Chapter 592 The Aftermath of the Coup
Qiao Qinghe frowned. Well-trained soldiers deliberately disguised themselves as bandits and broke into the Qiao residence... What were they planning to do?
Qiao Qinghe couldn't guess the purpose of the person behind it, so she put it aside and asked, "How many people in the manor were killed or injured?"
Chen San said in a somber tone, "Seven people died. Three were servants from the manor, and the remaining four were beggars who came with me."
Qiao Qinghe sighed and instructed He Shi, "Go and handle this personally. Find out if any of these seven people have any living relatives. If so, give their relatives a pension and a funeral allowance. If someone is willing to adopt their child so that they will have someone to offer incense after their death, then pay the child a child support fee."
"If there were no family..."
Qiao Qinghe looked at Chen San and said, "Choose a few good-natured beggars from among them, register them under their names, and raise them well on the estate. That way, they'll have an heir."
Upon hearing this, Chen San immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Qiao Qinghe, "Thank you, Madam!"
Qiao Qinghe gestured for people to stand up, saying, "The Qiao family will do everything in its power to treat the injured."
"Everyone who participated in protecting the Qiao residence last night will also be rewarded."
"I'll need your help to compile these statistics."
"After you have compiled the statistics, report them directly to Butler He."
"You can go and get back to work."
"Yes." Chen San and Madam He both responded and withdrew.
He Rui also went down to check on the situation of the shops in the city.
Only Qiao Qinghe and Wei Jia remained in the room.
Before the two could even exchange a word, a maidservant came in to report that people from the Yongning Marquis's residence and the Enping Earl's residence had come.
Qiao Qinghe invited everyone in.
After inquiring, they learned that thieves had also broken into the East City area last night.
Especially in the Enping Earl's residence, the thieves who broke in were all highly skilled.
While other families only had one group of thieves, the Earl of Enping's residence had three or four groups of people.
Fortunately, the guards of the Enping Marquis's mansion were all highly skilled, especially the few who were left behind by Yan Jin to secretly protect Su Rongrong; they were masters among masters.
If it weren't for the large number of thieves and the fact that the Enping Marquis's residence was overwhelmed, Su Rongrong would have sent someone to the Qiao residence overnight last night.
This morning, as soon as the commotion subsided, Su Rongrong immediately sent someone to inquire about the situation at the Qiao residence.
The situation was similar at the Yongning Marquis's residence.
After learning that the Qiao family was safe, people from both families returned home.
After seeing the people off, Qiao Qinghe no longer had the energy to talk to Wei Jia.
Let them go back and rest.
He ate something quickly and then went to bed to rest.
Because she hadn't slept all night, by the time Dao Qiao Qinghe woke up, it was already evening.
I got up and ate something, and then it was completely dark.
Qiao Qinghe still asked A Shuang to help her go for a walk in the yard to digest her food.
Just then, Wei Jia, who had learned that Qiao Qinghe had gotten up, also rushed over.
Qiao Qinghe didn't waste any words and asked directly upon seeing the person, "Is there any news outside?"
Wei Jia took over from A Shuang and helped Qiao Qinghe continue her walk in the courtyard, while the others were led away by A Shuang to a distance.
"I heard that the Crown Prince, along with his personal guards, private soldiers, and imperial guards, attempted to force the palace in rebellion, but was captured by Wen Jue, the young master of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, who led the city guards."
"Wen Jue? Is that the Wen Jue who went on a blind date with Qiao Ning before?" Qiao Qinghe asked in surprise.
Wei Jia nodded: "It is said that the Crown Prince visited the Yongchang Marquis's residence many times before he raised his army, but in the end, it was the Yongchang Marquis's residence that caused the Crown Prince to fail."
Qiao Qinghe pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm afraid His Majesty has already set up this scheme."
Consider the timing of Wenjue's return to the capital.
Then consider the Earl of Enping and the Yu brothers, who were successively sent out of the capital by Emperor Xiaozhao.
