Chapter 195 Chapter 195 is the only genuine version...
The emperor was a little confused, but everyone who should have understood understood.
This is a mockery of the Crown Prince for fanning the flames and misleading the people.
King Jin was silent for a long time.
Whatever.
He raised a glass of wine and said, "I offer a toast to the Emperor."
This cup of wine completely severed the friendship between them as king and subject, and the brotherhood between them.
After the emperor finished drinking, he stared down intently, trying hard to see what Xie Yingchen was doing. All he could see was a dark shadow in front of him, and some rustling sounds in his ears, saying things like "fire guns", "Crown Prince", "virtuous and wise", "Five Barbarians coming to pay homage", and "The late emperor was wise".
"Grandson," the emperor said coldly, "show me the musket."
"Your Majesty, the firearms are too powerful. Your eyesight is poor, and it would be bad if you were accidentally injured."
Xie Yingchen politely refused, and no one raised a voice to refute him.
Even if I were to investigate him now for bringing a sharp weapon into the palace, I would only be asking for trouble.
yes.
He had been ill for so long that his ministers didn't even know who their master was.
They were all bribed by Xie Yingchen!
He picked up the glass, but his fingers gripped it too tightly, and the wine spilled onto the back of his hand.
The emperor drank it all in one gulp. The hot wine flowed down his throat, burning him and making him feel upset.
After several drinks, Li Deshun didn't dare to pour any more. He cautiously advised, "Your Majesty, you are now well again. Please take care of yourself."
The emperor's face was gloomy, and Li Deshun didn't dare to look up. After a while, when the wine cup didn't hit his head, Li Deshun heard him ask, "Where is Prince Duoleng?"
Li Deshun asked and answered: "The imperial physician is treating him in the back."
"Send someone to ask."
Li Deshun agreed and sent the eunuch to take a look. Not long after, the eunuch came back.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician is digging out the pellet for the eldest prince. He said it will take at least another stick of incense."
"I'll go take a look."
The emperor stood up with the help of Li Deshun and walked to the back.
The clear sound of the piano was like flowing water, and the dancers moved gracefully in the hall, with their skirts flying and their sleeves waving.
Duke Cheng'en was sitting below, clapping his hands and watching with great interest. When he looked up and saw the emperor leaving, his eyes rolled around and he quietly followed him.
After three rounds of drinks, some people went out to change clothes.
Apart from the King of Jin who looked at him twice, Duke Cheng'en's actions did not attract much attention.
He left the main hall, called a eunuch and asked him a question, and the eunuch led him to the side hall.
"emperor."
He caught up with the emperor and called him affectionately, "Brother-in-law."
"I'll do it, I'll do it."
Duke Cheng'en went to the other side of the emperor to support him. "It's been a long time since I last saw my brother-in-law. I, I... I miss you so much. I think of you every day, afraid that you've been wronged. Since I can't see you, I can only ask my sister... and the Empress to bring you a message."
The emperor patted his hands. His brother-in-law was truly an honest man.
"emperor."
Duke Cheng'en looked around and asked, "Did the Queen tell you?"
Duke Cheng'en felt that he should have said it, otherwise he would not have set October 14th as the date for the Third Prince's wedding.
The emperor nodded.
That's good. Duke Cheng'en was relieved and said in a low voice: "Brother-in-law, the crown prince has even brought out the fire gun. If we don't take action now, we won't even have a chance to do anything."
The emperor was in a heavy mood and walked forward without saying a word.
"Brother-in-law..."
Duke Cheng'en followed him, calling him "brother-in-law" repeatedly to get close to him.
The emperor had not actually made up his mind completely, but once he took this action, he had no way out.
"I will talk to Duoleng first."
"Brother-in-law, I have reached an agreement with the eldest prince..." Before Duke Cheng'en could continue, a patrolling Jinwu Guard passed by and he immediately swallowed his words.
"Your Majesty. The eldest prince is in the side hall in front."
Li Deshun spoke at the right time and had the door of the side hall pushed open.
