In the next few days, Jingzhong's situation was indeed predicted by Pang Ji.
Pan Renmei was besieged by Cai Jing, Wang Yanling and others at the court meeting, and was caught off guard.
If Pan Guifei, who was temporarily in charge of the government, had not suddenly pretended to be ill and forcibly ended the court meeting, she would have chosen an heir immediately.
After all, she does not have enough status and prestige to suppress the ministers.
If an heir is chosen under such passive circumstances, Prince Pan will definitely lose the chance to succeed to the throne.
Once the position of heir is determined, even if the emperor wakes up, there is no way to change it.
Although the emperor has absolute authority, it is also subject to restrictions. He cannot do whatever he wants.
Since ancient times, it has been said that ministers are not allowed to "disorder their lives". What's more, the emperor is about to pass away, and his deterrence is greatly reduced. Without sufficient reasons, he would not dare to do so.
Because even if it is done, it is likely to be resisted by the ministers, unable to carry out the execution, and even lead to instability in the world...
After going to court, before Pan Renmei left the palace, her daughter came to the harem to discuss countermeasures.
Concubine Pan had only given birth for more than a month. She was busy fighting for power and frightened in her heart. Her thin face looked a little pale.
Seeing that Pan Renmei was about to salute, she quickly asked someone to pull him up and said with anxious eyes:
"Dad, don't do these false rituals."
"Now Wang Yanling and others also want to support Zhao Ji, please think of a way quickly."
"My daughter can't complain of illness for a long time. If time goes by, they might overstep her and ask the old woman to come out."
Pan Renmei shook her head helplessly and said:
"We were a little anxious before. Who would have thought that even Wang Yanling and others would support Zhao Ji?"
"Mistake, mistake, now I am outnumbered as a father!"
Concubine Pan stamped her feet and said:
"What's the use of father talking about this now? The important thing is to find a solution quickly."
"My son must be a prince, dad, you have to help him."
Pan Renmei pondered for a long time, then gritted her teeth and said:
"For the current plan, we can only let my grandson ascend to the position of prince by force. Anyone who dares to disobey will be arrested."
"My grandson is the only bloodline of the official family. As long as the name is determined, the ministers will recognize him even if they don't recognize him."
Concubine Pan's face turned even paler, and she said with horror in her eyes:
"Father wants to use force? How...how can this be done?"
When she was following the emperor's imperial conquest in person, she was almost frightened to death during the Liao Kingdom's attack on Jia, which had left a psychological shadow.
When I heard that Pan Renmei was going to mobilize troops, I couldn't help but feel fear.
Once troops are mobilized, the situation will be out of control, and anything may happen.
If the enemy counterattacks, his mother and son may die in the chaos.
Seeing her panic, Pan Renmei thought she was worried that she was not strong enough, so she quickly comforted her:
"No need to worry, noble concubine, victory or defeat on the battlefield does not depend on the number of troops."
"Although my father doesn't have enough troops, we can secretly control the palace first and catch him off guard."
"At that time, as long as you control the ministers, even if the opponent has thousands of troops, it will be of little use."
Concubine Pan looked at Pan Renmei's expression of wisdom, and suddenly remembered the scene when she fought against the Fire Gourd King of Liao Kingdom.
He was more confident at that time than he is now, but he was defeated in one move and even the emperor was hit by an arrow.
If not, the current situation would be so corrupt.
So he shook his head firmly and said:
"No, my daughter doesn't agree, unless..."
Pan Renmei didn't expect Pan Guifei's reaction to be so strong, so she directly denied him and said speechlessly:
"If not, Wang Yanling and others will establish Zhao Ji. How much longer can we delay? One month or two months?"
"My dear concubine, we will cut it off as soon as possible. We don't have much time to prepare. How can you still expect His Majesty to wake up? They won't wait that long."
He tried to persuade her for a long time, but when she saw Pan Guifei still shaking her head, she said helplessly:
"What does the noble concubine mean?"
Seeing that her father was confused and puzzled, Concubine Pan had no choice but to say straight:
"Unless my father transfers Cao Bin back to the capital to help us, my daughter will never agree."
Hearing this, Pan Renmei immediately became depressed. It turned out that her daughter could not believe in her own abilities. Mad, I am your biological father!
He thought a little bitterly.
However, my own strength is indeed a bit lacking.
It would be fine if it were not exposed in advance, but once clues are revealed, defeat will be inevitable, so he pondered for a while and said:
"But why should Cao Bin help us? If he had the intention, he would have written a letter long ago."
Concubine Pan quickly said:
"Cao Bin and Prince Duan had an old grudge, and His Majesty once asked my son to worship him as a martial arts master. Isn't this enough?"
Pan Renmei shook her head and said:
"After all, the name has not been officially determined yet, and now we are both strong and weak. Even my father's old subordinates may betray him. His thoughts are unpredictable..."
Concubine Pan said anxiously:
"I don't care about my daughter. Dad, you must bring Cao Bin to our side. Just agree to all his requests."
"As long as my son can inherit the throne, everything will be worth it."
Pan Renmei was speechless when she heard this. Her daughter regarded Cao Bin as a life-saving straw.
Isn't it just his martial arts that is of such great importance? What he values only is the thousands of soldiers and horses in his hands and his reputation in the army.
He couldn't help but secretly think that his daughter didn't understand the art of war, but what she said made sense.
As long as his grandson can ascend the throne, the ruling and opposition parties will have the final say, and everything will be worth it, so he nodded and said:
"Okay, I'll order flying pigeons to deliver the message. We don't have much time now, so we must be quick."
"We must first let Cao Bin hand over his confidants in Jingli to his father!"
"Even if he can't come back in person, he can still provide some help to his father."
After saying that, he was about to leave the palace when he suddenly remembered something and quickly turned around and said:
"My Lady, you must take good care of Pang Shunrong."
"Cao Bin is very attached to old feelings and treats Pang Laogou and his family as blood relatives."
"As long as Pang Shunrong is in our hands, we won't be afraid of him swaying around and seeking refuge with Zhao Ji."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something:
"It happened that Pang Yu was arrested by the Kaifeng Mansion, so we took the opportunity to sell him a favor..."
Concubine Pan nodded repeatedly and said:
"Father, don't worry, my daughter will always take Pang Shunrong with her."
After Pan Renmei left, Concubine Pan asked the maid to invite Concubine Pang to her palace. She pulled her very affectionately and said:
"Sister, I heard that your brother Pang Yu was framed?"
"Don't worry, my father has ordered people to ask, and he will be released soon."
"Marquis Zhongjing will return to Beijing soon. Do you want to write a letter? So as not to worry his wife."
After hearing the first two sentences, Concubine Pang was very happy, but also a little confused as to why Concubine Pan was so enthusiastic all of a sudden.
When he heard her mention Cao Bin, he suddenly had some guesses.
Although she was in the harem, she also heard some reports from the previous court and thought that Concubine Pan was going to use her to drag Cao Bin into trouble... There was a hint of danger in her eyes.
