Chapter 498: I Am the Empress Dowager

"My poor son! He's been honest his whole life, finally earned the court's recognition, was about to shoulder the great burden of the realm, and now someone schemed against him in the dark. He can't even get justice, has nowhere to air his grievances — and now they want to strip him of his right to inherit the throne. You people are going too far!

The murderer is clearly next door — why don't you go arrest him? It's obvious the Prince of Jin did all this. The Prince of Jin is the killer. First he harmed His Highness the Loyal Prince, and now he's come to harm my son. Why don't you arrest him? Prince of Jin, if anything happens to my son, I'll have you pay with your life!"

Noble Consort Gao went mad in front of all the ministers.

Palace maids supported her, weeping as they tried to calm her down.

The Prince of Yan's several sons, big and small, lined up in a row, tears streaming down their faces as they denounced the ministers.

The eldest, speaking for the Prince of Yan's household, questioned Li Li Liangcheng: "Li Xiang, I've often heard my father say you are the fairest of men. My father suffered so terribly — why won't you see justice done for him? Why must you strip him of the throne? Even if my father has fallen, the Prince of Yan's household still has me. I beg Li Xiang to give my father justice!"

"We beg Li Xiang to give my father justice!"

Li Li Liangcheng was instantly put on the rack, miserable all over.

"The throne cannot remain vacant any longer, and the court cannot continue in such chaos. If we delay, I fear the realm will face great upheaval once more. Noble Consort, it is not that the court wishes to rob the Prince of Yan — it is simply that time will not wait. If the Prince of Yan does not wake for one day, surely the court cannot simply wait day after day."

"How do you know my son won't wake? Has the imperial physician said so? Perhaps in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he'll wake up. Stripping him of the throne — what are you trying to do? Are you plotting rebellion?"

"How about this: if the Prince of Yan wakes before this hour tomorrow, everything remains as before. The throne remains his, and the coronation ceremony continues to be prepared. If the Prince of Yan has not woken by this hour tomorrow, then we must hold a new vote to select the heir to the throne. I ask the Noble Consort for her understanding!"

"I will never allow you to hold another vote to choose the Emperor. I do not consent. The throne belongs to the Prince of Yan — this is what you yourselves chose. He is your Emperor, your Son of Heaven, your ruler. You cannot simply abandon him. The coronation continues — my son must ascend the throne. If he cannot manage, then let this child inherit!"

Noble Consort Gao shoved her eldest grandson forward at once. "If anything happens to the Prince of Yan, by the ancestral system, he is the next Emperor."

The Prince of Yan's eldest son was utterly bewildered — a half-grown boy of thirteen or fourteen, tall enough to stand half a head above Noble Consort Gao. But his face was full of childish innocence; the courage he had shown moments ago in confronting Li Li Liangcheng had completely vanished. All that remained was the blankness and panic fitting for his age.

But he knew to keep his mouth shut, going along with Noble Consort Gao, playing the role of a tool.

The ministers looked at the half-grown eldest son of the Prince of Yan and frowned one after another. A child of this age as Emperor — if one were to say it was fitting, it was indeed fitting, provided his status was legitimate beyond question. If one were to say it was unfit, it truly was unfit — he could do nothing at all.

"Absurd! The Prince of Yan is still only a prince. Until he ascends the throne, he is not the Son of Heaven. Since he is not the Son of Heaven, how could he appoint an heir to the throne?"

"Well said!"

"Rules are rules — the Crown Prince must be appointed by the Son of Heaven. The Prince of Yan has not yet inherited the throne, so his son has even less right to inherit."

"If anything should happen to the Prince of Yan, by the rules, the throne should pass to another Imperial Prince."

"This is Cinaichaotang. Noble Consort, please withdraw."

"Noble Consort, do not be obstinate. This is no place for you."

