Chapter 78 Back then, the late emperor intended to pass the throne to me.
Gu Nanxiao was puzzled as to how Qi Jinxiu had received the news and arrived so quickly. Just then, Qian Yu appeared beside him in a flash and told him that he was the one who had been sent.
Although Gu Nanxiao was displeased, he had to admit that Qi Jinxiu was quite capable in many matters. But with Yunxi's safety at stake, this wasn't the time to argue with him.
He strode to the carriage, climbed onto the shaft, lifted the curtain, and sat inside.
Inside the car, Qi Jinxiu, also suppressing his anger, looked up at the man opposite him and said bluntly:
“Shen Yujiao has been taken away by people sent by the Shen family. They have the Empress Dowager’s decree in their hands, so the Dali Temple had no choice but to release her.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Nanxiao clenched his fists tightly, his teeth grinding together. He knew it was because of Shen Yujiao, but he hadn't expected his grandmother to be so cruel as to pressure him like this.
Knowing that Yunxi is his beloved, why does he still want to harm her? Does he really not care about their relationship as grandfather and granddaughter?
Seeing his helpless expression, Qi Jingxiu felt a surge of anger and asked in an unfriendly tone, "Have you thought of a way to rescue Yunxi?"
Gu Nanxiao was also in a state of great turmoil at the moment, and did not pay attention to his harsh tone. He replied in a muffled voice, "I will immediately request an audience with the Empress Dowager when the palace gates are wide open tomorrow morning."
Qi Jinxiu, seemingly oblivious to his embarrassment, continued to press, "What will you do if the Empress Dowager refuses to see you and refuses to release the person?"
"I..." Gu Nanxiao only managed to utter one word before falling silent. He wanted to say that if the Empress Dowager refused to see him, he would kneel before the palace gates forever. But he simply couldn't bring himself to say such cowardly words to this man.
His silence didn't mean Qi Jinxiu didn't understand. Seeing his helpless expression, Qi Jinxiu gave a cold, angry snort and said:
"Tomorrow, starting from when you enter the palace to plead for mercy, I will kill one member of the Shen family every hour. As long as the Empress Dowager does not allow Yunxi to leave the palace, I will exterminate twelve members of her clan every day."
Upon hearing this, Gu Nanxiao looked up at Qi Jinxiu in great shock. He had long known that this person was not as simple as he appeared.
When he was searching for Yunxi that day, he had already seen with his own eyes the secret guards trained by Qi Jinxiu, who were clearly no less capable than his own men.
However, once such a challenge to imperial power is taken, it will be difficult to escape unscathed.
Gu Nanxiao certainly didn't care about Qi Jinxiu's life; he just felt that if Qi Jinqiu died because of this, Yunxi would probably remember it for the rest of her life.
He quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't act rashly. Yunxi is currently in the Empress Dowager's hands. If we take too drastic measures, Yunxi may suffer."
"Give me two days. If I can't rescue Yunxi, I'll do as you say on the third day, okay?"
Qi Jinxiu narrowed his phoenix eyes, his mind racing with calculations. After a while, he finally replied with an "okay" and then gestured for him to proceed.
Seeing that he had agreed, Gu Nanxiao did not wish to linger and quickly dismounted from the carriage. He mounted the horse that Mo Yu had brought and, with his men, returned to the Yong Prince's residence before curfew.
The first thing he did upon returning home was to go see Prince Yong and ask his father what exactly happened back then.
Gu Nanxiao arrived at the Prince Yong's courtyard, but was stopped by a servant who reported, "The Prince and Consort Lin have already retired for the night. Please come again tomorrow, Marquis."
Gu Nanxiao couldn't wait until tomorrow. Anxious and impatient, he kicked open the gate to Prince Yong's courtyard.
In fact, the servant wasn't lying. At that moment, Prince Yong was possessing Consort Lin, diligently working on her. Startled by the loud noise his son made, he trembled and immediately confessed.
At this moment, Gu Nanxiao had already rushed into the courtyard. The servants lit torches, and more than a dozen guards blocked his way, preventing him from getting any closer. Gu Nanxiao was about to make his move.
