At the same time as the edict was issued, Emperor Tianqi also ordered the immediate execution of a large number of people.
Those people included Lin Ji and some officials who had stayed in Beijing.
Of course, there were also some commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
These people were accused of deceiving the emperor and persecuting the crown prince and empress.
Emperor Tianqi also appointed Yun Chuwei as the executioner.
After receiving the imperial edict, Yun Chuwei went directly to the palace to see Emperor Tianqi.
Emperor Tianqi sat behind his desk in the imperial study, quietly accepting Yun Chuwei's bow, and then asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to see me?"
Logically speaking, Yun Chuwei should have come to see him after overseeing the execution.
Yun Chuwei replied, "Your Majesty, I would like to request that the execution of those people be changed to the bestowal of poison?"
Emperor Tianqi's expression turned slightly cold: "Don't do anything unnecessary!"
“Of course, it is necessary!” Yun Chuwei said gently. “It can demonstrate His Majesty’s benevolence and show His Majesty’s determination to implement benevolent governance.”
Emperor Tianqi remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Let's do as you say!"
"On their behalf, Your Majesty expresses your gratitude!" Yun Chuwei bowed and said.
Emperor Tianqi raised his hand, gesturing for her to leave: "You may go back now. When the execution takes place tomorrow, I will have Sun Jiasheng deliver the imperial edict!"
"Your subject takes his leave!" Yun Chuwei said, and then withdrew.
-
When Yun Chuwei returned to the Marquis's residence, she was immediately summoned by her grandmother.
As soon as the old lady saw her granddaughter, she asked, "What exactly does His Majesty want to do?"
Yun Chuwei sat down and said with a smile, "It's just that we want to switch to benevolent governance."
The old woman frowned: "He spent his whole life waging war and now he's thinking about implementing benevolent governance in his old age? What was he thinking?"
Yun Chu smiled and said, "The Great Chu has reached such a point that it either needs to implement benevolent governance and allow the people to recuperate, or it will descend into chaos. He is His Majesty, so he naturally knows which choice to make."
The old lady understood what she meant and frowned, saying, "This change is too fast!"
Yun Chu smiled and said, "If he wants to implement this reform himself, he has to do it quickly. Moreover, His Majesty must implement this reform himself. If the next emperor does it, all his achievements will be negated!"
The old lady finally understood.
But she was still shocked.
"You mean His Majesty is in such a hurry because his days are numbered? And that he orchestrated the Crown Prince's appointment because he wanted to preserve his own achievements while simultaneously implementing benevolent governance?"
Yun Chuwei nodded.
The old lady felt there was too much information and it was difficult to digest.
After a moment, the old lady suddenly remembered something and said, "Since you know His Majesty's days are numbered, why did you still send Xie Xuan away from the capital? If His Majesty really has something to do, and Xie Xuan is not there, wouldn't that cause chaos?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Chuwei looked at the old lady and asked, "Grandmother hopes that Xie Xuan will become emperor?"
The old lady's eyes suddenly became resolute.
"It can only be him! It has to be him!"
Yun Chuwei: ...
“What if I said I didn’t want him to ascend the throne? He’s actually not suitable,” Yun Chuwei said.
The old lady looked at Yun Chuwei and said, "I don't care whether he's suitable to be emperor or not, nor do I care who you or His Majesty prefers to be emperor. I only know that he must be emperor. Unless you break off the engagement with him!" The old lady said seriously.
Yun Chuwei knew that the old lady was talking about the backlash she had suffered.
She laughed and said, "Grandmother, the idea that imperial aura can mitigate backlash is just a legend and may not hold true!"
The old lady remained unmoved: "How do you know it won't work if you don't try? Since there's such a legend, there must be a reason. I don't care, this is settled!"
Yun Chuwei couldn't help but joke, "Then why don't I marry His Majesty now and give it a try?"
The old lady was furious upon hearing this: "You...you want to anger me to death? What a terrible thing to do..."
At this moment, He Ning hurriedly walked in and helped the old lady up: "Mother, what's wrong?"
The old lady supported He Ning and said sadly, "Your daughter, I can't control her. She wants to become the old emperor's concubine. She's going to drive me crazy!"
Yun Chuwei: ...
Upon hearing this, He Ning stared wide-eyed at her daughter in disbelief.
"Weiwei...why..."
Yun Chuwei: ...
"I was just joking!" Yun Chuwei quickly said.
He Ning breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
The old woman continued to cry and shout, "If you dare to make such a joke today, you'll dare to do the same thing tomorrow! I don't want to live anymore!"
Yun Chuwei: ...
He Ning's eyes widened; she also thought it was possible.
“Weiwei, swear. Yes, swear with your Dao heart!” He Ning said.
Yun Chuwei had no choice but to raise her sword and swear an oath.
After clearly stating her vow, Yun Chuwei looked at the old lady and He Ning and asked, "Grandmother, Mother, is this alright?"
The old lady nodded in satisfaction.
"You must remember the oath you made, or I will not let you off!"
"Alright, alright!" Yun Chuwei said helplessly, "Grandmother, please rest assured!"
"And one more thing!" the old lady continued, "If you don't plan to break off your engagement with Xie Xuan, then have him come back as soon as possible. I want him to sit in that position!"
Yun Chuwei had no choice but to nod helplessly: "I understand!"
-
Yun Chuwei walked out of the old lady's courtyard and saw Cui Yuetuan standing at the door with a smile on her face.
She said, "I treated you like a sister, but you want to be my mother-in-law? I didn't realize that!"
Yun Chuwei rolled her eyes at Cui Yuetuan and said, "I misspoke and made an inappropriate joke. My grandmother and mother both made a huge scene, and you're still making fun of me!"
Upon hearing this, Cui Yuetuan said seriously, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. I heard you were back, so I came here specifically to find you. I have a question I want to ask you."
Yun Chuwei thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk about it back in my courtyard!"
Cui Yuetuan nodded.
The two walked back together. Yun Chuwei deliberately slowed her pace, after all, Cui Yuetuan was pregnant.
Back in Yun Chuwei's courtyard, Cui Yuetuan said to Yun Chuwei, "His Majesty has sent an imperial decree, saying that he will come to pick me up for the imperial palace tomorrow."
"Mmm!" Yun Chuwei responded.
Cui Yuetuan frowned: "But I don't understand, why?"
Yun Chu pursed her lips, pondering how to express herself.
Cui Yuetuan thought Yun Chuwei didn't understand what she was asking, so she rephrased her question.
"I don't understand why His Majesty wants to keep this child. It seems he intends to raise the child by his side. What is his purpose?"
Yun Chu pursed her lips, and after a moment, said, "Originally, it was not my place to guess His Majesty's thoughts. But I think he might feel guilty towards Empress Wang and the Crown Prince, so he wants to return the throne to the Crown Prince's lineage!"
Cui Yuetuan's eyes widened: "He wants to make an unborn child emperor?"
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