Chapter 142 Chapter 142 is the only genuine version...
"ah--"
Prince Jin, who was having breakfast, suddenly stood up. His movements were so quick and violent that the bowls and plates on the Eight Immortals Table clattered.
"Your Majesty, calm down."
The maids who were serving the food knelt down in panic, thinking they had done something wrong.
Prince Jin waved his hands. His neck and back were wet, and even his undershirt was stuck to his body.
I don't know why, but I suddenly felt a panic attack and couldn't suppress it.
Looking at the delicious food on the table, he didn't even want to touch his chopsticks.
King Jin pushed the bowl away and planned to go out for some fresh air.
I don't know if it's because Yun'er hasn't come back yet, but Prince Jin has been restless and worried these days. Logically, he should have reached the capital by now after leaving the Western Frontier, but why is there no news at all?
King Jin stepped over the porridge that had spilled on the ground and walked out the door.
It was only the noon hour, and since the emperor had fallen seriously ill, he no longer needed to attend court in the morning. The maid lifted the bamboo curtain, and a sultry wind blew in his face, making him even more anxious.
Prince Jin hesitated whether to go into the palace or go to the study to meet with his staff.
Two days ago, after meeting with the Third Prince and the Duke of Weiguo, he has now officially joined the Third Prince's camp.
There is him.
There is the Duke of Wei.
It is equivalent to controlling 70% of the power in the court.
The Prince of Jin planned to remove Xie Yingchen from the position of regent in one fell swoop.
Xie Yingchen was only the emperor's nephew, a mere member of the royal family. How could he bypass the prince to become regent?
As long as we can help the Third Prince become the Regent, everything else will be easy...
"Go and call Mr. Wen."
Wen Su is his most important aide.
"yes."
boom!
Just as Prince Jin was about to step into the study, there was a loud noise that made his ears buzz.
The sound came from the southeast of the palace.
King Jin's anxious heart began to beat fast. He sent people to take a look while running there himself.
Halfway through the walk, the servant who had gone over to inquire came back in a hurry.
"Your Highness, it was Master Changfeng. The furnace exploded."
What! ?
King Jin was horrified.
He invited Changfeng to stay in the palace, and according to Changfeng's preferences, he lived in the courtyard in the southeast corner. After meeting the third prince, Changfeng suddenly said that he wanted to retreat to make alchemy. The King of Jin even specially found an alchemy furnace for him. How could it explode?
Prince Jin asked anxiously, "Is he alright?"
"The real one is fine."
"That's good, that's good."
Prince Jin patted his chest and quickened his pace.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, the King of Jin saw Changfeng standing with his back to the sun, his tall figure casting a long shadow on the ground. For a moment, the King of Jin felt a gloomy look on his face.
King Jin shook his head, dismissing the thought. He quickly walked over and consoled him, "Master, the alchemy furnace exploded. I'll find you another one."
Changfeng remained silent. His expressionless face frightened the King of Jin. He smiled ingratiatingly, "...Taiqing Monastery is renowned for its alchemy. I'll go and get the abbot's furnace."
"wrong."
Changfeng finally spoke, "Something's not right."
The King of Jin didn't understand, so he said, "Please speak frankly, Master."
"The furnace shouldn't explode." Changfeng thought for a moment, "Unless..."
King Jin still didn't understand.
But seeing that Changfeng's face looked very bad, he tactfully stopped asking any more questions.
Changfeng walked towards the study room which was in a mess after being blown up, and Prince Jin followed behind him.
Most of the gray smoke in the sky dissipated, and two servants fell to the ground, their life or death unknown, with blood on their chests. Not far away was a large piece of thick bronze that had been broken, obviously hit by the exploded alchemy furnace.
Changfeng walked past them without looking at them.
Only half of the huge alchemy furnace was left, and it was pitch black inside with unformed pills.
Changfeng fished it out despite being hot, and the brown muddy substance was sticky on his fingers.
Prince Jin stood at the door and always felt that something was wrong with Changfeng's appearance.
He and Changfeng had known each other in Yongzhou for more than ten years, but this was the first time he looked so out of place.