A strong smell of blood wafted into my nose.
Lord Cheng'en shrank back. Ever since he saw Xie Qiyun die in front of him, he felt nauseous when he smelled blood.
"Your Majesty." The imperial physician hurriedly saluted when he saw him come in.
"His Majesty the Emperor Daqi."
Duo Leng sat on the imperial chair, his clothes half undone, revealing his bare shoulders. The imperial physician had already cut open the flesh with a knife, leaving the wheat-colored shoulder a bloody mess. To relieve the pain, the imperial physician had also used silver needles near the wound.
"How badly is the eldest prince injured?" asked the emperor.
"The pellet has been removed."
The imperial physician wiped the sweat from his forehead and showed the bullet to the emperor.
In all his years of medical training, this was his first time treating a musket wound. After cutting through the flesh, the area around the bullet burned intensely. Fortunately, it didn't hit the bone, otherwise his hand would have been crippled.
He didn't elaborate on these matters, only saying, "I still need to cut off the burned flesh and then apply medicine and bandage it."
The emperor walked in holding Li Deshun's hand and sat down on a throne.
Li Deshun sent away all the other servants and only kept two imperial doctors.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of Daqi." Duoleng said with a straight face, without any emotion, "The Crown Prince has such a sharp weapon. Is the Emperor trying to trick us into death?"
"Prince, you misunderstood!"
Duke Cheng'en originally wanted to say something like, "They don't know either," but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he finally got smart and swallowed them back.
Even if it wasn't said out loud, Duoleng could hear the hidden meaning.
interesting.
Idiot! The emperor cursed in his heart.
His brother-in-law is obedient and loyal, but he is too stupid.
Wasn't he telling Duoleng clearly that the musket belonged to Xie Yingchen, and even he, the emperor, was seeing it for the first time?
In this case, if Duoleng wants the musket, he has to make friends with Xie Yingchen.
Xie Yingchen has always been unscrupulous in his pursuit of the throne. If Duoleng makes friends with him, he will definitely agree. With the help of Liangren, won't he be able to force the emperor to abdicate?!
Now I can't hesitate any longer.
It’s not that Xie Yingchen died.
That's his death.
The emperor couldn't see Duoleng's wounds. He faced him and said pointedly, "Prince, this wedding was hastily arranged, and the betrothal gifts weren't grand enough. It's customary in Daqi that if the husband's family is particularly satisfied with the marriage, they can send an additional betrothal gift when the bride returns home three days later."
"Princess Jiaye is my daughter-in-law, and Jing'er is my most favored legitimate son. No amount of betrothal gifts is too much."
His words contained several layers of meaning, and Duoleng understood them and seemed to be thinking about something.
The imperial physician's hand holding the knife trembled as he cut off the piece of flesh that had been burned black.
Even after using silver needles to relieve the pain, the pain of having his flesh dug out still made Duoleng groan in pain.
Lord Cheng'en shuddered, and when he saw the piece of meat he dug out, he thought of Xie Qiyuan.
"Your Majesty, I've been away for too long, and I'm afraid the Crown Prince will notice me."
The emperor raised his hand.
Duke Cheng'en quickly bowed and withdrew, only to hear Duoleng say behind him: "If Daqi is willing to make up for the betrothal gift, then Daliang will not treat Jiaye unfairly..."
A barbarian from Xiliang, quite good at wit. Duke Cheng'en thought, if we can get a deal, that's good.
After the banquet, I will find King Jin and go visit the eldest prince together.
There are only a few days left until October 15th, so we have to prepare early.
Duke Cheng'en thought about it and walked out.
As soon as he stepped out of the door, the wind blew away the lingering smell of blood. He took a long breath and was about to close the door when he remembered something and asked, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask the Empress to arrange a marriage for Nian'er..."
Emperor: "Which one did Sun Nian take a fancy to?"
"It's Wang's son."
"Wang family son?" The emperor hesitated for a moment, but he really didn't have the energy to care about such a trivial matter. "You should ask the queen to talk to Dan Ling and ask her to give in. Don't make things too awkward."
