102
It suddenly rained in Shengan.
The rain fell heavily, as if it was going to wash away something.
There was a faint smell of blood in the humid air.
Song Jin walked into the Dali Temple on the wet blue bricks.
Several people from Zhaiyue Tower were detained here.
Xu Nanheng was wary of her, and she couldn't find out any information at all.
After much thought, she decided to go there in person, as she was worried that Xu Nanheng would use torture to force them to confess.
"Your Highness?"
Song Jin saw an unexpected person in prison.
"The county lord is here to visit Manager Qin?"
Xu Changyi seemed to know why she came and smiled, "Don't worry, County Master. Manager Qin and the others are fine."
How does he know?
Song Jin swallowed his doubts and prepared to see it with his own eyes, but he followed him over.
The jailer guarding Qin Wan and others bowed and nodded to him.
The attitude is too attentive.
Song Jin had some guesses in his mind.
"Young lady? Why are you here?"
The person she was worried about was currently sitting cross-legged in the haystack, with a low table in front of him, on which was a pot of wine and a plate of side dishes.
Qin Wan's face was a little red, apparently due to drinking.
Life was more comfortable than she had imagined.
Song Jin twitched his lips.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your help."
Xu Changyi just smiled and said, "The county lord and Qin the shopkeeper helped me a lot in the past. Now that Zhaiyue Tower is in trouble, I will definitely help in any way I can."
Xu Nanheng knew that Zhaiyuelou was colluding with the rebels, so even if they wanted to rescue people, they would not be able to do so in a short time.
The Shaoqing of the Dali Temple is the prince's man. Once the person is taken into custody, he has to be cautious if he wants to do anything.
Xu Changyi took advantage of this and secretly bribed the jailers who were guarding Zhaiyue Tower and others.
Life in prison is no worse than life outside.
Don't worry about business conditions or anything.
"My dear, what's going on outside?"
Song Jin shook his head and said succinctly, "It's almost over. Shopkeeper Qin, don't worry. Nothing will happen to the Zhaiyue Tower."
Qin Wan is definitely not worried about Zhaiyue Tower.
They wanted to convict Xu Nanheng of a false charge based on just a few pieces of paper, unless Xu Nanheng wanted to completely give up on the Zhaiyue Tower.
Song Jin chatted with her for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, he left the Dali Temple with Xu Changyi.
"It's been a while since I've walked with His Highness. I wonder how the Crown Prince's wife is doing now?"
"I feel much better now. I can walk around in the breeze."
Song Jin nodded.
It's still raining.
The heavy rain blurred the surrounding scenery.
Song Jin blinked slowly, but his vision was still blurred by the heavy rain.
"Your Highness, the rain tonight will probably flood a lot of places. The Crown Princess will probably be scared staying alone in the mansion. Your Highness should go back as soon as possible and don't leave the mansion unless necessary."
Xu Changyi's eyebrows twitched slightly, he glanced at her lightly, and understood what she meant.
"Well, the county lord should go back earlier."
Having said that, he went straight to his carriage.
The wheels rolled over the rain on the ground, and the splashing water fell into the puddles on the side without causing much ripples.
The smell of blood in the air seemed to be much stronger.
Song Jin wrinkled his nose, lowered his head and walked into the heavy rain.
*
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and people were sent to pump water from the low-lying areas in the palace.
The eunuchs and guards were walking hurriedly in the gray rain, but the sound of the rain was so loud that it masked their voices.
“There’s blood!”
I don't know who shouted in surprise.
Only then did people realize that the sewage under their feet was turning red.
It starts out light pink and slowly turns into bright red.
"It came out of Concubine Rong's palace!"
Boom——
Bright white lightning flashed across the rainy night, making people's faces pale.
The noisy footsteps sounded like a Shura crawling out of hell to claim your life.
The interweaving of blood and rain filled the entire palace.
Xu Nanheng, wearing silver-white iron armor, looked up at the towering palace.
There were many memories of his childhood.
Everything... should end.
Xu Nanheng waved his hand indifferently, and the guards behind him swarmed forward.
Wherever they passed, blood flowed like a river and corpses were strewn all over the ground.
The emperor and empress were imprisoned in Chaowu Palace.
It is now late at night, and everyone in the palace is fast asleep.
Another thunderbolt pierced the rainy night.
Cui Yuyao was awakened by the thunder, and her chest still felt palpitations.
"What's wrong?"
The emperor opened his eyes dazedly.
Cui Yuying wanted to say that nothing happened, but she heard some noise outside and her dizzy head immediately became clear.
"Your Majesty! Something happened!"
The emperor suddenly woke up, leaned over to the window, and carefully observed the situation outside.
