But now, his daughter knows where the darkroom is.
Wow, that's amazing!
Hu Shao carefully read Ji Xiaoxiao's words and suddenly felt a jolt. His beloved daughter not only knew the location of the dark room, but she seemed to have already taken control of it. The dark room was the residence of the Emperor's secret guards; controlling the dark room meant controlling all the secret guards.
The monarch's secret guards are as powerful as martial arts masters of today. With a large number of martial arts experts risking their lives to protect her, Ji Xiaoxiao will surely remain safe and sound during the ensuing storm.
Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry. Hu Shao was really worried about Ji Xiaoxiao, who was heavily pregnant.
With one worry resolved, Hu Shao, who had been on edge, breathed a sigh of relief.
Ji Xiaoxiao wasn't able to read Hu Shao's mind; she knew nothing of his inner turmoil and predicament. In their daily interactions, Ji Xiaoxiao had only vaguely sensed that Hu Shao was under immense psychological pressure. Seeing his gentle expression now, she assumed he had come to his senses on his own.
The original owner wanted to strengthen the Hu family, but sacrificing Hu Shao was absolutely out of the question.
One mistake could cost her father his life; a good daughter cannot repeat the same mistake.
Hu Shao and Ji Xiaoxiao wished him a peaceful old age, enjoying the company of his grandchildren and dying without worries.
Uh... I've gone off on a tangent. Ji Xiaoxiao calmly turned the boat around and sailed back into the channel.
"I suppose Father knows that the Dark Room is where the Emperor's secret guards live and train. But Father, you probably don't know that the Dark Room has another function: to use pain as a secondary means to torture and beat people, to disrupt their minds, and to instill fear, to make them unable to die, to destroy their minds, to turn them into puppets, to make them servants who recognize their masters, and to make them unchanging for life. Therefore, the Dark Room has another name: the Puppet System."
A thought flashed through Hu Shao's mind, and he seemed to be deep in thought.
Ji Xiaoxiao couldn't bear to see Hu Shao waste his brain cells, so she said, "Zheng Jincheng has been in the dark room for three days, and now he is a complete puppet."
"Clap clap clap." Ji Xiaoxiao clapped her hands, and a masked guard dressed in black quietly arrived. Behind him stood Zheng Jincheng, whose eyes were lifeless and who could only pant.
Hu Shao was startled and suddenly stood up.
"This...this...?"
Hu Shao tried calling Zheng Jincheng, but Zheng Jincheng, oblivious, ignored him completely.
Ji Xiaoxiao stamped her foot, and Zheng Jincheng, bewildered and helpless, fell to his knees with a thud. A large tongue stuck out of his mouth, and he breathed rapidly like a dog, "Ha...ha...ha..."
“Zheng Jincheng now serves me as his master, and he regards my words as golden rules and obeys them in everything. Therefore, Father, I intend to first let Zheng Jincheng ascend the throne as emperor, and then have Zheng Jincheng abdicate in my favor. In this way, my Hu family will not have to bear the eternal sin of plotting to usurp the throne.”
If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place. Unless absolutely necessary, Ji Xiaoxiao didn't want to resort to force and leave a bad mark on unofficial histories and legends. She felt those empty titles didn't matter, but for Hu Shao, a proper, native-born ancient man, reputation and honor were indispensable. Even if she didn't consider herself, she had to think about Hu Shao!
"This plan is brilliant." Hu Shao was all smiles, and the dark clouds that had been hanging over him for days finally dissipated.
Ji Xiaoxiao was very pleased. Ah, all her hard work hadn't been in vain!
Acting according to the plan of the Hu family father and daughter, it was suddenly revealed that Zheng Run had died from drinking and womanizing. The ministers had no doubts, held Zheng Run's funeral with tears and wailing, and then clamored for Zheng Jincheng to ascend the throne.
"If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, it will be in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people. I urge the Crown Prince to ascend the throne immediately."
Zheng Jincheng looked grief-stricken and had no choice but to accept Hu Shao's "kneeling plea".
As they walked out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and onto Chaotian Road, Zheng Sa and Situ Yu, unlike Luo Qing who was beaming and full of energy, had deep furrows between their brows.
"Your Highness, Hu Shao is acting very strangely," Situ Yu said uneasily.
A few days ago, Hu Shao ruthlessly exterminated the princelings, seemingly determined to eliminate them completely. Today's events are filled with eeriness and danger, as if a giant spider web has silently descended in the pitch-black night, quietly surrounding them.
"Something seems amiss; we must both be careful."
Not long after Zheng Sa finished speaking, on the second day after Zheng Jincheng ascended the throne, he abdicated in favor of the unknown "Hu Miaotian" on the grounds of his own incompetence.
Ji Xiaoxiao gracefully stepped out from behind the curtain, her large, round belly shocking everyone.
"Your Majesty, the matter of abdication is of utmost importance. I urge Your Majesty to think carefully before acting, and not to do anything that would harm the people and destroy the nation. Moreover, how can a mere woman be a ruler or an emperor? Wouldn't that be an insult to all the men of the world?" Grand Tutor Liu spoke with a resounding voice, unlike that of a seventy-year-old man.
Ji Xiaoxiao, bold and shameless, sat directly on the dragon throne and looked down at "her people".
Seeing that Ji Xiaoxiao was acting recklessly, Liu Taifu openly insulted her.
Is Ji Xiaoxiao a model youth who respects the elderly and cares for the young?
No, it's not.
Grand Tutor Liu sought his own death, but Ji Xiaoxiao took pity on him and saw him off.
Ji Xiaoxiao gently slapped Liu Taifu, who was spitting as he spoke. One moment, a living old man was eloquently quoting classics and cursing endlessly; the next moment, limbs flew, flesh splattered, and blood splattered in the court.
The horrific and bloody scenes, the empress's fierce cruelty, were unforgettable for the court officials of the time, even until their deaths.
Silence, deathly silence; the usually noisy Hall of Supreme Harmony was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Are there still any of you who are not convinced by me? Step forward, and I will grant them a complete corpse."
Those who disobey will be killed rather than released!
After waiting for a while, only panting could be heard in the Golden Palace.
"General Luo Qing, Prince Rong, Minister of Works..." Ji Xiaoxiao finished reciting a long list of names, and without pausing for breath, continued, "I've heard that you all have a close personal relationship with Grand Tutor Liu. Is that true?"
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