Upon returning, Mo Junxing didn't even bother to settle accounts with Empress Dowager Xiao. He immediately mobilized his troops and personally led them to confront the 100,000-strong army of Dacheng at the border.
This news quickly caused a sensation in the imperial court.
They had no idea about it.
Moreover, Shen Hechuan is currently ill, so how could he possibly muster 100,000 troops on the border?
Moreover, this news caused turmoil on the border, made countless people uneasy, and of course, made these ministers uneasy as well.
Only after learning the news did they rush to the palace and submit memorials to the Empress Dowager, questioning why she had kept it from everyone and caused unrest on the border.
What are their true intentions behind all this?
This led the ministers to believe that the Empress Dowager truly wanted to take advantage of Shen Hechuan's illness to completely seize control of the government.
Therefore, all the ministers knelt outside the Wanhe Hall and jointly submitted a petition, hoping to see Shen Hechuan.
The Empress Dowager sighed and looked at Gu Jinxi.
"Xier, what do you think I should do now?"
Gu Jinxi thought for a moment before tentatively speaking.
“Now all the ministers are suspicious. Seele thinks it would be good to let the ministers see the Emperor and appease them.”
At this point, forcibly dealing with them would likely backfire.
The Empress Dowager nodded with satisfaction.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right. It is indeed time to let them see ‘His Majesty’.”
Afterwards, the Empress Dowager ordered all the ministers to come in and opened the curtain of "Chenhechuan".
Only then did everyone see "Shen Hechuan" lying on the bed.
Among them, some ministers still harbored doubts.
They even specially invited a royal physician to examine Shen Hechuan's pulse.
Lin Ping, disguised as Shen Hechuan, naturally used his martial arts to control his pulse.
Therefore, after examining the patient, the imperial physician immediately knelt down on the ground, trembling.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty's pulse is erratic and your body is weak, which is why you are unconscious. I'm afraid you will need to recuperate for a period of time and take good care of yourself to recover."
After he finished speaking, the ministers exchanged glances and had no choice but to believe that Shen Hechuan was indeed ill.
Nevertheless, the ministers did not completely abandon their suspicions about the Empress Dowager, after all, the 100,000-strong army on the border was indeed unusual.
The ministers discussed this extensively and almost got into a fight in the Wanhe Hall.
Just then, Little Shadow rushed over to report.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Elder Jiang requests an audience."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow.
"So it's Elder Jiang who's back. Please come in."
Mr. Jiang.
Jiang Chongfan.
They are the maternal family of the former Empress Jiang Xianhao, and also the largest aristocratic family in Tiandu, which is the entire Dacheng.
He was also a veteran who served three dynasties.
With countless protégés in the imperial court, the Jiang family's status remained undiminished even after many years away from the capital.
On the contrary, years of living away from the imperial court have allowed Jiang Chongfan to mature considerably.
I've heard that the Jiang family now has more than double the number of members as before, and that many talented individuals are emerging from within the family.
This time, upon ascending the throne, Shen Hechuan's first act was to bring the Jiang family back to Tiandu.
Because the Jiang family had a large number of members, it took them a month just to pack their belongings. They also had to travel with the elderly, trekking through mountains and rivers, which is why they arrived late.
The ministers in the court, even the old tutor Wang, treated him with utmost respect, which shows how widespread his influence was.
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, an elderly man with white hair slowly walked in.
Years of living away from Tiandu have turned Old Jiang's hair white, made his face look haggard, and made his body much more hunched.
Because of this, he looked much shorter, just like an ordinary old man, completely lacking the fighting spirit he had when he left the world.
He walked to the center of the hall, first bowing to the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince. After they told him to rise, he looked at Gu Jinxi beside the Empress Dowager.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is wise and insightful, much like His Majesty in his prime."
The Empress Dowager sighed upon hearing this.
"Unfortunately, His Majesty is seriously ill now and cannot summon Elder Jiang directly."
Jiang Chongfan immediately cupped his hands and said, "It was this old minister who was delayed on the road and was unable to personally witness His Majesty's ascension to the throne. This is this old minister's fault."
"As for Your Majesty's illness, I have long heard of it and feel deeply ashamed. I have specially sent you a thousand-year-old ginseng in the hope that it may be of some help to Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Old Jiang finally left.
However, before leaving, he lingered on Gu Jinxi for a few more moments.
After Jiang Lao left, the other ministers, seeing that they could not reach a conclusion and that the Empress Dowager was unwilling to explain the matter of the 100,000-strong army, also left.
The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief and immediately sent a message urging Shen Hechuan to return as soon as possible.
Gu Jinxi, however, was completely bewildered.
The Empress Dowager quickly explained to him.
After explaining the Jiang family's influence, he added, "Speaking of which, you should also call him great-grandfather."
Gu Jinxi nodded.
"But if he has such great power, why didn't he stay in Tiandu in the first place?"
"If he had stayed in Tiandu, Father's situation would have been better, and he wouldn't have suffered so much injustice over the years."
The Empress Dowager sighed upon hearing this.
"yes!"
"Back then, the former empress, who was also your grandmother, had her maternal clan leave Tiandu in order to dispel His Majesty's suspicions."
Despite this, your grandfather did not diminish the power of your grandmother's maternal clan.
These words made Gu Jinxi frown even more deeply.
"Seele doesn't quite understand."
"If Grandmother didn't gain Grandfather's trust back then, shouldn't she have kept her maternal clan in Tiandu to support her?"
"Otherwise, with only Grandmother and Father left in the entire capital, and no one to help them, what if they encounter any danger?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager suddenly paused.
Gu Jinxi's words were a wake-up call for her.
yes!
The Jiang family's departure was indeed quite mysterious back then.
Even if it was Jiang Xianhao's request, it was in order to gain His Majesty's trust.
But they left too decisively.
It didn't seem like it was for Jiang Xianhao's sake, but rather to sever ties with Jiang Xianhao.
Presumably, Jiang Chongfan didn't believe his daughter back then, and was also afraid that Shen Hechuan wasn't Shen Wanshan's biological son.
He was afraid that Jiang Xianhao would implicate him and drag down his entire family.
Therefore, she cruelly abandoned Jiang Xianhao.
The Jiang family has been living in seclusion in Jiangnan for years, hiding from the world.
This is why the Jiang family didn't send anyone to Jiang Xianhao's funeral.
Of course, the Jiang family's reason was that an accident occurred on the way, which caused the delay.
However, after Shen Hechuan registered, the Jiang family quickly packed their bags and, with the full strength of the family, returned to Tiandu.
The intricacies involved here are truly suspicious!
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