Chapter 210
It seems that the imperial city is about to become uneasy.
Yu Ying's idea was soon confirmed.
Fu Wei had just finished his shift today and had just spoken a few words to her when someone came hurriedly to report.
There was suddenly no news of the funeral procession.
The couple looked at each other.
Their hunch was right.
Not long after, Emperor Zhou summoned Fu Wei into the palace.
Fu Wei and Yu Ying said, "Don't go to the clinic these days. Tell my mother and sister-in-law not to leave the house. Ask the servants to go out less and don't let anyone in. Even if someone comes from the palace, they must be familiar faces and have the imperial edict."
Yu Ying nodded: "Okay, I'll arrange it now."
Without any hesitation, the couple separated and went their separate ways.
After entering the palace, when Xuan entered the Dayuan Hall, there were already many ministers in the hall, and Emperor Zhou took the opportunity to sit on the throne.
The atmosphere was very solemn.
This time, all the royal descendants were among them. How could Emperor Zhou not care?
Even some ministers turned pale.
It's no wonder that his family members are also there to see him off.
Emperor Zhou looked at Fu Wei and suddenly spoke coldly, "I heard from the Ministry of Rites that your wife was originally going to go, but you left her off the list. Why is that?"
Fu Wei replied, "Your Majesty, my wife previously accompanied me to Lingnan as a military doctor. There were many wounded soldiers, and the work of a military doctor was arduous, working day and night to treat the wounded. My wife's health was damaged. Later, when we moved from Pengcheng to the Imperial City, she also managed the clinic and the medical school. At one point, she was overworked and fainted during class. I had selfish motives, so I didn't let my wife go with me."
What he said was well-reasoned and there was nothing to find.
Emperor Zhou had no doubts, but all the princes, princesses, and grandchildren were among them, while Yu Liuniang escaped. How could Emperor Zhou be in a good mood?
It was impossible to completely avoid anger; there was always a hint of venting it on others, and his tone wasn't very pleasant: "You are so selfish! You dare to change the list set by the Ministry of Rites? Who gave you the guts?!"
Fu Wei knelt down and bowed: "I have made a mistake in my selfishness, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The Zhou Emperor had been dormant for many years, and although he was somewhat angry, he quickly calmed down. Furthermore, his subordinates were capable ministers, and Yu Liuniang was a talented woman. How could he not distinguish right from wrong?
He took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.
"The most important thing right now is to find the person. We can discuss the punishment after he returns safely."
He glanced at the kneeling Fu Wei and said in a deep voice, "Get up."
Fu Wei stood up and walked aside.
Emperor Zhou: "There is no news of the funeral procession. The men we sent to investigate have yet to return. I now order General Gu and Fu Qing to lead 5,000 troops to search immediately."
Fu Wei and General Gu received the order and went together.
Fu Wei hurried back home and explained everything he needed to, so he left the city after a simple rest.
Fu An and Funing also came back with their mother, and they also heard some news about the disappearance of the funeral procession.
Fu An asked, "Aunt, why did my uncle go out with General Gu? Isn't my uncle a civil official?"
Yu Ying was silent for a moment. Yes, this matter certainly wasn't Fu Wei's turn. After a moment's reflection, she finally understood.
The Zhou Emperor was obviously angry.
Fu Wei used his connections to help her avoid danger.
Yu Gong, as long as this matter is not exposed and nothing goes wrong, Emperor Zhou will not care too much even if he knows about it.
But it happened to be exposed and something went wrong.
Personally, she was the only one who was safe when her family was in danger. It would be difficult for anyone with emotions not to be attracted by Qiannu.
There are probably two reasons why Fu Wei was asked to search.
Another reason should be that he is attracted by Fu Wei's ability to escape danger.
Search and rescue is not a joke, and it is not just about venting anger and disregarding the consequences.
"Aunt, aunt?" Fu An called out to Yu Ying, who was in a daze, twice.
Yu Ying came back to her senses and said, "Perhaps the saint values your uncle's ability."
Yu Ying returned to the house, still feeling uneasy.
It's not because of worrying about danger.
But I was worried about Prince Jing and Princess Jing.
King Jing was the winner in the fight for the throne, but she didn't know what happened.
She was annoyed that when she first read the novel, she skimmed through the later part about the fight for the throne, and only read the outcome and the extra chapter.
The result was that Prince Jing was the winner, but she did not watch the plot of Princess Jing and her two children, nor did she watch the plot of Empress Gu's death.
