Chapter 41 Fengtian Hall
After all, Zhang Fu was a regent appointed by the previous emperor, and the son of Zhang Yu, a famous general in the Jingnan Rebellion. Both his status and reputation were extremely high in the court.
With him as a guarantor and explaining the pros and cons, everyone felt more secure.
After all, the eldest princess is a woman. Being able to assist in government affairs for more than ten years is an unparalleled position among princesses. She will also be treated with courtesy and respect by future generations.
Princess Shunde is a smart person, so there is no need to make such a fuss.
The next day, the court was held in Fengtian Hall. Not only did the two Empress Dowagers listen to the government affairs behind the pearl curtain, but Queen Qian and Zhou Yingying also followed. Naturally, the eldest prince Zhu Jianshen, who was only one year old at the time, was also present.
As the emperor's concubines, Empress Qian and Zhou Yingying were called over by Empress Dowager Sun for a lecture as early as yesterday after the court session.
It was nothing more than a warning to the two of them that they must insist on appointing the eldest prince as the crown prince. Only in this way could the emperor be guaranteed to return safely, and those of them who had a close relationship with the emperor could maintain their original honor.
This statement does sound reasonable, but to Zhou Yingying, it had a different meaning.
It would certainly be a good thing for the eldest prince to become the crown prince, but her relationship with Empress Dowager Sun was not harmonious to begin with. Even if she were to rule from behind the scenes, it would not be her turn as Consort De. However, if Princess Shunde took over the reins, she would not be able to control the outside of the palace, but would she be able to control the inside? At the very least, she would just be following Empress Dowager Cihui and getting rid of Empress Dowager Sun and Empress Qian, who were originally above her.
In addition, there is another very important point for Zhou Yingying.
That is, she was sure that even if Empress Dowager Sun and Queen Qian were combined, they could not defeat Princess Shunde.
Although she didn't know how many people in the palace obeyed Princess Shunde's orders, seeing that Han Guilan's interactions with her were almost unnoticed, she realized that at least half of the people in the palace had a vested interest in Princess Shunde, and most of the remaining people were fence-sitters who would only obey whoever had the bigger fist.
Empress Dowager Sun's family was not in the capital, and she had never made friends with foreign officials. Apart from the title of Holy Mother Empress Dowager, she had no advantages.
Zhou Yingying could tell at a glance who was more reliable without Han Guilan telling her.
What's more, Han Guilan did not pull her over and beat her in advance like Empress Dowager Sun did, as if she wanted to treat her and the eldest prince as puppets.
Zhou Yingying looked at her son held by the female official beside her and made up her mind.
If she followed Zhu Qizhen, she would be a concubine for life and would never become the queen. But if she followed the eldest princess, she could rely on the eldest princess's power to become the uncrowned queen.
Only in this way can she go further.
Zhou Yingying looked at Zhu Yuhuan who was standing with the ministers outside the pearl curtain. She was wearing a scarlet python robe, a golden crown on her head, one hand holding a jade leather belt, and her eyes were lowered, as if she was deaf to the sounds around her. At first glance, she looked like a statue.
"All the ministers hereby petition that Princess Shunde take charge of the government. This is the memorial, and I ask the Empress Dowager Cihui and the Empress Dowager to review it."
Empress Dowager Sun had no idea that a day later, this group of people had even prepared a joint memorial. She was so angry that she was shaking all over and said, "You...you..."
As the highest official in the cabinet at the time, Zeng Heling said respectfully, "The situation is critical at this moment. We must prioritize the overall interests. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Empress Dowager Sun heard that his words did not mean that she, the Empress Dowager, would take her words as orders, and she completely understood that her consent was not needed for today's matter, as the ministers had already made the decision.
Although neither Empress Dowager Zhang had received the "Assistant Government" order from Empress Dowager Cihui, Empress Dowager Cihui's status was clearly higher than hers. Furthermore, Princess Shunde had already returned to the court. This group of traitors was probably...
Empress Dowager Sun made up her mind and shouted, "Even if we don't appoint a crown prince, we should at least let Prince Qing serve as regent. Prince Qing is the emperor's brother. Why should we let Princess Shunde, a woman, serve as regent?"
Zhu Qiyu had been listening for a long time. Upon hearing this, he immediately took out his own manuscript, bowed, and said, "Qiyu is not very talented and knowledgeable, and has no strategic vision. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, our Ming Dynasty needs someone as strong-minded and capable as the Princess to unite the people. I hope the Empress Dowager will prioritize the overall situation, the people of the capital, and the Ming Dynasty!"
Empress Dowager Sun was stunned. She could never have imagined that Zhu Qiyu would turn a blind eye to the power that was so easily within his grasp. She said in a trembling voice, "Prince Qing, you must think carefully. This is the power of regent—"
Zhu Qiyu simply knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Qiyu only knows that since my great-grandfather, my ancestors, the Emperor, have always trusted my eldest sister. Could it be that the Empress Dowager has doubts about the Emperor's judgment?"
Xu Yun couldn't help but secretly look at King Qing, thinking that this man had also spent a lot of money, even dragging out his deceased ancestors.
"You..." Empress Dowager Sun looked at Queen Qian and Zhou Yingying beside her and said, "Speak!"
Queen Qian frowned and said, "Mother..."
Putting aside the fact that Prince Qing was unwilling to serve as regent and the eldest prince was still young, the request for the eldest princess to serve as regent was now made by the ministers. No matter how much they objected, they were powerless.
Zhou Yingying noticed Empress Dowager Sun's gaze and said, "The eldest prince is still young. If he wants to govern the country, does that mean we women in the palace should be in charge of government? It would be better if the eldest princess took charge and resolved the current issues first."
Empress Dowager Sun never expected Zhou Yingying to speak like this. Finally, she couldn't help but stand up, reached out and grabbed Zhou Yingying's arm, and shouted: "You are crazy! You are the emperor's concubine, and your son is the emperor's eldest son..."
Zhou Yingying was even stronger than she, so of course she wouldn't let Empress Dowager Sun bully her. She grabbed Empress Dowager Sun and forced her to sit back down, shouting, "If the late emperor knew, he would have sent a dream to the Empress Dowager, urging her to prioritize the overall situation. At this moment, His Majesty's life or death is uncertain, and the court is in chaos. Your Majesty's reluctance to allow the Princess to govern the country is purely out of selfishness, without any regard for the country's survival!"
The eldest prince, who was held in the arms of a female official, didn't understand what was going on. He was just startled by the noise around him and started crying loudly.
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