to blink.
Anyway, it's not their family's fault, so it's not worth offending Xiao Shuo for this.
Prince Li: “…”
After all, he is the leader of the clan, and this decision is really too difficult for him.
only……
He looked at the imperial edict again, thinking about its contents, and pondered for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "The governor is right."
Let's just stop Qin Wei's thoughts completely to prevent him from doing wrong things again.
This was considered as an acknowledgement of Xiao Shuo's suggestion of a joint heir. He could only comfort himself by saying that daughters of the royal family would not have trouble finding a wife, and sons of the royal family would not have trouble finding a wife. At most, there would be some gossip among the people. He finally felt relieved, but Xiao Shuo said:
"Prince Li, please go there in person and sign the marriage certificate for them. You are the clan leader, so I have to trouble you."
Xiao Shuo spoke in a gentle manner, which showed that he valued him very much. Prince Li wanted to cry even more after hearing this.
No matter what, he had already agreed to it. There was nothing more humiliating than this, so Prince Li just threw in the towel and said, "Yes, Lord Governor."
Everyone couldn't help but sympathize with Prince Li for a moment, but then he was sent away by Xiao Shuo.
Chu Yuanchen walked at the end. He turned around and quickly blinked at Xiao Shuo. His lips moved silently: "I'll buy you a drink."
Xiao Shuo couldn't help laughing.
The movements in the inner palace could not be hidden from his eyes and ears. Xiao Shuo had also heard that the Queen Mother wanted to allow Zhao to be the heir.
Achen is trying to vent his sister's anger, and as the eldest brother, of course I have to help her.
Xiao Shuo had a faint smile on his face and his eyes were gentle, which surprised Wu Ning who was standing beside him. He thought: The Governor has really been showing more and more normal emotions recently. Unlike before, although he smiled on his face, he was actually colder than anyone else, and he didn't show any emotion no matter what he was doing or who he was.
The former governor made him in awe, and the current governor made him respect him even more.
Xiao Shuo picked up the imperial edict on the desk, stood up and said, "Come with me to see the emperor."
Wu Ning quickly agreed. He took out a black cloak and helped Xiao Shuo put it on. Then he went to the emperor's bedroom.
Since the emperor had a stroke, he has been recuperating in his palace, with imperial doctors and eunuchs by his side all the time.
When Xiao Shuo arrived, the eunuchs guarding outside bowed and saluted: "Master."
Xiao Shuo nodded slightly, and then he heard the sound of something being smashed, and the emperor's scolding: "You want to scald me to death with such hot water? Drag me out and beat me to death! Beat me to death!"
Xiao Shuo casually asked, "Has the emperor's temper gotten worse?"
A middle-aged eunuch quickly responded: "The emperor has been in a bad mood recently. Either the water is too cold or too hot, the medicine is too bitter, the food is not to his taste, or he can't sleep well..."
As they were talking, a young eunuch who had been ordered to be "beaten to death" came out. He did not look panicked. When he saw Xiao Shuo, he bowed his head in surprise and said, "Master."
"You've worked hard, go and have a rest."
The young eunuch was overwhelmed by the favor and responded quickly.
Their job was not hard at all. Even if the emperor had a bad temper and wanted to beat or kill him, it didn't matter. If the emperor wanted to cane him, he could get three more days of vacation and ten taels of silver. He could just replace him with someone else tomorrow.
It would be even better if I could get a compliment from the Governor today. When he tells others about it later, they will surely be extremely jealous of me.
Xiao Shuo walked in. The emperor was still angry. He leaned on a large pillow with a stern face, and a young eunuch wiped the corners of his mouth. When he saw Xiao Shuo coming in, he moved his lips and called out incoherently, "A Shuo...you are here."
Xiao Shuo smiled and said, "Your Majesty."
But in just over a month, the emperor's face had become much thinner. Even though his food, clothing and daily expenses were the same as before, he became increasingly haggard. Not only was half of his limbs still numb, but he was also increasingly weak. Only his speech had recovered a little and was no longer slurred. Because he never recovered, the emperor's temper became more and more violent, and he scolded almost everyone who served him.
