Chapter 130 Chapter 130 is the only genuine version...
Master Changfeng said that the one who has the dragon's luck is Xie Jing.
King Jin calmed himself down. The Immortal's hexagrams had never been wrong, so he had to stay calm.
Calm planning, just like pushing the emperor to the throne six years ago.
The deposed crown prince's position was stable back then, but he still fell into his hands. The only mistake was that he left Xie Yingchen behind, which led to the tiger being released back into the mountains.
He squinted his eyes. Xie Yingchen seemed to be born to be in a superior position. With a wave of his hand, he could easily control the overall situation.
Xie Yingchen raised his hand and said, "Minister Fan, go ahead and do it."
Fan Heng agreed and picked up the memorial on the ground.
Even if Ji Nan Ke would be dissatisfied or angry, Xie Jing did not express any objection at this time.
The treatment of Ji Shi was in line with everyone's wishes.
If Ji was really posthumously named empress, the child born out of wedlock would become the legitimate son, which would be difficult for anyone to accept.
Now the Ji family has no name and no status. Unless all the emperor's princes are dead, there is a slight possibility that the throne will be passed to Gu Yan.
Very good.
Everyone was relieved.
"Prime Minister Song," Prince Jin said. "Back then, due to the devastating earthquake in Qingzhou and the Emperor's whereabouts, we temporarily appointed Prince Chen as Regent. Now the Emperor is gravely ill, and recovery won't happen overnight. In my opinion, the regent should be re-elected. Prince Chen isn't a prince, so his position is unjust and unwarranted."
"The Queen Mother has arrived!"
Just then, the eunuch's shrill voice rang out. Xie Yingchen said calmly, "The Emperor needs to rest. You and I will return to Wenyuan Pavilion to discuss this matter."
"State affairs are of the utmost importance," Prince Li said, adding, "I will discuss the rest with the Queen Mother."
Xie Yingchen nodded: "Cousin Lang, cousin Jing, you two should go too."
The eldest prince Xie Lang showed surprise and agreed repeatedly.
Xie Yingchen left first, followed closely by Prime Minister Song. Prince Jin winked at Duke Wei, and the two of them fell behind, and the rest of the ministers followed suit.
"What's the matter?" asked the Duke of Wei.
The Prince of Jin's intention just now was clearly to pull Xie Yingchen down and appoint someone else as the new leader. His relationship with the Prince of Jin was mediocre, definitely not close enough to allow them to collude privately.
The Prince of Jin didn't mince words and said, "Duke, you chose the Third Prince, right?"
The Duke of Weiguo remained silent, casting an appraising glance: "If you have something to say, just say it."
Prince Jin smiled faintly and said confidently, "In the court, you, me, and Prime Minister Song are the three pillars of power. I'm sure you can see that Prime Minister Song has already defected to Xie Yingchen, leaving only you and me."
The three parties have been competing against each other for a long time, and the emperor is used to balancing things, so the status of each party in the court is comparable.
"Duke, if you and I work together, we can always help the Third Prince rise to power, don't you think?"
Duke Wei was slightly thoughtful.
The Prince of Jin had been watching and weighing the pros and cons, never taking sides. Why had he suddenly changed his mind? The Duke of Wei had thought he would patiently wait for him and Prime Minister Song to decide the outcome before taking advantage.
Xie Yingchen is still young and feeble-minded. After all, the deposed crown prince was deposed because he killed the king and his father and usurped the throne. As the eldest son of the deposed crown prince, this is a stain that cannot be washed away.
The Third Prince is indeed weak, which means that after he ascends the throne, he can only rely on himself. He does not have the ability or means to get rid of the donkey after it has served its purpose.
If he cooperated with the King of Jin, he might have a chance. The Duke of Wei's heart was beating fast.
The Prince of Jin bumped his arm, and when the Duke of Wei came to his senses, he saw the Queen Mother walking towards him surrounded by a crowd of people. The two men stepped aside to pay their respects to the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother brushed past them and hurried straight into the palace.
"Where's the Emperor?"
"I will never agree to posthumously confer the title of empress on Ji."
"An adulteress..."
