Li Qitian sat with his back ramrod straight. He forced himself to suppress his emotions so that his complacency would not be too obvious.
However, the uncontrollable smile on his face still revealed his true feelings.
Life was truly full of ups and downs, full of surprises!
When Li Qitian was trapped in the underground palace and had to rely on corpses to survive, he never thought that he would be able to sit in this position again.
When he had to beg for food by Pang Xiao's side and rely on an enemy who had already shed all pretense of cordiality to protect him from the dark underground palace, Li Qitian never thought that the person who would help him regain his position would be Pang Xiao. The people who helped him make the decision were actually Qin Huaiyuan, who had been removed from his position in a fit of anger, and Qin Yining, who had almost been abandoned by him.
In any case, he was now sitting firmly in this position again.
Li Qitian pursed his lips and chuckled silently. Then he said, "Today's matter was indeed caused by Tatan spies who had infiltrated the palace with the intention of taking advantage of the situation to harm the imperial family. Now that we were able to safely escape danger, all of you have contributed greatly. "
Li Qitian's words caused everyone to respond in unison, "Your Majesty's declaration, this humble subject is terrified."
At the beginning of Li Qitian's court session today, no matter who it was, the twenty percent who had hurriedly knelt down and shouted "Long Live Your Majesty". Seeing that Prince Li had been completely defeated and fearing that they would be punished by Li Qitian, how could they not seize this opportunity to show their loyalty?
Immediately, someone stepped out of the ranks and saluted, saying in a clear voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Li gathered troops and horses to attack the palace. Moreover, when he assumed power, he already had the intention to do so. He has repeatedly urged his subjects to support him as the emperor. He truly has the ambition of a wolf!"
"You!" Prince Li was furious. He turned around and angrily glared at the upright official.
Without waiting for Prince Li to refute, several other officials stepped out of the ranks and righteously said,
"Lu Daren's words are correct!"
"Prince Li misused his power and acted alone. For the sake of his own selfish desires, he disregarded human life and the power of the emperor. He truly deserves to be punished!"
… …
The voices of the officials were full of confidence and sonorous power. They described Prince Li's crimes as ten times worse than what everyone had seen.
Prince Li's body trembled with anger.
Yesterday, the people who had bitten him were like dogs that were fawning over him.. When something happened, these people only cared about clearing their names in the blink of an eye!
..... this reality was within his expectations!
Commandery Prince Li sneered and felt disheartened for a moment.
Forget it, the winner takes all. Since he had already come this far, what else could he say? .................................................... a.....
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. Dogs biting each other... This scene made Li Qitian feel helpless. He could only rely on others to regain the power he wanted. He vented all of his negative emotions.
After admiring these people's faces enough, Li Qitian still didn't forget his business.
"We naturally understand your intentions."
Once these words were said, the people impeaching Prince Li felt joy appear on their faces. As long as Your Majesty was willing to accept their advice, they would still have a chance to live in the future.
Prince Li's head drooped. He looked like he was waiting for death.
Who would have thought that Li Qitian would change the topic and say, "However, We understand today's matter. It was just a misunderstanding. Prince Li was trying to save the Empress Dowager and Empress. He was loyal. As for my beloved officials, you were wholeheartedly loyal to Us. None of you did anything wrong. "
Li Qitian tried to smooth things over, but both sides were stunned.
Qin Yining stood next to Pang Xiao. She couldn't help but look to the side to see the reactions of the officials behind her.
She believed that A 'Chen, who was present, only needed to think a little to understand. Li Qitian wouldn't punish anyone at this time. Just like when Li Qitian had the palace gates open outside the palace walls. He didn't just want to appease the people in front of him. More importantly, he wanted to appease the soldiers standing in line inside the palace!
If Prince Li was convicted today, wouldn't the soldiers outside become Prince Li's accomplices? If a mutiny occurred, Li Qitian wouldn't be able to control it.
Therefore, regardless of whether Prince Li's actions were true or false, and regardless of what Prince Li did to seize the palace, Li Qitian wouldn't punish him right now.
Sure enough, Li Qitian continued, "Now that the Tatan spies have been eliminated, Our heart aches the most for the soldiers who died this time! Our decision is that the soldiers who died in battle today will all be posthumously promoted by three ranks. The soldiers who survived will be promoted by one rank! This matter will be handled by the Ministry of Personnel at their discretion. "
"As you command." The assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel stood out and saluted.
"Your Majesty is wise!" The officials saluted.
Li Qitian then looked at Prince Li and said with a smile, "Prince Li and Marquis Qingyang have rendered meritorious service by saving Your Majesty today. Prince Li will be conferred the title of Prince Li and Marquis Qingyang will be conferred the title of Duke of Qingguo. The conferring ceremony will be handled by the Ministry of Rites. "
"This official receives the decree!" The people from the Ministry of Rites also stood out to respond.
Prince Li and Marquis Qingyang felt like they had been hit by a meat pie that fell from the sky. Their hearts were filled with surprise and joy.
Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, not only were they not dragged out to be beheaded at this time, they were actually promoted to nobility!
