The civil officials racked their brains, and in the end, it was Wu Zhi, an old minister who had followed the emperor in the uprising, who recalled a sentence the emperor had said back then.
Wu Zhi said tremblingly, "When she was pregnant, His Majesty was overjoyed and pointed to the late Empress, saying, 'This child in her womb will one day rule the world!' Do you all remember that?"
The emperor didn't kill all the old ministers; many of his old comrades were still present. Wu Zhi's reminder brought back memories of this past event.
When the Emperor and the late Empress were deeply in love, they uttered many vows of eternal love. This statement, compared to those sweet words, might seem insignificant. But at this moment, it became the only lifeline for these veteran officials.
His Majesty's words are as good as gold and as weighty as gold!
The world has only been stable for about twenty years. We are all people who have experienced the chaos of war. When we were young and fashionable, we were full of ambition and could talk about the country. Now we are all old and frail. Deep down, we are afraid of dying and causing chaos again.
So, who was in the late Empress's womb at that time...?
The old ministers shifted their gaze and landed on Princess Pingzhao, who was sobbing uncontrollably.
Princess Pingzhao raised her eyes in surprise, and seemingly unintentionally met the old minister who had just said, "This child in her womb will one day weigh the world." The two exchanged a knowing glance.
There were precedents in previous dynasties for princesses to ascend the throne and for princesses to act as regents. After several rounds of maneuvering, the civil officials concocted a dubious "edict from the late emperor," and in a confused state, they placed Princess Pingzhao on the throne.
Surprisingly, during this process, many low-ranking officials from humble backgrounds sided with Princess Pingzhao. These impoverished scholars, minor officials, or even lowly military officers selected through the imperial examinations debated fiercely in the court and wrote numerous poems, songs, and essays in the countryside, working tirelessly to pave a path for Princess Pingzhao in terms of public opinion.
The timeline flashed by so quickly that it almost overwhelmed the audience. In the blink of an eye, the dust settled.
The day before the coronation ceremony, Princess Pingzhao visited the place where the late emperor's body lay in state.
Princess Pingzhao stood before the late emperor's coffin, gazing down at her biological father's face. The late emperor had been carefully prepared by the physicians; his appearance was exceptionally handsome and striking.
The servants were dismissed, leaving only a living person and a corpse. Princess Pingzhao stared at her father for a long time, then her pale lips suddenly moved.
"Father."
The dead cannot respond. But Princess Pingzhao didn't care. She continued, "I've always known how my mother died."
The scene flashes back through Princess Pingzhao's memories.
The emperor, who was not yet the emperor, was assassinated in his mansion. The emperor was very strong and the assassin could not kill him. He fought and retreated until he reached a side room and took a hostage.
That was the late Empress, Princess Pingzhao's mother!
The assassin had long heard that the emperor and empress had known each other since their humble beginnings, sharing joys and sorrows, and were deeply devoted to each other. Knowing the emperor was hesitant to act rashly, the assassin clamored for him to lay down his weapon.
The emperor hesitated for a moment, neither lowering his sword nor making any further move.
The palace was the emperor's secret meeting place. Just as the emperor was at a stalemate with the assassin, the emperor's most important strategist happened to pass by and was shocked to see the situation.
The assassin, of course, recognized the strategist and was immediately overjoyed. He grabbed the empress and ran toward the strategist!
In the blink of an eye, the emperor's hand flashed with silver light, and he leaped forward, skewering the empress and the assassin like candied hawthorns with a single sword strike!
The assassin's astonished gaze froze in his eyes.
The empress was stabbed in a relatively oblique spot, and although she didn't die immediately like the assassin, she was still seriously injured. Even so, she still looked at the emperor with that tender and reluctant gaze, without a trace of resentment in her eyes.
The strategist who escaped death was named Wu Zhi. Behind a small door behind Wu Zhi, a seven-year-old girl covered her mouth, staring at the scene before her without uttering a sound, as if she had been terrified.
The scene shifts, and Princess Pingzhao emerges from her reverie with a warm smile on her lips: "She will be very happy to see you and her reunited on this day."
"but--"
Princess Pingzhao said, enunciating each word clearly, "I did all this not to avenge my mother. If I were in your position back then..."
A gust of cold wind swept through the hall, scattering the rest of Princess Pingzhao's words in the wind.
"It's simply because I want to be the emperor."
-----------------
As the sun rose again, Princess Pingzhao's coronation ceremony arrived.
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