Imperial palace in the suburbs of Beijing.
"Reporting to Prince Sheng, His Majesty has sent a letter." Ye Xiao respectfully handed the letter, which he had taken from the pigeon, to Ji Mosheng, who was standing to the side.
Ji Mosheng took the letter, quickly glanced at its contents, and then lit it on the candle beside him.
In his letter, the Emperor said he suspected that Father was keeping a private army in the palace and asked him to investigate the truth of the matter. Also, the Emperor had come to the palace.
Ji Mosheng was in a terrible predicament. On one hand, he was loyal to the emperor and loved his country; on the other hand, he was loyal to his father and family. He had no choice but to give up one side.
"Ye Xiao, go out and find out if there are any private soldiers in the palace, or if there's anything unusual in the palace," Ji Mosheng said to Ye Xiao.
He dared not gamble, dared not gamble with the lives of millions of people. If his father and brother started a civil war, the other two countries would definitely take the opportunity to pounce and tear the Yin Kingdom apart. Beset by internal and external troubles, the country would cease to exist.
A hint of shock flashed in Ye Xiao's eyes, but he didn't show it and said, "Yes, Your Highness, I will go and investigate immediately."
Before they could even leave for their late-night snack, the Empress Dowager's voice rang out from behind them, "There's no need to investigate anymore. Your father has been keeping 30,000 private soldiers in the imperial palace."
"Mother." Ji Mosheng looked up at the person in shock. He felt a sense of disbelief. How could his father do such a thing?
His father had taught him that he should be a wise ruler, that he should put himself in the shoes of the people, and that he should not let the people suffer because of his own selfish desires.
Ji Mosheng stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning. His father's teachings were still vivid in his mind, and he simply could not accept this fact.
The Empress Dowager looked at her devastated son with a hint of pity in her eyes, but she still walked step by step toward him and said, "Sheng'er, your father is no longer the same as before. He has become a stranger to everyone, including your mother. I know you are having a hard time accepting this, but I hope you can make the right choice."
"Mother, I... I don't know what to choose," Ji Mosheng said, somewhat frustrated.
Seeing her son in such agony, the Empress Dowager felt a pang of pain in her heart. For Sheng'er, he was turning against his own father for the sake of the people. But for herself, she had to endure the pain of losing her husband or her son. How could she not be heartbroken?
She and Ji Mofeng (the old emperor) were childhood sweethearts. Although their relationship wasn't exactly passionate, they respected each other and supported one another to get to where they are today. Sheng'er was named crown prince at birth, and that hasn't changed over the years. So she always believed that he had her in his heart, or perhaps it was because of the Ye family behind her that gave her confidence, making Ji Mofeng hesitant to touch her. Whether it was manipulation or genuine affection, they had come this far together, and she didn't want to dwell on it anymore.
For decades, the two of them never had a single argument. The only time they quarreled was when she stumbled upon him raising a private army in the palace and overheard his plans. She wanted to go up and persuade him, but unexpectedly, Ji Mofeng locked her up in the most remote palace in the palace. Since then, he has never set foot there again.
Over the years, she has been somewhat bewildered, wondering whether she had never truly understood Ji Mofeng or whether he had simply become someone who was no longer the Ji Mofeng he once was.
The Empress Dowager turned to look at Ye Xiao and said, "Xiao'er, write a letter to your grandfather and tell him about the situation in the capital and the imperial palace."
The Empress Dowager looked at her promising young nephew, the most outstanding child of the Ye family in this generation, her elder brother's legitimate son, and the future leader of the Ye family, one of the four great families.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Ye Xiao said respectfully. Although the Empress Dowager was his aunt, they were in the imperial palace, and he could not break the rules.
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