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The Duke's Mansion.
The sky was overcast, with heavy clouds drifting by.
As soon as Yao Su'an got out of the sedan chair, she rushed to the main hall without stopping for a moment, only to see her mother just coming out of the Buddhist hall chanting sutras, looking at her with a surprised expression.
Yao Su'an didn't bother to answer Madam Yao's question. She immediately crossed the courtyard and walked up to Yao Sha, who was struggling to walk with the help of servants. She looked coldly at her younger brother, who had been bedridden for years after being frightened many years ago.
Snap—
With a crisp, clear sound, Yao Sha's smile was instantly obscured by the blood and foam that welled up from the corner of his mouth. His eyes cleared slightly for a moment, but he remained stunned and silent.
Madam Yao, who rushed over, was confused, but saw Yao Su'an glaring at Yao Sha with hatred in her eyes, her eyes already brimming with tears, and she was almost screaming at the top of her lungs:
"Why! With so many women around you back then, why did you have to provoke that Lin Xu! Do you know how vicious she is? After all these years, she still won't let us go! She won't let us go of the good life we fought so hard to regain!"
Madam Yao was confused about what had happened and wanted to persuade her, but she saw her only daughter holding back her tears. "Today, your daughter has fallen into a trap. You must send someone to tell your second uncle not to act rashly. This matter concerns the entire Yao family!"
Hearing this, Madam Yao finally realized what was happening, while on the other side, Mr. Yao, who had also heard the commotion, rushed over. In the past few years of decline of the family, he, though only middle-aged, already had graying temples. He only heard the gist of the story before his legs began to tremble uncontrollably. The servant from today was clearly an old confidant of the old master, a trusted follower of Yao Qijiang since his second brother went west to Cizhou!
It is quite obvious that Yao Qijiang, who was far away in Cizhou, was set up. He must have received some false information that the court was going to take action against the Yao family, which is why he specially sent someone to the imperial palace to find out the truth!
Unexpectedly, Su'an was indeed trapped today, with no news at all. That person would surely think that Yao Su'an, now a princess, was being secretly controlled, and would be even more convinced of the authenticity of the news. He would probably have already rushed back to report!
Father Yao's eyes darkened, his heart pounding with shock. He barely managed to compose himself and immediately waved his hand, ordering his best guards to ride swiftly to Cizhou to stop Yao Qijiang before he caused any real trouble! Otherwise, the entire Yao family would truly be finished!
.
The moonlight was cool and clear.
It was late at night, and because there was another banquet at the palace that evening, which ended very late, apart from the ministers and their wives who had left earlier, the imperial relatives who attended the banquet simply stayed in the sleeping quarters prepared in the palace.
The golden hook and jade lamp cast quietly shifting light and shadows through the curtains, reflecting the mess on the floor.
King Zhenshan sat alone in the hall, his cheeks flushed from the wine, muttering discontentedly.
Even if he wins today, so what!
Before he could even celebrate, someone in the room started saying that he was estranged from his family and disregarded the princess's injuries. Some even said that the princess's horse had suddenly become frightened in the deep forest, which was unusual and must have been sabotaged somewhere out of sight. Naturally, the ultimate winner, the Prince of Zhenshan, was the most suspicious...
Although he did use some tricks, those people's words were too venomous! He would never have believed it if no one had been stirring things up behind the scenes! Besides, he was the winner today. If it were his third brother competing today, would those people still say such things?
The Emperor's words from years ago still echoed in my ears: "The fifth prince is dull-witted, brave but reckless..."
He was perfectly aware of what was going on at such a young age, yet he had to feign respect. What did it matter if he was born into nobility? He was nothing more than that good-for-nothing son who had never been favored by his father…
The more the King of Zhenshan thought about the past, the angrier he became. He tilted his head back and drank the wine in the tall silver goblet in one gulp. Then he threw the goblet into the stove at his feet with a sharp "clink". The firelight flickered, making his eyebrows and eyes appear even sharper.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the palace gate.
Wei Zhao waved his hand unhappily and called out to the door, "Have you finally managed to bring the Princess back?"
Before the words were finished, the figure outside the door hurriedly knelt down, the deliberately lowered voice filled with fear:
"Report to the Mountain King, something terrible has happened..."
Wei Zhao stared in shock at the bodyguard in front of him, his mind reeling.
Why would Yao Qijiang suddenly lead troops north? Wasn't he supposed to be obediently guarding Cizhou? And why now, at this crucial juncture with the imperial examinations just around the corner, when the competition between civil and military officials is already at a stalemate...
Now, wouldn't this just be adding fuel to the fire for Zhao Xiang for nothing?
Even someone as inept at political maneuvering as him found his back soaked with cold sweat.
No wonder, no wonder Yao Su'an disappeared at the beginning of today's match. It turned out that someone had set him up and was waiting for him in this matter... He was so careless.
While lost in thought, Wei Zhao hurriedly grabbed his court robes. He had to go see his father, the Emperor, immediately and apologize properly!
Inside the main hall on the other side of the enormous palace, the lights were already blazing and the candlelight was as bright as day. Several palace servants stood on both sides of the hall, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound.
Inside the hall, several key figures of the court had already gathered: Chancellor Zhao, Prince Mao, the Crown Prince, and Jiang Heng, all of whom had been summoned by Emperor Su after receiving the news.
The middle-aged emperor, who had long held a high position, had an unusually livid expression. He glanced at the ministers in the hall, but only held a string of nanmu beads in his hand and remained silent for a long time.
