Chapter 20: The Palace Examination Ruined (20)
20
The sun is shining brightly and the hall is magnificent.
The wind blew the cloth tent in front of the temple.
The oldest scholar, Mr. Meng, stood on the steps holding the imperial edict that he had just written and the ink was not yet dry.
"This time, the emperor personally selected the top three in the palace examination—" the old scholar paused and said loudly, "Liu An!"
Liu An frowned slightly, as if he was not very satisfied with his ranking.
He pursed his lips and stepped out to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you, Liu An."
Zhu Qingchen was very happy and wanted to wave to him, but was grabbed back by other senior school officials and held down.
"First place in the first class, Lin Jing."
This is the student of Mr. Gao.
Zhu Qingchen and Senior Academic Officer Gao looked at each other, reached out to each other tacitly, held each other's hands tightly, then hugged each other and patted each other on the back.
"Xiaozhu, congratulations."
"Old Gao, I'm happy for you. You have taught me well."
"See, I told you that burning incense at Dajue Temple would be helpful."
"Yes." Zhu Qingchen nodded repeatedly, "Thank you so much, let's go to Dajue Temple to fulfill our wish later."
"Yes, yes."
After the "Alliance that Resolutely Does Not Go to Dajue Temple to Burn Incense" was renamed "Alliance that Must Go to Dajue Temple to Burn Incense", it achieved a great victory!
Finally, the old academic officer announced: "First place in the first class——"
Everyone held their breath and concentrated. The old academic officer paused and said, "Pei Xuan!"
Many people have not yet figured out which family Pei Xuan belongs to. There is no one with the last name Pei in the aristocratic family.
Liu An reacted the fastest and turned his head sharply.
Pei Xuan was standing next to him, looking at Liu An and laughing foolishly like a fool.
Wow, Senior Brother Liu won the third place! That’s great!
Please invite Senior Brother Liu to have dinner at Guanchao Tower later!
Liu An:?
This fool? He is the top scholar?
Liu An pushed him, and he came back to his senses, but he was still dazed, not knowing why his senior brother pushed him: "Ah?"
Liu An was so angry at him that he stretched out his hand, pressed his head and made him lower his head.
Liu An gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words from between his teeth, saying in a low voice: "Thank you."
Pei Xuan finally reacted and bowed: "Your Majesty, I, Pei Xuan, thank you for your grace. Long live Your Majesty."
Zhu Qingchen was so happy that he wanted to fly in the hall, but before he could take off, he was held down by several old school officials.
"Don't be disrespectful in front of His Majesty."
Although Zhu Qingchen was sitting in his seat, his soul was already hovering in the sky.
Woohoo! Aaaah! Yeah yeah yeah!
I have used up all the modal particles I know in this life.
The system was helpless: "Why are you like a monkey swinging on vines in the mountains? I'll turn off your voice first, it's too noisy."
The old school officials were also annoyed with him.
"You were the last one to burn incense, so how come your student got the upper hand?"
"You took two of the top three places. Are you feeling very proud of yourself? Are you still laughing? Hold it in!"
Zhu Qingchen sat between them, gently covered his mouth, and whispered: "I'm not very proud."
His eyes curved, and he couldn't hide his smile: "But when I think about it, I am quite proud of myself for beating you guys."
The palace examination was over, the dust had settled, and Zhu Qingchen stopped pretending.
How about the showdown? He is very ambitious, he wishes that all the top three students would be his students!
It’s a pity that we missed out on the second place this time.
Zhu Qingchen put his hands on his waist, his tail raised to the sky, and patted his chest: "Some teachers stay in their rooms every day to tell fortunes; some teachers worship Buddha every day, and their heads are full of Manjusri Bodhisattva. I didn't do anything, but my students still did well!"
system:?
It's better for you to do nothing. I don't know who is hiding in the quilt and telling fortunes in the middle of the night.
Zhu Qingchen gave himself a thumbs up: "As expected of me, the best teacher in the world! So awesome!"
"you!"
Because he was too arrogant and his words were too harsh, Zhu Qingchen was grabbed by several senior school officials, who pinched his cheeks several times, turning his face red.
“Ah——”
"Shut your mouth, no one thinks you are dumb."
"Don't show off. You'd better sleep with your eyes open at night."
"I must live for another three years, and then I will compete in the imperial examination again."
At this time, two low coughs were heard from the side by Eunuch Yang.
Everyone came to their senses, looked at the emperor on the high throne, and stopped their actions.
