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Chapter 603: Quelling the Rebellion (Part )

Jiang Shaohua's words were clearly heard by everyone.

The ministers' eyes were all filled with tears. Some of them started crying. The crying was the most contagious, and those who had been trying hard to hold back their grief also started crying.

These are tears of relief, but also sorrow for the decline of Daliang's national fortune.

Chen Changshi keenly noticed that someone was missing: "Where did Duke Anguo go?"

"The fighting was fierce today, and he was accidentally slashed by the rebels and was injured." Jiang Shaohua said calmly: "He is now being carried outside the palace to heal his wounds."

Chen Changshi and the princess looked at each other and asked no more questions.

The life or death of Duke Anguo is not that important. Of course, it would be best if he died. Without the support of the Zheng father and son, Empress Dowager Zheng would naturally rely more on the princess. This would be more beneficial to the princess.

Jiang Shaohua walked up to Cui Du and said softly, "Follow me and kowtow to my cousin."

Cui Du nodded and followed Jiang Shaohua to the coffin.

On this day, the mourning hall had experienced rebellion and killing, but no one moved the huge, solid coffin containing the emperor's body.

Emperor Taihe just lay in the coffin. In order to keep the body from decaying, a lot of ice was put in the coffin, which was changed every day. However, after a long time, there were still faint signs of decay and a bad smell.

Jiang Shaohua's smell was not good either. She had been killing people with her spear all day, and she had killed countless people. Her clothes were almost soaked with the blood of the traitors, and the smell of blood was strong.

She knelt in front of the coffin, kowtowed three times, and said softly, "Cousin, I'm here."

Cui Du also knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I am here too."

All the ministers cried bitterly, but Jiang Shaohua did not cry.

Her sorrow turned into tears when she heard the news of Emperor Taihe's death. She had been rushing on the road these days, and today she encountered a rebellion when she entered the palace, killing people all day. She couldn't cry now, kneeling in front of the coffin, she only felt endless fatigue and sorrow.

King Ping Jiang Hao, who had been sitting in the corner blankly, crawled to Jiang Shaohua like an abandoned puppy and reached out to grab Jiang Shaohua's sleeve.

Jiang Shaohua turned around and looked at Jiang Hao: "Don't be afraid, I have killed all the bad guys, no one dares to hurt you again."

Jiang Hao didn’t know whether he understood or not, he pouted and burst into tears.

His cry was extremely loud and sharp, drilling into people's eardrums and making their ears hurt.

Jiang Shaohua rarely disliked Jiang Hao. He reached out and patted Jiang Hao on the back: "Have a good cry. After crying, wipe your tears and let your cousin close his eyes and die peacefully."

Jiang Hao didn't understand what was saying, so he threw himself into Jiang Shaohua's arms and continued crying.

The palace door was pushed open again.

An old, staggering figure was supported into the Showa Hall. The ministers had no time to wipe their tears or to greet him.

No one cared about these etiquettes at this time.

Empress Dowager Zheng had disheveled hair and red eyes, and she struggled to walk to the coffin.

Jiang Shaohua was still kneeling, and Prince Ping was still crying. Empress Dowager Zheng supported the coffin, looking at her eldest grandson lying in the coffin, two lines of turbid old tears kept falling.

The saddest thing in the world is for the elderly to send off their loved ones. Empress Dowager Zheng lost her son three years ago, and now her eldest grandson and granddaughter are also dead. The only bloodline left is the ignorant Prince Ping. She is filled with misery and helplessness.

Empress Dowager Zheng cried for a long time and almost fainted.

Jiang Shaohua finally spoke in a low voice: "Grandma, now is not the time to indulge in sadness. We need to come up with a plan now." "The bodies of the traitors who were killed today must be identified and recorded one by one, and those who should be implicated must not be let off."

"There are still some traitors hiding in the dark corners of the palace. We must find them all and kill them all to prevent future troubles."

"My cousin's body is still warm, and the funeral must continue."

"In addition, there are some officials who died at the hands of the rebels today. It is time to inform their families and take their bodies back."

There are so many things to deal with, one after another, and someone has to worry about them. The most important thing is that someone has to calm the situation and people's hearts. At this time, there must be no more chaos.

Empress Dowager Zheng subconsciously wanted to search for the figure of Duke Anguo. Then she thought of the evil Zheng Chen, and she didn't know whether the Zheng family could escape. Duke Anguo should not be high-profile, and he might not be able to convince the public.

Prime Minister Wang? No, we must not let that old man take charge.

As for the royal family, Jiang Yi had been executed for treason, and the King of Gaoliang was implicated and could not escape death. The other princes were not trustworthy either. They might be the next Jiang Yi.

After much thought, the most trustworthy, loyal and reliable person is none other than Jiang Shaohua.

The most important thing is that Jiang Shaohua is a woman and cannot snatch the throne away. After the funeral of Emperor Taihe is over, Prince Ping will be able to ascend the throne smoothly with the support of Jiang Shaohua.

This is the most secret thought in Empress Dowager Zheng’s heart.

Empress Dowager Zheng reached out and held Jiang Shaohua's hand: "Shaohua, I am old and useless, so I will leave these matters to you. Just go ahead and do it. If anyone dares to cause trouble, you can deal with it directly."

Jiang Shaohua knew exactly what the Empress Dowager Zheng was thinking. Right now, she also needed the support of the Empress Dowager Zheng.

Jiang Shaohua nodded in agreement.

The ministers were reluctant and no one said a word, obviously they all agreed to this arrangement.

King Ping cried himself to death and fell asleep. Jiang Shaohua handed King Ping to Cui Du and then got up to arrange everything.

"Minister Dai, Minister Yang, the Ministry of Justice will immediately open a case. You will lead everyone in the Ministry of Justice to enter the names and identities of the traitors into the register one by one."

Minister Dai, who was seventy years old, responded tremblingly. Minister Yang, on the other hand, was full of energy and responded promptly and decisively.

Jiang Shaohua called Ma Ji and said, "Thank you, General Ma. Send people to search every part of the palace. If you find anyone acting suspiciously, kill them without mercy."

During this half day, Ma Ji was filled with admiration for the princess, who had amazing powers, extraordinary skills, and decisiveness in killing. He accepted the order without saying a word.

Jiang Shaohua also instructed Minister Dong: "The emperor's funeral must continue. Minister Li died at the hands of the traitor, so please ask Minister Dong to be in charge of the funeral."

Minister Dong bowed and accepted the order.

Then, Jiang Shaohua asked people to count the names of the ministers who died at the hands of the traitors and sent the funeral letter. Today was simple, as all the noble ladies were in Jingyang Palace, so the funeral letter could be sent directly.

There were many injured people among the Royal Guards, so all the able-bodied doctors in the palace had to be sent over.

After arranging all this, Jiang Shaohua sent someone to serve the meal to the imperial kitchen.

The rebels were fighting in the palace, and two rebels also rushed into the imperial kitchen, killing three of the imperial chefs. The few who were still able to move trembled as they steamed the cold steamed buns and cooked a pot of cabbage and tofu soup.

During the funeral, no meat or fish was allowed. The officials, who had been hungry all day, finally had a bite of steamed bun and a sip of hot soup in the middle of the night. Somehow, my eyes became hot again.

……