The emperor's eyes darkened, and he said in a somewhat sinister tone, "I...thought you had forgotten...that I, the emperor, am still here."
In the past month, Xiao Shuo came to see him only a few times. Every time he came, he would just ask the imperial physician a few questions about his condition and leave after a short while. The emperor sometimes wanted to ask him about his recent government affairs, but he casually answered them by saying, "The imperial physician said I need to rest well."
Even if he wanted to see Xiao Shuo and asked someone to announce it, the servants would pretend not to hear.
This made the emperor somewhat dissatisfied and even uneasy.
He has always been a person with a strong desire for control. He can't stand anyone escaping from his control, just like Xiao Shuo now.
Xiao Shuo pretended not to notice the emperor's scowl and replied calmly, "Your Majesty, there have been many things going on recently, and I am quite busy."
The emperor snorted coldly: "What's the matter?"
Even though the emperor was somewhat dissatisfied with Xiao Shuo, he knew that he was now in a difficult situation and the only person he could trust and use was Xiao Shuo.
Everyone would betray him, but Xiao Shuo would not. Xiao Shuo was just a rootless duckweed, with no offspring and no chance of the throne.
As long as he lived, he would be a powerful minister, ruling the country on behalf of the emperor. His power had reached its peak, which meant that he would no longer be driven around by others and betray him.
The emperor also knew that he would not recover, and only Xiao Shuo could save his life and honor. If it were anyone else, he would probably wish to die soon so that he could ascend the throne.
Having said that, he still wanted to let Xiao Shuo know what a master is and what a servant is!
Xiao Shuo smiled faintly, calm and gentle as jade. He raised his hand, and the imperial doctors and eunuchs around him withdrew one after another, leaving only the chief eunuch Song Yuan beside the emperor.
Xiao Shuo handed the imperial edict in his hand to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, please read this."
The emperor was at a loss for words. When Song Yuan unfolded the imperial edict and presented it to him, he took a look at it and became so angry that his lips turned purple.
The imperial edict clearly stated that the emperor had obtained the throne illegitimately, murdered the previous emperor, and usurped the throne. The empress dowager also personally testified in the imperial edict that before the previous emperor died, he issued a will to depose the crown prince and replace him with King Zhao as the emperor. The empress dowager even mentioned in the imperial edict that she still had the previous emperor's will.
"Why ..."
The emperor's fingers were trembling, half of his face was crooked, and his eyes were full of disbelief.
Last year, Xiao Shuo had told him that there were rumors that the late emperor had deposed the crown prince before his death, and he had always thought it was Chu Yuanchen who did it. But was it not the case? Was it the Queen Mother who did it?
"Jian'an Earl..." The emperor's voice became even more vague as he became excited. "It's Jian'an Earl."
When the late emperor passed away, he was on his way to Mount Tai for a ceremony of meditation when he suddenly fell ill. The closest minister to the late emperor was the Earl of Jian'an.
The emperor uttered with trembling lips: "The Earl of Jian'an...will..."
Didn't Xiao Shuo get the imperial edict when he raided Jian'an Earl's Mansion? I saw it with my own eyes and burned it with my own hands...
"It must be fake." Xiao Shuo said slowly, "I'm afraid this will has already fallen into the hands of the Queen Mother. Earl Jian'an is fooling you."
The emperor seemed to understand it all at once. No wonder Qin Wei had interceded for Earl Jian'an and even sent Earl Jian'an's granddaughter out. It turned out that he was waiting for this to happen!
Qin Weiyi had been restless for a long time, and so had the Queen Mother, who was bent on helping her youngest son. He treated them so well, yet they actually teamed up to plot against him!
The emperor was so angry that he was speechless. He had a stroke, but the empress dowager ignored him and even wanted to help her youngest son... Did the empress dowager know that this would ruin his reputation and leave him without a burial place?
The Queen Mother must know! But she still preferred to give him up!
Xiao Shuo spoke at the right moment: "Prince Zhao tried to rebel with this imperial edict in his hand. I have already arrested him. However, Prince Zhao is the legitimate son of the late emperor, and the queen mother is the empress of the late emperor. How to deal with him is up to you, Your Majesty."
