It's astonishing that the Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, disregarding her status as the mother of the nation, would utter such vulgar words.
This clearly demonstrates just how astonishing the message Chen Huai'an sent to Empress Dowager Su via Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who traveled thousands of miles to deliver it.
Even after dismissing the eunuchs and maids in the palace, Su Wan'er was still unable to calm down.
Those alluring yet refined phoenix eyes revealed a fierce desire for revenge after being humiliated.
snort!
Su Wan'er snorted coldly and muttered to herself, "Chen Huai'an, I really didn't expect that beneath your righteous exterior, you would also hide a filthy heart."
"At such a young age, why do you have to learn the legacy of Cao Cao and the ambition of Cao Cao? You are underestimating me too much!"
Su Wan'er became increasingly agitated as she spoke, nearly screaming madly, "You think you can cross the Yangtze River and come to the capital to insult the Emperor's mother just by riding two inferior horses and carrying two broken swords—"
"I'm telling you, that's wishful thinking!"
"I refuse to believe that there isn't a single loyal minister or capable general in the whole world who is willing to support my great Xin Zhao dynasty!"
At this moment, Su Wan'er suddenly shouted sharply towards the outside of the hall: "Cai He!"
"Old, this old servant is here!"
Outside the hall, the old eunuch Cai He hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed to Su Wan'er, bowing low and saying, "Your Majesty, what can I do for you?"
Su Wan'er said, "Go to the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion immediately and tell the Imperial Uncle Su Muchen about your experiences in Longcheng. Tell him to act according to my decree and contact the other three non-royal princes in the Jiangnan region of the Great Xin Dynasty."
As she spoke, Su Wan'er's eyes revealed a ruthless and decisive glint as she continued, "Order the four princes of different surnames to secretly recruit troops. When the time is right, they will rush to the capital to rescue the emperor!"
"I promise them that once the matter is accomplished, the two-character prince will be changed to a one-character prince, the county prince to a prince, and they will be granted a certificate of imperial authority, a golden token of immunity from death, and the Nine Bestowments!"
"This old servant obeys!"
......
Guangling County, the residence of the Prince of Zhongshan.
Su Wenbin, the Prince of Zhongshan, was one of the eight princes of the Daxin Dynasty. He was the only one among the eight princes of Daxin who had formed a marriage alliance with Zhao Mang, the founding emperor of Daxin.
Empress Dowager Su Wan'er was the youngest daughter of Su Wenbin and his first wife.
Su Wenbin predeceased Zhao Mang, and his eldest son, Su Muchen, inherited the title of Prince of Zhongshan.
Therefore, during the "power reduction and seizure" campaign to purge the princes after the Second Emperor Zhao Gan ascended the throne, Su Muchen, the Prince of Zhongshan, who was the emperor's brother-in-law, was not affected.
Unfortunately, Su Wenbin, who came from a prominent family in Jiangnan, was able to become one of the eight kings of different surnames under Zhao Mang in the Xin Dynasty, a dynasty that "respected martial prowess".
He did not expand the dynasty's territory and achieve great military exploits on horseback.
Rather, it was because the Su family was a powerful clan from the wealthy Jiangnan region, whose substantial wealth provided a continuous supply of provisions and logistical support for the army under the late Emperor Zhao Mang.
Therefore, when Zhao Mang unified the Central Plains amidst the chaos and ascended the throne, he granted amnesty and titles, and Su Wenbin was able to be granted the title of King of Zhongshan and the Guangling Commandery as his fief.
Zhongshan Prince Su Wenbin also became the only one among the eight non-royal princes of Daxin who was not good at commanding troops and did not achieve any merit on the battlefield.
He only had a few thousand personal guards under his command.
Su Muchen, the eldest son of the Prince of Zhongshan, perfectly inherited his father Su Wenbin's lack of skill in riding and archery. He was naturally dashing and talented, and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose.
He boasted that he was the greatest scholar in Jiangnan, possessing the spirit of the Jian'an era and the legacy of Cao Cao.
On this day, the emperor's brother-in-law, Prince Zhongshan Su Muchen, went on a private visit outside his residence. He was accompanied by several lackeys and was harassing beautiful young women all over the streets.
Su Muchen waved his folding fan and stopped a beautiful young woman on the street, saying with an elegant air, "Madam, please wait!"
brush!
Upon hearing this, several lackeys of the Prince's mansion immediately understood and stepped forward to block the path of the beautiful young woman and her maid.
Upon seeing this, the beautiful young woman blushed and wiped her face with her sleeve, not daring to look directly at Su Muchen.
Su Muchen, however, became interested and continued to ask with a chuckle, "Madam, do you recognize me?"
