Chapter 85 Official Grain Robbed
Chu King's Palace —
Early in the morning, as the Princess of Chu was dressing her hair, someone suddenly appeared outside the gate and pounded urgently on it.
The King of Chu put down the comb he was using to do his queen's hair and followed the person who came out of the courtyard. Once outside, he asked, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The person who came was the old nanny he had previously sent to his second daughter, Li Mingshu, in the capital. The people he sent this time all had some martial arts skills, because he was afraid that no one in the capital could take care of his daughter.
The old nanny kowtowed to her master, pleading, "Please, mistress, save the princess! The people we sent have either died or gone missing these past few months. The princess and young lady's lives are becoming increasingly difficult. Winter comes early in the capital. Before I left, they... they even cut off the charcoal fire! They're going to let the princess and young lady freeze to death in the Jing'an Marquis's mansion!"
"My lord, things were alright when we first arrived; they were polite on the surface. But in just over a month, they've forcibly separated the people around the princess, either demoting or punishing them. That heir of the Marquis of Jing'an is also ruthless. He imprisoned the princess in the inner courtyard and even used a rattan cane to punish her. Our princess, in protecting the young lady, is covered in welts. Several guards risked their lives to bring me out to report to you, my lord. Please, my lord, save the princess!!"
King Chu was furious, his fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged, his anger almost overwhelming his reason: "Where are your guards?"
The old nanny wept: "Since the second month after we entered the capital, the secret guards have disappeared one by one without a trace. I saw the princess struggling to survive with the young lady, so I had no choice but to risk my life to come back and report to my master."
The King of Chu closed his eyes to calm his pent-up emotions. Just as he was about to speak, a startled cry came from behind him: "Your Highness, Your Highness, what's wrong?"
King Chu turned around in shock, only to see his beloved wife suddenly fall to the ground and be caught by the maids. King Chu rushed forward, scooped up his queen in his arms, and carried her into the room. As he placed her on the bed, he shouted, "Go and fetch the royal physician! Quickly!"
After placing the princess on the bed, the Prince of Chu turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by the princess who had opened her eyes. The princess, with red eyes and a sorrowful look in her cold gaze, asked, "Your Highness, what happened to Shu'er?"
The King of Chu waved his hand and dismissed everyone with a gloomy expression. After everyone had left, he sat down by the bed and helped his weak wife up: "It was my fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you, but your health is already poor. I was afraid that hearing that Shu'er was not doing well would hurt you."
Struggling to sit up, the Princess of Chu's delicate and aloof face flashed with a trace of sorrow: "Shu'er was born after I carried her for ten months. Every time a letter came from the capital, you kept it from me. Tell me, what exactly happened to Shu'er?"
The King of Chu's face was so gloomy it was almost as if ink could drip from it: "That brat from the Marquis of Jing'an's family made a move on Shu'er. That old man cut off Shu'er's allowance in the winter. The secret guards I sent last time were probably eliminated by the emperor. A group of old nannies were also driven away. Now only a few guards risked their lives to send one nanny back to report the news."
Princess Consort of Chu clutched her chest, tears instantly streaming down her face. The King of Chu embraced the weeping princess and said, "The Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, the Emperor, every single one of them, one day, one day I will grind them to dust."
Upon hearing this, the Princess of Chu covered the King of Chu's mouth, suppressing her grief: "Your Highness, do not leave any reason for us to speak. I know Your Highness's ambitions and I know how difficult it is for you. The death of the secret guard must have been orchestrated by the person above. The fact that the old woman was able to return must also be due to someone's permission. Shu'er is our eldest daughter and has been loved by us since she was a child. Their ruthlessness this time is because they wanted to provoke Your Highness. Especially at times like these, we must not make any mistakes. For now, we can only endure. Only by enduring can our whole family be safe."
