RPAGF Chapter 444 I disagree
Chapter 444 I disagree
No one expected her to do it so suddenly; they had just been discussing how to choose a new heir.
For a moment, everyone present was stunned, even the imperial guards standing beside the younger sister all looked at her.
The younger sister calmly glanced at him and said, "Before His Majesty passed away, he told me that the country and the state should be handed over to me. Even if his heir is a young emperor, I should handle the affairs of state until he comes of age and I return power to him."
Governor Cheng was the first to stand up: "Your Majesty, you absolutely must not do this, it is against ancestral rules."
"Does adopting a son conform to ancestral rules?" The younger sister looked at him and sneered. "His Majesty has three sons, but look at them, which one of them can protect the country for him? If the country falls into their hands, only destruction awaits the Great Zhou. And I, I will definitely protect the country for His Majesty!"
"This..." Governor Cheng was speechless.
The younger sister continued, "The situation is critical now. Once you all find a suitable heir, I will make him the crown prince and raise him well."
This is clearly an excuse. She is the empress, and the country is in her hands. Would she really be willing to hand it over to someone else?
Seeing that they all disapproved, the younger sister strode down and picked up the bloodstained sword from Kuang Tiansong's corpse. The bloodstains on the sword had already congealed, making it look rather gruesome.
But the younger sister was not afraid. She raised her longsword and scanned them: "If I can kill Kuang Tiansong, I can continue killing. You are people trusted by His Majesty. His Majesty appointed you as regents to assist the new emperor! Now I want you to assist me. Are you willing?"
Her gaze was cold and aloof, and everyone unconsciously took a step back, hesitant.
The second sister, who was originally at the back, couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward to angrily rebuke: "Little sister, you've gone mad! You're a woman, and since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, when has there ever been a woman who became emperor?"
“If men can be emperors, why can’t women?” The younger sister looked at her. “Si Mutong, even His Majesty believes that women can serve as officials in the court. If His Majesty were alive and saw this, he would definitely support me.”
The second sister shook her head: "Little sister, it's different. I entered the imperial court as an official, not..."
"It's the same for both of us. You entered the court as an official to do more for the people. I became Empress for the sake of this country and its people!"
"You're insane! You're absolutely insane!" The second sister stood in front of her. "I disagree, little sister, I absolutely disagree with you doing this."
The younger sister pointed her sword at the younger sister, but the younger sister did not move.
"Little sister, I will never agree unless you step over my dead body."
The younger sister sneered: "Si Mutong, do you think I wouldn't dare? Or do you think I'll be lenient with you because of our sisterly relationship?"
The two remained locked in a stalemate, while the others fell silent in fear.
It was Governor Cheng who spoke first. He walked to his second sister's side and said, "Your Majesty has the ambition to seize the throne. I cannot agree with that. I am like Princess Xintong. If Your Majesty insists on doing this, then step over my dead body."
He then looked at Commander He: "It seems we need to ask Commander He to surround the Zichen Palace, otherwise, wouldn't it be a laughing stock if a woman became emperor?"
Commander He made no move, hesitatingly glancing at Prince Ning and then at Feng Ziheng.
Finally, he spread his hands and said, "I... am a military officer, and I obey orders. I cannot make such a decision."
"You!" Governor Cheng was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
Just then, the second sister suddenly charged straight at the younger sister's sword. The younger sister was caught off guard and almost stabbed her, so she quickly withdrew her sword.
The second sister reached out to snatch her sword.
The two were quite different in strength. After all, the second sister had been in the Dali Temple for so long and practiced diligently every day. Although she wasn't particularly agile, she was far better than the younger sister, who was a weak woman.
While the younger sister can be ruthless to others, she can only be verbally ruthless towards her own older sister; she can't really hurt her.
Fortunately, there were imperial guards. The younger sister only needed to shout, and they would pull the second sister away.
Just then, Prince Ning stepped forward, pulled his second sister behind him, and then knelt down, lifting his robe.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to follow Your Majesty's lead."
The first to bow down and submit was surprisingly Prince Ning.
The younger sister didn't react at all.
Prince Ning was upright and incorruptible, and never paid attention to state affairs. In his world, it seemed that there was only cases.
Even if the emperor wanted him to be the regent, he would still remain the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, without ever learning how to handle state affairs.
Now he's actually the first to approve of his younger sister's behavior?
The second sister was furious and reached out to pull him up, but it didn't work after several attempts.
She retorted angrily, "Xiao Youchuan, do you know what you're doing? She's just the Empress; the Emperor has never considered passing the throne to her!"
Prince Ning said earnestly, “His Majesty is gone, and the person who wanted to pass the throne to him is also dead. None of the living are the future emperor chosen by His Majesty. But a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Before His Majesty passed away, he said that he wanted the Empress to be the Regent Empress Dowager to raise the young emperor. This shows that His Majesty trusted the Empress and recognized her abilities.”
The second sister shook her head: "It's different. Regent and ruler are not the same."
Prince Ning said, “I know it’s different, but as long as the monarch is not settled, the court will continue to be in turmoil. Mu Tong, the wise prince is ambitious, and he will not give up the throne. The two former princes in the imperial mausoleum may not let it go, and even the former rebellious prince may gather forces to make a comeback.”
Prince Ning said these words not only to his second sister, but also to others.
"Do you think that in such turmoil, who suffers? It is always the ordinary people who suffer. With internal strife, endless wars, and foreign enemies taking advantage of the situation, the people of our Great Zhou will never have a peaceful day again!"
The second sister let go of his hand. She stared blankly at Prince Ning for a long time, then looked up at her younger sister.
She didn't know if Prince Ning was right or wrong, but she felt that her younger sister was doing it for power—her younger sister had always been like that, striving for power ever since she entered the palace.
Yes, how could someone like my younger sister be content to be someone else's dependent? From a favored concubine to the empress, and then to the regent empress dowager, that is my younger sister's goal.
The current empress is what I've always dreamed of, isn't she?
"I am incompetent and cannot share your burdens!" Without saying another word, the second sister turned and left.
The imperial guards rushed to stop them, but were blocked by the younger sister.
"There's no need to stop her; let her leave the palace. But please, Second Sister, think of me, think of the Si family, and think of the people of Great Zhou. If you reveal even a single word about tonight's events, everyone in the Zichen Palace will die a horrible death!"
The second sister turned to look at her, her eyes filled with disdain and resentment. She looked at her younger sister with a mocking gaze, but ultimately said nothing and turned to leave.