Gu Zhizhuo bent aside and the empress dowager didn't even see her.
After coming out of Hanzhang Palace, Gu Zhizhuo did not go to Wenyuan Pavilion, but left the palace alone.
The jade lion was pacing in front of the palace gate bored. When it saw her coming out, it came over shaking its head, hooked its tail around her calf, and acted coquettishly, asking for candy.
"Okay, okay, I'll take it."
The sky gradually darkened, and the faint orange sunset was about to set in the horizon. The summer evening was very hot and humid, and even the wind blowing in the face was hot, making it feel stuffy and uncomfortable.
After eating the candy, the jade lion followed Gu Zhizhuo contentedly, without even needing her to hold the reins.
A man and a horse walked slowly through the crowd sitting in silence at the Meridian Gate. Gu Zhizhuo saw Ji Nan Ke not far away.
Ji Nan Ke was dressed in luxurious clothes. She liked to wear plain clothes and looked as elegant as a fairy. However, she did not have the flamboyance of the past. Instead, she seemed a little confused, as if she was trapped in a fog and could not escape.
She stood not far from the palace gate, looking towards the direction of the palace gate from time to time, as if waiting for someone. When she saw Gu Zhizhuo coming out, her face froze for a moment, and she turned her head away silently, as if she had no intention of ever having anything to do with him again.
Gu Zhizhuo raised her eyebrows. Based on her understanding of Ji Nanke, Ji Nanke was angry with Xie Jing again. She pretended to leave in anger and waited for Xie Jing to come to her and coax her.
So boring.
Gu Zhizhuo touched the horse's back. At this time, the Minister of Rites Fan Heng and several young eunuchs carried Ji out. Ji was wrapped in a thin quilt. Nanny Wan followed behind with her head lowered, her face ashen.
Fan Heng: "Miss Gu."
"You're busy."
Gu Zhizhuo led the jade lion to the side and made way, letting them go first.
"Be careful." Fan Heng warned the young eunuch and asked loudly, "Is Ji Shanzhang here?"
"Is Ji Shanchang here?"
After shouting two or three times, Patriarch Ji stood up tremblingly with the help of a student.
His head was wrapped in a thick white cloth. He had just been so angry about Ji Shi being canonized as Imperial Noble Consort that he banged his head against the wall.
He originally wanted to die, but there was a Jinyiwei every ten steps at the Meridian Gate. He was pulled back as soon as he hit his head. He did not die, but he was still a little dizzy and could not stand steadily.
"I, I am."
Patriarch Ji replied, his voice a little weak.
Fan Heng said amiably, "Ji died of illness, and his body is here."
Ji Ruo is dead?
Patriarch Ji was shocked and asked, "When did it happen?"
"Two hours ago."
Fan Heng signaled the eunuchs to carry the person in front of Patriarch Ji.
They carried Ji on their shoulders, a thin blanket covering her face. Clan leader Ji hesitantly walked over and carefully lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing a pale face covered in rashes. Startled, he stepped back repeatedly, his lips trembling.
Fan Heng: "Is it Ji Ruo?"
"Yes." Patriarch Ji said affirmatively.
The students around were shocked when they heard this. What? Ji was dead?
Wasn't she just canonized as Imperial Noble Consort?
What happened!
Fan Heng said in a businesslike manner, "Does Dean Ji have a house in the capital? How should this person be accommodated?"
He thought, he couldn't just leave it here and let Ji Shanchang carry it back by himself.
Patriarch Ji was confused and answered: "There is a house..."
Didn't he say that she would be canonized as the Imperial Noble Consort? He could take her away. Did the Emperor finally figure it out?
"Please lead the way, Mr. Ji."
"Wait." Ji Nanke rushed into the crowd, "Where are you taking her?"
Hadn't Xie Jing promised her that he would earn a posthumous title for his aunt? Even without a posthumous title, his aunt was still a legitimate Imperial Noble Consort and shouldn't have been carried out wrapped in a thin blanket.
"Miss Ji." Fan Heng recognized her. She was the sweetheart of His Royal Highness the Third Prince.
"Sister Ke?"
