Chapter 981: The Heir’s Death
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yin Huaixi nodded. “With the support of the royalists, Empress Ning naturally s.n.a.t.c.hed the opportunity to hold a funeral for the Empress Dowager.”
Yu Youyao was suddenly shocked. “As the first wife, Empress Ning has the advantage of status, but Concubine Lan has been in charge of the harem for many years, so she might have the ability to compete. However, now that Ning Yuanbo’s case has been raised again, Concubine Lan is deeply involved, so she naturally can’t spare time for this. That’s why Empress Ning took the opportunity to take over the funeral for the Empress Dowager without any effort.’
From the looks of it, Empress Ning’s scheme was not just about Ning Yuanbo.
It was obvious that she had the intention of killing two birds with one stone.
Previously, Empress Ning had been attending to the Empress Dowager’s illness in the Longevity Palace. The imperial physician had taken her pulse, prescribed a prescription, and brewed medicine to guard Empress Ning’s health. However, the Empress Dowager’s health could not be hidden.
Only when Empress Ning grasped the Empress Dowager’s illness could she take the initiative and accurately make such a plan.
Perhaps from the moment the Empress Dowager fell seriously ill, she had already begun to make arrangements.
Yin Huaixi said, “Empress Ning will take this opportunity to gain the connections that the Empress Dowager has been managing outside the palace for many years. At the same time, she will also use the excuse of organizing the state funeral to wantonly eliminate Concubine Lan and Imperial Concubine Xu’s power in the palace.”
Yu Youyao agreed deeply. “In every dynasty, there are many people who have been punished during the state funeral. This is a blatant and logical opportunity.”
Ever since the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, there had been a tradition of burying servants alive with the deceased. Later on, because the Emperor of Mingzong doted on the imperial palace maid beside him exclusively, he was worried that the woman he loved would be tragically buried with him after he pa.s.sed away, so he abolished this system. Even though this imperial palace maid’s life was short, the system of burying servants alive with the deceased had yet to recover.
Although the system of burying people alive with the deceased had been abolished, it did not mean that no one would die.
As the saying went, once there was a new emperor, there would be new ministers. The death of the n.o.bles was the end of their lives, and it also meant the change of power in the harem. Usually, at this time, the struggle was the most intense.
There had always been many people who had died in vain.
Firstly, almost all the palace servants in the Longevity Palace would face the outcome of being sentenced to death or secretly executed. There were at least two to three hundred people.
In addition, many palace servants who were implicated could not escape death.
For all kinds of reasons, there were even more palace servants who would die from the change of power and struggle in the harem.
When the King of h.e.l.l fought, the little ghosts suffered.
At the very least, three to five hundred people, or even thousands of people, would die.
Therefore, this was also the best time to build connections and gather people’s hearts. No one wanted to die. If they did not want to die, they could only find another family to seek refuge.
The change of power in the harem also directly affected the previous dynasty.
During the state funeral, everyone’s mourning almost reached a strict level. From their clothes, makeup, expressions, and even their words and actions, they had to be cautious. If there was even the slightest mistake, they would be accused of “great disrespect” and not even have a chance to seek justice.
It was also a good time to eliminate their dissidents.
In that case, how was this killing two birds with one stone?
It was clearly killing three birds with one stone.
Yu Youyao sighed. “As expected of Empress Dowager Ning from the nightmare.”
Before one wave was over, another rose. The Empress Dowager’s funeral had
yet to be decided, and another storm rose in the capital-
The heir of the King of Liang, Liang Jingye, had been poisoned and died tragically at home.
When the shocking news reached the royal court, it immediately caused a thousand ripples.
As everyone knew, the heir of the King of Liang had entered the capital alone with only two servants who had served him since he was young. The emperor had personally given him a residence and a few servants.
Almost everyone in Liang Residence was from the Imperial Court.
It was interesting that Prince Liang had been poisoned and died tragically at home.
Now that the emperor was seriously ill and the Empress Dowager had pa.s.sed away, Prince Liang’s death seemed to represent a certain message. For a moment, the entire court was on tenterhooks, as if they were facing a great enemy.
The cabinet urgently summoned a group of ministers for a meeting. They jointly wrote a memorial asking for help and sent it to the Yu Clan at full speed, asking Yu Zongshen to help and return to the court to be reinstated.
At this moment, only the Cabinet Grand Secretary could a.s.sist the country in a straight and honest manner. If Yu Zongshen returned to the court, he could also stabilize the court and ease the conflict for the throne.
The meeting hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Elder Yu was helpless and could only say, “Isn’t there a meeting? Everyone is silent. How can we discuss this matter? We can’t wait for Lord Yu to return to the court to discuss it!”
However, Prince Liang was dead. Could this be delayed?!
Lord Qi was the first to speak. “How do you think we should discuss this matter? The Empress Dowager has pa.s.sed away, and there’s not even a proper person in charge of the court outside the palace. This matter concerns the va.s.sal lords, and it’s a serious matter. How can we officials discuss it rashly? The key is to invite the emperor to the court as soon as possible to manage the court. ”
If the emperor did not appear, this matter could not even be discussed. How should they deal with it?!
The Marquis of Zhen glanced at him. Old Qi really dared to say anything just because he was from the Imperial Court. At this time, he still wanted to provoke trouble.
The Great Zhou Dynasty ruled with “loyalty” and “filial piety.” If the emperor could manage the court, would he not even come out after the Empress Dowager’s death?!
However, the death of Prince Liang made him subconsciously think of what Mingzhao had told him in the past. If the King of Liang really arranged for a “real and fake heir”, this was malicious…
The Marquis of Zhen’s expression turned very ugly.
He subconsciously looked at Elder Yu. Elder Yu looked like he was still calm,
but the slightly drooping corners of his mouth revealed his serious mood.
Elder Yu wasn’t the only one who could guess it. Everyone present could.
Therefore, the court officials could temporarily put down their desire to seize power and jointly write a request for help, asking Yu Zongshen to return to the court to preside over the overall situation.
As soon as Lord Qi finished speaking, the other officials of the Imperial Court seemed to have received a certain signal and chimed in.
“This is a serious matter. We don’t dare to discuss it rashly. We still have to ask the emperor to make a judgment.”
“A country can’t go without a ruler for a day. Now that the situation is in turmoil, why can’t the emperor come to the court? There has to be an explanation for this matter. Why is it being hidden?”
“The Empress Dowager has pa.s.sed away, and all the funeral matters need to be decided by the emperor.”
“Prince Liang’s death has stirred up the entire court. This concerns the country.
The emperor should come to the court to find the murderer, and comfort the King of Liang and the va.s.sal lords of various places. The most important thing is to calm the country and calm the hearts of the people…”
“The heir of a va.s.sal lord has died in the capital for no reason. It’s simply shocking. This matter will not only damage the dignity of the Imperial Court, but also the emperor’s prestige. We have to give the King of Liang an explanation as soon as possible. Otherwise…”
Whether it was to give the King of Liang an explanation or to comfort the va.s.sal lords, only the emperor could step in.
Elder Yu sighed slightly. Everyone present knew that the emperor was seriously ill and could no longer come to court.
However, who knew the exact situation? There indeed had to be an explanation for the emperor’s condition. They couldn’t keep hanging around, so no matter what they did, they had to be wary of this and worry about that. They couldn’t let go and were restricted everywhere..