But please don't let anything happen.
*
The funeral procession disappeared, causing an uproar in the court.
King Ying and King Jing were both among them. For a moment, people from two different camps seemed to be somewhat confused.
This is not good, everything went wrong!
The search team has been out for two days, and every day they send someone back with a letter to inform the news.
But still no news came back, and there were no signs of any major fighting along the way to the imperial tomb.
As to whether Empress Gu's coffin has been successfully buried, we will probably have news tomorrow.
Everyone's thoughts were on the funeral procession. Night fell quietly, shrouding the palace. Even though the candlelight was bright, it seemed as if it was covered by a layer of dark black gauze.
Emperor Zhou sat in the Dayuan Hall, rubbing his brows in frustration.
The chief eunuch brought tea and advised, "It's late. For the sake of the Holy Body, Your Majesty should go to bed early."
Emperor Zhou took a sip of the tea, then put it down again: "How can I rest when the fate of my princes, princesses, and grandchildren is unknown."
At this point, Emperor Zhou's face darkened: "If it weren't for the Gu family, how could this happen?!"
The chief eunuch lowered his head, not daring to make any comments about the deceased.
Emperor Zhou didn't want to say much about his first wife, so he just picked up the remaining half cup of water and drank it all in one gulp.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the palace. Emperor Zhou's face suddenly changed and he glanced at the eunuch.
The chief eunuch walked to the palace gate and asked the eunuch on night watch, "What happened?"
The eunuch replied, "I will go and ask right away."
After a while, the eunuch returned and said, "There is a thief in the palace. The left and right Wuwei are leading the guards to protect the Dayuan Palace, while the left and right Weiwei are chasing him."
Emperor Zhou was not a scheming person. He frowned slightly when he heard the eunuch's words.
First, an accident occurred in the funeral procession, and a number of princes, grandchildren, and families of loyal officials in the court disappeared.
Now that another thief has entered the palace, Emperor Zhou cannot help but become suspicious.
Then the voices of the Left and Right Guards were heard: "General Qin Shao of the Left Guards requests an audience with His Majesty."
The chief eunuch turned to look at Emperor Zhou, waiting for orders.
Who knew that when he turned around, he saw the gloomy and cold face of Emperor Zhou, and his heart trembled a little.
After all, I have served for so many years and I understand my master's feelings to some extent.
This solemn expression is like the look he had when he went into battle to meet the enemy.
Emperor Zhou nodded slightly at the eunuch, who understood and immediately replied, "Your Majesty has rested in a side hall. General Qin, please just guard the palace and don't disturb His Majesty."
There was silence for a moment, and then the person outside responded, "I have something important to report. Please ask the steward to report it to the saint."
Almost in an instant, Emperor Zhou was able to guess the trick.
He stood up and took down the heavy sword and a knife hanging beside him.
Even after ascending the throne as emperor, years of habit still made him never let go of his sword.
The chief eunuch calmly said to the outside: "General Qin, if you have any important matters, please tell me. If it is really important, I will report it to the emperor immediately."
As he spoke, he took the knife that Emperor Zhou handed to him.
If he can serve at close range, his skills must be good.
Emperor Zhou made several gestures to the chief eunuch, who nodded.
Emperor Zhou thought clearly and knew that if he obeyed, he would wait outside.
If he had any suspicion, he would definitely lead the enemy into a trap and capture Qin Shao.
The person outside seemed to have lost his patience. His voice was deeper than before, and there was a hint of anger in it: "This is an important matter. Please ask the steward to pass it on!"
"General Qin's words seem disrespectful to the saints. Please be careful with your words!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the door of the hall was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Before the people outside could react and be on guard, a cold light suddenly flashed, and two of the four people who pushed the door were already dead.
Qin Shao also came from the military and made his way through hard work.
He reacted almost instantly and raised his knife to block the incoming knife.
It’s Emperor Zhou!
He actually noticed it.
His mind was a little confused. Moreover, although Emperor Zhou was old, he was indeed very capable.
He has been in charge of Yuzhang Army for many years, but without real ability, how can he win the support of the people?
After just a few moves, he was holding his neck.
Emperor Zhou glanced coldly at the guards around him and said, "If you really want to rebel, lay down your weapons now. I will spare your entire family and exile them. Once the other imperial guards arrive, I will execute your entire family."
