Chapter 453 When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away.

Pei Yuan pursed his lips and sighed softly.

"I sent Du Song to the southern border to investigate for a whole year before he found some clues. The deaths of the old Duke of Protectorate and his five sons were not accidental."

A local witch doctor once examined them and said they did not die from miasma.

Instead, they died from a poisonous herb called "Yangjiao'ao" ​​in southern Xinjiang. Ingesting this herb produces symptoms similar to those of inhaling miasma, making it easily mistaken for miasma inhalation.

Although she was mentally prepared, Shen Chu still gasped when she heard it.

Eighteen years ago, the Southern Frontier led an army of 200,000 to invade the border, their advance threatening and menacing.

That was the fifth year since the Longqing Emperor ascended the throne.

The old Duke Protector of the Nation led his five sons to the frontier, fought for several months, and finally drove back the enemy from the southern border, thus protecting the safety of the border people.

It is said that the southern border is hot and humid, and there is a lot of miasma. The old Duke of Protectorate led his sons and soldiers deep into the mountains and forests. Many soldiers were infected with the miasma and unfortunately died.

The old Duke of Protectorate and his five sons all fell and died in the southern border region. Only six corpses were transported back to the capital.

The Duke of Huguo's mansion is a distinguished family with a distinguished military record, which has been passed down since the founding of the country by Emperor Taizu.

The Li family, the family of the Duke of Huguo, has seen countless men die on the battlefield since the founding of the dynasty, their bodies wrapped in horsehide.

When the news reached the capital, the entire court and the people were shocked and the whole country grieved. When the old Duke of Protectorate and his five sons were buried, almost the entire city's population dressed in mourning clothes and spontaneously came to pay their respects.

At this point, the Li family of the Duke of Huguo's mansion became completely widowed, leaving only the eldest daughter of Chengyang with her five sons and an infant, the young Duke Li Chengxuan.

Shen Chu couldn't imagine how ruthless and cunning the Emperor Longqing must be if the deaths of the Duke of Huguo and his five sons were also part of his conspiracy.

"Have you told Chengyang Da Niang and Chengxuan about this?"

Pei Yuan shook his head.

“Chengxuan is loud and boisterous and can’t keep secrets. The eldest daughter of Chengyang is getting old, and I’m afraid I can’t handle her.”

It's not the right time to tell them yet, and besides, I've been keeping a low profile for the past three years, so it's not good to have direct contact with them.

Shen Chu nodded, and couldn't help but whisper, "Our emperor is truly ruthless."

Lu Zhong wiped away his tears and began to recount the events before the Longqing Emperor ascended the throne.

During the reign of the late emperor, he had eleven sons.

But there is only one throne, and everyone is eyeing that position, scrambling to get on it.

The Longqing Emperor was the fifth son of the late emperor. He was neither the eldest son nor the legitimate son, and his birth mother was just a laundry maid in the palace. He was not particularly prominent among his brothers.

While other princes were busy currying favor with the late emperor and forming factions in the court, the Longqing Emperor, claiming to be physically weak and in need of training, secretly went to the army and became an unknown soldier.

He lived in anonymity, befriended the lowest-ranking men, trained diligently, and rose to the rank of captain in two years.

It was only then that the heir of the Duke of Protectorate discovered that the Fifth Prince had actually been training in his camp all along.

The heir of the Duke of Huguo was born to a woman from Chengyang, making him a cousin of the Longqing Emperor.

However, the Duke of Huguo's mansion has always been loyal only to His Majesty, and usually does not participate in forming factions in the court.

The Duke of Huguo has decreed that none of his sons or the princes should get too close to each other.

Therefore, the heir of the Duke of Protectorate did not pay much attention to the Fifth Prince, but only kept a private eye on him. After paying more attention, he discovered that this Fifth Prince was completely different from the other princes in the court.

He never moved around in the court, nor did he form cliques. Apart from participating in drills, he spent the rest of his time reading in his tent.

