The Empress was so enraged she fainted. The Crown Princess rushed to support her, saying, "The Emperor has not yet been buried, and you are already this impatient. Do you think my orphaned self and child bride are easy to bully?"
The Prime Minister chuckled, not bothering to kneel. He flicked his sleeve back, exuding an air of superiority as he looked at the Crown Princess and said, "Crown Princess, I advise you not to get involved in this mess, lest you gain nothing for yourself."
The Crown Princess trembled with anger at the Prime Minister's words.
"Why is the Prime Minister in such a hurry? It is not too late to make the announcement after the Emperor is buried."
Xiao Wangye was pushed forward by Ye Qingcheng. Seeing the Prime Minister's sinister and villainous face, Xiao Wangye couldn't help but retort.
When the Prime Minister saw that it was Xiao Wangye, he knew how much power he wielded. He did not dare to alert him but still firmly noted down Xiao Wangye's transgression.
"Is the Regent Prince going against me?"
Xiao Wangye sneered, "Not at all. After all, the Prime Minister is not worthy of being my enemy."
"You..." The Prime Minister's face turned red with anger, but he was helpless, as he truly could not oppose Xiao Wangye.
Since he could not achieve any good results here, the Prime Minister flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
The other ministers looked at the Prime Minister's departure and exchanged glances for a moment. Before Xiao Wangye could speak, they also left.
Ye Qingcheng raised an eyebrow at this scene. The new Emperor was not even known, and factions were already forming?
With the ministers gone, the Empress's body finally relaxed. As a result, she fainted directly.
The Crown Princess quickly supported the Empress and took her back inside to lie down.
The eunuch hurried to summon an imperial physician. Just as Ye Qingcheng was about to say that she could diagnose the pulse, Xiao Wangye grabbed her wrist. Ye Qingcheng was stunned, not understanding why he was doing this.
The imperial physician soon reached a conclusion: "Her Majesty the Empress is overcome with anger, her heart is inflamed. She will be fine after some rest."
Everyone then felt relieved.
Shortly after, Xiao Wangye and Ye Qingcheng took their leave. As they were about to exit, the Crown Princess called out to them.
"I thank the Regent Prince and the Regent Princess here. If it weren't for you, they would have been relentless today. If my mother and I could not withstand the pressure and informed them, then..." The Crown Princess swallowed some words, but Xiao Wangye understood even without her saying them.
Only Ye Qingcheng couldn't grasp the situation and was a bit confused.
The carriage ride back was exceptionally quiet, with even the sound of breathing being remarkably clear.
At this moment, Xiao Wangye spoke, "Do you know why they need to know who the new Emperor is?"
Ye Qingcheng shook her head. She truly did not know.
Xiao Wangye lowered his gaze to look at her. "I'll give you a hint. The new Emperor is the Crown Prince's orphan."
Ye Qingcheng was startled. Now she understood.
The Crown Prince's orphan was still young. She had seen him today; he was less than ten years old. But such a young child was to be the next emperor. If some ill-intentioned people knew this, the child would likely not live for a few more days.
If the new Emperor appointed by the late Emperor were to meet with an accident, then a new Emperor would have to be chosen in consultation with the Empress. But looking at the situation today, the Empress likely couldn't control those ministers, leaving them to choose the new Emperor themselves. But in that case...
Ye Qingcheng suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief. But if that were the case, wouldn't the next new Emperor live like Puyi, becoming a puppet?
This was Ye Qingcheng's first encounter with such political scheming and court struggles. She was still unaccustomed to it.
"It's too cruel," she murmured.
Xiao Wangye lifted the curtain and happened to see a group of beggars beating a beggar outside. His expression was somewhat resolute. "Perhaps!"
"Then what about the Empress?" Ye Qingcheng was very disappointed with the Empress's performance today. "She is the Empress, yet she has no ability to hold court?"
Ye Qingcheng suddenly thought of Wu Zetian from her era, the first empress in China. Then she looked at the empress in this book, sighing. There was no comparison without contrast.
Xiao Wangye lowered the curtain and turned to look at her. "The Empress was too well protected by the Emperor. The Emperor and Empress were young and in love, together for over twenty years. The Emperor did not want the Empress to be troubled daily by political struggles, so the Emperor essentially handled the entire harem for the Empress. But now that the Emperor is gone, the Empress has not been tested and doesn't know how to bear the responsibility. She is powerless and can only be manipulated by others."
Xiao Wangye looked at Ye Qingcheng, wanting to say more but hesitating. In truth, if women were considered on equal footing with men, there was nothing wrong with them. After all, many women did not wish to remain in the inner quarters. That was why he wanted Ye Qingcheng to see the current court clearly, to prevent her from going down the wrong path, and to understand who her enemies were.
Ye Qingcheng also understood. Overly protecting someone would only make them unable to face greater dangers. Just like the Emperor and Empress, the Emperor's continuous protection resulted in the Empress being unable to perform her duties as Empress after his death.
Seven days later, the Emperor was buried. The Empress did not attend, but Ye Qingcheng heard that the Empress had burned all the things the Emperor had given her, exhibiting unusual behavior.
Ye Qingcheng thought that perhaps she did not want to see reminders of him.
In the Chaoyang Hall, the Emperor's appointed eunuch read the late Emperor's decree.
The decree essentially stated that the Crown Prince's orphan would be the new Emperor, the Crown Princess would be the Empress Dowager to assist the Emperor, and Xiao Wangye would be the Regent, with major authority handed over to him to assist the Emperor until he grew up and then return the power to him.
Ye Qingcheng was impressed by the late Emperor. Wasn't he afraid that Xiao Wangye would rebel and seize the throne directly?
However, from another perspective, the royal family trusted Xiao Wangye greatly.
The day after the late Emperor was buried was the new Emperor's enthronement ceremony. Civil and military officials paid their respects one by one. The new Emperor was still a child, wearing a small imperial robe and running up the steps, looking incredibly adorable.
The ministers in the grand hall, led by the Prime Minister's faction, all looked at the child sitting on the throne with ulterior motives.
Why? Why let a child who was not even ten years old be the Emperor? What could he do? And letting Xiao Wangye be the regent.
The Prime Minister's eyes darkened. He exchanged glances with the other ministers, and they nodded to each other. It seemed that some matters needed to be expedited.
However, Xiao Wangye gave them no time to breathe.
After the new Emperor's enthronement ceremony, Xiao Wangye directly led his troops to surround the Prime Minister's mansion the next day.
The Prime Minister was accused of privately harboring private soldiers, with intent to rebel, a crime punishable by death. The Prime Minister, along with his collateral relatives up to the ninth generation, were executed.
He also ordered the Censorate to investigate accomplices who had colluded with him one by one, arresting all those involved in the rebellion to await their fate.
Ye Qingcheng, riding in a carriage, reached the city gates and lifted the curtain. She watched as the former Prime Minister, with shackles and chains on his feet, walked forward with difficulty. He had long lost his former glory, his eyes glazed over. He still remembered how Xiao Wangye had thrown the evidence in his face.
For a trace of obsession, he had destroyed his family's century-old savings, a loss that far outweighed any gain.
Ye Qingcheng shook her head. Why bother?
Centuries of changes in the court, stars shifting, what was gained through schemes and military power was not necessarily what belonged to oneself. Sooner or later, it would belong to others.
And for this, he lost all that he possessed...
The Prime Minister's wife was still incessantly weeping and scolding the Prime Minister. All the glory and wealth had vanished.