The guards around them never expected that their general would be captured so easily, and rebellion was not their original intention, so they were very worried. In addition, the Zhou Emperor was so majestic that they were immediately shaken.
Qin Shao suddenly said, "Your Majesty, there are people surrounding us outside. We can't escape danger just by capturing me alone."
"Even if the Imperial Guards arrived, the ones surrounding His Majesty are the Left Guards. With just one order and one arrow, His Majesty would be in imminent danger."
Among the Zuo Wuwei, more than a dozen people were pointing arrows at them.
Emperor Zhou withdrew his gaze and asked calmly: "What is your purpose? Do you want to be the emperor yourself?" He paused, and immediately realized that even if he wanted to be the emperor, he might not have the support of the court officials. Then he thought of the funeral procession.
As if he had thought of something, his eyes suddenly became stern: "It's the Gu family, and they want the third child."
Not a question, but an affirmation.
Some officials may not accept the result, but the second son and his wife are in their hands, how dare they not accept the result!
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Father, I will not kill my father. I just want you to draft an abdication decree."
It is the voice of the King of England.
Emperor Zhou turned around with Qin Shao in his arms and looked in the direction of the voice.
He saw his son, who was supposed to be missing, walking out from among the guards in the clothes of the Left Guard, slowly raised his head and looked at him intently.
"It's really you." Emperor Zhou's heart sank completely.
The King nodded expressionlessly: "It is indeed me."
Emperor Zhou sighed and asked, "Why do you do this?"
King Ying: "Father, you ask these questions because you want to know one thing, and secondly, you want to buy time."
He smiled and said, "Although the night guards in the Forbidden Palace are not under my control, the curfew in the Imperial City is still under my control. Without orders, the soldiers in the city cannot enter the palace. This is all thanks to my father."
At this point, he added, "Your Majesty, if you want to know why I did this, why don't you go back to the palace and write the abdication edict? Once it's finished, I'll have a good talk with you."
Emperor Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly: "So what if I don't write it."
The King of England stopped talking, took the bow and arrow from the archer beside him, and shot directly at the steward who did not move. The arrow instantly pierced the steward's thigh.
The steward groaned but did not shout out.
Emperor Zhou looked intently at King Ying, at his son.
He used to think that he was too indecisive, but now he has grown so decisive that he even dares to harm his own father.
Emperor Zhou didn't waste any words. He moved the heavy sword in his hand, and blood spurted out from Qin Shao's throat. Then he pushed the twitching Qin Shao away and threw the heavy sword to the ground with a "clang" sound.
He swung his sleeves and put his hands behind his waist. Even though he was hit by arrows, he still looked supreme.
"I, Zhou Yan, have never been threatened by anyone. I will not write a letter of abdication. If you want to kill my father, then do it."
It was a simple sentence, but it was extremely firm.
The originally expressionless King Ying lost control, his cheeks twitching as he gritted his teeth and said, "Isn't Father worried about the safety of Zhou Yi, Fourth Brother, and the other grandchildren?"
Emperor Zhou glanced at him calmly and said, "I am already dead, why should I worry about them? The worst that can happen is that we can meet in the underworld."
The King of England lost control and slammed his bow and arrow to the ground. "How can you be so cold-hearted! They are your children and grandchildren, and my mother is your first wife!"
Emperor Zhou's expression remained unchanged: "So what?"
"So what?!" The King of England laughed at himself, "As expected, you only have yourself, selfish and indifferent."
Emperor Zhou did not deny it, and then said: "I was not the one who killed your mother."
The King of England suddenly sneered: "Is there any difference?"
"You had someone put drugs in the Queen Mother's incense to drive her crazy. She had no choice but to go crazy."
"That madness drug caused depression. You imprisoned her in Kunning Palace, leaving her with no one to comfort her or keep her company. Ultimately, she couldn't figure it out and hanged herself. You were the indirect cause of my mother's death."
Emperor Zhou: "Do you believe everything the Gu family says?"
King Ying: "I only believe what I have found out myself."
"Your Highness, please do not speak any more. It is more important to obtain the abdication edict first."
Emperor Zhou glanced at the person who spoke.
He is someone close to Uncle Gu.
King Ying said: "Father, as long as you write the abdication decree, I will not make things difficult for my fourth brother and the others, nor will I kill my father. I will only provide you with good food and drink for the rest of your life."
The implication is that Zhou Yi will not be let off and Emperor Zhou will also be imprisoned.
