Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 613: Winning Over (4)
At this moment, it was already light outside.
Unfortunately, there were no windows in this Heavenly Prison, and the light was dim.
Prince Dongping and Jiang Shaohua exchanged glances.
Prince Dongping did not hesitate for too long and quickly laughed: "I never thought that the world our Jiang Family has inherited for two hundred years would fall into the hands of a woman. Well, I’m a dying person, keeping this secret is useless. I might as well tell you!"
Then, he recounted the location of the secret chamber.
The Princely Heir of Prince Dongping, who was lying on the ground like a dead fish, was shocked and suddenly sat up: "Father! You actually set the secret chamber under the pond!"
Ordinary secret chambers are either in the study or bedroom, underground, or have hidden passages in the walls. Yet Prince Dongping set the secret chamber under the pond!
Who could have thought of that? Who could have found it?
Prince Dongping first smiled proudly, then sighed: "These are all tricky moves. To seize the world, you still need soldiers and provisions."
The Princely Heir of Prince Dongping blurted out, "Nanyang County has soldiers and provisions, yet Jiang Shaohua hasn’t plotted rebellion!"
Prince Dongping was choked for a moment, somewhat annoyed: "You’re not her; how do you know she hasn’t thought about it?"
Jiang Shaohua didn’t pick up on this, and said flatly: "I’m going to the shrine now, you just wait for death calmly."
Prince Dongping and his son: "..."
Whichever way you listen, it’s not good words.
Jiang Shaohua took steps to leave, and her figure soon disappeared.
The Princely Heir of Prince Dongping numbly watched Jiang Shaohua’s figure leave and suddenly mumbled to himself: "If it were me, I wouldn’t be making clothes for others."
Prince Dongping sneered, as if mocking his son for being too foolish: "How do you know she is making clothes for others? Can’t you think about why she came to the prison to see us, finding concrete evidence of Zheng Chen’s rebellion?"
"Father just said, she’s going against the Zheng Family." The Princely Heir of Prince Dongping instinctively replied: "Wait, if she uproots the Zheng Family, the Grand Empress Dowager will be cut off, and her prestige and influence will greatly weaken. Won’t everything rely on her?"
Prince Dongping laughed coldly: "That’s why I say, Jiang Shaohua’s ambition is not just to be a regent Commandery Princess!"
A thought flashed through the Princely Heir of Prince Dongping’s mind, and he drew a sharp breath, shocked by this thought: "She... she wants to be Empress!"
"How dare she have such a thought!"
"From ancient times, men have been superior to women, and court politics have always been a man’s affair. Even the Grand Empress Dowager cannot directly interfere in politics and has to rely on the Zheng father and son to do the work. How dare Jiang Shaohua have such a rebellious and outrageous thought!"
"Impossible! The courtiers wouldn’t support it! The Grand Empress Dowager would never agree! It’s against the law of the court, against custom, the ancestral spirits in the Imperial Ancestral Temple are watching, it’s absolutely impossible!"
Prince Dongping remained calm: "This matter is indeed unprecedented and fraught with difficulties. However, such a formidable woman as Jiang Shaohua has never been seen before. Whether or not she can succeed depends on her skills and strategies."
"It’s a pity I can’t live to see that day. Truly a pity!"
The Princely Heir of Prince Dongping was about to go crazy: "Father is still lamenting! Does father support a woman ascending the throne?"
Prince Dongping laughed mockingly: "Da Liang is in shambles, the national fortune is declining, the kingdom is unstable. If Jiang Song were alive, people’s hearts could barely settle and sustain for a few more decades. Jiang Song has died, Jiang Yi has also died, you and I are awaiting death, and only a foolish Jiang Hao is left. Even if the Prince of Huaiyang and the Prince of Wu’an join forces, they are no match for Jiang Shaohua. Why shouldn’t Jiang Shaohua consider the throne?"
"What’s wrong with an Empress? As long as she can govern the country well and let everyone live good lives, a woman can also be Emperor."
Father is crazy! 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
The Princely Heir of Prince Dongping stared blankly at his deranged father.
The Imperial Guard in charge of watching the cells came in briskly, retying the hands and feet of the father and son, and stuffing cloth into their mouths.
The cell fell silent again, with only the occasional muffled sound of discontent from the Princely Heir of Prince Dongping.
...
Jiang Shaohua nonchalantly exited the Heavenly Prison.
The Imperial Guard stationed outside the prison respectfully saluted her. The leading general, surnamed Liu, named Hengmao, was indeed the cousin of Liu Hengchang.
It was thanks to Liu Hengmao’s efforts that Jiang Shaohua was able to slip past everyone and visit Prince Dongping and his son in the prison.
Jiang Shaohua nodded to Liu Hengmao, who said no more, and respectfully watched as the Nanyang County Princess left.
"Qin Hu, I have an urgent task for you. Select twenty men to go with you." Jiang Shaohua called Qin Hu, and entrusted him with a few low-voiced instructions.
For the matter of retrieving the letters from the secret chamber of Prince Dongping Mansion, she had to send a trusted aide. Song Yuan would draw too much attention as soon as he left her side. Qin Hu, being much younger, wouldn’t attract as much notice.
Qin Hu swiftly accepted the task and left.
Song Yuan softly reminded: "The matter of Commandery Princess visiting Prince Dongping and his son today should be kept from the Grand Empress Dowager for now. Over time, the truth might come out, and the Grand Empress Dowager will eventually notice."
Jiang Shaohua calmly said, "Once Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu’an enter the palace, the Grand Empress Dowager will have to put all her energy into dealing with them and won’t have time to pay attention to my small actions."
That’s true.
For Grand Empress Dowager Zheng, the greatest threat isn’t Jiang Shaohua, but Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu’an.
The young and foolish Prince Ping has no advantage besides his bloodline. Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu’an are both close branches of the Imperial Family and have been Vassal Kings for decades. If they take the chance to seize control of the court and the throne, that’s enough to give the Grand Empress Dowager a headache, leaving her little time to bother with the "minor details" involving Jiang Shaohua.
Seeing that the Commandery Princess was composed, Song Yuan did not say more.
Qin Hu, holding the waist token of the Nanyang Prince Mansion Guard, successfully exited the palace and rode swiftly towards Dongping County.
Meanwhile, Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu’an entered the Capital City almost simultaneously.
...
The two Vassal Kings, who came for the funeral, received shocking news of a palace coup on their way and hurriedly sped up to enter the palace.
They couldn’t help but feel some regret that Jiang Shaohua had been the one to enter the palace and quell the rebellion, and she had taken all the great prestige.
Luckily, Jiang Shaohua was a woman, naturally excluded from succession to the throne. As long as they could win her over, they would gain great support, significantly increasing their chances of ascending the throne.
Because of this, after crying for a while before the Emperor’s coffin, both Prince Huaiyang and Prince Wu’an wiped their tears and sought out Jiang Shaohua for a conversation.
Prince Huaiyang was fair enough, having always stayed out of each other’s business with Jiang Shaohua.
Prince Wu’an, however, had genuinely fallen out and caused trouble with Jiang Shaohua, but now he thick-skinnedly offered goodwill to Jiang Shaohua: "Shaohua, you’ve worked hard these days, putting in so much effort."
Jiang Shaohua gave Prince Wu’an a cold glance: "The Emperor’s funeral must be organized smoothly, and during this period, whoever dares to cause trouble, I’ll settle it with a spear."
Prince Wu’an: "..."
