The assassination took place near Tangzhou.
It was the fifth day after Yu Zeng and his companions left Jiangdu. Not far from Huainan Road, they were suddenly ambushed by nearly a hundred assassins who were lurking there.
In addition to the visible guards, the Emperor of the Holy Ce also arranged for a group of secret guards to accompany him, who also suffered heavy casualties.
At this moment, the leader of the secret guards, who was wounded but had rushed back on horseback, was kneeling in front of the dragon case to plead guilty and explain what had happened.
"...these people lurked in secret and first used hidden arrows to disrupt the horses of the team. Their arrows were all poisoned, so the horses went crazy..."
The situation suddenly fell into chaos. Even though they intervened immediately, those mad horses were completely out of control.
Moreover, they were passing through the mountains at the time, where the roads were narrow and the vision was obstructed. The carriages and horses were galloping in different directions, and they could not immediately determine in which direction Yu Zeng's carriage was being towed, so he could only order their forces to split up and pursue.
As a result, his manpower was inevitably dispersed.
Those assassins came with great force and were extremely ruthless in their attacks. They were also very skilled in using hidden weapons and poisons... Of his sixty elite soldiers, forty were killed, most of whom died of poisoning.
By the time they found Yu Zeng's carriage, the horses and carriage had already rolled down the mountain.
The mountain was steep, the carriage was smashed to pieces, and the horses were bloody...
"I found the mutilated body of Yu Changshi five steps away from the carriage... His bones and flesh were torn apart, and his head was cut off and taken away..."
Apparently, he was taken away by the assassins.
The assassins retreated quickly after their success. Except Yu Zeng, two of the six imperial envoys died on the spot, and the remaining four were also seriously injured and were on their way back to Beijing.
The commander of the secret guards reported the truth, not daring to say anything to whitewash it, and finally kowtowed: "I have failed to do my job well, please punish me, Your Majesty!"
After a moment, a cool and majestic voice came from above: "Back off."
The leader of the secret guards seemed to have been pardoned. He stood up, saluted, and retreated silently.
The emperor had expected this result, as this was a test that she had initiated.
And at this moment, the result of this temptation was clearly laid out before her.
Li Yin killed Yu Zeng, and Ah Wei did not intervene to stop him...so, Prince Rong's act of silencing him was not just taking advantage of a bad situation.
"Prince Ma, Prince Rong has taken action."
The Holy Ce Emperor looked at Ma Xingzhou who came in to pay his respects, and said slowly, "Yu Zeng is indeed his spy who was planted beside me... For so many years, I have been on guard against so many things, but I actually missed such an important person."
Although Ma Xingzhou did not know the whole process of the emperor's tests, now that the emperor had made such a firm statement, it was confirmed.
Ma Xingzhou felt a chill in his heart.
The result of this test not only proved that Yu Zeng was someone else's spy, but also made people realize that "it turned out that Prince Rong had already had a change of heart more than ten years ago... and no one noticed it."
"He has always been very good at hiding his true intentions. I know I have never trusted him, but I still cannot find any faults in him." The Holy Ce Emperor sneered, "Now that he has taken action to kill Yu Zeng, he can no longer hide, and he is too disdainful to hide anymore."
"He is so blatantly confirming my temptation... First, Yu Zeng must have a reason to die, and second, he is sure that even if I know his true face, I can't touch him at this moment!"
The emperor spoke word by word: "Li Yin's intentions are clear. He is no longer afraid of me, the emperor."
The Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies sat in the dragon throne, one hand tightly grasping the relief of a coiled dragon on one armrest, his eyes concealing the anger of having his imperial majesty challenged, as well as the murderous intent that he had suppressed and endured.
She can't kill Li Yin now.
Li Yin's name was already known, and there were many people who wanted to use Li Yin to accomplish their goals. Those people were eyeing her covetously... If she dared to attack Li Yin head-on at this time, as long as Li Yin was unwilling to sit and wait for death and cried out that he was injustice, countless people would follow him immediately.
The ruthless thing about the struggle for imperial power is that truth and falsehood, right and wrong are never important.
Therefore, even if she knew what Li Yin had done, she couldn't do anything about it. Would she expose his ambitions in the court tomorrow? That was the mind of a three-year-old child, and it would be useless except to make her look stupid.
The Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies closed his eyes slightly, trying to calm the anger boiling in his heart.
Ma Xingzhou could clearly sense that the emperor's anger was not due to the incident itself. As a woman who had sat on the throne for so many years, she had determination and patience.
What really made the emperor angry was her powerlessness as an emperor at the moment.
Knowing that he should be killed, he is powerless to do so.
If you are powerless in one thing, you are bound to have many problems...even everything will fall into this kind of powerlessness.
The last time this infuriating feeling of powerlessness appeared in the Holy Cemetery Emperor was before she came to power.
