wear it lord god

Chapter 2682 Being an Empress Isn't Easy 28
The emperor was assassinated, and the timing of his death was truly unfortunate—on New Year's Eve.

The palace was in chaos. Upon hearing that the emperor had died, the empress dowager fainted.

Xining had no choice but to stand up straight, after all, she was the one who killed the emperor. There was no other way; this was the best opportunity to kill him.

Liu Cheng probably never expected that assassins wouldn't rest even on New Year's Eve. He also didn't expect that the Empress would be able to kill him after the ritual to the gods.

Because I'm the supreme deity, nothing is forbidden.

The emperor's body was placed directly in the adjacent Chuxiu Palace, and a larger palace was set up as a mourning hall.

Originally, they should have gone to Chang Le Palace, where the emperor lived, but then they thought that after the original owner's son became emperor, he would still need to live in Chang Le Palace. The thought of leaving his own father's corpse was too disgusting.

While preparing the emperor's remains, Xining issued an imperial edict ordering all palace servants to attend the New Year's Eve dinner and to invite the Empress Dowager.

"This... the Empress Dowager might blame me," Qiu Shi said, looking quite troubled.

"Have Zhang Shanzhong go and invite her. If the Empress Dowager asks, just say that she still wants to eat, and that she can use the meal to think about what to do next," Xi Ning said as she changed her blood-stained court robes into white mourning clothes.

Zhang Shanzhong was directing people to prepare Liu Cheng's remains at Chuxiu Palace, crying and refusing to leave, saying that His Majesty needed someone to accompany him.

Qiu Shi grew impatient and pulled Zhang Shanzhong aside: "Uncle, do you plan to accompany the late emperor afterward, or go to the imperial mausoleum to keep vigil? Her Majesty the Empress once said that you are a capable man and can be of great use."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shanzhong shuddered and immediately wiped away his tears as he walked out: "Your Majesty, this old servant will go to the Empress Dowager's place first to see how she is doing, and will be back in a little while. You must take good care of His Majesty, make sure he is clean and tidy, because I will be back to see him soon!"

He's definitely a smart man; he didn't waste those years in the palace, managing to climb so high.

The atmosphere during the meal was very somber. All the concubines had changed into mourning clothes, and there was no singing or dancing. There was no festive atmosphere at all.

Not to mention the palace, there was at least a hundred days of national mourning outside the palace, during which singing, dancing, talking, laughing, weddings, and funerals were forbidden.

The Empress Dowager, who had supposedly "fainted," also arrived. She was dressed in white mourning clothes, but still wore her phoenix crown. Although her face was haggard, her eyes were bright and full of ambition. She looked just like the late emperor when Liu Cheng was about to ascend the throne.

The Grand Tutor's informant in the palace has reported to Changqiu Palace that during the Empress Dowager's "coma," she wrote a secret letter to Consort Xiao's father, the Left Vice Minister of War, plotting to kill the Crown Prince and install Consort Lü's one-year-old son on the throne. She and Vice Minister Xiao would jointly preside over the court and assist the new emperor.

Not to mention the Empress Dowager, Consort Cui is also making moves, and has already informed her father of the matter.

The three high officials quickly sprang into action, using every means at their disposal—carriers and messengers—to send messengers in several directions to notify the Crown Prince to return to the capital. Then, they led their families out of the city, dispersing in three directions: north, south, and east.

Halfway through the meal, a large number of fully armed Imperial Guards suddenly entered, their armor clanking as they moved, their swords gleaming coldly.

Many concubines screamed in fright and hid behind them, some even huddling together in groups of two or three, staring in horror as hundreds of imperial guards walked in so brazenly.

The commander of the Imperial Guards was surnamed Dou, and he was a person of Empress Dowager Dou.

Xi Ning slowly picked up a piece of meat and took a bite: "Commander Dou, what is the meaning of this?"

It's best not to say it's to kill me. If you dare to make a move here, I'll immediately take the Empress Dowager hostage and make her keep the Emperor company.

However, the Empress Dowager dares not do so yet; she must wait until things settle down, the reason being, of course, that she will die suddenly from grief. Alternatively, she may wait until the Crown Prince is framed for treason and executed, and then sentence an accomplice to death.

