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Chapter 602: Quelling the Rebellion (Part )

What is Chen Changshi's mood at this moment?
Several decades ago, he followed the King of Nanyang to Nanyang County and became the Chief Clerk of the Nanyang Palace. The master and the minister got along well and had a close personal relationship, and his life in the Nanyang Palace was smooth and comfortable.

However, when the Prince of Nanyang died, only the young princess was left in the Nanyang Palace, and he, as the chief secretary, felt like he was carrying a heavy burden. He managed the palace's external affairs, maintained good relations with the court officials, and kept sending generous gifts, all of which took great pains.

Whether it was Minister Dong or Minister Yang, in the past, it was always him, the chief official of the palace, who bowed his head and bent his waist to show his respect. But at this moment, the two of them took the initiative to bow to him to show their respect.

As the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Nanyang's Palace, he relied on the power of his own princess and calmly stood in the Zhaohe Hall where all the officials of Daliang gathered, accepting the complicated gazes of everyone.

Chen Changshi has lived for more than fifty years and boasted that his heart was like a deep pool. But today, this pool of water was boiling uncontrollably. It seemed that a greater and unspeakable future was waiting for him.

Chen Changshi calmed himself, stepped forward, and returned the greeting with a bow: "Minister Dong and Minister Yang are so polite, I am ashamed to accept it."

Following the precedents of Assistant Minister Dong and Assistant Minister Yang, other officials soon followed suit by bowing and greeting each other.

Prime Minister Wang, who was seriously injured, had already passed out and was unfortunately unable to see this scene. Minister Li, who was carried aside, had his eyes smeared with blood. The future of the Li family was likely to be completely bleak with the death of Minister Li and his grandson. The father and son of Duke Anguo were taken away by Jiang Shaohua and never returned to the Showa Hall.

Now in the Zhaohe Hall, the highest-ranking civil officials are Zhang Shangshu, Dai Shangshu, Zhou Shangshu and Ji Shangshu.

The first three had always been at odds with Prime Minister Wang, so they would not lower their status to show goodwill to Chen Changshi. But Minister Ji stepped forward tremblingly and sighed to Chen Changshi: "During this rebellion, we were all held hostage by the rebels, and our lives were in danger. Fortunately, we were saved by the princess. In the future, if the princess has any orders, I will do my best."

Chen Changshi replied sternly, "The princess has great righteousness in her heart and will never seek repayment for a favor. Please rest assured, Minister Ji."

Minister Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it would be good if he didn't ask for anything in return. The Daliang Ministry of Revenue was so poor that there was really nothing he could give back to the princess. Besides, after this turmoil, it was unknown how long it would take for the imperial court to recover. There were many places that relied on the princess now!

Some military generals were much more straightforward and frank.

General Bao was carried aside to be treated for his injuries. General Zuo and others were less seriously injured and could still speak. They all expressed their gratitude to Chen Changshi.

Chen Changshi responded one by one, and then solemnly introduced Cui Du to the ministers: "This is the Earl of Changning."

Is this Cui Du, the husband of Princess Nanyang?

The ministers looked at Cui Du with scrutiny and criticism in their eyes.

Regardless of whether the ministers were convinced or not, they had to admit that Jiang Shaohua was powerful. This time, their lives were collectively saved, so they had to accept the favor of the princess. Now when they looked at the princess's son-in-law, they were particularly picky and harsh.

He was of medium height, his skin was not white enough, he looked a little rough, and his appearance was barely acceptable! If the princess had not been looking for a son-in-law, each family would have had outstanding young men, so how could this boy have been chosen?
Being stared at by so many people, Cui Du did not show any embarrassment or panic at all. He calmly and openly bowed to the ministers.

Why are they so picky?

As long as the princess likes him, that's enough.

There was nothing much to say next. The palace turmoil had not yet been completely quelled, the situation was unclear, and all we could do was wait.

……

We waited until dark.

There were more than a dozen palace lanterns in the hall, all of which were lit.

There was no food or water. Everyone was hungry and thirsty, waiting until they were exhausted and dizzy. The initial shock and fear were all worn away in the long wait. Most of the people gathered in groups of three or five and spoke in low voices. "The prime minister has not woken up yet. I wonder if he can survive this disaster." Shangshu Zhang looked worried, his brows almost twisted into a knot: "What if something happens to the prime minister? What should we do in the future?"

There was something ominous about these words, and there was also a hint of ambition to replace them.

Minister Zhou glanced at Minister Zhang and said nothing.

Minister Dai has the most seniority and is also the best personal friend of Prime Minister Wang. Hearing this, he felt unhappy and snorted, "What nonsense! Prime Minister Wang has seen a lot of storms and will definitely make it through it."

Minister Zhang was frustrated and had to change the subject, lowering his voice: "In your opinion, is there any connection between today's incident and Mr. Zheng?"

There are no fools who can get into the court and become the minister of six ministries. Zheng Chen's words and actions today have revealed clues.

Minister Zhou's eyes flickered, and he whispered, "This case of treason will be strictly investigated. Whoever is the treacherous villain will be exposed."

Minister Dai was mature and thought more deeply. He sighed and said, "It's not as simple as you say. With the Empress Dowager here, who can touch the Zheng family?"

That's the end of this topic.

Dai Shangshu glanced in the direction of Prince Ping. Prince Ping was completely frightened today. Since Jiang Shaohua left, he has been sitting in the corner blankly, not crying or moving.

He was stupid to begin with, and now he looks even more stupid.

It just so happened that Prince Ping was the younger brother of Emperor Taihe Jiang Song. Since the emperor had no children, it was only natural that the throne should be passed down from brother to brother. It was really depressing to think that such a fool would sit on the throne of the Liang Dynasty in the future.

Noisy footsteps sounded.

The confused ministers stood up subconsciously.

The palace door was pushed open, and a slender figure walked in first.

Covered in blood, full of murderous intent, with cold eyes and an imposing manner, it was none other than Jiang Shaohua, the Princess of Nanyang.

Then, two blood-stained generals followed Jiang Shaohua into the Zhaohe Hall. One was Song Yuan, and the other was Ma Ji, the deputy commander of the imperial guards.

Chen Changshi immediately stepped forward to greet him.

Cui Du was originally walking the fastest, but then he suddenly realized something and deliberately slowed down his pace to give Chen Changshi two steps.

He is the princess' husband, yes. But right now, the princess doesn't need his concern and greetings. His presence will remind everyone again and again that Jiang Shaohua is a woman who shouldn't appear in the Showa Hall.

Chen Changshi noticed this detail and felt even more admiration for Cui Du.

Cui Du is a truly smart man. He is usually careless, but that is because he is indifferent to power. In fact, he is very clear-headed, knows everything, and is very sensible.

"Princess, what is the current situation in the palace?" Chen Changshi asked the most concerned question on behalf of all the ministers.

Jiang Shaohua glanced at them and said, "We have been searching and killing people in the palace for half a day, and now the rebels have been basically eradicated. There may be some fish that have slipped through the net and are hiding. However, there should not be many people, and they will not cause any trouble."