It is the most prosperous place in the Qianlong Empire, and it is also the country of the Qianlong Empire. It has existed for more than a thousand years, which is almost comparable to the inheritance of some sects that do not have a long history.
A huge city with a radius of hundreds of miles, and hundreds of thousands of people living in it... It is nothing in the world that Fang Zheng knows, but in this Dharma-ending world with vast land, abundant resources, and sparse population, it is almost nothing. One of the most prosperous cities in the world.
And during this time.
Throughout the imperial capital, all the people were wearing white silk, and all restaurants, brothels and other entertainment venues were closed.
The bustling lights of the past are now covered with long layers of silence, and the whole city has a sense of lifelessness and gloominess.
Because Emperor Qian, who had been in power for decades and worked hard to govern, suddenly fell seriously ill and died.
This period of time is the time when the entire emperor is most sad...
During the reign of Emperor Qian, although it cannot be said that he worked hard to govern, the life of the people was also prosperous. He eliminated powerful enemies internally and resisted powerful enemies externally, allowing the people to live and work in peace and contentment. From this point of view, Emperor Qian was undoubtedly a wise king.
But now, he is dead.
What's even more tragic is that... he died so hastily that he didn't even leave a posthumous edict.
Now the high-ranking princes were extremely happy.
You know, the prince has always been fatuous and absurd. He only indulges in wine, sex and wealth every day... He is extremely unpopular with the civil and military ministers.
Even Emperor Qian Yao Shengshi was quite dissatisfied with him. He often publicly stated in the court that the prince had no advantages at all except for his status as a legitimate eldest son. If he followed the ancestral precepts and established a legitimate eldest son, It must have harmed his vast Qianlong Empire.
Emperor Qian had long wanted to change the crown prince, but the prince's status was too important to be changed rashly... so he kept delaying.
Unexpectedly, after dragging and dragging, Yao Shengshi still couldn't survive the prince's death and died just like that.
But it’s not bad either…
Even His Majesty can't stand it.
Naturally, the crown prince is not worthy of his title. If the younger brothers below him are talented, they can take his place.
During this period of time, the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince and others frequently appeared in the homes of civil and military officials and many ministers. There were many hints in their words, nothing more than what I would do if I gained power.
Anyway, after Yao Shengshi's death, he lost the suppression of the superior emperor, and the huge Qianlong Empire was completely in chaos.
On this day.
The second prince Yao Ziheng strode into the harem.
The queen died early... leaving only the prince.
But because there is no mother in the palace, in order to avoid suspicion, the princes from the entire harem rarely come. This place is almost the second prince's world. Who makes the second prince's mother, Chen Guifei, have a high status and is ranked third under the queen? Where is one person?
But for some reason, even though the position of empress was vacant, Yao Shengshi never thought of raising Concubine Chen to the position of empress. But if the empress was not qualified, the empress dowager could still think about it.
"Mother!"
Yao Ziheng just rushed in and asked excitedly: "Is the eldest sister really coming back?"
"Keep your voice down, you are such an adult, but you still don't have the reserve and dignity that a prince should have. He is just like a child. How will he manage such a huge empire in the future?"
Concubine Chen frowned and scolded.
But looking at her young son, who was already taller than herself and even taller and more handsome than his father, she had a look of pride in her eyes and said: "However, she is indeed coming back soon. The headmaster of Shushan back then brought Let your sister go, my mother was extra thoughtful and asked him to leave me a token. With this token, I can ask him to do something for me free of charge in the future... I have sent the token to him now. Shushan Sect, tell your sister to come back to keep vigil. When she comes back, she is your biological sister. If she doesn’t help you, who will she help?"
Concubine Chen said with a smile: "Your imperial sister has been cultivating in the mountains since she was a child. After decades of cultivation, it is said that her cultivation has become very advanced. I am afraid it cannot be compared with the likes of national teachers... With her here, you are still afraid
Can’t you get into that position?”
Yao Ziheng said dissatisfied: "Mother, aren't you a little redundant? You already said that the headmaster of Shushan owes you a favor, so just let him come down from the mountain and help me ascend to the throne. The master of the sect will definitely make it possible.
