Qi State, the whole country mourns.
Cheng Zheng's death was no longer a secret, word spread from the palace, and soon the whole country knew the news.
Although Cheng Zheng is not an emperor, he has been a general who defended his home and country since the time of the first emperor. In the past few years, if it weren't for Cheng Zheng, Qi State might have been swallowed up by Beiming State long ago, even though he has an unspeakable relationship with his niece However, he was not from the Cheng family and had no blood relationship with the empress, so he could still be accepted in the country of Qi where the folk customs were open.
His death almost caused the people of the whole country to panic.
Zhao Yong is dead, and even Cheng Zheng is dead, what fate will Qi State face next
The palace is already a piece of plain.
Zhao Rao, who had been in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a day and a night, finally came out to meet the cabinet ministers and clan ministers to discuss the funeral affairs.
Everyone could see Zhao Rao's sadness, but she seemed unexpectedly calm, as if from the moment Cheng Zheng died, Zhao Rao was no longer the former Zhao Rao.
"The emperor wants to bury Mr. Cheng in... the imperial tomb?" The cabinet ministers were stunned when they heard Zhao Rao's words.
They all knew that Cheng Zheng had a close relationship with the empress, but it would be unthinkable to bury Cheng Zheng in the imperial tomb.
"Bury it in the imperial mausoleum first, build my mausoleum in the future, and then move Cheng Zheng's coffin in." Zhao Rao said in a low voice, her voice was not high-pitched, but it was majestic and resolute that no one dared to object to.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is inappropriate..." A minister raised an objection.
Zhao Rao's eyes were cold, "I'm not asking for your opinions, but ordering you to make arrangements like this."
"Cheng Zheng is not a member of the royal family, and he is not married to the emperor. If he is buried in the imperial tomb, he may not be able to explain to the ancestors." An old prince of the clan said with a frown.
"Uncle Wang, do you want to explain to the late emperor in person?" Zhao Rao asked lightly, "How to explain to the late emperor in the future is my business. If you feel that Cheng Zheng and I are short of a wedding, then Let’s have the wedding first, then the funeral.”
"..."
Zhao Rao's toughness caught all the ministers by surprise. With Cheng Zheng dead and Zhao Rao's biggest backer dead, she is even tougher than before. Isn't she afraid of the courtiers' resistance
"Your majesty, please think twice. It is fine to bury Lord Cheng in a grand manner, but it is absolutely impossible to bury him in the imperial tomb." A minister knelt down to stop Zhao Rao's decision.
The other ministers looked at each other, most of them were promoted by Cheng Zheng, Zhao Rao treated them well, they didn't want to embarrass Zhao Rao at this time.
"What if I insist on letting Cheng Zheng's coffin be buried in the imperial mausoleum?" Zhao Rao looked at the four ministers kneeling in front of her, two of them were cabinet ministers, and two were from the clan, and they all followed Cheng Zheng on weekdays. most debated.
Cheng Zheng put all his effort into just wanting to be with her when he was alive, but now that he's dead, if they can't be together after death, then what's the point of her being the emperor
Didn't he let her sit in this position at the beginning so that he could be together as he wanted
"The ministers have no choice but to resign, otherwise they will have no face to see the late emperor in the future." Cabinet Minister Wang Zhong said.
"Oh, I'm sure." Zhao Rao said lightly.
The other three ministers who hadn't spoken raised their heads suddenly, surprise flashed in their eyes, thinking that Zhao Rao would give in so easily.
"Song Hongao was called into the palace, and I ordered him to be the admiral of the Nine Gates, resume his previous official position, and join the cabinet." Zhao Rao looked at Wang Zhong expressionlessly, "Lord Wang, remember to send your official seal up."
"Your Majesty?" Wang Zhong was stunned, but Zhao Rao didn't even say a word to persuade him to stay.
Zhao Rao continued to look at the others, "Do you also want to resign?"
"Your Majesty, please don't go your own way." Old Prince Kang said sadly.
"I'm already the emperor, if I still want to be threatened by you, then what's the point of being the emperor, why don't you become the emperor?" Zhao Rao sneered, "If you want to resign, just resign, I will never If you want to keep people and threaten me with this, then you have miscalculated."
Wang Zhong stood up and said angrily, "Zhao Rao, you are the rooster in the morning, and now you don't care about the dignity of the royal family. You are not worthy to be the emperor of Qi."
"Whether I deserve it or not is not up to you." Zhao Rao smiled slightly, and let Ling Jian come in and pull Wang Zhong down.
Not long after, Song Hongao came.
Song Hongao was Zhao Yong's confidant. After he resigned, even Cheng Zheng was polite to him. Now that Zhao Rao wanted to reinstate him and become the admiral of the Nine Gates, he obviously wanted to win him over.
I don't know whether this Zhen Guohou, who can compete with Cheng Zheng, is willing to accept Zhao Rao's reuse.
"I have seen the emperor." Song Hongao walked into the hall calmly and bowed to Zhao Rao.
"Have you found it?" Zhao Rao saw him with cold eyes.
Song Hongao said, "I have already ordered people to block all checkpoints, but... I'm afraid it's a step too late."
Zhao Rao wanted him to stop Lu Yaoyao from leaving, and he also wanted to see her, but unfortunately, since Lu Yaoyao was able to kill Cheng Zheng, she would definitely be able to leave Qi State safely.
"Then let them go." Zhao Rao closed his eyes and suppressed the hatred welling up in his heart, "I want to bury Cheng Zheng in the imperial tomb. After my tomb is completed, I will move it in with me a hundred years later. Burial together, Marquis Zhen Guo, what do you think?"
"This is the emperor's family matter, so I don't want to say more." Song Hongao said, he has been with Zhao Yong for so many years, and he has seen so many ridiculous things about him, even robbing other people's wives, what is Zhao Rao doing ridiculous? Things, they are all hereditary, there is nothing to say, even if Zhao Yong is alive, he probably won't pay attention to so much.
The corner of Zhao Rao's mouth curled slightly, "Marquis Zhen Guo is right, this is my family matter."
When the other ministers heard what Song Hongao said, they immediately understood what he meant.
It seems that their previous guesses were all wrong, Song Hongao was not from the fifth prince, he supported Zhao Rao from the beginning to the end.
"I want you to return to your original post, what do you think?" Zhao Rao asked again in a low voice.
Song Hongao knelt down slowly, "I accept the decree."
"From now on, Qi State and Jin State are no longer allies. As long as I live for a day, I will definitely be at odds with Jin State. All merchants and people from Jin State will be driven out of Qi State." Zhao Rao lowered her eyes and said in a low voice her decision.
All the ministers were silent.
"Your Majesty, what we need to do now is to bury Mr. Cheng first. As for how to settle the case with Jin Guo, we still need to make a long-term plan." Song Hongao said in a deep voice.
Zhao Rao tightly grasped the handle with both hands. She knew it was too impulsive to do so, but she just couldn't forget the scene where Lu Yaoyao killed Cheng Zheng.
She just wanted to tear Lu Yaoyao into pieces.
"Okay." Zhao Rao gritted his teeth, and finally calmed down.
Song Hongao glanced at her and sighed helplessly in his heart.
Cheng Zheng's death dealt a great blow to Zhao Rao.