Even back then in Blackwater Castle...
"Your Majesty!"
The sudden loud shout interrupted the King of Jin's thoughts, and he saw his chief official running over, panting and shouting, which made Changfeng look back.
"No rules." King Jin scolded, "What's the matter?"
"It's the prince..."
Prince Jin was delighted: "Is Yun'er back?"
Wang Changshi handed over a letter with both hands. "The Crown Prince sent a letter back from the post station. The Crown Prince asked you to find a few imperial doctors for him. He will be in Yihe County soon and will be waiting for you there."
Wang Changshi was in charge of sorting out the correspondence between the palace and the prince. The prince's letter was not addressed to the prince himself, so he read it first.
"Yun'er is sick?" King Jin asked anxiously, "What's going on?"
He snatched the letter and looked at the stamp date on it from the post station. It was six days ago.
He asked repeatedly, "Why did you come to report now?"
Wang Changshi hurriedly replied, "There are refugees near Yihe County. The letter may have been delayed on the way."
After hearing this, the King of Jin also remembered that the court had indeed received military reports that refugees were besieging Yihe County.
King Jin did not like Xie Yingchen's soft attitude towards the refugees from Qingzhou. If his methods were not tough enough, these untouchables would become more and more arrogant.
Xie Yingchen was one, and so was the deposed crown prince.
The King of Jin originally planned to wait for Xie Yingchen to propose mobilizing the Imperial Guards. Xie Yingchen did not have the military token of the Imperial Guards, so if he wanted to use the Imperial Guards, he could force him to agree to some conditions. Unexpectedly, Xie Yingchen did not mobilize the Imperial Guards, but let Miss Gu lead the troops.
Tsk.
Xie Yingchen didn't feel ashamed that his fiancée hung out with a group of soldiers, living and eating with them all day long.
"It's nothing. Miss Gu wouldn't openly kill Yun'er." Prince Jin sneered, "The Zhenguogong Mansion, ah, is the most open and aboveboard."
As he spoke, he quickly opened the letter, glanced at it, and suddenly exerted force with his fingers, wrinkling the edge of the letter.
"Master." He said to Changfeng anxiously, "Yun'er said that he has a strange disease, as if he was skinned by a ghost..."
He wanted Changfeng to go to Yihe County with him, but before he could even say anything, Changfeng sighed, "I know... this furnace of elixirs was made just for the prince. What a pity."
He shook his head slightly, his face full of regret.
What does this mean? The King of Jin was confused and puzzled.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince's illness is a result of the backlash from the incident with the Duke of Zhenguo." Changfeng spoke with a certain compassion. "Your Highness, I have also told you that if this curse is broken, there will definitely be backlash."
When King Jin asked Changfeng to come to the capital, he only said that the talisman stuck in the wooden box was discovered by the Gu family.
It was not until Changfeng saw Gu Zhizhuo using the Zhuyou technique with his own eyes and discovered that she was a Taoist, that he guessed that the Zhuyin spell he left behind might have been broken.
The King of Jin felt as if his heart was being gripped by an invisible hand. He hurriedly asked, "What will happen to Yun'er?"
Chang Feng shook his head: "God's will cannot be violated."
Prince Jin's throat was dry. He staggered back a few steps and hit his back hard against the door frame.
"Master, you must save Yun'er."
King Jin held Changfeng's hands and breathed rapidly.
"This furnace of medicine exploded. I can refine another furnace, another furnace! Huh?"
He said anxiously, "Just tell me what herbs you need, and I'll go find them right away. No matter what they are, I'll find them for you."
"Your Majesty."
Changfeng silently pulled his hands out. Compared to the prince, he was more concerned about something else now.
He raised his whisk and motioned King Jin to go and see the exploded alchemy furnace.
"For this batch of pills, I used Miss Ji's blood as the medicine."
"Miss Ji is a blessed girl. Her blood can help this furnace of elixir succeed and save the prince's life."
This was the result Changfeng had expected, however, the furnace exploded.
"Something unexpected has happened in the way of heaven."
