Chapter 105 The General is Humiliated (8)
8
Zhu Qingchen raised his hand high and assured again and again that he really did not want to be emperor.
But everyone looked at him doubtfully.
Woohoo——
Zhu Qingchen was so angry that he almost cried.
Finally, General Wei patted his shoulder vigorously and said, "Okay, okay, everyone believes in the young master."
Zhu Qingchen looked at him with tears in his eyes: "Really?"
"Really. If His Royal Highness Prince Kang is not talented, for the sake of the country, the young master will take it himself, and we will certainly help him with all our strength."
"..." Zhu Qingchen pursed his lips.
Forget it, he won’t explain.
He will prove himself with his actions.
The system once again passed the question: "Is this the action of a powerful official holding the emperor hostage to control the princes?"
Zhu Qingchen choked up: "Shut up, I'm a good person!"
In fact, there is nothing wrong with being a powerful official. Just let it be. Let them misunderstand a little, which will be more deterrent.
The most important thing is that Zhu Qingchen himself couldn’t explain it clearly.
It was already midnight, and Censor Chen couldn't stay for long, so he went back immediately.
Zhu Qingchen was also about to leave. Before he left, General Wei grabbed Zhu Qingchen's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Where is the Duke of Zhenguo?"
When General Wei asked about it, Zhu Qingchen said, "I sent a letter to the Duke of Zhenguo a few days ago. He is already on the way with his men."
"That's good." General Wei nodded.
Zhu Qingchen warned: "Zhenguogong is the last general I left. I will only tell General Wei about this matter. Heaven and earth know it, you know it, and I know it. Please do not tell a third person."
"Don't worry, young master. I know the seriousness of the matter."
"Well, you should take good care of it and wait for the right time."
Zhu Qingchen patted the back of his hand for the last time, put on his bamboo hat, and slipped out the back door.
*
The night was dark, and there was no one on the street, except for the occasional sound of night watchmen.
Zhu Qingchen held on to his bamboo hat and hurried back to the Duke of Ying's Mansion along the same route.
The system led the way as usual: "Hurry, hurry, go back to sleep..."
"Okay." Zhu Qingchen followed quickly behind.
When passing through a small alley, suddenly, a small stone flew out from behind him and hit the ground with a slight sound.
Zhu Qingchen turned around and saw nothing.
He was just about to move on when he heard the sound of orderly footsteps on the street.
He is a patrol officer of the government.
Zhu Qingchen quickly hid back in the shadow of the alley, squatted on the ground, covered the system, and watched them leave.
It was a close call. If he had not turned back and continued walking forward, he would have bumped into the officer.
After the officer left, Zhu Qingchen looked back, but still saw nothing.
Is he the personal guard assigned to him by the Duke of Zhenguo?
That's not right. When he went to General Wei's mansion, he sneaked out on his own to hide from others. The guards should have been guarding outside his room at this time.
Who was reminding him?
Zhu Qingchen stood up while looking back.
The system urged him: "Chenchen, there is no one left, leave quickly."
"good."
Zhu Qingchen didn't have time to think about who it was, and followed the system, running across the long street.
Zhu Qingchen was still a little frightened after entering through the side door of the Duke of England's mansion.
He closed the door, took a long breath, and patted his chest.
I almost thought he died midway.
Zhu Qingchen calmed down and was about to go back to his room, but suddenly he remembered something and stopped.
He tried to take two more steps inside, making light footsteps, then pinched his nose, held his breath, and moved quietly back behind the door.
The person who reminded him might have been following him, so...
Zhu Qingchen picked up the wooden stick next to him, hid behind the door, and prepared to catch the man in the act.
But……
He waited for a quarter of an hour, but no one showed up.
The system leaned on his shoulder and said, "Did you guess wrong? In fact, no one was following you. It was just God helping you just now."
"Hmm..." Zhu Qingchen paused, "Maybe."
Zhu Qingchen put down the stick in his hand and prepared to go back to sleep.
When Zhu Qingchen returned to the room, Chu Yunyang was waiting for him in the room. He didn't turn on the lights, but sat alone in the dark, folding his hands and waiting quietly.
Seeing him coming back, Chu Yunyang hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Teacher, why did you take so long this time? You almost scared me to death."
