kingnovel Chapter 443 I am the new emperor
Chapter 443 I am the new emperor
The younger sister said, "My elder sister once told me that to judge a person, you don't rely on what you hear or what you see, but on what you feel. His Majesty also told me this."
She turned to look at Feng Ziheng: "I hate you, but I can assure you of your loyalty to His Majesty."
Although Feng Ziheng was taken aback, he didn't remain stunned for long before regaining his composure. He didn't care much about the betrayal and death of his colleagues.
Those in high positions should understand the saying, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger."
He knew why Kuang Tiansong sided with the Prince Xian; it was simply a matter of differing interests. To him, the Feng family was so powerful that even if the Empress and he were at odds, they would coexist peacefully for the sake of the young emperor's upbringing.
On the contrary, if the wise king were to gain power, he would never trust him again.
He didn't want to think about it further because of their differing stances.
"Your Majesty, the young emperor chosen by His Majesty has died. What should be done next? Should we invite the regents to the palace to discuss this together?"
The younger sister lowered her eyes and stared at Kuang Tiansong's corpse on the ground. It was too close, and the smell of blood was too strong.
She looked at the bloodstained sword in her hand, belatedly realizing the horror, seemingly unsure of what to do.
Feng Ziheng stepped forward, took the sword from her hand, and threw it onto Kuang Tiansong's corpse, saying, "Your Majesty, the situation is urgent. If Your Majesty does not make a decision soon, I'm afraid His Highness Prince Xian's iron cavalry will soon arrive at the palace gates."
The younger sister then realized what was happening and whispered, "He's colluding with Prince Xian. Prince Xian knows about His Majesty's secret edict. What will he do?"
Feng Ziheng said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Prince Xian may not know everything. Kuang Tiansong is using this as a bargaining chip. If he tells Prince Xian all the secrets, he will have no bargaining chips and will become a pawn. It is more advantageous for him to keep Prince Xian in check."
The younger sister calmed down, nodded, and called over Eunuch Wu: "Please invite His Highness Prince Ning and Princess Xintong to the palace. Summon Commander He of the Imperial Guards and Commander Cheng of the Capital Guards to the palace."
Old Master Wu accepted the order and left.
The younger sister then said to Feng Ziheng, "His Majesty planned everything meticulously before his death, and the power of the Prince of Xian was not great. Now that His Majesty has passed away in secrecy, Kuang Tiansong probably did not inform the Prince of Xian. Even if the Prince of Xian knew, he would remain inactive, thinking that the young emperor was dead and that no one else could inherit the throne except him."
"Your Majesty is right," Feng Ziheng also speculated. "Since His Majesty has issued a secret decree to exile Prince Xian, controlling him shouldn't be too difficult. The difficulty lies in his lack of an heir. Your Majesty only allowed Prince Ning to enter the palace, why not invite the cabinet ministers?"
The younger sister shook her head: "Even Kuang Tiansong can't be trusted, how could I dare to trust anyone else? Feng Ziheng, you are His Majesty's close advisor, His Majesty trusts you, and my sister trusts you too, so I'm willing to trust you. And what about you?"
Feng Ziheng looked at her for a long time, but only cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, let's wait for Prince Ning and the two commanders to enter the palace and discuss a plan before making any other considerations."
The younger sister laughed: "Eldest sister said that you are maneuvering among power and family, and that you are not really hostile to the Si family. I didn't believe it before, but now I really do. Feng Ziheng, you are very smart."
The group arrived very quickly, and the younger sister immediately showed them His Majesty's decree entrusting the young emperor to her care.
"His Majesty intends to adopt Prince Xian and send him away to a foreign land, never to return to the capital. There is no doubt about that, and I will follow His Majesty's wishes and let Prince Xian leave in the spring. The biggest problem now is that we have no heir, and we need you to find a solution."
Upon hearing this, Governor Cheng became anxious: "Your Majesty, how can we, your subjects, decide who the heir will be? This matter should be decided by the Grand Secretariat."
Commander He said, "No, His Majesty left a secret decree, and now the heir's family is in trouble. If this matter is spread and others find out, it will only cause more chaos. Moreover, even if the cabinet is brought in, Her Majesty should first come up with a plan."
The younger sister looked at Commander He approvingly: "Commander He is right. His Majesty often told me that the people I can trust are all of you, and among them, Commander He and Governor Cheng are the people he trusts the most. So when something happens, the first people I think of are you."
Hearing this, Commander He blushed slightly. He knew, of course, that the Empress's claim of trust was a lie; her true intention was to win her over, since the two of them were in charge of all the guards in the capital.
Prince Ning looked at Kuang Tiansong on the ground, then looked up at the woman sitting at the head of the table. The woman was young, but she was wearing a phoenix robe and had an extraordinary aura.
She left Kuang Tiansong's body here to tell everyone present that those who defy her will only face death.
He pondered for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I believe that when Your Majesty was choosing an heir, you selected the young emperor from among several candidates. Now that the young emperor is gone, you can consider other candidates again."
Governor Cheng objected: "No, Your Majesty, I believe that there must be a reason why His Majesty has not chosen anyone else. Making a hasty selection at this time may not be His Majesty's intention."
Commander He said, "Does Governor Cheng mean that the heir cannot be chosen from among those people? Are we supposed to choose from other people who were not even considered by His Majesty?"
"Commander He, that's not what I meant. I just think we can be more specific."
The three people each have their own version of events, making the situation difficult.
They all turned their attention to Feng Ziheng.
Commander He asked, "What does the Crown Prince think?"
From the moment they entered, Feng Ziheng kept his eyes down and remained silent. He glanced at his second sister, then at his youngest sister at the head of the table.
Clearly, neither of the two commanders had ever considered asking the women for their opinions, even though one of them was the first female minister whom His Majesty praised highly, and the other was the Empress, to whom His Majesty had entrusted the empire.
Feng Ziheng shook his head: "Your Majesty, I believe that since Prince Xian dared to kill Prince Chen's entire family, it means he won't sit idly by and wait for his fate. His temporary inaction is to scout out what's happening in the palace. If he knows that Kuang Tiansong is dead and Your Majesty suspects him, he will definitely have a follow-up plan, and then..."
The younger sister lowered her eyes: "At that time, the entire capital city will likely be engulfed in bloodshed. So the biggest question now is, do you intend to defy His Majesty's will and submit to Prince Xian?"
"Of course not!" Commander He said indignantly. "Your Majesty trusts me, and I will certainly not fail you. The Prince Xian is a wolf in sheep's clothing and truly ruthless. I will fight to the death to defend the imperial city. I will now order the Imperial Guards to be strengthened. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
Governor Cheng also said, "Your subject will certainly cooperate fully and asks Your Highness Prince Ning to arrest the Prince Xian and bring him to justice."
“Capturing the wise prince is not difficult; the difficulty lies in persuading the court officials,” said Prince Ning. “A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. When the court officials learn that His Majesty has passed away and there is no heir, it will surely cause unrest. At that time… will they support the wise prince?”
The younger sister slowly stood up, spread her arms, and said, "I am the new emperor."