Shanzhang Ji hadn't seen Ji Nan Ke for a long time. From a child to sixteen years old, there were quite a lot of changes.
Ji Nan Ke's eyes flashed coldly and she ignored him.
If he hadn't inexplicably insisted on going to the drum to report the incident, everything could have gone according to her plan step by step, so how could it have come to this? She and her aunt were struggling in the capital, and the Ji family couldn't help, but they were hindering them.
"Who told you to act on your own?" Ji Nanke said coldly to Fan Heng, "Is it Xie Yingchen? That's ridiculous. How can a mere prince like him depose the Imperial Noble Consort personally appointed by the Emperor?"
Fan Heng's attitude was very good: "Miss Ji, don't call her Imperial Noble Consort all the time. She doesn't deserve it."
Fan Heng was grateful for Xie Yingchen's advice. He turned to the head of the Ji clan and said, "Prince Chen has decreed that if Ji died before the canonization ceremony, she would not be considered a concubine. If a woman abandoned by the Ji family dies and returns to the clan, the Ji family will decide how to deal with her."
Patriarch Ji opened his mouth, let go of the student who was supporting him, and knelt down to kowtow in gratitude.
His forehead was pressed deeply against the ground, and the white cloth wrapped around his head was bleeding.
With tears streaming down his face, he said, "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Chen."
His Royal Highness Prince Chen has preserved the Ji family's reputation for a hundred years. Otherwise, even if he died a thousand times, it would not be enough to atone for his sins, and he would not be able to face his ancestors after his death.
The students looked at each other, and some said sincerely, "Prince Chen is wise!"
It turns out that it was King Chen’s intention!
"Prince Chen must be the former Crown Prince, right?" an old scholar said, stroking his long beard. "He is truly wise and sensible."
Some people also asked: "...How did Ji Shi die?"
Yes. That's the key.
Did their letters finally convince the emperor to execute Ji Shi? Or...
That's unspeakable. Fan Heng smiled, asked the eunuchs to continue carrying Ji, and said, "Please lead the way, Master Ji."
"impossible!"
Ji Nan Ke screamed out in shock again, with a hint of panic at the end of her words.
If she didn't even have the title of Imperial Noble Consort, how could she continue to live in the palace under the pretext of mourning for her aunt? And if she didn't live in the palace, where could she go?
I can’t go back to the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion.
Do I have to go back to the Ji family?! This pedantic old man will never let me have an easy time.
"I won't agree."
She stretched out her arms, blocking the young eunuchs, and said firmly: "I will report to the emperor. What is your punishment for disobeying the emperor's order?"
“Ahhhh!”
Nanny Wan, who had been following the eunuchs in a daze, suddenly became hysterical and rushed towards Ji Nanke, yelling and screaming. Ji Nanke was caught off guard and had no time to dodge, so she was knocked to the ground by a huge force.
Nanny Wan pressed her knee against her lower abdomen, and her hands, which were a little big due to years of work, were tightly gripping her neck.
Hmm.
Ji Nanke's face turned pale. She tried desperately to pry open Nanny Wan's hand, and her nails left deep red scratches on the back of Nanny Wan's hand.
Fan Heng was stunned.
This happened at the Meridian Gate, and he couldn't take the responsibility for causing a loss of life.
Fan Heng shouted in a panic, "Quick, pull her away!"
The young eunuch could only put Ji down first and go forward to pull the people away.
"It's all your fault. It's all your fault!"
Nanny Wan seemed to be crazy about gains and losses, her face was ferocious, and her hands were pinching hard.
"If it weren't for you, how could the lady die? It's all because of you, it's all because of you!"
The students around also reacted and came over to pull people away.
"Hey, you old woman, if you have something to say, just talk it over nicely, don't hit me."
"Quick, pull her away."
"Killing someone means paying with your life, don't be impulsive."
Nanny Wan was old after all, and was quickly pulled away.
Ji Nanke covered her neck, finally breathing heavily as she regained her breath. Deep finger marks were left on her neck, and her skin was fair and tender, and the finger marks were red with a hint of purple, making them particularly glaring.
Ji Nanke's face was as pale as paper. He was so frightened that he couldn't stand up.