Since she came to power and even ascended the throne, this feeling of powerlessness completely disappeared. As an emperor, there are always times when one cannot control one's own will, but since she holds power, she can fight and kill... Princes, frontier generals, nobles, anyone who tries to compete with her will be slaughtered by her first.
She sat on the throne for more than a decade, and also spent more than a decade in countless struggles and killings. However, the situation not only did not improve, but instead pushed her into a shaky situation.
She was puzzled and unwilling, thinking that everything should not be like this, but her hands were increasingly losing control and power.
This familiar yet unfamiliar feeling of powerlessness brought back many unpleasant memories for her. However, the powerlessness of a concubine was completely different from that of an emperor.
Once you have experienced the feeling of having the power of life and death, it is bound to be difficult to accept the loss of power over millions of people.
The concubine Ming could lie dormant and plan, patiently waiting for the opportunity...but as an emperor, she had no way to retreat, and the situation would not give her any chance to lie dormant.
Ma Xingzhou looked at the emperor in front of him, and suddenly felt that she had aged a lot.
His temples have turned gray and his figure has become increasingly thin...but his majesty and ambition have never diminished in the slightest.
Her still thriving desire for power was locked in her aging body. The predicament she faced made her look like a candle dragon that was bound by layers of iron chains but had already grown an old white beard.
After a moment of trance, Ma Xingzhou suppressed the ominous feeling of defeat in his heart.
"Your Majesty..." He seemed to be persuading the emperor, or comforting himself, or perhaps this was indeed part of the truth: "Now at least Huainan Road has been pacified, the Japanese rebellion has ceased, and Dong Luo is willing to continue to make peace with our dynasty... The rebellion in Kangdingshan and Pinglu has also subsided, which shows that there is still a chance to turn the situation around."
"Prime Minister Ma is right..." The Emperor of the Holy Ce exhaled slowly, and all of this had the shadow of Ashang.
Although A Shang was unwilling to acknowledge her, he still helped her a lot... at least for now.
After receiving her reminder, Ah Shang did not go to protect Yu Zeng. This shows that Yu Zeng's existence was indeed a means for Prince Rong to monitor Ah Shang in the past... Perhaps, Prince Rong even used Yu Zeng to do something unfavorable to Ah Shang.
If that is the case, she might try to convince Ah Shang to join forces with her to get rid of Prince Rong.
But even so, we still have to wait for an opportunity——
"I may not have no chance to kill him..." The Holy Ce Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly with murderous intent, and said slowly: "Among the current chaos, Bian Chunliang poses the greatest threat. If we can put down Bian Chunliang's rebellion, the rebels around will not dare to make any big moves for a while. When the overall situation is relatively stable and all parties are waiting and watching, I will quickly take Li Yin's life!"
That would be her only chance to take action, and even though it would still be risky, she had to do it.
Ma Xingzhou's expression became solemn after hearing this. He suppressed his thoughts and tried to ask, "Then according to your Majesty, is Jingzhou safe?"
"Since Xiao Min led the reinforcements to Jingzhou, they have fought with the Bian army twice. The Bian army attacked twice but failed to approach Jingzhou. Now they are still defending Yuezhou..." The Holy Ce Emperor said: "In my opinion, Jingzhou can be safe."
But just defending Jingzhou was far from enough, what she wanted was to defeat the Bian army.
"Yesterday, Li Xian sent a letter back to the capital, and swore to me that he would take back Yuezhou within a month, otherwise he would be beheaded."
Although she no longer had so much faith in Li Xian's ability, otherwise she would not have sent Xiao Min to go. However, Li Xian repeatedly assured her in the letter that he had a good plan to defeat the enemy and would not let her down.
If Li Xian really has a good plan, and with Xiao Min by his side, he may be able to wipe out Bian Chunliang's rebels within this year.
One year is enough time for Ashang to take care of Huainan Road... After that, she can try to persuade Ashang to join her in dealing with Prince Rong.
Bian Chunliang, Li Yin...If she could get rid of these two, she would be able to reverse the downward trend.
The look in the empress's eyes was very firm, without any trace of depression or defeat.
After discussing various important matters with the empress, half an hour later, Ma Xingzhou raised his hand to bow and take his leave.
"It is getting late, and the spring rain is still chilly. I have ordered someone to prepare a sedan chair for Prime Minister Ma to leave the palace."
Ma Xingzhou bowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
After Ma Xingzhou left the Ganlu Palace, a maid came to the dragon table holding a pill and whispered, "Saint, it's time to take the medicine..."
The Emperor of the Holy Ce glanced over and saw that there was only one pill in the medicine box held by the palace maid, while she had been taking two pills each time recently.
Sensing the emperor's gaze, the maid lowered her eyes even more: "Your Majesty, this is the last pill left by the Imperial Master..."
The Holy Ceremonial Emperor's voice was unremarkable: "Put it down."
"Yes." The maid responded, put down the pill and slowly retreated.
The Holy Ceme Emperor looked at the pill quietly - her imperial teacher had indeed been away for too long.