Wei Zhao rushed over, drenched in sweat. Before he could even catch his breath, he trembled as he said outside the hall, "Your son requests an audience with Your Majesty."
After a long while, the palace door creaked open and slowly opened before him.
Inside, even a quick glance revealed an exceptionally tense atmosphere.
"...I have just received the news and am filled with fear and unease. I have come to apologize to Your Majesty. Please forgive me..."
Emperor Su did not raise his eyes, but merely turned the string of beads in his hand expressionlessly. After a long while, he turned his head to look at Prime Minister Zhao standing in the hall.
Where are we now?
Zhao Lianxiang hurriedly said:
"Your Majesty, the latest urgent report from the front is that Yao Qijiang has led the rebel army at breakneck speed. They have just passed Wangyuan and have reached Youzhou. They will probably arrive at Mujing in less than four or five hours."
Wei Zhao's body trembled slightly, and he leaned closer to the ground, whispering, "Please calm your anger, Father. Yao Qijiang is utterly rebellious and has committed such a crime. Your son is willing to personally request to lead the army to quell the rebellion immediately and restore peace to the people of Dayu!"
Zhao Xiang gave a barely audible snort, looking at the prostrate King of Zhenshan and saying leisurely:
"Who is Yao Qijiang? His Highness Prince Zhenshan, being a relative by marriage, surely knows him best. For Prince Zhenshan to so righteously sacrifice a family member... isn't this just an attempt to cover up..."
Before the words were even finished, the expressions of the people in the hall all tightened.
Prince Mao, clad in armor and currently the head of the military officials of Dayu, had naturally been vying with Zhao for a long time. Although he did not attend the banquet today, he had heard his nephew Duan Jinru recount the details of the horse race on his way here, and remained silent for a moment.
Prime Minister Zhao, being shrewd and calculating, naturally wouldn't finish his sentence. He merely adjusted his sleeves, as if he wanted to say something more, before bowing to Emperor Su and saying:
"Your Majesty is wise. With foreign invasions year after year, the national treasury is already empty. Although there is no flood this year, the long-delayed imperial examination is about to be held, and Yao Qijiang has launched a northern expedition. Who does not know what he is really thinking! This traitor must be eliminated, but in my opinion, the person in charge of the expedition should be chosen instead."
Wei Zhao had long been ostracized by the civil officials led by Zhao Xiang, so he had little foothold in the court. The only power he held was in the military examination held every two years, which was why he was so envious of the supervisory power held by Princess Kunrou.
Zhao Xiang's barbed remarks in front of everyone were intolerable to him, and he immediately said coldly:
"It seems to me that Chancellor Zhao suspects me of secretly colluding with that traitor? How dare you! You dare to slander the heir apparent; your intentions deserve death!"
After saying that, he secretly glanced at his powerful uncle, who had also been at odds with Zhao Xiang for a long time. He didn't care about others, but Prince Mao would definitely protect him!
Unexpectedly, Prince Mao acted as if he hadn't seen him and remained silent for a long time.
Wei Zhao felt a chill in his heart. Before he could retort, he heard Prime Minister Zhao speak again, his voice as cold as ice:
"Your Majesty, I am old and my eyesight is failing, so I dare not make any rash judgments. But as everyone knows, the Yao family, the Duke of Xu, is related to the Prince of Zhenshan by marriage. The timing of this sudden attack by the rebels is so coincidental, and their intentions so profound... it is truly suspicious. I only worry that if we do not investigate this matter thoroughly today, it may cause turmoil in the court and the country, and disturb Your Majesty's clear mind!"
Emperor Su, who had remained silent until now, finally stopped spinning the string of beads in his hand and stared intently at the kneeling Fifth Prince. He couldn't help but recall the eunuch Zhao Fu's words about the Fifth Prince's determination to win the competition today, and his covetousness for the supervisory power of the martial arts arena.
The Imperial Concubine passed away early, and over the years, even knowing that Wei Zhao's abilities were mediocre, he had tolerated him and the Huo family behind him as much as possible. Now it seems that all his efforts were in vain.
Emperor Su slowly closed his eyes, then abruptly threw the string of beads in his hand to the ground before coldly saying:
"The Fifth Prince, Wei Zhao, has failed in his duties of supervision, and his relatives have plotted rebellion, endangering the state of our Great Yu. He is hereby stripped of his princely title and imprisoned in the Western Garden of the Imperial Palace! Further matters will be decided upon by the court."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent, as if everyone was holding their breath.
Having experienced the highs and lows of life today, Wei Zhao suddenly raised his head, staring incredulously at the expressionless Emperor Su, his face ashen: "Father—"
Emperor Su did not look at him again, but simply raised his hand.
In a short while, the palace guards who had been waiting quietly stepped forward. The sound of golden armor on both sides pounding the ground arose, and Wei Zhao was lifted up, his long robe stirring up a cloud of dust.
Wei Zhao was completely terrified. He struggled to turn around, his throat seemingly filled with a thousand words, yet he could only wail helplessly:
"Your subject is innocent... Father Emperor—"
Seeing that Emperor Su was unmoved, he turned around and begged his third brother, struggling to grab the crown prince's ankle, but was ruthlessly dragged away by the guards.
Crown Prince Wei Yun silently shifted his gaze, looking down at his reflection on the floor, without uttering a word.
After the hall finally quieted down, Emperor Su glanced at everyone, coughed lightly, and then said in a calm voice:
"He Qijiang has been recuperating for half a year, and he must be fully recovered by now. Order him to lead 10,000 Imperial Guards at full speed. All of Yao Qijiang's rebel troops must be ambushed and killed on sight!"
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