Those people dare not object."
Concubine Chen said helplessly: "Silly boy, favors are just favors after all. If you owe ten percent of favors, you can only ask people to do eight percent of things. If you exceed eleven percent, you need to consider... These cultivators of immortality are not involved easily.
It is said that there are great restrictions on national and dynastic affairs. The Queen Mother is not a monk and does not know the details. But have you ever seen the National Preceptor as powerful as he is? Has he interfered in state affairs? If the Queen Mother really mentioned this to the Master of Shushan
He won't even care about the conditions, but you still don't understand the world of people."
"What about the imperial sister...can she get involved in the affairs of the dynasty?"
"She is your sister!"
Concubine Chen said categorically: "She is just a half-brother like you. If she doesn't help you, who can she help? Besides, even if there is an accident, what does it matter... She is already in her twenties, and she is like this now.
I am worried about getting married at my old age. If I continue to cultivate, I will be alone for the rest of my life. I simply came back and heard that General Yan’s wife was having a difficult childbirth. He is a key figure in charge of the Yanlong Army. He is over fifty years old this year. I don’t think he will dislike your sister for being too old.
Big... when the time comes, I can bring you a lot of strong support!"
"Yes, she is my sister. If she doesn't help me, who will I help?"
Yao Ziheng said, his eyes full of hope and desire that after he ascends to the throne in the future, millions of people will surrender at a single call.
"Wait, count the time, she should be back soon!"
Concubine Chen said to her son.
"Well, I understand."
Yao Ziheng nodded.
He sent his son away.
Concubine Chen watched her son leave intently, and then got up. When she arrived at the Buddhist hall, she bowed three sticks of incense respectfully. Ever since she had done something bad, she had burned incense and worshiped the Buddha every day, and the gloominess in her heart had disappeared.
Already.
It seems that Buddha does have some uses.
And at this time.
On the roof.
A black mist slowly drifted away from Concubine Chen's palace.
After a long time... the mist drifted deep into the palace, an extremely secret place.
"Have you heard any important news?"
"I heard it."
In the mist, a voice sounded, saying: "Yao Jinxin has left Shushan and is heading towards the Qianlong Empire... It seems that we can reach the imperial capital in a few days at most."
"Sure enough, Concubine Chen has a way. This woman has a deep mind. I didn't expect that she would hide such a hand. She is connected with the headmaster of Shushan and can take advantage of the opportunity to send people down the mountain. Otherwise, if you want to let that woman go down, I'm afraid it won't be possible.
so easy."
"In any case, as soon as Yao Jinxin comes, our plan and all the efforts and hard work over the years will be completely closed."
The black mist swayed slightly in the air, with a little anticipation and throbbing, and the body of another figure also trembled slightly. Obviously, the layout and desire for many years are finally about to be achieved.
Only the last few days are left...
Only the last few days are left, just waiting for Yao Jinxin to return, and then we can realize our long-cherished wish!
No one can help but be so excited that they can hardly control themselves.
In the blink of an eye...one day, two days, three days...
Time passes day by day.
The turbulent undercurrent gradually emerged on the surface of the fight to seize the throne.
The prince may seem dull, but in fact he is an outsider in external fighting and an expert in internal fighting. He has already secretly won over a large number of martial arts masters.
Assassinations, kidnappings, whatever.
The originally harmonious battle for heirs gradually began to have no bottom line, and even lacked humanity.
The seventh prince was still young, only twelve or thirteen years old. Because he was naughty and playful, he went out to play... but was directly pressed into a frying pan by an old man selling fried dough sticks and cooked to death.
The second prince is full of ambitions. He has the highest-ranking concubine and queen in the harem, a high-ranking monk sister who is about to come to help, and he will also have the support of General Yan in the future.
It can be said that he is the one with the greatest confidence in seizing the direct line.
But if a person dies... no matter how much power he has, it is useless.
On a certain day.
He was found dead in the palace. When he died, he didn't even have time to put on his pants.
For a time, all civil and military officials were in panic.
Concubine Chen Guifei lost her only son, and her previous ambition to be the Queen Mother came to nothing. She cried so sadly that she almost fainted.