Zhu Qingchen rubbed his face as he squeezed out of the crowd, his eyes sparkling as he looked at His Majesty with gratitude.
Your Majesty has a keen eye for talent! Your Majesty is wise and powerful! Thank you, Your Majesty!
The emperor seemed to find his stare a little amusing. He touched the tip of his nose and cleared his throat.
The top three in the first class will stay in the palace and be rewarded with titles and awarded court robes.
The three of them accepted the imperial edict, expressed their gratitude, and left the palace surrounded by a group of palace servants.
As the teacher of two of them, Zhu Qingchen also had to see them off.
"Ahem..." Zhu Qingchen deliberately cleared his throat and lifted his robe.
Attention, attention, the excellent top scholar and third place scholar, must stand up!
The other senior school officials have reached their limit of patience.
Only Senior Academic Officer Gao and Zhu Qingchen got along well, so Senior Academic Officer Gao cleared his throat and stood up.
Pay attention, the outstanding runner-up is about to stand up!
The two men bowed to the emperor and took their leave. The emperor was angry and amused, and seemed a little helpless, and waved at them.
Come on, come on, don't show off here.
Zhu Qingchen extended his hand to the old scholar Gao, and the two of them held their heads high and left the hall hand in hand.
Who else? Whose students can fight me alone?!
As soon as they walked out of the palace gate, the two men slapped each other's hands and jumped down the stairs dancing.
"My student won! Hahaha!"
“My students also won!”
The system followed Zhu Qingchen silently and displayed a slogan: "What did you get?"
Several old school officials looked at their backs as they left, their faces livid. They raised their hands and covered their ears to block out their voices.
So annoying!
The excitement belongs to others, they have nothing.
*
In front of the palace gate, Zhu Qingchen caught up with the two students walking in front of him: "An'er? A Xuan?"
Pei Xuan and Liu An turned around, and Zhu Qingchen trotted forward and embraced one of them in each hand.
"Master, you are my good student. You have made me proud. I will see you off."
Pei Xuan said shyly: "I would like to thank you Master. If it weren't for you, there would be no Pei Xuan today."
Liu An pursed his lips, called out "Master" in a muffled voice, and said nothing more.
Zhu Qingchen was puzzled: "What's wrong? Are you not happy after winning the third place?"
Liu An lowered his eyes and said, "Master, you worry too much. I am not unhappy. I just..."
Zhu Qingchen glanced at Pei Xuan, who still looked puzzled. He asked, "Brother, are you hungry? Did you not sleep well last night? Or did you get a heat stroke from being in the sun? I'll go to the street corner and hire a carriage..."
Zhu Qingchen understood, took back his hand, and pushed Pei Xuan away. "Go away for a moment. Your senior brother is most annoyed with you right now, and you keep calling him 'senior brother', which only makes things difficult for him."
Zhu Qingchen touched Liu An's head and said, "An'er sets too high standards for himself."
Liu An was touched by his thoughts and whispered, "How could he... I am obviously more hardworking and talented than him, and I am still his senior brother."
"Because he's stupid." Zhu Qingchen patted his shoulder and comforted the poor third place winner. "The articles he wrote are very straightforward. The emperor doesn't have much knowledge, so he can probably only understand what he wrote."
Liu An was shocked:?
"Master?!"
We have only been out of the palace for a short time. How dare you say such arrogant words that His Majesty is uneducated?
Zhu Qingchen continued to comfort him: "Besides, he is three years older than you and has studied for three more years than you. It is normal for you to lose to him for a while. You are still young, and he is already old. He just won the top prize. There is nothing to brag about."
“……”Liu An choked.
Although Pei Xuan is three years older than him, but...
You haven’t reached the age of “old age” yet, have you?
Zhu Qingchen finally said, "Besides, you are pretty, and he is ugly, like a small dog that fell into the stove and was burned by fire. He is far less elegant than you. If you don't become the third place winner, who will be the third place winner?"
Zhu Qingchen's "nonsense" consolation seemed to be quite effective, and Liu An's expression eased slightly.
Zhu Qingchen patted his head and said, "Good boy."
At this time, Pei Xuan drove the carriage to their side and said, "Master, Senior Brother, please get in the carriage quickly. It's hot outside. Be careful of heatstroke."
Zhu Qingchen rolled up his sleeves, climbed into the car swiftly, and called out to Liu An to get in quickly as well.
Liu An glared at Pei Xuan for the last time, then got into the car with the teacher.
