Chapter 529

"She wants to be the Empress …" The Fourth Prince's hand froze in the air. He looked at his sister in front of him and suddenly felt that she was a stranger.

Huaiqing's words were like thunder, echoing in the ears of King Li and the other members of the royal family. They were even more shocked than when she and Xu Qi 'an forced Yongxing to abdicate.

"Is she crazy?!"

The same thought appeared in everyone's mind.

King Li calmed himself down and stared at Huaiqing with his slightly cloudy eyes.

"What … did you say?"

Huaiqing's tone did not change.

"I want to be the Empress."

"Bang!"

King Li slapped the table and stood up with the help of his walking stick. He pointed at Huaiqing with a trembling finger and said angrily,

"Ridiculous!

"You evil creature, do you know what you are talking about? You are just a woman and you want to be the Empress. Who will listen to you? I think you've been blinded by your desire for power and your rationality has been clouded.

"If you become the Empress, how can you convince the people? By then, someone will take the opportunity to rebel and Daibun will die faster. "

"Unacceptable!"

King Li could tolerate the abdication of the Yongxing Emperor. The turmoil of the times was always accompanied by the change of power. The Yongxing Emperor could not keep the throne because he was not capable enough.

As long as the successor was a legitimate prince of the royal family, there would be no problem.

Huaiqing was a legitimate member of the royal family, but she was a princess. How could a woman become the Empress?

The princes and princes started to discuss. Some sighed, some slapped their legs and scolded madmen. They were all emotional.

Seeing that his uncles and brothers were against it, Prince Yan seized the opportunity and raised his hand to calm them down.

"Uncles, please calm down."

At this time, the identity of Huaiqing's brother was revealed. The princes and princes quieted down.

When the woman in the family was in power, the halo was all on the man. Huaiqing was Prince Yan's sister. Since she was in power, everyone tacitly agreed that Prince Yan had the right to speak.

Prince Yan tried his best to persuade her.

"Huai Qing, Fourth Brother knows that you've always been ambitious, and that women are not inferior to men. Fourth Brother promises to give you a chance and space to realize your ambitions.

"As for the Empress, don't mention it again. Even if we agree, the princes and the people will not agree."

The only thing he didn't say was that a woman wanted to be the Emperor. Wasn't that a joke?

Huai Qing glanced at the Flame Prince before he swept his gaze over the other princes and dukes.

"Who said that a woman can't be an emperor? Since ancient times, the Great Sun Empress was the first."

"Yang" was the dynasty before the Great Zhou Dynasty. It had a history of nearly two thousand years. In the middle of the Great Yang Dynasty, various feudal lords rebelled and took over the capital of the Great Yang Dynasty. They massacred the members of the royal family and killed all the males.

At that time, there was a Princess of Dayang who was extremely talented. She did not study the four arts, instead, she loved to play with spears and sticks (practicing martial arts, nothing else). When her father, brother, and almost all the males in her clan were slaughtered, she stood up resolutely.

Then she became the first female Empress in the history of the Central Plains.

After that, she ascended the throne and became the first female emperor in the history of the Central Plains.

"If you are a Second Grade Warrior, I will kneel down and beg you to be the Empress."

"If you are a second-rank martial artist, this King will kneel down and beg you to ascend the throne."

Huaiqing was calm. She said calmly,

"My cultivation is only at the Fourth Grade, but Xu Qi 'an has been promoted to the Second Grade."

"My cultivation is shallow, only at the fourth level, but Xu Qi 'an has already advanced to the second level."

Prince Li's eyes widened. His hand trembled.

"Xu Qi 'an … has been promoted to the Second Grade?!"

Seeing that Huaiqing was silent, Prince Li angrily said,

Seeing that Huai Qing did not speak, he anxiously tapped his walking stick on the ground and said angrily,

Seeing that Huaiqing was silent, he angrily said,

"Answer me."

"Otherwise, why would they have the confidence to fight to the death with the Yunzhou rebels?"

