The next day.
Its daybreak.
There is no sun today, heavy clouds pile up in the sky, it is gloomy and dark, and accompanied by strong and sometimes weak winds, it can be said that the rain is about to come.
The flags on the palace towers fluttered in the wind, making a clattering sound, and the flagpoles were bent.
The lanterns under the eaves of the palace corridor were swaying violently in the wind, and seemed likely to fall down at any time.
Emperor Chen's bedroom.
main hall.
Many palace maids and eunuchs kept coming in and out, walking in a hurry, all bowing their waists, but only the sound of footsteps was heard, no one spoke, not even a cough was heard.
An aura of depression, suffocation, chilling, and tension enveloped the entire dormitory, the entire palace, and even the entire Jiangning!
Last night, the imperial doctors stayed up all night and waited in the main hall.
Emperor Chen's condition was just as they had guessed three days ago.
Today is the third day. Emperor Chen is really dying and is about to die!
The situation of Chen Keyan and King Tian is also very bad. Because they "accidentally took" poison and overdosed, the situation is very dangerous. I am afraid that it will happen today...
"The Queen is here!"
"The royal concubine is here!"
"The two noble concubines Xian and Shu have arrived!"
At dawn, the imperial doctor sent someone to find the queen, explained Emperor Chen's situation, and then asked the queen to come over immediately.
As the eunuch's loud voice rang out, the queen arrived one by one with the three noble concubines Wang, Xian, and Shu, as well as dozens of important officials of the court.
Among these important ministers, some originally belonged to King Li's faction, and the other part were a combination of ministers from King Tian's faction and the neutral faction. The two groups were almost equal in number.
Of course, the core ministers who firmly supported King Tian were dismissed from their posts last night, but they were only a minority.
"I will pay my respects to the Queen and the three noble concubines!"
The imperial doctors cheered up and walked out of the hall together. The eunuchs and maids also followed behind, and they all greeted each other with greetings: "I will pay my respects to the Queen..."
"No gift."
The queen was still dignified and her voice was still gentle and kind. She waved her hands gently and helped the doctors to their feet.
"Thank you, Queen." The doctors thanked them in unison.
"How is your Majesty's condition?" the Queen asked.
"Report to the Queen..."
Doctor Wang took two steps forward, but stopped abruptly in the middle of his words, with a complex look on his face.
The queen, the three noble concubines, and the ministers behind them all turned dark when they saw this. Although the imperial doctor didn't say it clearly, they could guess that——
Emperor Chen's deadline is probably not far away.
"Let's go in first."
The queen stepped into the hall first, followed by the others.
The ministers, eunuchs and maids were the largest in number, filling a spacious hall to the brim.
After the queen entered the palace, her expression was painful, and she knelt down in front of Emperor Chen, Chen Keyan, and Prince Tian. While wiping her tears, she told some past events, her love for them was beyond words.
The two noble concubines Xian and Shu, as well as the ministers, maids and eunuchs present, all felt sad when they heard it, and some even turned their backs to secretly wipe their tears.
Emperor Chen is awake now. He pretended to be dead as the Ninth Five Lords just for this moment. If nothing happens, the mastermind behind the scenes will show up soon!
Therefore, he listened to every performance of the queen.
He was very satisfied with this. The Queen's sincerity brought his thoughts back to the past... After a long time, Emperor Chen came back to his senses and said secretly in his heart:
"What a good queen. I hope that after the mastermind behind this is exposed, she will not be harmed. After I leave, Nanchen's world will still need the queen's care."
"..."
Chen Keyan was lying there, but she snorted coldly in her heart: "A cat cries and a mouse pretends to be compassionate. Just pretend, I will see how you perform later."
King Tian's understanding of the Queen was similar to that of Emperor Chen, because there were many things that Chen Keyan did not tell him. He only heard King Tian secretly say:
"I hope that when the mastermind behind the scenes attacks later, they will not hurt the mother-in-law, the queen, the ministers, and the eunuchs and maids here..."
The two noble concubines Xian and Shu also followed the queen and cried.
They held the hands of Chen Keyan and King Tian respectively, and they were so heartbroken that their eyes turned into peaches from crying.
The royal concubine was indifferent, and even stood aside and watched with disdain. After looking disdainfully at the crying empress, Xian, and Shu, she secretly exchanged glances with someone among the ministers.
His eyes were full of conspiracy.
The ministers stood respectfully and neatly in the main hall, with their heads lowered and their faces gloomy. Of course, some people exchanged glances with each other, and even whispered to each other, and there was an undercurrent.
"Queen, please put your phoenix body first."
"Two noble concubines must not be overly sad..."
After a while, the queen's personal maid came to persuade him.
The queen and the two noble concubines also took advantage of the situation and gradually stopped crying.