When Changfeng met Ji Nanke for the first time, he noticed that her luck was not as prosperous as he had imagined.
It couldn't even protect a furnace of pills.
"The destiny of the Blessed Maiden is too weak. It will affect destiny, and even..." Chang Feng asserted, "The Dragon Luck of His Royal Highness the Third Prince."
According to fate, the Third Prince and Ji Nan Ke are tied together; as one declines, the other declines; as one grows, the other grows.
"Master, save Yun'er first.
The King of Jin no longer has time to care about Xie Jing.
Qiyun is his eldest and only legitimate son.
Emperor Taizu strictly prohibited illegitimate sons from inheriting the title. If only a illegitimate son inherited the title, the title would be demoted three ranks. If Qiyun were gone, what would happen to the Prince of Jin's mansion? Hadn't his life of striving been in vain?
Chang Feng shook his head: "There is no way to save the situation."
"There must be a way." Prince Jin paced back and forth, a fierce look in his eyes, "Then lend me your life, lend me Yun'er's life."
"Master, you must save Yun'er. He is still young and has no children."
Prince Jin was about to burst into tears: "Our royal family cannot be extinct."
Changfeng wanted to say something but stopped himself. Seeing this, King Jin sent away the chief secretary and other servants.
Changfeng asked, "Your Majesty, do you still remember Blackwater Castle?"
When the Blackwater Fort City was mentioned, King Jin shuddered.
He didn't respond.
The surroundings were silent, with only Chang Feng's leisurely voice remaining: "Back then, the core of the formation was incomplete, and the ritual was flawed. If it could be completed, the prince might still have a chance of survival."
Prince Jin's breathing quickened.
Blackwater Castle was something he would never forget even after his death.
Nightmares and...opportunities.
In the city of Blackwater Fort, the daughter of the Yin family had a balanced yin and yang in her birth chart and had excellent luck, making her an ideal centerpiece of the formation.
But then…
Prince Jin: “…”
He clenched his fists.
"If I can restore destiny to its right track, and take back Miss Ji's destiny, and then use Miss Ji's blood as a medicine, I can refine a life-extending elixir for the prince."
"This requires finding the daughter of the Yin family and offering her soul. But we don't know whether she is alive or dead, where she is, or even if her body is still there."
"Why."
"Your Majesty, this is fate."
Changfeng waved his whisk, passed him, and walked straight out.
Silver threads brushed against Prince Jin's body, and he stood there as if he had lost his soul.
The Chief Secretary stood in the courtyard at a distance until Changfeng left. Seeing the distraught Prince of Jin, he approached cautiously and asked, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is still trapped in Yihe County. Should we bring him back first?"
Yes, yes!
King Jin pulled himself out of his troubled thoughts and nodded repeatedly.
Master Changfeng said it was a backlash and there was no cure, but maybe he was wrong?
Or maybe there is some other way, whether it is to borrow a life or to transfer the backlash to someone else, Yun'er must come back first.
Let's take a step back...
If Yun'er is really not able to make it, he must be allowed to get married quickly to leave a legitimate heir for the Prince of Jin's Mansion to inherit the title.
"Chapter 11 of the Imperial Clan, send some men to Yihe County to bring Yun'er back." The Prince of Jin was a royal prince and could not leave the capital without imperial decree. He gave the order, "Go now!"
Wang Changshi quickly responded. Seeing that the prince was anxious, he also ran away in a hurry.
Prince Jin immediately returned to the backyard and asked the princess to prepare for the wedding.
Xie Qiyun's marriage had been arranged three years ago, but was delayed due to the woman's mourning period. When Xie Qiyun returned to the capital, the princess had originally intended for him to marry as soon as possible, so she sent a matchmaker to request a date. By the time the date was set, the person the Prince of Jin had sent to Yihe County hadn't returned.
King Jin thought that Xie Qiyun was too seriously ill, and was extremely worried, so he quickly sent another group of people, and this time, he also brought several imperial physicians and doctors.
Even after the princess had given the engagement gift, there was still no news from Xie Qiyun.
