After Queen Duanmu Qin of Beiliu ascended the throne, she personally arranged the funerals of the late emperor and the late crown prince, and she did her best.
Empress Duanmu also formally signed an alliance agreement with King Qin, stating that Beiliu would fully support King Qin, which undoubtedly brought great help to King Qin.
Everything went very smoothly, and the King of Qin was ready to return to Dazhao.
However, at this moment, a letter from Xiao Jinghan shocked him. It turned out that the letter told him that great changes had taken place in Dazhao Capital and the situation was extremely unfavorable to him.
After learning the news, the King of Qin made a prompt decision and decided to lead most of the Luo family army in Beiyuan back to the capital to deal with possible crises.
The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince received news from a secret agent that the King of Qin had led half of the Luo family army back to the capital! The Crown Prince's eyes were full of calculation.
The next morning at court, while ministers were offering suggestions, the crown prince sat on a chair next to the dragon throne with an angry expression on his face.
Suddenly, the Crown Prince stood up and shouted angrily, "Prince Qin Chu Chengjin has openly brought half of the Luo family army back to the capital without the emperor's order! Is he trying to force the emperor to abdicate?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar. The ministers began to whisper and discuss.
At this time, the Minister of War An Qingxuan stepped forward and responded with a serious face: "Your Highness! I have just received a letter from the King of Qin, which stated that the Luo family army left Beiyuan this time not to force the emperor to abdicate, but for disaster relief. Jianchuan area has experienced continuous heavy snowfall in recent days, causing many people to suffer serious disasters and urgently need assistance. The Luo family army left Beiyuan to rescue these victims. In addition, there is an urgent report from Jianchuan, please take a look at it, Your Highness." After that, An Qingxuan presented an urgent report to the prince.
The prince took the urgent report, read it carefully, and his expression became solemn.
The Crown Prince said to the ministers, "The King of Qin's decision to take the Luo Family Army with him this time was indeed for disaster relief, which is understandable. However, the matter of the mobilization of troops without imperial decree still needs to be thoroughly investigated."
After the morning court session, the Crown Prince's face turned gloomy. He had thought he could use this opportunity to overthrow the King of Qin, but he hadn't expected the King to use the disaster relief as an excuse, foiling his plan.
The King of Qin's move was too cunning, and he cursed in his heart.
Jianchuan has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times! If the King of Qin continues to occupy the city, it will be a huge problem!
The prince narrowed his eyes slightly. He had to find a way to get him to leave Jianchuan!
So, the prince wanted to use the imperial edict of Emperor Wen to recall the King of Qin to the capital! This way, he could prevent the King of Qin from staying in Jianchuan and causing more trouble, and it would also give him a chance to deal with the King of Qin!
However, things are not that simple. Although the Crown Prince is now the Regent, he still can't find the crucial imperial seal! Without it, the Crown Prince's plan cannot be implemented at all! What should he do?
Emperor Wen also had no idea what was going on. He was like a useless person, knowing nothing and being able to do nothing.
The prince couldn't get the whereabouts of the imperial seal from him, and he was so anxious!
Could it be that the Imperial Seal is in the hands of Imperial Noble Consort An Qinghuan? This An family has flourished in Dazhao for generations. It's time to eradicate them! The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in them.
The An family holds a crucial position within Dazhao, with generations of officials and extensive connections. The current Imperial Noble Consort, An Qinghuan, is particularly favored, and whether she holds the Imperial Seal becomes a key question.
If this were true, then the threat posed by the An family to the throne could not be underestimated. The Crown Prince decided that this potential threat must be addressed as soon as possible.
"Prince! This matter requires further consideration." The staff member beside him suggested,
"After all, the An family has deep roots, and rash actions may cause unnecessary trouble."
The prince nodded, but he had already made up his mind to weaken the An family's power. Without the An family's support in the capital, the Qin king would be like a tiger without fangs, no longer posing a threat.
"In addition, all of Dazhao's military orders are now in the hands of the prince, which undoubtedly increases our advantage." Another staff member said.
The Prime Minister smiled slightly and said, "That's right. As long as the Crown Prince gives the order, this imperial city can be ours at any time."
The prince said coldly with a gloomy face: "I have my own way! All of you go back!"
After listening to the secret guard's report, Xiao Jinghan frowned slightly, looked at Luo Lingyue with some concern, and asked, "It looks like the prince is ready to take action against my aunt! Shouldn't we take action yet?"
Luo Lingyue calmly shook her head and said softly, "Don't worry! As long as it doesn't harm my aunt's life, we'll just wait and see."
Xiao Jinghan was still somewhat puzzled, and continued to ask doubtfully, "Military Advisor Kong said he didn't find the jade seal either. Could it be that Emperor Wen hid the jade seal as they suspected?"
Luo Lingyue couldn't help but curl her lips and snorted in disdain, "Emperor Wen, that lust-addled old man, could possibly have hidden the Imperial Seal? He probably never imagined he'd be harmed like this by the Crown Prince! Let me tell you, the Imperial Seal is in the Dark Moon Pavilion! Even if Chu Chengli turned the palace upside down, he'd never find that piece of junk!"
Xiao Jinghan felt a little embarrassed. Luo Lingyue might be the only one in the world who dared to say that, calling the Jade Seal a piece of junk! He smiled awkwardly, "My wife had the foresight to hide the Jade Seal early on, otherwise there would have been a big problem!"
Luo Lingyue, however, was unconcerned. She crossed her arms and pouted as she said, "I saw that old Emperor Wen hiding something every night. I thought it was some priceless treasure! But when I took it in, I saw it was actually a worthless jade seal!"
When Xiao Jinghan heard her say this, he immediately felt something was wrong and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Wait, you mean, you stole this jade seal a long time ago?"
Luo Lingyue blinked, looking at him innocently, mumbling, "Oh, what's the point of stealing?! I took it from Emperor Wen a year ago, and had planned to put it back quietly later, but I forgot about it because I was busy with so many things! That... the jade seal should have a spare one, right?"
Xiao Jinghan was amused by her words and shook his head helplessly: "There is a spare jade seal? Only you can think of it!"
That night, the moonlight shone like water on the palace walls, creating a tranquil and mysterious atmosphere. The Qianqing Palace was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
A young eunuch hurried to Yihuan Palace and conveyed the order with a nervous look: "His Majesty has ordered that the Imperial Noble Consort should go to the Qianqing Palace as soon as possible." His voice echoed in the silent night sky, appearing particularly clear.
When An Qinghuan heard the news, his eyes flickered and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
She shook her head slightly towards the darkness. An Yu, standing in the shadows, bit her lower lip and relaxed her grip on the hilt of her sword. They didn't seem surprised by the emperor's summons.
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