Volume 6: Demons Rise from the East Sea Chapter 397 Contradictory Ideals
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The comb fell to the ground, and Princess Ronghua knelt on the ground, saying in panic:
"Mother, mother... I... I am doing this all for your sake! The prince... The prince is an obstacle to you. Without him, you... you will..."
"Shut up!" Empress Dowager Lin slammed the dressing table, turned around and sighed, "Why... do you think I really want to be the Great Xuan Emperor?
"If I become the emperor, who will be the crown prince? Will you be the crown prince?"
"Mother, mother..." Princess Ronghua knelt forward, threw herself on the Queen Mother's knees and said, "Without you, Daxuan would not be as prosperous as it is today. Regardless of your merits, abilities, or the people's wishes, you deserve to rule the world!"
"You evil creature! How dare you speak so shamelessly!" Queen Mother Lin slammed the table and shouted angrily, "Why, you only see me fighting for fame and fortune, you only see me using political tricks, but why can't you see my good intentions!
"Ronghua, do you really think that I did all these things just to reach the pinnacle of power in Daxuan and wear the yellow robe?
"You are wrong, you have no idea what we are facing," Queen Mother Lin shouted excitedly, "Daxuan is now more dangerous than ever before!
"Do you think that those powerful officials who secretly opposed me and forced me to give up power just sincerely wanted the emperor to return to the throne?
"Wrong! What they are hiding is extremely terrifying. As long as I lose my power, the emperor will be at their mercy in the future."
“These invisible dangers are the most deadly. For this reason, I did not hesitate to tarnish my own innocence and spread rumors, just to make those invisible dangers surface and eliminate hidden dangers for the emperor.
"I do this not to be worthy of the ancestors of the Li family, but because I want this prosperous era to continue and cannot let it fall in my hands!"
"Mother...Mother..." Princess Ronghua was full of surprise. She never expected that her ideals were so far apart from those of the Queen Mother.
"I have done so many things and used so many methods, not for myself!" Queen Mother Lin smacked her lips repeatedly, "Ao'er is gentle by nature and indecisive. Now he can shock the court because of me, but if he leaves me one day, he will definitely be manipulated by powerful officials and be in danger.
"In the beginning, I made him emperor because I hoped he would change. Now I don't want him to be emperor because he hasn't changed, and I also want to protect him.
"My grandson Li Xun is very intelligent and has some political acumen," Queen Mother Lin shook her head again and said, "but he is too violent and stubborn. If he is allowed to rule the country in the future, I'm afraid he will cause even greater disasters!
"Ronghua, do you understand?" Queen Mother Lin stared at Princess Ronghua and said angrily, "I just want to find a qualified king for Daxuan, but I have never thought about ascending the throne myself!"
"Mother, mother..." Hearing this, Princess Ronghua finally understood her situation. She burst into tears and begged with regret on her face, "My child... I know I was wrong! Please give me another chance.
"Mother...I misunderstood you. I have done so much in the past. Please forgive me this time, considering that I am doing it for your sake. Wuwu..."
"Alas!" Empress Dowager Lin sighed and said, "Ronghua, are you really doing this for me? You clearly knew that Shen Tiande was mine, but you still let Shen Qian take his life!"
"Ah?" Princess Ronghua looked innocent. "Shen Tiande... is your man? Impossible? Isn't he a royalist? And he also tried to rob the iron coffin. He clearly wanted to harm you. That's why I asked Shen Qian to kill him, let him experience the feeling of being betrayed by his relatives, and punish him well..."
"That's enough!" Queen Mother Lin shook her head and sighed, "I really regret not teaching you well. I only let you learn my political tactics, but forgot to teach you how to be a good person!
"From today on, you and your husband will be confined to Tingchaoguan. From now on, you should recite scriptures and pray for blessings to forgive your sins!"
Tingchao Temple is an abandoned Taoist temple. It was later used to imprison royal family members, similar to the Zongrenfu of the Qing Dynasty. Anyone who entered would be sentenced to life imprisonment unless there were special circumstances.
“Ah? No…no…” Princess Ronghua prostrated herself on the ground and begged bitterly, “I don’t want to enter Tingchao Temple. Please have mercy on me, mother. Please have mercy on me, mother. Ronghua will never dare to do that again, never again, wuwuwu…”
Listening to her daughter's pleading, Empress Dowager Lin looked up and sighed, with a hint of moisture in the corners of her eyes.
However, she finally waved her hand, and several eunuchs appeared beside her and pulled Princess Ronghua away...
"No, please don't... Mother, I haven't been able to comb your hair yet, Mother..."
As Princess Ronghua's desperate cries faded further and further away, Empress Dowager Lin's expression returned to normal, revealing supreme majesty.
At this moment, a person suddenly appeared from behind the screen inside the Queen Mother's bedroom.
This person was wearing a light-colored monk's robe and a monk's hat. She was actually a young nun.
"How is it?" The Queen Mother asked without turning back, still looking in the direction where Princess Ronghua was dragged away, "Are you satisfied?"
"Um……"
The young nun nodded slightly, and as a ray of sunlight shone through her, her pretty face was revealed. It was Shen Tiande’s daughter - Shen Qian!!!
Seeing that the Queen Mother did not move at all, Shen Qian could not help but ask softly, "Is my father really yours?"
"Yes," the Queen Mother replied without hesitation , "When your father came to me, he only asked me for one condition, which was to ensure the safety of you four siblings.
"Your eldest brother's death was an accident, but I can guarantee the safety of the three of you."
"Father……"
Thinking of her father's death at her hands, Shen Qian shed tears of regret.
However, Princess Ronghua used the lives of the three Shen brothers to force her to submit. If Lord Shen did not die, then her three brothers would have died.
"Don't give up on yourself," the Queen Mother said, "Your father's death was all Ronghua's fault. It has nothing to do with you. From now on... just follow me!
"You are still so young, and there are still many meaningful things to do!"
"Empress Dowager..." Shen Qian was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "Shen Qian is willing to follow the Empress Dowager and obey her orders!"
"Really?" the Queen Mother asked, "What if... I let you marry Xu Zun?"
"This..." Shen Qian's body trembled, as if she was struck by lightning.
"Don't worry," the Queen Mother motioned Shen Qian to stand up, "I won't force you to do anything you are unwilling to do.
"To tell you the truth, my Great Xuan... lacks a female prime minister," the Queen Mother's eyes flashed with a deep light, "so that we can check and balance the cabinet."
"Ah?" Hearing this, Shen Qian felt her blood boiling, and even forgot to thank him...
…
After an incense stick of time, the Queen Mother entered the main hall of Wanfu Palace alone. After pressing a button on a stone pillar, the secret door that she had previously used for hiding opened immediately.
When the heavenly calamity occurred, the Queen Mother hid in this secret room.
At this moment, the stone door opened, and when the empress dowager entered the secret room, she saw an old Taoist priest with silver hair and an immortal look sitting cross-legged in meditation on a cushion on the inner side.
Hearing the noise, the old Taoist priest hurriedly stood up, bowed respectfully to Empress Dowager Lin, and shouted "Greetings, Empress Dowager".
"I'm sorry to have wronged you, Imperial Master Qiu!" The Queen Mother also respectfully made a mysterious gesture and said, "All arrangements have been made. The Great Xuan Navy will march to the East China Sea soon. When the internal and external troubles are resolved, it will be the day for you to leave!!!"
