Chapter 41 Return to Hexian Tower
The ministers were silent.
Judging from the way Xiao Mingyi shot Xiao Du to death with one arrow, the claim of deep brotherly love was obviously not convincing.
But Prime Minister Zhang believed Xiao Mingyi's words without a doubt.
In his memory, the Crown Prince, meticulously educated by Empress Shen and Imperial Tutor Bu, had been gifted since childhood, respectful and gentle. Not only was his literary studies impeccable, he was also proficient in the arts of riding, archery, and martial arts. Furthermore, his military exploits in suppressing the pirates were remarkable, making him the ideal heir apparent, arguably "a man who could bring peace to the world with his pen and decisively decide the fate of the world with his cavalry." He was the ideal crown prince for all civil and military officials.
But what Prime Minister Zhang was completely unaware of was that the three years of training in Danyang County had already completely changed Xiao Mingyi's character.
Beneath the mask of being kind, gentle and respectful, he harbors a burning ambition that is invisible to his ministers.
"In that case, the second prince had planned it all along." Prime Minister Zhang frowned.
One minister was filled with righteous indignation and said angrily, "Your Majesty is seriously ill, and the Second Prince has been delaying the dispatch of reinforcements to Danyang County. It's clear that he wants His Royal Highness to be killed."
"The pirates are ruthless. If they capture Danyang County, they will surely massacre the people!"
"Fortunately, the Danyang County Guard stayed, otherwise the Second Prince's sins would be too numerous to list!"
In addition to being outraged, a small number of ministers were also feeling uneasy.
They were once the Second Prince's disciples. Although they did not participate in the rebellion, they did prevent His Royal Highness the Crown Prince from returning to the capital. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to investigate, the worst thing would be losing their official hats.
The Golden Palace is noisy.
Xiao Mingyi felt inexplicably annoyed. He raised his hand slightly, and all the ministers fell silent immediately.
"Your Excellencies have been frightened tonight."
"My father is still ill, and I am very worried. I won't keep you here any longer. Please go back home and rest."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers bowed and took their leave.
Prime Minister Zhang and Imperial Tutor Bu walked out together. When they reached the entrance of the main hall, Imperial Tutor Bu turned around and looked at the prince on the high platform with an extremely complicated look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" asked Prime Minister Zhang.
Master Bu shook his head silently.
As a teacher who had been educating the prince for more than ten years, he felt that he knew the prince quite well. However, for some reason, he always felt that the prince he met tonight had changed a lot, but he couldn't tell exactly where he had changed.
The ministers dispersed and the Golden Palace soon became quiet.
Xiao Mingyi stood on the high platform with his hands behind his back, looking at the dragon throne with his narrow and long eyes, and there seemed to be a dark current in his eyes.
After a long time, Xuanfeng entered the hall.
"Among the ministers attending the banquet today, there are many followers of the Second Prince. Is Your Highness just going to let them go like this?"
Xiao Du had been executed, and it wouldn't be long before the charge of forcing the emperor to abdicate and treason spread throughout Kyoto. As for those ministers who had been trying to hinder the Crown Prince in the court, he thought they should take this opportunity to eliminate them all.
"No rush."
Xiao Mingyi's tone was casual and playful: "I have just returned to the capital. If I handle this too hastily, it will easily make the people of Kyoto uneasy."
"Is Your Highness the Crown Prince going to the Zichen Palace to visit His Majesty now?" Xuanfeng asked.
A hint of sinister intent flashed across those deep phoenix eyes. Xiao Mingyi raised his eyebrows slightly and snorted coldly, "If I go to Zichen Palace now, can he still rest and recuperate in peace?"
There is not so much tenderness between the father and son in heaven.
What's more, he shot and killed the son that his father had once devoted so much effort to and loved with his own hands in front of all the ministers tonight.
Father must hate him, right?
But none of this matters anymore.
After tonight, he will hold great power and no one in the court will dare to disobey him.