The beautiful young woman replied timidly, "This humble servant greets Your Highness!"
Hahaha!
Su Muchen laughed heartily, tossed his head in what he thought was a dashing gesture, and asked, "May I ask your surname, Madam?"
The beautiful young woman frowned slightly, and replied softly and gently, "I am Bai, the wife of Pan Fenglin, the prefect of Guangling!"
"oh?"
"Lady White Snake!"
Su Muchen's eyes lit up, and he immediately invited, "Lady Bai, my manor has a Persian cat that was sent as tribute from a foreign country in the Western Regions. It is pure white, well-trained, and can even do somersaults!"
As he spoke, Su Muchen's head was almost touching Bai Shi's pretty face. He said, "I wonder if Madam would be willing to return to the manor with me today to watch the Persian cat do somersaults?"
Pfft!
These words made Lady Bai unable to suppress her laughter. She covered her face and giggled, saying, "Your Highness, you are so funny! I have never seen a cat that can do somersaults before!"
Su Muchen replied in a serious tone, "Lady Bai, you don't know this. The Persian cat I keep in my manor can really do somersaults."
"If Lady White doesn't believe me, come with me to my residence and we'll find out the truth!"
As he spoke, Su Muchen reached out to take Bai Shi's slender hands.
"Report—"
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has decreed that Your Highness must return to the manor immediately!"
Just as Bai was hesitating and Su Muchen was about to take her soft, smooth hands, an untimely voice suddenly rang out, breaking the ambiguous scene.
Su Muchen's heart was in turmoil, but on the surface he remained polite and gentlemanly, saying, "Lady Bai, I am preoccupied with official duties and I am afraid I will not be able to enjoy the spectacle of the cat doing somersaults with you today."
"Another day, how about another day?"
Hehehe!
Bai simply covered her face and chuckled foolishly, without saying a word.
Su Muchen had no choice but to get up and take his leave.
As soon as they turned into an alley, Su Muchen kicked the messenger servant, angrily saying, "You little brat, how can you be so clueless? Can't you see that I'm doing important business?"
"Oh no, the beautiful woman I was about to have has flown away, what a disappointment!"
However, despite the commotion and anger, they still accepted the Empress Dowager's decree.
Su Muchen was well aware that his brother-in-law, Emperor Zhao Gan, had just passed away, and the Great Xin Dynasty was in turmoil.
As the younger sister of the Empress Dowager, Su Wan'er, the imperial decree sent to her at this time must be of great importance and cannot be delayed.
Soon, Su Muchen returned to the Zhongshan Prince's residence in a flurry of activity.
Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who served the Empress Dowager, had been waiting there for a long time.
Upon meeting, Su Muchen asked anxiously, "Eunuch Cai, what brings the Empress Dowager here with this decree?"
"This old servant greets Your Highness!"
Cai He, unhurriedly, first bowed to Su Muchen, then gestured with his eyes before speaking, "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has ordered this old servant to deliver an imperial edict, an oral decree!"
Su Muchen understood immediately and waved his hand to dismiss the servants: "You may all leave!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
As they spoke, only the imperial eunuch Cai He and the emperor's brother-in-law, Prince Zhongshan Su Muchen, remained in the vast main hall of the palace.
Then, following Su Wan'er's instructions, Cai He leaned close to Su Muchen's ear and told him everything he had seen and heard during his trip to Longcheng, including the words Chen Huai'an had asked him to convey to Empress Dowager Su Wan'er.
"What!"
The next moment, Su Muchen's face turned ashen, and he roared furiously, "That lecherous scoundrel Chen Huai'an, that shameless scoundrel, did he really say that?"
As he spoke, Su Muchen repeated, word by word, "Did he really say something so treasonous and contrary to human ethics, such as 'After the emperor's death, I will raise the empress and the crown prince'?"
Cai He nodded and said, "Your Highness, there's one more thing: hand over the Imperial Seal to him, and let the young Emperor Zhao Lingwu change his surname to Chen!"
"Pah!"
Su Muchen spat and roared, "Chen Huai'an, that shameless scoundrel, is trying to emulate Cao Mengde!"
"This is intolerable! I despise lecherous scoundrels and shameless scoundrels who covet other men's wives!"
"We'll see how things unfold. This matter is far from over between me and Chen Huai'an!"
It turns out that Chen Huai'an had the eunuch Cai He convey to Empress Dowager Su the following message:
I was like a brother to Zhao Gan, but now that Zhao Gan is dead, if the Empress Dowager is willing to offer up the Imperial Seal, the young Emperor Zhao Lingwu will be renamed Chen Lingwu, and I will take care of Zhao Gan's wife and children!
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