Although they didn't know whether Li Qitian was angry or not, the current situation made their hearts feel extremely calm.
Li Qitian turned and said, "Prince Zhongshun, Pang Xiao, and Marquis Dingbei, Ji Zeyu, have rendered meritorious service by saving Your Majesty this time. Each of them will be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold and ten bolts of silk."
… …
Following this, Li Qitian gave out rewards to the people who had performed outstandingly in seizing the palace.
However, Qin Yining wasn't happy at all when he heard this.
Li Qitian had just conferred rewards to the soldiers who had participated in today's battle. Those who died would be promoted by three ranks.
Those who survived would be promoted by one rank. It must be known that the majority of the soldiers who had surrounded the imperial palace today were Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu's private soldiers.
If these people accepted these rewards, it would be the same as eating a salary from the imperial court. They would no longer be Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu's private people.
Li Qitian was truly sinister. At this time, he still didn't forget to deal with Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu.
In Qin Yining's heart, Li Qitian's originally not lofty image had already fallen to the bottom. Unfortunately, in the current situation, Li Qitian's survival was the most beneficial to the imperial court, the common people, and Pang Xiao. They could only pinch their noses and endure.
With Li Qitian's rewards, this rebellion and seizing the palace was quickly resolved. The decisiveness with which it was handled was surprising.
No one was at fault. The ones at fault were the Tatan spies.
However, no one present was stupid enough to ask Li Qitian where the Tatan spies were.
Li Qitian nodded in satisfaction. He turned and said in a loud voice, "Today, we have another matter to announce to all of you. We have ordered the former Minister of Rites, Old Qin, to rest at home for some time. With the turmoil in the imperial court, many officials have died. The imperial court is in dire need of people. We can only trouble Old Qin to return to the court and appoint Old Qin as Jianji Hall's Grand Scholar, Xiong Jinshui. "
"This servant is here." Grand Eunuch Xiong Jinshui bowed.
Li Qitian said, "Immediately pass on our decree. Invite Old Qin to the court to discuss state affairs. In addition, prepare lunch for the officials and the soldiers waiting outside. "
"As you command!"
Xiong Jinshui hurriedly went to carry out the orders.
With so many people needing to eat, the imperial kitchen would not be able to keep up. They could only mobilize all of the kitchens in the palace.
While waiting for Qin Huaiyuan to return to the court, everyone was given a bowl of porridge, two pieces of flatbread, and a small piece of pickled vegetables. As for the soldiers waiting outside, it was even easier. Everyone was given two hot steamed buns the size of their faces and cold water pipes.
Seeing that Your Majesty not only allowed them to wait in the palace, but also provided them with food and drink when it was time to eat, the soldiers were finally able to put down their fears.
At this time, Qin Yining had also eaten lunch with Pang Xiao. He went to the bathroom to tidy up.
The palace was not a place where they could talk without worry. As a result, the two of them did not discuss Li Qitian's reinstatement of Qin Huaiyuan into the cabinet. They even had some doubts in their hearts.
Li Qitian's sudden actions, could it be that Qin Huaiyuan's own operation was involved?
However, no matter what, Qin Yining was still happy that his father could be used again and find his own position. His father had been an official for half of his life. When the surrendered officials of the Yan dynasty were not willing to take him with them, it was already a blow to him. Now, he had calmed down and recognized reality. He believed that his father would be able to find a new position when he returned to the court.
"Are you tired?"
A deep voice sounded by her ear, accompanied by warm breathing. It brought Qin Yining out of her thoughts.
"It's okay. I'm fine." Qin Yining looked up at Pang Xiao and smiled at him.
Pang Xiao hugged Qin Yining's shoulder and bent down to touch her stomach. He frowned and said, "You're already tired from last night. This morning, you didn't sleep for long before you came to court. You also stood for so long … this won't do. You don't have to go to court later. I'll go find a place. It's more important for you to rest. No matter how good your body is, it's not suitable for you to stand for so long. "
Qin Yining was a bit hesitant.
On one hand, she wanted to know what Li Qitian was planning to do after Qin Huaiyuan was invited back. On the other hand, Qin Yining was indeed very tired. Now, both her feet and calves were swollen. They were like two wooden clubs. Every step she took felt very heavy.
When Pang Xiao saw this, he decided to help her. "Be good. Rest well. I'll tell you everything later. Are you afraid that I'll hide it from you? "
Seeing Pang Xiao's frown, Qin Yining knew that he was worried. She could only nod and say, "Okay."
Pang Xiao nodded and said, "I'll ask for an edict later. Bing Tang and Ji Yun will be by your side. I'll go to court later."
Now that Pang Xiao was in front of Li Qitian, it was naturally easier for him to talk. Soon, Qin Yining was arranged to rest in a side hall. Other than Bing Tang and Ji Yun, Li Qitian also arranged for palace servants to wait on her outside.
Qin Yining washed up and went to sleep on the soft couch, leaning against a large pillow and clothes.
Even though she was asleep, she didn't sleep well. Her mind was in a mess because of the current tense situation.
When she woke up again, she felt that she was in a familiar embrace. Both of them were slightly jolted by the swaying of the carriage.
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