spend time

General Sima bowed his hands in response, his voice somewhat bitter: "Grand Empress Dowager, I almost became the father-in-law of the rebels. At this moment, I am really not qualified to speak or express my opinion."

General Sima had relatively little experience among the military generals, but the fact that he was able to become the commander of an army was indeed the result of Emperor Taihe's intention to promote him.

Last year, Gaoliang Prince Jiang Yi came to ask for General Sima's daughter's hand in marriage, and General Sima gladly agreed to the marriage.

Who could have thought that Jiang Yi had evil intentions and raised an army to force the palace to rebel, and was killed on the spot by Jiang Shaohua. Fortunately, the wedding date was still a few months away, and my daughter had not yet married into the Gaoliang Palace. Otherwise, she would also be waiting to be beheaded.

Even now, General Sima was feeling uneasy. He was waiting for the new emperor to take the throne and deal with the serious case of treason. It was still unknown how much of the Sima family would be implicated.

How could General Sima have the mind to get involved in the fight for the throne?
The Empress Dowager Zheng was really angry. These military commanders who held military power had all received the grace of Emperor Taikang and Emperor Taihe, but now they all turned a deaf ear and dumb, and none of them was willing to clearly support Prince Ping.

In fact, this is because Empress Dowager Zheng was narrow-minded.

On that day, Jiang Shaohua rushed into the Zhaohe Hall with a gun, killed the rebels, and saved all the ministers. The arrogant generals were also impressed by the heroic demeanor of the princess. Apart from his birth, what else could King Ping compare to Jiang Shaohua? Why should they bow down to an ignorant fool?

Empress Dowager Zheng felt a pounding chest and was breathing rapidly. She turned around and looked around, and finally saw General Ma of the Imperial Guard. General Bao was not in court, and among the generals in the Imperial Guard, General Ma had the highest rank and was the most loyal.

"General Ma, pass on my order, have someone capture Jiang Shaohua immediately! I want her locked up in the Sky Prison!"

General Ma, who had always been loyal, was slow to respond when he heard the order.

"What? Are you going to rebel too?" Empress Dowager Zheng shouted angrily, "Did you hear what I said?"

General Ma sighed inwardly and had to bow his hands and say, "Grand Empress Dowager, please calm down! I have always been loyal and have no intention of rebelling."

"The princess is fighting for the throne in an upright manner!" At the critical moment, Minister Dong stood up and spoke passionately with his eloquence as a Minister of Rites for more than ten years: "How can you say you are plotting a rebellion? Please be careful with your words, Empress Dowager!"

Empress Dowager Zheng was extremely angry and stared at Minister Dong fiercely: "Minister Dong, what benefits did Jiang Shaohua promise you? You, an important official in the court, actually cheered her on! What happened in the palace today will be recorded in history. Do you still want to keep your dignity?"

Minister Dong said frankly: "Only the princess can control the civil and military officials. I am just one of them. The Empress Dowager insisted on letting Prince Ping ascend the throne. She was selfish and ignored the overall situation. I am afraid that if she leaves a name in history in the future, it may not be a good one!"

"You!" Empress Dowager Zheng almost fainted from anger.

Eunuch Zhao hurriedly supported Empress Dowager Zheng.

Minister Dong had made up his mind to support the princess, so he would not back down. He continued, "Women's involvement in politics also started with the Grand Empress Dowager. If the Grand Empress Dowager insisted that women should not be in charge of politics, where did the Grand Empress Dowager party in the court come from in recent years?"

"you……"

"Please open your eyes, Empress Dowager, and take a look. How many of the court officials support Prince Ping? And how many support the princess? If Empress Dowager insists on Prince Ping ascending the throne, how many people will be convinced? Who will assist in the administration, who can decide the court affairs, and who will seize the imperial power? All these will cause the court to fall apart."

"Please, Empress Dowager, consider the overall situation and choose the most suitable successor for Daliang!"

No matter what, if we want to establish a new emperor, we cannot avoid Empress Dowager Zheng.

After all, Empress Dowager Zheng was the oldest and most respected person in the royal family. According to clan etiquette, as long as Empress Dowager Zheng was determined to oppose it, Jiang Shaohua could not legitimately inherit the throne.

Empress Dowager Zheng's face turned pale, and it was obvious that she had made up her mind to oppose to the end.

Even if Minister Dong spoke eloquently and to the heavens, Empress Dowager Zheng would not agree to it, and there was nothing she could do. Jiang Shaohua might still be able to sit on the throne, so she would have to use some less aboveboard means... Suddenly, there was some noisy movement outside the door of the Golden Palace.

Who dares to disturb the grand court meeting?

Empress Dowager Zheng turned around with anger in her heart. Then she was shocked: "Li, why are you here?!"

The white-haired woman with thick gauze wrapped around her neck and who walked unsteadily relying on the support of palace servants was Empress Dowager Li.

The ministers were also shocked and bowed their hands in greeting: "Your Highness greets the Queen Mother."

Chen Changshi quickly looked at his princess.

Jiang Shaohua was obviously quite surprised. She stared at Empress Dowager Li silently, repeatedly speculating in her mind about her intentions.

Empress Dowager Li was supported and slowly walked to the side of Empress Dowager Zheng. She used all her strength to squeeze out a sentence: "Shaohua succeeds to the throne. If my son knew about it, he would definitely agree."

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue.

It was like a sudden explosion of thunder.

Not to mention the reactions of the ministers, just the Empress Dowager Zheng could hardly believe her ears.

"Li, are you crazy?" Empress Dowager Zheng didn't know that she was also like a mad woman at this moment: "What nonsense are you talking about!!!"

"Jiang Shaohua is a woman. How can a woman be an emperor!!!"

"The younger brother succeeds the elder brother! Prince Ping is the legitimate heir to the throne!"

King Ping?

What does it have to do with the Li family whether King Ping ascends the throne or not? And what does it have to do with her, the Queen Mother Li?
Her son was already dead, and the grandparents and grandchildren of the Li family also died in the palace coup. It didn't matter to her who was the emperor.

When Prince Ping ascends the throne, Concubine Fan Gui will be the Queen Mother. What good will that do to her? She doesn't want to be on an equal footing with Concubine Fan Gui, and she doesn't want to live the rest of her life at the mercy of Concubine Fan Gui.

In fact, she would rather give the throne to Jiang Shaohua, do him a huge favor, and benefit the Li family in the future.

Queen Mother Li looked at Queen Mother Zheng. She was so weak that she needed help to stand, but her aura was unyielding. She said, "Daliang has come to this point. The throne should belong to someone who is capable."

Empress Dowager Zheng was so angry that her whole body was shaking. She pointed at Empress Dowager Li and said, "You! You bastard!"

Empress Dowager Li didn't know where she got the strength from, and she actually replied: "I am considering the country and the people, and I have no selfish motives. Does the Empress Dowager dare to say that she has no selfish motives?"

Prince Ping is the bloodline of Empress Dowager Zheng, but Jiang Shaohua is more than one layer away. Empress Dowager Zheng insisted on making Prince Ping the new emperor, of course she had selfish motives, and they were extremely selfish.

Empress Dowager Zheng was so angry that she was completely speechless.

Empress Dowager Li slowly swept her eyes across everyone's faces: "I support Princess Nanyang as the new emperor!" (End of this chapter)