Chapter 161 (Catching Bugs)
Now the entire palace was under the control of Xie Zheng. The temporary announcement to the outside world during the abdication that night was that Li Taifu and Wei Yan were conspiring for treason, and the emperor was frightened and seriously ill. All the ministers involved had been imprisoned, but the specific charges had to wait until the emperor "recovered from his illness" to be determined.
The court officials were clear in their minds that after the absurd incident at the palace banquet, the emperor's "illness" might not be cured, and the throne would probably have to change hands.
Qi Min was seriously injured, and Gongsun Yin ordered him to be temporarily placed in a temporary palace, which was heavily guarded inside and outside.
In order to seize the firearms of the Shenji Camp, he sent many elite shadow guards to Xiyuan. After a fierce battle with Fan Changyuji's Zuoye Camp, all the shadow guards were wiped out. The shadow guards who stayed with Qi Min were also killed or injured in the artillery fire and random arrows to protect him. The few remaining ones are now under custody.
When Fan Changyu stepped into the palace, he saw a pale-faced man lying on the bed, coughing, half-dead.
Fan Changyu had never met Qi Min before. He just felt that he and the little emperor were probably uncle and nephew. The two looked a bit alike, and there was a layer of melancholy between their brows.
The other party noticed her, coughed, leaned on the pillow, and spoke weakly but still with a hint of sarcasm: "General Yunhui? What a rare guest."
It was as if he was not a prisoner, but the descendant of the Crown Prince Chengde who was about to ascend to a high position.
Fan Changyu didn't play tricks on him and got straight to the point: "What did Wei Yan and the Sui family do in the Jinzhou massacre seventeen years ago?"
Why didn't the Sui family send troops to aid Jinzhou? Even after the Sui family rebelled over the years, Wei Yan never brought up the Sui family's mistake of delaying the opportunity to fight.
Qi Min lowered his eyes and smiled: "Of course... I did something worse than pigs and dogs."
Fan Changyu shouted coldly: "Speak!"
The arc of his mouth deepened, and he discussed the conditions with Fan Changyu: "With the sharpness of the Bloody Knight, you should have found the whereabouts of my concubine. If you want to know about Wei Yan and the Sui family's activities, you can let me meet her."
Fan Changyu immediately said: "Dream!"
Her eyes were clear and cold, like the blade of a knife covered with frost and snow.
Fan Changyu still remembers vividly how this person had killed a child of Yu Baoer in order to prevent her from falling into their hands.
Yu Qianqian had finally escaped from his clutches, and she would never let Yu Qianqian see this scum again.
Qi Min lowered his eyes: "Then... I have nothing to tell you."
Fan Changyu suddenly drew his sword and pressed it against his throat, his expression cold: "I am not here to negotiate with you."
The time she had spent in the military camp and in the imperial court was enough for her to learn how to threaten someone with a ruthless and fierce attitude.
Qi Min just smiled and said, "Now that I have fallen into your hands, I will die anyway. If General Yunhui only wants to take my life, you can do it."
He began to claim to be alone, and even though he was surrounded by villains, he still exuded a sense of pride in his bones, as if telling Fan Changyu that there was absolutely no room for negotiation.
Fan Changyu held the sword and fought him for two breaths. The tip of the sword cut through the thin skin on his neck, and blood oozes out. However, there was no fear on his face.
Fan Changyu frowned fiercely, finally put away his sword, pursed his lips, and left the palace without saying a word.
-
As soon as she stepped out of the palace gate, she saw a man walking up the white marble steps outside the palace. There were many snowflakes on his gold-painted cloak, his face was like cold jade, and his eyes were like lacquer.
Fan Changyu was slightly startled, "Why are you here?"
Seeing her, the coldness in Xie Zheng's eyes melted a little. Seeing that she was only wearing thin soft armor, he directly pulled off the cloak on his shoulders and put it on her. "I went into the palace to check some things. I heard that you came to the temporary palace, so I came to see you."
