From cute to empress

Chapter 314: Clearing the Rebellion of the Imperial Court

"It's raining heavily?" I suddenly sat up in bed, with an ominous premonition in my heart.

The sky has been sunny and there has been no rain these days, so why did it suddenly start raining heavily?

I put on my robe, walked quickly to the window, and opened it. A gust of damp, hot air rushed in. Bean-sized raindrops, mixed with the whistling wind, lashed violently against the window frames. The whole world was shrouded in a gray mist.

"Your Majesty, you should rest. It's windy and rainy here..." The maid A'man hurried forward and wanted to close the window, but I stopped her.

"Go and invite General Zhen." My tone left no room for questioning.

In less than a cup of tea, Zhen Youcai arrived in the rain. He was soaked to the skin, but his face was solemn.

"Your Majesty, I just took a tour and discovered that the west side of the city is low-lying. Many houses have been flooded, and the people have been displaced." He bowed and said, "I have already dispatched personnel to provide assistance. I have also mobilized the city defense forces to increase patrols to prevent scoundrels from taking advantage of the chaos."

I nodded and asked in a deep voice, "This rain is coming strangely. What do you think?"

Zhen Youcai frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, I also find this matter somewhat strange. The weather has been sunny these past few days, with no signs of rain, yet this rain came so suddenly and with such force. It's truly unusual."

"Go check immediately to see if there are any abnormal situations in recent days." I have a vague feeling in my heart that this sudden rainstorm is probably not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster!

"I obey your command!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left. His figure quickly disappeared in the rain.

My heart, however, just can't calm down.

On the second day, the rainstorm finally stopped, but this sudden disaster brought considerable losses to the capital.

Zhen Youcai brought back the results of the investigation, and the meteorological officer claimed that it was an observation error that led to the lack of early warning.

"Ridiculous! Observation error? Does he think I will believe such a perfunctory excuse?!" I slammed the table, furious.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Zhen Youcai bowed and said, "I have already sent people to interrogate the meteorological officer. I believe there will be a result soon."

Sure enough, within half a day, a guard came to report: "Your Majesty, the weather officer has been summoned!"

I suppressed my anger and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, what did he confess?!"

"The meteorologist admitted that he... he was bribed!" The guard's voice trembled. "That person paid him a large sum of money to lie about the weather and deliberately create panic..."

"Who is it?!" I stood up suddenly and asked sternly.

"Yes... yes..." The guard looked embarrassed.

"Say!"

"Yes... yes..." The guard took a deep breath, as if he had made some important decision. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes suddenly widened and he fell straight down...

"Someone come! Call the imperial physician!" I was suddenly panicked and rushed to the guards while shouting loudly.

But it's too late...

He's no longer breathing...

The guard's sudden death made my heart sink to the bottom. What was he trying to say before he died? Who was trying to silence him?

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Now wasn't the time to be sad. The most urgent task was to find out the truth and calm people's hearts!

"Pass on my order, bring the meteorologist into the palace!"

Soon, the meteorologist was brought up. He was pale and his legs were weak, obviously he had been frightened.

"Do you know your crime?!" I looked down at him with frost in my eyes.

"Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me!" The meteorologist fell to his knees and kowtowed for mercy.

"I'll give you another chance. Who instructed you to do this?!" I asked sternly, with unquestionable majesty in my voice.

"Yes... yes..." The meteorological officer was trembling all over, his eyes were wandering, and he seemed to be having a fierce ideological struggle.

"If you tell the truth, I might spare your life. If you refuse to repent, don't blame me for being merciless!" I looked at him coldly, with a hint of warning in my tone.

Perhaps my words had an effect, or perhaps he realized that he was at his wit's end, but the weather officer finally broke down.

"It was... it was Prince An! It was Prince An who ordered me to do this! He said... he said that as long as I follow his instructions, after the task is completed, he will... he will give me a box of gold, silver and jewelry, and also... he will let me be his..."

"Prince An?!" I stood up suddenly, furious.

