told you about his demotion, didn't he"Feng Lingxi asked, seeing the Third Princess nod, her heart was a little suspicious, wondering if she was here to trick him out of informationHe never wanted to...Word quickly spread about Emperor Yuanzhao's illness. Dugu Cheng returned to the Lu Mansion in less than half an hour, the empress dowager was indeed fast.
"My lord, my subordinate heard that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had a dispute. The Emperor fainted on the spot and is now being attended to by all the imperial physicians at the palace."
"It seems the Empress Dowager is very displeased with the Emperor bestowing this title upon me."
Ye Xi nodded, thinking about how the Empress Dowager had treated the King these years. At first, he had been quite envious of the Empress Dowager's love for the Emperor, but now, he realized that she was becoming more and more like Empress Cen. For power, she really didn't care about anyone.
It seems like the conferment of titles has gone down the drain again.
"No need to rush, Your Majesty is ill. The Chancellor will surely go to the Empress Dowager to stir up trouble. Let's just watch and see what happens."
獨孤城神情平靜，怎麼說呢，太後也是他的生母，他的手腕，他還是清楚的，這些年，太後連他這個兒子都可以不要，又怎麼會在意皇上的生死。
The chancellor is the emperor's father-in-law, being the queen's father. This matter, the chancellor will surely handle together with the officials in court. What follows will be their own business, and he can simply sit back and reap the benefits.
"Dugu Cheng, I just heard that the Emperor fainted from being angered by the Empress Dowager. Is it because of you" Feng Lingxi returned from outside and upon hearing this news, she was genuinely frightened and rushed back to get clarification.
"Please sit down."
Du Gu Cheng watched Feng Ling Xi, who was drenched in sweat, and poured her a glass of water.
Feng Lingxi drained the cup in one gulp and looked at Dugu City, "You better tell me, what's going on"
"This matter is indeed related to me. The Emperor wants to grant me the title of 'Grand Marshal,' and the Empress Dowager probably opposes it, which is why things turned out this way." Dugu City finished speaking and took a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Feng Lingxi's forehead.
"These are all normal things that happen, Xi'er, don't worry about it."
Feng Lingxi, hearing this, finally understood. Dugu City's plan had already begun.
She said, how could it be so sudden For so many years, the Empress Dowager and Emperor Yuan Zhao had always gotten along well. How could things get to this point When she came back, she heard that Dugu City entered the palace. She guessed that it might be related to Dugu City, so she came to find out.
"Will the Empress find trouble with you tomorrow"
Feng Lingxi's eyes were full of worry. Over the years, the Empress Dowager's relationship with Dugu City had changed drastically. To her, Dugu City might not even be her son anymore.
"Rest assured, the Empress Dowager has no time to bother with me. She's too busy dealing with the Chancellor. She wouldn't have time for me, and besides, the imperial decree hasn't come down yet. This bestowed title isn't official until then."
"Even if the imperial decree has come down, it doesn't count"
Dugu Cheng laughed and said, "The Emperor gave me a private decree. Now that the Emperor is ill, if the Empress Dowager says no, I can't argue with reason, let alone change anything. Besides, the Empress Dowager wouldn't be so foolish as to let me say these things."
"You really scared me! How did you manage to get an imperial decree"
Dugu City's eyes were filled with helplessness, "It wasn't my wish. It was the Emperor who wanted to deal with the Empress Dowager and Wang Yu, so he impulsively issued this decree to bestow upon me this title. It seems these years the Empress Dowager has truly made the Emperor realize the threat."
"That's true, otherwise we wouldn't have ended up like this on such a crucial occasion with the Empress Dowager."
Feng Lingxi glanced at Dugu Cheng and suddenly realized that when this man was serious, he was quite handsome. Moreover, his movements were fast and ruthless, truly catching people off guard.
Dugu Cheng responded, "Now we just need to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight."
Feng Lingxi held her chin in both hands, looking at Dugu Cheng, "You really intend to watch the emperor and empress fight" That was his biological mother. Could Dugu Cheng really do this
"This is inevitable, and ever since she became Empress Dowager, she has completely forgotten what she said back then. Now she's become like this. This King only wants to wake her up, lest she becomes another Empress Cen, reviled by the world."
Dugu Cheng looked at Feng Lingxi, "She is the King's biological mother, but the King was born in the royal family. As a member of the royal family, one should know the horror of power and status. The King hopes she will mend her ways."
"What if she insists Are you really going to prioritize righteousness over family"
獨孤城目光黯淡下來，“此事輪不到本王來做，如今丞相和皇上都不會讓太後霸占朝政下去，再加上譽王的勢力現在增長，丞相和皇上會使出全力和他們對抗。”
"Thus, it would be a lose-lose situation."
Dugu City nodded, but he had no choice.
Feng Lingxi offered Dugu Cheng a cup of water, "Here, have some water. You've been through a lot."
"I am merely a spark, igniting all the suppressed anger they have harbored for years. They are too busy fighting each other to notice me. I am safe here, recovering from my injuries."
In the following days, Feng Lingxi got to witness Dugu Cheng's premonition. The emperor fell ill, and the prime minister and officials in court were discontent. The Empress Dowager took charge of government affairs, intending to have Wang Yu revise imperial edicts. It sounded good that she was relieving the emperor's burden, but everyone knew it was a power grab.
Then the court officials began to search for evidence of King Yu's crimes over the years, such as colluding with ministers, accepting bribes, and raising private armies in preparation for rebellion. They submitted countless petitions of impeachment, but the Empress Dowager suppressed them all. King Yu was able to clear his name every time, infuriating the Prime Minister to the point of near collapse.
Although Emperor Yuan Zhao recovered consciousness, he was too weak to leave his bed. He claimed to be recuperating, but in reality, he was under the control of the Empress Dowager. The situation at court immediately shifted towards the Empress Dowager's favor.
Duke Gucheng was the most talked-about figure, yet he had never attended court. The Prime Minister forbade it, and the Empress Dowager deemed it unnecessary. In short, every word in court concerned him, but he had never set foot in the Imperial Court.
The officials in the palace began to partially defect to the Empress Dowager, starting to impeach the Empress, hoping to have the Empress Dowager depose her. They started looking for evidence of the Empress's failure to bear children and accusations that she was jealous and caused the death of concubines.
Even one morning, a naked man was found on the Queen's bed and caught in the act. The Queen, unwilling to face the humiliation, slammed her head against the wall to her death as proof of her innocence.
A series of events happened suddenly. The Prime Minister lost his beloved daughter, and he joined forces with other ministers to impeach the Empress Dowager for her regency, framing the Empress and forcing her to death, among other crimes.
However, the chancellor couldn't even see the emperor. The empress dowager had people guarding the entrance to the emperor's bedroom, while imperial physicians treated the critically ill Emperor Yuan Zhao inside.
"Your Majesty, Prince Yu requests an audience!"
Yuwang entered Ci'an Palace, paid his respects to the Empress Dowager, and then sat down on one side.
"Your Majesty, I just received word that the Aohua Xia Dynasty is preparing to attack Chenglinxi County. An army of 500,000 has already approached, led by the crown prince, Huangfu Qingyun."
"What!"
The Empress Dowager's face changed drastically, "How could Huangfu Qingyun lead an army to attack Linxi County at this time"pered, "Sister, it seems like you've changed a lot this time you came back. That tribal leader seems to be very good to you. Brother-in-law should pay more attention and care for your sister so as not...