The cloak still carried his body temperature and the cold smell of ice and snow. Fan Changyu was not as tall as him, and his whole body was almost tucked inside. Only his bright face and long hair tied up high were exposed. He looked like a little boy who had stolen his elder brother's clothes. He had clear features and a heroic spirit.
She raised her hand and dialed a number, then walked down the steps with Xie Zhengbu and told him about how the Sui family had forged the tiger talisman and deliberately not sent troops. "I thought the emperor's eldest grandson might know something, so I came to ask him about it. He asked to see Qianqian before he would tell me."
When Xie Zheng heard that the Sui family had made a tiger talisman, his eyes instantly turned cold again: "The maid in the cold palace also died three days ago."
Unable to get any information out of Wei Yan, after he was released from the prison, he started to investigate the matter between him and Concubine Shu.
Fan Changyu was not surprised: "The emperor did it?"
Calculating the time, the palace maid died just after New Year's Eve.
Xie Zheng shook his head and said, "I checked the eunuchs around Qi Sheng. After Leng Gong's frame-up failed, Qi Sheng went to Wei Yan overnight to seek protection. That palace maid was his bargaining chip to threaten Wei Yan to protect him. He would not be stupid enough to destroy this life-saving talisman."
Fan Changyu looked at him: "Is it Wei Yan?"
Xie Zheng said nothing more, apparently agreeing.
Fan Changyu was puzzled. "Wei Yan killed the maid before Li Taifu forced him to abdicate. Was he afraid that his own scandal would be known to Li Taifu? Or did he not want any evidence to fall into the hands of others?"
Xie Zheng looked at the white snow covering the palace walls in the distance and said, "He has always been a ruthless person. He has forced the Li family into a desperate situation and forced them to abdicate. If he knows there is a hidden danger in the palace, he will definitely not stay any longer."
Fan Changyu recalled what Li Taifu said, that Wei Yan's sister was good friends with Concubine Shu when she was in the palace, and Wei Yan had served under General Qi, so Wei Yan and Concubine Shu must have known each other before their respective marriages. In addition, Wei Yan only married a wife in name only, so the relationship between Wei Yan and Concubine Shu became more and more subtle.
She hesitated and asked, "Then the story about Wei Yan having an affair with Concubine Shu is probably true?"
If it was false, why did Wei Yan silence the palace maid after controlling the little emperor?
Xie Zheng remained silent, walking slowly in the snow. Without his cloak to protect him from the wind and snow, his cold and stiff figure seemed a bit frail, just like the child who lost his father. After a while, he said in a nonchalant tone, "Perhaps it's really like what Qi Min said, he was the one who caused chaos in the harem and plotted for the throne, so he planned the loss of Jinzhou."
Fan Changyu glanced at him sideways and suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Xie Zheng turned around to look at her, fine snow falling on his shoulders, and his dark black robe with a gold dragon pattern made his face look as white as snow.
Fan Changyu suddenly raised his arms and hugged him tightly. His voice was muffled, but firm: "I will accompany you on the road ahead."
He hid his emotions very well, but at that moment, Fan Changyu still noticed that something was wrong with him.
Yes, no matter how evil Wei Yan was, he was still his uncle whom he had called for more than twenty years and was his only relative in this world.
But this only relative was the murderer who killed his parents.
How could he not be sad? He just... didn't know why he was sad?
Xie Zheng lowered his eyes and looked quietly at the dark hair of the girl in his arms. The force she hit into his arms was not strong, but it made his heart tremble. The numbness and slight pain wrapped around the trembling and transmitted to his fingertips.
He froze for a long while before he raised his hands and pressed her back against his cloak, completely holding her in his arms. His half-closed eyelashes were covered with tiny beads of snow foam. He said stubbornly and seriously, "Of course, you can't run away."
The snow was falling heavily, and the two of them continued walking back side by side.
