...
The large cell fell silent, followed by a commotion.
"New Emperor! New Emperor! We're saved! Your Majesty, I'm innocent! Your Majesty, I'm innocent..."
"Your Majesty, you be the judge. What crime has this old minister committed by speaking frankly, even if it is unpleasant to hear?"
"...I have been diligent and conscientious in my duties, yet this is how I have come to be..."
"It's His Highness the Crown Prince! His Highness the Crown Prince! His Highness has ascended the throne? Congratulations, Your Highness!"
"...Watch out for that jailer..."
Amidst the cacophony, Shang Changge heard a faint, weak reminder.
With a "better safe than sorry" mentality, she narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly.
Without making a sound, she removed the exquisite gold hairpin from her hair and hid it in her sleeve, then stepped forward to close the distance between herself and the beautiful younger brother.
After a short while,
They arrived at the dungeon where Shang Rui was imprisoned, but the dungeon was empty, without a single ghost in sight.
"Go to hell!"
A fierce shout suddenly rang out, and the jailer, who had been obsequious and fawning, gripped his knife and thrust it at Shang Changze with a ferocious expression.
“pen——”
The jailer was sent flying, crashing heavily against the thick, hard wooden pillars of the cell. His eyes rolled back, and he coughed up blood... It's unclear whether he died or not.
That kick was delivered by Shang Changze.
Shang Changge, seeing her handsome younger brother do things himself for the first time: ...
While the guards with swords and Lord Feng went to check on the prison guards' condition, Shang Changge silently put the gold hairpin back into her hair.
Shang Changze: "Sister, are you alright?"
Shang Changge: "...It's nothing, what could possibly happen to me?"
Guard with a sword/Lord Feng: "Master/Your Majesty, he is dead."
Shang Changge: ?
Looking at her handsome younger brother, who exuded an air of refined gentlemanliness, she realized she had underestimated his abilities.
Shang Changze coldly swept his gaze over the lifeless jailer, then looked at the cell where Shang Rui was imprisoned, his expression unreadable. He gave the order:
"Search, dead or alive."
He originally intended to keep his third brother alive, so that he could witness Qingyan usher in a greater golden age instead of gradually heading towards destruction.
In retrospect, he was wrong. He shouldn't have let a moment of anger lead him to such useless obsession.
Furthermore, one should not be influenced by this obsession and make wrong decisions that will leave future troubles for oneself.
Shang Changge wasn't able to read Shang Changze's mind, and therefore had no idea what Shang Changze was thinking.
But since the beautiful younger brother said he didn't care whether she lived or died, there was no need for her to say anything more.
Besides, with Lord Feng and several armed guards present, she would never discipline her younger brother in front of outsiders.
Although there is an order of seniority, there is still a distinction between the noble and the lowly. The beautiful younger brother has always respected her, given her face, and treated her sincerely.
She wouldn't be so ungrateful as to take advantage of her elder sister's status and act arrogantly or push her luck. She wouldn't do anything that would lead to her death.
Shang Rui ran away, without a trace.
Because of this incident, the entire palace will undergo a major reshuffle; those who should be kept will be kept, those who should be killed will be killed, and those who should be replaced will be replaced.
The new emperor has many things to do after ascending the throne. Shang Changze is very busy, but he still goes to see the empress with Shang Changge.
When the emperor passed away, the Phoenix Palace was filled with white.
The Empress was dressed in plain white and looked very energetic. It was unclear whether this was due to the medicinal soup prescribed by Granny Hua recently.
The reason was either that his son finally ascended to a high position, or that Emperor Mingde passed away, or perhaps all three.
Although it was already night, it wasn't too late yet, and the Queen was very happy to see her two children.
Perhaps knowing that her days were numbered, the Empress became more tolerant and kind towards Shang Changge.
“Ze’er, Ge’er. Come, sit down.”
"Are you hungry? If you are, your mother will have the kitchen prepare something for you."
Shang Changze responded with ease, offering his concern and greetings after the conversation.
Shang Changge, who was experiencing this kind of tender maternal love for the first time, felt her scalp tingle and got goosebumps all over her body.
The Empress—no, she should be called the Empress Dowager now.