Pei Xuan looked confused and had no idea why his senior brother was angry on such a good day.
Liu An was very annoyed. He sat down and said to Zhu Qingchen, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. I understand. The position of the top scholar is probably only suitable for someone like him. If it were someone else, I would have strangled him to death long ago."
Pei Xuan:?
He turned back in disbelief and touched his neck.
Senior brother wants to strangle him to death?!
Zhu Qingchen waved his hand at him: "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the other top scholar."
"Oh." Pei Xuan turned around and continued driving.
Not long after the palace examination ended, the results were posted and the news spread throughout Yong'an City.
Pei Xuan was driving the carriage, and before he drove out of the long street in front of the palace gate, onlookers had already filled both sides of the street, wanting to catch a glimpse of the top two candidates in the imperial examination.
Zhu Qingchen put his arm around Liu An's shoulders and said, "Ah Xuan, you drive. Our scholar has a good appearance and a good family background, so he can be easily captured. You have to hide well."
Pei Xuan was puzzled: "Captured? Where? Brother is now an official appointed by the court. Who is so bold as to kidnap an official appointed by the court in broad daylight?"
The top scholar buried himself in his studies and knew nothing about human nature and customs.
Zhu Qingchen explained: "He was captured by someone else to be their son-in-law."
At this moment, a young man shouted in front of the list: "I won!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone waved his hand, and four servants came forward, lifted the young man up, stuffed him into the carriage and drove away.
Not even a shadow was left.
Zhu Qingchen was amazed by the speed.
At this moment, a little girl suddenly pushed the crowd away and threw a sachet to Pei Xuan.
Pei Xuan was still driving. When the sachet was thrown at him, he was in a panic, shaking back and forth as if he had received a hot potato.
Liu An groaned and opened the curtain: "Why don't you come in? You seem to be enjoying it. Are you waiting to collect a few more?"
"Brother, I don't have it!" Pei Xuan took the sachet with both hands, as if he was holding a Buddhist scripture, extremely serious, without any distracting thoughts.
Zhu Qingchen patted his shoulder and said, "I'll drive the car, come in quickly."
"Okay." Pei Xuan got into the car, "I will protect my brother."
Zhu Qingchen smiled, rolled up his sleeves and took the reins.
When the people saw Pei Xuan go in, they all felt a little regretful.
"Where is the number one scholar?"
"Come out and take a look."
"Why did you hide in there?"
Zhu Qingchen waved the reins gently and said, "There is no third place winner or first place scholar here. There is only the elderly Zhu Lao Xueguan. Ahem, make way, make way! Lao Xueguan Zhu wants to go home for dinner."
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd: "Xueguan Zhu is still unmarried! Xueguan Zhu is also the teacher of the third and first place winners!"
Zhu Qingchen: Oo
An ominous premonition rose in his heart.
The next second, Zhu Qingchen was hit on the head by a peach flying towards him, and his whole body was shaken.
“Ah——”
A small voice came from the crowd: "Oops, it's not aimed."
The peach fell on Zhu Qingchen's clothes. Zhu Qingchen covered his head and said, "Murder. This is murder of an official appointed by the imperial court."
The system followed him: "Fortunately, durian has not been introduced here yet."
Zhu Qingchen rubbed his forehead: "What is durian?"
"That's it——" The system showed him a picture on a small electronic screen.
"What durian? Isn't this a meteor hammer?"
Zhu Qingchen suddenly felt a splitting headache and he was about to die.
He drove his carriage and slowly squeezed out of the crowd.
The journey that could have been completed in a cup of tea took almost half an hour.
Send Liu'an home first.
The Liu family had received the news long ago and had hung up red silk to celebrate.
The servants and attendants were all standing outside the door, welcoming the young master back home.
When Liu An got out of the car, his mother came up to him immediately: "An'er, are you tired? Are you hungry?"
Liu An looked around and asked softly, "Mother, where is father? Why didn't he come out? Is he still angry about me climbing through the window last night?"
"No." Madam Liu smiled and explained in a low voice, "He heard that Pei Xuan was selected as the top scholar, and he was embarrassed to come out to see the top scholar, so he hid inside."
Liu An took a look inside.
Sure enough, the white-bearded head of the Liu family was sitting in the hall. He was worried that Pei Xuan would see him, so he hid inside.
Last night, he stopped Liu An and prevented him from going to Prince Jing's Mansion to look for Pei Xuan.
