An hour later, Xiao Tuo pushed the door open to change shifts, but saw Zi'an already lying on the bed, sleeping soundly.
She turned sideways to Murong Jie, with her hand covering his forehead, probably to check if he had a fever.
Murong Jie was not asleep. He did not move, but just rolled his eyes and looked at Xiao Tuo, signaling him to be quiet.
Xiao Tuo seemed a little surprised, but he still tiptoed back.
Back in the next room, he pushed Su Qing awake, and Su Qing jumped up, "What's wrong? Fever again?"
"No," Xiao Tuo sat down, "but I saw them sleeping together."
Su Qing heard that it was okay, turned over, and muttered: "It's okay to sleep together. Anyway, the prince can't do anything now."
Xiao Tuo pulled him up, "But the prince also told me not to wake her up."
Su Qing pulled up the quilt and said impatiently, "Isn't it? People are sleeping."
"But when have you ever seen the prince care so much about a woman, a woman?" Xiao Tuo poked his back, "Aren't you surprised?"
"What's there to be surprised about? Isn't it just sharing a bed? Aren't I sleeping on the same bed with you tonight?" Su Qing was really sleepy and didn't want to pay attention to him.
Xiao Tuo looked at him, lay down, and grabbed his collar and said, "That's because there are only two rooms here, unless you are willing to sleep in the yard."
"Isn't that it? Either the prince sleeps in the yard, or Xia Zian sleeps in the yard. Neither is appropriate, right?" Su Qing broke free from him.
Xiao Tuo put his hands behind his head and said, "We can sleep in the yard. Xia Zi'an can sleep here, and the prince can sleep over there."
Su Qing started snoring, obviously he had fallen asleep again.
Xiao Tuo closed his eyes, then suddenly sat up again and pulled Su Qing up, "No, do you think the prince is attracted to Xia Zian?"
Su Qing rubbed his eyes and looked at him helplessly, "So what?"
Xiao Tuo's eyes widened, "So what? Xia Zian broke off her marriage to King Liang, and she doesn't have a good reputation."
"You have a good reputation? Are all those with good reputations gentlemen these days? Tell me one by one among all the civil and military officials in the court, which one of those with good reputations is really a good character?" Su Qing wanted to kick him down. Why was he talking so much nonsense at this critical moment
Xiao Tuo was choked by his words. It was true. Thinking about it carefully, Xia Zian seemed to be the most suitable person to be the Regent Princess.
In this courtyard in the suburbs of Beijing, everything was so peaceful as if nothing had happened.
However, a huge wave of protests broke out in the capital.
The disappearance of the Regent's body caused suspicion among officials in the capital and shocked the royal family.
In Shouning Palace, a large number of civil and military officials were already kneeling outside, asking the Empress Dowager to come forward and preside over the government.
Naturally, it was impossible to really let the Empress Dowager preside over the government. Although there was no law in this dynasty that the harem should not interfere in politics, and the Empress Dowager Long had served as regent before, there was a precedent for the harem interfering in politics.
However, their goal was not to have the Empress Dowager take charge of the government; they just wanted her to nominate the candidate for regent.
Therefore, these people are all members of the princeling party.
The Queen Mother was terrified when she saw the sea of people outside.
How long has it been since the emperor fell ill? The prince's party has become so rampant, with so many people kneeling in front of her Shouning Palace. Do they really think she is blind? Can't they see clearly what they want to do
The Empress Dowager was really sad. Murong Jie was dead and even his body was missing. After searching for a day, the Prince's party entered the palace to force her.
No one had ever understood her feelings. That was the child she had watched grow up, from a tender life to an independent person, calling her mother, and having a blood relationship with her, but no one came to ask her a question, no one came to say hello to her.
At noon, the queen also came.
After entering the palace, he soothed her for a few words, and then said, "Mother, it is not a good idea for all the officials to kneel outside now. We should make a decision as soon as possible. The country cannot be without a ruler for a day."
The Queen Mother's eyes turned cold, "The Emperor isn't dead yet, and you're just saying this, are you so impatient?"
The queen knelt down quickly and said, "That's not what I meant. I just think that now that the regent has passed away, someone has to take charge of the country. You should either be the regent yourself or choose a regent. Now you are the only one who can make the decision for the whole country."
The Queen Mother said coldly, "I can't make the decision. How about you, Queen? How about you be the regent?"
The queen said hurriedly: "I dare not. I am incompetent. I still need my mother to take care of me in the harem, not to mention the affairs of the family and the country."
She really wanted to know, didn't the Empress Dowager also serve as regent? It was a pity that as long as the Empress Dowager was around, she had to be subordinate to her.
The Queen Mother felt that the current situation made her extremely upset, and she couldn't even cry for Ajie.
She was also very clear about the Queen's purpose, which was the same as the Prince's gang outside. Her father, Tutor Liang, was already aggressive. It seemed that she would not be able to live in peace today if she did not deal with him.
Thinking of this, she announced, "Call the Grand Tutor."
The queen raised her expression slightly, took a cup of tea, and drank it slowly, with a smile unconsciously appearing at the corner of her mouth.
A man in the uniform of a first-rank official entered the hall. He was thin, with prominent cheekbones, small eyes that were bright and sharp, and a beard that almost covered his mouth, as if it had never been groomed. However, the length of both sides of his beard was the same, as if he had grown it that way on purpose, which made people feel that it was a protective color.
Taifu Liang entered the palace, strode forward, and bowed before the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, may I pay my respects to you. May you live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
"Teacher, please stand up." The Queen Mother raised her hand.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager!" Taifu Liang stood up and bowed to the Queen again, "I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen."
"Taifu, there's no need to be so polite." The queen looked at her father and felt inexplicably at ease.
The Empress Dowager asked him to sit down and went straight to the point, "Taifu, you brought all the ministers here today and knelt at the gate of my palace. Are you asking me to be the regent?"
The Grand Tutor replied respectfully: "Empress Dowager, the Emperor is seriously ill and the Regent has passed away. The country is so big that it cannot be left without a leader."
"Let's take care of the Regent's affairs first," said the Queen Mother.
The Grand Tutor said, "Empress Dowager, there is no conflict between the two matters."
The Queen Mother stretched out her hand and rubbed her brow, looking exhausted. "Really? I am different from you. I am not someone who can do big things. I cannot handle two big things at once. Murong Jie is my son. My son is dead. You come to pay respects and kowtow, but you are so aggressive. What can I say to you?"
Taifu Liang was startled for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. However, this tragedy has already happened, so we should focus on the current situation first. We should prioritize things."
The Queen Mother suddenly opened her eyes wide and said sternly, "Do you think the death of the Regent is just a trivial matter? Or can't you even give me a day to grieve? What are you so anxious about? Who is in charge and who is the regent? Do you and I have the final say on who is in charge?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is not anxious." Taifu Liang was speechless for a moment. He didn't expect that this old lady, who was usually very easy to talk to, would become so stubborn now.
He subconsciously glanced at the queen, who held the tea and persuaded him, "Mother, father didn't mean that. You know him. He has worked hard for the court and the people for half his life. Even my mother said that he was ruthless and ungrateful to his family."
(End of this chapter)