Chapter 353 Urgent Need

"Send people to the south of the city. If the prince and princess don't come back, it's fine. But if they come back, they must be stopped in time and not allowed to enter the city."

"yes!"

"Wu Gang, go to the Northwest Camp and wait for news."

"yes!"

The order Wu Gang received consisted of only three words: 'wait for news', but the weight of these three words was heavier than all the previous ones.

He knew that once more news reached him, it would either mean that the Crown Prince and the Prince were at peace and he would return, or that the Crown Prince and the Prince were completely opposed to him and he would lead his troops into the imperial city.

Judging from the current situation in Yulin City and the prince's attitude towards the Qin family, the latter possibility is definitely much greater than the former.

The Crown Prince dared to put the blame for the deaths of the Emperor and the Empress on Concubine Shu, and dared to put all the members of the Qin family in jail. This shows that he will never let the Wuling Palace go!

November 27th, the day after the emperor passed away.

Prime Minister Lin and the Minister of Rites came to ask for instructions on the Crown Prince's edict, because he needed to ascend the throne first and then attend the funeral of the empress and queen as the new emperor.

Therefore, the Ministry of Rites has little time to prepare, and they must handle all the procedures and details as soon as possible to avoid any mistakes in such an important ceremony.

The edict of succession is undoubtedly the most important thing!

Ling Jingyu looked at the people in mourning clothes. The officials from the Ministry of Rites were doing their job impartially and did not dare to say anything. Fearing the bloody methods used by the prince yesterday, they spoke cautiously in front of him, stood on the ground with their heads bowed, and did not dare to raise their heads.

Prime Minister Lin cried yesterday and stayed awake all night to keep vigil. His eyes were red and swollen and his face was full of sorrow. He looked like a loyal minister who wanted to follow the late emperor. However, the hint of joy in the depths of his eyes was really presumptuous.

Ling Jingyu ascended the throne, and Lin Chengbi was even more anxious than Ling Jingyu himself.

But Ling Jingyu now has everything ready except the imperial edict of succession! The people from the Ministry of Rites are asking for it now, isn't it just asking for something that is not relevant?

Ling Jingyu acted as if he hadn't heard what they said, and asked, "Have you prepared everything for the Emperor and Empress' funeral?"

"Your Highness, according to ancestral rules, all ceremonial procedures have been fully prepared for the funeral, and there will be no mistakes."

"The preparations for the funeral procession have already been handed over to the Imperial Guard. After His Royal Highness ascends the throne, the Ministry of Rites will assist the Imperial Guard in overseeing the specific details to ensure everything goes smoothly."

The Crown Prince said in a deep voice, "My father and mother have both passed away. How can I prepare for the succession at this moment? The Emperor and Empress are the most important of all things. The ceremony for my coronation will be kept simple. I will report to you after your Ministry of Rites has arranged the funeral arrangements!"

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was so filial that no one else could say anything. They could only obey his orders. "Yes, your servants will take their leave!"

After the Minister of Rites and others left, the Crown Prince, whose face was filled with grief just now, suddenly became furious and twisted, shouting, "Bring that old bastard Chen Xi up to me!"

Chen Xi was the chief eunuch of the late emperor's side, and was highly regarded by the emperor.

He could enter and leave the imperial study and the Qianqing Palace freely, and even accompany the emperor to court every day.

If someone could hide the imperial seal, this old man would definitely be the most suspicious!

Chen Xi was dragged up, covered in bruises.

"This old servant kowtows to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May he live a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"

Ling Jingyu got straight to the point and had no intention of wasting time on him. "I'll ask you one last time, where is the jade seal?"

Chen Xi knelt on the ground trembling with fear, "Your Highness, please understand. Even if I had a hundred courage, I would never dare to touch the imperial seal."

"Besides, when the Emperor went to Yu Lan Palace, I followed him. I didn't leave until the fire was put out. How could I have had time to return and hide the Imperial Seal? Please, Your Highness, investigate!"

Ling Jingyu knew that what Chen Xi said made sense. He was directly taken out of Yu Lan Palace and locked up in jail. He had no time to come back and hide the jade seal.

Chen Xi is the only person in Yu Lan Palace who has not been executed. It is only because of his special status that he, the close aide, is needed to show up when the emperor's spirit is about to be released!

Therefore, Commander Lu did not take action against him, but left it to the prince to decide.

Although he is needed, he is by no means indispensable. If he really follows the late emperor by accident, there will be plenty of eunuchs in the palace waiting to replace him.

Chen Xi himself knew this fact, so he was always tormented by the fear of death. In just one day, he had aged many years.

He had been living a life of luxury at the emperor's side. But yesterday, he witnessed the massacre and nearly became a victim himself. After being imprisoned and tortured to find the whereabouts of the imperial seal, he felt like his life was half over.

Chen Xi saw the murderous intent in the Crown Prince's eyes. He knelt on the ground, his whole body drenched in sweat. Then he suddenly asked, "Your Highness, are you looking for the imperial seal for the imperial edict?"

The prince didn't say anything, just looked at him. Chen Xi continued boldly, "If that's the case, I have a plan that can help you out."

"Tell me about it."

"Your Highness, you can find the dried seal on the imperial edict that the emperor issued previously, and then put a raw radish on it..."