"Otherwise, how could he have the confidence to fight against the rebels of Yun State?"

"You're saying that he supported your ascension to the throne …"

Huai Qing was in a daze for a moment because he recalled the scene when the two of them exchanged letters.

"Three, Your Highness, the last question …"

"One, please say it."

"Three, are you really willing to make the Fourth Prince?"

"One, why do you ask?"

"Three, because I think you want to be the Empress."

There was a long silence … "One, if I want to be the Empress, what will you do?"

"Three, you can!"

Even now, when he recalled that exchange, Huai Qing could still feel the restlessness in his heart at that time.

At that moment, she went to the window and pushed it open, letting the sunlight and cold air flow in.

She faced the sun, raised her face, closed her eyes, and spat out three words like a sigh.

"Xu Ningyan …"

Huaiqing didn't answer Prince Li's question because it was unnecessary.

She continued,

"The Wei Party and the Wang Party are my people. Most of the 12 guards in the capital have surrendered to me. The five battalions of the imperial guards only recognize the Tiger Tally, not the people. The Tiger Tally is already in my hands.

"With the support of Xu Ningyan, the Second Level Warrior, is there anyone in the royal family who is more suitable to be the Empress than me?

"Jiang Lvzhong and Zhang Kaitai are leading tens of thousands of soldiers at Jade Sun Pass. They are my men. The Chu Zhou City Army is my people.

"Do you think it is enough?"

After a moment of silence, Prince Li said in a deep voice,

"If a woman wants to be the Empress, it will ruin the ethics of the court. Don't forget that there is a Yunlu Academy outside of the capital."

"What a coincidence, I was just about to talk about this." Huaiqing said lightly.

"I have promised to bring the Yunlu Academy back to the court, and Zhao Shou will be in the Cabinet."

"…" Prince Li closed his eyes.

Huaiqing took the opportunity to ask another question.

"In terms of planning, talent, and courage, is there anyone in the royal family who can beat me?"

Prince Yan opened his mouth but didn't say anything in the end.

Huai Qing stood up and swept his domineering gaze across the princes and dukes.

She said, "Other than me, who else in the royal family can save Daibun and all of you who are in danger?

"Relying on the weak and useless Yongxing?"

This was the first time she had revealed her sharpness and her disdain for him.

Only then did the members of the royal family realize that they had underestimated the Eldest Princess in the past. They had thought that she was only good at reading and had some talent.

From Yuanjing to Yongxing, she had always kept a low profile and didn't care about government affairs.

It was not until now that she showed her true colors. When they came to their senses, their lives were already in the hands of the Princess Royal.

Seeing that no one disobeyed, Huaiqing put away her sharpness and said,

"Today, I summoned you here because I don't want the royal family to bleed. If you support me, you can enjoy the glory and wealth. If you have any ulterior motives, you will be killed.

"Granduncle, you're the elder. Say something."

King Li couldn't help but look at Huaiqing. He was shocked to find that her eyes were dark and calm, but they were filled with murderous intent. His heart skipped a beat and he said,

"Now that things have come to this, what else can this king say?"

Huaiqing then looked at her brother who was in a daze. She gently tidied his clothes and smoothed the folds on his chest. She said softly,

"From now on, Fourth Brother, Yongxing, and the other brothers will have to live under the Stargazing Tower.

"This empress will take good care of the children of Fourth Brother and all the other brothers.

"If any of you are interested in staying at the Stargazing Tower, I will welcome you."

The royal family members' expressions changed.

"Clap, clap!"

Huaiqing clapped her hands and summoned the soldiers outside the side hall.

"Bring them back to the Throne Room and bring the members of the Royal Faction to me."

The Royal Faction didn't know that she wanted to ascend to the throne. Xu Qi 'an persuaded Wang Zhenwen with the excuse of appointing Prince Yan.

However, now that they had boarded the pirate ship, it would be hard for them to leave. Therefore, Huaiqing had to have a heart-to-heart talk with the core members of the Royal Faction.

