Chapter 95 After nearly ten days of traveling, we finally arrived at the Mingyu Palace in Jingzhou. Along the way,...
After nearly ten days of travel, we finally arrived at the Mingyu Palace in Jingzhou.
Along the way, Wu Qining and Song An Ning came to her sedan chair from time to time to bother her, so she wasn't bored.
Song Shiwei looked at the writing on the pigeon and was not surprised at all. After a long argument, the court finally reached a conclusion. As Song Shiwei expected, the current commander of the Imperial Guard, Cui Xuan, led the team to suppress the rebellion.
Cui Xuan, the second daughter of the Cui family and the younger sister of the male protagonist Cui Yanchen.
Since the death of the previous emperor, the Imperial Guards, the most important garrison of the entire capital, was divided between the aristocratic families and Song Shiwei, taking advantage of the young age of the new emperor. The commander was from the Cui family, and the deputy commander was from her family. Over the years, they had kept a check and balance on each other, and had lived in peace.
It's not quite accurate to say that she was the one who entrusted his son to her when the late emperor passed away. He had handed over an inconspicuous royalist minister of the previous dynasty to her.
They were required to obey her orders without any objection. If Wu Qining declined, they would be part of the Song family and her minions to do evil.
If Wu Qining reveals her abilities step by step and takes off the title of puppet emperor, those royalist ministers will inevitably leave her and be loyal to the orthodoxy of the dynasty.
Therefore, part of the power behind her actually belongs to the orthodox Wu Qining of the dynasty, and she is just in charge of it.
Song Shiwei has spent a lot of energy these days to distinguish who are her followers and who belong to the late emperor and Wu Qining.
We have to find a way to keep the life of Cui Xuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards, in Ningzhou, so that Lin Sheng can completely control the Imperial Guards.
"Song Lin, send a message to the pawn planted in the rebels, and tell her to find a way to get rid of Cui Xuan."
"Send a message to Xuan Shi, keep Cui Xuan's life in Ningzhou at all costs." Wu Qining held the intelligence sent from the capital, his sharp phoenix eyes full of murderous intent.
"Cui Xuan has one of my men under his command. After killing her, I will let her help recruit people and use her merits to push her to the top."
"Yes." Xuan Jian took the order and left. Wu Qining leaned against the dragon chariot, looking at the murderous imperial guards around him, and curled his eyes coldly.
The Royal Guard must be in her hands.
As the sun set, the sedan chair gradually came to a stop. The Mingyu Palace seemed to be covered with a layer of golden gauze, gleaming with awe-inspiring light.
The governor of Jingzhou and officials from the prefecture knelt in front of the Mingyu Palace.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty."
"Stand up." Song Shiwei strode with her head held high, wearing a vermilion court dress. She stood at the front and accepted the kneeling kowtows of all the ministers. There was no expression on her face. She just nodded slightly, accepting it with great peace of mind.
Wu Qining was still huddled timidly behind Song Shiwei, the brilliance of the red-gold dragon robe on his body almost obscured by Song Shiwei.
In early March, the weather was slightly warmer, but the nights were still chilly. After Song Shiwei checked the emperor's ploughing procedures, he ordered people to go to the palace and rest as soon as possible.
The emperor had to fast for three days to show respect to the gods, then offer sacrifices to the God of Agriculture, and finally plough the fields himself.
Fortunately, Wu Qining was quite familiar with this etiquette and ate some meat on the way to satisfy her cravings. Otherwise, if she had fasted as soon as she entered Mingyu Palace, she would have lost a lot of weight.
That treacherous minister, she had clearly pretended to surrender, but she didn't even remind her that he was deliberately trying to starve her to death and inherit her throne.
His heart is despicable.
After everyone finished cleaning the palace, they started to have their meals, and all the halls were brightly lit.
Wu Qining sat alone on the bed in the main hall, looking expressionlessly at the flickering candlelight beside the bed and the clear soup that was served. There were two lonely leaves floating on the white rice porridge.
She suddenly raised her head and smelled the lingering smell of flesh on Xuan Jian's body. She spoke word by word:
"I want to eat meat."
Xuan Jian whispered, "Your Majesty, this is disrespectful to the gods. You must never say this again."
"I know, I'm just saying." Wu Qining drank half a bowl of porridge in one gulp with an expressionless face. His stomach was still empty, just like drinking water.
It was solved in no time. Wu Qining looked at the empty main hall and narrowed his eyes.
After finally leaving Beijing, she had to go to Jingzhou to take a closer look. She wanted to see if Jingzhou was like Ningzhou, controlled by aristocratic families.
Unlike the capital, Mingyu Palace had no secret passages, and Song Shiwei's men were everywhere, so she couldn't reveal Xuanjian's identity. It was basically impossible to sneak out.
Now the only thing she could do was to get that treacherous official to take her out for a walk.
She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, and immediately thought of a person, the treacherous minister's daughter - Song An Ning.
Wu Qining strolled around the Mingyu Palace to digest the food after dinner. The treacherous minister was invited by the governor of Jingzhou to discuss matters, so he was busy at this time and had no energy to care about them.
Song An Ning squatted under a big tree in the palace, and out of boredom, he used a branch to dig a shallow hole in the ground.
Wu Qining stood behind her and watched her playing with a smile. Song An Ning's followers were sent away by Xuan Jian. She thought that as Song Shiwei's only daughter, it would be difficult for her to send Song An Ning's followers away. However, when the followers saw that it was her, they started chatting with Xuan Jian with ease.
