Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 517 Conferring the Title of Prince of Yan!!! (5,000 words)
A cool morning breeze rustled through the treetops.

The morning sunlight was serene, the leaves swayed in the morning breeze, and the dappled light on the ground rippled.

Perhaps because it was the beginning of autumn, although it was still the hottest period of summer, the morning air was already cool. The air brushed against her face and ruffled her hair. Luo Yuheng took a deep breath and felt completely refreshed.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and rinsed my mouth.

A silk towel was used to wipe away the water droplets from her delicate face.

Despite being a woman, Luo Yuheng still retained her vain nature when no one was watching. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror, poked her cheek with her finger, and found it very elastic. A hint of smugness appeared in her dark eyes.

Then I rubbed my calves again, and the muscle soreness was still there.

These things kept resurfacing in her mind, and her delicate brows furrowed again. To be honest, this feeling of having done something without her knowledge was really uncomfortable. Sometimes, she would even have some vague impressions lingering in her mind, like having a hazy dream.

Luo Yuheng remembered clearly that when she first had that kind of dream, she woke up early in the morning with aches and pains all over her body, as if she were about to fall apart, and even felt a dull ache, as if she had really experienced something. Then, Luo Yuheng gently patted her pretty face, while cursing in her heart: "Pah, she's really shameless. She's lived like this for over thirty years, how come she's suddenly gone crazy for men?"

What made Luo Yuheng even more embarrassed was that, based on the faint impressions remaining in her mind, the man in her dream somehow seemed to look remarkably similar to Song Yan.

Luo Yuheng's face turned even redder.

She shook her head vigorously, suppressing these thoughts.

Thinking back carefully, when exactly did this feeling first appear?

Was it during the first outbreak of the cold poison?
Was it when the old woman passed away?
After a long while, Luo Yuheng finally stopped thinking about these things. She frowned and looked at the distant sky, as if she could see the luxurious palace through the mansions and walls... Today is the day of the grand court assembly.

Things are unlikely to be peaceful now.

call!
In Gao Yang's bedroom.

Song Yan let out a heavy breath and slowly opened her eyes.

He was still holding Gao Yang's mature and full body in his arms.

Don't overthink it. Nothing much else happened last night. Although there was some absurdity in the bathtub, we ultimately didn't cross that final line.

Gao Yang seems to be particularly insistent on this.

In Gao Yang's heart, such things were sacred.

It always has to be reserved for the wedding night, as if only then can a woman's marriage be truly perfect.

Therefore, when they were fooling around in the bathtub, it was mostly Gao Yang who was serving them... Perhaps because he felt some guilt, he served them with extra effort, which made Song Yan enjoy it very much.

Then, holding Gao Yang's soft body, she slept soundly.

The skeletons she saw yesterday left a deep psychological scar on Gao Yang. Even now, curled up in Song Yan's arms, she was still trembling. Song Yan could roughly guess Gao Yang's thoughts: on one hand, she was grieving for her real mother's fate, and on the other hand, she was probably worried that she would suffer the same fate.

Fortunately, Gao Yang still trusted Song Yan, and at least in Song Yan's arms she could let go of her fear.

Let out a soft breath. Seeing that Gao Yang was still sleeping comfortably, Song Yan carefully withdrew her hand from Gao Yang's chest.

I still feel a little reluctant to part with it.

To be honest, the scale of it was something that no ordinary woman could match.

Among the people Song Yan knows, it seems that only Gu Banxia and Luo Yuheng can compare to Gao Yang.
She tiptoed out of bed.

After casually throwing on a coat, Song Yan returned to his bedroom, changed into his official robes, washed up, ate a quick bite, and then went out.

Normally, court sessions begin very early, requiring people to rise before dawn. However, today's situation is somewhat special; Emperor Ninghe specifically arranged for a eunuch to inform everyone that the court session would be postponed. As Song Yan left, he asked the guards at the gate if those two bastards, Lei Yi and Zhang Han, had returned.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that the two seemed to still be wiping up the bloodstains on the ground outside the city. Song Yan was quite satisfied; after all, their attitude in admitting their mistake was sincere.

They boarded a carriage and headed to the palace.

When passing through Chang'an Street, Song Yan even lifted the carriage curtain to take a look. The road surface was relatively clean. Although there were still some traces of blood left in some places, the visible crimson had been mostly cleaned up. Song Yan knew that Lei Yi and Zhang Han must have instructed the Silver Armor Guards.

Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't be able to clean half a street in a whole night.

Song Yan was too lazy to bother with such trivial matters.

The carriage creaked and swayed along, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the palace.

Even from afar, one could sense the oppressive atmosphere within the palace.

Imperial guards stood watch at the palace gates, and many officials were already waiting in front of the gates, huddled together in small groups, whispering among themselves.