I thought this power struggle would be more bloody, but I didn't expect it to be settled so quickly. It was really boring and uninteresting.
Suddenly, a cunning yet charming little face flashed through Xiao Mingyi's mind. He had been in the capital for several days, and he wondered if that girl had gotten into trouble at Hexian Tower.
"Return to Hexian Tower."
Xuanfeng was stunned.
Tomorrow morning, he will have to deal with all the civil and military officials in the court. Now he has to go to Hexian Tower to pick up Miss Ali. It will take two or three hours to go back and forth. I'm afraid His Highness will not be able to rest well tonight.
"Your Highness, it's getting late. How about having your subordinates go to Yunhe Ferry to fetch Miss Ali and bring her back to the capital?"
Xiao Mingyi glanced at him indifferently and slowly walked down the platform.
That girl is bold and prone to causing trouble. Bringing her back too soon might lead to plotting against her by someone with ulterior motives. Leaving her at Hexian Tower would at least give her less cause for worry.
Xuanfeng scratched his head, not understanding what the Crown Prince meant by his look.
Outside the Golden Palace.
The bodies of the Silver-Armored Guards had been carried away, and the pool of blood had been washed away with clean water. Everything had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened tonight.
Xiao Mingyi ordered the rest of the people to return to the camp to rest, and only took Xuanfeng out of the city in a low-key manner.
It was late at night, the official road was dark, and the sound of hurried horse hooves was particularly abrupt.
The two arrived at Yunhe Ferry around midnight. The place was still brightly lit and bustling with activity, and the Hexian Tower was crowded with guests.
The horses stopped in the back alley. When the servant saw the person coming, he was trembling as if he had seen a ghost, and went into the building to report.
It was still the elegant room on the third floor. Xiao Mingyi walked into the room and saw no one. His brows frowned slightly.
Xuanfeng Hou was in the corridor when he saw Yu Niang walking towards him. He was about to raise his hand to greet her, but he found that her steps were a little unsteady and her expression was flustered, as if she had encountered some difficult trouble.
We have known each other for many years, but this is the first time I see Yu Niang with this expression.
"What's going on? What happened?"
Yu Niang glanced at the door of the elegant room, then quickly approached Xuan Feng with a flattering look on her face: "Xuan Feng, to be fair, Yu Niang treated you well in the past, didn't she?"
“…” Xuan Feng choked.
Why did this suddenly come up?
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Yu Niang took it as her agreement, with a bitter face and incoherent words: "Oh! You have to save me this time. I have been exhausted these days and have been unable to sleep or eat... I have tried my best to watch over people, but who knew-"
"Wait, wait."
Xuan Feng was confused by what he heard, but he still sensed something was amiss. He looked at Yu Niang strangely and asked, "What happened? Did something happen to Miss A Li?"
Yu Niang's eyes dodged, and she mumbled, "It shouldn't be a big deal."
Before he finished speaking, the door of the elegant room suddenly opened.
The man behind the door had a gloomy expression on his face. He glared at Yu Niang fiercely and asked in a cold voice, "Where did she go?"
The corridor was silent for a moment.
Yu Niang's heart was beating like a drum. She said with a stiff upper lip, "Miss A Li...she sneaked out."
Hearing this, Xuanfeng's eyes suddenly widened.
Miss Ali and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have a stable relationship. Why would she want to sneak away after just a few days of not seeing each other... He secretly glanced at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's face and mourned for Kong Hansheng and Yu Niang in his heart.
It was not convenient to talk in the corridor, so the three of them immediately went into the elegant room.
"Tell me clearly what happened." Xiao Mingyi said.
When Yu Niang thought about what she was going to say next, her legs trembled, and even her voice trembled slightly: "Miss Ali... is pregnant..."
"What?!"
Xuanfeng couldn't help but make a sound. After he came to his senses, he immediately covered his mouth and looked at the Crown Prince's expression.
Xiao Mingyi's face showed more confusion than surprise.
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