Chapter 99 Plan Before You Act
Your Majesty has fainted; Your Majesty is seriously ill; Your Majesty's health is in imminent danger.
For three consecutive days, the news coming from the palace changed every day. The Qian Yuan Hall was on everyone's mind, from high-ranking officials and nobles to ordinary people in the capital. Everyone's heart was in their throat.
Although the Crown Prince is currently in power and the foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty is relatively stable, the political situation in the court is not so peaceful.
Once Li Lu's affair was exposed, it had far-reaching consequences. Not to mention the six ministries in the central government, many local officials were also implicated. Whether these people were innocent or complicit would have to wait until the emperor regained his senses to decide. But in any case, the corruption in the officialdom of the Great Xia Dynasty was an established fact. How to clean it up was an internal worry.
The Northern Barbarians had long coveted the borders of the Great Xia. The border situation, which had just stabilized in recent years, was disrupted last year. The Xia army was no match for the Northern Barbarian cavalry, and the enemy occupied the border defenses three times. The Xia army retreated again and again, and its territory shrank. General Qi was pursued by the enemy and his whereabouts are unknown. The King of Wu led troops to provide reinforcements but was also forced to retreat. King Huan went to regroup, but he could only play a role in restraining the Northern Barbarians. External threats were also a crisis.
Although the Crown Prince has secured his position, among the princes in the capital, the limited military power is entirely in the hands of Prince Tai. The Li Lu incident is still unresolved, and most high-ranking officials are aligned with Prince Zhao and Prince Huan. Even Prince Han, who is generally supported by scholars, is no ordinary man. Not to mention Prince Huan and Prince Wu, currently stationed in the northern frontier, who command hundreds of thousands of troops. If one of them were to lead an army south…
Royal brothers fighting each other is not uncommon in our dynasty, even if we go back a few generations. History books clearly record it: the chaos and mutiny in the capital brought suffering to the common people.
Therefore, although there will be an heir even if the throne changes hands, it is better to hope that the emperor can survive this calamity than to place our hopes on which prince can take over Xiajing without bloodshed. As long as the current emperor is still on the throne, these princes will still have something to worry about.
Thus, these three days became a nightmare for the entire city of Xiajing, and everyone who was paying attention to the matter was filled with anxiety.
However, three days was more than enough time for the Crown Prince's faction to finish their charade. The evidence they had prepared in advance was organized more completely, and some of it was revealed to the world before the emperor woke up. The upright officials and the people of the capital had already cursed Li Lu to death and were convinced that Li Lu was guilty.
Despite their anxiety, Prince Zhao and his entourage were powerless to resist. The Crown Prince had done a brilliant job, securing Li Lu's conviction for his crimes. Even if the Emperor had compassion, he couldn't show favoritism or cover for him. The remaining part involved the royal family's reputation, and the Crown Prince had covered it up perfectly, saving face and substance. When the matter was handed over to the Emperor, he would probably only have the right to stamp the imperial seal.
What does it mean to plan before acting? The Crown Prince's move exemplifies this.
The day the news arrived in the northern frontier, it coincided with King Huan's expedition to meet the enemy. A group of assassins failed to find King Huan and alarmed the other generals, so they could only hide in the shadows. They finally managed to find an opportunity to learn about King Huan's whereabouts. The team rushed to the battlefield, and when they arrived, the leader acted decisively and saved King Huan's life.
However, when King Huan saw them, there was no surprise in his eyes. It was as if he had expected their arrival. He led only a small team to continue fighting forward and used this elite squad to take the head of the enemy general.
"King Huan! King Huan! King Huan..."
Jiang Yu returned to the military camp with the enemy general's head. He was greeted by soldiers lining the road a hundred miles away from the camp. After fighting for more than half a year, this was the first time that the Xia army had returned to the camp in triumph.
A single victory can boost morale in the army more than anyone personally leading the troops.
However, Jiang Yu, who was supported by his soldiers, had no mind to celebrate with them. He gathered his assassin squad in the main tent and listened to the leader recount all the events in the army. His heart sank to the bottom.