Occasionally, when they went out for training, they would encounter poor people and would offer them assistance.

Arrogance, composure, and kindness are the qualities that the heir apparent of the Duke of Huguo described him as: neither arrogant nor impatient, calm and composed, with a kind heart.

Over time, the Duke of Huguo's family developed a good impression of the fifth prince and gradually became acquainted with him.

That year, the newly enthroned Duke of Zhenguo returned to the capital to report on his duties. Through the introduction of the heir of the Duke of Huguo, he met the Fifth Prince.

They were all passionate young people in their early twenties. They talked about world affairs and stayed up late into the night. In just a few days, they became close friends.

Later, in the late emperor's later years, the princes fought each other to the death, some died, some were deposed, and some were crippled.

Only four princes remained.

The late emperor passed away very suddenly. In order to avoid chaos in the court, the Duke of Huguo's mansion and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion joined forces to put the fifth prince on the throne.

That is, today's Longqing Emperor.

When Lu Zhong recounted these past events, he said, "If it weren't for the support of the two Duke's mansions, he would never have been able to sit in that position back then."

However, Emperor Longqing, who ascended the throne with the support of two ducal families, turned his murderous intent towards the meritorious officials who helped him to the throne after five years on the throne and once his position was secure.

In the fifth year of the Longqing reign, the old Duke of Huguo and his five sons were poisoned and killed, but an imperial edict was issued to greatly praise the Duke of Huguo.

They even allowed Li Chengxuan, who was still an infant, to inherit the title, making him the youngest duke in the Great Wei Dynasty. They doted on him and won the praise of the court officials.

In the tenth year of the Longqing reign, he took the opportunity to eliminate the Zhenguo Duke's lineage, again without getting his hands dirty with any blood.

It's outrageous to exploit people's hearts to such an extreme.

Shen Chu couldn't help but sigh, "When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked."

At this moment, Sun Yan walked in from outside, "His Majesty has sent someone to summon His Highness and the Princess Consort to the palace."

Shen Chu was startled.

The Longqing Emperor received the news so quickly.

Pei Yuan held her hand. "Don't be afraid. I always have palace guards by my side."

Shen Chu frowned. "Then he didn't notice anything here, did he?"

Pei Yuan shook his head.

"For the past three years, I have been coughing up blood frequently, as if I were about to die at any moment. I also agreed to let Zhou Weizong serve as the deputy commander of the Flying Eagle Guard."

He no longer harbors as much suspicion towards me.

Chen Chu breathed a sigh of relief, then thought back to the time when she and Pei Yuan recognized each other in the Flying Eagle Guard.

It's not surprising that the guards would notice the place, given the large number of people and their presence.

A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"We were just about to enter the palace when His Majesty summoned us. Let's go."

In Longquan Palace, Emperor Longqing looked at Shen Chu kneeling before him, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

But he had a kind smile on his face.

"It's so good that you're back alive. Old Six is ​​finally able to cheer up again. Didn't you say you even had two more children?"

"Where are the children? Why haven't you brought them to the palace for me to see?"

Shen Chu said, "The child is still young and doesn't understand the rules. We'll bring him to the palace to pay his respects to His Majesty another day."

The Longqing Emperor smiled and waved his hand, "Don't kneel, get up and talk."

"You're a capable person. I heard you've even passed the exam to become a female officer in the Flying Eagle Guard. You'll be a perfect right-hand woman for the Sixth Prince in the future."

Shen Chu refused to get up and said, "Your Majesty, I want to accuse Luo Heng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, of poisoning Prince Rui three years ago and plotting to set fire to the death row in an attempt to imprison me."

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to escape this calamity. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me and punish Luo Heng for his crimes of murder, arson, and injury.

Emperor Longqing paused slightly as he stroked his beard, looking at Shen Chu with an ambiguous expression.

"Oh? You're saying that Luo Heng was responsible for Lao Liu's poisoning three years ago, and that he also set fire to the death row and kidnapped you? Do you have any evidence?"