Prince An is my uncle, a man with a long-held ambition for the throne. He's repeatedly tried to win over court officials and build his own power, but I've thwarted each attempt. I never imagined he'd go so far as to exploit natural disasters to sow chaos and unsettle the people.

"This damn traitor! Where is he?!" I asked gritting my teeth.

"Your Majesty, Prince An...he has escaped from the capital..." the meteorological officer said tremblingly.

"Damn it! He got away!" I slammed my fist on the table, making a loud noise.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Zhen Youcai stepped forward and said with a bow, "The most urgent task is to stabilize the people's hearts and minds, and at the same time strengthen defenses to prevent Prince An from making a comeback."

"You're right." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Pass on my order. Expose the meteorologist's crimes to the public to appease the public anger! At the same time, strengthen the city defenses, increase patrols, and defend it strictly. We must not allow Prince An any opportunity to take advantage of the situation!"

"According to the order!"

I understand that this is just the beginning. Although Prince An has escaped, this storm is far from over...

"Your Majesty, I also received news..." Zhen Youcai suddenly stopped talking.

"The direction Prince An fled... seems to be..." Zhen Youcai paused, his tone solemn, "It's the northern border..."

"The North?" I gasped, a sense of foreboding welling up in my heart. "Why would he go to the North? There's constant war there. He's going to..."

"Your Majesty is wise," Zhen Youcai said in a deep voice. "I also believe that Prince An's trip to the northern border was no accident. He is very likely trying to collude with the northern barbarians, collude internally and externally, and seize the throne!"

The Northern Barbarians are a nomadic people who have long inhabited the northern part of the empire. They are fierce and skilled in warfare, and they have always been eyeing us covetously. If Prince An truly colluded with them, the consequences would be disastrous!

"This traitor!" I was furious and slammed my palm on the dragon throne. "Pass the order down. Immediately mobilize a hundred thousand troops, led by General Zhen himself, to the northern border. Make sure Prince An is brought to justice!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhen Youcai knelt on one knee, his eyes gleaming with determination.

The atmosphere in the court suddenly became tense. News of Prince An's defection and collusion with foreign enemies swept through the imperial city like a hurricane, and the people were talking about it and panicking.

I understand that this storm is even more severe than I imagined. Prince An has been operating in the court for many years and has many followers. His escape will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions.

As expected, just three days later, news came that Prince An had contacted many dissatisfied nobles during his escape, and in the name of "clearing the imperial court and killing the evil concubine", he started a rebellion in the Jiangnan area!

"Evil Concubine?!" I was so angry that I was shaking all over. Prince An, this despicable villain, even did not hesitate to spread rumors and slander in order to achieve his goal!

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Zhen Youcai said calmly, "Prince An's move is just a last-ditch effort. As long as we put down the rebellion, his lies will naturally fall apart."

"You're right. I can't lose my composure." I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. "Pass on my order. Order the commander of the Imperial Guard to lead 5,000 elite troops to Jiangnan to quell the rebellion immediately!"

Battle reports kept coming in. Though the rebels were few in number, they were all desperate and fought with great tenacity. I was terribly anxious, but I also knew that impatience can't get you anywhere. Times like these made it even more important to remain calm.

Fortunately, Zhen Youcai lived up to everyone's expectations. He led the army and made great progress. In just half a month, he completely defeated the rebels, captured the rebel leader alive, and wiped out King An's accomplices.

When I heard the news, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and my heart finally settled down.

However, Zhen Youcai did not feel relaxed at all. He walked forward with a solemn expression, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, although I have quelled the rebellion, Prince An has disappeared without a trace."

I was startled, a chill running through my heart. As long as Prince An wasn't removed, it would be like a sword hanging over my head, with no idea when it would fall...

"Your Majesty, don't worry." The Imperial Master, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up. "I observed the celestial phenomena at night and discovered..."

He paused, looked into the distance with a deep gaze, and said slowly, "We discovered that Prince An... might appear in... an ancient temple..."