Today is Emperor Chen's grand day, and there are still many things that need to be dealt with, especially the queen. As the master of the harem, she cannot continue to cry.
At this time, a minister emerged from the crowd. When everyone saw it, it turned out to be Shangshu Zuopushe. He was originally a supporter of King Tian, but now he has been won over by the queen.
Just listen to Zuo Pushe say in a deep voice:
"I'm telling you, the Queen, that your Majesty's affairs... are a foregone conclusion. I hope that the Queen will not be too sad. The top priority is His Majesty's funeral affairs. How to deal with it, please tell me how to deal with it."
"Please give me your instructions, the Queen." The other ministers agreed in succession, their voices uniform and loud.
"..."
When Emperor Chen heard that this was Zuo Pushe's voice, he was suddenly overjoyed:
"Zuopushe, very good. I really saw you right. You can be said to be a veteran of the court. I have a queen inside Nanchen and Zuopushe outside. There is no need to worry about the instability of the country and the country!"
Chen Keyan's heart sank, and she thought to herself: "I didn't expect, I didn't expect, this Zuo Pushe would actually... That's it. After this incident, these two ministers all need to be cleaned up."
King Tian and Emperor Chen basically had the same idea, so there is no need to mention it further.
At this time, another voice came from the hall:
"Zuo Pushe is right. As the saying goes, a country cannot live without a king for a day. After His Majesty leaves, in order to stabilize the country and the country, we must determine the candidate for the new king as soon as possible!"
When Emperor Chen heard this, his subconscious reaction was that the mastermind behind the scenes finally showed up.
It is true that a country cannot live without a king for a day.
But no one mentioned this, and the queen didn't say anything about it. This man was so anxious to determine the candidate for the new king, wasn't he the mastermind behind it!
Just as this thought came into his mind, Emperor Chen suddenly realized that the voice just now... was actually Concubine Wang!
Even though he was pretending to be dead, his brows could not help but twitch slightly, and he thought to himself: "It is indeed her. This woman has always been ambitious, but I didn't expect that she would actually dare to poison me!"
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
Emperor Chen was so angry that his nose was almost crooked. He really wanted to jump up at all costs, point his nose at Wang Guifei and curse... Fortunately, he still kept his sense and did not act rashly.
Chen Keyan lay there quietly, motionless, but sneered in her heart:
"As the saying goes, the first bird will be shot. This is the first time I have seen someone take the initiative to be the first bird. It is simply stupid! Death is not a pity!"
"..."
Chen Keyan had just finished cursing in secret when another voice came from the hall:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, your words are very good. For the sake of my country and the country of Dachen, I must establish a new king as soon as possible. I wonder what your Majesty's advice is?"
Who is this person?
Emperor Chen frowned secretly, and after identifying it for a long time, it finally dawned on him that it was the Minister of the Ministry of Industry.
The Minister of the Ministry of Industry is the uncle of "His Royal Highness King Cheng", and His Highness King Cheng is the son of the Concubine Wang. In other words, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry is the brother of the Concubine Wang.
It's broken!
Emperor Chen couldn't suppress the ecstasy in his heart, and the mastermind behind the scenes finally showed up, namely the two brothers and sisters Wang Guifei and the Minister of Industry!
Their motive is also very clear. Simply put, it is to seize the throne of Nanchen for "King Cheng".
Cheng Wang is one of the many children of Emperor Chen. His mother-in-law, Wang Guifei, is not very powerful. King Cheng himself is not outstanding, so he has never been taken seriously by Emperor Chen...
However, after Emperor Chen was happy for a while, he immediately realized that something was wrong. What could the two siblings, Wang Guifei and the Minister of Industry, do?
They... don't seem like the masterminds behind the scenes.
At this time, Concubine Wang said:
"Right now, King Li has been demoted to a commoner, and so has King Tian... In short, among your majesty's many heirs, the only one who is worthy of being the new king in terms of appearance and talent is the king!"
After he finished speaking, everyone present couldn't help but look at each other in shock.
Is the royal concubine elected king?
But King Cheng is her biological son!
Isn't this obvious favoritism?
The palace maids and eunuchs did not dare to express their anger immediately and shrank their necks. They all smelled the conspiracy and were afraid of being involved.
The ministers were stunned for a moment, and then they started talking among themselves. Some agreed, and naturally some disagreed. It was noisy like a vegetable market.
"quiet!"
The queen's eyes were fixed and her voice fell.
She has always been gentle and kind, but she can also calm people down at critical moments.
No, the noisy hall fell silent, and everyone turned to look at the queen, including the proud concubine Wang.
Just listen to the queen yelling:
"Your Majesty is lying here, even breathing a breath, and has not yet passed away. How can you be so impatient? How unbecoming! Do you think that I don't exist?"