Emperor Zhou closed his eyes and said, "Kill him."
The King of England was caught off guard.
He gritted his teeth, thinking that his father would compromise, but he didn't expect it to be like this.
The people of the Gu family remembered what their master had said. If Emperor Zhou refused to abdicate, they would just kill him. After all, they had the ministers' families in their hands. King Ying was the only heir left, and he could still ascend the throne even if he was killed, but his reputation would be worse.
The Gu family members were already ready to take action. They took the bows and arrows from the archers next to them and carefully aimed at Emperor Zhou.
With murderous intent, the arrow suddenly shot out, but did not hit Emperor Zhou.
Emperor Zhou only heard his son angrily say: "Who told you to shoot the arrow?"
Emperor Zhou slowly opened his eyes and saw the scene in front of him, with a hint of complexity in his eyes.
The third brother, who wanted to force the emperor to abdicate and seize the throne, blocked the arrow with his palm.
Everyone was particularly surprised.
Emperor Zhou looked at him in silence.
After a long while, he said, "You and three others, follow me into the hall, and I will write."
After saying that, he entered the hall first.
The King of England broke the arrow in his palm, his face turned pale, and then followed.
The man who had just shot the arrow came to his senses, calmed down quickly, and pointed to two people to enter the hall together.
Emperor Zhou sat down on the throne and picked up his pen.
The King of England watched from the palace. The people of the Gu family hurried over and heard the King of England say coldly, "If anyone dares to make a move again, I will not let him stay."
The man paused, and finally did not dare to attack again. He walked aside with the knife still in his hand.
Emperor Zhou put pen to paper, exerting subtle force with his fingertips.
Suddenly, there was a "swish" sound outside, and countless arrows shot from the roofs in all directions. Almost in an instant, the pen held by Emperor Zhou was broken and instantly pierced into the neck of the person next to him. Then he kicked the person away and crashed into the pillar in the hall.
Almost in an instant, the chief steward also rushed in with a knife in hand and fought with the other two people, while Emperor Zhou slowly sat back in his seat and slowly looked up at his son in the hall.
The father and son looked at each other quietly.
There seemed to be no surprises.
Soon, someone came outside.
He is from Fu Weidai.
That day, Fu Wei left the imperial city, and seemed to have thought of the interests involved, so he returned to the imperial city as a spy, entered the palace to meet Emperor Zhou, and told him his guess.
Some people wanted to rebel and took advantage of the Queen's funeral to hold the royal family, officials, and their families hostage and threaten them.
Emperor Zhou did not blame Fu Wei for his random guesses. Since his guesses made sense, he gave him the opportunity to make his arrangements.
But if everything goes well within ten days, he will be demoted one level; if it really happens, he will be granted a title.
Fu Wei really expected it.
The King of England said, "I lost."
Emperor Zhou: "Where are all the people?"
The King of England smiled but did not say, "Father, am I important to you? Is Mother important to you? Or is Zhou Yi important to you?"
The Zhou Emperor remained silent.
The King of England's smile widened. "It shouldn't matter. After all, I, the legitimate son, can be discarded. Because I wasn't decisive enough, they suppressed my uncle, imprisoned my mother, and gave me the job of the Curfew Camp. But they don't trust me and sent Zhou Yi to be the night guard of the Forbidden Palace to guard against me."
"My mother is just the daughter of an aristocratic family that my father married into. What kind of feelings does that have? She's dead, she's dead. It was just an acute illness anyway."
"Zhou Yi...ha, he's just a pitiful fellow."
"During the military supply transfer case, my father probably had his doubts in his heart, but he still sent him to a remote place. If he didn't live up to his expectations, I guess my father would never let him return to the Zhou family. After all, my father doesn't need useless sons."
Emperor Zhou still offered no explanation. After a long pause, he said, "Your mother has joined forces with the Gu family, hanging herself to force you to rebel. Can't you see that?"
King Ying: "So what if she found out? Could it be that my mother is so depressed that she wants to commit suicide?"
"If I hadn't been imprisoned in Kunning Palace, I would still be the heir of a country, and the Gu family would still be in power. I wouldn't have tried to seize the throne. But they are forcing me to do so, and you, my father, are forcing me to do so too. If I don't do so, won't I disappoint you?"
How could the King of England not understand?
He could not ascend to the throne by legitimate means.
So I didn’t think about arguing anymore.
But one by one, they pushed him into that position.
