Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 161: Requesting Prince Huai to Act as Regent

It was another day, and the sunlight shone through the window lattices into the magnificent Xuan Zheng Hall. However, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely solemn at this moment, with the ministers whispering to each other and discussions rising one after another.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the empty dragon throne. The emperor, who was supposed to be sitting there, had not appeared for many days, which made all the ministers feel worried and uneasy.

"Your Majesty hasn't attended court for several days. I'm afraid the situation is not optimistic..." An old minister said worriedly, his gray beard trembling slightly, and his eyes revealed deep worry.

"Yes, now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has gone out to provide disaster relief and has not yet returned, and Prince Huai has also left the capital for some business, who should be in charge of the many affairs of the court?" Another minister echoed, frowning and rubbing his hands unconsciously.

"In the final analysis, it is because the royal family's offspring are too scarce. If there were a few more princes, we wouldn't be in such an embarrassing situation!" Someone sighed, and his helplessness was evident in his words.

"If this continues, Zhaojing will probably be in chaos. What should we do?" Some people even directly expressed everyone's common thoughts.

For a moment, all kinds of speculations and discussions came like a tide, and the entire hall seemed to have turned into a noisy vegetable market.

Yet, amidst this commotion, only Fu Chuoren appeared remarkably calm and composed. His face was as sullen as water as he stood quietly by, seemingly unfazed by the chaotic situation before him.

As the ministers were arguing, the chief eunuch Zhao Dequan hurried forward, cleared his throat, and announced the adjournment of the court.

"My Lords, His Majesty is not feeling well. Please disband for now..."

However, before he could finish his words, he was suddenly interrupted by another sharp and loud voice.

"The Queen Mother has arrived——"

This sudden announcement was like thunderclapping from a clear sky, instantly leaving everyone present stunned. Their expressions instantly turned extremely grim, and they looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.

"The Queen Mother is back?"

"Why is the Queen Mother here at this time?" someone muttered in a low voice.

"Is His Majesty truly so ill that he can't even handle state affairs?"

Some people couldn't help but feel nervous.

Despite their misgivings, the ministers dared not delay. They straightened their clothes and bowed respectfully to Queen Mother Jiang, who slowly approached the door. They shouted in unison, "Your Highness, we pay our respects to the Queen Mother!"

Queen Mother Jiang's expression was solemn. She walked through the crowd without looking around, walked straight to the front and stood firmly. Then she turned and waved at them, "Please stand up, all the nobles."

When the court officials heard this, they all straightened up and exchanged glances with each other. For a moment, the court was so quiet that only the sound of people's breathing could be heard.

The silence lasted for a long time. Finally, someone, unable to suppress their inner doubts and anxiety, stepped forward and asked with a bow, "May I ask if the Queen Mother has come here in person because Your Majesty has something important to ask of you?"

Queen Mother Jiang's face was heavy, her brows furrowed. She sighed deeply and said, "The Emperor is ill, and the Crown Prince and Prince Huai are both away from the capital. Rumors are swirling outside, causing panic among the people. Tribes in the border regions are taking advantage of this situation and acting with increasing arrogance and recklessness. Although it is said that the Duke of Ding fought bravely on the battlefield and defeated the Rouran, judging by the current situation at court, if we don't implement effective measures quickly to stabilize the situation, I'm afraid it won't be long before our dynasty faces the dual dilemma of internal and external troubles..."

"Yeah...it's true!"

"This is what I've been worrying about!"

"It's just that His Majesty is in poor health right now. We are really helpless in this situation..."

The ministers all looked worried and embarrassed. It was obvious that they had no idea about the current dilemma and didn't know what to do to resolve the crisis.

At this moment, Queen Mother Jiang sighed again. She pondered for a moment, then suggested, "In my opinion, it would be better to quickly summon Prince Huai back to the capital and have him temporarily serve as regent and handle government affairs, thus relieving some of the pressure on the emperor."

"No!" Grand Tutor Pei hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. "How can we let Prince Huai govern while the Crown Prince is still alive? If you must summon him, it would be more appropriate to let His Royal Highness return to the capital."

"Well, what Master Pei said is absolutely right..."

"That makes perfect sense!" The other ministers echoed in agreement.