"Big girl."
"Big girl!"
A group of people were holding Nanny Wan. She saw Gu Zhizhuo while struggling desperately and suddenly shouted loudly. Her rough voice seemed to be crying blood.
Gu Zhizhuo was too lazy to care about these trivial matters, but there were many people at the Meridian Gate, so he could only walk slowly with his horse. He stopped when he heard the sound and looked back at her.
Nanny Wan looked even older. The white hair that was once hidden was completely exposed. Her temples were gray, and even her bun was full of silver threads.
"Big girl."
Nanny Wan didn't know where she got the strength from, or maybe those scholars were really powerless, she pushed them away and rushed towards Gu Zhizhuo.
Everyone was shocked and thought that she would also strangle Gu Zhizhuo. They were about to rush over to pull her away. However, when she was still three steps away from Gu Zhizhuo, Nanny Wan knelt down with a plop.
Everyone stopped moving and froze in place, as if they were under a spell.
Aunt Wan cried, "My dear, my wife died because she ate peaches." Her voice almost broke.
Many people obviously didn't understand who she was talking about, so Gu Zhizhuo simply asked, "Are you saying that Ji Ruo died because he ate a peach?"
"yes."
Nanny Wan murmured at first, and then became extremely sad, as if she was crying blood.
The surroundings fell silent. If they remembered correctly, the adulterous woman from the Ji family who had committed adultery with the emperor was Ji Ruo. Just now, someone had asked how she died.
"It's Ji Nanke." Nanny Wan pointed at Ji Nanke and said sadly, "Ji Nanke knew that Madam would get a rash and a high fever if she ate peaches, but she still insisted on instigating her to eat them. Ji Nanke deliberately wanted to make Madam sick."
Aunt Wan couldn't stop crying. Her grief and despair made her shout loudly regardless of everything.
Ji Nanke wanted to deny it and defend herself.
Her throat was aching so much that her weak voice couldn't even come out. She was panicking for no reason. Did Aunt Wan know what she was doing? How could she say that to her?
Ji Nan Ke covered his throat, feeling both hatred and fear.
Gu Zhizhuo also noticed Ji Nanke at the back of the crowd and asked, "Why?"
This question "Why" expressed the thoughts of everyone, and everyone nodded.
Other students not far away also gathered around.
Nanny Wan's tears continued to flow. She knelt on the ground and sobbed, "It all started with the intention of leaving the palace. Ji Nan Ke instigated Madam to have a secret meeting with the Emperor. She tricked Madam into eating peaches, and after a rash appeared on her body, she bribed the doctor, saying that Madam had contracted an epidemic. Ji Nan Ke asked Madam to voluntarily request to stay at the manor for a while to avoid the epidemic."
"After arriving at Zhuangzi, the lady was with the emperor."
"she……"
Nanny Wan was about to talk about the marriage talisman, but Gu Zhizhuo interrupted her: "Don't talk about unimportant things."
"Shut up." Ji Nan Ke shouted weakly. She struggled to get up and pounced on Aunt Wan to tear her mouth apart.
She was planning all for her aunt, why?
Nanny Wan was going to betray her! "The Emperor brought the Madam back to the palace. The Madam was a married woman, and the Emperor couldn't give her a title. Ji Nan Ke was anxious and coaxed the Madam to eat peaches. When the Madam fell ill, she begged again. The Emperor couldn't bear it and agreed. He ordered the Zhenguo Mansion to issue a letter of release for the concubine and appointed her as the Imperial Noble Consort."
"But, Ji Nanke is still not satisfied!"
Nanny Wan burst into tears and said bitterly, "After the Emperor appointed the Imperial Noble Consort, Madam then asked the Emperor to appoint the Third Prince as the heir."
Ji Nanke told Madam not to take medicine. Her rash hadn't healed and her condition was getting worse. After eating peaches again... this time, she couldn't breathe.
"She, she died tragically."
"Ji Nanke keeps saying that she is Madam's niece and she would never harm Madam."
"Madam raised her herself and treated her like her own daughter. Madam trusts her."
"But the lady is dead!"
"Ji Nanke killed her."
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