"Your Highness is indeed brilliant, to think of such a clever method as burying the gunpowder fuse in the incense burner. This official is deeply impressed!"
"Indeed, indeed. That Si Fengming is neither learned nor skilled in martial arts, and Si Fengwu's origins are questionable. How can they be worthy of being Emperor! If Your Highness can ascend the throne, we shall all assist a wise ruler to govern the world..."
The men spoke over each other, revealing the conspiracy of the Prince of Yuezhou and the missing officials to disrupt the enthronement ceremony and support the Prince of Yuezhou instead.
Inside the great hall, everyone was too terrified to even breathe, their eyes darting around to find the source of the voice.
The voice continued. Lu Qingwan, feigning ignorance, acted as if she hadn't seen the shocked and frightened expressions of the crowd.
She walked to the center of the hall and knelt, saying, "Reporting to His Majesty, this concubine was entrusted by the Prince of Qin to be in charge of the secret defenses for the enthronement ceremony. I unexpectedly discovered the plot of the Prince of Yuezhou, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, the Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud, and the Censor-in-Chief Yan, among others. All involved personnel have been apprehended and sent to the Court of Judgement. I request Your Majesty's judgment!"
Si Fengming hadn't expected Lu Qingwan to produce such compelling evidence. He was overjoyed internally but maintained a calm demeanor, saying, "Princess Consort of Qin, you have worked hard. Please rise."
Lu Qingwan rose at his words. Si Fengming then spoke calmly, "The Prince of Yuezhou's words and actions were inappropriate, repeatedly offending me and the Empress Dowager. I had attributed it to his straightforward nature and chose not to hold it against him. However, his gathering of officials, forming factions, and disrupting the court are things I absolutely cannot tolerate. I issue an immediate decree: the Prince of Yuezhou has committed treason and rebellion. His princely title is revoked. All his direct male descendants shall be exiled to the northern desert. The position of Prince of Yuezhou shall be inherited by Marquis Yue of Yuezhou, Yue Jingkang, and Marquis Yue's heir apparent, Yue Xi, shall be enfeoffed as heir apparent."
The Prince of Yuezhou's self-destruction was still being replayed. Even if someone wanted to plead for him, they wouldn't dare. Si Fengming dealt with everyone whose voices appeared in the recording.
Finally, it was Feng Xiwu's turn. "Prince Qin, Si Fengwu, you have served me by raising the imperial princes and have merit in quelling the rebellion. You are hereby ennobled as a First-Rank Prince, with fiefdoms in Liyang, Xuanfu, Huabi... seven cities. You are specially permitted to command an army of one hundred thousand, not to be counted in the Court of the Grand Commandant. Princess Consort of Qin, Lu Qingwan, you have also served me by raising the imperial princes and have repeatedly saved the life of the imperial prince, contributing merit in quelling the rebellion. You are hereby ennobled as a First-Rank Princess Consort of Qin, to enter the court without naming, and to receive greetings without ceremony. Prince Qin and Princess Consort of Qin may enter the palace at any time, without being restricted by the imperial curfew..."
With this simultaneous command, all civil and military officials, their families, noble ladies, and various vassal princes understood. Si Fengming was as harsh to the Prince of Yuezhou as he was doting on Feng Xiwu and his wife. Even if some still harbored small calculations, they dared not present them before Si Fengming now. It wasn't out of fear of anything else, but rather the fear that Lu Qingwan would produce another talking artifact and expose all their secrets. Thus, one by one, they put away their petty schemes and toasted each other under the guise of peace, creating a harmonious scene.
Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu exchanged smiles, knowing that the most difficult hurdle had been passed.
After several rounds of wine and dishes, with continuous music and dance performances, the palace banquet finally came to an end. As everyone dispersed in an orderly fashion, Si Han approached Feng Xiwu and whispered, "Your Highness, Princess Consort, His Majesty requests that you two stay the night in the palace. Her Majesty the Empress has made arrangements."
Lu Qingwan raised an eyebrow. Feng Xiwu raised his hand to cover her rolling eyes. "Since Imperial Brother's invitation is so gracious, let us not be impolite. Let's go." Lu Qingwan narrowed her eyes and smiled, saying nothing, and let Feng Xiwu pull her away.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, candles flickered. When Feng Xiwu and Lu Qingwan entered, Si Fengming and Yan Ruozhao were already waiting with anticipation. Seeing them arrive, they showed joy. "You're here, sit."
Feng Xiwu eyed the setup and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Summoning us at this late hour, do you wish for a candlelight chat?"
"Yes, a candlelight chat. See, for fear that my sister-in-law might be tired, everything is prepared," Si Fengming said, pointing to the imperial couch before the screen. The scene suggested they were going to have a long talk with Lu Qingwan and her husband throughout the night. Feng Xiwu was not polite either. He led Lu Qingwan's hand and leaned back on the couch, settling into a comfortable position before asking, "What do you wish to discuss?"
"Let's talk about the future." Once they were alone, Si Fengming's face shed the coldness he could display in front of others, returning to his gentle and jade-like demeanor. "You both saw it. There are not many in the entire court who wish for harmony between us brothers. They all wish I would cross the bridge and burn it, preferably fearing your overwhelming influence and finding a trumped-up charge to kill you. I offered you the title of Regent to suppress them with your status and silence them, but you refused. However, in the future, one of us will have to find a way to silence them in court. What are your thoughts?"
The Prince of Yuezhou was not a fool. Lan An and the princes of Ji and Qingzhou, who were skilled in military affairs, had subsequently rebelled in vain. How could a scholar-prince like him be so foolish as to rebel on impulse? The taunt to Si Fengming, "You have the fate to contend for the throne, but do you have the fate to be Emperor?" was spoken by himself, but it was Lu Qingwan who simulated the words of those officials regarding the gunpowder. Their aim was never to prevent Si Fengming from ascending the throne, but Feng Xiwu. As Yan Chengxiang had conveyed to her, questioning Feng Xiwu's identity in public and forcing Si Fengming to strip him of his princely title and military power was their true intention. The Prince of Yuezhou and those old officials already knew that Si Fengming's ascension was a foregone conclusion, and they had no power to change it. Therefore, they could only do their best to weaken his power to gain some voice in the court for themselves. However, they never expected that their few proud words would be fully utilized by Lu Qingwan and become the evidence for their trip to the executioner's block.
Hearing this, Feng Xiwu calmly said, "With the new Emperor ascending the throne, it is normal for there to be some dissenting voices in court. Imperial Brother need not take it too much to heart. In the future, deal with a few more people like the Prince of Yuezhou, and you will achieve some accomplishments, and they will naturally fall silent. As for myself and A'wan, we have done what we needed to do. I wish to take A'wan back to Tianxuan City."
"You're leaving?!" Si Fengming stood up in shock. After a busy day, he was also very tired, but he did not want to give anyone an excuse to trouble Feng Xiwu and Lu Qingwan, so he had intended to keep them there and persuade them to accept the enfeoffment as Regent. To his surprise, they wanted to leave before he could even speak? Si Fengming was so shocked that he forgot his original purpose for summoning them. His only thought was that they could not leave. "It's been twenty-three years. You've only been back for a short time, and you're leaving again? Has your brother done something wrong to make you uneasy?"
Feng Xiwu tugged on Si Fengming's arm and pressed him back down. "Imperial Brother is very good, and we are not uneasy. Taking A'wan back to Tianxuan City is something I had promised A'wan long ago, even before we returned to Zhongzhou. Moreover, we still have some unfinished grievances in the Qian Dynasty. Now is the time to go back and take a look."