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
The emperor gnashed his teeth and said without hesitation, "I will make sure they die without a burial place."
The emperor was gasping for breath, opening his mouth wide to breathe heavily, his face flushed, and it seemed that he might choke at any moment.
Xiao Shuo said, "I understand. Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself."
"A Shuo, A Shuo." The emperor pulled Xiao Shuo's sleeve with great effort, as if he was pulling a life-saving straw. There was no more dissatisfaction on his face, but relief.
Even if Xiao Shuo continued to neglect me, at least he wouldn't be thinking about my death all the time, and that was enough.
The throne is his! It's his.
Even if he had a stroke, as long as he lived, the throne would be his.
The emperor trembled his lips and said, "A Shuo, kill the queen mother and Qin Wei, and get the edict."
"I let you run the government, I let you govern, you must help me keep the throne."
"A Shuo, I only trust you!"
Xiao Shuo did not pull up his sleeves. He just said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."
He understood clearly in his heart that this thing was indeed true.
He had tried several times at the beginning, but the emperor never said a word. But now, the emperor was "bedridden" and the empress dowager and Qin Wei had "betrayed" him, so the emperor panicked.
Xiao Shuo thought about it for a while and gave up asking the emperor about what happened. Since the emperor had kept it a secret for so long, it was definitely not something that could be easily found out by asking.
Xiao Shuo lowered his eyes slightly. Last year, Chu Yuanchen pretended to be missing on the battlefield and quietly returned to Beijing. One reason was to deal with the leakage of military secrets in the northern border, and the other was to deal with this will from the Jian'an Earl's Mansion.
At that time, their situation was far from smooth as it is now. Chu Yuanchen had to resort to some tricks and almost lost his life before he had an excuse to follow the trend. He finally put the powerful officials of the two dynasties in jail and raided the mansion of the Earl of Jian'an.
After getting the imperial edict, Chu Yuanchen took it back to the northern border, and he specially made a fake copy and gave it to the emperor.
This will has always been in Chu Yuanchen's hands.
There was a sharp gleam in Xiao Shuofeng's eyes.
King Zhao thought he had received the Queen Mother's decree, but the Queen Mother's decree to appoint the Regent Prince had been replaced long after she stamped it.
In this inner palace, whatever he wanted King Zhao to get, that is what King Zhao got.
Xiao Shuo said meaningfully: "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave first."
"Okay." The emperor said hurriedly, "Go quickly and kill Qin Wei and the Queen Mother!... You can't say it was my intention, you have to do it without leaving any trace, and you can't let people talk about me privately..." His voice carried some fear that he couldn't even explain, and a dependence on Xiao Shuo.
Xiao Shuo took the imperial edict and left.
After he left, he said to Wu Ning, "Go and tell Cao Xi, and tell the Queen Mother that the Emperor knows that she is helping Prince Zhao to seize the throne, and the Emperor is so angry that he wants them and their son to die."
Cao Xi was the eunuch in charge of the Queen Mother's affairs.
Wu Ning responded, "Yes, Lord Governor."
Xiao Shuo brushed his sleeves and walked out.
His steps were firm, without any confusion or hesitation.
"Ask Captain Shen to give Qin Wei a heads-up..."
Wu Ning agreed to all of their requests, and when he returned to the Imperial Household Department, he sent someone to pass the message to Captain Shen and Cao Xi.
When Captain Shen led the Dongchang troops to surround Prince Zhao's mansion, they also took Prince Li, who was in tears, with them.
Not only did Captain Shen confiscate their property, he also took Qin Wei and three others with him, locked them up in a side hall, and then made a "please" gesture to Prince Li in a very friendly manner.
Prince Li smiled, a smile that was uglier than crying, and said, "Ah Wei, the Queen Mother has issued an imperial decree..."
Qin Wei was stunned when he heard this. He had been expressionless ever since he was captured, and only at this moment did he show some reaction.
Prince Li cleared his throat and said, "Ah Wei..." He was simply unable to speak, and gritted his teeth, "The Queen Mother has decreed that Zhou Jingxun will be the heir to the throne, and you and the Zhao family will be the husband."
