Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 788 Seizing Power
"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty."

The Empress knelt before the Emperor's sickbed and called out to him. The Emperor, who was lying on the bed, finally slowly opened his eyes.

"The Emperor is awake! The Emperor is awake!"

The Empress cried out joyfully, but secretly clenched her hands. No one knew that she was actually afraid the Emperor would really wake up. Even with the Dali Temple and the Xuande Gate incident protecting her, the Emperor would still punish her for trespassing. But even if Wang Bingchen fell, it would be of no use; what she wanted was to seize power.

There was no sound in the inner hall; everyone's eyes were fixed on the emperor on the couch.

The Emperor's gaze fell on the Empress's face, as if he wanted to say something, but his lips moved without making a sound. Then he looked at the rest of the people in the room.

The Empress broke out in a cold sweat. She straightened her back and stepped forward, intending to block the Emperor's gaze.

"Your Majesty, I am here. What do you wish to say?" The Empress feigned listening, then she saw the look of disgust rise on the Emperor's face.

The official gripped the bedding tightly, making a "hoarse" sound in his throat.

Seeing that the Emperor was speechless, the Empress felt much more at ease and simply took his hand: "Your Majesty, don't rush, take your time. Tell me, and I will pass on the message."

The Empress didn't dare to forge an imperial edict; she hoped the Emperor would lose faith in Wang Bingchen at the last moment. If the Emperor were still lucid, he should have heard the argument outside the palace. Even if the Emperor harbored the slightest resentment towards the Wang family, she could seize the opportunity.

The emperor struggled for a long time, but his gaze became somewhat unfocused, perhaps because the anger had taken its toll on his heart, and his condition worsened.

The Empress feigned tears, and only after the imperial physician came to examine her pulse did she reluctantly get up and turn to look at Wang Bingchen and the others.

"When I came to see His Majesty at Funing Palace before, His Majesty was clearly not like this," the Empress said. "How could his condition suddenly worsen, and why didn't you inform me? Apart from me, are the other officials still in the dark? Did they think that His Majesty would review all the memorials they submitted?"

Wang Bingchen stepped forward, looked at the Emperor carefully, and then said, "Earlier, Your Majesty was listening to our discussion of state affairs, and Your Majesty also spoke at that time."

The Empress said coldly, "Who are the people Minister Wang mentioned who participate in the deliberation of state affairs? Are they officials from the Secretariat whom you arranged?"

These words were full of doubt, and Wang Bingchen became extremely solemn upon hearing them: "Does Your Majesty doubt us, Your Majesty?"

"Seeing is believing," the Empress said. "His Majesty is clearly unable to speak, yet you all pretend nothing is wrong. Even if you can't report to me at any time, the Prince of Qin is always here. Have you informed the Prince of Qin?"

The Queen pointed at the King of Qin: "Ever since His Majesty fell ill, he has summoned the King of Qin to the palace. You should know what His Majesty means by this."

Wang Bingchen and the others understood that the Empress was eager to push the Prince of Qin to the throne. With the Empress in front of him, the Prince of Qin only needed to stand there and appear to be completely submissive to get the result he wanted.

Wang Bingchen said, "We are all doing what the Emperor ordered."

A contemptuous smile appeared on the Empress's lips: "What Minister Wang said is correct. In any case, the Emperor is speechless, and no one can refute you."

Since becoming prime minister, Wang Bingchen had always been relied upon by the emperor. This was the first time he had been questioned like this. He looked up at the empress, and the empress dared not continue speaking because of the integrity of a scholar and the majesty of a prime minister. If Wang Bingchen could not bear the humiliation and died in the palace, she would not be able to live a peaceful life for the rest of her life.

Wang Bingchen said, "Sage, why don't you just say what you want to do!"

Having reached this point, the Empress no longer concealed her intentions: "Your Majesty is unable to speak; according to ancestral rules, what should be done?"

Wang Bingchen frowned. The Emperor was ill, and it was not yet time for the new Emperor to ascend the throne. The Emperor should be in charge of governing.

