allonlinenovel Chapter 225 Imperial Edict of Succession
Chapter 225 Imperial Edict of Succession
While Meng Fuqing was uttering these treasonous words to the emperor, a piece of news quietly spread throughout the capital.
Yan He strolled over to the teahouse where he usually listened to music, and as soon as he sat down, he heard people talking about the Xie family.
"Brother, are you aware that the deaths of Generals Xie and Pei are inextricably linked to the person mentioned above?"
"How could this be?"
"His achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor's authority! The Xie family has connections and influence on the frontier; how can we allow others to sleep soundly beside us?"
They were speaking very softly, right behind Yan He, so she could hear them clearly. She turned around and started talking to the two men.
"Do you know why General Xie and his wife, who had fought in countless battles, perished on the battlefield?"
Her voice startled the two men, who quickly looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them anymore, they felt a little relieved. One of them asked in a low voice, "Does the young lady know?"
"Naturally, it's because there was a traitor within. Why do you think the Xie family was accused of treason? And why were they wiped out on the day of their exile?"
"...Were the eldest and second branches of the Xie family the traitors? And were they later murdered to silence them?"
Yan He stopped talking and calmly turned to drink tea and listen to music. This matter was originally entrusted to her by Meng Fuqing, and she knew the inside story, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to embellish it a bit.
More than half of the army of over 100,000 were regular soldiers and prisoners of war, while others were refugees and bandits. What Meng Fuqing did not expect was that some of them were Jiang Wen's men.
After reuniting with his wife and children at his mother-in-law's house, Jiang Wen realized that the world was in chaos. To avoid being bullied, he needed to have capable subordinates and also to use ruthless methods.
It just so happens that Jiang Wen's mother-in-law's family already had quite a few guards, so they simply started to gradually build up their manpower in Chaozhou, which is also located in the south.
When the couple heard about Meng Fuqing's news and learned that Xie Jin was fighting on various fronts, they immediately led their men to join Xie Jin after sending the message.
This is something Meng Fuqing only learned later.
She looked at the young emperor before her, quietly waiting for an answer that would satisfy her.
Wen Du knew that his power was waning. Not only were the people around him Meng Fuqing's men, but the Empress, whom he used to see occasionally, had fallen ill and no longer came to his bedside.
Regarding the situation outside, all he could hear was what Meng Fuqing wanted him to hear.
How ridiculous it is for an emperor to be placed under house arrest! Yet he was powerless to do anything about it.
Not long after, the emperor, who had not attended court for a long time, attended court again, but his true face could not be seen through the beaded curtain.
Some ministers looked excited, some had strange expressions, and some seemed indifferent.
But when he opened his mouth, everyone was shocked.
"Prince Jing'an has rendered unparalleled service in guarding the capital and quelling internal rebellions. Although I am the emperor, I am physically disabled and only able to speak. I am truly ashamed before my ministers and the people. Therefore, I wish to abdicate the throne to Prince Jing'an..."
At this moment, a minister excitedly shouted "Your Majesty!" but when he glanced at Meng Fuqing's back standing in front, he couldn't bring himself to say the word "No!"
The court was in an uproar. Meng Fuqing, who was standing quietly, turned his head and glanced at them. His incessant chatter immediately stopped.
Meng Fuqing raised his hand in greeting, about to speak, but was stopped by the emperor.
The Emperor's voice trembled inexplicably, "The princes are still young, and the Empress is bedridden and unable to assume the great responsibility of ruling from behind the curtain. Although Prince Jing'an is a prince of a different surname, he possesses supernatural powers and is quite popular with the people. Passing the throne to Prince Jing'an is for the sake of peace and stability in the world. You need not say anything more!"
After speaking, he ordered his men to take him away from the main hall, leaving the hall completely silent.
Because the rumors had spread so widely, the emperor had already lost the support of the people, so the common people were actually happy to see this happen.
Half a month later, once the imperial edict bearing the emperor's jade seal was proclaimed to the world, the people knelt and kowtowed facing the direction of the palace, their expressions filled with excitement.
This imperial edict also severed the resolve of many powerful figures to side with the young prince.
“Meng Fuqing… how dare she be so shameless! Using the emperor to command the feudal lords, well, very well indeed!”
Minister of War You paced back and forth in the room, furious. "If we were to actually allow a woman to ascend the throne, wouldn't that be turning the world upside down?"
He stopped in his tracks and said urgently, "Lord An, please say something!"
The man he addressed as 'Lord An' was leisurely sipping his tea. 'What does Lord You wish to do?'
"Isn't she relying on the title of 'Goddess'? Why not just turn the 'Goddess' into a 'Witch' during the coronation ceremony..."
Before she could finish her plan, Lord An interrupted her: "She is not entirely relying on the title of 'Goddess'; she also has General Xie's only son and an army of over 100,000 under her command."
Even if you call her a 'witch,' she's deeply loved by the people, and then turns around and leads a large army to occupy the capital, what can you do about it?"
Minister You choked on his words, yet remained unwilling to give up, "We can use the Hu army to eliminate them..."
Lord An sighed, “Minister You, conspiring with the Hu people is no different from asking a tiger for its skin. Right now, the border and the Hu people’s grasslands are experiencing a sandstorm that is rare in a century. They have no choice but to migrate, which is why they did not join in the fun when Wu Xin attacked. Are you going to rush to give them the opportunity?”
After leaving the You family, Imperial Censor An took one last look at the gate of the You residence and couldn't help but shake his head. The next day, he found an opportunity to tell Meng Fuqing everything about the matter.
Meng Fuqing looked at the old man in front of him and suddenly asked curiously, "I've never understood why Lord An would pledge allegiance to me so early on?"
Although there were many voices of opposition in the court, there were still people who supported Meng Fuqing. There might be few on the surface, but there were quite a few in secret. Some of them were simply opportunists, but she could tell that this Lord An was not like that.
An Xu smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, I simply believe that the 'Goddess' is the chosen one. The sudden natural disaster that befell Great Yan was quite unusual, and the appearance of the 'Goddess' gave me a glimmer of hope."
Meng Fuqing suddenly realized.
The imperial edict had been issued, but the coronation ceremony was delayed. Meng Fuqing continued to handle state affairs as regent and appointed Yan He as the new national advisor, keeping him by his side to help him.
Xie Jin and Qin Su were sent out by her to completely quell the rebellions in all directions.
As the days went by, more and more people shared Anxu's thoughts, because natural disasters ceased to occur wherever the army went, and plagues gradually disappeared, allowing the people in various places to finally catch their breath.
Just when everything was looking up, the emperor suddenly passed away, leaving behind an oral edict as his will—or rather, an edict of self-reproach.
His speech laid out all the mistakes he had made since ascending the throne, including frankly admitting the deaths of General Xie and his wife.
There are many suspicious aspects to the death of an emperor, but once the edict of self-reproach is issued, all the suspicions are transformed into condemnation.
Xie Jin, who had temporarily quelled the border disturbances caused by the eastern barbarians, learned of this situation on his way back to the capital and immediately went to see the Regent.