Chapter 827: Collusion, collaboration with tigers
Imperial Concubine Zhou firmly believed that the Emperor will not hand over power to the Empress, let alone let her handle all matters except government affairs, but what was the use of that?
The Empress has taken charge of the inner court, and all the guards in the palace obey her orders.
Prince Wen wanted to resist, so the Empress directly ordered him to be put in prison.
The Crown Prince wanted to reap benefits, so the Empress "invited" him down to rest.
Imperial Concubine Zhou was making a fuss. The Empress didn"t say a word, but the Old Mama next to her stepped forward and slapped Imperial Concubine Zhou severely twice: "These two slaps are for the empress, in the palace, the Empress is the master."
Xiao Zian stepped forward to protect Imperial Concubine Zhou but was pulled aside forcefully by the palace guards. The Old Mama persuaded him even more sullenly: "His Royal Highness, you should protect yourself, after all, the imperial concubine is the emperor"s favorite concubine. The Empress will not do anything to her."
"Zian, Zian, don"t worry about me, they dare not take my life." Imperial Concubine Zhou"s face was red and swollen from the beating. She was frightened. She desperately wanted to break free from the restraints of the palace guards, but she couldn"t do anything.
Xiao Zian glanced at Imperial Concubine Zhou, then looked at the surrounding palace guards. He closed his eyes, and said, "Zian understands, thank you for your guidance." He was a scholar. Even if he was a prince, with his strength, he couldn"t do anything.
"I know you are smart." The Empress nodded in satisfaction, raised her finger lightly, and said gently: "Zian, you are a prince, and you should take on the responsibilities of a prince at this time."
"What are you going to do? What do you want my An"er to do?" Before Xiao Zian could speak, Imperial Concubine Zhou called out first.
Although the Empress didn"t say anything, her intuition told her that it was not a good thing.
"Sister, you are overthinking. I am just a female family member. What can I do at this time?" The Empress squinted at Imperial Concubine Zhou. Her eyes were filled with disdain.
Just then, another palace guard came in to announce: "Empress, Xiao w.a.n.gye has arrived at the palace gate. The army has disbanded on the spot. Xiao w.a.n.gye asked the Emperor to open the city gate and allow him to go to the palace to ask for justice. In addition, the ministers of civil and military affairs also followed Xiao w.a.n.gye to wait outside the palace gate."
This was Xiao Tianyao. First, he beat them so hard that they can"t resist and then came out to argue with them.
"Understood, tell them, the Emperor suddenly suffered from an old illness, and the palace is a bit chaotic, let Xiao w.a.n.g and the ministers wait for a while." The Empress nodded lightly, calmly, without any fear of being forced out into the palace by Prince Xiao.
Imperial Concubine Zhou was originally a smart person. She took control of the inner court first before. Seeing this scene, she had a bold guess in her mind: "You, you colluded with Xiao w.a.n.gye?"
It must be like this. If it weren’t for this, how could the Empress react so quickly, and how could Prince Xiao attack the palace without leading troops?
"Imperial Concubine Zhou, please be careful with your words." The Empress frowned unhappily: "The Emperor has always praised the Imperial Concubine"s exquisite heart and her speech. Why do you frequently make mistakes today, and you can"t even speak righteously."
"Empress, don"t bother to talk about other things. You answer my question first. Have you colluded with Xiao w.a.n.gye? Are you worthy of the Emperor? Have you thought about the consequences? If Xiao w.a.n.gye ascends the throne, do you think you can still be the Empress or the Empress Dowager?" Imperial Concubine Zhou had already confirmed that the Empress had colluded with Prince Xiao, so she cursed and yelled at her.
The Empress ignored it and waited until she could no longer swear, then she slowly opened her mouth: "Sister, Xiao w.a.n.gye led troops to attack the city just to prove his innocence. You can"t say that Xiao w.a.n.gye is here to take the throne. This empress cannot protect you if you slander a first-rank prince."
The Empress stood up after finis.h.i.+ng speaking: "It"s getting late, Zian, go and change your official court clothes quickly, and meet your Uncle Xiao at the gate of the palace. This empress will also change into official court clothes, and I will wait for you in the hall later."
The initiative was still in the hands of the Empress, and Xiao Zian was just a puppet pushed out by the Empress.
Of course, Xiao Zian can choose not to cooperate, but he hadn"t forgotten that Imperial Concubine Zhou was in the hands of the Empress.
Looking at Imperial Concubine Zhou, who was being held tightly by the palace guards, Xiao Zian closed his eyes and nodded heavily: "This son takes orders!" With the support of Prince Xiao, their mother, and son couldn"t be the Empress"s opponents.
"Zian, Zian…" Imperial Concubine Zhou watched Xiao Zian go out and kept shouting.
No matter how stupid she was, she still knows that she had become a burden to her son. From now on, everyone will know that the first person who bowed to Prince Xiao and opened the palace gate for him was her son.
In the future, in the future… Her son has no future!
"Mother, don"t worry, this son will be fine." Xiao Zian was surprisingly calm.
He had no intention of fighting for the throne, so it doesn"t matter if his reputation becomes bad.
"An"er, An"er, mother, I"m sorry, I"m sorry." Imperial Concubine Zhou cried heartbroken, with tears and snot all over her face, without any sense of beauty.
This time, Xiao Zian didn"t look back, but walked out of the palace step by step, alone, under the watchful eyes of the palace guards.
"An"er, An"er…" Seeing Xiao Zian"s figure disappear before her eyes, Imperial Concubine Zhou fell to the floor.
The Empress walked over and stopped by her side: "Sister, your son is smart. He doesn"t bother to argue with a woman. You stay here and take good care of the emperor."
After the Empress finished speaking, she continued to walk out holding the hand of the seventh prince, without looking at the emperor from the beginning to the end, and the same was true for the seventh prince.
Others may not have noticed, but Imperial Doctor Qin saw all this in his eyes. He turned his head and glanced at the unconscious emperor, he suddenly felt lucky for the Emperor
Fortunately, the Emperor pa.s.sed out, not knowing that his son did not treat him as a father at all, nor did he know that his first wife colluded with his enemies when he was in a desperate situation.
The Empress brought the Seventh Prince back to Luanfeng Palace, and under the service of the palace maidservants, she quickly changed into her formal attire. The Seventh Prince also changed into the prince"s formal attire, with a tense face, looking very serious and quite handsome.
"My prince looks fantastic." The Empress touched the seventh prince"s face with a look of relief.
The Seventh Prince kept a straight face and didn"t say a word.
The Empress didn"t mind, and asked softly: "Zimo, are you afraid?"
"I"m not afraid, don"t worry, Imperial Mother. I will never let you down." Although he was young, he was as serious as an adult. The Empress can"t help but feel sad while being relieved.
The Empress suddenly squatted down and hugged the Seventh Prince in her arms: "Zimo, I"m sorry for letting you bear so much at such a young age. I don"t know whether it is right or wrong to cooperate with your Uncle Xiao this time."
Xiao Tianyao was a ruthless person, cooperating with him was like plotting against the tiger. If there was a chance, she doesn"t want to cooperate with him, but she can"t do anything.
"Don"t be afraid, Imperial mother, I will protect you!" A trace of panic flashed in the eyes of the seventh prince, but he quickly calmed down.
The Empress only has him, he must be strong. Even if the person he has to face was his Uncle Xiao, he cannot back down… …
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