As soon as he said this, he felt relieved and finished his words in one breath: "You won't be too lonely in the days of confinement in the future. The Queen Mother's motherly love is really touching. This happened suddenly and it's not convenient here. Forget about the wedding and sign the marriage certificate first."
When these words came out, the three of them were all stunned. No one understood.
Prince Li did not look at them, but said, "Captain Shen, please ask them to sign the marriage agreement."
He knew very well that the Empress Dowager's decree must not be leaked out at all.
The emperor had a stroke, Qin Wei committed a crime, and if there is another so-called will saying that the previous emperor had changed the crown prince and the emperor came to the throne illegitimately, the Dayong Dynasty will be overturned. This matter must be suppressed!
Being an heir would damage the reputation of the royal family, but it would also make Qin Wei lose face in getting the throne.
Captain Shen didn't care whether they understood or not. If the governor said to merge the legitimate wife, then it would be a merger of the legitimate wife. If the governor said to sign the marriage certificate, then it would be signed!
He said coldly, "No problem."
There was no need for him to do it himself, as the guards immediately did it for him. The three men were already criminals, with their hands tied, and no matter how much they shouted or struggled, the guards easily got their fingerprints. Shen Qianhu personally handed two copies of the marriage certificate to Prince Li, and called another guard to accompany Prince Li to take it to Jingzhao Prefecture for filing.
Prince Li didn't want to stay any longer, so he left as soon as he got the marriage certificate.
Qin Wei gritted his teeth, anger rising to his head, and shouted: "How dare you! How dare you humiliate me like this? I will make you pay."
Shen Qianhu said calmly, "Your Highness, this is what the Queen Mother meant. You listened to the Queen Mother and rushed to the execution ground with the imperial edict. You must be filial. The deep love between mother and son moved us." He sat on the armchair and continued, "Your Highness, Prince Zhao and the Queen Mother are a loving mother and a filial son. The Queen Mother has also taken good care of you. Even when the Emperor wanted to kill you, the Queen Mother blocked it. For this reason, the Queen Mother was ordered by the Emperor to be detained in the Imperial Temple. The Queen Mother is also old, and there is only an old maid serving her. Alas, it is really pitiful."
Qin Wei was stunned.
He dared to do this because he was the legitimate son of the previous emperor. Unless he committed regicide, he could save his life. He didn't expect that the emperor would actually kill him?! He hadn't even considered that the emperor would secretly keep the edict and seize the throne from him, but he still wanted to kill him?!
Shen Qianhu stopped talking and said with a smile: "I'm sure you can understand the Queen Mother's painstaking efforts. I hope you and your family can live a good life in the future."
Before Qin Wei could recover from the shock that the emperor wanted to kill him, he was so frightened by Shen Qianhu's "family" that he was speechless.
Captain Shen ignored them and ordered his guards to untie their ropes. He then said, "Watch carefully. Let's go and see how those guys are doing."
"Slow down, Qianhu."
Shen Qianhu walked out without looking back, leaving the family of three looking at each other in bewilderment.
As soon as the rope was untied, Qin Wei rushed to the door, banging on it, cursing loudly, with a look of madness on his face.
Zhao Yuanrou moved closer to Zhou Jingxun, trying to stay away from Qin Wei, fearing that he would go crazy and hurt her.
When she stood side by side with Zhou Jingxun, she felt that she had someone to lean on. Her face was filled with anger and resentment as she said, "Qin Wei, you still have the nerve to yell. If it weren't for you, how could we have ended up like this? You deserve it!"
"It's good to have a marriage certificate. Zhou Jingxun and I are no longer married without a matchmaker. Our marriage was arranged by the Queen Mother." Zhao Yuanrou deliberately took Zhou Jingxun's arm and looked at Qin Wei provocatively.
Zhao Yuanrou asked Zhou Jingxun, and Zhou Jingxun said that it was Sheng Xiyan who had someone knock him unconscious and captured him, and he did not betray her.
Zhao Yuanrou believed it, but she always felt a little uncomfortable in her heart. How could Zhou Jingxun, a grown man who had practiced martial arts since childhood, be subdued so easily and not even be able to remind her? Reason told Zhao Yuanrou to believe Zhou Jingxun, but this doubt still took root in her heart like a seed.
