On September 25, the eighth year of the Chengyuan Dynasty, the emperor returned to Beijing and passed through Songzhou, Henan Province. He was attacked by rebel spies and assassins who infiltrated. Prime Minister Cui Zheng and the three princes bravely saved him and died. The emperor also died of serious injuries.
Fortunately, Mrs. Chu's wife protected the queen and the five princes and survived.
Before the emperor's death, he designated the five princes as the new emperor, named the First Marquis of the Lady of Chu, and regent and supervisor of the country.
Three days after the edict was issued, the mourning in the main hall continued, soldiers and horses galloped inside and outside Songzhou, the doors and windows of teahouses and restaurants on the streets were closed, and no one was walking around.
A carriage slowly drove in from the city gate, surrounded by soldiers in front and behind.
Seeing these two cars, the soldiers and horses stationed almost airtight outside the palace immediately separated into a road and stood on both sides, not checking or questioning.
The carriage stopped in front of the door. Bao Bao opened the umbrella with one hand and helped Li Minglou, who was wrapped in a black cloak, to get out of the car.
Li Minglou drove straight in through the palace gate. The palace was full of soldiers and generals. The original imperial guards were all gone... They died fighting to the death while guarding the emperor.
The corpses were placed in the open space in front of the main hall. In addition to them, there were also some eunuchs and maids who died, and on the other side were the rebel assassins who were killed.
The emperor was well prepared, the people pretending to be assassins were all fresh, and the rebel flags and signs were all ready...
They were pretending to be Ande Zhong's troops. After Taiyuan Mansion was defeated, Shi Chao fled north, while Ande Zhong approached here. It was natural and natural...
The story was compiled with thoughtful details, saving them trouble, and they could summon the civil and military ministers to the palace that night to see the scene.
Li Minglou glanced across the corpse in front of the hall without squinting.
The sound of crying in the house was loud.
The disheveled officials were kneeling on the ground. Most of them arrived in the middle of the night. For three days, they had not bothered to tidy up their appearance. Some people kept fainting because they were too sad or did not eat or drink.
The eunuchs carried soup and water among them, persuaded the ministers to eat, and carried the fainted officials to the next room for treatment by the eunuchs. They were busy coming and going.
Three coffins were placed in the center, hastily collecting the bodies of the emperor, the third prince, and Cui Zheng.
The queen hugged the six-year-old fifth prince and knelt on the other side with the concubines and princesses, crying bitterly.
"Madam is here," said the eunuch standing at the door.
His voice was not loud, but the crying in the room suddenly stopped and everyone looked over.
Li Minglou took off his hood and walked in. He put away his black umbrella and followed closely beside him. This was Yuan Ji's order to him and he would never leave.
Now she can go anywhere with her entourage, and no one can question her for being disrespectful.
"Mrs. Chu! Why did you come back now?" But the official could angrily ask other questions.
Li Minglou ignored him and walked up to the queen and saluted: "Your Majesty, there are no rebel movements for a hundred miles outside Songzhou. Please feel at ease, your Majesty."
The queen nodded to her with tears in her eyes: "Thank you for your hard work, ma'am."
She shouted loudly to the eunuch beside her.
"Hurry and show Madam her seat. Madam is still injured."
The eunuchs hurriedly brought the futon, and Li Minglou sat down. A bowl of ginseng soup was then brought to him. Li Minglou took it. The eyes around him followed her every move, and he saw her sleeves sliding down to reveal the cloth-wrapped breasts.
wrist……
It really hurts.
Injuries can also be fake.
In the main hall, the silent and dazed officials who were crying made eye contact with each other.
This incident was too sudden and unbelievable. They had too many questions to ask, but when they arrived, they did not see Mrs. Chu. Only the queen hugged the fifth prince and held the edict.
The edict was dictated by the emperor and written by Ayu, a confidant of the great eunuch Hu Ping... They didn't know whether he was a confidant or not, he was just a eunuch... and the emperor's seal and jade seal were all on it.
The next question to ask is General Xiao Qi, the emperor's newly transferred bodyguard.
But the woman who survived the banquet and was granted the title of regent disappeared.
"My lady went to chase the rebels."
The Queen and General Xiao Qi gave the answer.
A group of people could only hold back and wait. By now, their energy was exhausted.
"Madam! What the hell is going on!"
The officials took a deep breath and stood in front of the three coffins and asked questions.
Li Minglou said: "It's just what the empress said."
The words "Queen, Empress" are not enough to persuade the courtiers.
"Why are there rebels in the palace?" an official asked, "Why did the assassination happen when you entered the palace for a night banquet?"
And you are the only one who survives.
Li Minglou met their gaze: "Weren't there rebels before I came?"
The emperor was very serious when he wanted to kill people, and the foreplay was all arranged.
The officials who asked this question choked up.
"If you want to ask, you shouldn't ask me." Li Minglou said, "You should ask how Henan Province and Governor Li guarded His Majesty!"
Her voice rose suddenly, startling the officials. The concubines and princesses all stopped sobbing silently, and the room fell silent.
Death Quiet made some officials wake up and couldn't let her ask this! She might just take the opportunity to get rid of Li Mingyu. Now the biggest force that can compete with Wu Ya'er and his wife is Jiannan Road!
"If I want to ask about the crime, I should ask you first!"
"Then the rebels came from Hedong Road. How did you defend Hedong?"
"Could it be that you let it go on purpose again?"
This is heartbreaking!
Li Minglou asked: "Do you have any evidence?"
She looked at the officials.
"Or do you want to accuse me of any crime?"