These were all loyal ministers and generals entrusted with the trust of Emperor Xiaozhao.
With external threats to restrain him, pressure from the situation in Jiangnan, and the lack of trustworthy people around Emperor Xiaozhao, even after Yu Rui was banished to Jiangnan, the position of commander of the city guards was replaced by the Crown Prince's men.
The commander of the Imperial Guard responsible for protecting the palace was replaced by a military officer close to the Crown Prince when the Earl of Enping stepped down.
It can be said that this coup was perfectly timed, geographically advantageous, and popular.
Unfortunately, all of this was a trap that Emperor Xiaozhao had prepared in advance for the crown prince.
Qiao Qinghe shook her head, not wanting to think about it any further. The Crown Prince's defeat was already destined.
What she's concerned about now is the situation going forward.
"Any other news?"
Wei Jia thought for a moment and then brought up another matter.
"Last night was New Year's Eve, and all the members of the royal family were invited into the palace. It is said that many of them were carried out of the palace this morning."
Qiao Qinghe paused for a moment, then asked, "Is Princess Huaiyang alright?"
Wei Jia shook her head, "The person is still in the palace, and it's still unknown."
"I wonder how His Majesty will deal with the Crown Prince and his faction," Qiao Qinghe sighed.
***
Three days passed, and Li Sanqi still hadn't left the palace.
There was no news coming out of the palace, and Emperor Xiaozhao did not take any further action.
The entire capital city was eerily quiet.
But the more this was the case, the more fearful and uneasy everyone felt.
Sure enough, five days later, the city guards assisted the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Jingzhou Prefecture government in carrying out an operation that resulted in the immediate execution of more than twenty officials, both high and low-ranking, who were involved in the Crown Prince's rebellion.
His residence was searched and his family members were all detained pending further investigation.
The punishment for the crown prince was also announced.
The crown prince and his family were all demoted to commoners and imprisoned for life.
Qiao Qinghe was not surprised at all upon hearing the news.
To her surprise, the list of officials involved in the rebellion did not include the patriarch of the Zhong family.
On the contrary, there is Grand Secretary Zhao!
After making inquiries, Qiao Qinghe learned that the Zhong family had betrayed the Crown Prince to Emperor Xiaozhao before the prince's rebellion.
On the contrary, Grand Secretary Zhao was forced by Consort Zhao to become an accomplice of the Crown Prince.
Consort Zhao was also given death by Emperor Xiaozhao for helping the Crown Prince plot a rebellion.
Li Jingyue escaped death because she stood up for Emperor Xiaozhao when he was persecuted by Consort Zhao.
In addition, Li Sanqi, who rarely spoke up for her, was the only one who was stripped of her title in the end.
***
In the palace, Emperor Xiaozhao dismissed all the palace servants, leaving himself and Consort Zhao alone.
He came to see Consort Zhao one last time.
Is there anything you want to tell me?
Consort Zhao, though nearly forty, looked like she was in her twenties. While not exceptionally beautiful, she possessed a unique gentle and quiet temperament that made people feel at first sight.
Consort Zhao was dressed in a magnificent palace gown, adorned with jewels. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought she was dressed up for a banquet.
When Emperor Xiaozhao entered, she didn't even raise her head, remaining seated beside the dressing table, applying makeup in front of the mirror.
Upon hearing Emperor Xiaozhao's question, she smiled slightly and said in a calm and even tone, "What does Your Majesty wish to hear?"
"Begging for mercy? Repenting? Or resorting to a shrewish tirade?"
Emperor Xiaozhao was not angered by Consort Zhao's sarcastic remarks, but calmly asked, "Who is Min Ji?"
Consort Zhao looked at Emperor Xiaozhao through the mirror with surprise, then smiled and said, "I thought His Majesty would come to see me one last time, I thought His Majesty would ask me why I betrayed you, and I even thought you would ask me why I corrupted the Crown Prince."
"But I never expected that His Majesty would ask me about someone I don't know."
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