Duke Cheng'en quickly thanked him and quietly closed the door.
It would be great if the emperor agreed.
Duke Cheng'en was now truly refreshed and returned to the palace with brisk steps.
The dancer was gathering her sleeves and retreating with light lotus steps when a musician came up holding a guqin.
Duke Cheng'en came in with the musicians, happily told the Empress the Emperor's intention, and then sat back in his seat.
Anyway, with the Queen around, Nian Jie'er will definitely not have to worry about finding a husband.
The queen was thoughtful.
She originally wanted to ask the emperor and just grant the marriage, because Xie Danling was a girl with a very bad temper.
The Queen glanced over, but didn't see Xie Danling, thinking she had gone to change clothes. Unexpectedly, half an hour later, when the banquet was almost over, she returned, accompanied by three or five people.
They were there to test the guns.
Gu Yican was itching to try it. When this sword was first made, he was still in Xinjiang, and this was the first time he saw it.
He couldn't wait to borrow a musket from Xie Yingchen, and then he took his sister and cousin away from the banquet. However, after trying it, he found that the range was not good, less than half of a crossbow.
"Within a hundred paces, firearms are more accurate and powerful, but beyond that, you still have to rely on crossbows and bows," Gu Zhizhuo whispered. "We need further improvement."
In order to achieve continuous fire, the amount of gunpowder was reduced and the barrel was shortened, which affected the range.
However, they didn't know how many such muskets the young master had, or whether he had a battalion of them. This was enough to instill fear in people.
Hmm. Xie Danling tried firing twice and had a great time, his arms feeling slightly swollen from the shock.
"Fifth Princess."
As soon as she sat down at the table, the head maid beside the queen slowly walked up to Xie Danling from the back and whispered, "Fifth Princess, the queen wants you to come over and talk."
Xie Danling was letting her little cousin rub her arms, and she sighed secretly when she heard this.
"I'll be back soon."
Xie Danling patted the cat hair on her dress and walked over reluctantly.
"Mother."
After the greetings, Xie Danling sat on the Queen's footstool, her hands on her knees, her lips curved into a perfect arc, quiet and gentle.
Including Xie Danling, there are only three older princesses. The eldest princess was imprisoned, the second and third princesses died young, and the fourth princess's mother did not have a high position. After she came, she always stayed with Jiaye and flattered him.
The queen tapped out the rhythm gently to the music, as if she had been called here just to listen to the music.
Gu Danling looked down absentmindedly. Gu Yican had run to Xie Yingchen's side without him noticing. While talking, he dipped his fingers in wine and drew something on the table. Duke Weiguo, relying on his thick skin, also squeezed over.
Occasionally, words like "fire gun" would float up, but would be suppressed by the music.
The song is over.
The queen praised him a few times and said, "Reward."
The entertainers all held their zithers to express their gratitude.
The Queen turned around and asked softly, "Dan Ling, how is the song I asked you to learn going?"
When it comes to playing music, Xie Danling becomes unhappy. She smiles gently and says, "I haven't learned it well. Your Majesty, the Queen's efforts have been wasted."
"Mother, look at my daughter's hands." Xie Danling raised her hand, her slender fingers white and slender. "I'm so clumsy. I can't even pluck the strings. Mother said that asking me to play the piano is ruining it."
"You." The queen tapped her forehead.
Xie Danling cooperated and covered her mouth with her hands while laughing.
The two of them laughed and talked like mother and daughter, having a great time.
The Queen took a sip of wine and said nonchalantly, "I heard that your cousin has also arrived in the capital. Is he going to participate in next year's Autumn Examination?"
"My cousin has no intention of entering the government..."
The Queen interrupted her, not allowing her to continue, and continued, "I believe that the ancient saying of 'first establish a family, then a career' actually has some truth to it. A man spends his life seeking fame, status, and wealth. But what could be more valuable than having a virtuous wife by his side?"
Xie Danling raised an eyebrow in confusion. Was the Queen saying this to get me and my cousin engaged quickly? Hmm, that didn't seem right. How could she care so much about me?
