Then I saw the emperor, who appeared fierce and menacing on the surface but was actually cowardly and fearful.
Gao Chengwei felt that the beliefs he had built up since childhood were beginning to show signs of collapse:
The Gao family is so blindly loyal.
Is it really worth it?
However, Gao Chengwei would not openly rebel against Shang Xiche at this moment. He and the imperial guards bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Unable to wait until dawn, Shang Xiche rushed into Cixi Palace again in the dead of night.
After hearing about what happened at Chaoyang Palace, the Empress Dowager remained as still as a wooden figure, her expression unchanged.
Only her slightly faster-moving eyes indicated that she was also shocked by the matter.
"I never imagined that such an ordinary band of mountain bandits would have such a powerful background." The Empress Dowager's tone was very flat and mechanical (like the emotionless human voice reading that little cuties choose when listening to audiobooks).
Shang Xiche was furious and wanted to give the old woman a good beating for her misbehaving, but he had just been reprimanded by the "immortal" and dared not do such a disobedient and unfilial thing: "Mother, the Ninth Prince is already powerful, and now he has gained such a powerful backer. How should we deal with this?"
"This matter must indeed be dealt with properly, otherwise both the Emperor and I will be in danger." After a moment of silence, the Empress Dowager finally made a decision and said, "The key to this matter lies with Princess Chonghe. As long as Princess Chonghe leaves the Ninth Prince, as long as we can get Princess Chonghe, all the crises will be resolved."
"I know that, but Your Majesty's previous actions have already pushed Princess Chonghe into the arms of the Ninth Prince. The Ninth Prince must already know the benefits of Princess Chonghe, so how could he possibly let go?" Shang Xiche was somewhat exasperated.
The Empress Dowager glanced at Shang Xiche indifferently, her expression unreadable, whether from dissatisfaction or anger: "Women in marriage are all the same. Whoever treats her well, she will treat well in return; whoever treats her badly, she will absolutely not be of one mind with that person."
"What Mother means is..." Shang Xiche raised an eyebrow.
"Since that bandit has such a powerful backer and she herself has superb medical skills, such a woman is worthy of being the successor of our Great Zhao." The Empress Dowager sat there steadily and said quite naturally, "As long as we give her enough attention and use some means to completely destroy the image of the Ninth Prince in her mind, she will definitely leave the Ninth Prince."
Furthermore, no matter how powerful the Ninth Prince is, he is still Your Majesty's subject.
Your Majesty, you don't need to keep tonight's events so secret. Just let them spread the word, saying it's the will of God.
"After the Ninth Prince returns to the capital, issue an imperial edict for them to divorce, and then bestow that bandit upon the Crown Prince in marriage. If the Ninth Prince still refuses then, he will have incurred the wrath of the entire nation!"
"Mother, wouldn't it be blasphemous to use the will of the gods?" Ji Fengming's warning still echoed in Shang Xiche's ears, making him quite apprehensive.
The Empress Dowager, however, said calmly, "Tomorrow I will send Zhaoping to the Northwest to find the Ninth Prince. Using the excuse of the immortal descending to earth and the late Emperor appearing in a dream, I will have the Ninth Prince and Zhaoping consummate their marriage. Once the Ninth Prince and Zhaoping consummate their marriage, even if he is given a real fairy, he will not be able to see her or leave Zhaoping!"
That bandit has always been proud and arrogant. As long as the Ninth Prince was heartless first, and she herself was willing to leave him, then even the gods couldn't interfere.
Shang Xiche's eyes lit up as he listened, and he couldn't help but stand up and give the Empress Dowager a thumbs up, excitedly saying, "Mother's move to strike at the root of the problem is brilliant! Truly brilliant! Absolutely ingenious!"
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