Commander Dou, dressed in full military uniform, tall and imposing with a full beard, clasped his hands in a fist salute to her: "Your Majesty, I have received orders that there may be unforeseen changes in the palace. The Empress and all the ladies are requested to remain in their respective palaces and not to leave without the Empress Dowager's decree."

"Oh, so you're going to be confined to your quarters?" Xi Ning stood up and straightened her clothes. "Then I'll head back. Come on, take all the leftover food back with you."

Dou Tong was taken aback by the Empress's cooperation, then clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Come, let's escort Your Majesty back to the palace." On the way back to the palace, he was escorted by more than a dozen imperial guards. The entire palace was eerily quiet, while outside, firecrackers were going off incessantly.

Back in the palace, she said to the terrified Qiu Shi, "Close the palace gates and have people guard them. No one is allowed to go out. Anyone found leaving without my orders should be beaten to death immediately."

The next day, the imperial relatives, officials, and their families dressed in their finest attire and arrived at Weiyang Palace early in the morning, awaiting an audience with the emperor and empress.

But as soon as they arrived, they were detained.

They met the Empress Dowager.

When they learned that Emperor Liu Cheng had died suddenly, everyone was stunned.

The Empress Dowager sat beside the empty dragon throne, dressed in mourning clothes and wearing a phoenix crown. She hadn't slept all night and drank a cup of ginseng soup to keep her energized.

The minister held the imperial edict and read aloud Liu Cheng's last will and testament.

The prince born to Consort Lü ascended the throne as emperor. Several officials from Empress Dowager Xiao's faction were appointed as the Three Dukes to assist the new emperor.

The other ministers then realized that the original Three Dukes were absent today, their whereabouts unknown. Not only the Three Dukes, but also the Wang clan members from the Empress's side were absent.

Subsequently, the Empress Dowager issued an edict strictly prohibiting the news of the emperor's death from spreading. The emperor's funeral was held three months later, and the new emperor ascended the throne on the same day.

Xining lay in her Thousand Autumns Palace, holding a hot water bottle, eating and sleeping as usual.

She's been using charcoal for food all the time, and even if she used less, it wouldn't bother her. The cabbages and greens harvested last autumn have all been dried and pickled. She's also bought a lot of grain, saying it's for seed planting, enough to last for half a year. The dozen or so hens in the coop lay seven or eight eggs a day. The fish in the pond are free to be caught.

All she needs to do now is wait quietly.

The Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince arrived at the northern border first. Even though he was so tired that he needed someone to help him walk, he still shakily came to the Crown Prince, knelt down with a thud, and tears streamed down his face: "Your Highness, Duke, I have finally met you!"

For over half a month, he traveled day and night, jostling in the carriage until he was dizzy and disoriented, the wheels frequently getting stuck in the snow of the North. It was truly an unbearable ordeal. What kind of life did he endure!

The Grand Tutor, along with his family and the Crown Princess who was about to give birth, went to the east to seek help from the students of the academy, so that the world would know that the emperor had died, the empress dowager was trying to seize power, and that she was plotting to murder the crown prince.

Led by the third son of the General of Zhennan, the Grand Tutor went south to find the General of Zhennan, who held military power. If the General of Zhennan sent troops to defend the emperor, then the Grand Tutor would become the Marquis of Zhennan.

Even if no troops are sent, it doesn't matter. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, his third son will be Princess Jiahe's husband.

But General Zhennan, that old fox, will definitely send troops to defend the emperor as soon as he takes into account that the crown prince and prince Wen are currently in the northern border, protected by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and 200,000 troops.

No sooner had the situation been explained than the messenger from the capital arrived with an imperial edict.

The envoy, holding the imperial edict, arrogantly ordered a group of people to come out and receive it.

As expected, the Crown Prince and Prince Wen disobeyed their father, the Emperor, and ordered them to commit suicide. The people of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion immediately returned to the capital to plead guilty.

"Your subject obeys the decree." The Crown Prince accepted the imperial edict with both hands and stood up. After opening the edict and glancing at it, he exclaimed, "The edict is fake!"

"How dare you falsely convey the imperial edict!" The generals under the Duke of Zhenguo drew their swords and slashed at the messenger as if slicing a melon.

The story my mother told me back then has really come true; I can't possibly fall for the same trick again.

After carefully reading it, the Crown Prince coldly laughed and threw the imperial edict, complete with all the annotations and seals, into the brazier used for warmth in the military tent: "You're forcing me to fight my way back to the capital!"