In order to protect themselves and avoid losses, people might turn against him as emperor, and it's not impossible for another "Jingnan Rebellion" to break out.
If the pressure is too great, the people will oust him and install a new emperor. By then, it will be too late to regret it.
Nowadays, showing a generous and magnanimous attitude is the only way to help people relax their tense nerves.
Sending this signal during the wedding is the perfect opportunity.
"Make arrangements so that Prince Rong, Princess Rong, and Prince Rong's heir will attend tomorrow's celebration ceremony."
Steward Li's eyelids twitched. Seeing that he had no other instructions, he said yes and went to make the arrangements.
The Emperor has completely suppressed the major case of treason involving "uncle and nephew fighting each other".
This is a double-edged sword.
This indeed sent a signal of the emperor's magnanimity to those who were waiting to see what would happen.
However, some stubborn and treacherous people might think that the emperor is easy to bully.
After the Prince of Rong committed treason, he continued to enjoy wealth and honor without any consequences.
If we can tolerate treason, what else can't we tolerate?
...
The next morning, the palace was bustling with activity.
Lu Xingjian, dressed in imperial robes, received the congratulations from civil and military officials, and then went to the Hall of Literary Glory to receive the eight-bow congratulatory ceremony from the prince.
Prince Rong, Lu Youting, accompanied by his son Lu Xingce, silently performed the salutations as instructed by the palace eunuch.
Lu Xingjian looked down at him, his face expressionless.
After performing the ceremony, Lu Youting smiled gently.
"Your Majesty must be feeling quite smug right now, right? The victor is king, the loser is villain; in the end, you've won."
Lu Xingjian gave a half-smile, his tone cold and detached.
"Does Uncle Thirteen think that if I were to lose, I would still have the chance to perform the eight-bow ceremony here?"
Lu Youting's expression hardened slightly, and he let out a cold snort.
If the imperial uncle were to seize the throne from his nephew, Lu Xingjian would face certain death and would not even have the chance to become the retired emperor.
A hint of mockery and contempt flashed across Lu Youting's face as he lightly flicked his sleeve:
"Hmph, a woman's kindness will never lead to great things."
What's the point of winning?
They wouldn't even dare to kill him.
They even allowed this rebellious prince to swagger through the streets, adorned in fine silks and brocades.
Lu Xingjian's face was tense, and his eyes were as cold as sharp arrows.
After a long silence, he smiled faintly and said, "Uncle Thirteen can only resort to empty words now."
"Please, the Empress is waiting for Uncle Thirteen to pay his respects."
Lu Youting's face finally darkened, and humiliation welled up in his eyes.
He never expected that Lu Xingjian would actually marry her and make her his empress.
His determination was admirable.
To marry a widow and make her queen, there are far too many obstacles to overcome.
only.
Her former lover is now married to her nephew, yet he is expected to bow to her.
This humiliation is no less than killing him.
Men's initial motivation for conquering the world and craving power is, firstly, to take control of their own destiny.
Another one is to acquire loot.
For example, a woman you can't have.
Now, Lu Xingjian has everything he once wanted.
Both were of imperial lineage, and he was a few years older than Lu Xingjian.
Despite all her scheming, she was still defeated by her lucky nephew.
...
The Empress Dowager, Empress Zhang, and Su Wanwan are all at Renshou Palace at this moment.
When Lu Youting saw Su Wanwan dressed in a ceremonial robe and wearing a crown with nine dragons and four phoenixes, he did not rush to bow.
Instead, he squinted and smiled faintly, looking completely calm and composed.
"You deliberately leaked Li Zhaoxian's information to me, didn't you?"
Su Wanwan frowned, looking bewildered: "I don't understand what you're saying, Thirteenth Imperial Uncle."
Lu Youting stared at her coolly for a while before lifting the hem of his python robe to perform the eight-bow ceremony.
"Your subject Lu Youting greets the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress."
The words "Empress" that followed were almost uttered through gritted teeth.
His gaze was like a torch, burning with anger.
These days he has been imprisoned in the mansion, repeatedly reviewing the past, and he always feels that something is not right.
Things just happened too coincidentally.
Lu Xingjian explicitly stated that he would be granted land in Changde, but in reality, he was implying that Lu Xingjian should go and take up his fief.
This made him uneasy.
Fearing that the matter of being enfeoffed was already a fait accompli, years of planning and scheming would ultimately come to naught.
The very next day, Su Wanwan was expelled from the palace and forced to leave the capital in a panic.
He couldn't help but take action.
His speed and efficiency were so impressive that even he had to admire himself.
Unexpectedly, even such a large-scale operation failed to kill Lu Xingjian.
God really wasn't on his side.
Perhaps Su Wanwan had already noticed Yan Rong, the mole he had placed beside her.
However, she used it against him to achieve her own goals.
He still couldn't find any evidence that she had used him.
Judging from the results, the biggest winners of this months-long struggle were her and Lu Xingjian.
Lu Xingjian is fine.
She was a divorced widow who returned home, yet she managed to get the emperor to successfully depose the empress, overcome all obstacles, and put her on the throne of empress!
How could it be that she didn't scheme and plot?
She must be too cunning, always pretending to be weak and pitiful, never revealing the slightest clue.
He was unaware of the feud between Li Zhaoxian and Su Wanwan's guards.
It was Yan Rong who revealed a few words, which made him think of keeping Su Wanwan in the capital for his own use.
It's truly absurd, like "hunting geese all day only to have your eyes pecked by them."
Empress Dowager Wang gave Su Wanwan a meaningful look.
Who would have thought that Su Wanwan, who left the palace to marry someone back then, would return in this way?
Judging from what Prince Rong said, he was tricked by Su Wanwan.
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