"It's okay, we just discussed some things." Zhu Qingchen took off his bamboo hat, handed it to him, and asked him to keep it.
"Teacher, please take a rest. I'm afraid it will be dawn in a little while."
"good."
Before Chu Yunyang left, Zhu Qingchen reminded him: "Strengthen the guards in the mansion."
Although Chu Yunyang didn't understand, he still responded, "Okay."
Chu Yunyang went back to his room. Zhu Qingchen changed his clothes, washed up briefly, and went to bed.
After discussing until late at night, he was tired.
Zhu Qingchen curled up in the quilt, and the system played "Lullaby" for him.
Zhu Qingchen closed his eyes and fell asleep.
*
Zhu Qingchen felt that he had just fallen asleep for a short time when someone knocked on his door.
Chu Yunyang asked softly: "Teacher, are you up?"
"Huh? What's wrong?" Zhu Qingchen looked out the window in a daze. It was already dawn.
"I……"
Before Chu Yunyang finished speaking, the voices of Xu Yi and Jiang Xian were heard outside.
"Little General, you are already eighteen years old, so stop clinging to the teacher."
"Can't you decide to go out and play? Come on, just tell me, your Majesty is going to the polo field today."
Chu Yunyang's expression changed, and he said sternly: "Shut up! Do you think you can just comment on the Duke of England?"
The two looked at each other, shrugged, and dared not speak anymore.
Chu Yunyang opened the door, asked the two men to wait for him outside, and went in to take a look.
Zhu Qingchen rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed: "They asked you to play polo again? Let's go, teacher, pack up."
"If the teacher is sleepy, I won't go." Chu Yunyang said, "Or I can go by myself. I've been there many times anyway."
"No." Zhu Qingchen immediately perked up when he heard what he said, "I'll go with you."
"Teacher, don't be so nervous. I will be careful myself."
"No." Zhu Qingchen was firm.
After all, the matter is of great importance. If Chu Yunyang makes a mistake, he will be doomed.
Keep a close eye on it if you can.
"Go out and wait. I'll be up in a minute."
"All right."
Chu Yunyang retreated obediently. Xu Yi and Jiang Xian didn't dare to say anything more and just waited by the side.
Zhu Qingchen simply washed up, changed into plain casual clothes, picked up two snacks from the table to fill his stomach, and went out with them.
Zhu Qingchen jumped on his horse in front of the Duke of England's mansion, and Chu Yunyang followed him obediently.
"When we get there, the teacher will take a rest."
"Okay." Zhu Qingchen held the reins with one hand, covered his mouth, and yawned.
When we arrived at the polo field, a game had just finished.
When a group of young masters saw Chu Yunyang coming, they hurried forward and surrounded him.
"General Chu is finally here. I've been waiting for you for a long time. We are about to start a new game, so you can come too."
"General Chu joined us and defeated the enemy."
"Nonsense, General Chu is with us."
Chu Yunyang got off the horse and clasped his fists towards them: "I'll take the teacher to the stage first, and then come over."
"Okay." Everyone hurriedly bowed to Zhu Qingchen, "Young Master, take care."
"Yeah." Zhu Qingchen smiled at them while riding on his horse, "Yun Yang will play with you guys later."
"good."
Chu Yunyang held the reins of Zhu Qingchen's horse and walked towards the empty stands: "Teacher, the view here should be better, and you can appreciate my heroic figure better!"
The young masters also took a break, so they all went downstairs to wipe their sweat and drink some water.
Only Xu Yi and Jiang Xian stood there, looking at each other, their eyes full of helplessness.
The two of them originally thought that Chu Yunyang was just a simple-minded military general, so what was there that he couldn't defeat?
Yes, Chu Yunyang is indeed simple-minded, but the Duke of England is not stupid!
Chu Yunyang always asks for the teacher's opinion wherever he goes. If the teacher doesn't go, he won't go either, like a little follower.
How can they do this? How can they do what the emperor ordered them to do?
The two men were worrying when suddenly, someone came in from outside on a horse.
Looking back, it was the emperor.
They were about to salute, but the emperor raised his hand to stop them: "No need to be so polite."