The Empress did not want to give Wang Bingchen and the others time to discuss, and said directly, "From now on, I will live in Funing Palace."

This made her words quite clear. The Empress said, "As for the knocking at the Xuande Gate, it was all caused by Wang Yan. This matter is left to Prime Minister Wang to handle himself." These words sounded like a favor, but in reality, they were a way of getting rid of Wang Bingchen.

The Empress paused for a moment, then instructed: "Summon the newly appointed Privy Councilor and Hanlin Academician to handle the remaining government affairs."

After saying this, without waiting for Wang Bingchen's objection, she looked at the King of Qin and said, "King of Qin, please stay as well. There are many things that I cannot do in person and will need your help."

If these decrees are implemented, the entire Liang Dynasty will fall into the hands of the King of Qin and the Queen.

The Imperial Secretary hesitated, as it was not his place to speak in such an occasion with Prime Minister Wang present. However, Prime Minister Wang was being pressured by the Emperor to speak, and even if he wanted to, he had to properly handle the external affairs first.

The Empress looked at the eunuch. She had previously informed the Palace Guard that they would come in and take away Wang Bingchen and the others as soon as she gave the order.

The eunuch ran out, and a moment later a court attendant dressed in a brocade robe walked in.

The Empress waved her hand, giving Wang Bingchen a final bit of face: "This matter is of great importance, Prime Minister Wang, please do not delay any longer."

Wang Bingchen looked at the guards and asked, "Does the Emperor have an imperial edict to order the Palace Guard to act?"

The Empress said, "The situation is urgent. In order to stabilize the Liang Dynasty, I have no choice but to intervene in politics. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, how can I explain it to the Emperor?"

The Palace Guards approached again. The officials, including the Secretariat Attendants, looked at Wang Bingchen. The situation had come so suddenly that they were completely at a disadvantage and couldn't think of a way to turn things around.

As they faced off in the inner palace, a deep voice said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. If something really goes wrong, you won't need to take the blame."

The Empress's expression changed immediately, and she subconsciously looked at the Commander of the Palace Guard.

The commander of the Palace Guard also frowned. Before the two could exchange a single word, they saw the Empress Dowager walk into the inner hall. Standing beside her were two people: Xu En, a favorite of the Emperor, and the Prince of Huai.

The King of Qin's heart skipped a beat. He and his son had finally met under such circumstances. His previous guesses and suspicions had all come true. If he had known this would happen, he should have found an opportunity to get rid of this rebellious son.

The Empress Dowager first went to the inner chamber to see the Emperor, and then inquired about his pulse and condition from the imperial physician before returning to the side hall and sitting in the main seat.

The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea and looked at the Empress: "I remember that my son ordered the Empress to be confined to her quarters. Why is the Empress here?"

The Empress's face immediately turned ugly. She thought that as long as she acted quickly enough, it would be too late even if the Cining Palace found out. Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager still arrived at the most critical moment.

Despite having been involved in politics for many years, the Empress Dowager was not at all rusty; she first won over those trusted by the Emperor.

"Mother," the Empress whispered, "in times of emergency, we must act expediently... His Majesty is seriously ill, I'm afraid..."

The Empress Dowager had a serene and even somewhat kind expression, but in the Empress's eyes, it all turned into majesty.

The Empress Dowager said, "You are not the only sage in this palace. Even if the Emperor falls ill and it really comes to the point where he has the power to rule as regent, it is not your turn yet."

After saying this, she looked at Wang Bingchen and said, "Isn't it just a matter of knocking on the imperial gate at Xuande Gate? What dynasty hasn't done that? I was also impeached by the censor, and now I'm here perfectly fine, aren't I?"

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, her expression inscrutable: "When the Emperor is ill for a long time, naturally some people will get restless and want to stir up trouble. Let them be. Spring comes and winter goes, you can't expect sunny days all the time. Wind and rain are commonplace, life still has to go on, don't you think, Minister Wang?"

The Empress Dowager spoke to Wang Bingchen with a gentle smile, while the Commander of the Palace Guards standing to the side was already terrified and turned pale.

(End of this chapter)