Queen Mother Jiang frowned and said worriedly, "The prince is now in Lianzhou, devoting himself to disaster relief. If we ask him to rush back at this time, what will happen to Lianzhou?" She shook her head gently and rubbed her temples with her hands, seeming to be very conflicted.

Someone nearby echoed, "That's true..."

Another person nodded in agreement: "The matter of Lianzhou is also extremely important..."

Pei Yuan maintained a calm expression as he spoke slowly, "In my humble opinion, the most urgent matter right now is not to debate the selection of regent, but to prioritize caring for Your Majesty's health. As far as I know, Your Majesty is in the prime of life, and this shouldn't be the case. However, you've been plagued by a headache for a long time, causing frequent discomfort. This time, the sudden news, coupled with the overwhelming anger, has caused you to collapse on your bed, unable to rise."

Having said this, Pei Yuan suddenly knelt down and continued with a serious and solemn expression, "I believe that if the Queen Mother is truly concerned about the safety of the Great Wei, the most important thing to do right now is to visit Your Majesty in the Golden Palace and discuss this matter with Your Majesty!"

As soon as the words fell, a response was immediately heard in the court.

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

"I second the proposal!"

Almost at the same moment, the vast majority of the ministers knelt down to express their agreement with what Grand Tutor Pei said.

However, the group headed by Fu Chuoren still stood firmly, with an embarrassment on their faces, and it was obvious that they disagreed with the others.

Fu Chuoren looked arrogant, his eyes cold as he swept over the kneeling officials. He said in a deep voice, "Grand Tutor Pei is wrong. The Queen Mother is concerned about the safety of the Great Wei and is also worried about Your Majesty's health. She ordered the Prince of Huai to temporarily take charge of state affairs. This is truly a temporary measure. Once Your Majesty recovers, there will be no need for this. If matters at court pile up and are left unresolved for too long, it will be a serious problem."

"Indeed! Although the Rouran were defeated this time, we lost a general. Even General Guide, who went south to suppress the bandits, has not been heard from yet. Moreover, disasters are happening all over the country right now, and the situation is already turbulent. If the enemy invades the border again at this moment, the consequences will be unimaginable!" An official said in a heavy voice with a worried look on his face.

"Now that things have come to this, I implore Prince Huai to act as regent!"

The ministers, led by General Fu, all bowed and offered their advice in unison. They looked earnestly and resolutely at Queen Mother Jiang.

Queen Mother Jiang raised her lips in a barely perceptible arc. She coughed lightly and was about to speak when she heard hurried footsteps outside the palace.

I saw a eunuch running into the hall in a panic.

"It's bad, Your Majesty... Your Majesty has vomited blood again! All the doctors in the Imperial Hospital said... said that Your Majesty might... might not have much time left!" The eunuch breathlessly reported the shocking news.

When everyone heard this, they were shocked as if struck by lightning. They were stunned and began to pace around in circles in anxiety.

"What...what should we do?" someone shouted in panic.

Fu Chuoren quickly calmed down and made a decisive decision: "In my opinion, the only way to stabilize the government is to summon Prince Huai back to the capital!"

"But..." Pei Yuan was about to retort, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Fu Chuoren rudely.

"Master Pei, you are old. It is time for you to step down and let the wise take over!" General Fu looked at Pei Yuan seriously and said in a firm tone.

Pei Yuan widened his eyes, pointed at the other person with an angry face and shouted, "You!" He looked so angry that it seemed as if he could spit out fire.

In a blink of an eye, the two groups led by Pei Yuan and Fu Chuoren were like a lit powder keg, and the quarrels instantly filled the entire court.

They each insisted on their own opinion and refused to give in to each other, and their words were so heated that it was almost impossible to get a word in.

Next to this noisy quarrel scene, Zhao Dequan, who had been silent all the time, showed helplessness and sighed in his heart.

He thought to himself, aren't the Queen Mother and General Fu just putting Prince Huai on the fire by doing this?

Seeing the situation getting increasingly out of control, Queen Mother Jiang quickly shouted, "Stop arguing. At this point, we can only follow what Commandant Fu said. It will take some time for Prince Huai to return to the capital. During this time, Ai will..."

Before she could finish her words, she was abruptly interrupted by a clear voice, "There is no need to trouble my mother. I will assist you in the affairs of the court."