The emperor glanced in the direction Chu Yunyang left, then turned back to look at Xiao Chengan.
Xiao Cheng'an was also looking in the same direction, but he was not looking at Chu Yunyang, but Zhu Qingchen who was riding on a horse.
The emperor said, "If Cheng'an wants to find the young master, then go find him."
Xiao Chengan quickly retracted his gaze, a little panicked: "Royal brother..."
"Go ahead. You don't know how to play polo, and neither does the young master. It's just right for the two of you to stay together."
"Yes, I will go over first."
Since he said so, Xiao Cheng'an could only salute, then loosen the reins and run towards Zhu Qingchen.
He was very careful when paying his respects, but was very happy when leaving.
Recently, the emperor brought him along whenever he came to the polo field, but he didn't know how to play polo, and the emperor thought he was a spoiler, so he always let him play by himself.
He would go to see the young master every time, and the young master would give him snacks and teach him to read.
He really likes being with the young master.
Xiao Chengan walked away, and Xu Yi and Jiang Xian quickly apologized.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I haven't done what your Majesty ordered. This young General Chu is like a clinging to you, and I can't tear him off. I have used both soft and hard tactics, but it's really..."
The two men bowed and saluted. Seeing that the emperor remained silent for a long time, they bravely raised their heads and secretly glanced at the emperor's expression.
The emperor was riding on his horse, still looking in the direction of Chu Yunyang.
Chu Yunyang held the reins and escorted Zhu Qingchen to the stands.
On the other side, Xiao Chengan also caught up with them on horseback.
He seemed to call out "Young Master". Zhu Qingchen paused, put one hand on his forehead, looked back, and after seeing that it was Xiao Chengan, he smiled at him.
Zhu Qingchen was wearing a jade-colored dress today with dark bamboo leaf patterns.
The wind blew in my face, blowing my sleeves, as if it was blowing through a bamboo forest.
Chu Yunyang and Xiao Chengan surrounded him and talked to him happily.
The emperor withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Yi and Jiang Xian.
The two men came to their senses and quickly lowered their heads and crouched even lower.
The emperor said calmly, "Not only Chu Yunyang likes to pester him, Xiao Chengan also likes to pester him, and those servants and palace maids always stick to him. What do you think of Zhu Qingchen's magical power?"
Xu Yi and Jiang Xian hurriedly said, "We don't know."
The emperor said, "I don't know either."
The emperor shouted "Gee!" softly and rode his horse forward.
Everyone hurriedly saluted. The emperor rode his horse and stopped in front of the stands. He spoke to Chu Yunyang but looked at Zhu Qingchen.
"Duke Ying and General Chu are here today too. Are they coming down to fight?"
Chu Yunyang clasped his fists and said, "I obey your command."
The emperor still looked at Zhu Qingchen: "Where is the Duke of Ying? Come down and fight?"
Zhu Qingchen smiled and said, "I am not good at polo, and I am afraid that I will disturb your majesty's interest, so let Yun Yang play a game with your majesty."
He smiled appropriately, and the emperor glanced at him but ultimately said nothing more.
Chu Yunyang went downstairs to play polo, while Zhu Qingchen and Xiao Chengan sat in the stands.
Zhu Qingchen ate snacks while watching them play polo, while Xiao Chengan was quietly reading a book under the table.
Of course, the emperor did not like Xiao Cheng'an studying, and he did not send anyone to teach him, so when he was fifteen years old, he could only recognize a few words and read very few articles.
After Zhu Qingchen knew about this, he collected some books from this small world and brought them to him when he had the chance.
Xiao Cheng'an lowered his head, placed his fingers on the vertical lines of words, and read them carefully one by one.
When she encountered something she didn't understand, she would pull Zhu Qingchen's sleeve and ask him in a low voice.
"Young Master, 'People are the most important, the country is second, and the emperor is the least important', is this true?"
"Hmm..." Zhu Qingchen thought for a moment and asked, "Does Your Highness think it's true?"
Xiao Chengan thought for a moment and said, "I think it's fake because I haven't seen it before."
Zhu Qingchen smiled and put his arm around his shoulders: "But it may also come true."
Xiao Chengan still didn't understand, he just simply agreed with the teacher and nodded seriously: "Yes, it can come true."
