The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 67

In the summer of the 223rd year of Baisheng, Prince Chang raised a rebellion in Qingzhou under the pretense of “cleansing the emperor’s side.” Since Qingzhou was close to the capital, the rebel army reached the city gates before reinforcements could arrive, plunging the court into chaos.

At the Grand Princess’s Residence.

Xiao Qinya surveyed the people in the hall. “Excellent,” she thought, “half of the Baisheng court officials are gathered here.”

“Did these old foxes only remember me now?”

The officials looked at each other, seeing that she remained silent.

Minister Zhang sighed, worriedly saying, “Your Highness, the court needs someone to take charge right now. His Majesty is…”

He sighed again and shook his head. “What should we do now? The rebels have reached the city gates. Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?”

Who could have imagined that Prince Chang would rebel? He intended to seize the throne himself, having already given up on his son.

Xiao Qinya raised an eyebrow and said languidly, “If there are rebels, we should send troops to quell them. Are we supposed to open the city gates and welcome them in?”

“This…”

Her sharp brows furrowed, and her imposing aura pressed down on them. “Doesn’t the capital have the Imperial Guards? And there are one hundred thousand Imperial Forest Guards outside the city. Are they all just freeloaders? How much silver does the court allocate to the Ministry of War each year?”

At the mention of the Ministry of War, the Minister of War’s hand trembled. He couldn’t help but wipe away a bead of sweat. He knew how much his subordinates had embezzled from military funds due to his inaction over the years. If an investigation were to be launched, his official’s hat would be gone for sure.

He stammered, “Reporting to Your Highness, the Ministry of War in recent years… in recent years…”

“Enough. I think you’ve reached the end of your term as Minister of War.”

“Yes… yes…” The Minister of War was so terrified that he immediately knelt on the ground.

Xiao Qinya didn’t bother with him. She looked at Song Yunzhou, the chancellor who had been handling court affairs for the past few years, as she rarely got involved. “Does Chancellor Song have a plan?”

“In this old minister’s opinion, Your Highness is correct. We have one hundred thousand Imperial Forest Guards defending the capital. The rebels are nothing to worry about. However, for the next steps, we need Your Highness to make a decision.”

Xiao Qinya sneered, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table. This old fox knew that the current emperor would be branded a traitor. He wanted to depose the emperor but wished for her to bear the infamy.

Did he think she was a fool?

Seeing her remain silent, Song Yunzhou felt uncertain. This Grand Princess, though young, was incredibly cunning. Back then, the late emperor, having no heir, initially planned to name her Crown Princess. However, this was met with strong opposition from the ministers, so he chose a child from the princes’ ranks and personally mentored him. But that child was far inferior to her in both talent and ability.

It was a pity that she was a woman.

If she were a man, she would surely have made a great difference.

He sighed with regret.

Xiao Qinya, who had been watching him closely, didn’t miss his expression. She said with a hint of amusement, “Since Chancellor Song says so, why don’t we deal with the rebels first?”

Seeing that things weren’t going his way, Song Yunzhou’s expression darkened slightly, but he composed himself and said nothing more. “Then we shall proceed as Your Highness wishes.”

His intentions had been seen through after all.

Xiao Qinya found his expression amusing and feigned ignorance. “I see that Chancellor Song doesn’t seem very satisfied with my decision. Or does Chancellor Song have another idea?”

Song Yunzhou was speechless. He was a high-ranking court official, having spent a lifetime in officialdom. He had encountered all sorts of situations, yet today he was being teased by a young woman. Not only was he powerless to resist, but he also had to endure it.

“This old minister is not dissatisfied with Your Highness’s decision. I’m just wondering which general is willing to lead the troops into battle?”

What a clever move to shift the focus to the military generals present.

Xiao Qinya gave him a deep look, then turned her gaze to the generals in the room. “Which general is willing to lead the troops?”

The generals remained silent. Xiao Qinya narrowed her eyes and scanned them one by one. All the generals present were stationed in the capital for a long time. It was doubtful if any had real combat experience. And the commander of the Imperial Forest Guards, Li Deshuang, was not present. The Imperial Forest Guards only obeyed the emperor’s command. And this emperor…

This was a real headache. Although the Imperial Guards could be used, their numbers were far too small. Even if one could fight ten, they couldn’t contend with the one hundred thousand-strong rebel army.

Xiao Qinya massaged her forehead. “These old coots!”

“Go and invite General Li here.”

“Yes.”

A guard received the order and left.

Using the brief pause, Xiao Qinya pinched the bridge of her nose. She then saw the household steward standing outside the hall, looking in nervously. “Why are you being so sneaky? If there’s something to say, come in and say it.”

The steward entered and bowed to her, not caring that the ministers were there. He said urgently, “This is bad, Your Highness. News just came from the palace. The emperor wants to open the city gates to welcome the rebels into the capital and is already on his way to the gate.”

“What?”

“How could this happen?”

“This…”

The news was like a bolt of lightning on a spring day. If the rebels entered the capital, would they all still be alive? Prince Chang didn’t even care about his own son’s safety. A tiger might still not harm its cub, but Prince Chang was truly a beast.

The officials were in a panic.

This time, even Song Yunzhou couldn’t sit still. He had brought people here just to get a stance from the Grand Princess, but he had overlooked the emperor. “Your Highness, the most urgent thing is to stop His Majesty.”

“This idiot!”

Xiao Qinya frowned. Was he so eager to go to his death?

