Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 603: Suppressing the Rebellion (Part 3)
Jiang Shaohua’s words echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.
The ministers’ eyes all welled up. Some directly began to cry. The sound of crying was most contagious, and those who had been holding back their grief also started to weep.
These were tears of relief, mourning the decline of Da Liang’s fortune.
Chief Historian Chen keenly noticed the absence of one person: "Where has Duke An gone?"
"Today the slaughter was intense; he was accidentally cut by a rebel and got injured." Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "He is now being carried outside the hall for treatment."
Chief Historian Chen and the Commandery Princess exchanged a glance and did not inquire further.
The life or death of Duke An wasn’t really that important. Indeed, it was better if he died. Without the Zheng father and son to rely on, Grand Empress Dowager Zheng would naturally depend more on the Commandery Princess. This would be more beneficial to her.
Jiang Shaohua walked up to Cui Du and said softly, "Come with me to kowtow to the cousin."
Cui Du nodded and followed Jiang Shaohua to the coffin.
On this day, the funeral hall had experienced violent rebellion, but no one had touched the large, sturdy coffin holding the Emperor’s corpse.
Emperor Taihe lay in the coffin like this. To preserve the corpse from decay, the coffin was filled with ice, changed daily. However, after a while, slight signs of decay appeared, carrying a foul odor.
The scent on Jiang Shaohua was also unpleasant. She had wielded a long spear today, killing the whole day, countless souls perishing under her spear. Her clothes were almost entirely soaked with the rebels’ blood, reeking with the stench of blood.
She knelt before the coffin, kowtowed three times, and softly said, "Cousin, I have come."
Cui Du also knelt and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I am here too."
The ministers wept bitterly, yet Jiang Shaohua did not cry.
Her sorrow had been transformed into tears the day she heard the shocking news of Emperor Taihe’s death. In recent days, she had been hurrying on her journey, and upon entering the palace today, encountered rebellion and killed people all day long. Now, she could not cry, kneeling before the coffin, filled only with endless fatigue and sorrow.
Prince Ping, Jiang Hao, who had been sitting blankly in the corner like an abandoned puppy, crawled to Jiang Shaohua’s side, reaching out to grab her sleeve.
Jiang Shaohua turned her head, glanced at Jiang Hao, and said, "Don’t be afraid; all the bad people have been killed by me, and no one will dare harm you anymore."
Whether Jiang Hao understood or not was unknown, but he pursed his lips and began to cry loudly.
His cries were particularly loud and piercing, drilling directly into people’s eardrums, making their ears ache.
For once, Jiang Shaohua did not disdain Jiang Hao, reaching out to pat his back: "Cry it all out. After crying, wipe away your tears and let your cousin rest in peace."
Jiang Hao didn’t understand these words, plunging into Jiang Shaohua’s embrace and continuing to cry.
The hall doors were pushed open once more.
A frail, elderly figure was supported into Zhaohai Palace. The ministers had no time to wipe their tears or to rise and greet respectfully.
No one cared about these formalities at that moment.
Grand Empress Dowager Zheng, with disheveled hair and red eyes, struggled to reach the coffin.
Jiang Shaohua remained kneeling, Prince Ping still crying. Grand Empress Dowager Zheng held onto the coffin, looking at her eldest grandson lying within, tears of grief relentlessly flowing down her old cheeks.
An elder burying a younger is the world’s saddest thing. Grand Empress Dowager Zheng lost her son three years ago, and now her eldest grandson and granddaughter were also gone. The direct bloodline only left with a clueless Prince Ping, leaving her heart filled with sorrow and helplessness.
Grand Empress Dowager Zheng cried for a long time, nearly fainting.
Jiang Shaohua finally spoke softly, "Eldest Aunt, now is not the time to wallow in grief. We must come up with a plan."
"The bodies of the rebels slain today need to be identified and recorded one by one; those who should be implicated cannot be overlooked."
"Furthermore, some rebels remain hidden in the court’s shadows, and we must find them all and kill them to prevent future troubles."
"Cousin’s body is not yet cold; the funeral must continue."
"Additionally, we need to notify the families of those ministers slain by the rebels today to retrieve the bodies."
With so many tasks, each following the other, someone had to worry about them. Most importantly, there must be someone who can stabilize the situation and people’s hearts. At such a time, disorder must not occur again.
Grand Empress Dowager Zheng instinctively searched for Duke An’s presence, immediately recalling the treacherous Zheng Chen. Uncertain whether the Zheng Family could escape disaster, Duke An should not act conspicuously and may not be able to convince the public.
Prime Minister Wang? No, he definitely couldn’t be entrusted with overseeing the situation.
As for the Imperial Family, with Jiang Yi executed for treason and Prince Gaoliang implicated, they couldn’t escape death. The remaining Commandery Princes and Princes were also not trustworthy, possibly being the next Jiang Yi.
After much contemplation, the most trustworthy, loyal, and reliable person was Jiang Shaohua.
Most importantly, Jiang Shaohua was a woman who couldn’t seize the throne; once Emperor Taihe’s funeral was over, Prince Ping could ascend the throne smoothly with Jiang Shaohua’s support.
This was Grand Empress Dowager Zheng’s most secret inner thought.
Grand Empress Dowager Zheng reached out and held Jiang Shaohua’s hand: "Shao Hua, I am old and useless, I entrust all these matters to you. You act as you see fit, if anyone dares to cause trouble, deal with them directly."
Jiang Shaohua was perfectly clear about Grand Empress Dowager Zheng’s hidden calculations. She also needed the Grand Empress Dowager’s support at the time.
Jiang Shaohua nodded in agreement.
The ministers, willing or not, remained silent and apparently accepted this arrangement.
Prince Ping, exhausted from crying, had fallen asleep. Jiang Shaohua handed him over to Cui Du and then got up to arrange matters.
"Minister Dai, Assistant Minister Yang, the Ministry of Justice is to open a case immediately. You lead the people to register the rebels’ names and identities one by one."
Minister Dai, at seventy years old, took the orders trembling. Assistant Minister Yang, however, was full of vitality and responded decisively.
Jiang Shaohua called Ma Ji: "General Ma, please dispatch personnel to search every part of the court thoroughly; anyone found suspicious should be killed without mercy."
After this long half-day, Ma Ji was thoroughly impressed by the Commandery Princess’s divine strength, extraordinary skills, and decisive killing spirit, accepting the command without a second thought.
Jiang Shaohua then instructed Vice Minister Dong: "The Emperor’s funeral must continue; Minister Li was killed by the rebels, so please take charge of the funeral, Vice Minister Dong."
Vice Minister Dong cupped his hands and accepted the task.
Then Jiang Shaohua ordered the list of ministers slain by the rebels to be compiled and for someone to deliver the funeral notices. Fortunately, it was simple today as the titled noble ladies were all in Jingyang Palace, and the funeral notices could merely be sent there.
Many Imperial Guards were wounded, so all capable Imperial Physicians in the palace needed to be dispatched there.
Having arranged these things, Jiang Shaohua also ordered meals to be sent over from the Imperial Kitchen.
Amidst the rebels’ slaughter in the palace, two rebels broke into the Imperial Kitchen, killing three Imperial Chefs. With a few remaining who could move, they trembled as they reheated the cold steamed buns and cooked a pot of cabbage and tofu soup.
During mourning, no meat could be consumed. The ministers, having been hungry all day, could only have a bite of steamed bun and a sip of hot soup at midnight. Somehow, their eyes welled up again.
...
