Help The Villainess Trapped in the Beast World's Drama (by Lotus Seeds) novel Chapter 291

Chapter 291: Chapter 283: Having One’s Cake and Eating Another, Disgusting!

There must be guards protecting the Emperor and Empress at all times, but in times of national destruction, how many of those guards are truly loyal?

The Emperor can hardly protect his own power, so how can he ensure the loyalty of this group of guards?

It’s easy enough to bribe them with some money, or perhaps they might even have their own agendas, thinking of murder and robbery.

After her thoughts returned, Shen Tang stepped forward and pulled Shen Xu up, whispering, "Come with me alone."

Shen Xu looked at her with surprise, seemingly a bit flattered, "Tangtang, sister..."

Xue Yinzhou and the others disagreed, looking at Shen Tang, not understanding why she was suddenly calling this fool over.

Shen Tang glanced at the chaotic crowd and reassured the Beast Husband, "I have something to ask the Eldest Prince alone. Don’t worry, it’s nearby, not far, and we’ll be back soon."

After speaking, she pulled Shen Xu through the crowd, going to a more secluded corner, ensuring there were no outsiders eavesdropping.

Shen Tang released her hand, looking at Shen Xu with cold scrutiny, demanding, "Be honest with me, what’s really going on with Father and Mother?"

Shen Xu pursed his lips, sorrowful, "They... died."

At the time, he secretly searched with his most loyal subordinates for two whole days until finally, in a secluded ravine, they found the half-decayed bodies of the two.

The Emperor’s gold and silver treasures had been divided among the vagabonds who killed him.

That group of poor vagabonds had long fled.

Shen Xu was overwhelmed with grief, but it was too late for anything.

Losing the Emperor and Empress while fleeing, killed by vagabonds — if this news spread, it wouldn’t just damage royal prestige but could destabilize military morale.

If that happens and public sentiment falls into chaos, it’s unimaginable what could happen. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Shen Xu could only cover it up, calling it a disappearance, not daring to bring back the Emperor and Empress’s corpses for a solemn burial, only able to hastily bury them on the spot.

But now, unable to find the Emperor and Empress, rumors have been spreading for many days, and Shen Xu can barely hold it down.

Shen Xu’s eyes burned as he looked at Shen Tang, as if he finally felt relieved, sincerely saying, "Good thing you’re back!"

"Now the Empire is leaderless, a new ruler must be selected quickly, but the successor hasn’t been formally confirmed yet, so we have to discuss this once you’re back."

The old Emperor had appointed Shen Qingli as the successor, but after Shen Tang stirred things up when returning to the Imperial City, this plan fell through.

Later, it was decided that the two Princesses would compete in a governance contest for the period of a year.

The period is too long.

The nation cannot go without a monarch for a single day; it must be decided quickly.

Shen Tang asked, "What are the conditions for selecting the successor?"

"First, you must win the hearts of the Empire’s people; otherwise, once you ascend, if the people are dissatisfied, revolting and uprising will be detrimental... Besides that, the most important thing is to secure half the votes."

The Empire’s noble families and prominent ministers have voting rights. The biggest barrier to a new monarch ascending the throne is securing at least half of these aristocratic family votes.

This has led many previous monarchs and unascended Prince and Princesses to engage in various corrupt trades to win over the aristocratic families.

This is also a major reason for the Empire’s growing corruption and decline.

The Empire has been rooted like this for hundreds of years, and this cannot be changed overnight. Shen Tang now needs to consider how to secure half the votes.

Shen Xu fretted, "Good that you’re back safely, this matter cannot be delayed, the sooner we determine it the better; tomorrow morning I’ll contact major noble families with voting rights to hold a fair vote in the hall... Tangtang, sister, what do you think? Any other arrangements?"

Shen Xu was mediocre in strength and talent, without succession qualifications, but he did grow up within the royal family; he had the capabilities in this area, and Shen Tang recognized his consideration and arrangement, agreeing without adding much.

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