In today's palace examination, Pei Xuan was selected as the top scorer.
It’s a bit…
I am too ashamed to come out and see people.
The Liu family wanted to keep Zhu Qingchen and Pei Xuan for dinner, but Pei Xuan also wanted to go home, so they gave up.
Before leaving, Pei Xuan got out of the car and bowed to the head of the Liu family.
Zhu Qingchen turned the car around and asked him casually, "Last night, Patriarch Liu didn't let your senior brother save you, but you still bowed to him?"
Pei Xuan said: "In fact, at that time, I didn't want Senior Brother Liu to come to save me. It was me who didn't listen to the teacher's advice and insisted on entering Prince Jing's mansion. I am just a commoner, and it's not a pity to die. If I implicate Senior Brother and delay his palace examination, it would be bad."
Zhu Qingchen asked again: "What would you have done if Senior Brother Liu had not come to save you at that time?"
Pei Xuan thought for a moment and said, "I hope Senior Brother Liu can take care of himself first, and then take care of me. When Senior Brother Liu wins the third place, he can come and seek justice for me."
Zhu Qingchen smiled and touched his head.
Outside the city, there were fewer people watching.
The carriage also sped up.
Mrs. Chen and the neighbors also received the news and greeted them from afar outside the door.
Mrs. Chen smiled and accepted the congratulations from her neighbors.
"You have finally made it. Xuan is so successful now. He even won the first place in the imperial examination."
"Thinking back then, you drove the donkey cart by yourself and loaded the wine onto the cart just to support his studies. It was all worth it."
Mrs. Chen saw the carriage coming towards them from afar, said something to her neighbors, and then went forward.
Before the carriage could hear anything, Pei Xuan opened the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.
The mother and son held each other's hands tightly. Mrs. Chen still had a smile on her face, but her eyes were blurred with tears: "Okay, okay..."
Apart from "OK", she didn't know what to say.
Pei Xuan held his mother's hand quietly without saying a word, waiting for her to calm down.
After a long while, she came back to her senses, wiped her tears, and patted Pei Xuan: "Why do you ask Master Zhu to drive the carriage? You are so disrespectful."
Pei Xuan cried out: "Master, please understand me. If I were driving the carriage outside, I would have been caught by someone else and become their son-in-law."
Madam Chen sneered and looked him up and down, mercilessly saying, "You? You're just like that little dog next door. Which family would like you?"
Pei Xuan choked: "..."
The palace servants couldn't help laughing and surrounded the number one scholar and his mother as they went in.
They originally came to deliver rewards, and Mrs. Chen was busy running around, so she invited them and the neighbors to have lunch together.
*
Zhu Qingchen had lunch in the winery before driving his carriage back to the capital.
Now that the palace examination is over, he can pack up and move out of the palace.
He also plans to go to Dajue Temple to fulfill his vow.
But as soon as Zhu Qingchen returned to the palace, Eunuch Yang came to greet him: "Master Zhu, His Majesty has summoned you."
"Hmm?" Zhu Qingchen was puzzled. "Is there something wrong, Your Majesty?"
Eunuch Yang said, "Your Majesty presided over a palace examination today. He seems to have caught a heat stroke and is not feeling well. Please ask Master Zhu to come and take care of him."
Zhu Qingchen frowned.
If you are unhappy, go find the imperial physician. He is not an imperial physician.
He suddenly thought of something, came to his senses, looked around, and saw that he was surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs.
They probably heard what Eunuch Yang said.
"Okay." Zhu Qingchen nodded and followed Eunuch Yang to Yangju Palace.
The system asked: "This shouldn't be the case. The tyrant king is a villain who won't die no matter how hard he tries. How come he got sick in just one morning?"
Zhu Qingchen understood and said, "It's just pretend."
Zhu Qingchen came to the Yangju Palace. There were layers of curtains hanging in the palace, and a hill of ice was placed next to it. There was a slight chill in the air. Perhaps the emperor had just taken medicine, and there was still a hint of bitterness in the wind.
The palace servants held their breath and concentrated. The musicians who were inseparable from the emperor...
The music was still playing, and to suit the occasion, they had changed to a few songs with lower tones.
Zhu Qingchen gave the emperor a thumbs up in his heart. He was really a tyrant. He even pretended to be sick and still listened to the music.
Eunuch Yang bowed across the curtain, "Your Majesty, Master Zhu has arrived."
The emperor's voice came from inside: "Let him in."
"yes."