-
After failing to find out anything about Concubine Shu from the palace maids, Fan Changyu went to visit Concubine An on behalf of Xie Zheng.
It should be said that when Xie Zheng first asked Gongsun Yin to help the Princess investigate the Sixteenth Prince, the person he really wanted to contact was Concubine Dowager An.
Although the palace maids have been replaced one after another, Concubine Dowager An is a concubine who has kept to herself since seventeen years ago. She must know more about what happened back then than ordinary palace maids.
Perhaps it was because the current situation was clear, after Fan Changyu explained his purpose for the visit, Concubine An did not refuse at all.
"I have known Concubine Shu since we were both in the imperial court. Even today, I still prefer her appearance and voice."
The temple door is closed and the light in the small Buddhist hall is dim.
Concubine An was dressed in Zen robes. After lighting the incense, she used her well-maintained slender hands to pick up the Boshan stove lid with inlaid gold and hollow carvings and put it back. Wisps of green smoke overflowed from the holes and slowly floated up above the Buddhist hall.
She paused, her expression seemed to be a little disappointed for a moment: "She also likes me to call her by my nickname."
Fan Changyu sat at the other end of the low table and secretly memorized the concubine's name, Qi Rongyin.
I thought it was a very nice name.
Concubine Shu returned to the low table and sat down leisurely. Every movement of her hands and feet revealed a calm and elegant demeanor that was the result of years. "I entered the palace with her. Because of Empress Dowager Qi, she was given the title of Concubine when she entered the palace, while I was only given the title of Concubine. At that time, Concubine Jia Gui was in great favor. The concubines favored by the late emperor all suffered at the hands of Concubine Jia Gui. She helped me out once. After a few visits, and because of the friendship we had when we were friends, we became familiar with each other."
The sound of running water was clear. Concubine An pushed a cup of tea towards Fan Changyu and smiled faintly as if she was lost in some memories.
"Rongyin is a very calm person. She doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would enter the palace to compete for favors for the Qi family's honor or disgrace. But it was precisely because of her non-competitive nature that the late emperor wanted to give her everything, and made Concubine Jia Gui jealous for a long time."
Concubine An smiled and then shook her head: "Maybe it has nothing to do with personality. After all, how can a man in the world not be moved by a beauty like her? When she is not smiling, she is as cold as a dark pond, and when she smiles, she is as bright as a lotus. At that time, among the handsome men in the capital, there were Wei Yan and General Xie, both of whom were both talented in literature and martial arts, and among the beauties, there were also Rong Yin and Wei Wan, both of whom were beautiful girls."
Fan Changyu knew that Wei Wan was Xie Zheng's mother.
Perhaps it was because Concubine An's voice was light yet had a kind of vicissitudes that penetrated the passage of time, she just focused on listening to the past, holding the teacup but not drinking a sip.
"In the palace, Rongyin was always unhappy. No matter what the late emperor gave her, it was hard to make her smile. She liked to climb high places, and the Zhaixing Tower was a place she often went to. Sometimes she would stand there for a whole morning. Later, for some unknown reason, the late emperor ordered people to demolish the Zhaixing Tower and ignored Rongyin for a long time."
"I asked Rongyin what she always went upstairs to see, and she said she missed home."
Concubine An also made herself a cup of tea. After taking a sip, she still smiled, but with some sadness for the wasted years: "I don't know whether what she said is true or not, but the second year after she entered the palace, Wei Yan got married, and at the end of the year, she had a son. The late emperor wanted to take her to meet the ministers at the palace banquet on New Year's Eve that year, but she was sick, so Concubine Jia Gui went with the late emperor in the end. Concubine Jia Gui thought Rong Yin was showing weakness, and she was very proud for a while. During that period, the palace was much more peaceful."
Fan Changyu had already guessed something and asked, "Is the death of Concubine Shu really related to Wei Yan?"
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