"I think your cousin and the young master of the Wang family are a perfect match."
Cousin? Xie Danling didn't realize who her cousin was. After a moment's pause, she suddenly realized, "Sun Nian?"
It's unruly. The queen frowned slightly in displeasure.
"What do you think?"
The queen looked at Xie Danling with a smile. Her gentle words carried a certain aggressive momentum.
Seeing that Xie Danling didn't say anything, the queen patted the back of her hand.
The Queen knew clearly that Concubine Shu had called Wang's son to the capital in order to marry Xie Danling back to the Wang family.
The Empress was already extremely displeased with Consort Shu's disdain for her nephew, and she hadn't bothered to get involved in whether Sun Nian married into the Wang family or not. However, after Sun Nian's incident, especially after his brother's disturbance at the Prince of Jin's mansion, Sun Nian's reputation was completely ruined, and it would be even more difficult for him to find a marriage as good as the one he had once enjoyed at the Prince of Jin's mansion.
Sun Nian is her own niece, she can't ignore her.
The Queen thought about all the men of marriageable age in the capital, but found no suitable one. It was her sister-in-law who mentioned the Wang family. The Wang family was a prominent family, and Sun Nian was not considered to be marrying down.
Although Wang Xing has no official position, the Autumn Examination will be next year. If we urge him to take the exam well, he will become a Jinshi.
Wang Xing is thinking about Nian'er's future and will treat her well.
The most important thing is that my brother-in-law and Sun Nian are very happy.
But the Emperor said that she should talk to Xie Danling properly... The Queen suppressed her impatience and said gently, "Your cousin is one year older than you. Her last marriage was not a good one, and I feel sorry for her. Danling is the kindest person, isn't she?"
Xie Danling's face darkened: "My cousin is engaged."
The Queen stroked her armor and said with a half-smile, "Oh, who?"
"My daughter."
Xie Danling said this without any shyness.
Mother said that it was up to her and Cousin Xing to decide whether or not to marry Princess Shang. Actually, she hadn't made up her mind yet.
"Nonsense! How could I not know whether you are engaged or not?" The Queen's voice hardened a little. "Dan Ling, be obedient. I will choose a good marriage for you."
"How about your cousin from the Gu family? He comes from a wealthy family and is very close to you. Don't you like playing with your cousins?"
Xie Danling:?
ill!
She let out a muffled groan from her nose, clearly showing her displeasure.
She actually turned her back on me! The Queen's voice gradually grew colder, and she said calmly, "I heard that Prince Duoleng's wife died young due to complications during childbirth, leaving behind a daughter who has yet to remarry. I think you are of similar age, and that would be a good match."
"What do you think?"
Xie Danling suddenly clenched the corner of her clothes.
The Queen's words were clearly coercion.
The obvious meaning is to let her give up her verbal engagement with Wang Xing on her own initiative.
If she was obedient, the queen would find a good marriage for her.
If she doesn't obey, the queen will persuade the emperor to let her marry Duoleng far away.
After all, the marriage with the Wang family was only discussed privately between Concubine Shu and the Wang family. It had not yet been made public, let alone engaged.
Gu Zhizhuo narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of Xie Danling thoughtfully.
The queen sat on the high platform and spoke in a low voice. Gu Hezhuo was a little far away from them and couldn't hear what she was saying, but looking at Xie Danling, something seemed wrong.
When Xie Danling is angry, she likes to grab the corner of her clothes.
When she was a child, the corners of her clothes were always wrinkled.
Gu Zhizhuo called over a young eunuch and said gently, "Could you please help me find out what the Queen is talking to the Fifth Princess about?"
The young eunuch was very happy and left as agreed.
Xie Danling smiled and shook her head, saying, "Mother, I, on behalf of my cousin Xing, thank you for your kindness."
"The Wang family doesn't want this marriage."
"My daughter won't let me."
She couldn't let the Wang family and the Cheng'en Mansion be tied together and let her cousin become a victim.
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