Zhu Qingchen took small steps forward, opened the curtain and went in.
Sure enough, the emperor was fine, his face looked normal, and he was leaning on the couch reading a secret memorial.
He didn't avoid Zhu Qingchen at all.
Zhu Qingchen reminded quietly: "Your Majesty?"
The emperor waved at him and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you to stay in the palace for a while these few days."
Zhu Qingchen blinked and looked at him in confusion.
The emperor said, "After a few days, we can spread the news that the emperor is seriously ill and summon the generals stationed at the border to return to the capital to report on their work. Then we can take back the military power and capture them all in one fell swoop."
He had already thought about it when he received the letter last night.
"Yes." Zhu Qingchen nodded, and continued to blink his clear and stupid eyes, "But why did His Majesty choose me to serve him?"
"This matter must be kept secret. The more people know about it, the greater the risk. That's why I don't want to ask the imperial physician or the palace maid to attend to my illness again."
The emperor put down the secret memorial and looked at him seriously: "Zhu Qing already knew about this matter, and he has seen me reading memorials late at night, so he is the most suitable person."
"Besides, Zhu Qing and King Jing have already formed a feud. As long as King Jing is alive, Zhu Qing and his students will never have peace. Zhu Qing is the only person in the world who will never reveal this matter."
Zhu Qingchen suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Then I..."
"Serve me the medicine, read a book when you have nothing to do, and tell me what I want to eat."
"Great!" Zhu Qingchen immediately got into character, looked at the medicine bowl beside him that had been emptied by the emperor, and sat next to him consciously. The system was puzzled: "You are not usually so stupid, why do you look so stupid today?"
Zhu Qingchen picked up a piece of chestnut cake and stuffed it into his mouth: "This emperor is too cunning. Since he has already controlled everything, I should be as dumb as possible to highlight his wisdom and bravery."
"The more free time he has during his illness, the more he tends to overthink. Trust people when you employ them, and don't employ people you doubt. I want him to say it himself, that he was the one who chose me, not me who chose him. If he still doubts me, thinking back on these words will alleviate his suspicions."
The simple system was frightened by some intrigues.
Zhu Qingchen chewed the chestnut cake, licked his fingertips, and curled his eyes: "Delicious!"
The emperor glanced at him and laughed.
*
Within a few days, the news that "His Majesty is ill" spread.
The emperor was addicted to singing and dancing and never attended court early in the morning, so he looked very weak.
Now, he just presided over the palace examination for a whole morning, and then he caught a heat stroke when he returned. He hasn’t recovered yet, and it’s getting worse.
All other academic officials had left the palace, except Master Zhu, who was kept in the Yangju Palace by the emperor to take care of him because he was younger.
Because of his illness, the parade for the top three candidates was cancelled and the Qionglin Banquet was postponed.
The emperor leaned back on the couch and read the secret memorial. He said to Zhu Qingchen, "It's just that your two students were wronged."
Zhu Qingchen was sitting on the couch reading a book. He turned his head and said with a smile, "Don't feel wronged. Ah Xuan doesn't know how to ride a horse, he can only drive a donkey. If he starts from scratch now, I'm afraid he won't be able to learn well. It would be bad if he falls off the horse."
"Yeah?"
"Well, An'er can ride a horse, but he looks OK, and it's easy for him to be hit by the sachet fruit while riding a horse."
The emperor closed the memorial and said, "General Zhenwei has already set out to return to the capital."
Zhu Qingchen flattered him at the right time: "Your Majesty is wise and powerful!"
Suddenly, Eunuch Yang announced from outside: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Jing is here to pay his respects."
Zhu Qingchen and the emperor were both startled and sat up suddenly. They stuffed all the scrolls and folders in their hands into the bed and covered them with quilts.
Zhu Qingchen picked up the small box beside him and applied several layers of powder on the emperor's face.
The emperor was choked by the powder and coughed: "Zhu Qing, you used to..."
"Your Majesty, please be patient."
When the powder was almost applied, Zhu Qingchen picked up the medicine bowl next to him and sprinkled a few drops into the room, creating a scene of a long-term illness and the smell of medicine all over the body.
Zhu Qingchen had been in poor health since childhood. Sometimes he pretended to be sick to avoid his homework, and sometimes he was really sick. Even his family members could not tell whether he was really sick or not.
After doing all this, Zhu Qingchen held the medicine bowl and stood aside in an orderly manner.
The emperor was still coughing, and Zhu Qingchen said, "Eunuch Yang, please let the prince in."
