The sky was as dark as ink, hanging over the imperial palace, indicating that a rainstorm was about to sweep in.
In the main hall, the court officials stood neatly at the foot of the stairs, but the high and mighty throne with a coiled dragon pattern was empty at this moment.
Some of the court officials looked calm on the surface but were anxious in their hearts; some bowed their heads and remained silent but their eyes kept wandering around, they were all waiting for the return of the owner of the throne.
But unexpectedly, another person appeared at the entrance of the hall at this time. She was wearing a crabapple red pleated skirt with flowing cloud pattern. The cuffs were embroidered with blooming peonies in gold thread, and a few auspicious clouds were hooked by silver thread. With an exquisitely carved phoenix hairpin on her head, her demeanor showed nobility.
Standing behind her was a handsome young man, who were Xiao Shushen and Fu Mochen.
Xiao Shushen walked gracefully into the hall from the door, and Fu Mochen followed behind her. The two of them walked directly between the ministers standing on both sides. Some ministers near the aisle looked sideways and avoided them.
She ignored the puzzled looks from the court officials, and walked straight to the hall, stepping up the stairs leading to the throne one step at a time. Fu Mochen followed her silently.
After reaching the top, Xiao Shushen stopped with satisfaction, then turned around and looked down at the court officials below. Fu Mochen stood on her left.
After a moment, Xiao Shushen cleared her throat, looked around, and raised her voice to speak: "I believe that you have all heard about the emperor's unexpected disappearance. Now that the throne is vacant, I think it is time to support the prince as the emperor. What do you think, ministers?"
When Xiao Shushen said this, there was an uproar below. The court officials could not help but whisper to each other, "Did I hear it wrongly?"
"Why is the Queen so anxious to make the Crown Prince the Emperor?"
“If the crown prince is made emperor, then General Shen will…” At this point, the eyes of all the ministers inevitably focused on General Shen who was standing at the front of the crowd.
There are rumors that he rushed back from the border in such a hurry because he has improper ambitions for the throne...
When General Shen first saw Xiao Shushen leading Fu Mochen in, he felt a little confused, and the idea of making the prince the emperor flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. After all, Fu Yuheng's whereabouts were currently unknown, and his body had not been found, so he could not make a conclusion.
But Xiao Shushen's words just now made him furious. He underestimated Xiao Shushen. He didn't expect that she looked calm and composed, but she had such great ambitions. The prince was still young, and as the imperial concubine, once the prince ascended the throne and became the emperor, she would become the empress dowager and would have to rule the country from behind the curtain.
General Shen frowned, looked at Xiao Shushen beside the throne with anger, and said loudly: "I object! The emperor is currently only missing, and the people sent out to search for him have not found him. It is too early to make the prince the emperor now!"
Xiao Shushen expected that it would not be so easy to succeed, and General Shen would definitely hinder her. Her eyes deepened slightly, and then she said slowly,
"General Shen, if a person falls from such a high cliff, what are the chances of survival? Even if he is still alive, he will not be able to hold on for long without timely treatment. The emperor may not come back." She paced back and forth on the stage, but her eyes were always fixed on General Shen. After hearing what she said, some ministers in the audience began to nod in agreement.
Xiao Shushen saw that her words had begun to bear fruit, and a satisfied smile rose slightly at the corner of her mouth. Then she changed her tone and said seriously,
"As the old saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. If the emperor is unable to return, someone will have to take over the throne sooner or later. How can such a great country be without a ruler to rule it?"
General Shen hurriedly took a few steps forward and shouted loudly, anger rising in his eyes. He couldn't bear to see the ministers turn against Xiao Shushen. "The prince is not yet an adult, and his ability is not enough to become the ruler of a country. The matter of making the prince the emperor needs to be carefully considered!"
Xiao Shushen lowered her eyes and sneered, staring at General Shen with some inquiry and disdain in her eyes, and her tone was somewhat meaningful, "General Shen is so opposed, could it be that he has some plans of his own in mind?"
These words were obviously aimed at the previous rumors that General Shen was suspected of usurping the throne. The ministers began to look at each other in bewilderment, and more people began to waver, "Your Majesty, how can you slander me? The world can witness my loyalty to the emperor! The emperor is in trouble at this time, how can I think of something irrelevant."
General Shen felt extremely angry upon seeing this, and argued with Xiao Shushen. After all, it was really disheartening for him to see his efforts being described in this way.
"You can't know a person's heart, but you can know his face. How can I determine General Shen's intentions? But if you continue to obstruct him, you will cause chaos in the government."
"You!" General Shen frowned, and in anger he couldn't help but point his finger at Xiao Shushen, his fingers trembling slightly, "What nonsense!"
"General Shen's rude words to me really make me doubt your intentions. Come! Hold him down!" Xiao Shushen waved her right hand, and many guards immediately rushed in from outside the hall and dragged General Shen away by force.
"Does anyone have any objections?" Xiao Shushen narrowed her eyes and looked down at the audience. General Shen's prestige and reputation were already very high among the ministers. Now that General Shen was detained for his strong opposition, no one in the audience dared to say anything.
Under the current situation, the ministers can only accept it for the time being.
During the whole process, Fu Mochen remained silent. He didn't really want to be the emperor at this time. He was very concerned about Fu Yuheng's safety, but in front of so many court officials, he couldn't directly rebel against his mother.
The two returned to the Queen's Palace. Xiao Shushen noticed that Fu Mochen didn't say a word along the way and seemed to be in a bad mood.
"Huang'er, what's wrong with you?" She reached out and stroked his shoulder, asking with concern.
Fu Mochen shook his head and said nothing. Xiao Shushen could see what he was worried about, and changed her imposing manner in the court just now, and lowered her voice, "My son, listen to what your mother said, you are the crown prince, and you will be the emperor sooner or later, it's just a matter of time. Now that your father is gone, you have to take responsibility, and you must seize the opportunity."
"Can this son of mine really become the emperor?"
"Of course, you have to listen to your mother. She does all this for your own good."
Fu Mochen nodded as if he understood something, and felt relieved.
The overlapping trees in the forest blocked their view.