Reborn Young Lady's Peerless Grace

"Royal brother, please go to the temporary palace to rest from now on. Leave these memorials to me." Yuwen Ze said, looking at the emperor's seat, his usually elegant face showing a desire that he had not dared to express before.

The Second Prince slowly put down his pen, stared at him and asked in a deep voice, "Why?"

"Royal brother, what's the point of asking these questions now?" Yu Wen Ze's eyes danced with madness and excitement: "You'd better ask father to write an imperial edict to pass the throne to me."

The second prince did not move, but just looked at him quietly.

Yuwen Ze sneered, "Are you waiting for someone to bring troops to rescue you, my royal brother? You probably don't know that they can't even get through the city gate. Someone come!"

Following his command, a group of armored guards filed in, their leather boots stepping on the ground and stirring up the dust in the air.

"Royal brother, what are you waiting for?" Yuwen Ze shouted angrily!

"Brother, don't be angry." The Ninth Prince walked in with a smile on his face. "How can you accomplish anything great if you are so impatient?"

Yu Wen Ze was stunned: "Why are you here!"

As he spoke, he seemed to realize something and turned to look at the guards behind him.

The commander of the Imperial Guard made a gesture, and two rows of people immediately surrounded Yuwen Ze, with the sharp tips of their swords pointed at him. Yuwen Ze looked at all this with an expression of disbelief on his face, then he lowered his head and laughed, and slid weakly to his knees on the ground.

In Kunning Palace, the empress knelt before the statue of the Bodhisattva. The string of Buddhist beads in her hand suddenly broke. She had a bad feeling in her heart. Just then, a palace maid knocked on the door: "Your Majesty, the Virtuous Consort is here."

"Let her in." The queen stood up and felt a little sore in her knees. She couldn't help but laugh at herself.

When Consort De entered, the dim room seemed a bit brighter. She wore a floor-length gown sprinkled with gold, and a gold hairpin inlaid with jewels. Her eyes were bright and she was charming and dignified. The bright smile on her face formed a sharp contrast with the Empress.

"Sister, why don't you go to the front hall and take a look?" Defei said with her hand covering her mouth.

The queen had a gloomy face and endured the fishy taste in her throat: "It's so late, my sister is not resting, but I am about to sleep. What are you doing running to the front hall?"

"Sister, you don't think you can escape by pretending to be stupid, do you?" Defei opened her eyes wide and blinked, with undisguised mockery in her eyes.

The queen casually smoothed her shawl, her pointed fingertips gleaming with a dark yellow light. "Sister, if you have nothing else to do, please leave first."

Concubine De couldn't help but clap her hands: "The Empress is really patient. But isn't it time to settle the old grudges now?"

"Settlement?" A smile played on the Queen's lips. She looked up and met Concubine De's gaze. "Do you think that just because you defeated me, everything will be fine and you will be able to sit firmly on the throne? I'm telling you, it's too early for you to be happy!"

De Fei's eyes flickered. "Your Majesty, why are you saying all this? The only thing you should blame is why you insist on clinging to the General's Mansion and the throne, even colluding with the Zi Luo Kingdom. Such sins deserve death. You have brought this upon yourselves. Your Majesty, please cherish the opportunity to stand here and speak."

"Yes, why did I insist on keeping a close eye on Du Zhijie? Doesn't Her Majesty want to know?"

"Isn't it just that I'm afraid General Du's military power will lean towards my son?" De Fei sneered. "After all these years in this palace, I'm well aware of your methods. Do you think I'm unaware of what you've done? You've killed so many people, what's the point in the end?"

"Yes, it's useless..." The queen tilted her head back, tears sliding down her cheeks to her neck, disappearing in her bright red palace dress.

Defei thought about how the Queen had plotted against her for so many years and didn't want to waste any more time talking to her. She just asked someone to come in and take the Queen away.

The Queen was not tied up. She smiled and looked at Concubine De, her eyes full of crazy and broken obsession: "You idiot, you don't understand anything at all. I have painstakingly planned for many years, but you are still no match for me. I am waiting for you to accompany me, hahaha!"

"What?" Concubine De was stunned. She didn't hear clearly what the Queen was mumbling about.

But the queen just smiled, and that pale smile made the imperial concubine feel a little panic unconsciously.

The queen was dragged away.

On the second day, the emperor directly issued an edict to demote Yuwen Ze to a commoner and exile him to Qianzhou, depose the empress and send her to the cold palace, and make the second prince Yuwen Yi the crown prince. He also ordered the Minister of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation of the empress's family and punish them according to law.

All of a sudden, many people in the court who were related to the queen and Yuwen Ze's family were dismissed and investigated.

After this series of blows, the emperor, who was already in poor health, died in the northwest because of the prince's rebellion.

Inside the palace, a solemn silence reigned. The emperor's chambers were sealed, and the maids and eunuchs, looking nervous, hurried back and forth. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere permeated the palace, as if even the air itself carried a hint of sadness.

The emperor lay on the dragon bed, pale and breathing weakly. The ministers and royal relatives gathered around the bed, anxiously waiting for the emperor's last words.

Prince Yuwen Yi knelt before the bed, tightly holding the emperor's hand, his eyes full of worry. The emperor opened his eyes with difficulty, looked at Yuwen Yi, and moved the corners of his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

"Yier... I... I'm leaving... This world... will be handed over to you..." The emperor's voice was weak and trembling.

Yuwen Yi burst into tears, his voice choked with sobs: "Father, you will get better. I cannot do without your teachings."

The emperor shook his head gently, and with his last bit of strength, he said, "Remember... put the people first... protect the legacy of our ancestors... As for your brother... spare his life... give him..."

After saying this, the emperor's hands slowly dropped and his eyes closed forever.

"Father!" Yuwen Yi was heartbroken and burst into tears. Everyone present also knelt on the ground and cried.

No matter what wrongs Yuwen Ze had done, his father would always forgive him. This time, he had colluded with the Ziluo Kingdom and started a rebellion, both of which were punishable by death. But his father finally decided to spare his life.

"Never mind, that was my father's last words, 'then spare his life.'"

Yuwen Yi sighed and began to arrange the follow-up matters.

The news of the emperor's death spread quickly throughout the palace, then throughout the capital, and even the entire country. The whole country was plunged into grief.

According to the emperor's will, Crown Prince Yuwen Yi inherited the throne. Preparations for the new emperor's enthronement were carried out intensively and in an orderly manner.

Yuwen Yi forced himself to gather himself in the midst of his grief and began to deal with a series of affairs. First, he had to arrange the emperor's funeral, an extremely tedious and solemn task. Every detail had to be perfect to express respect and remembrance for the late emperor.