The people who were sent out, batch after batch, disappeared as if they were stuck in a swamp.
Wang Changshi was also anxious and speculated, "Your Highness, could it be that the refugees are too fierce and the Crown Prince can't leave?"
The King of Jin also thought about the refugees, so he asked them to take half of the guards of the palace with them. At the very least, there would be at least one person who would come back to report.
Could it be that Miss Gu is deliberately making things difficult for me?
He was so anxious that he could not wait any longer, so he hurried into the palace to ask to see Xie Yingchen.
Xie Yingchen is also in Wenyuan Pavilion now, occupying the east side of Wenyuan Pavilion.
After the King of Jin asked for an audience, he was soon granted the meeting.
Facing the Prince of Jin's interrogative attitude, Xie Yingchen put down the memorial and said calmly, "Your Highness, an epidemic has broken out in Yihe County. From the county magistrate to the refugees, no one is allowed to leave."
"Epidemic!?"
Prince Jin slammed his hands on Xie Yingchen's desk and asked, "When did this happen?"
"Why don't you send someone to rescue them quickly?"
"What does this refugee epidemic have to do with Yun'er? Why must Yun'er be held captive?"
He looked anxious and asked three questions in a row. He wished he could jump over the desk and interrogate Xie Yingchen.
"Four days ago, I mentioned that an epidemic had broken out among the refugees and that I needed the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds to purchase a batch of medicinal herbs and send them to Qingzhou. Didn't His Majesty disagree?"
Xie Yingchen spoke slowly, "The prince said that disaster relief has already used up most of the national treasury's silver reserves. We can't just put all the taxes into this bottomless pit of Qingzhou."
"I……"
The King of Jin was speechless for a moment.
He knew it, and Xie Yingchen knew it too, that he was just making things difficult on purpose.
Isn’t this what court struggles are all about? Fighting for a share of profit in a small piece of land.
"I don't care." The King of Jin said shamelessly, "I will leave the capital to pick up Yun'er."
"If Your Majesty wishes to leave the capital, that's fine," Xie Yingchen said calmly, "but once you're gone, whether or not you can return is entirely up to Miss Gu."
"you!"
Prince Jin stood up straight, his breath pounding with anger. He even suspected that Xie Yingchen had secretly instructed Miss Gu to hold Yun'er in Yihe County so that he could negotiate with him.
He walked back and forth twice, holding his breath and asking, "What exactly do you want to do to get Yun'er back? Just tell me."
"Your Highness." Xie Yingchen closed the memorial in his hand, "Xie Qiyun is not allowed to return to the capital."
"I said, no one is allowed to leave Yihe County without Miss Gu's permission."
There was a faint smile on his lips, as if he was easy to talk to.
Over the years, Prince Jin was accustomed to fighting in the court. After Xie Yingchen became regent, he was still the same at first. However, every time before he could attack others, Xie Yingchen would easily suppress him.
Sometimes, the King of Jin thought he had won, but when he returned and thought about it carefully, he realized that he had fallen into Xie Yingchen's trap from the beginning.
The emperor had been sitting on the throne for six years, and Prince Jin had never felt so uneasy.
"Your Majesty, please return."
Prince Jin took another step back and said, "After returning, I will let Yun'er stay in the manor outside the capital and never enter the capital."
"Your Majesty, please return."
This nonchalant look made the Prince of Jin's heart boil with anger.
"Xie Yingchen." He couldn't help but slap the desk, gritting his teeth and saying, "You are deliberately making things difficult and insisting on having your own way. If anything happens to Yun'er, I will never let you go."
He picked up the paperweight on the desk with a ferocious look on his face.
"you……"
Crash!
Before he could finish his words, a bowl of warm tea was poured over his head, splashing all the tea soup and tea leaves onto his face.
The water dripped down.
Xie Yingchen placed his hands on the desk with his fingers crossed, leaning back in the armchair, his narrow eyes without a trace of warmth.
"Why won't the prince let me go?"
"Are you framing me for poisoning the emperor, or are you forging an imperial edict to establish a new emperor?"
"Your Highness is already very familiar with these things."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
