Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

The rumors of a new queen were spreading more and more in the palace. Not only that, there were even several versions of the new queen's candidate. However, the emperor still did not make a final decision, and the ministers in the court could not hold back and submitted their memorials one after another.

The emperor naturally understood the thoughts of his ministers. They just wanted him to choose the queen as soon as possible in order to stabilize the situation in the harem.

But the emperor also had his own considerations. The matter of establishing a queen concerned the foundation of the country, so how could he make a decision easily? Moreover, there were many political parties in the court, and there were complicated forces behind each candidate. The slightest mistake would cause turmoil in the court. Therefore, the emperor was hesitant and never made a final decision.

Therefore, the emperor decided to go out of the palace incognito and personally visit the people to see what they thought about this matter. After all, the queen is the mother of a country, and her position is very important. Her character and talent directly affect the rise and fall of the country. Therefore, the emperor hopes to find a truly suitable woman to play this important role.

Outside the palace, the emperor heard all kinds of opinions. Some people supported making a virtuous woman the queen, believing that this would bring harmony to the harem; some people believed that family background should be given priority, because only women from prominent families would have enough knowledge and ability to handle harem affairs; and some people proposed to select the queen through a beauty pageant, believing that beautiful appearance would add glory to the royal family.

The emperor wrote down all these opinions and planned to make a decision after returning to the palace. However, the emperor did not know that his whereabouts had already been discovered by someone with ulterior motives...

At this time, in a mansion in the capital, an official was having a secret conversation with a mysterious man. The official's name was Qian Zhongshu, one of the important figures in the court, and the mysterious man was a man of the underworld named Jiang Ying.

"Sir Qian, I have already found out that the emperor left the palace today in disguise, presumably to find a new queen." Jiang Ying said.

Lord Qian frowned: "This is not a good thing. If the emperor really finds a woman he likes, then our previous plan may fail."

It turned out that the party that Lord Qian belonged to had been trying to nominate his daughter to become the queen in order to consolidate their power. Now that the emperor had left the palace to investigate the people's sentiments, it undoubtedly increased the uncertainty of their plans.

"Then what should we do?" Jiang Ying asked.

Lord Qian pondered for a moment, then said: "Since the emperor has left the palace, we can't just sit there and wait for death. Jiang Ying, you immediately send someone to investigate the emperor's movements to see where he went and who he met. In addition, we must also be prepared for both situations. Once the emperor chooses another woman, we must take action immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Jiang Ying replied, then turned and left.

At the same time, the emperor continued to visit outside the palace, unaware that his every move was being closely watched. A storm of power struggle in the palace was quietly brewing...

The emperor's trip outside the palace did not last long. Two days later, he returned to the palace, ready to deal with the matter of establishing a queen. However, he found that the atmosphere in the palace had become extremely tense. Some palace maids and eunuchs had flickering expressions, as if they were hiding something. The emperor had doubts in his heart, but he did not show it on the surface.

After discussing with several ministers, the emperor decided to hold a grand banquet and invite ladies from all walks of life to attend. The banquet was nominally to celebrate a royal festival, but in fact it was an opportunity for the emperor to observe the candidates. He hoped to find a suitable candidate for the queen through this banquet.

On the night of the banquet, the palace was brightly lit, with singing and dancing. Many beauties were dressed in gorgeous clothes, showing their own style. The emperor shuttled among the crowd, talking to them, trying to understand their character and talent. He smiled and chatted with every lady very well, making them feel flattered.

When the emperor was talking to a lady, the music suddenly stopped and the palace fell into silence. Everyone turned to look at the stage and saw a man in black holding a sword rushing towards the emperor.

The emperor's expression instantly became solemn, and the guards around him also reacted immediately, drawing their weapons and preparing to protect the emperor. However, the man in black acted quickly, breaking through the guards' defense line in an instant and approaching the emperor.

At the critical moment, a guard beside the emperor stepped forward and blocked the attack of the man in black. The two men started a fierce fight, and it was difficult to tell who was the winner. Seeing this, the other guards also joined the fight and surrounded the man in black.

After a fierce battle, the man in black was finally subdued. The emperor stepped forward and took off the man's mask, and found that it was his younger brother, the fourth prince, Prince Pingyang. It turned out that Prince Pingyang had always coveted the throne and wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of the emperor and seize the throne.

Faced with this situation, the emperor did not show anger or disappointment. Instead, he handled the matter calmly and continued to complete the banquet.

He knew that as a king, he must always remain calm and rational, and not let personal emotions affect state affairs. The emperor looked at Prince Pingyang in front of him, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.

"Why? I have treated you well, why do you want to assassinate me?" the emperor asked.

Prince Pingyang gnashed his teeth and replied: "You are indecisive and undecided, and you are not worthy of being the emperor! I am the most suitable person to inherit the throne!"

The emperor shook his head and said, "My brother, you have disappointed me so much. Well, considering that we are brothers, I will not kill you. From now on, you just stay in prison." The emperor then said to the guards around him, "Come here, take Prince Pingyang away and put him in prison."

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was time for the next palace banquet. This time the banquet was relatively small, with only some princes and nobles and concubines in the harem being invited to attend.

At the banquet, the atmosphere seemed a bit solemn. Everyone was expecting the emperor to announce something important. Finally, the emperor stood up and said in a loud voice: "I am inviting you to a banquet today because I have something important to tell you." Everyone held their breath and listened, waiting for the emperor's next words.

The emperor continued, "I have decided to appoint Xiao Meiyao as the queen." As soon as these words came out, the entire banquet hall fell into a dead silence. The concubines in the harem looked at each other, their eyes full of astonishment. They originally thought that the emperor would choose a concubine from among them to be appointed as the queen, but they didn't expect it to be an unknown woman. Especially Lian Zhaoyi and Zhu Cairen, they had always thought that the emperor would appoint Yunxi as the queen, after all, she had always been deeply favored by the emperor and was the mother of the prince. Now this result surprised them.