Chapter 16 My Lord!
Yuan Hua narrowed his phoenix eyes, looking at the few eunuchs trembling like leaves, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"Gone?"
She said calmly, "Since they have the ability to disappear within the palace, they must have been prepared beforehand. There's no need to worry about it."
"ah?"
The young eunuch in the lead suddenly looked up, his face filled with bewilderment and disbelief.
Just give up?
Are we just going to let it go like that?
This is the Crown Prince and a wanted criminal escaping from prison! They had already imagined what it would be like to have their heads on the line, and the Empress Dowager just casually brushed it off with a single sentence?
Yuan Hua sneered inwardly.
Manage? How do you manage it?
Are you going to challenge the will of Heaven?
She knew better than anyone that those two guys, as the male and female protagonists of this book, were protected by the Heavenly Dao in the early stages. Let alone a mere Heavenly Prison, they could even find a way out of the guillotine.
They ran away, so be it.
Since the poison has already been administered, the male and female leads will need to put in some effort to detoxify themselves, so they won't be able to cause trouble for a while.
This saves her the trouble of dealing with it, and also allows her beloved granddaughter to eat more melons and use the points to properly treat her frail body that has been weak since childhood.
No matter who the male or female lead is, or what the plot is, nothing is more important than her Ningning!
On the dragon throne, Yu Zhaoning swung her short legs, looking sullen on the surface, but actually muttering to herself in her heart.
[Wow! The male and female leads ran away?!]
[Are they heading to some remote mountain village? The protagonist, suddenly struck by inspiration, gathers a group of henchmen, fights his way back to the capital, and seizes my throne?]
Yu Zhaoning pouted slightly, clearly dissatisfied.
[Hmph! Dream on! My dragon throne is edged with gold; I won't let them sit on it!]
As Yuan Hua listened to his granddaughter's heartfelt words, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.
That's right, no one can take Ningning's dragon throne away.
The civil and military officials in the main hall had all sorts of thoughts and expressions, which were quite varied.
Those old ministers who had secretly pledged their allegiance to the Crown Prince now wished they could bury their heads in the ground.
It's over!
The legitimate dynasty they pledged allegiance to was actually the offspring of the enemy emperor!
If this gets out, they'll be utterly disgraced for life! How will history books record them? They'll be described as "blind as dogs"—that's the only way they'll escape the judgment!
Among the crowd, only the elderly Grand Tutor Wang An, with his white hair and beard, had an upright and unyielding expression.
His brows furrowed, and his mind began to stir.
The food problem has been temporarily solved, but the struggle over the foundation of the nation remains!
What kind of behavior is it for a four-year-old girl to be an emperor! Sitting on the dragon throne all day, what can she do besides drink milk and eat snacks?
The throne of Dayu will eventually be handed over to the prince!
The old tutor quickly made a decision in his mind.
If the eldest prince is deposed, isn't there still the second prince?
The Second Prince, Yu Jinghong, is ten years old this year. I have heard that he is excellent in both learning and character. It is the right path for him to inherit the throne!
Yes! That's what we'll do!
A glint of light flashed in the old tutor's cloudy eyes. He quietly moved closer to Prime Minister Lin and lowered his voice.
"Prime Minister Lin, look..."
He didn't care about saving face at all, and kept trying to persuade me with all his heart.
"Prime Minister Lin, a woman as emperor violates ancestral rites and laws! The Second Prince is benevolent, filial, and intelligent, and is capable of shouldering great responsibilities. As his trusted ministers, we should set things right and advise Your Majesty..."
"Lord Wang."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xiang subtly took a large step to the side, widening the distance between them, his tone both distant and polite.
"Your Majesty is the chosen one of Heaven, a miracle bestowed upon the world. We, as your subjects, can only do our utmost to assist you."
After saying that, he stopped looking at the old tutor, as if the person beside him was some kind of monster.
Grand Tutor: "?"
He stood there, stunned, staring at Lin Xiang's indifferent back, a lump in his throat, almost unable to breathe.
Has Lin Qingyan taken the wrong medicine today?
Wasn't he just like him before, having many reservations about the Empress's ascension to the throne? How come he's suddenly like a completely different person!
Lin Xiang sneered inwardly.
Old man, still clinging to ancestral rituals!
Your backyard is practically on fire, your daughter is about to commit suicide for a poor scholar, and you still have the mind to worry about the succession to the throne.
With a brain like that, you think you can win me over?
I, Lin Qingyan, am destined to assist the Empress of Heavenly Mandate in the future. I have no intention of working with a foolish and stubborn old man like you!
…
The bell tolled to signal the end of the court session.
The old Grand Tutor, seething with anger, walked out of the palace gate and got into his own carriage.
"Go to Vice Minister Li's residence!" he ordered with a gloomy face.
If Lin Qingyan doesn't side with him, he can win over others! He's not the only one in the court who disapproves of the Empress's rule!
The carriage was about to start.
"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"
In the distance, a servant came stumbling and crawling, his cries heart-wrenching.
"Oh no! Miss Jiao Niang, she's trying to kill herself again!"
The old tutor's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind.
He flung open the carriage curtain and roared, "What is it now! What trouble has that rebellious daughter caused this time!"
The servant sobbed uncontrollably, "Miss has taken a new fancy to a poor, pedantic scholar, but he never shows up. Miss thought it was your doing, Master, so she chased him away and is now clutching the largest ancestral tablet in the mansion, threatening to hang herself!!"
"puff!"
The old tutor felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Hanging himself while holding his ancestral tablet?
That wretched child! She wants to make the ancestors of the Wang family die with their eyes wide open in disgrace!
"Turn around! Go back to the mansion! Quickly!!"
The old Grand Tutor's roar echoed through the palace gates. The luxurious carriage spun around on the spot, nearly causing the horses pulling it to twist their backs. Then, it turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared without a trace in a cloud of dust.
Not far away, Lin Xiang, who had just stepped down the stairs, took in the whole scene with a calm expression.
The servant beside him stared in disbelief and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"My lord, why did you ignore the old tutor before? Didn't you always work with him..."
Lin Xiang withdrew his gaze from the distance, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"In the past, it was out of necessity."
He straightened his sleeves, his voice clear and cold like jade striking each other.
"And now, I have a true lord."
The servant was taken aback: "Master?"
Lin Xiang looked up, gazing into the depths of the magnificent palace, and spoke each word with resounding force.
"Anyone who dares to overthrow the sovereign's empire..."
"I will surely slay him with my sword!"
After saying that, he suddenly flicked his sleeve, exuding an imposing aura.
"Someone come here!"
"Pass down the message: I, the Prime Minister, request an audience with His Majesty!"
The servant was completely dumbfounded.
He stared in shock, mouth agape, at his prime minister's tall and straight back, his mind reeling.
Lord?
Cut it with a sharp sword?
Requesting an audience with His Majesty?
Could it be that the ruler in the Prime Minister's heart, whom he was willing to be an enemy of the entire traditional aristocratic family, is the four-year-old empress on the dragon throne?
That can't be right.
What exactly happened in the imperial court today?
It seems that things are really about to change!