The Empress Dowager and Shang Changze had started chatting casually, while Shang Changge listened from the side, occasionally laughing and saying a word or two.
She's a great actress; her acting skills are always on point when needed.
After a few words, the Empress Dowager looked at the dragon robe on Shang Changze and smiled with satisfaction:
"Your mother has always longed to see the day when you, Ze'er, reign supreme. Now that your wish has come true, even if you die from the poison now, your mother will die without regret."
Shang Changze: "Mother..." Shang Changze wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know where to begin.
The Empress Dowager had no intention of upsetting her son; Ze'er had finally become emperor and should be full of pride and joy.
She shouldn't be discouraged by her situation, so she shifted the topic to her daughter.
"Once the affairs of the court are settled in a while, Ze'er, you should tell the world about your mother's poisoning."
Let them know that the Empress Dowager's serious illness was not caused by the marriage between Ge'er and the General, but by the machinations of the concubines in the harem.
"Let's find another auspicious day and hold the wedding for Ge'er and the General."
Three years of national mourning is a bit too long. Now that you are the emperor, you should change the national mourning period. Xiao Ji is not young anymore.
A man's heart is fickle. While he still likes Ge'er, we should hurry up and get the marriage done. After all, he still has military power in his hands.
You have only recently ascended the throne and your position is still unstable. You will need his assistance for the next few years.
Regardless of the officials, you need to keep your younger brothers, especially Shang Rui and Shang Ye, in mind. You must be ruthless when necessary.
Once the rumors of your power grab have died down, find an opportunity to kill you.
Then she turned to look at Shang Changge: "You too, I told you to marry Xiao Ji under the guise of bringing good luck, but you refused."
"But just as your father wished, the engagement was dissolved. Now the Empress Dowager is in excellent health; I wonder what the people will say about your marriage."
Shang Changge had no intention of arguing or explaining with a dying man, so he just chuckled and brushed it off with a few words.
Admittedly, it's true that she wants to marry Xiao Ji.
But she was really unwilling to have her marriage labeled with the unpleasant and unpleasant connotation of "marrying for good luck."
General Xiao was also unhappy, so after discussion, they unanimously chose to dissolve the engagement.
There's nothing wrong with breaking off the engagement; otherwise, the old emperor would have passed away shortly after their marriage, and the imperial concubine would have died as well.
With the Imperial Observatory's nonsense preceding this, who knows how many accusations will be leveled against her and General Xiao's marriage now.
The disadvantages outweigh the advantages, so it's unnecessary.
At the same moment, deep in a remote mountain forest outside the capital city, in a cave...
Shang Rui leaned against the mud wall of the cave, dressed not in the robes of a prince but in the attire of a prison guard.
His once handsome face was now devoid of the prince's former radiance, filled with dejection and dishevelment.
"Your Highness, please have something to eat." The speaker was Yun Luobai, Yun Xiangrong's elder brother.
Yun Xiangrong's father, the Vice Minister of Revenue, became suspicious upon receiving a message from Shang Rui that the Crown Prince was preparing to force the emperor to abdicate.
Before leading his troops into the palace, he made the worst-case scenario plan, sending his son, daughter, and a small group of people to escape the city amidst the chaos.
Even if things really go terribly wrong, there's always a way out; as long as you're alive, there's always a chance to make a comeback.
However,
No one expected the crown prince's coup to go so smoothly; logically, it shouldn't have.
The Emperor had always been wary of the Crown Prince, especially after the Empress fell seriously ill and the engagement between Princess Anguo and the General was called off.
To prevent the Crown Prince's faction, led by Murong Yu, from resorting to desperate measures, the Emperor repeatedly strengthened the palace's security.
On the day the crown prince forced his abdication, they colluded with those inside and outside to fight against the crown prince and his men.
Although the imperial guards were stopped by Xiao Ji's troops, tens of thousands of imperial guards from the palace rushed to their aid.
If it weren't for that old scoundrel Murong Yu leading his troops to ambush the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, the Crown Prince would have been killed by them long ago!
The reason for the defeat was that a change occurred in the palace!
A turmoil has broken out in the palace, throwing the people into chaos!
To this day, they still can't understand how the Crown Prince's men infiltrated the palace and killed the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine. Did those people grow wings or something?
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