Each of them had a very serious expression on their face.

After all, today's events are related to their future, and no one dares to be careless.

If Emperor Ninghe were to truly abdicate in favor of Song Yan, it would be an extremely terrible outcome. Given Song Yan's personality, wouldn't the Ning Kingdom's court be in constant chaos, with a massacre every few days?

Many civil officials were originally very dissatisfied with Emperor Ninghe. After all, since Emperor Ninghe ascended the throne, although the status of civil officials remained high, there were many more restrictions compared to the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Yuanjing. Not to mention those killed by Song Yan, dozens of civil officials were executed by Emperor Ninghe alone, which would have been almost impossible during the reign of Emperor Renzong. But now, with Song Yan as a comparison, they felt that Emperor Ninghe was actually a pretty good emperor.

The carriage stopped near the palace gate. Song Yan stepped out of the carriage, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see a figure in a white dress flash by in the bushes opposite. It must be Luo Tianxuan.

Many officials' gazes immediately fell on Song Yan. Song Yan could clearly sense that some of these gazes were filled with strong dissatisfaction and hostility. These must be the old men Fang Shan had mentioned to him yesterday... Song Yan didn't have a strong aversion to these people. They were just a bit old-fashioned at most, but they were still good officials, especially in Ningguo's current officialdom, where such officials were becoming increasingly valuable.

Some people were eager to try, seemingly wanting to curry favor with the brother.

However, she was also afraid of Song Yan's temper, worried that she might accidentally say something wrong and anger Song Yan, which would be undesirable.

Moreover, the fact that Luo Tianchu and Luo Tianquan are both Emperor Ninghe's biological sons has already spread like wildfire. Whether Emperor Ninghe will actually abdicate is still uncertain. If one were to try to curry favor at this time, it might displease Emperor Ninghe. Song Yan didn't bring any Silver Armor Guards today either, and it seems he has no intention of seizing the throne... These people are all old foxes. As soon as Song Yan appeared, they immediately analyzed all sorts of situations.

The atmosphere at the scene became extremely eerie. Rustling sounds came from all directions, and occasionally some could be heard, such as another murder had occurred outside the Eastern Mausoleum, and the victim was a member of the Kong family.

About fifteen minutes later, the palace gates opened, and the officials entered the court.

At the entrance of the Golden Temple, the severed limbs and dismembered body parts have been cleared away.

Even so, their expressions were rather unpleasant, especially the civil officials, whose noses twitched unconsciously, as if they could still faintly smell blood. This was probably purely psychological; after all, when Song Yan killed someone in the Golden Hall, it was pouring rain. Even if there were bloodstains, they would have been washed away by the rain long ago, leaving no trace whatsoever.

It's probably a feeling of shared sorrow, like the fox mourning the death of its kin.

After all, these people, though not belonging to the same camp, were all civil officials. Seeing their colleagues being so easily killed by Song Yan like pigs and sheep to be slaughtered, most of them felt a chill down their spines.

The Golden Palace has also been cleaned up.

Only Liang Ju, who voluntarily ran into the pillar and died, has a faint mark left on his head from the impact with the red pillar that has been preserved to this day.

The dents and cracks, along with the faint crimson marks, reminded everyone that dozens of people had died in this place not long ago.

After a short wait, Wei Zhong appeared first to the side of the dragon throne.

"Stand up straight! Adorn your robes! Stand in order!"

With a long shout from the Censorate's guide, the officials quickly lined up in nine rows according to their rank, with civil and military officials standing on both sides.

Emperor Ninghe appeared from behind the hall. Just as Emperor Ninghe sat on the dragon throne, all the officials below knelt down, the sound of their tablets hitting the ground like a sudden rain, and they sang "May Your Majesty receive ten thousand blessings!" and shouted: "Long live the Emperor!"
The sound shook the palace rooftops! The imperial inspector, with his eyes wide open, swept his gaze across all the officials. If he found any official looking up and peeking, he could impeach them on the spot!

Looking up at the emperor, he shall be punished with sixty strokes of the cane!
If it were the officials of the Censorate before, they would not have been so meticulous, but with the current situation in Ningguo unclear, it would be best not to give anyone any more opportunities to find fault.

As Emperor Ninghe addressed the court with the words "May all my officials be well," the officials rose to their feet.

"Speak up if you need anything~~~~"

Wei Zhong's distinctive hoarse voice, drawn out in a drawn-out tone, echoed throughout the hall. All the officials below bowed their heads, not a single one responding. Emperor Ninghe's complexion looked worse than in recent days; clearly, he hadn't rested well at all, his dark circles revealing his exhaustion. Emperor Ninghe had obviously anticipated the situation in the hall and wasn't angry. He merely smiled wearily: "Is everything alright, gentlemen? I do have a few minor matters to attend to. You've all surely heard the rumors circulating in Dongling City these past few days, haven't you?"