The King of Chu tightened his embrace around his beloved wife, burying his face in her neck and murmuring, "It's just that we've suffered so much for our Shu'er, our Shu'er, and for Xiao Yue Liang, who will be three years old soon. We haven't even met her yet. We're not doing a good job as her grandparents."
Tears soaked the King of Chu's clothes. The couple sat in the room for a long time and talked for a long time. When they came out again, both of them looked normal.
The physician was sent back before he could even get a medical record.
After settling his beloved wife, King Chu returned to his study. Seeing his spirited eldest son, Li Mingxiu, he breathed a sigh of relief. The Crown Prince, Li Mingxiu, bowed to his father before entering the study.
His face, bearing a striking resemblance to the King of Chu, was contorted with rage: "Father! Look what you've done to my second sister! And you still have the mind to read?"
The King of Chu raised his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them: "Where did you learn about Shu'er's whereabouts?"
Li Mingxiu frowned but still answered truthfully: "It was Liu Jishan from the Prince's Mansion who said it."
The King of Chu sneered, "They've planted nails all over the mansion, quite something." With that, he waved his hand, and a guard jumped out from above and knelt on the floor of the study.
"Deal with this person; there's no need to investigate who arranged it."
The guard clenched his fist and nodded, disappearing instantly before their eyes. Li Mingxiu was taken aback: "Father, do you suspect Liu Jishan is a spy?"
The King of Chu opened a book without looking at his son's puzzled face: "Aside from your mother and me, the maids and servants who know about this matter are all under the supervision of the inner courtyard. How could someone who teaches classes and etiquette in the outer courtyard know about such a private matter of the Marquis's mansion and just happen to tell you?"
Li Mingxiu instantly realized what was happening, and after a moment's thought, he looked at his father and asked, "What about my second sister? Father, are you really not going to take care of her?"
The King of Chu paused in his book-turning, his fingertips gripping the paper tightly. He remained silent for a long time, almost until his son lost his patience, before finally saying, "The timing isn't right. Wait a little longer, wait a little longer..."
Another guard-like figure jumped down from outside the door. The King of Chu glanced at his son, and Li Mingxiu, having received his father's message to dismiss him, bowed and said, "Your son will take his leave now."
After the guards left, they entered the room and closed the study door behind them before saying, "Your Highness, Prince Sheng has rebelled!"
The King of Chu raised an eyebrow at the returning scout: "Are you sure you're not mistaken? It's Prince Sheng who has rebelled?"
The guard nodded and knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, the news is true. That day, Prince Sheng encountered the imperial envoy who wanted to arrest him. He said that the envoy was trying to convict him without any evidence, and he drew his sword and killed the envoy."
The King of Chu chuckled: "You mean my third brother, who wouldn't even dare kill a chicken, actually killed someone??? Or was it an imperial envoy sent by the emperor?"
The guard coughed lightly: "The man wasn't killed by Prince Sheng, but by Prince Sheng's heir. After the killing, he said that Prince Sheng couldn't bear the humiliation and that's why he took action."
The King of Chu nodded: "And then?"
"The Crown Prince of Sheng mobilized the guards of the Prince's Palace and the palace guards, directly beheaded the court officials and declared himself king. The Chongshan Guard also sided with the Prince of Sheng's Palace."
The King of Chu, having put down his book, had a glint in his eyes: "Third Brother's son is quite something. How are the troops over there?"
"Your Highness, it's around 30,000. There's one more thing I need to report to you."
"speak."
"The day after Prince Sheng rebelled, he hijacked the grain supplies that the Ministry of Revenue was transporting to Daxingwei, and we..."
Before he could finish speaking, the King of Chu swept everything off his desk: "Damn it, that brat stole from his uncle!! Go, take a thousand elite soldiers and take back his mother's grain supplies for me!!"
Just as the guards were about to leave, the King of Chu called them back again: "Wait a moment, there's no need to mobilize troops. Send a message to Rong'er, and tell him to lead the troops to handle this matter! Tell him not to hold back."
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