"What do you think? Your Majesty's body is still cold, and you are going to rebel?"
Is this a random accusation? The officials were immediately in an uproar.
The dead quiet room became noisy, there were cries and shouts, and an old minister fainted...
"Shut up!" the queen shouted, grabbing the soup bowl and smashing it on the ground.
The room became quiet.
"What do you want to do?" The queen burst into tears while holding the fifth prince, "Are you going to force us orphans and widowed mothers to death!"
She walked to the coffin.
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister, and the three princes have all been killed by the rebels. Daxia is in danger. Instead of stabilizing the foundation, you are going to cause civil strife!"
"There is no need for the rebels to come, you kill our mother and son first!"
The fifth prince was woken up and taken away from his biological mother and concubine in the middle of the night. He had been in a daze and couldn't wake up. When he saw the empress crying and shouting, he was so frightened that he started crying too.
People in the palace fell to their knees and cried, "I am guilty!"
An official knelt forward and said in tears: "My dear, this is for the foundation of Great Xia. If your Majesty's death is not investigated, the world will be in trouble!"
The queen cried: "Then we have to be safe first before we can investigate! If An is uneasy, who will check? How to check? The rebels are still watching outside!"
This is not a peaceful and prosperous time, this is a troubled time. The officials have calmed down. The rebels outside have not been suppressed. Inside, the Lady of Chu's troops are fierce... Questioning guilt? Questioning guilt in this world depends on a sword! Without a sword, how can you ask? Who asks?
who?
Everyone looked at Mrs. Chu who was sitting on the futon. She was dressed in a black robe and her face was as pale as a human being. She was accompanied by a guard, holding an umbrella like a knife.
She still has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and her husband also has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses...
"A country cannot live without a king for a day!" the queen said, "Please let the fifth prince ascend the throne first!"
A country must not be without a king for a day, otherwise there will be no orthodoxy, an unjust name, and unjust words, and there will be even more chaos!
The officials understood the Queen's painstaking efforts and bowed before her.
However, there was no objection to the fifth prince’s ascension to the throne, and the wife of Chu State was granted the title of Marquis...
"How can a woman be granted the title of Marquis?"
"How can a woman be a regent!"
"What is the title of the First Marquis? Dare you be called the number one!"
There was noise in the room again, which was unprecedented in ancient times!
"No!" But some officials stood up and agreed, "This First Marquis is also your Majesty's wisdom!"
"That's right!"
"Your Majesty is the first person in history to dare to make a woman a marquis!"
Looking at these seven or eight people, the officials were a little surprised. Isn't this too fast? When did they contact Mrs. Chu? Or are they afraid that her power will change sides in the battle?
"Stop arguing!" The queen made the final decision, "This is His Majesty's decision. If you want to ask, ask His Majesty! The Ai family doesn't understand this. The Ai family only knows to follow His Majesty's orders!"
Then why ask... The officials were quiet for a moment.
The queen quickly cut through the mess and asked Li Minglou directly: "Madam, what should we do about the current matter?"
Li Minglou said: "Let the fifth prince ascend the throne, return to the capital immediately, and then tell the world."
The Queen nodded in agreement, choked with sobs and looked at the coffin behind her: "Your Majesty has been waiting to return to Beijing."
The officials sobbed again.
"Also, please choose a prime minister first." Li Minglou said again.
The sobbing stopped immediately.
"Your Majesty asked me to be regent, but I can only fight and lead troops." Li Minglou said, "The affairs of the government should be done by people who understand."
The queen said oh and looked around the room.
It's up to them to choose. The officials sat up straight. How could the Queen understand this? She couldn't even tell who they were!
The Queen said: "Master Zhu, Minister of Household Affairs."
The officials were stunned for a moment, and then saw an official standing up abruptly.
"Empress!" he shouted loudly, "I am here!"
The queen said: "The prime minister praised you a lot during his lifetime. Now that the prime minister is gone, you will take his place."
Zhu Shangshu saluted and choked with sobs: "I obey the decree!"
Li Minglu said: "Your Majesty, since we have a prime minister, the prime minister will discuss court affairs with your Majesty, and I will go and discuss with Governor Li about returning to the capital."
The queen nodded, Li Minglou turned around and walked out, and the noise behind him started.
Why did they obey the order and appoint the prime minister? The officials were shocked. When did this Zhu Shangshu hook up with the queen?
Everyone has been in court for decades, so they don’t believe that the queen just pointed a finger casually, let alone Cui Zheng praising this person named Zhu. How come they don’t know who Cui Zheng praised!
Everyone is obviously crying here!
What's going on!
This won't work!
There are so many of them, how could it be the turn of this person named Zhu!
………
………
It was lively here, but the room next to it was much quieter. Officials who fainted or pretended to faint came here to drink ginseng soup and take the opportunity to sleep and rest.
Watching an official close his eyes and snoring, the person next to him stood up straight and stretched.
"Mr. Jiang!" An imperial doctor saw this and waved to the side and called in a low voice, "You should take a rest."
Jiang Liang turned around and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here to help you. Madam is not here and we have too few people. I'm really ashamed."
The imperial doctors sighed: "Thank you for sending so many ginseng, otherwise we would not be able to save so many people."
Jiang Liang smiled: "It takes a little effort, a little effort with a little hand."
And it was not in vain. Officials who drank his ginseng soup were given some money, and the prime minister was even more generous! If he replaced it with ginseng, the soup would be enough for a year!
Liu Fan also said that Linzhou was poor, and the officials from Linzhou were much richer than those in the capital! Sure enough, the high officials of the imperial court were different.