Chapter 987: A Bit Carried Away, Dong Shuyu

Wherever the Crown Prince's coffin arrived, the atmosphere of a State Funeral followed; this was beyond doubt.

This time, Liu Zheng portrayed the "deceased" Xie Fang as a fearless national hero, naturally because he felt guilty about letting Xie Fang "die" in such an obscure manner.

Therefore, whether it was Qingzhou, Jizhou, Jinzhou, or anywhere else, they had all received word early on and prepared these formations, as well as the professional mourners.

Crown Prince Xie Fang.

During this period, he became the focus of discussion for all Longyan people. Scholars began writing grand articles, praising him extravagantly. The Xie Family imperial house still held its majesty! Their iron-willed backbone could still move heaven and earth!

How come we never knew the Crown Prince was so badass before!

How come we never knew the Crown Prince was so fearless of death before!

This is the people of the imperial house, the imperial spirit!

All sorts of eulogies followed one after another.

And at this moment.

Dong Shuyu could hardly wait to hug her precious son and cheer with joy.

"Wonderful, hahahaha, wonderful! The Crown Prince is dead, the Crown Prince is dead..."

Dong Guifei had been somewhat arrogant in the inner palace recently.

So arrogant that the entire inner palace could barely tolerate her anymore.

The Empress, this consort, that family—she didn't take any of them seriously!

What do you call this?

The tides of fortune turn, and this year it's my turn!

Originally, Dong Shuyu had been nothing at all; during Xie Tianyao's birthday last year, Dong Shuyu was merely an inconspicuous concubine, and her son was not yet grown or capable of shouldering great responsibilities. After Xie Ling died, the Eleventh Prince, Xie Ming, had been forcibly pushed forward by the scholar-officials.

Who would have thought, who would have thought.

It had only been a year.

After Xie Ling died, Xie Fang died too.

What did this mean?

It meant that among Xie Tianyao's current sons, only Xie Ming was presentable! Moreover, during the process of searching for the Imperial Jade Seal, although Xie Ming's performance had no highlights, it was at least standard and without errors. To have no merit is to have no fault; this was the privilege of the imperial house!

Now.

With the news of Xie Fang's death spreading, Xie Ming immediately became a hot commodity.

Many factions were scrambling to defect to Xie Ming, and even in these past few days, the Old Aristocrats had been extending olive branches to Dong Shuyu's side.

The arena of interests is just like that.

"Congratulations, Your Ladyship, congratulations!"

"This time, let's see who can still shake the Eleventh Prince's position!"

A group of eunuchs and palace maids, regardless of whether it was taboo, knelt and offered their congratulations.

Anyway, they were in their own palace, so they weren't afraid of anyone eavesdropping, and the current infighting had indeed reached a white-hot, even public stage, so they didn't care about those hypocrisies anymore.

Dong Shuyu looked arrogant and coughed: "I suppose the Empress is having a hard time these past few days."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

It would be strange if she were having an easy time!

Originally, when Xie Fang was still alive, the internal situation of Longyan maintained a balance: the Old Aristocrats supported Xie Fang, the New Aristocracy supported Xie Chan, and the scholar-officials supported Xie Ming. The three parties were locked in a fierce battle.

But now.

With Xie Fang dead, the situation changed drastically.

You think that just because Xie Fang is dead, you, Liu Zheng, are safe? No, you are still embroiled in the charge of colluding with the Nanyang Army. Although everyone's attention is currently drawn to Xie Fang's death, isn't punishing you just a matter of a single word from Xie Tianyao?

Therefore.

Dong Shuyu was happy.

The threat of Xie Fang was gone, and Liu Zheng would have to keep his tail between his legs again.

In this entire Longyan, wouldn't the greatest limelight belong to her son, Xie Ming?

Dominating!

Looking down upon the world, with no rivals left!

"Hahahaha."

Dong Shuyu gave a cold laugh: "This really is the tides of fortune turning!"

Lying flat!

It was truly a case of lying down and having the throne fall onto her son's head.

"Your Ladyship, then we..."

A group of people also became somewhat excited. When one person attains the Dao, their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; they had followed Dong Shuyu for so many years, and if Xie Ming inherited the throne, wouldn't they be able to feast on the spoils and act with impunity?

Dong Shuyu looked gratified.

"Your Ladyship, if at this time, this Vice Minister Liu were to have some sort of accident... then that would..."

A eunuch with a lecherous appearance chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Dong Shuyu suddenly took a deep breath.

Vice Minister Liu...

That's right.

With Xie Fang dead, Xie Ming's greatest competitors were Xie Chan and Liu Zheng.

He was only one step away from ascending the throne!

As she thought about it, Dong Shuyu's breathing became rapid.

If it were the former Dong Shuyu, she wouldn't have even dared to think about getting rid of Liu Zheng... but now, she was getting a bit carried away. She took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and she gritted her teeth and asked: "How do we get rid of him?"

How to eliminate him?

A single sentence exposed her state of mind at this moment.

As long as her son could ascend the throne, she was willing to do anything! She would even risk everything!

Because although Liu Zheng and Xie Chan appeared to be in a passive position at this moment, the strength of Liangzhou was truly there for all to see. The pressure they exerted on Dong Shuyu still made her feel somewhat breathless.

However.

This question of hers stumped this group of eunuchs and palace maids. After all, they were not proper Strategists or Military Advisors. To put it bluntly, these palace maids and Eunuchs lacked vision, and they didn't even have any education; what could they possibly understand about the struggles of the world?

This was Dong Shuyu's weakness in this struggle for the succession.

From the beginning, she lacked a depth of talent; she belonged to the category of an upstart who had suddenly exploded onto the scene.

Furthermore, she had long resided in the palace and had no opportunity to recruit talent from all walks of life.

Although she had connections with the Scholar-officials, they were not that profound.

The only thing she could rely on now was the status of her son, the Eleventh Prince.

This was her weakness, and likewise, her tragedy.

However.

She did not realize what she should be doing; she had been blinded by the success that was drawing near.

Only one step away.

The overly presumptuous Dong Shuyu always felt that at this moment, her son was only one step away from inheriting the throne.

Because she felt that Xie Ming was the greatest hope right now, and everyone was flocking to Xie Ming.

In fact, that was not the case.

With the Longyan Dynasty having developed to this historical stage, the imperial power and the court officials were actually choosing each other; it was a two-way selection. Others were tools for your ascension to the throne; even if you, Xie Ming, became the Emperor, would you not also be a spokesperson for those interest groups?

However.

She could not see it clearly.

"Your Highness... if you want to eliminate the Vice Minister, there is only one opportunity!"

Suddenly, one person whispered.

Dong Shuyu's eyes lit up: "Speak!"

"The funeral!"

After that person finished speaking, they began to tremble all over.

"What?"

Dong Shuyu gasped.

The funeral...

The Crown Prince's grand funeral...