A rustling sound came from the Golden Palace.

However, no one answered.

"I'm sure everyone wants to know whether the rumors are true or false." Emperor Ninghe lowered his eyelids and frowned slightly. Seeing Emperor Ninghe's expression, Song Yan knew that his headache was back.

After a while, the pain seemed to subside somewhat, and Emperor Ninghe let out a heavy breath and said again, "Today, I will tell you all that this rumor is true."

"Princess Luo Yuheng has three sons and four daughters, all of whom are my children."

hum.

Even though the officials in the court had already made some guesses, they were still taken aback when they heard Emperor Ninghe admit it with their own ears. The whispers among themselves made the originally quiet court a little noisy.

"Silence!" Wei Zhong shouted sternly, his brows furrowed.

After the court returned to silence, Emperor Ninghe spoke again: "When I first ascended the throne, the court was in disarray. The Yang faction held sway in the government, and the Bailu Academy held power in the Qingliu. At that time, I was in grave danger, my life hanging by a thread. Although I sent trusted advisors to protect me, poison repeatedly reached the palace. I feared that the heir would die young, so I secretly instructed Princess Yuheng to change the dragon's offspring to a phoenix's, and secretly moved the child to the inner palace, so that the imperial line could continue and the ancestral line could be established."

"Now, twenty years have passed. The traitor Chu Licheng was executed in the Golden Palace, and Chief Yang Hetong was beheaded in the Imperial Palace. The evil spirits have been swept away, and the Jade Palace is clear and bright. It is time for the pearl lost in the sea to return to the Heavenly Family; for the hidden dragon in the abyss to take its rightful place in the Xuanyuan. On this auspicious day, we will inform the Imperial Ancestral Temple and compile the Golden Book, so that our descendants may continue the glory and inherit the lineage of the Nine Temples."

"Where is the Grand Master of Ceremonies?"

An old man immediately stepped forward: "This old minister is here!"

"At that time, the Imperial Clan Court will also need to verify my identity."

"Old minister, I obey the order!"

At this moment, Fang De, who had remained silent until now, suddenly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Emperor Ninghe: "Your Majesty has retrieved the pearl lost in the vast sea and gathered the scattered brilliance of the celestial empire. You have allowed the dragon seed to return to the imperial garden and the phoenix chick to return to the jade forest. The ancestral temple has been able to extend the weight of the nine tripods, and the common people have all received the glory of your virtuous rule. The sun and moon shine again, and the mountains and rivers rejoice together!" He bowed again: "This old minister congratulates Your Majesty and the people."

The other officials finally realized what was happening and knelt down in unison, shouting, "Your Majesty, we congratulate you! We congratulate you, the people!"

Many people were already secretly plotting, thinking that this step was a public acknowledgment of the identities of Luo Tianchu, Luo Tianquan, and others.

The next step is to be included in the imperial register, and then to be granted the titles of king and princess.

These seasoned veterans had clearly guessed Emperor Ninghe's decision; he wasn't planning to abdicate.

If it were a matter of abdication, Emperor Ninghe would have no need to include the princes and princesses raised outside the palace in the imperial register, let alone bestow titles of princess or prince. Instead, the new emperor would simply bestow titles such as Duke of Anle or Duke of Shanyang, promising them a lifetime of wealth and honor.

Conferring a title of kingship at this time would be extremely inappropriate.

It seems that the rumors circulating outside that the Empress arranged for someone to assassinate the Marquis of Champion are true, and this has even led to a falling out between Emperor Ninghe and Song Yan.

Of course, this was a good thing for the civil officials, and even the military generals thought it was a good outcome, since most of them had dirty hands and no one would dare to serve a tyrannical emperor under such circumstances.

I wonder how Emperor Ninghe will deal with Song Yan?

Many people secretly glanced at Song Yan, wanting to see what kind of expression he had at that moment.

Although Song Yan came alone, they would not be surprised at all if a group of silver-armored guards suddenly appeared in the Golden Hall.

However, they were puzzled to find that Song Yan's expression was much calmer than they had imagined. There was not a trace of hatred or anger in his eyes, and there was even a faint smile on his lips.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Ninghe sighed with a hint of helplessness.

The Empress's move completely disrupted Emperor Ninghe's plans. Originally, he only wanted Tian Shu and Tian Quan to live a peaceful life. This was the only thing he, as the emperor and father, could do for his children.

The heavy burden of Ningguo will fall on Song Yan's shoulders.

