Chapter 1652: Curtain Call to the Throne

the Dongchang.The Dongchang (Secret Police) can hide Zhao Taile and keep him out of reach for Zhao Xuanji in the short term.While Zhao Xuanji's skills might allow him to go undetected for a short per...Chapter 1652: Veiling the Government

Outside the Taihe Palace, footsteps were dense as rain, with a large number of guards rapidly approaching.

This detail caused many officials in the Taihe Hall to furrow their brows slightly. The emperor coming was one thing, but bringing so many guards along certainly didn't seem like a simple visit for a chat.

Before officials could react, Empress Zhao Qinglan had already strode into the Taihe Palace with a serious expression on her face.

Zhao Qinglan was adorned in a phoenix crown and a crimson robe, embroidered with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. Only Zhao Qinglan was eligible to wear this attire; any other woman who dared to incorporate even a hint of phoenix imagery into her clothing would face the severe punishment of having her family destroyed.

Supremely noble and exuding immense power, Zhao Qinglan's entrance into the Taihe Hall instantly seemed to command the entire situation.

Beneath a face of flawless perfection, lies a coldness that seems to resemble the moon's ethereal light, suspended high above in the heavens, unlike anything found on earth.

Although she resided mostly within the deep confines of the palace and rarely appeared in public, no civil or military official at Taihe Palace could ignore the reigning Empress.

Since the emperor is unconscious, and the prince is not in the capital, the entire Li royal family is now nominally under the control of the empress.

Walking straight to the center of Taihe Hall, Zhao Qinglan turned around to face the civil and military officials. His gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on Zhao Xuanji. The father and daughter locked eyes, their gazes meeting directly.

Looking at Zhao Qinglan's unruffled eyes, Zhao Xuanji's heart sank. He suddenly had a bad feeling that something was terribly wrong.

He had carefully considered every possible scenario, calculating and predicting every contingency, but Zhao Xuanji never imagined that his daughter, Zhao Qinglan, would appear at this moment.

Although she is his own daughter, after several arguments in the past, Zhao Xuanji can no longer be sure that Zhao Qinglan will stand by his side.

Not to mention the thoughts of the hundred officials, Su Jinpa was the first to stand up, bowing deeply and shouting: "Your Majesty the Empress, I greet you! May your majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"

When Su Jinpa's mountain call was finished, the other officials awoke as if from a dream and quickly knelt down to pay their respects, shouting: "We, your humble servants, greet Your Majesty the Empress with a thousand years of life!"

"All of you, please stand down."

Zhao Qinglan reached out a hand in a gesture of support, and said in a cool voice.

When all the civil and military officials had stood up, Zhao Qinglan looked around once more before continuing, "Now that His Majesty is still unconscious and unable to govern, and the crown prince is not in the capital, according to the Daqin Law and ancestral decrees, this palace shall act as regent until the crown prince returns to the capital and resumes his duties. Does anyone have any objections to this"

Listen to government from behind a curtain!

Civil and military officials looked at each other in surprise. Not only were those around Zhao Xuanji surprised, but even the Donggong faction felt a little unexpected.

But Zhao Xuanji and Su Zhen'ting didn't speak, neither of them daring to be the first to step forward.

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Qinglan turned to Su Zhen'ting first and said, "General Su, do you have any objections"

Su ZhenTing frowned slightly. He instinctively felt that the Empress probably had ulterior motives, and he couldn't easily agree to such a big matter.

Curtain-dropping to rule, starting is easy, but returning the government to the crown prince will likely be anything but simple.

Just as Su Zhen Ting was hesitating, he suddenly saw Su Jin Pa nod slightly at him. Although he was suspicious, Su Zhen Ting still decided to believe Su Jin Pa in a very short time. He clasped his fists and said loudly, "According to the ancestral instructions, if the Emperor is unable to govern, and no regent has been appointed, or the regent prince is temporarily unable to handle state affairs, and the prince is young, the Empress should listen to government. I have no objection."Zhao Xuanji, and said with a husky voice: "Elder Zhao, you have a reason to make a move, but I...""Are you afraid"Zhaoxuanji was not surprised that Li Yinhǔ could guess some things, but he was not afr...