"yes."
Eunuch Yang opened the curtain, and Prince Jing, dressed in plain clothes, walked into the hall.
He first glanced at the emperor a few times, and seeing that he looked pale and tired, as if he was really ill, he leaned forward and saluted: "Your Majesty."
When Prince Jing raised his head, he glanced at Zhu Qingchen who was standing next to him, without saying a word.
He and Zhu Qingchen have already fallen out, so there is nothing more to say.
Now that the emperor is seriously ill, it is a good opportunity for him. He has no time to get entangled with Zhu Qingchen. After he ascends the throne, he can deal with Zhu Qingchen however he wants.
Prince Jing then put on a dreadful look, took a few steps forward, and knelt before the couch: "Your Majesty, why has it come to this?"
The emperor covered his mouth and coughed twice, trying his best not to cough up a pile of powder.
Prince Jing tried again, "Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself. The court cannot be without you for a day."
Zhu Qingchen pursed his lips beside him.
It's as if this tyrant had attended court before, and it makes no difference whether he is there or not.
The emperor said, "I'm afraid I can't do it."
A hint of joy flashed across Prince Jing's eyes, but when he raised his head, his face was filled with sorrow again: "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"
The emperor looked at him coldly and said, "I have no son, and I am afraid that there will be no one to take over the throne. I have sent officials to search among the royal family members to see who can take on this important task."
Prince Jing was stunned.
"You must be young and strong, and your parents must have passed away, so that you won't be controlled by your in-laws. I have decided to appoint you and Zhu Qing as ministers of state, and I will have to trouble you to support us when the time comes."
The emperor made many requests, but Prince Jing only felt a buzzing in his ears.
He is the emperor's younger brother, but the emperor does not want to pass the throne to him and wants to choose a new emperor from the royal family?
He was only a minister of state, and he was on an equal footing with Zhu Qingchen? When the new emperor grew up, he would kick him out?
What's the reason for this?
Prince Jing clenched his fists, forced himself to say a few more words to the emperor, and then hurriedly took his leave.
In the palace, Zhu Qingchen opened the window and watched Prince Jing's hurriedly leaving.
I guess he went back to contact the court officials.
The system asked: "Isn't the emperor afraid that he will be desperate and lead his troops to force the emperor to abdicate?"
Zhu Qingchen looked out the window and said, "The emperor is afraid that he won't lead his troops to force the emperor to abdicate. He has been pretending too much these years. If he keeps his troops in place, there will be no reason to kill him, and we won't be able to dig out all his subordinates. If we provoke him, he will contact his confidants and enter the palace together."
It is almost summer and the weather is hot and dry.
Dark clouds rolled in the sky and it looked like it was going to rain.
Zhu Qingchen closed the window, returned to the couch, lifted the quilt, and prepared to take out the book he had not finished reading.
As a result, when he lifted the quilt, a knife and a sword fell out.
Zhu Qingchen:?
The emperor put away his sword as if nothing had happened: "This matter is dangerous, it is better to be prepared."
Come to think of it, when King Jing was speaking to him just now, he kept his hands under the quilt, obviously holding a sword.
If Prince Jing turned against him at that time, he could draw his sword and kill him at any time.
Zhu Qingchen nodded blankly: "Yes."
The emperor even prepared his own share, so he is quite reliable.
The emperor cleared his throat, took out the book and handed it to him: "Read it. If you need anything, hide behind me."
Zhu Qingchen nodded, then came to his senses, and quickly shook his head, raising his right hand like a serious kitten: "I swear to defend your majesty until my death!"
*
A few more days passed.
The emperor's illness showed no improvement, and Prince Jing was already ready to take action.
His daily interactions with those playboys also showed their benefits.
Although these playboys are mediocre, their status is there after all.
They went back and told their father and brother who were serving in the court, and the court officials were soon shaken.
Now, people in the capital are in a panic. Those who were quick have already sent the visiting cards to Prince Jing's palace.
Because of this incident, Pei Xuan and Liu An have not yet been appointed to their posts and remain at home.
At first, the neighbors were very happy, but now they are hesitant and making indirect suggestions.
Pei Xuan hesitated for a few days. As the rumors outside grew more intense, he hurried to Liu Mansion to meet his senior brother.
When he arrived, Liu An was sitting in the yard with his sleeves tied up, wiping his sword.
He transformed dozens of servants into palace soldiers and trained them in a very methodical manner.
