The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 219

Zhao Jide and Song Dingzhong shouted again, “Welcome, Princess Gu Luan.”

As their voices echoed, some ministers fell to their knees, heads touching the ground, bodies trembling. “Welcome, Princess Gu Luan.”

The Third Prince, humiliated and furious with the Heavenly Hound sitting on his head, felt a surge of courage in the face of impending death.

“Eldest Brother, aren’t you afraid to be with the daughter of the late Empress?” he began.

But the Crown Prince didn’t let him finish. “Of course not, after all, I’m not your Eldest Brother.”

The Third Prince was stunned. “Who are you?”

“I am Zhou Qisheng’s, the most loyal general to the late Empress. Sixteen years ago, my entire family was massacred, but I survived.”

“You are Zhou Qisheng’s son?”

A minister couldn’t contain his excitement and looked up at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince smiled warmly at him. “Uncle Qing, it’s me.”

The minister, named Li Qing, was Zhou Qisheng’s closest friend. After the Empress and Emperor’s sudden deaths, the Zhou family was slaughtered overnight. He had received a secret message instructing him to sever all ties with the Zhou family and live a low-profile life. This message had saved his life, allowing him to remain in the court as a minor official.

Staring at the Crown Prince, the minister trembled. “You are…”

The Crown Prince replied, “Zhou He.”

“Yes, He’er, it’s He’er! You are alive! Alive!” Overwhelmed with joy, the minister trembled even more than when the sword had grazed his neck.

Song Jin looked at Zhou He. So, his name was Zhou He. No wonder no one had mentioned his name since she arrived. Everyone had only called him the Crown Prince. He had chosen not to be called by his princely name. He was a prince, but he was always Zhou He, the last bloodline of the Zhou family.

“You are Zhou He? Not my Eldest Brother? Where is my Eldest Brother?” the Third Prince roared. “You bastard, you dare to confuse the royal bloodline!”

Zhou He sneered, “Don’t worry, I’ll soon reunite you with your Eldest Brother.”

As Zhou He spoke, he gestured, and guards took the Third Prince away despite his screams and curses. Zhou He then supported Song Jin as they approached the dragon throne in the Golden Hall, with Song Dingzhong accompanying them.

Once Song Jin was seated, Song Dingzhong declared, “The royal bloodline must not be confused. The late Empress and the left Emperor left only Princess Gu Luan. Now, this throne rightfully belongs to her!”

The ministers were stunned by yet another unexpected turn of events.

“An Empress?” someone exclaimed.

Song Dingzhong remained impassive. “With the Emperor deceased and no sons left, the throne should pass to other princes or their heirs. However, all the royal princes have been eliminated by the current Emperor. Princess Gu Luan is the only legitimate heir.”

“But our Great Yan Dynasty has no precedent for a female Emperor,” a censor protested.

“No precedent? I will be the precedent!” Song Jin’s gaze swept over the ministers with an air of authority reminiscent of her mother.

“There’s always a first time. The throne wasn’t always here, and the Great Yan Dynasty wasn’t always in power. Just because there hasn’t been a female Emperor before doesn’t mean there can’t be one now. Moreover, the Heavenly Hound is loyal to the royal family. Who else but me can command its loyalty?”

The Heavenly Hound approached Song Jin, nuzzling her leg affectionately.

“I am my father’s and mother’s child. Their kingdom should be inherited by me. Furthermore, my uncle, the current Emperor, has committed heinous acts. He may be male, but his actions are unworthy of the throne!”

Song Jin’s voice was resolute. Dressed in a bright red gown, she looked like a blazing flame, fierce and unyielding.

“If you acknowledge me as your Empress, I will accept you as my ministers. If not, feel free to leave. I am not afraid of officials resigning. Threats are useless against me.”

Faced with her determination, the ministers’ minds raced. Some, secretly loyal to Zhou He, stepped forward.

“We pledge allegiance to the Empress!” they declared.

Following their lead, others reluctantly knelt, though some clung to tradition, unable to accept a female ruler, and resigned.

A few ministers, however, focused their attention on Song Dingzhong. “Who are you?”

Song Dingzhong replied, “A loyal servant of the new Empress.”

The ministers exchanged glances. The current Emperor had lost the people’s respect. With the revelation of the Empress and Emperor’s deaths, he was now despised. His offspring were deemed unworthy of the throne.

With no other options, Song Jin’s ascension was smooth.

The new era was named Ronghe.

During this upheaval, the Empress Dowager had been moved to the hot springs villa in the western hills. As Song Jin’s grandmother, she had always cared for the late Empress and Emperor. Though she wasn’t involved in the treachery, the truth of their deaths would be too much for her to bear. To ensure her peaceful retirement, Song Jin kept her in the villa, gradually revealing the truth.

The new Empress granted amnesty, and all former consorts were sent to royal nunneries. Zhou He, as the Empress’s consort, voluntarily entered the palace a month after her ascension.

Despite the indignity of a man becoming the Empress’s consort, Zhou He was content, and the public soon turned it into a source of fascination, filling teahouses with tales of the supposed hidden truths of the royal family.

The most popular story was that the Empress was actually a man, and the consort Zhou He was the real woman, adding yet another layer to the mystery of the royal court.