The lord was dead, and the young lord was gone.
An Cui's other relatives had all died in the Nanman disaster.
Faced with this situation, everyone wanted to curse in their hearts.
Whether it was them or An Cui when he was alive, who hadn't privately mocked Jiang Pengji that she was destined to be taken advantage of?
Some people even thought maliciously that if Jiang Pengji collapsed in the middle of the road and all her hegemony would end up benefiting others, would she come back to life from anger when she saw this in the netherworld? They used this as evidence to demonstrate the inferiority of female feudal officials, once again confirming that the existence of female feudal officials was unreasonable.
In the end, after many years, Jiang Pengji, who still had zero children, was still alive and kicking, able to fight, write, and smile.
What about An Cui?
An Cui was dead, and the heir who was about to come of age was gone. His hegemony was about to end.
Oh, that was not right.
The Xichang Princess still had An Cui's posthumous child in her womb, so it could not be considered as the end of the line yet.
However, what use could a baby who was not yet born and whose gender was unknown be?
Could it be that they should work together to resist foreign enemies and wait for the child to be born before worshipping him as master?
From the child's birth to adulthood, it would be a full 20 years. The key was that the child's aptitude was unknown!
The late lord An Cui passed away suddenly, and he did not have the chance to appoint a minister to entrust the child to before he died.
Hearing this, perhaps someone would ask questions in a good mood.
Didn't An Cui think highly of Hua Yuan, then Lu Zheng? If he were to choose who to entrust the child to, these two would undoubtedly be the first choice?
That being said, if An Cui did not personally appoint them, who would be convinced?
Even a fool would know that whoever became the minister would temporarily exercise authority on behalf of the lord. He was not a feudal official, but he was better than a feudal official.
If the minister was more ambitious, it was possible to seize power and occupy the late lord's estate.
Even if An Cui's estate was in a precarious state, it could not stop the greed of people.
In the face of a big enough temptation, there would always be people who liked to abandon their brains and choose to think with their bare eyes.
With both external and internal troubles, the Xichang Princess, who thought she was in a stable position, panicked.
Once the news of An Cui's death came, the wife of the minister who attended to her every day did not come, as if they had a tacit understanding.
Not only that, but the servants who served her were also somewhat neglectful. They were not as careful as before. This gave the Xichang Princess an ominous feeling. With a big belly, she visited Hua Yuan in the middle of the night to find a solution. In the end, she didn't see Hua Yuan. Instead, she saw her brother.
After Xichang's Empress Concubine successfully got pregnant, the siblings reduced their private interactions.
Although the royal family often did dirty things, it did not mean that the members of the royal family could accept the siblings without any grudges.
The Xichang Imperial Concubine was rather disgusted by this matter. If not for the sake of survival and long-term considerations, she would not have easily compromised with Hua Yuan.
Meeting again after several months, the atmosphere between the brother and sister was a little strange.
However, no matter how awkward it was, it was not as important as her own life. Xichang's Empress Concubine hurriedly asked her brother.
The Prince of Xichang looked much healthier than the last time they met. However, he had not rested well in recent days and looked listless.
"I'm afraid we've fallen into Hua Yuan's trap."
The Prince of Xichang looked at his sister sorrowfully with a heavy sense of exhaustion.
Emperor Concubine Xichang's heart tightened. "A trap? Why? "
She stared at her brother's mouth, worried that he would say something despairing.
"We were too naive at the time and underestimated the viciousness of the human heart. That's why we were deceived by Hua Yuan's flowery words," the Prince of Xichang said tiredly. "An Cui is dead. The young master is dead. Other than the one in your womb, An Cui does not have a single bloodline on the surface. Logically speaking, everyone should treat this bloodline as their master and let Hua Yuan be an important minister. Hua Yuan will be able to rightfully control power through you and your child … "
Although she would be a puppet by doing this, at least she would not have to worry about food and clothing. In the future, when her child grew up, Xichang's Empress Concubine could use their mother-son relationship to pull her child to her side. She could work hard to make Hua Yuan a mere figurehead and burn the bridge after crossing it. In the end, she would be able to make a comeback.
Xichang's Empress Concubine was stunned. She pretended to be calm.
"Isn't, isn't that the case?"
"This plan seems to be going smoothly, but in reality, there are three prerequisites.
"What prerequisites?"
"First, the power that An Cui left behind must be strong enough to last until your son grows up."
Xichang's Empress Concubine was speechless.
With An Cui's death, his power was on the verge of collapse. The enemy would not let go of such a good opportunity to beat him while he was down.
Even though she was a woman from the inner courtyard, she knew that this matter was very dangerous.
If she continued to struggle, even two years would be difficult, much less twenty years.
"Second, An Cui appointed Hua Yuan as an important minister. Everything is in the open."
Xichang's Empress Concubine gritted her teeth. "But that person is already dead. He left nothing behind."
An Cui had died too quickly. Not only had he buried hundreds of thousands of soldiers with him, he had not left behind any arrangements for a successor.
"No, I still have this."
The Empress Concubine caressed her belly as if she was clutching at her last straw.
The prince asked her, "Who says that An Cui's bloodline will definitely inherit An Cui's legacy?"
The Empress Concubine was stunned by the question.
"You say someone will usurp the throne?"
The prince sighed. "Since ancient times, there have been many magnanimous dukes who, for the sake of the bigger picture, entrusted their legacy to important ministers. That's how it was recorded in the history books, and it led to a beautiful conversation between ruler and minister. Of course, there are also those who are thick-skinned enough to openly usurp power under the banner of 'completing the unfinished ambitions of the previous ruler' … … You and I were too naive before. It's too late to understand now. "
Top tacticians could understand the details immediately, but the siblings did not have the brains and carelessly fell into Hua Yuan's trap.
The Empress Concubine's face paled.
"And third?"
"Third, An Cui's old ministers are loyal enough. They will not harm you and your son for their own selfish desires."
This was very difficult. These old ministers were already restless. Although they did not put their selfish desires on the surface, they still gave themselves away.
The Xichang prince had thought that the first person to become restless would be Hua Yuan. He had not expected it to be An Cui's other old ministers.
These old ministers usually did not have much of a presence, but they were experienced and had outstanding family backgrounds. They belonged to the hidden faction of power.
On the other hand, Hua Yuan …
This guy had not made a move. It was really illogical.
At present, the greatest danger that Xichang's Empress Concubine and her son faced was not from Hua Yuan, but from those old ministers who coveted An Cui's legacy.
The siblings had thought of things as a matter of course. When the truth was laid out in front of them, they were all dumbfounded.
When Xichang's Empress Concubine heard this, her delicate body could not help but tremble. She asked him in a sobbing voice.
"Royal Brother, then what should we do?"
The prince was also in despair. "Right now, the only one who can protect us is Hua Yuan, but he … …"
The Empress Concubine hurriedly asked, "What happened to him?"
"Ever since he lost his student, his mind has not been very clear. He often speaks crazily and whips people at the slightest provocation … …"
The Empress Concubine said in shock, "How could this be? That young master was personally plotted against and forced to death by him. "
Now he's acting crazily. What was he doing earlier?
The prince shook his head. "I don't know."
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