Pei Xuan stepped forward: "Senior Brother?"
Liu An glanced at him: "Hmm?"
"Brother, what's going on?" "I'm afraid that Yong'an City is about to change. The Master is still detained in the palace. That day, the Master completely offended Prince Jing for you. If Prince Jing gains power, he will never let the Master go."
Liu An polished the sword in his hand until it was shiny, and it gleamed coldly under the scorching sun: "When that time comes, I must rescue the Master."
Pei Xuan nodded: "I'll go with my senior brother."
The head of the Liu family knocked on the door outside: "An'er! Liu'an! How dare you! Open the door for me!"
But he could no longer control Liu An.
After Pei Xuan and Liu An discussed it, they reached a consensus to secretly bring Madam Chen to the Liu Mansion, and then stayed indoors and refused to let in all guests.
As the storm is about to come, the officials in Yong'an City take different actions.
*
Ten days later, General Zhenwei hurried back to the capital with several generals stationed on the border.
However, as soon as they entered the city, they did not go to the palace to report on their work, but went directly to Prince Jing's Mansion.
It was not until the evening that the group staggered into the palace.
Zhu Qingchen lay beside the window, watching from afar as several generals in armor and swords at their waists surrounded Prince Jing and walked up the jade steps step by step.
The older one should be General Zhenwei who is stationed at the border, and the others are all deputy generals.
The young eunuchs held candles in their hands and lit up the lanterns on both sides of the palace road.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating the flickering of swords and sabers.
When they came closer, Zhu Qingchen retracted his head and closed the window.
"Your Majesty, they are coming."
"Yeah." The emperor leaned back on the couch with his hands in his pockets.
Zhu Qingchen knew that he already had a knife in his hand.
The emperor freed his hands and waved to Zhu Qingchen: "Come here, I won't hurt you."
"Yes." Zhu Qingchen moved to his side and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty's eyesight is not bad, right?"
Zhu Qingchen was afraid that he would go crazy and lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe, so he killed him too.
The emperor paused, then asked, "Zhu Qing, how are your eyesight?"
Zhu Qingchen shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I often study late into the night, and my eyesight is... not very good."
The emperor held his forehead and said, "I am the same. I drank too much and my eyes are blurry."
Zhu Qingchen was shocked:!
How could these two useless "old and dim-sighted" kings and ministers defeat those burly generals? !
Before the two of them had time to say anything else, Eunuch Yang's voice came from outside the door.
"General Zhenwei, Your Highness Prince Jing, according to the rules, you are not allowed to wear armor or swords when you meet His Majesty. Please take off your armor."
General Zhenwei is a local tyrant at the border and is used to being lawless. Now that the emperor is seriously ill, how could he take him seriously?
"Get out of here, old man! This general doesn't recognize you, and this knife doesn't recognize you either. Why don't you get out of here right now?"
Zhu Qingchen in the hall interrupted in time: "Eunuch Yang, it's okay, Your Majesty, please invite a few generals in."
Eunuch Yang curled his lips and stepped aside: "Yes."
As they walked, the armor and swords collided, making crisp sounds.
Getting closer.
There were no lights on in the inner hall, but the palace lanterns outside shone into the hall, making it dark and gloomy.
Prince Jing did not suspect anything and quickly stepped forward. Seeing that the emperor was even sicker than the previous few days, he could not hide his joy: "Your Majesty?"
The emperor opened his eyes, and Prince Jing said again: "Your Majesty, I have searched among the royal family for the past few days but to no avail. I have failed your Majesty's trust."
The emperor deliberately ignored the gleam in his eyes and asked, "What should I do?"
"Your Majesty, minister..."
Before Prince Jing finished speaking, several generals behind him knelt down in unison.
General Zhenwei clasped his fists and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. We, your subjects, request that Your Majesty abdicate the throne to His Royal Highness Prince Jing and let him take charge of the overall situation as soon as possible!"
Prince Jing smiled, but his face was extremely embarrassed and distorted: "What are you talking about, General? How can I…"
"If Your Majesty does not agree, we will petition here! The tens of thousands of soldiers at the border will also petition together!"
It is called a petition, but in reality it is a threat, the meaning is very clear.
If the emperor did not abdicate, he would either start a rebellion or kill the emperor now, forge an abdication edict, and ensure that Prince Jing ascended to the throne. After all, he held the military power and could do whatever he wanted.
