Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

The Fifth Prince angrily retorted, "There is absolutely no way I would hand over this empire to someone else!"

"Let's go all the way and sneak into the palace to kidnap the Empress Dowager and the Emperor."

"With them in my hands, Xiao Lie and his schemes will fail."

The strategists followed the Fifth Prince precisely so that they could achieve great deeds and be granted titles and honors in the future.

If they really surrender, they will be part of the Fifth Prince's faction, and Xiao Lie will never let them go.

The strategists offered their advice and finally decided to take action the following night.

"You summoned me to the palace just to tell me that the Fifth Prince's faction is planning to kidnap the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to coerce us into withdrawing our troops?"

Xiao Lie rushed into the palace, where Consort Yuan told him in detail what she had learned.

The Fifth Prince and his men are just at their last gasp. Since they won't give up until they reach the end, let's play along with their act.

The following evening, chaos erupted in the palace.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were being supported and pushed to the front by the Fifth Prince's men.

"Xiao Lie, where is the imperial edict?" The Fifth Prince, his face flushed, urged Xiao Lie to hand over the edict.

Xiao Lie looked bewildered and said, "The imperial edict isn't with me."

"What are you pretending for?" the Fifth Prince roared in fury. "Stop playing dumb. The imperial edict is in Consort Yuan's hands, which is the same as having it in your possession."

The Fifth Prince directly accused Xiao Lie of having an affair with Consort Yuan.

Xiao Lie gave a mocking smile and did not admit it.

If the Fifth Prince has evidence, he will definitely be extremely arrogant.

The Fifth Prince was merely making baseless accusations, trying to scare him.

"The emperor has suffered a stroke and is paralyzed on one side. He can't stand the cold night wind." Xiao Lie looked at the emperor, who seemed to be getting weaker and heavier. "If you don't send your father back to his palace soon, I'm afraid you'll kill him before you can force me to withdraw my troops."

The fifth prince wanted to say something more, but the emperor became agitated.

He babbled a bunch of things, but no one could understand him.

The Empress Dowager desperately tried to break free from those people's restraints, vainly hoping to rush over and see the Emperor.

Just as Xiao Lie was about to send someone to take action, the emperor suddenly died.

With the emperor dead, Xiao Lie no longer played along with the Fifth Prince's "coup" act.

He snapped his fingers, and instantly tens of thousands of guards appeared, capturing the Fifth Prince and his entourage one by one.

"Imprison the Fifth Prince in the Imperial Clan Court for the rest of his life."

The emperor died, and the empress dowager was placed under house arrest.

Xiao Lie accompanied Consort Yuan to meet with the officials, where they announced the national mourning and also produced the emperor's edict.

"Consort Yuan, there are rumors that the child in your womb is Prince Xiao."

"The royal bloodline must not be disrupted; the child in your belly must not be the future emperor."

Apart from Xiao Lie's side, all factions were extremely resistant to this.

After a long silence, Consort Yuan said, "Xiao Lie and Princess Yuhua are in love and have always wanted to marry Princess Yuhua."

"Princess Yuhua is a member of the royal family, so what if it's her son with Xiao Lie?"

"Can he become the new emperor?"

The ministers looked at each other, realizing that if this were true, they had no reason to object.

Xiao Lie proclaimed himself "Regent" and also bestowed upon Xiao Tianze the title of "King of the State".

He ordered the city gates to be opened wide and welcomed his grandfather, Xiao Tianze, in.

All the people in the city spontaneously came out and lined up on both sides.

When they saw the king of the town, they all cheered loudly.

"King of the Town! King of the Town!"

Xiao Tianze waved to them and was watched all the way until he rode his horse and led several generals to the outside of the palace.

"Grandpa, in the hearts of the people, you are the invincible general."

"In almost every household, there is a portrait or statue of you."

Xiao Lie met Xiao Tianze in the main hall and was happy that Xiao Tianze was able to return to the capital in triumph once again.

Xiao Tianze had been guarding the border for decades and had long been accustomed to life on the frontier.

Here in the capital, everything is fraught with constraints, unlike the carefree life on the frontier.

After staying with Xiao Lie at the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, which is now the Prince of Zhenguo's Mansion, for a few days, Xiao Tianze felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Lie'er, I always feel restricted in doing anything if I stay in the capital." Now that Xiao Lie is capable of handling things on his own, Xiao Tianze has nothing to worry about.

"Grandpa, what do you mean by that...?" The answer was almost obvious, but Xiao Lie just couldn't bring himself to say it.

"When will you hold your wedding with the princess, Qinglan, and Consort Yuan?" Xiao Tianze was about to leave, but he wanted to take the initiative to handle Xiao Lie's wedding before setting off.

Xiao Lie didn't want to drag things out any longer; he had already discussed it with Princess Yuhua and Shen Qinglan.

Let them suffer a little grievance, and then publicly announce that they are also several months pregnant.

In this way, once Consort Yuan gives birth to his son, he can be taken to Princess Yuhua to be raised.

"Grandpa, I will give the order immediately. The wedding will take place in three days."

Although everything was rushed, fortunately, Xiao Lie's men were efficient in their work.

In just three days, everything was prepared quite thoroughly.

When Princess Yuhua was married off from the palace, the betrothal gifts sent by Xiao Lie were naturally delivered to the Empress Dowager's palace.

On the day of their wedding, Xiao Lie rode his horse to the palace first to pick up Princess Yuhua.

Consort Yuan was hidden inside the bright red wedding sedan chair where Princess Yuhua was, and was taken away for the wedding together with her.

The residence that Shen Qinglan later acquired was not far from the Prince Zhenguo's Mansion.

Xiao Lie then received Shen Qinglan.

After entering the Prince's mansion, Xiao Lie and the three of them went through the wedding ceremony together and were led to the bridal chamber.

Three beautiful brides gathered in one room.

Xiao Lie stood before them with a guilty expression. "Ajiao is pregnant. Even though Old Master He said it would be fine for them to consummate their marriage tonight, we still shouldn't take the risk."

"Yueyao and Qinglan, you two need to pretend to be pregnant, and in the same month as Ajiao. I also cannot consummate our marriage with you."

"If you are indeed pregnant, but the months don't match, people might become suspicious."

The three nodded in unison, telling him not to feel so guilty, as this was something they had already discussed.

After their marriage, Xiao Lie oversaw the state, while Consort Yuan focused on her pregnancy, and the harem was managed by Princess Yuhua.

Shen Qinglan continued to manage all the businesses under her name and also established a good working relationship with Xiao Lie. As time went by, the national treasury and all the businesses under her management could almost be described as a huge commercial empire.

This metaphor was naturally uttered by Xiao Lie.

With the national treasury full, Xiao Lie naturally implemented new policies.

First, taxes were reduced or exempted, and then farming was encouraged, which led to a booming agricultural industry. People lived a good life and no longer suffered from hunger or cold.

Some people in the public secretly praised it as "the rule of a regency".

Xiao Lie further reformed the imperial examination system, allowing all scholars from impoverished families to participate, and he also heavily relied on these scholars, appointing them to official positions in the court.

As for the original neutral ministers, Xiao Lie, after thoroughly understanding them, arranged suitable official positions for them.

Within months, under his rule, the people ushered in their first year of peace.

"Why not just let the regent declare himself emperor?" This idea suddenly emerged among the people and even reached the ears of the ministers.