Before she could speak, Song An Ning sensed a shadow behind her. He jumped away with a "ha!" and pointed the branch in his hand at her.
"Where did this thief come from? Believe it or not, I called my mother."
He looked up and realized that he had gotten into trouble. He immediately threw the branch behind him, bowed dejectedly, and apologized:
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. I did not know you were my Majesty and did not mean to offend you. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Are the little traitors raised by this traitor so polite?
Wu Qining was a little surprised. She held Song Anning's elbow and helped her up, and the two of them sat in a row on the steps in front of the hall.
"Nothing, I forgive you. What are you doing here, Ning'er? Do you think Mingyu Palace is boring? I think so too."
Song An Ning's originally tried hard to keep a straight face immediately melted away, as if he had found a soulmate, he drooped his face and let out a long sigh.
"I thought I could go shopping and enjoy poetry readings when I arrived in Jingzhou, but I didn't expect to stay in this deep walled courtyard. I have been staying in this courtyard for eight years. It is so boring."
"The Grand Tutor loves you so much, why don't you ask her to take you for a tour in Jingzhou. There are still a few days before the farming ceremony, so it won't delay your business." Wu Qining looked at her with some sympathy and suggested casually.
But after hearing this, Song An Ning felt even more aggrieved. She held her chubby cheeks with both hands and stretched out her tone.
"Ning'er has begged mother a long time ago, but mother disagreed. She said: This trip is indeed a state affair, not a party for you to have fun. Stay well in Mingyu Palace and don't make trouble." Song An Ning frowned and spoke imitating Song Shiwei's expression and tone.
The little guy learned it quite well, he looks just like Song Shiwei.
Wu Qining couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You are so cute. If you act coquettishly a little more, maybe your mother won't be able to resist it and will agree." Wu Qining leaned over to her ear and whispered a plan for her.
If it really doesn't work, just let the kid pester Song Shiwei, she won't have the energy to take care of her anymore. She'll make plans then.
"Your Majesty, if you want to go out and play, just tell me. I may not disagree. Why use my little girl as a raft? She is still young." A cold voice came from behind her, which made her shiver.
Wu Qining looked back suddenly and saw Song Shiwei leaning against the jade pillar in front of the palace. Perhaps she had finished bathing, she took off her court dress and changed into a light blue casual dress. Her long dark hair fell on her shoulders like a waterfall, and the ends of her hair were wet, with a few drops of water faintly falling.
Wu Qining immediately came back to her senses and put on an expression of shock and fear. She didn't know how much she had heard from them.
Looking up, although Song Shiwei's words were cold, the look she gave them was not cold. Perhaps it was because she had taken off her court robes that were stained with the blood of countless lives, which also washed away her long-standing tough and cold expression.
Or maybe it was because the moonlight tonight was particularly good, the coldness around her was silently melted away by the gentle moonlight. Her narrow eyes softened inexplicably, and shattered in Wu Qining's frightened eyes.
Her clenched fist hidden under the dragon robe trembled, twitched a few times, and then spread out in a panic.
She hurriedly avoided Song Shiwei's gaze and looked at the dark palace behind her. Song Shiwei looked at the two people sitting on the steps with wide eyes and anxiety.
They are aunt and niece as expected, they really look alike.
"Mother, are you done with your work?" Song Ning'an took the initiative as soon as he saw that the situation was not right. He pulled Song Shiwei's robe with both hands and spoke in a long tone, as if he was acting coquettishly.
"Yeah, I just finished my work and heard someone was about to do something bad."
"No, mother heard wrong. Ning'er suddenly remembered that she hasn't finished her homework, so she'll take her leave first." When Song An Ning heard Song Shiwei's indifferent tone, she knew that the situation was not good. She gave Wu Qining an apologetic look, turned around and ran away immediately.
This brat will be in trouble when she comes to power. Wu Qining looked at Song Anning's back, which was faster than a rabbit, and gritted his teeth secretly.
Song Shiwei took two more steps forward, looked at the dark whorl of hair on Wu Qining's head, and said softly, "Your Majesty, do you want to go to Jingzhou for a stroll?"
Wu Qining tilted her neck to look at the woman bathing in the moonlight. The bright moonlight shone straight into her eyes. Her eyes seemed to be frozen, without blinking at all, until a layer of mist filled her eyes that were filled with soreness. She also did not see the emotions in Song Shiwei's eyes at this moment.
Grand Tutor, treacherous minister, and elder sister.
She repeated it in her mind over and over again, as if to emphasize the viciousness of the person in front of her, and as if to remind herself.
This child, what is she doing in a daze? She originally planned to take her to Jingzhou for a stroll, so that the emperor would not be ignorant of grains and bring disaster to the people in the future.
Song Shiwei raised his hand and tucked his hair behind his head, then sat beside her, tilting his head and looking at her in confusion.
Why did she feel that the child was becoming more and more stupid? Even if he wanted to hide his incompetence, he shouldn't act like this.
Wu Qining blinked, and a tear slid down from his right eye, wetting the cinnabar mole at the end of his right eye, which sparkled with tiny rays of light.
She almost felt sick, and resisted the urge to get down on Song's slightly hunched knees.
With her eyebrows lowered and her eyes submissive, she moved her lips in a whisper and called out only once: "Grandmaster. I...I will listen to you, Grandmaster."
"What a good child! Come with me." Song Shiwei stood up and walked into the hall. Seeing Wu Qining still in a daze, he waved at her.
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