In May, it was drizzling.
On the royal street of the capital, a man around fifty years old, wearing a winged crown and a brown robe with a five-clawed dragon on a cross-collar, knocked on the door of a mansion, carrying a black oil-paper umbrella.
Behind him stood two tall, burly servants dressed in black.
"Royal Uncle".
After the door opened, the man called out to the person who opened it.
The person who opened the door, with white hair and beard, was none other than the Zongling of the Imperial Clan Court, the most senior member of the entire Xiao royal family, and the great-uncle of Empress Xiao Li!
The old man, addressed as "Imperial Uncle," looked displeased upon seeing the person entering through the door.
"Prince Zhao? As a prince enfeoffed in Nanyang, have you forgotten the ancestral precept that princes are not allowed to enter the capital?"
The man outside the door, addressed as "King Zhao," said urgently, "Uncle, please let me in and say a few words to you."
"No, there are Imperial Guards everywhere. Don't come in. I want to live a few more years..."
After saying that, the Imperial Uncle closed the gate tightly.
"Hey! Imperial Uncle! Imperial Uncle!"
No matter how much the King of Zhao knocked on the door, the royal uncle inside no longer answered.
"Fine, let's go find Xiao Yun!"
As King Zhao spoke, he walked to the sedan chair with his umbrella, closed it, and got inside.
Little did he know that a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) dressed in a flying fish robe and carrying an embroidered spring knife had already been watching him from a teahouse in the distance...
...
Sitting in the main hall of the first courtyard of the Prince of Yan's mansion, Qin Chuan listened to the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and slowly nodded, saying, "Find more people, investigate further, and report back!"
"yes!"
The Imperial Guard accepted the order and left.
Seeing Steward Zhou outside the door, Qin Chuan called him in and asked, "What is the background of the Prince of Zhao, whose fief is Nanyang?"
Steward Zhou bowed and said in a high-pitched voice, "Your Highness, this Prince Zhao is His Majesty's uncle, a member of the same clan. The year His Majesty ascended the throne, this Prince Zhao led several hundred men, claiming he wanted to enter the capital, but was stopped by an imperial edict left by the late Emperor..."
"The late emperor's edict? What edict?"
"It's the late emperor's edict abdicating the throne to Your Majesty. At the time, quite a few ministers opposed it, feeling that Prince Zhao should inherit the throne. The late emperor's edict clearly stated that Prince Zhao must never set foot in the capital again without an imperial summons, and if he disobeys the edict, the emperor may execute him," Steward Zhou said calmly.
Qin Chuan stroked his chin, truly surprised that such a thing happened when Xiao Li ascended the throne. They had been married for quite some time, and he had never heard her mention it before…
A while later, the Imperial Guard came to report again, "Your Highness, he went to the Northern Camp to find General Xiao."
Qin Chuan waved away the Imperial Guards and looked at Steward Zhou.
"Steward Zhou, go prepare the sedan chair. I'm going to the palace."
Upon hearing the order, Steward Zhou hurriedly agreed, left the hall, and went out in the rain.
A moment later, Steward Zhou ran in, half-soaked, and said, "Your Highness, the sedan chair is ready."
"Um."
As Qin Chuan walked out of the hall, Butler Zhou hurriedly opened an umbrella to shield him from the rain.
After getting into the sedan chair, Qin Chuan kept thinking about why the late emperor, who clearly had a younger brother in the royal family who could have inherited the throne, gave it to his daughter. Was there something more to it...?
The key point is that Xiao Li never mentioned it to him.
What was King Zhao's purpose in risking his life to enter the capital this time?
What was the purpose of King Zhao's visit to Xiao Yun?
Wait a minute, Xiao Yun commands the Imperial Guard and 30,000 troops in the Northern Camp, could it be...?
Thinking of this, he immediately ordered the eight sedan chair bearers, "Faster, faster!"
The eight sedan chair bearers quickened their pace in the rain, almost running to the palace gate.
Qin Chuan alighted from the sedan chair and, without waiting for the servants to hold an umbrella to shield him from the rain, entered the palace alone. On the way, he met Zhang Cheng and asked him, "Zhang Cheng, do you know where His Majesty is?"
Zhang Cheng was taken aback. "Isn't His Majesty your wife? How would I know if you ask me?"
Seeing that Zhang Cheng was unaware, Qin Chuan went directly to the Imperial Study, but the Empress was not there. He then went to the Weiyang Palace's sleeping quarters, but she was not there either.
"Oh no, have we been kidnapped?"
Startled, she grabbed a palace maid by the collar and asked, "Where has His Majesty gone?"
The palace maid was Mu Xia. She was startled and looked pitiful and aggrieved: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty went to the Imperial Garden."
Upon hearing this answer, Qin Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. But thinking about it, it made sense. The palace was heavily guarded; who could possibly kidnap His Majesty?
I was overthinking it.
He then loosened Mu Xia's collar and said gently, "Take me there immediately."
"Your Highness, please come with me..."
Mu Xia's expression calmed down, and she led Qin Chuan to the Imperial Garden.
It must be said that the palace is really big. There are many places that Qin Chuan has not yet visited, such as the imperial garden in front of him.
I simply have no heart to appreciate the beautiful scenery here right now.
He strode through corridor after corridor, where he saw the Empress, accompanied by Wan Chun and other palace maids, as well as a large group of eunuchs, watching the carp leaping out of the water in the lotus pond. She pointed her slender finger at the pond and said something with a smile.
Upon seeing Qin Chuan from afar, the Empress hurried forward, taking his hand and saying, "Husband, come quickly! Look how happy the fish are! Does this scene inspire any poetry?"
Qin Chuan's expression turned serious, and he told her to dismiss everyone.
She waved her hand, dismissing all the palace maids and eunuchs, then her phoenix eyes darted around before she smiled: "...Husband...you wouldn't want to have sex with me in such a setting..."
Qin Chuan hurriedly said, "The King of Zhao has entered the capital!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression instantly turned serious. "What? The Prince of Zhao has come to the capital? What is he doing here?"
Qin Chuan continued, "The Imperial Guards saw him go to the Imperial Uncle's place first, and now he's going to find Xiao Yun..."
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