On the polo field, the emperor pulled the reins and looked back.
Xu Yi and Jiang Xian looked at each other and realized that the emperor was up to something evil again.
So Xu Yi rode forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, I have a good idea to separate the young master and General Chu."
"Huh?" The emperor turned his head and looked at them puzzledly.
"Your Majesty has not yet gone to the temple to burn incense this year. How about... I go and pass on a message. Your Majesty, take the young master and General Chu with you. Then, it will be up to Your Majesty to decide who sleeps in which room."
"Even if the young master keeps a close eye on people, they can't sleep in the same room, can they? Your Majesty can go to whichever room he wants, right?"
The emperor raised his eyebrows and did not answer, which was considered as his tacit consent.
The two men understood and immediately responded, "We will do it right away."
*
Everything is ready, now we just have to wait for the Duke of Zhenguo to lead his troops over.
Zhu Qingchen counted on his fingers, waiting for the opportunity.
But after waiting for a few days, the emperor did not announce that he would go hunting, but announced -
He was going to the royal temple to burn incense, also accompanied by hundreds of officials, and it would also take three days and three nights.
Zhu Qingchen and Chu Yunyang were naturally among those who followed.
Zhu Qingchen was puzzled: "System, why did the plot change? Didn't we say we were going hunting?"
"I don't understand either." The system was also confused. "I've been troubleshooting, but the results show that there is nothing wrong with this emperor. Why would he suddenly change the plot?"
The system tried to analyze: "He went hunting, and his motive should be 'to create more opportunities to spend time with Chu Yunyang, to please Chu Yunyang'. But he suddenly changed to burning incense in the temple. I can't guess his motive. Chu Yunyang doesn't like to burn incense."
Zhu Qingchen didn't bother to care about his motives: "Anyway, hunting and burning incense are similar. The emperor has to go out of the city. And burning incense has fewer guards, so it's easier to succeed."
He asked Chu Yunyang to place two pots of flowers in front of his house to tell General Wei and Censor Chen that—
Although there were some minor errors, the overall plan remains unchanged.
Proceed as usual.
*
The weather was not very good this morning.
The sky was covered with dense clouds, the sunlight could not penetrate, and it was pitch black.
The imperial guards were ready in front of the palace gate. The emperor rode in a sedan chair, followed by civil and military officials. The group went to the royal temple on Sanqing Mountain outside the city to burn incense.
Zhu Qingchen and Xiao Chengan rode in the same carriage, and Chu Yunyang rode a horse and followed beside them to take care of them.
Xiao Cheng'an seized the time and read in the carriage, wanting to finish reading "Mencius" on the way so that he could read other books next time.
As a result, I kept my head down and accidentally felt dizzy.
Zhu Qingchen could only help him open the carriage window to let him get some fresh air.
Xiao Cheng'an leaned on the soft pillow and looked at Zhu Qingchen pitifully: "Young Master, I'm sorry to trouble you."
"It's okay. It's not a problem." Zhu Qingchen gently rubbed his head and turned to look out the window. "It's a bit stuffy today. I feel dizzy easily."
Zhu Qingchen raised his head and looked through the dark clouds.
No one noticed that under the clouds, a goshawk flying from the northwest was following the team and circling above Zhu Qingchen's carriage.
Zhu Qingchen and the Duke of Zhenguo kept in touch frequently.
In the past, it took five days for a goshawk to deliver letters back and forth.
Now it takes half a day to go back and forth.
This means that the Duke of Zhenguo is coming soon.
Two hours later, the group arrived at the royal temple.
The abbot of the temple, along with a group of monks and novices, were waiting in front of the mountain gate.
The abbot bowed respectfully and welcomed the emperor into the mountain gate.
The other elders came out to greet the courtiers.
An elder walked up to Zhu Qingchen and saluted him: "Duke of England."
Zhu Qingchen clasped his hands together and returned the greeting: "Thank you, Elder."
Chu Yunyang also followed suit and saluted.
The elder stepped aside and said, "You are welcome, Duke Ying. Please follow me, Duke Ying and General Chu."
They were going to stay in the temple for a few days. The guards carried their luggage and the elder took them to the meditation room.