“How could these old foxes have chosen such a fool in the first place?”

Xiao Qinya cast a cold glance. “Quickly send someone to stop him. Anyone who dares to resist shall be executed on the spot.”

Everyone gasped. To kill the emperor—what kind of crime was that? Only this Grand Princess would dare to do such a thing.

The steward took the order and left in a hurry.

Xiao Qinya composed herself. She didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point. “Since the emperor has had enough of his throne, let’s find someone else. This matter will be handled by the Court of the Imperial Clan. Choose a new monarch as soon as possible.”

“This old minister obeys the decree.”

Xiao Qinya gave him a faint glance. She hadn’t expected this old fox to get his wish after all. She stood up and said sternly, “Follow this princess to the city gates. I want to see if these rebels want to ‘cleanse’ me or…” She then swept her gaze across the officials.

The officials averted their gazes. Most of them had once opposed the Grand Princess’s ascension to the throne, and now in a time of crisis, they had to rely on her.

Xiao Qinya was the first to board her carriage, leading the officials to the city gates.

They saw a man in a yellow nine-clawed golden dragon robe confronting the city gate guards with a dozen palace servants.

Without a doubt, it was that person. Who else but that fool could wear a yellow nine-dragon robe? Xiao Qinya’s expression became stern. “You have disgraced the dignity of the imperial family. Guards, take him away!”

As soon as her words fell, the guards rushed forward and surrounded the man. The palace servants knelt on the ground in a panic. When Xiao Chengan saw this, he shouted, “How dare you! I am the emperor. Are you trying to rebel?”

“Is His Majesty referring to me?” Xiao Qinya asked coldly in return.

When Xiao Chengan saw her, his face turned pale. Ever since he ascended the throne and became the supreme ruler, he was inexplicably afraid of the Grand Princess. That was why when she ordered him to issue a decree to keep Xiao Chengze as a hostage, he didn’t even dare to fart.

Now, with Prince Chang’s army outside, as long as he opened the city gates to let them in, everything would be under his control. What could these people do? But why, at the sight of Xiao Qinya, did he feel that he was finished? His feet seemed to be rooted to the ground. He could only watch as the guards approached, letting them seize him and take him away.

Xiao Qinya ascended the city wall. Her gaze fell on the rebel camp in the distance. She said in a deep voice, “Has General Li been invited?”

The steward replied, “Reporting to Your Highness, General Li said he only obeys the emperor’s command.”

“How stubborn!”

She wasn’t angry. For over three hundred years since the founding of Baisheng, the Imperial Forest Guards had been loyal only to the emperor and would not listen to anyone else’s orders. But the one silver lining was that since Xiao Chengan became emperor, that fool had only indulged in pleasure and had not reorganized the army. It was too late for him to do so now.

The rebels hadn’t launched an attack either, wary of the Imperial Forest Guards stationed outside the city. “Good,” she thought, “this buys them some time.”

“Return to the residence,” Xiao Qinya said.

The group returned to the princess’s residence in a long procession.

Upon their return, people from the Court of the Imperial Clan also arrived. The Minister of the Imperial Clan and his deputy, carrying a thick stack of imperial family genealogies, respectfully bowed to Xiao Qinya on the main seat.

“Reporting to Your Highness, there are no suitable imperial family members of age in the capital right now,” said the Minister of the Imperial Clan.

“None?”

Xiao Qinya was shocked. “If I remember correctly, my two imperial brothers, although they failed in their fight for the throne and were punished, still had children in the capital. How could there be none?”

“This Minister of the Imperial Clan must be deliberately hiding something.”

Xiao Qinya’s voice was low and stern. “How dare you! Do you think I’m easy to fool?”

The Minister of the Imperial Clan trembled with fright and knelt down in a hurry. “This old minister wouldn’t dare. What I said is the truth.”

Xiao Qinya stared at him. The pressure she exuded was hard to ignore. “If I remember correctly, the First Prince and Second Prince had children living in the capital back then.”

The Minister of the Imperial Clan wiped his sweat and explained, “The First Prince and Second Prince did have children left in the capital, but…”

He glanced at the Grand Princess. This person was not ordinary. She had killed her husband without batting an eye. He wouldn’t dare to lie to her even if he had a hundred times the courage.

He took a breath and continued, “After the new emperor ascended the throne, several imperial clan members were secretly killed.”

“What?”

“In the heart of the capital, they were killed, and they were even members of the imperial family? And no one investigated?”

“This court is becoming more and more disappointing.”

Xiao Qinya pinched the bridge of her nose. “What exactly happened?”

The Minister of the Grand Court of Justice stepped forward and bowed with his hands clasped. “Reporting to Your Highness, several imperial family members all died from poisoning, and the culprits have been executed.”

“They all died from poisoning? How could there be such a coincidence?” Who would believe that?

But now was not the time to investigate. Xiao Qinya’s expression was serious. “Are there any from the collateral branches?”

“This…”

“Look quickly! What are you waiting for?”

These troublesome matters were giving her a headache. Xiao Qinya massaged her temples. After a while, the Minister of the Imperial Clan said, “There is one person left in the capital. This person is from the direct lineage of the founding emperor. However, the former crown prince was framed, and although the case was later overturned, his direct lineage has been excluded from the throne ever since.”

She knew about the matter of the former crown prince’s rebellion. But the throne… Xiao Qinya was a bit hesitant. Did she really have to return the throne to the direct lineage?

“But the throne cannot fall into the hands of a rebel.”

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