At this moment, King Yong pushed open the bedroom door, wearing an outer robe, but judging from his bare legs underneath, it was clear how cool it was inside.
He glared angrily at his unruly son, no longer suppressing his rage, and sternly rebuked him: "Do you have any manners at all?"
The courtyard gates were locked. How dare you, as my son, break into my bedroom in the middle of the night? Do you really not respect your father?
Upon realizing that the key to rescuing Yunxi still required his father's answer, Gu Nanxiao immediately changed his arrogant attitude and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, saying:
"Please come to the study, Father. I have something very important to ask you."
Recently, Prince Yong had been trying to resolve the rift between himself and Gu Nanxiao. It was rare to see him so obedient today. He barely managed to suppress the frustration that had just been interrupted, let out a cold snort, and took the lead in walking towards the study.
The father and son entered the study one after the other. Gu Xiao immediately dismissed everyone, locked the study door from the inside, and then went to the antique shelf on the left and turned on a jade bottle.
With a few soft thuds, a huge painting behind the desk slowly slid open to reveal a dark room.
King Yong never expected that his son would even know about the secret room in his study. Before he could ask any questions, the man was grabbed by the wrist and led into the secret room.
After the two entered the secret chamber, Gu Nanxiao took out a tinderbox and lit the lamps in the room. Then he pulled on the wall, and the door to the secret chamber closed again.
Seeing his tense expression, the Prince of Yong did not intend to ask him how he knew about the secret chamber, but instead asked directly, "Has something serious happened?"
Gu Nanxiao nodded and replied, "Today, the Emperor summoned me to the palace and ordered me to investigate in private whether the Shen family uncles had engaged in any acts of treason, such as embezzling grain or privately forging weapons, during their time in charge of the Tiger Roar Army on the northeastern border."
Upon hearing this, Prince Yong frowned. He knew that despite his apparent incompetence and laziness over the years, the Emperor still had not given up on eliminating him.
He looked up at his eldest son, who was handsome and extraordinary, and pondered whether or not to tell him what had happened.
Seeing that his father was unwilling to speak, Gu Nanxiao added fuel to the fire, saying, "His Majesty just gave me a very detailed document, which clearly indicates that he has been secretly investigating for a long time."
The reason this task has been assigned to me today is simply to use me as a weapon to betray the Shen family, thereby severing all ties between our Yongwang Mansion and the Shen family.
Therefore, I have come today to inquire about that important event from back then, and I ask that you tell me, so that I will not be too passive when dealing with danger and be led by the nose at every turn.”
At this moment, the mediocre prince, unlike his usual muddle-headed and indecisive demeanor, subtly adjusted his eyebrows and carefully examined Gu Nanxiao. After a few breaths, he spoke slowly:
"In fact, the person the late emperor truly intended to pass the throne to was me."
Seeing that his son showed no surprise after he finished speaking, the Prince of Yong assumed that he had done some investigation during his years in charge of the Imperial Guard, and continued:
"His Majesty is the legitimate son of the Empress and was made Crown Prince at a young age. Although his talent is mediocre, he has not made any major mistakes. However, after I began to show extraordinary talent when I was five years old, the late Emperor's favoritism became more and more obvious."
Later, before your grandfather passed away, he suddenly drafted an edict to pass the throne to me, who was only fourteen years old at the time. But before the edict could be read aloud, it had already spread throughout the palace.
Upon hearing of this, the 35-year-old Crown Prince, who is now the Emperor, immediately mobilized the Imperial Guards and sealed off the Imperial City.
Just as a palace coup was about to erupt, your grandmother stepped forward and presented the edict of succession to the current emperor, thus quelling the chaos.
Subsequently, the late emperor passed away, and the ministers welcomed the new emperor to the throne. However, during the handover of military power, it was discovered that the tiger tally of the 300,000 Tiger Roar Army under the command of the Shen family had disappeared from the capital.
That is probably why the Emperor, out of some fear, never harmed me, his own brother.
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