The lights outside the temple were extinguished by the rain.
In the darkness, all that could be heard was the roar of the rain.
Nothing.
The emperor relaxed a little, but unexpectedly, the next moment, an arrow grazed his brow and shot in.
"His Majesty!"
Cui Yuhuai cried out in surprise.
The emperor wiped the blood from his brow with an expressionless face.
“It has come to this.”
*
Tick. Tick.
Raindrops hit the hard bow and arrow, splashing tiny drops of water.
Xu Nanheng put down his bow and arrow and waved his hand to signal his men to surround Chaowu Palace.
"Father, I know you are awake. Please come out."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the bedroom slowly opened.
A bright yellow figure appeared in the rainy night.
The emperor was only wearing his outer robe, with his hair in disarray, and looked as if he had just woken up from a dream.
"Xu Nanheng, are you planning to rebel?"
"What does Father think?"
Xu Nanheng walked down the eaves nonchalantly, his cold armor even afraid of the rain.
He wiped his face.
"presumptuous!"
The emperor shouted angrily, and then he felt a sharp pain in his lungs and started coughing violently.
"His Majesty!"
Cui Yuyao was worried about his health and walked out of the house regardless of his instructions.
In an instant, a murderous intent fell upon her.
The emperor quickly stopped her, "How dare you!"
Xu Nanheng curled his lips: "I dare not even rebel, but I dare not kill people?"
"If the emperor does not agree to abdicate, then I will have to resort to some means."
A naked threat!
Cui Yuhuai was so angry that her whole body was shaking.
As a son, he actually wanted to kill his father and seize the throne!
"Rebellious son!"
“Cough cough cough!”
The emperor coughed so hard that he could hardly straighten his back.
Xu Nanheng's expression became more and more impatient. "Father, don't think about dealing with me here. Everyone in and outside the palace is my people. No one can save you."
"Where did you get so many people?"
Half of Sheng'an's troops are in the hands of General Dingguo. Now that Yu Qin has been transferred away, the rest are all in the hands of the emperor and Cui Huaiji.
Where did he get these people?
"You... colluded with King Suli's people?!"
Cui Huaiji had hinted to him many times that the king's men had been lurking in Sheng'an.
Judging from this, they must have colluded with them!
"I can't hide it from my father after all."
Xu Nanheng drew his bow again: "If your father doesn't agree, someone will help me accomplish it..."
"stop!"
The scream suddenly broke through the rain.
A group of guards stood with their hands and feet held back as they looked at the man who was rushing in with great momentum.
The one who came was the Sun Huang Guifei.
Xu Nanheng wanted to sit on the throne legitimately, so he specifically ordered his subordinates not to kill anyone. He would not do that unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Xu Nanheng, you are so brave!"
Xu Nanheng was already hearing these words so many times that his ears were about to curl.
"Who let her out?!"
Why did this crazy woman come out instead of staying in her own palace?
Xu Nanheng looked angry.
He has already forced the emperor to abdicate, so he is not afraid of anyone who comes.
But everyone knew that the Emperor Sun's concubine was crazy.
When the fifth prince Xu Luo was executed, she didn't even show the slightest bit of sadness.
Very cold-blooded.
"Your Majesty, are you injured?"
The emperor shook his head slightly and signaled Cui Yuying to pull her away.
"As a father, I may not have done enough, but you, Xu Nanheng, forced the palace to rebel and colluded with the rebels. That is treason! Have I thrown everything I taught you into the ground?"
"Shut up!"
Xu Nanheng was irritated by one of his words and immediately became angry and shot the arrow from his bow.
Something unexpected happened.
The emperor was also an expert in martial arts in his early years and did not take his threat seriously at all.
Just as he was about to turn aside to avoid her, he was unexpectedly hugged by the Emperor Sun's concubine.
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
The arrow pierced his chest.
The Concubine Sun tried hard to swallow the blood in her mouth, not wanting to look ugly in front of him.
But the blood can't be suppressed no matter what.
Still overflowing from the corners of his mouth.
"Who asked you to block the arrow for me?"
The emperor staggered and hugged her, feeling half distressed and half reproachful.
"You've been by my side for so many years, don't you know my skills? Why are you still blocking arrows for me like before?!"
In his early years, when the emperor was still the crown prince, Consort Sun had once blocked an opportunity for him.
It was because of that incident that the emperor became more sincere towards her.
Cui Yuhuai, who had been pulling the person, was already dumbfounded.
She never expected that Concubine Sun would suddenly rush out.
"I told you to stand at the back..."
The emperor suddenly choked up.
The last time the arrow didn't hit deep enough, his life could be saved.