Chen Xi's idea was actually very simple, which was to use a radish to forge the imperial seal. It would be so seamless that it couldn't be seen as a fake, and it could be destroyed immediately after use so that no one could find any trace of it.

Ling Jingyu looked at Chen Xi with a sinister smile on his face, "No wonder my father can't leave you. Eunuch Chen is so smart and considerate. It really opened my eyes!"

Chen Xi kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Highness, please understand. I am only trying to help Your Highness, the Crown Prince, and I have no intention of disrespect..."

In order to save his own life, he made his crime even more serious by daring to forge the imperial seal. Just for this one crime, the prince would not be too harsh on him even if he killed him a hundred times.

"Okay, you don't need to explain. Since my father-in-law is so smart, I'll leave this matter to you."

Chen Xi, “…”

"Hurry up, they're waiting for you to go to the vigil!"

This sentence was undoubtedly telling Chen Xi that he could at least live until the late emperor was buried!

The reason why Ling Jingyu gave up the idea of killing Chen Xi immediately was certainly not because he had made great contributions, but because he was afraid that when he ascended the throne, the imperial edict would be discovered by others. If that really happened, he would still need Chen Xi's help to solve the problem!

The issue of the imperial edict was resolved, and the prince felt refreshed. He now had time to come to the emperor's spirit chamber. Looking around, he saw all the civil and military officials kneeling in order according to their official ranks, except for the Qin family and Dugu Yu!

"King Wu Ling still hasn't returned to the city?"

"Your Highness, not yet."

"Oh, since he didn't mourn for the emperor yesterday, I can still treat it as a coincidence, as if he didn't know about it and didn't have time to come back."

"But now that the entire world knows the Emperor and Empress have passed away, he still refuses to return. This is so disrespectful to the Emperor and Empress, and to our royal family. His evil ambitions are completely exposed! Where is the Nine Gates Admiral?"

"I am here."

"This Crown Prince orders you to immediately lead your troops to surround Prince Wuling's mansion. No one is allowed to enter or leave. If you find any trace of Prince Wuling and the Princess, you will arrest them immediately, regardless of life or death!"

"I obey your order."

"Where is General Yang?"

Yang Tingxiao stood up from the ground, walked to Ling Jingyu and bowed, "I am your humble servant."

"You should be very clear about where King Wu Ling's Yanling Army is stationed, right?"

"Reporting to the Crown Prince, I do know."

Ling Jingyu looked at Yang Tingxiao's nervous face and said good-naturedly, "Don't worry. This Crown Prince knows it's not easy to start a war at this time. I have no intention of arguing with Prince Wu Ling. As long as he doesn't make the first move, everything can be settled slowly after the Emperor and Empress' spirits leave our bodies."

"But we must always be on guard. King Wu Ling's actions have truly made this Crown Prince unable to sleep or eat. Therefore, I order you to immediately dispatch troops out of the city and monitor the Yanling military camp."

"If they don't move, that's fine. But if we find them doing anything inappropriate, we will immediately annihilate them and leave no one alive!"

"Yes, I will do it right away."

Yang Tingxiao left the palace with a heavy heart. At this moment, everything should give way to the national mourning. Dugu Yu was not an unreasonable person. Why did he run away at this time?

Could it be that they really want to rebel?

…

In the Yanling Army, Dugu Yu almost never left Qin Qingyao's side after sending her here. He held Qin Qingyao's hand and lay on the edge of the bed all night long.

As long as she woke up, even if she moved slightly, he would know immediately.

At night, Dugu Yu changed Qin Qingyao's medicine and fed her water, but she did not respond at all.

News kept coming from the palace. The prince had already had opinions about their Wuling Palace and had sent heavy troops to guard and monitor it. It was becoming increasingly difficult for them to pass messages back and forth.

"Your Highness, Commander Zhao just sent word that the Crown Prince has sent General Yang to lead his troops out of the city. It looks like they're most likely coming for us!"

Does this mean that the Crown Prince knows that the Prince is in the Yanling Army? How did he know? Is there a spy in this camp?

Jin Feiang was indeed overthinking this. There were no spies in the military camp. Yang Tingxiao brought his troops here just to prepare for a rainy day. Who knew that the missing prince was staying here by accident?

If Ling Jingxuan was really sure that Dugu Yu did not return to the city but stayed in the Yanling military camp, he would not just let Yang Tingxiao lead the troops to guard him.

Instead, he would directly order Yang Tingxiao to bring the people back, and if he encountered any resistance, he would kill them without mercy!

Dugu Yu had no reaction at all to Jin Feiang's report, as if he hadn't heard it at all.

Jin Feiang knew this would be the result, so he just let the prince know as a routine matter. As for what to do, it was up to them to decide.

The old military doctor brought Qin Qingyao some medicine. Looking at the prince with bloodshot eyes and a thick beard, he sighed softly, "Your Majesty, I heard... General Yang is coming."

Dugu Yu took the medicine and fed it to Qin Qingyao little by little with a small spoon, as if he didn't hear what the military doctor said.

The old military doctor continued, "The princess's wound must be healed. She must not be subjected to any shaking before it heals. If the wound ruptures and bleeds again, there will be no hope of recovery."