Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Xianfeng snorted angrily. This matter was truly infuriating. He had personally issued the decree to recruit the generals, but Senggelinqin had actually treated him like a general in a foreign country, disobeying the emperor's orders! Was he the emperor, or was he? Even more outrageous was Liu Ye. Without saying a word, he directly attacked and beat up Salmon. Even if Salmon was wrong, he was an imperial envoy. Not to mention a mere admiral, even Senggelinqin would never dare to do such a thing!

Just as Xianfeng was about to speak, Concubine Lan spoke again in the room. Concubine Lan relied on the fact that she gave birth to a big fat son for Xianfeng and became arrogant. The most rare thing was that this concubine was also very experienced in dealing with people and helped Xianfeng handle government affairs. She was very good at it and was favored by Xianfeng.

This time, Concubine Lan originally wanted to have Liu Ye accompany her to get some benefits, but she didn't expect to backfire and actually drag Liu Ye into it, which really made her laugh and cry.

Concubine Lan opened her red lips and replied, "Your Majesty, although what Lord Sushun said makes sense, Liu Ye is also eager to serve his country and has no other intentions. Moreover, Salmon's words were rude and brought trouble upon himself, so it's not his fault. Now is the time to use people at the front, and Liu Ye is a rare talent. If you punish him harshly like this, I'm afraid it will discourage the soldiers..."

Xianfeng was startled and said thoughtfully, "Princess Lan, please don't worry about this matter. I have my reasons. I hereby order that Liu Ye assault the imperial envoy, which is an unforgivable crime. However, considering that it happened for a reason and that we are in need of someone new, I hereby dismiss Liu Ye from his post as Governor of Zhili and appoint him as the General of Baoding Town, where he will serve in the front line. As for the title, since it has been given to him, I will keep it. I will severely reprimand Senggelinqin for not exercising strict discipline over his subordinates. If he does something similar again, he will be severely punished!"

Sushun's face immediately darkened, but he was in front of the emperor and his ministers, so he couldn't be so presumptuous. Since the emperor had said so, he could only obey his orders. But this Concubine Lan was truly abominable. She had occasionally helped the emperor review memorials in the palace, but now she was openly interfering in government affairs while the emperor and his ministers were discussing matters. It was truly outrageous! Outrageous!

After Xianfeng finished speaking, he stood up. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and fell back onto the throne! Xianfeng's health had not been very good to begin with. This time, he had just recovered from a serious illness and, out of excitement, had found an opera performer to perform on stage and indulged in wine and women. Today, he was so aroused by this incident that his body couldn't hold on anymore!

Xianfeng thought the fall was nothing serious, but it frightened all the ministers and concubines. They rushed forward to check on the emperor's health. Sushun shouted, "Come here, quickly call the imperial physician! Quickly call the imperial physician!"

Xianfeng was carried to the back by the eunuchs, and several important ministers followed and served on the side. The imperial doctors came hurriedly and prescribed medicine for Xianfeng. After Xianfeng took it, Xianfeng felt a little relieved.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, asked about the emperor's well-being, and then dispersed to let the emperor have a good rest.

However, Sushun stayed.

Xianfeng looked at Sushun and said, "Sushun, why haven't you left yet? Is there something else?"

Su Shun saw that there was no one around, so he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am taking the liberty of risking my life to give you a piece of advice!"

Xianfeng was stunned and replied, "Okay, stand up and talk. There is no need for us, the emperor and his subject, to be like this!"

"Yes." Sushun kowtowed again before raising his body and moving closer to Xianfeng's bedside.

"Your Majesty, although you are in the prime of life, you have been busy with state affairs and your health has been poor. I suggest that Your Majesty make a grand plan for the future."

"Oh……"

Xianfeng was stunned, and he had already vaguely guessed what Sushun was going to say.

Ten thousand years later, it would naturally be about Long Yu's passing. After him, it would naturally be the eldest prince who would succeed him. He only had this one prince, so who else would he leave the throne to? This was self-evident. Since it wasn't about the crown prince, it was obvious who it was talking about.

"Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Yi is scheming and unruly. She's already interfering in state affairs. If she relies on the new emperor to intensify her malice when you're gone, it's very dangerous. As long as you're here, she won't be able to do anything. But once you're gone, the Empress won't be her match. Your Majesty should have taken precautions long ago..."

"I know that, but the Empress is the mother of the nation. Even though Imperial Concubine Yi is quite cunning, she wouldn't dare overstep her bounds, right?"

"Your Majesty, let me speak frankly. The Empress is now the mother of the country, but what will happen after the new Emperor ascends the throne? You must know that a mother's status is determined by her sons, and the eldest prince is his biological son. If she uses her imperial power to collude with important officials, who can subdue him? If the events of Empress Wu Zetian repeat themselves, it will be a disaster that will shake the country..."

"After all, Imperial Concubine Yi has made great contributions to the country. If her status is taken away for no reason, it will probably cause criticism..." Xianfeng said thoughtfully.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Although she has made contributions, the country is still the most important. I am not insisting that Your Majesty strip her of her title or banish her directly to the cold palace. Instead, I am saying that according to our ancestors' established rules, the harem is not allowed to interfere in state affairs. As long as Your Majesty decides on this matter, everything else will be easy to discuss."

Sushun understood that a mother's status depends on her son, and Concubine Lan is in favor right now. If he insisted on asking the emperor to depose Concubine Lan, it would be impossible. If his plan failed and he was retaliated against, it would be really troublesome. As long as the emperor could formulate a strategy and the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics, he would have a law to follow in the future.

Throughout the dynasties, the harem's interference in government affairs was a taboo. The emperor's arrangement was perfectly normal, and would not be misunderstood by others. Given the trust she held in the emperor's heart, once the emperor passed away, the important task of entrusting the orphan to the regent would definitely fall into her hands. At that time, with the previous emperor's rule above her and the reputation of being a trusted minister below her, a mere Imperial Concubine Yi would be powerless against her!

The sick Xianfeng shook his head slightly and said weakly: "Don't worry about this matter. I won't go to see my ancestors for a while. Take your time. There will always be a way to solve it. I am very confused now. You should step back first and let me think about it..."

Seeing that Xianfeng was having difficulty making up his mind, Sushun could only shake his head helplessly. It seemed that this matter was not something he could decide alone. He should ask Du Han and Jiao Youying to come together to give him advice some other day.

After Sushun knelt down, he walked out of Xianfeng's bedroom backwards.

Concubine Lan's room.

"Master, Duanyue told me that the emperor has dismissed all the servants and is having a secret meeting with Su Zhongtang in the room..." An Dehai entered Concubine Lan's tent, bowed and whispered to her.

"Oh? A secret meeting?"

An Dehai whispered, "Since we were far away, Duanyue couldn't hear clearly, but Su Zhongtang seemed to be talking to His Majesty about the day of his death, and about the harem not interfering in government affairs. There was also another sentence...yes, it was about the old story of Empress Wu Zetian! I don't quite understand it, so I can only describe it to my master..."

The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, this is the old story of Empress Wu Zetian!

Isn't this a reflection of myself?

Concubine Lan was smart and experienced, naturally beyond the reach of ordinary people. Thinking about how she had repeatedly disrupted Sushun's good deeds, Sushun was preparing to take revenge on her!