sbdcsierra Chapter 447 Everyone can blame her, but we can't.
Chapter 447 Everyone can blame her, but we can't.
Prince Ning's gaze remained calm.
He knew that His Majesty was gone, and the timing of the funeral was up to the Empress.
Originally, the news of His Majesty's death was to be widely announced only after a new heir was chosen and the virtuous king was dealt with.
But now that the Empress has ascended the throne as a female emperor, and has no intention of choosing an heir, there is naturally no need for such selection.
The wise prince stared in disbelief, shaking his head and saying, "No, I don't believe it, Father Emperor..."
Prince Ning responded, "When the bell tolls, the emperor dies. Don't you know, Your Highness?"
The wise king stumbled and lost his balance.
His father, the emperor, is dead?
How could he... have died?
But it was only a moment of confusion. The wise prince's eyes lit up. His father was dead!
The wise king burst into laughter: "The emperor is dead, Xiao Youchuan, did you hear that? He's dead! Good riddance! Good riddance indeed! I am his only remaining son, and the entire empire of the Great Zhou should belong to me!"
Prince Ning's gaze remained cold: "Arrest him and take him away!"
The wise prince shouted, "Xiao Youchuan, stop trying to lecture me with your old arguments from the Dali Temple! I'm about to become the new emperor! Put me down!"
Seeing that Prince Ning did not respond at all, he became anxious.
"Xiao Youchuan, this is insubordination! Do you believe that the first thing I'll do after I take power is execute you? You still want to be the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? Let me tell you, don't even dream about it! I will demote you and send you back to Lingnan, never to return to the capital for the rest of your life!"
Prince Ning then rode back and came to the guards who were holding Prince Xian. He waved his hand, signaling the guards to release Prince Xian.
He calmly bent down, approached the Prince Xian, and said, "Prince Xian, you may not know this yet, but before His Majesty passed away, he issued an edict appointing Empress Si Muwan as the new emperor..."
"What did you say?" Prince Xian stared wide-eyed at Prince Ning in disbelief.
"You're talking nonsense, how could that be! She's Si Muwan..."
Prince Ning did not allow Prince Xian to speak.
The younger sister's path to the throne was not smooth either. The court officials argued for half a month and still could not accept the idea of a woman becoming emperor.
However, after Xiaomei killed Kuang Tiansong, she seemed to have become a different person, no longer the weak little girl she used to be.
She understood that it's lonely at the top, and she also understood the principle of making an example of someone to warn others.
After a member of the royal family was chosen to handle the matter, the opposition indeed diminished.
As for the court officials, one septuagenarian minister committed suicide by crashing into a pillar in the main hall.
The younger sister remained expressionless and said, "Who else wants to be a remonstrating official? Come forward and continue! Issue my decree: the main hall must not be cleaned for three days. The bodies of those who died remonstrating with the emperor need not be dragged away; they can remain here!"
Someone said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. The deceased are gone; their bodies should be returned..."
"Since you are to serve as an advisor, stay here and watch how I carry on the late emperor's legacy and continue to govern the Great Zhou!"
After that, no one dared to continue to plead with the emperor to the death. It was Feng Ziheng who knelt below, begging the empress to allow the deceased's soul to return home.
When Feng Ziheng succeeded as Grand Secretary, he became the primary target of criticism from court officials and even scholars.
Everyone is saying that Feng Ziheng is scheming and ambitious, disregarding social norms for the sake of power, and is a treacherous minister.
Regardless of what others said, Feng Ziheng remained unchanged. He was the new regent, meticulously performing his duties for the new emperor.
The busiest person was Prince Ning. After the new emperor ascended the throne, there were not many people he trusted in the court, and Prince Ning was one of them.
But he also had the affairs of the Dali Temple to attend to, and he was so busy every day that he had no time to rest, which was really a headache.
On the day the seal was opened, I received news that my second sister had resigned from her post.
The second sister was merely a low-ranking official of the ninth grade; her resignation did not require a formal petition, only the seal of her superior. However, her superior, knowing that Prince Ning had shown favor to the second sister, was unwilling to agree. He simply waited for Prince Ning to arrive so he could quickly submit his resignation.
Prince Ning was furious and went directly to his second sister: "What are you trying to do? The affairs of state are already too busy. If you leave, who will manage the female officials and constables of the Dali Temple?"
The second sister said, "I've trained quite a few people in the past two years, and there are quite a few capable people who can take over my position. Moreover, I also had people recommending me when I submitted my resignation, and several adults know about it."
"I disagree!" Prince Ning said in a deep voice.
The second sister didn't look at him: "If you want to know more details, I can call over a few officials and tell you about the successors one by one."
“Si Mutong, you know that’s not what I meant!” Prince Ning said angrily. “His Majesty’s foundation is unstable right now, and he needs capable people. I am overwhelmed with other matters, and this personnel turmoil is very detrimental to both him and His Majesty.”
"So what? Xiao Youchuan, you should know that I have never approved of her becoming empress!"
"She is your sister."
"She's my sister, so should I support her?" the second sister said coldly. "I won't support her. Since I can't control her, I might as well just leave."
After the second sister finished speaking, she was about to leave when Prince Ning grabbed her arm: "Mu Tong, if you leave, what will happen to the others? What will happen to the Si family, to Si Jing'an?"
The second sister did indeed stop, turned back to look at Prince Ning, her eyes reddening: "She's willing to do anything for power, so eager to make a living! And I, what I hate most are people who chase fame and fortune!"
"She is not someone who chases fame or fortune."
The sound at the door startled them both, and they both looked over.
The younger brother walked in, stubbornly looking at his second sister.
"Second sister, third sister definitely did not become empress for fame and fortune."
The second sister gave a mocking smile: "If it's not for fame and fortune, then what is it for? Is it for her love for the late emperor? Little brother, you know in your heart why she entered the palace as a concubine."
“Yes, I understand,” the younger brother said. “She did it for the Si family, for me and Xiaoxia. If Second Sister insists that she did it for power, that’s not entirely untrue. But Second Sister, Third Sister never intentionally harms anyone. In fact, she would risk her own life for the future of the family!”
Thinking back to the scene in the main hall when her younger sister bravely shielded His Majesty from a knife, the second sister still felt terrified.
Her sister almost died in the main hall.
It was because of that one blow that the Si family's fate underwent a dramatic change.
The younger brother continued, "Second sister, the future of the Si family belongs to me, and also to Xia'er. I don't blame third sister, and you... shouldn't blame her either."
The second sister fell silent and slowly put down her resignation letter.
Her eyes filled with tears; perhaps her younger brother was right.
The younger brother stepped forward. He had grown much taller, even taller than his older sisters, but his youthful face still made it clear that he was still a child.
He reached out and took his second sister's hand, and said.
“We are family, Second Sister. There is no one else in the palace, Third Sister is all alone. We are outside the palace, unable to accompany her, unable to understand her. But if we really abandon her, what will she do?”
"She...she did everything for us, but ended up being abandoned by everyone? I don't want that, Second Sister. If you think I'm selfish, then I'll be selfish. She's my sister, and I will always stand by her side."