…

Around noon, the chaos in the Imperial Palace and the Imperial City was completely pacified. The experts in the Imperial Army were all suppressed by Xu Qi 'an. The soldiers in the Twelve Guards who were loyal to the Yongxing Emperor were all persuaded to surrender. Those who were loyal were executed.

With Xu Qi 'an around, no one dared to show up in the Imperial City.

In the Throne Room, the dukes, nobles, and members of the royal family gathered again. Under the protection of two rows of soldiers, Huaiqing stepped into the Throne Room. She was wearing a white dress that dragged on the ground.

She walked gracefully to the front of the throne and looked down at the officials in the room. Her voice was clear and cold.

"Ever since the beginning of winter, the cold disaster has wreaked havoc and the people have been living in misery. Yongxing has failed to govern the country well, causing resentment among the people and rebellion. He knows that he is not worthy of the throne, so he wants to abdicate and entrust the country to me.

"Does anyone have any objections?"

Apart from the Yun State's envoy group, the dukes, nobles, and members of the royal family all bowed and shouted,

"Your Highness is generous and can take on this responsibility."

Because he had not ascended the throne, he could not call himself His Majesty.

The Yun State's envoy group stood alone. They were frightened and a little embarrassed.

…

At the top of the Throne Room, Xu Qi 'an stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the entire Imperial City.

The cold wind lifted the corner of his clothes and blew his hair. The voices of the dukes in the hall echoed in his ears. For some reason, Xu Qi 'an remembered that two years ago, he was still an insignificant person.

Yuan Jing, Wei Yuan, the Supervisor, Wang Zhenwen, and the officials in the hall were all in high positions. They were people that he could only look up to but not reach.

Two years later, these people were either dead or sick. The dukes in the Imperial Court, and even the entire capital city, were already under his feet.

"The rolling Yangtze River flows east, the waves wash away the heroes. Right or wrong, success or failure. The green mountains are still there, and the sunset glow several times …

"If I throw this poem out, it will cause another uproar. Second Uncle will be scolded again."

After reciting in a low voice, he smiled with a complicated expression.

"But I no longer have the mood to make a name for myself with poetry."

…

In the imperial study, there were only two people, Huaiqing and Xu Qi 'an.

"I still have some face. The twelve guards of the capital city and the imperial army have been suppressed. Everyone is also giving me face and staying put for the time being."

Standing in the hall, Xu Qi 'an looked at the cold beauty behind the big table and said,

"How to stabilize the morale of the army, replace the confidants, and stabilize the people's hearts is your business."

He acted as if it was none of his business.

Next, the capital city would enter a short period of chaos, and the major forces would need to reshuffle.

Those that could be roped in, those that could not be eradicated. Of course, those that should be compromised would be compromised and certain concessions would be made.

He didn't need to worry about these things. Xu Qi 'an believed that Princess Royal could handle it herself.

Huai Qing's fingers stroked the brushes on the brush rack and chose an ivory brush. He said calmly,

"How to face Lin 'an is also your business.

"The little maid of Jingxiu Palace just risked her life to pass a message that Imperial Consort Chen wants to see you. Lin 'an is also there."

After the four gates of the palace were under control, Huaiqing relaxed the restrictions and no longer prohibited the princes, princesses, and concubines from entering and leaving the palaces.

Xu Qi 'an thought for a moment and said,

"I have an idea to stabilize the people's hearts. You can parade the Yunzhou envoys in the streets and post a notice saying that this purge of the emperor's side was initiated by me. You are a princess. You don't have a legitimate reason to ascend the throne. The people will not recognize you before you make achievements.

"But you can use my reputation."

"I have the same idea." Huaiqing dipped the brush in ink and wrote some of his previous poems on the paper. She said,

"Don't bother with Imperial Consort Chen. If you find her annoying, I will deal with her for you. As for Lin 'an … "

Princess Royal raised the corner of her mouth with a sarcastic smile.

"Xu Yinluo is best at sweet talk. Just show me what you are good at."