"All of you, shut your mouths! I am the late Emperor's consort, the Prince of Yan's birth mother, and the future Empress Dowager. Have I no right to appear here? Have I no right to stop you from making this absurd decision? Since you have already chosen the Prince of Yan to inherit the throne, whether he is unconscious or dead, he is the Emperor. Whoever comes, this rule stands. The throne must also pass to the Prince of Yan's son. No other Imperial Prince has any right whatsoever!"

"Outrageous!"

"As a consort of the inner palace, Noble Consort, by the ancestral system, you may not interfere in state affairs."

"Watching state affairs slipping out of control under your manipulation, I, as Empress Dowager, must step in. Li Li Liangcheng, Yu Yu Zhaoan — you two are the Prime Ministers. Do you submit or not? Has this dynasty ever had a precedent of an Empress Dowager participating in governance? Has it or not?"

Noble Consort Gao opened fire with everything she had.

This was a fight for the throne, and a fight for life — it allowed for no trace of guilt or timidity, no hint of weakness or retreat. Before coming, Noble Consort Gao had prepared herself for a hard battle, vowing not to rest until she achieved her goal.

She would spare no effort to protect her own son's throne — no one was going to take it. Whoever dared to seize the throne was her mortal enemy and must be destroyed, to cut off future trouble.

"There is, actually!" Yu Yu Zhaoan muttered softly.

"Good that there is! I now act in the capacity of Empress Dowager to intervene in court affairs. With the safety of Your Majesty at stake, I absolutely cannot leave." Noble Consort Gao held her head high, striking the pose of an Empress Dowager, took the eunuch's hand, and slowly walked toward the highest seat.

"But..." Yu Yu Zhaoan gave a bitter smile.

"There is no 'but'!" Noble Consort Gao glared. "The Prince of Jin secretly harmed the current Emperor — a crime that cannot be pardoned. Yu Xiang, kindly mind your position and draw a clear line with the Prince of Jin as soon as possible."

"Absurd! You call yourself Empress Dowager — who appointed you? Is there an edict? Is there the Empress Dowager's seal? The Prince of Yan is still only a prince, yet Noble Consort cannot wait to crown herself Empress Dowager. Have you asked whether we ministers consent? The late Emperor is gone, but the court still functions. So long as we ministers do not acknowledge it, Noble Consort, you will never be the Empress Dowager!"

A bold minister stepped forward and sharply rebuked Noble Consort Gao, who had become addicted to her act. His words were so cutting that he spared her no face at all. He seemed ready to tear off Noble Consort Gao's dignified and noble mask, hurl it to the ground, and stomp on it a few times.

Noble Consort Gao gritted her teeth, seething with hatred. "I would very much like to see who dares to drive me away today. I am the Prince of Yan's birth mother. The Prince of Yan has been chosen as Emperor, so I am naturally the Empress Dowager. How dare you not acknowledge it! What do you count for? You are nothing but a dog of the imperial house! Men, throw this man out."

"How dare you! Let's see who dares to lay a hand on me. I am an official of the court — apart from the Emperor, no one has the right to throw me out. Whoever dares touch me, I will have his entire clan thrown into the great prison!"

"Madness, sheer madness! Li Li Liangcheng, will you take charge or not?" Seeing the standoff and the officials' death-defying attitude, Noble Consort Gao decisively kicked the ball to Li Li Liangcheng.

Li Li Liangcheng's head was splitting. In three hundred years of the dynasty, probably no Prime Minister had suffered as he did, encountering so many bizarre events.

Life is hard!

"Noble Consort, I still hold my previous position: if the Prince of Yan wakes before this hour tomorrow, everything remains as before. Once that hour passes, the court must select another heir to the throne. This is a decision we all made together — it is not meant to bully anyone, but to be responsible to the court and to the realm. War rages in both the north and the south — we truly cannot delay any longer. I ask the Noble Consort for her understanding."

"One unfit for virtue invites disaster!" some bold minister muttered under his breath.