She had asked Tianjing about his return date several times, but Tianjing never showed any intention of coming back.
This is about to really leave.
She has always known that Tianjing is not loyal to her, but to the one who carries the destiny.
She asked Tianjing many times whether her imperial destiny was no longer there, and Tianjing always replied that the secret could not be revealed.
So she thought that Tian Jing might have already seen through the secrets of heaven. He was not looking for a "star of misfortune" for her, but was looking for the next emperor star for himself...
But for a man like him, no matter what means she uses, he will not speak out if he doesn't want to reveal something.
People like him have always been regarded as the messengers of God's will. The words that come out of his mouth can often become a sharp sword... She has used such a sword before, so she knows its power well.
After a while, the Holy Ce Emperor summoned a eunuch.
The eunuch in the red robe had an ordinary appearance, and seemed to be around thirty years old. After Yu Zeng left the capital, he was in charge of all the affairs of the Sigongtai.
"Where has the Imperial Master been recently?"
The eunuch replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, a letter was sent back yesterday saying that the Imperial Master has arrived near Quzhou."
"After entering Jiannan Dao..." The Holy Ce Emperor said with a half-smile, "It's quite close to Prince Rong's Mansion."
The eunuch did not respond, but bowed slightly, waiting attentively for the emperor's next words.
"Well, since the Imperial Master is old and does not want to return to the capital, I will fulfill his wish to travel around the world." The Holy Ce Emperor took the scarlet pill and exerted a little force with his fingers: "In this case, let the people who are guarding the Imperial Master come back."
As soon as she finished speaking, the scarlet pill shattered into powder.
"Yes, I will arrange it later." The eunuch held a brocade handkerchief in both hands and handed it over with his head lowered.
When the Emperor took the Holy Seal, the eunuch asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, how should we arrange for the family of Yu Changshi?"
"Bring them to the Sigongtai and wait for Yuzeng to identify the bodies."
Yu Zeng acted so cautiously. Although the chance of him revealing the secrets of Prince Rong's Mansion to his family was slim, it would not hurt to give it a try.
The eunuch understood and withdrew.
That night, a eunuch came to Yu's house in the rain.
When Yu's mother heard the noise, she hurried over.
The eunuch who came informed him of the news that Yu Zeng had been assassinated.
When Yu's mother heard this, the color drained away from her face in an instant. She opened her mouth, but no clear sound came out.
"Old Madam, please accept my condolences." The young eunuch said, "For now, we have to trouble Old Madam and Second Master Yu to accompany us to the Palace Office. Mr. Yu's body is incomplete, and we need you two to identify it later."
Mother Yu nodded blankly with red eyes, then shook her head: "But the second son is not at home... The child is sick, and several doctors have been invited to treat him but none of them have helped. After he got off duty today, he took his wife and children to Dayun Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings..."
"It happened to rain, so I sent someone back to tell him I would stay in the temple for one night and come back tomorrow!"
As she spoke, Yu's mother couldn't control her tears any longer, and she felt a little helpless: "Such a big thing has happened... I'll go find him and bring him back!"
When she was about to go out, she was stopped by two eunuchs who came forward.
"The roads are slippery in the rain, so it's inconvenient to leave the city. There's no need for the old lady to go there in person." The leading eunuch said, "We'll have someone go and take the second master back to the city."
"Okay, okay..." Yu's mother wiped her tears and cried uncontrollably.
"Then please ask the old lady to follow us into the palace."
Yu's mother looked very sad. She didn't even bother to change her clothes and hurried away with the eunuch.
When the eunuch left, he left behind more than ten eunuchs to guard all the entrances and exits of the Yu family in the name of protection.
The old woman beside Yu's mother came to Yu Guang's yard in a panic.
Yu Guang and his family of three never left the city to burn incense.
The old woman explained the matter with an anxious look on her face.
"Something happened to my brother?!" Yu Guangda was shocked.
How could this happen? Why did A Niang enter the palace alone? "Second Master, hurry up and follow me... We have to escape! Those people will soon find out something is wrong!"
Yu Guang was full of confusion. Why did he run away? The incident happened suddenly and it was unclear. He would not leave without explaining it clearly!
Seeing his stubborn and annoying look, the old woman simply stopped looking at him and pulled the woman up: "Madam, hurry up!"
"Okay..." The woman hurried to the next room to call the child, and said hurriedly: "Talk while we walk!"
Soon Yu Guang was the only one left in the room. He stayed for a moment and then quickly ran out.
The old woman brought Yu Guang and his family to Yu Zeng's wine cellar in the rain and darkness.
There is an unknown secret passage here, and Yu's mother only learned of its existence not long ago.
Before Yu Zeng left Beijing, he had a secret conversation with her in this wine cellar.
At this moment, Yu's mother was sitting in the carriage heading into the palace, her mind filled with the conversation that night.
4200 words, Happy Little New Year (but no dumplings) and good night! (I can write about Xiao Wei tomorrow)
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