It would be better for him to abdicate now. He wouldn't have to sacrifice a single soldier, Prince Jing would be able to ascend the throne legitimately, and the emperor could also save his life. It would be the best of both worlds and everyone would be happy.
The hall was dark, and there was flickering fire outside.
Prince Jing knelt beside the couch and softly consoled him: "After all, the general is devoted to the people, so he is inevitably a little impatient. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is worried, after I ascend the throne, I will honor Your Majesty as the Supreme Emperor and provide you with a comfortable life."
"When I came, I saw the imperial physician waiting outside. If I finish these things as soon as possible, Your Majesty can let the imperial physician come in to see the patient. Your Majesty? I am your brother! If you can't even trust your brother, who else can Your Majesty trust?"
General Zhenwei held his sword, knelt beside him, and said angrily: "Your Majesty, it is better to make a decision soon! Your Majesty can wait, but the Northwest soldiers can't!"
Obviously, one played the good guy and the other played the bad guy, which not only preserved Prince Jing's reputation but also threatened the emperor.
Compared with rebellion, this is naturally the best way.
The emperor was silent for a long time, then beckoned to General Zhenwei and said, "Come forward, I will ask them to prepare the seal."
"Yes." General Zhenwei's face lit up with joy, thinking that the emperor had compromised and was going to write an imperial edict to abdicate.
Without any soldiers involved, the task can be accomplished with just an imperial edict.
This deal is a steal.
General Zhenwei no longer cared about his dignity at this time. He knelt on the ground, crawled forward, and smiled: "Your Majesty..."
The next second, the emperor on the bed suddenly jumped up, kicked General Zhenwei to the ground, drew his sword out of its sheath, and with a flash of silver light, the tip of the sword stabbed into his chest along the gap in his armor.
Zhu Qingchen smashed the medicine bowl in his hand: "Protect the emperor!"
The secret guards dressed as eunuchs standing guard outside the palace quickly pushed open the door and rushed in.
Prince Jing also wanted to take Zhu Qingchen as a hostage.
Zhu Qingchen dodged his hand and quickly rolled onto the bed. He took out the sword prepared for him by the emperor, drew out the long sword, and swung it twice at Prince Jing.
“Ouch!”
The emperor was frightened by him and looked back at him between attacks.
Zhu Qingchen held the hilt of the sword with both hands, and swung the sword like a cat, so that even the shadow of the sword could not be seen. King Jing was forced to retreat again and again.
The sword was not wielded very well, without any method, but the momentum was strong, and it kept making "ao ao ao" sounds, which frightened King Jing so much that his face turned pale.
It is easy to accidentally injure our comrades.
The emperor and his secret guards will catch the traitors. Zhu Qingchen is just a weak civil official, so he just needs to protect himself.
The emperor took a look and turned back with relief.
At the same time, the emperor had already chopped General Zhenwei to the ground, and several deputy generals had just drawn their swords when they were chopped to the ground by him.
No one could have imagined that the emperor, who usually indulged in singing and dancing, would suddenly become violent.
They didn't expect that the emperor was so strong.
Blood splattered on the layers of curtains, and suddenly, with a "crash" sound, a strong wind blew open the window that Zhu Qingchen had not closed just now.
A strong wind blew in, making the curtains tangled together. The emperor rubbed his face and found that his face and hands were stained with blood and smelled fishy.
Prince Jing saw that the situation was not good and turned around to run away.
Zhu Qingchen hurriedly shouted: "Your Majesty!"
The emperor turned his head suddenly, his eyes were red with anger, and he raised his hand and threw the long sword out.
Zhu Qingchen climbed up from the couch, picked up the copper vase beside the couch, and threw it at Prince Jing.
The next moment, the long sword fell in front of King Jing, shattering the floor tiles and piercing into the bricks, blocking his way.
The copper vase hit his back with a clang.
Prince Jing threw himself forward and lay on the ground like a dead dog.
He finally reacted and turned around: "You...you..."
Zhu Qingchen jumped off the bed with a sword in his hand, stood with the emperor, and looked at him coldly.
The emperor lowered his eyes and suddenly saw that Zhu Qingchen's hands were stained with the blood of some traitor, so he took out a handkerchief to wipe it off.
But before he could stretch out his hand, he suddenly heard a cry from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty? Is Your Majesty well?"
"Xiao Zhu? Xiao Zhu, where are you? Are you dead? Damn King Jing! I will fight you to death!"
"Master? Master! Master, where are you?!"
Zhu Qingchen and the emperor turned their heads in confusion:?!
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