But this time Xu Nanheng was determined to kill him. There was no way for the arrow to survive after it pierced his chest.
"Is that so... Maybe when I saw Your Majesty getting hurt, I couldn't control myself..."
Large mouthfuls of blood were spit out.
The collar of the Emperor Sun's concubine's shirt was dyed red.
She could sense that she might not survive this time.
"Your Majesty... I have always known that in your heart... ahem, only Cui Yuhuai is in your heart, but I will not accept this. I am no worse than her..."
In her heart, neither she nor Cui Yuyao could win.
She was once one of the most noble ladies in Sheng'an.
"For so many years, I have always wanted to ask... Is there a place for me in His Majesty's heart, ahem...?"
My vision is getting blurrier.
She was afraid that she would not be able to wait for the emperor's answer.
Alas, I can't change this bad habit of blocking arrows when I see them in my lifetime.
"Meishu!"
In the darkness, there seemed to be a voice calling her.
Meishu...is her nickname.
A hint of fragrance passed over the tip of my nose.
It’s the scent of pear blossoms.
Mei Shu opened her eyes, but the bright sunlight made it difficult for her to open them.
I vaguely saw a figure standing in front of me.
“…Who is it?”
The man said with a smile, "Whose family are you from? How come you slept here? It's cold in early spring, you shouldn't sleep here."
"I'll leave Feng Hai behind and have him take you back, so that no one will plot against you behind your back."
The eyes finally adjusted to the light.
I only had time to catch a glimpse of his blurry profile.
solitary?
Is it...the one from the East Palace?
The young girl Mei Shu held her plum blossom fan, curious but nervous, and followed Feng Hai back to the front yard.
Yes, today is my father’s promotion banquet, and the person just now must be the prince.
"Prince..."
It is always so easy for a young girl to fall in love.
Even a little bit of care can make people remember it endlessly.
Mei Shu secretly walked to the front yard, wanting to see the prince's face clearly.
Little did she know that this one look would be something she would never forget for the rest of her life.
Only then did I know that the prince already had a princess, and the couple were very loving.
Mei Shu puffed up her cheeks. Even though her father advised her that the prince was much older than her and had a lover, and was not suitable to be a husband, she still insisted on marrying him.
Feelings can be cultivated, and she will move him with her sincerity.
It was not until she married into the Eastern Palace that she realized she had thought too simply.
The prince told her clearly that he only loved the Crown Princess and that he married her because of the imperial decree.
She watched the Crown Prince and Crown Princess being in harmony with each other, and her heart broke into pieces.
"Cui Yuhuai, now that I have entered the palace, I will not let you monopolize the prince's heart forever! I don't believe he will only love you forever!"
Mei Shu swore solemnly, but Cui Yuyao just smiled and passed it off.
After treating others sincerely several times, what I got in return was more painful than indifference.
"Mei Shu, you don't have to do this. No one in the East Palace will embarrass you..."
"I don't want it!"
Mei Shu refused to listen. She would rather the prince be cruel and ruthless to her than be so gentle to her like he was now.
She will perish.
Until the day of the hunt, she blocked an arrow for the prince.
The arrow was meant to hit the deer, but for some reason it deviated and flew towards the prince. Without thinking, she jumped over to block the arrow.
She forgot that the prince was so skilled in martial arts, why would he need her to block arrows?
She is hopelessly stupid.
But from this day on, she discovered that the prince treated her a little differently.
This is a good thing!
Mei Shu happily clung to the prince.
If you ignore Cui Yuyao's compassionate look.
Why did Cui Yuying pity her? Did she think she was a child?
Humph, she won't be fooled.
In the years that followed, she was always jealous of Cui Yuying in the Eastern Palace, although she was the only one who was jealous there.
However, it was also from that time that the rumor that the concubine was obsessed and crazy spread.
"Mei Shu, I promised to love only Ah Wei in this life. I cannot respond to your sincerity. Don't meet me again in your next life."
After more than ten years of companionship, the emperor himself was probably unable to tell her whether she had a place in his heart.
The Emperor Sun's concubine's dazed eyes narrowed slightly.
She is still conscious.
That is enough, Your Majesty.
In the next life, Mei Shu will meet His Majesty again.
"Cui Yuhuai..." She said with her last bit of strength, "This time, I win."
Cui Yuyao watched in silence as she lost her breath in the emperor's arms.
In fact, Cui Yuhuai liked Consort Sun very much.
During her time in the Eastern Palace, she was far from as happy as the Emperor and Consort Sun had imagined. The Cui family mask was a scar on her heart. Without the Emperor and Consort Sun jumping around in front of her, she would probably still be immersed in sorrow.
"Meishu..."