"This western Zen room is surrounded by flowers and trees, far away from strangers, and is a quiet place. Duke Ying is a scholar, so he should like it."
Zhu Qingchen clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you very much. I like it very much."
"It's just that..." The elder changed the subject, "There are not many meditation rooms in the west, and General Chu..."
Zhu Qingchen turned his head and looked at Chu Yunyang.
They wanted to separate Chu Yunyang from him openly.
Chu Yunyang was about to say that he could sleep in the same room with the teacher, but Zhu Qingchen raised his hand to stop him.
There is no point in talking more.
They were going to separate anyway, they did it on purpose.
Zhu Qingchen smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble the elder to help Yun Yang make the arrangements."
"Of course, General Chu, please follow me."
Chu Yunyang glanced at the teacher worriedly. Zhu Qingchen patted his arm gently and told him to come back to him later.
Chu Yunyang then left feeling aggrieved.
Zhu Qingchen took the bundle from the guard, pushed the door open and walked into the meditation room, looking around.
This room is nice. Although it is a bit small, it is quiet and peaceful.
A small couch, a square table and a cabinet are all the furniture.
The shadows of the trees under the corridor are reflected on the window paper, swaying.
He threw the whole bundle directly into the cabinet with a slight "dong" sound. He turned around and saw an incense burner and scriptures on the table. He rolled up his sleeves, sat down in front of the table, washed his hands, burned incense, ground ink and copied scriptures.
There's a storm outside the window.
The system said: "You still have the mind to copy scriptures. I think you are in danger."
Zhu Qingchen held the pen, drew a little turtle on the paper, and said calmly: "No."
He thought he already knew why the emperor changed hunting to burning incense.
perhaps……
This time, the emperor was targeting not only Chu Yunyang, but also another person.
Zhu Qingchen painted the tortoise shell pattern on the little turtle, threw down his brush, and called his guards: "You guys go to Yun Yang, I don't need anyone to serve me here."
The guards clasped their fists and replied, "Yes." This was the secret signal agreed upon by Zhu Qingchen and them.
It’s not that Zhu Qingchen doesn’t need people, but that Zhu Qingchen doesn’t need people in the open. He asked all his personal guards to hide in the dark so as not to be discovered.
*
The Duke of England seemed exhausted after the long journey by boat and train during the day. He looked listless and did not even go to the main hall to burn incense.
Chu Yunyang asked his teacher to go out for a walk, but he refused to go and just stayed in the meditation room copying scriptures.
When the emperor heard about it, he sent a royal physician to see him out of sympathy.
The imperial physician also said that he was simply exhausted and would be fine after a night's rest.
Zhu Qingchen expressed his gratitude, had a simple vegetarian meal in the evening, blew out the lights and went to bed early, closing the door and refusing visitors.
Late at night, the wind started to pick up outside the window, blowing the branches and leaves, making rustling sounds.
The curtains fell, and Zhu Qingchen curled up into a ball, hiding under the quilt, trying hard not to sleep. He watched cartoons next to the system, and they chatted idly with each other.
"I'm still a little worried. Your rebellion plan is too simple, isn't it?" The system said worriedly, "What if you guessed wrong?"
Zhu Qingchen was confident: "No, I have already calculated it."
"But aren't you too bold?"
"I have been very careful! If the emperor came to me on his own accord, and I killed him, what would that matter? He was the one who insisted on coming to me on his own accord."
"Zha Zha Chen, you are becoming more and more like a villain..."
Before the system finished speaking, a slight "click" sound suddenly came from outside.
Zhu Qingchen quickly covered the system to pause the cartoon, then quietly poked his head out from under the quilt and looked outside.
In the darkness, the cupboard opposite was quietly pushed open from behind.
That was a secret door.
When Zhu Qingchen threw his luggage, he heard the bag hitting the ground with a "bang" sound, and then he found it.
He understood it then.
Perhaps the emperor’s purpose of this trip was not Chu Yunyang, but him!
Chu Yunyang doesn't like burning incense, only he, a scholar, likes it!
Zhu Qingchen held his breath and looked at the cabinet carefully.
Sure enough, the next second, a hand gently pushed open the cabinet door, and a bamboo tube stretched out from the other side, slowly blowing out smoke.