The Queen Mother hanged herself for his sake, instigated by her uncle. The Gu family, driven by their desire for power, instigated the Queen Mother to hang herself. The Emperor's goal was to balance the power of his two sons, allowing them to play games.
They each have their own purpose.
Apart from his mother, he was just a pawn used by the latter two.
"Father, I know that unless I kill my father, I will most likely fail." He smiled brightly at Emperor Zhou. "I've thought about it. If I fail, then I'll die."
After saying that, he suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed it straight into his heart.
Emperor Zhou suddenly widened his eyes, his composure vanished, and he quickly walked from his seat to the front of King Ying and held him in his arms.
His voice was choked with sobs: "Third brother, why bother?"
The King of England had blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He smiled and asked, "Father, do you regret this?"
He was asking about the possibilities that had just been mentioned.
Emperor Zhou closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Regret it."
Perhaps, a crown prince should have been appointed from the beginning and allowed to leave the imperial city.
The King of England spat out a mouthful of blood and said, "Don't look for the princess and the others..."
As he said this, he closed his eyes.
Emperor Zhou looked at his lifeless son and glanced at his palm.
I still haven't learned to be decisive with others, but I have learned to be decisive with myself.
A tear rolled down the corner of her eye. Finally, she put her son down, stood up, and slowly walked back to her seat.
He looked at Fu Wei and said, "Send the King of England back to the palace and bury him beside his mother, the Queen Mother."
After that, he continued, "See who is still alive and force them to tell him where the funeral procession is."
Fu Wei felt that the Zhou Emperor, who had always been full of vigor, seemed to have aged many years at this moment.
*
Uncle Gu, who had been waiting for good news, was surrounded outside the palace and was exposed.
The guards went to Gu's house to arrest him overnight.
The King of England died, but the news of the rebellion did not spread.
It was the Gu family who rebelled and had their house ransacked.
The King of England had died at this time, and some people knew it, but no news came out of the palace, and no one dared to comment on it.
Originally, it was necessary to interrogate the whereabouts of the funeral procession, but on the third day, they were escorted back by King Jing.
Others didn't know about it, but Yu Ying heard it from Princess Jing when she went to Prince Jing's mansion to see her.
They encountered bandits, but they were not numerous enough. In order to protect the women, Zhou Yi led his men to lure the enemy away from the mountain, but unexpectedly, Princess Ying betrayed them.
They were also captured. Zhou Yi, who returned, secretly led his men to ambush the thieves and rescued them.
These processes will take quite some time.
At that time, the British princess and the British king's children were also missing.
Yu Ying understood. After hearing Fu Wei mention the King of Ying's last words, she also understood why Emperor Zhou didn't want to look for his wife and children. She thought they had already arranged a place for them.
He seemed to have anticipated his defeat, but he also put the Gu family on the edge of a knife.
King of England...
Yu Ying could no longer see through this person.
Maybe he is not a bad person, he just has a different standpoint, just like Zhou Yi.
*
Since King Ying rebelled, Emperor Zhou seemed to be in poor health, and Yu Ying went to the palace to see a doctor.
It’s much worse than before.
Probably because of the death of the King of England, he was already feeling depressed.
Not long after, King Jing was made the crown prince.
The two princes were sent to their fiefdoms.
Other legislation, scientific research and reforms are still proceeding in an orderly manner.
This rebellion did not cause much waves, and the people in the imperial city were not quite clear about it, so after a few days of tension, they were still at a loss as to what to do.
Yu Ying and Fu Wei came out of the palace together. They heard the sound of chestnut vendors on the street. Fu Wei said, "I'll go down and buy some for you."
Having said that, he got off the carriage.
Yu Ying also lifted the curtain, looked at the bustling street, listened to the vendors' cries, and smiled faintly.
Just then, Fu Wei lifted the carriage curtain and entered. Seeing her laughing, he asked, "What are you laughing at?"
After he was seated, Yu Ying lowered the curtain and leaned on his shoulder, her voice lighthearted and cheerful, "The peaceful and prosperous era described in the book's ending will soon arrive, I think."
Upon hearing this, Fu Wei also smiled faintly.
He probably never told her that, deep down in his heart, only with her could he live in a peaceful and prosperous world.
Without her, perhaps he could only see the prosperous times, but could not feel happiness, well-being and joy.
He gently held her hand and said, "Let's go home."
Yu Ying shook his hand and said, "Okay, let's go home."
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