"Don't be so sarcastic …" Xu Qi 'an said angrily,

"After all, Yongxing is her brother."

Huaiqing nodded.

"So keeping him alive is the best explanation for Lin 'an. After crying for a few days, she will figure it out."

Xu Qi 'an felt that he was at a disadvantage and said with dissatisfaction,

"Is this the attitude of helping me?"

Huaiqing put down the brush and looked at him with no expression.

"Yongxing has abdicated, so the marriage he gave does not count. After I ascend the throne, I will help Xu Yinluo to break off the engagement.

"You don't have to worry about appeasing Lin 'an."

"My Second Uncle has agreed. How can it be broken off?" Xu Qi 'an shook his head again and again.

"If I say it's okay, it's okay." Huaiqing was unexpectedly overbearing. It seemed that she had to break off the engagement.

"Your Highness should worry about the matter in front of you!"

Xu Qi 'an cupped his hands and left the imperial study. He did not go to the harem, but turned out of the palace and went to the yamen of the night watchman.

In the imperial study, Huaiqing bit her lip and snorted coldly.

…

She rode on the little mare and returned to the yamen of the night watchman. Led by Song Tingfeng, she went to the dungeon.

The jailer opened the iron door leading to the underground. Song Tingfeng walked in front. When he passed by the torture room, he wondered,

"Ning Yan, every time I see these strange instruments of torture, I feel that I seem to forget something."

Xu Qi 'an was not familiar with the dungeon of the night watchman, let alone the instruments of torture, so he did not care about Song Tingfeng's words.

"Go to the brothel later, but you have to disguise yourself first."

"We'll talk about it when I have time. I don't have time to do that now."

They talked one after another and soon came to the door of the prison where the Yunzhou Envoys were imprisoned.

The guards accompanying the Yunzhou Envoys had been killed by Huaiqing's order, leaving the officials of the negotiation group, Ji Yuan, Xu Yuanshuang, and Xu Yuanhuai.

The three of them were locked together. They took off their bright coats and put on prison clothes.

The tendons of Xu Yuanhuai's hands and feet were cut. Wearing handcuffs and shackles, he leaned against the wall weakly.

Seeing Xu Qi 'an open the door and come in, the three of them had different reactions.

Ji Yuan frowned slightly and took a step back.

Xu Yuanhuai looked up at him and then turned his head with a cold face.

"What, what are you doing here …"

Xu Yuanshuang had a much more complicated feeling towards her eldest brother. She had been instilled with hostility since childhood, pity formed by her mother, respect for her brother as a younger sister, and helplessness for their own masters.

So that she could not tell what kind of feelings she had for her eldest brother.

"What does Xu Pingfeng ask you two to come to the capital for? To deliberately disgust me or to improve Ji Yuan's fault tolerance?"

Xu Qi 'an looked at them coldly.

Xu Yuanshuang lowered her head and whispered,

"I think it's both."

Xu Qi 'an looked at the two of them and sneered,

"It seems that you are regarded as ants that can be abandoned at will. What a waste. There is no value in using you. "

Xu Yuanhuai clenched his fists fiercely, but the tendons of his hands were broken, so he could not even clench his fists.

Xu Yuanshuang felt wronged and ashamed, lowering her head.

"Since you are in the capital, don't think about leaving. This place is not suitable for you." Xu Qi 'an turned his head and looked at Song Tingfeng,

"Transfer them to the underground of the Stargazing Tower."

Song Tingfeng nodded.

"Have you interrogated that boy?" Xu Qi 'an looked at Ji Yuan, who was leaning against the wall.

"I have interrogated the warlock of the Celestial Commissioner. The content is confidential, and I have not seen it." After Song Tingfeng finished speaking, he looked at Xu Yuanshuang and said,

"Such a delicate little beauty. Don't send her to the Celestial Commissioner. Ning Yan, you take her home as a concubine."

He did not know about Xu Qi 'an's background and the grudge between him and the Yunzhou lineage.

