Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 789 Kicked Over
The Empress could not rival the Empress Dowager. No matter what, she was their mother, the Empress Dowager of the Great Liang.

The Empress Dowager not only raised the Emperor to adulthood, but also helped him ascend the throne. When the late Emperor was ill, it was the Empress Dowager who temporarily ruled the government and stabilized the political situation in Liang.

As soon as the Empress Dowager arrives, the Empress knows that she will return empty-handed, unless the Emperor strongly opposes it and refuses to let the Empress Dowager come forward.

The Empress subconsciously looked at the Emperor, but the imperial physicians and palace servants blocked her view of his bedside. However, it didn't matter. Even if the Emperor could speak, let alone not be able to, he might not necessarily support her.

The Empress clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and to hide her nervousness, she used it to wipe her eyes, pretending to be extremely sad, which could be considered as showing weakness to the Empress Dowager. However, the Empress Dowager was clearly not going to let her off the hook.

"Is the Empress in a hurry?"

When the Empress Dowager's voice came, the Empress's back stiffened. Her words were pointed and could be interpreted as her concern for the Emperor's health or her anxiety about gaining power.

"You are the Empress," the Empress Dowager said. "No matter what, you will always be the Empress of Great Liang, and you will eventually live in the Cining Palace. As long as the Great Liang is well, you can continue to be a model of virtue for the people and be revered by them. On the contrary, if you cause trouble for your own selfish interests, let alone what will happen in the future..."

The Empress Dowager paused for a moment before saying, "Your comfortable days are over now."

The Empress's hair stood on end, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to kneel down. She hurriedly said to the Empress Dowager, "This concubine dares not, this concubine absolutely did not mean that. This concubine hopes for the eternal prosperity of the Great Liang Dynasty and would never do anything harmful to the Great Liang Dynasty."

The Empress Dowager looked at the Empress with a calm gaze, yet her gaze felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making it hard for the Empress to breathe. After a long while, she said, "I am teaching you. You must listen carefully and learn well."

The Empress replied, "I understand."

She thought that by admitting her mistake, she could get through this ordeal, but to her surprise, the Empress Dowager's voice rang out again, even more authoritative than before: "You don't understand."

"Aside from your gentle nature, you have no other strengths, making you quite difficult to teach."

These words made the Empress's face flush red.

"The Emperor is benevolent; he placed you under house arrest for your own good, yet you've gone even further. What? Do you think your mother's family is too large?"

The Empress gasped, unable to hold back any longer, and knelt before the Empress Dowager.

"Mother, I was wrong." The Empress's shoulders trembled, as if she were extremely frightened.

"What did you do wrong?" the Empress Dowager pressed. "Who told you to cause trouble in the Funing Palace?"

The empress opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't speak. If she were to implicate the Prince of Qin, it would confirm her wicked intentions, and what good could come of that?

Seeing the Empress's pathetic state, the Empress Dowager was furious and raised her foot to kick the Empress...

This scene truly shocked Wang Bingchen and the others standing nearby. If these officials were to see the Empress in such a state, how could she possibly save face?

Fortunately, they were prepared. When the Empress knelt down, they quietly retreated. The master of ceremonies beside the Empress Dowager also had a screen brought over to separate the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

When the screen was set up, the master of ceremonies breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the habit from many years ago had stuck; if it had been any later, the Empress would have fallen at everyone's feet. Thinking this, she looked at the Empress Dowager again. Despite not using her legs for many years, the Empress Dowager still kicked people with such ease.

"I misjudged you too," the Empress Dowager said sternly. "I thought you were just stupid before, but now it seems you are ruthless. Even if you and the Emperor were not an ordinary couple, there should still be some affection between you. The Emperor has just fallen, and you have already started to plan for yourself. It's one thing to secretly harbor those little thoughts, but to do it in front of everyone is another."

"You think I didn't give you face? You've forgotten your place."

The Empress fell to the ground, looking utterly disheveled. Her face was filled with astonishment, and before she could even process what was happening, the Empress Dowager's tirade overwhelmed her. The Empress trembled violently, and the palace servants dared not approach to help her up.

The Empress Dowager then asked, "Do you have anything to say to me?"

The Queen was thrown into a panic and turned to look for the King of Qin, but he had already left.

"Tell me, who is it?" the Empress Dowager asked again.

The Empress is afraid of the Empress Dowager, but isn't she afraid of the Prince of Qin? If she speaks out now, the Prince of Qin will be the first to settle scores with her when he inherits the throne.

The Empress remained silent, and the Empress Dowager said, "Even if you don't say it, I already know."

“It’s not just you. All those officials kneeling at Xuande Gate have ulterior motives, especially that censor Feng Xiao who was dragged out.”

"Others may not know the inside story, but he always seems to know about the Emperor's illness when he enters and leaves the Funing Palace. Yet he still gathers his accomplices to force the Emperor to abdicate at this time. Isn't he just taking advantage of the fact that the Emperor can't punish them right now?"

"Your Majesty cannot. I, the Empress Dowager, am still alive. I will not allow these treacherous officials to cause trouble."

After saying this, the Empress Dowager suddenly smiled again: "The prime minister must care about his reputation and cannot kill them. Otherwise, even if he does the right thing, he will not be able to stand firm in the Secretariat in the future. I cannot let the prime minister bear this responsibility."

"After thinking it over, the only one whose hands are stained with blood is me, the Empress Dowager."

The empress turned pale upon hearing this.

The Empress Dowager said, “I have no biological children, and my maternal clan has long since fallen into ruin. The only people close to me are these few palace maids. I have lived in Cining Palace for many years, and I am already tired of all that glory and wealth. In addition, I am old and a woman. Even if I do good deeds, no one will believe me. I might as well do what I want. As for how they curse me after I die, that is their business and has nothing to do with me.”

The Empress understood what the Empress Dowager wanted to do, but dared not speak up to stop her.

The Empress Dowager looked at the master of ceremonies, who understood and brought Xu En in.

The Empress Dowager instructed, "Go to Xuande Gate, seize those treacherous officials, and take them to the Dali Temple for imprisonment."

Xu En accepted the order.

The Empress Dowager added, "It's best not to let them die at the palace gate, so that the palace servants and eunuchs can clean up the bloodstains, which is a lot of trouble. As for whether they should die in prison, that's up to them."

Xu En strode out. The commander of the Palace Guard outside, seeing Xu En leave, immediately looked at the King of Qin beside him. The King of Qin also barely managed to maintain his composure.

The Empress Dowager then instructed Eunuch Jiang: "All the eunuchs and palace servants guarding the Empress's palace should be punished. Tell them that if they fail to perform their duties properly, keeping their lives is of no use."

Before Jiang, the eunuch, could leave, the Empress Dowager's gaze shifted to the Empress again: "The Great Liang has never lacked empresses. Countless people want to have this title. They've all spent their entire lives in the palace. Who doesn't want to bring glory to their maternal family and receive more worship after their death? Ask yourself honestly, what do you have that they don't?"

This time, the Empress truly shed tears. She choked back sobs and dared not speak again. Only when two eunuchs came to fetch her did she walk out of the Funing Palace, looking utterly dejected.

"Alright," the Empress Dowager looked out of the hall, "I know you are all very anxious. There's still a long day ahead, let's deal with it one by one."

The master of ceremonies removed the screen, opened the doors of the Funing Hall, and waited for the people outside to enter.

(End of this chapter)