Prince Du looked at Mr. Yu and said, "Mr. Yu, I'll go first."
Mr. Yu nodded, then watched Eunuch Zhang abandon his horse and quickly enter the Heavenly Prison. His mind raced. His Majesty had been ill, and Eunuch Zhang had been attending to him every step of the way. Now, he needed Eunuch Zhang to come out...
Before he could think much, he saw Eunuch Zhang coming out with someone.
Mr. Yu's pupils shrank. Nine years ago, when the Northern Di invaded, His Majesty had no one to use and didn't even release him. Now...
If Xie Qing were here, he might not recognize who this person is, but Mr. Yu knows him!
He quickly turned his back and pretended not to see it, but turned his head quietly to look over. When he met a pair of sharp eyes, his heart tightened and then relaxed.
With this person here, the border is safe.
Who is this person?
This was the cavalry general who made a serious mistake at the border more than ten years ago, nearly twenty years ago!
It was because of his mistake that the emperor almost lost his life, and the old Marquis of Pingyang (Lu Yan's grandfather) died trying to save the emperor.
The emperor wanted to kill him, but considering that his family had been loyal for generations and he had made great contributions, he locked him up in the Sky Prison.
Now even he has been released...
Mr. Yu's heart, which had been at ease, began to lift again. He turned around and headed towards Xie Qing's villa.
Eunuch Zhang sent the General of Cavalry into the palace, then hurriedly went to find a few military generals, secretly met with two wealthy businessmen in the capital, and then entered the Mansion of Marquis Xuanwu with a box in his hand.
Qin Zhan looked at the thick stack of banknotes in the box and asked, "What do you mean, eunuch?"
Eunuch Zhang said, "This is the grain and silver donated by the two merchant houses. The Ministry of Revenue is currently busy with spring plowing, and I'm afraid it won't be able to collect the grain and fodder. Therefore, everything will have to be done by the Marquis Qin himself. This is the order from His Majesty, so the Marquis Qin can use the silver without worry."
Qin Zhan was shocked and confused. No matter how busy the Ministry of Revenue was, raising food and fodder was a big deal, so how could they be unable to do it?
The only possibility is...
Qin Zhan looked at Eunuch Zhang with a pair of sharp eyes. "Tell me the truth, is this border invasion coming from the Northern Di or the Western Regions?"
Eunuch Zhang stretched out a hand, then gave a thumbs-up without saying anything.
Qin Zhan's pupils shrank, and he took several steps back and fell into a chair, his eyes bloodshot: "How dare you, you brat!"
Eunuch Zhang sighed, "This old servant still has time to be busy. Marquis Qin, please go to the palace and discuss countermeasures with His Majesty."
Eunuch Zhang came and left in a hurry.
Qin Zhan calmed himself down and quickly issued an order, asking all the Qin family members who were away to return to Beijing immediately.
All the Qin family's men and women in the capital area, who are over sixteen years old and under forty years old, should gather as soon as possible.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Eunuch Zhang ran around the capital and personally called all the military generals into the palace, but he bypassed the Pingyang Marquis Mansion.
That side.
Xie Qing hurried back to the palace. As soon as he entered the Qianqing Palace, he saw a man lying on a stretcher. Most of his body was burned and his skin was in a horrible state.
He looked closely and said, "Qian Si? You're not Lao Si's man?"
Qian Si raised his head with great effort to glance at Xie Qing, forcing a smile: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I cannot stand up to pay my respects."
Xie Qing looked at his injuries again and frowned, "Why are they so badly injured? Have you called the imperial physician?"
Qian Si gasped in pain, forcing a smile as he said, "It's an urgent matter, my injury is not a big deal."
Xie Qing saluted the emperor and asked, "Father, what's going on with Qian Si?"
The emperor said simply: "I placed someone beside the fourth brother."
Xie Qing thought of the fire at the Fourth Prince's Mansion: "Qian Si was burned like this, that fire..."
Qian Si nodded and said, "I have fulfilled my mission and rescued the man. He is now receiving treatment in the palace. Your Highness, the Fourth Prince has colluded with the Northern Di, Western Regions, and other countries, intending to rebel. The four countries have now assembled a large number of troops and stationed them at the border."
Xie Qing couldn't believe his ears: "Four countries?"
He had thought that the Fourth Prince was colluding with the Northern Di and the Western Regions, but he had never thought that he would have the courage to collude with the four countries!
Qian Sidao said, "The Xianbei in the northeast, the Beidi in the north, the Western Regions in the northwest, and the Qiang in the southwest have already deployed their troops at the border. Our Great Zhou is in danger."
This completely encircles the Great Zhou from the Ten Thousand Mountains to the East China Sea!
If Nanjiang and Dongwu in the south take advantage of the situation, the Great Zhou will be attacked from both sides!
Xie Qing suddenly walked out: "I'm going to chop up the fourth brother!"
"Wait." The emperor called out to Xie Qing. His health had improved after a period of recuperation. Now that these things were exposed one after another, his face turned slightly blue.
The emperor took a breath and said, "I have sent someone to bring the fourth brother over."
Before he finished speaking, the Grand Commander of the Five Military Commandery strode in and said, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is missing."
The emperor stood up suddenly, his body swaying, and he steadied himself by holding onto the throne. He stared at him and asked, "What do you mean by missing?"
The Grand Commander said, "When I arrived at the Heavenly Prison, the Fourth Prince had already disappeared."
Xie Qing didn't believe it: "I just came out of the prison, and the fourth brother was fine at that time, how could he suddenly disappear?"
The General of the Cavalry strode in, exchanged greetings, and then turned to the Grand Commander. "When I first emerged from the Heavenly Prison, the Fourth Prince was still here. How could he be gone just as quickly?"
Even though he had been imprisoned for nearly twenty years, the General of Cavalry's aura remained undiminished. Even now, wearing prison clothes and with his hair loose, he still made people feel afraid.
Moreover, this Grand Commander was once a subordinate of the General of the Cavalry, and he immediately said honestly, "When I went there, the prison was empty. The jailers were nowhere to be seen."
The General of the Cavalry scoffed and looked at the emperor and said, "Your men are still not very good."
The emperor glared at him and said, "Aren't you one of my men? Okay, you don't need to listen to anything. Go wash up and rest first, then lead the troops to the Western Regions. You are familiar with that place."
"Okay." The General of Cavalry turned around and left without saying anything.
The emperor then said to the Grand Commander, "Send out a search, even if it means digging three feet deep, to find the fourth brother."
The Grand Commander took the order and left.
The emperor continued to ask Qian Si for various details, then had him taken away for treatment. He looked at Xie Qing and said, "Changping is watching that aide. She will question him as soon as he wakes up. Don't worry."
Xie Qing nodded, looking at the map that had been unfolded in the hall, and remained silent.
Soon, all the military generals in the court, young and old, above the third rank, came into the palace.
After Qin Zhan received the greetings, he said, "Your Majesty, my three sons and I can defend Fengyang against the Northern Di, assist Wuguan against the Western Regions, and rush to support Huayang Fort to resist the Xianbei invasion."
Duke Du asked in surprise, "Where can we get so many troops?"
Qin Zhan said confidently: "My Qin family's sons are scattered throughout the Great Zhou. I have issued an order from the head of the family. Regardless of gender, age or young, anyone who can wield a knife must rush to the border."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