"If there is a chance in the future, I can take her home and let Second Uncle meet them. At the same time, I can see who is more powerful between my sister and my cousin …" Xu Qi 'an walked in front of Ji Yuan and looked down at him.

"You're ranked ninth among those useless brothers?"

Ji Yuan was not angry at all. He smiled and said,

"Ji Yuan greets you, cousin."

After being imprisoned in the dungeon, Ji Yuan quickly calmed down. After a simple analysis, he thought that Xu Qi 'an still had some brains. Although he took the opportunity to launch a coup and put a woman on the throne, Xu Qi 'an did not kill him, which showed that he still had some value.

Maybe he wanted to use him to negotiate with Yunzhou.

"Pa!"

Xu Qi 'an gave him a backhand slap across his face.

Ji Yuan was a weak scholar. How could he stand it? He fell out like a sandbag. His ears were ringing, and he did not get up for a long time.

"Don't pretend to be relatives. Who is your cousin?" Xu Qi 'an looked calm, as if he had just swatted a fly away.

"Son of a concubine?" He asked again.

Ji Yuan could not hear clearly because of the ringing in his ears. When he saw Xu Qi 'an raised his hand again, his face changed dramatically. It was Xu Yuanshuang who answered for him because they were cousins.

"Son of a concubine …"

Xu Qi 'an replied with an "oh" and sneered.

"Son of a cheap concubine, another worthless pawn. How much do you think that person in Hidden Dragon City is willing to pay to redeem you?

"Think about it carefully. It depends on whether you can return to Yunzhou alive."

"Vulgar, vulgar Warrior …" Ji Yuan leaned against the wall and struggled to get up. His face was swollen. He suddenly lowered his head and spat out a bloody tooth.

Xu Yuanshuang said in a low voice,

"He is Ji Xuan's younger brother."

Xu Qi 'an's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Interesting!"

He walked slowly to Ji Yuan. The latter was panic-stricken and leaned against the wall. The slap just now had destroyed all his confidence and confidence.

"You are indeed a brother. You and Ji Xuan both lack self-awareness."

He patted Ji Yuan's face and walked out of the cell with Song Tingfeng and a pair of siblings.

With his back against the wall, Ji Yuan clenched his fists. His face was full of resentment and humiliation.

In the corridor, Xu Qi 'an had only taken a few steps when he heard a woman's clear voice coming from a cell on the left.

"Hey, is that Xu Yinluo?"

He turned around and saw a woman with messy hair and dirty prison clothes. Her facial features were very beautiful.

Xu Qi 'an was stunned.

"Who are you?"

"I am Ah Zhu of the Thief Sect, no, the Thief Sect. You caught me during the competition between Heaven and Man."

The woman seemed to have suffered a great blow. She grabbed the bars with an agitated face.

"Oh, it's you. What's the matter?" Xu Qi 'an was confused.

"When are you going to let me out? I've been locked up for nine months. "Ah Zhu sounded excited.

Xu Qi 'an looked at Song Tingfeng.

"What should we do with this woman?"

Song Tingfeng curled his lips.

"A notorious habitual criminal like her should either be exiled, cut off her hands, or locked up until she dies. Didn't you tell us to take good care of her before you sent her in? She might be useful in the future. "

Xu Qi 'an said in his heart, "I f * cking forgot."

"Now is the time to use people. I will arrange a post for her later …" As soon as Xu Qi 'an walked out of the dungeon, Xu Yuanshuang whispered.

"These days, Ji Yuan has been in contact with Imperial Concubine Chen secretly."

"Imperial Concubine Chen …" Xu Qi 'an nodded and turned to Song Tingfeng.

"Tomorrow, take the Yunzhou delegation out for a walk and give the people of the capital a surprise."

After leaving the night watchman yamen, Song Tingfeng parted ways with Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai to the Celestial Commissioner's Office.

He rode all the way to the palace.

There was an unsolved mystery in the Concubine Fu case. He wanted to ask Imperial Concubine Chen personally.