The next day, in the main hall of the imperial court.
All the court officials bowed and kowtowed in succession.
At the main entrance of the hall, the eunuch held a long whip. After cracking it three times, the sound of the whip echoed through the sky.
"Three cracks of the clean whip, and the civil and military officials stand in line!"
The eunuch screeched in a high - pitched voice before all the officials.
Immediately, all the officials knelt down again and replied in unison, "Long live our emperor! Long live! Long live!"
Along with the voices of the court officials, Rong Xun, wearing a golden dragon robe and a jade - and - gold crown, stepped onto the stone steps leading to the throne one by one. Although these few steps were short, they represented the awe - inspiring power of the imperial authority.
When he reached the throne, he turned around and sat down.
"All my beloved officials, rise."
The officials got up one by one and entered the hall in an orderly manner.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Seeing that the officials had taken their positions, Rong Xun spoke again, "Previously, there was a fatuous king who brought harm to the common people, and later there were treacherous officials who disrupted the court! From now on, the actions of all the officials shall be managed by the Shensiyu. The rebel armies and the troops under the military officials shall be under the jurisdiction of the three armies. Orders shall be passed down layer by layer, and no one shall skip levels."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court hesitated and no one said a word.
But Tang Youyou, hiding in a corner of the court, understood clearly.
The Shensiyu? Sounds nice, but in fact, it's just a den of treacherous officials filled with eunuchs. Letting eunuchs manage these officials is like rubbing their faces on the ground.
Since ancient times, there have always been big treacherous eunuchs, and the plot of this book is no exception.
She could understand incorporating the rebels into the three armies, but she really couldn't understand pulling the military officials' generals to serve in the army. Military generals value their troops like their own lives. If their military power is taken away, it's no different from taking their lives.
This is really the new emperor showing his power. There's going to be a good show, tut - tut - tut...
Hearing this, Su Minhuai, a civil official of the Su family, immediately flushed with anger. He stepped forward and voiced his dissatisfaction at once, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and the foundation is not yet stable. You must not do anything that will harm the foundation of the country."
Hearing this, all the officials present gasped, but Rong Xun showed no reaction.
Xu Songming, a military official of the Xu family, was also indignant. He stepped forward quickly while clasping his fists and said, "Your Majesty, it's okay for you to seize great power as soon as you come to the throne, but you even won't let go of such a small amount of military power in my hands. Isn't this a bit unreasonable?"
The Xu and Su families were important court officials. Once they started to speak, the following officials also began to complain one after another.
Some belittled the eunuchs, some said they were too old to endure such upheaval, some vowed to advance and retreat together with the soldiers, and some even said that their wives were pregnant at an advanced age and they wanted to retire...
Strange things seemed to be common in the court, but Tang Youyou, hiding in the dark, couldn't stop laughing. She didn't know that these old men in ancient times could be so eloquent.
With such acting skills and sweet words, it's a pity they don't go into acting... They're all drama queens.
Rong Xun, sitting on the dragon throne, saw all of Tang Youyou's actions. Then, he curved his lips, looked at the officials lazily, and said slowly, "My beloved officials, I always keep my word and will never take back what I've said. As for the requests of those prime ministers just now, I grant them all. You can leave tomorrow."
For a moment, the officials who were still about to speak up instantly shut their mouths. This... was not in line with common sense. The new emperor should have tried to persuade them to stay, right? Why...
Seeing the officials staring at each other in surprise, Tang Youyou couldn't hold back anymore and lay on the ground laughing heartily.
Damn it, she really didn't expect that this scumbag was so bad. He was extremely bad...
Rong Xun glanced lightly and saw Tang Youyou, who was already laughing uncontrollably. His eyes became even softer. Then, he looked at these officials with long faces seriously and said, "Today is my coronation ceremony. I hereby confer the title of Founding Marshal on Tang Yu, posthumously confer the title of General Who Guards the Nation, and bury him in the first - rank official tomb in the Western Tombs Forest. I confer Tang Youyou as the mother of the country and promote her to Empress Xuan. The ceremony for conferring the title of empress will be held the next day."
After Rong Xun finished speaking, the eunuch standing beside him immediately straightened his back and said proudly, "If there's something to report, please do so. If not, the court is adjourned!"
This made the officials who still wanted to say something swallow their words back. All the officials tightened their faces and gritted their teeth as they said in unison, "Our emperor is wise. We, your officials, take our leave."
After the court was adjourned, Rong Xun walked towards the place where Tang Youyou had eavesdropped just now. He saw that the girl had already left the court and was playing with water by the pond in the Old Summer Palace.
Her dexterous appearance made Rong Xun even more eager.
Yue Fusheng, who was guarding Tang Youyou, frowned tightly. He was really worried to see her bare feet stepping on the splashes in the pond.
"Miss, can you stop being so naughty? What if you accidentally fall in? If you drown, who can I rely on?"
Hearing this, Tang Youyou glanced at Yue Fusheng and raised her head proudly, "I'll do whatever I like. Besides, I'm not a landlubber. What right do you have to interfere?"
Being retorted like this, even the most eloquent person would be speechless. Yue Fusheng was rendered speechless and had to obediently stand beside her, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Their conversation was ordinary, but it made Rong Xun extremely jealous.
Xiaodengzi, who was following Rong Xun, buried his head, afraid that this master would get angry.
"Xiaodengzi."
"Your servant is here."
Rong Xun glanced at Yue Fusheng and said, "Tonight, summon the empress to the Yangxin Hall."
Hearing this, Xiaodengzi immediately put on a smile. It seemed that the emperor had finally realized the importance of having an heir today.
With a beaming smile, he quickly ran to the Palace of Gathered Elegance.
That night, Tang Youyou was lying on a chair boredly watching the stars.
"One, two... fifty - seven..."
Just as sleepiness was overwhelming her while counting, a shrill voice came from afar, instantly pulling her out of drowsiness.
"Empress, great news! His Majesty has sent your servant to invite you to the Yangxin Hall."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou slowly lay back on the chair and murmured, the Yangxin Hall...
"What! The Yangxin Hall!"
She suddenly reacted, jumped up from the chair, and looked at Xiaodengzi in disbelief.
"Yes, Empress. Please get ready and set off for the Yangxin Hall immediately."
Xiaodengzi, who didn't know the whole story, was still excitedly urging Tang Youyou to go and serve the emperor. But Tang Youyou, who had always kept her purity, would never yield to the imperial authority. She sat back on the chair seriously and only uttered two words after a long while.
"No way!"
Xiaodengzi, who was rejected, was in disbelief. Were the empresses so brave these days? Could they even defy the emperor's order?
He was so scared that he immediately knelt on the ground and cried, "Empress, please go. This is the emperor's order. If you don't go, all the people in the Palace of Gathered Elegance will lose their heads!"