In the huge hall, only the queen's voice echoed.
The ministers lowered their heads one after another, feeling ashamed.
Lying there, Emperor Chen naturally heard the Queen's words and couldn't help but feel relieved:
"With the queen like this, what else can I ask for? I believe the queen will handle this matter impartially. As for the royal concubine... although it is unlikely that she is the mastermind behind it, but... I will definitely punish her severely after this incident!"
"..."
At this time, a minister came out to pay homage and said: "I am currently in a critical moment, the Queen. The Queen has always been virtuous, and I should obey the Queen's instructions."
"I respectfully listen to the Queen's instructions." The ministers agreed.
"The matter of the new king is not urgent. The most important thing at the moment is the funeral of Your Majesty, Princess Wu and King Tian." The queen said, suddenly turning around and facing the dragon chair directly above the main hall.
Then under the watchful eyes of everyone, the queen slowly walked towards the dragon chair.
Finally, he slowly sat down on the dragon chair:
"This is the top priority for me, Mr. Chen. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to speak."
After the queen finished speaking, the hall fell into brief silence again.
A real pin drop can be heard.
Emperor Chen closed his eyes tightly and couldn't see the scene in the hall. He couldn't help but wonder, thinking that there was nothing wrong with the Queen's words. Why was no one answering?
Also, why did the Queen's voice... suddenly become so distant? It seemed like it was coming from directly above the main hall.
When Emperor Chen was confused, he heard the voice of Concubine Wang again, obviously furious:
"Queen, what are your intentions? In front of all the ministers in the court, and His Majesty still has a breath of life left, you dare to... sit on the dragon throne?!"
Sit on the throne?
When Emperor Chen heard this, his heart suddenly became enlightened. No wonder the queen's voice suddenly became so distant.
As an emperor, he is very sensitive to power, and he is extremely taboo about anyone interfering with his power. In fact, Wang Guifei is right. He has not yet "died", and the queen dares to sit on the dragon throne that belongs to him?
Although Emperor Chen was a little wary, he managed not to have an attack out of his trust in the queen.
After hearing Concubine Wang's words, Chen Keyan couldn't help but curl her lips slightly, and thought to herself:
"Can't wait? Haha, it looks like the show is about to begin!"
"..."
In the main hall, after Wang Guifei finished her angry rebuke, her brother, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, also stood up.
At the same time, more than a dozen ministers, including Zuo Pushe and others, denounced the queen. The queen's behavior of sitting on the dragon throne was indeed inappropriate.
Immediately afterwards, the ministers who supported King Li, as well as some ministers who originally supported King Tian but now completely switched to King Li's faction, also jumped out to support the queen.
It is said that the queen is the master of the harem, and now she is also assisting in government affairs. During this critical period, it is okay to sit on the dragon's throne.
Just like that, there was a noise in the main hall, and the ministers were divided into two groups, making a big fuss.
Emperor Chen, who was lying there pretending to be dead, was almost pounding his head from the noise, but after listening to the ministers' words, he gradually became less wary of the queen.
After all, these are extraordinary times. The Queen is barely the ruler of the world, so he can accept sitting on the dragon throne.
Listening to this farce, Chen Keyan also had new ideas in her heart, and said to herself:
"Although Zuo Pushe and others have taken refuge in the Queen, judging from this incident, they still stick to their true intentions. Furthermore, they do not know the Queen's insidiousness... they can barely be forgiven."
"..."
Gradually, the noise in the hall stopped.
The ministers accepted the fact that the queen was sitting on the throne.
Concubine Wang snorted coldly and did not intend to continue "pursuing" the matter.
The queen was very satisfied when she saw this. She sat upright on the dragon chair, with a faint smile on her lips, trying to maintain a friendly tone, and discussed Emperor Chen's "future affairs" with the ministers.
Soon, they reached a consensus and drafted a set of regulations, and various preparations were assigned on the spot, such as the preparation of coffins, shrouds, mausoleums, etc.
After the matter was dealt with, the hall fell into silence again.
Everyone looked at each other, and the atmosphere of conspiracy gradually spread.
The eunuchs and maids shrank their heads a little more, sensing something unusual in the atmosphere.
Because next, it’s time to decide on the future new king.
Chen Di was obviously aware of this. Although he was lying there quietly "pretending to be dead", he was still very energetic. The critical moment had finally arrived, and the mastermind behind the scenes was about to show up!
Chen Keyan and King Tian were also nervous. They had been planning for many days and were waiting for this moment. The fish was about to take the bait.
After a while of silence in the hall, the queen's voice suddenly sounded. The gentle and kind feeling disappeared, revealing an unquestionable feeling:
"Someone, go and invite King Li into the palace and bring him here!"