However, the Empress's move completely exposed Tian Shu and Tian Quan to everyone, and also completely dragged them into this bottomless vortex where a single misstep could lead to their annihilation.

From this perspective, the empress was undoubtedly successful.

Even if Emperor Ninghe still follows the original plan and abdicates the throne to Song Yan at the appropriate time, the existence of Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan will become the root of chaos in Ning Kingdom... Even if these two brothers do not want to rebel, as long as their status as descendants of the late emperor remains, countless people will flock around them to maintain the so-called legitimacy for their own ambitions and interests.

Trust cannot withstand being undermined.

Previously, Emperor Ninghe believed that entrusting Tian Shu, Tian Quan, Tian Yi, and Tian Xuan to Song Yan was an excellent choice, as Song Yan valued relationships and would never harm Tian Xuan's younger siblings.

But now?
If Song Yan were to become emperor, and people were constantly whispering in Tian Shu and Tian Quan's ears, inciting rebellion and demanding the return of the Luo family's empire, would Song Yan still be able to tolerate their existence?
Emperor Ninghe did nothing wrong, and there was absolutely no conflict between him and Song Yan. Yet, the Empress's incredibly foolish move left an irreparable rift between him and Song Yan.

At the same time, it also completely eliminated the possibility of Emperor Ninghe abdicating to Song Yan.

Emperor Ninghe let out a slightly helpless sigh, then glanced at Wei Zhong. Wei Zhong was clearly prepared, and immediately stepped forward, taking out an imperial edict from his sleeve.

The officials in the court knelt on the ground once again.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: When I received this precious mandate, the order of Ningguo fell apart. Corrupt officials rotted within the court, and treacherous officials rotted on the borders. I have been vigilant day and night, determined to restore the dynasty. However, jackals and wolves hold power, and foxes and rats fill the court; whales and sea monsters roam the waves, and beacon fires illuminate the borders. The Japanese island barbarians ravage the seas, and the coastal people lie dead like straw; the Jurchen cavalry broke through Jizhou, and 16,000 elite soldiers perished at the border. In Pingyang Prefecture, white bones filled the sky, and the fields were silent; the northern barbarian Chanyu Suochuoluo, with 300,000 archers, wanted to drink from the Yellow River and whip the Yin Mountains."

"The granaries are teeming with rats, which feed on the spoils of the sold utensils; the ranks are sparsely equipped, and the soldiers are all empty-handed. Moreover, we see officials wielding power and those in red robes causing chaos in the ranks, forcibly driving their elite troops into a deadly trap, leaving the loyal corpses to fill the cold gorges!"

"How tragic!"

"The army was not lost to the barbarian horses, but rather to the decaying insects!"

Wei Zhong's voice echoed in the hall, and many civil officials turned pale with fright. His words, "Those with green ribbons wield power, and those in red robes are in disarray," were like a slap in the face to them.

"At that time, the Nine Tripods were swaying, and the divine artifacts were about to fall!"

"Heaven blesses Da Ning, and the Marquis of Champion, Song Yan, descends like the North Star rising from the sky! He swept across the East Sea, beheading the Japanese chieftains as easily as cutting weeds, slaughtering the entire three islands, the blood waves boiling and the whale waves calming; he turned his army to the west of the sea, plundering the Jurchen royal court as easily as crushing withered wood, beheading 100,000, their heads hanging from the spears, making the north wind stench. When he wielded his spear at Anzhou, he burned the Xiongnu camps for three hundred li, flooded 150,000 iron cavalry, and imprisoned the two sons of the Chanyu alive at the gate. Suochuoluo lost his courage, carrying his corpse northward, and for thirty years the Hu horses dared not neigh southward!"

"nice!"

"Marquis Song Yan, the Champion, has restored the majesty of the Nine Temples and recast the solidity of the Jade Tablet. The whales and scorpions have been swept away, and the border peoples can now live in peace; the beacon fires have been extinguished forever, and foreign invaders will never again bend their bows. His achievements are splendid, surpassing even the heavens and the earth; I am ashamed of this auspicious omen, unable to repay such a pillar. Therefore, I hereby promote him to the rank of…"

"Prince Yan!"

"Add nine bestowments to you:"
With red bows and black arrows, they were sent to conquer those who did not submit.
The vermilion doors lead to the imperial steps, allowing one to ascend the heavenly staircase and overlook all nations;

Three hundred elite guards, protecting the Golden Cabinet to quell the rise of the dragon;

With axes and black armor, they slay demons and monsters at the four corners of the earth;
Offerings of black millet wine, jade tablets, and sacrificial vessels were made to the mountains and rivers in the northern frontier!

"The rites of receiving a sword and ascending the throne, receiving audiences without naming names, and entering the court without hastening will be forever recorded in the imperial edict!"

(End of this chapter)