Zhu Qingchen immediately took out a wet handkerchief and pinched his nose, then shrank back into the quilt and gently knocked on the bed to alert the person hiding under the bed.
About a quarter of an hour later, a rustling sound like that of a mouse came from the darkness.
Someone said, "Okay, go and ask His Majesty to come over."
After a while, the emperor came out from the secret door.
Because he was too excited, there was an unusual light in the emperor's eyes.
As he walked forward, he undressed, making rustling sounds.
The emperor could not help muttering, and even though he lowered his voice, his complacency could not be concealed in his tone.
"Young Master, you have been so smart all your life. Since you knew what I did from General Wei, why did you transfer all your guards to Chu Yunyang's side? Why didn't you keep two for yourself?"
"Look at Chu Yunyang, you're watching so closely, how come you forgot about yourself? Don't you realize that you're pretty, too?"
Suddenly, Zhu Qingchen wrapped in a quilt sat up from the bed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your praise."
The emperor was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground.
Someone shouted from the secret door: "Your Majesty..."
The emperor calmed himself down, turned around, waved at them and told them not to come over.
The moonlight is cold and shines in through the window.
Zhu Qingchen sat upright on the bed, wrapped in a quilt, with his hair crown removed and his black hair loose, looking like a deity.
The more the emperor looked at it, the more excited he became.
Even if Zhu Qingchen was not knocked out by the smoke, so what?
He is just a weak scholar, how could he not be able to defeat him?
The emperor curled his lips and revealed a disgusting and revealing smile.
"Young Master, you already knew about it, right? The Wei family's affairs?"
Zhu Qingchen did not answer.
"On the first day you arrived in Beijing, you took Chu Yunyang to the Wei Mansion. Old Man Wei told you everything, right? My spies had already told me everything."
"So you have been almost keeping Chu Yunyang tied to your belt these days, fearing that I would flirt with him."
"As soon as you heard that Chu Yunyang and you were going to separate, you immediately gave all your guards to him."
"Young Master, you are still too stupid. You are a piece of beautiful jade, why did you lose all your guards?"
The emperor stared at him closely, wanting to see fear and terror on his face and to hear a plea for mercy from his mouth.
But Zhu Qingchen still sat upright on the bed, looking at him indifferently.
Seeing that he was unmoved, the emperor suddenly ripped the bracelet away from his hand.
The silk thread broke and the gem beads rolled all over the floor.
There was a crisp sound.
"You did something to the bracelet, didn't you? You asked Chu Yunyang to give it to me, and let him hint and make it clear, so that I would always have it with me? But, how come after so long, I still haven't acted?"
"Young Master, you are very smart, but I am not stupid. There are so many people who want to harm me. I will not carry something of unknown origin with me even if the imperial physician cannot find out what it is."
The emperor smiled sinisterly: "What tricks do you have? Use them all. If a beauty is like this, why don't you embrace her earlier?"
The emperor untied his belt and rushed forward.
Zhu Qingchen still sat there motionless, not even blinking.
Just as the emperor's hand was about to touch Zhu Qingchen's shoulder, a dark shadow suddenly jumped out from the beam, kicked the emperor down without saying a word, and stabbed him in the lower abdomen with a knife.
Zhu Qingchen was shocked: "Chu Yunyang, shouldn't you be hiding under the bed?"
Chu Yunyang also crawled out from under the bed with a puzzled look on his face: "Teacher, I'm here, I was just about to rush out."
The two looked at the man who assassinated the emperor in shock: "Who is he?!"
The eunuchs hiding behind the secret door finally reacted and wanted to rush out to protect the emperor.
As a result, two or three guards quickly jumped down from the beam and slammed the secret door shut.
One of the minions was unable to dodge and his hands were caught in the secret door, and he let out another scream.
The man still felt unsatisfied, so he held the emperor down tightly with one hand and with the other hand, he held the dagger and twisted it violently twice.
The emperor's screams were shrill and sharp, echoing throughout the temple.
Zhu Qingchen looked at the man's back and suddenly recognized him. He walked quickly forward, pressed his shoulders and asked him to turn his head.
"Yu, Wen, Shu!"!
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