Qin Wei stopped shouting. He turned around silently and looked at the two people who were leaning on each other. New and old grudges surged into his heart, and he rushed towards Zhou Jing like crazy.
He was going to kill him! He was going to kill him!
He originally thought that Rou'er would be with him forever after she was imprisoned, so why did he have to add Zhou Jingxun to the mix now? Why?!
Zhou Jingxun had disliked him for a long time, and with a sneer, he raised his foot and kicked him in the lower abdomen. Qin Wei did not dodge and took the kick head-on, knocking him to the ground and pulling his hair. Both of them had learned martial arts, but now they were fighting like street thugs.
Qin Wei pressed him to the ground with his knees, stared at Zhou Jingxun's face that made him feel disgusted and painful, and bit his cheek fiercely.
He bit down with full of hatred, and held on tightly, determined to tear a piece of flesh from his face.
Zhou Jingxun screamed in pain.
Zhao Yuanrou screamed and tried to pull hard, but her strength was not enough to move the angry Qin Wei.
She looked around, picked up a chair, and smashed it hard on Qin Wei's back...
The two Dongchang guards guarding the side hall considerately closed the door for them. Captain Shen, who had already walked out, looked back and said in a sharp voice: "The three of them, stop making trouble and don't kill anyone. Get them a royal doctor. If they make too much trouble, maybe they are too well fed and will stop making trouble after a few meals to relieve their hunger."
The young eunuch responded with a smile.
Captain Shen said slowly, "Let them copy slowly, there is no rush. The Zhao Palace is so big, we have to copy it carefully. The governor said that the Ministry of Revenue is still waiting for silver."
There is no rush for the East Factory, so it can just take its time to copy.
From the moment Dongchang entered the Zhaowang Mansion, the mansions of the rich and powerful in the capital were completely quiet, and almost every household was watching the movements of the Zhaowang Mansion. Only Lin Shoufu, Prince Li and five or six other important officials in the court followed Zhaowang to the execution ground today. Before the others had time to hear what happened, they heard that Dongchang had ordered the house to be confiscated.
No one who had his property ransacked by the Dongchang had ever escaped unscathed, and now it was King Zhao's turn.
The emperor has no son, and it is even less likely that he will have a son in the future. If the emperor dies, the most likely successor will be Prince Zhao.
To take a step back, even if the emperor wanted to succeed the throne, in terms of blood relationship, the successor would most likely be the son of King Zhao.
Now that King Zhao has fallen, the most legitimate successor to the Darong Dynasty has fallen, which has made many people even more confused about the future.
However, neither Prince Li nor Lin Shoufu and others said anything to stop him. They knew that Xiao Shuo was not trying to eliminate dissidents, but that the evidence was conclusive.
The others were fine, and most of them were thankful that they were not close to Prince Zhao. The court officials who had already taken sides began to panic, and hurried to ask Prince Cheng for advice. However, Prince Cheng could not protect himself, and was so scared that he hid in his mansion and dared not see anyone.
The sky in the capital has changed again.
Until nearly dusk, another group of Dongchang soldiers entered Prince Zhao's Palace, and Chu Yuanchen also returned to Prince Zhenbei's Palace at this time.
There was a slight blue tint to his eyes, and they were full of energy.
Sheng Xiyan was about to go back, and Jingle saw this and said with a smile: "Achen, you're back just in time, Sister Yan is about to leave, you can send her back."
Chu Yuanchen agreed happily and felt that he was very lucky!
The two of them left the main courtyard and walked towards the ceremonial gate.
Sheng Xiyan took small steps, so he slowed down his pace as well. First they walked shoulder to shoulder, then they held her hand.
There were quite a lot of servants along the way. Sheng Xiyan moved her fingers uncomfortably. Seeing this, Chu Yuanchen started the conversation and said, "Ayan, my mother said that you have a medicine called 'Nightmare'?"
"Brother wants to get some words out of the emperor, and asks if you have any more."
Sheng Xiyan's attention was successfully attracted. Chu Yuanchen happily held her hand in his palm and said, "The death of the late emperor is a little strange. Maybe it was caused by this now."