Something still happened.
Without anger, without rage, without fear or trepidation, Jiang Yu made his decision in an instant. He strode to his desk, picked up a pen, and this military report didn't even need ink. He dipped the brush in the blood from his armor and placed it on the paper.
"The Xia army won a great victory and recaptured Tacheng."
The military report contained only eight brief characters. Jiang Yu wrote them and handed them to one of the men: "Take this head and return to the capital as quickly as possible. I will arrange for you to be identified as a soldier who died in this battle. From now on, you will be him. Once the news reaches the capital, obey all orders..."
He originally wanted to say that he would obey the King of Zhao's orders, but after glancing at the token in his hand, he sighed slightly: "I will obey the Crown Prince's orders."
Upon hearing this, Deadpool took the military report, his pupils trembling slightly. Although they always obeyed orders unconditionally and would not even flinch before their deaths, the fact that their loyalists had changed sides, or even turned against the enemy, was truly moving.
"If the Crown Prince has any questions, you may answer them. The same goes for the Crown Princess. Alright, that's all. Now, return to the capital as quickly as possible."
Jiang Yu didn't give him a chance to waste time, nor did she explain to him what "the Crown Princess is no exception" meant.
Ultimately, it was the professionalism he had cultivated since childhood that made Deadpool dare not waste any more time. He did not question his master's orders in the slightest. He took the things and clothes and returned to the capital. Jiang Yu looked at the remaining six people in front of him and chose to let them hide in the shadows: "Unless there are special circumstances, do not show yourselves."
In the northern border region, special circumstances can only be life-or-death moments.
Jiang Yu made it clear that he would not use this card. Even though the King of Zhao sent him all the way to the northern frontier, Jiang Yu chose to remain inactive.
When he was left alone, he sat behind the desk in the military tent. The dim candlelight illuminated his haggard face, and the exhaustion he had been holding back for so long finally turned into a sigh, which he slowly exhaled.
After all these years, his fourth brother still doesn't understand him.
All these years, no one has been able to surpass her.
But now, he has lost her too.
The northern frontier is located at the far north of the Great Xia, so although it is already summer, the nights are still a bit chilly. Outside the military tent, the soldiers cheered jubilantly, but just one tent away, Jiang Yu, sitting inside, looked particularly lonely. He placed his hands on his knees, the candlelight flickering in the night wind, the light dancing in his hands before disappearing.
I don't know... if I can make it back in time to celebrate your birthday...
After fighting fiercely for over a month, Jiang Yu had never shown any signs of fatigue, but at this moment, he felt incredibly tired.
Inside the Kunyi Palace, Princess Yong'an was sitting quietly by the window. Her posture was peculiar; she sat upright without leaning against the chair back, which was tiring to look at. However, she had been sitting there for almost two hours without moving an inch.
Shen Yujiao hadn't slept for almost three days. After a short nap, she felt much more comfortable. It wasn't time to rest yet; this short while would be enough for her to recover. However, when she turned her head and saw Yong'an sitting stiffly, she was quite surprised: "You're not going to sit here and make me lean on you...?"
"It's okay, I'm not tired." Yong'an smiled gently at her.
The smile made Shen Yujiao a little dazed. She unconsciously raised her hand and gently stroked Yong'an's head. She realized that she had grown up so much without even noticing.
The Yong'an before her was no longer the child she had first met. Now, Yong'an was a beautiful young girl with bright, almond-shaped eyes that seemed to see into people's hearts. Although she had not yet reached marriageable age, one could already see the beauty and charm in her. She had inherited her mother's beauty and was also influenced by her stepmother's demeanor.
It's not hard to imagine how beautiful and ethereal Princess Yong'an must have been when she came of age.
Princess Yong'an, who had moved into Kunyi Palace, smiled more often than before. But now, when she smiled, although she was still as charming as ever, there were some undercurrents in her eyes. It was the subconscious calculation that came from growing up in the treacherous palace, and the weighing of pros and cons after seeing many storms. But it was different when she was facing me. Her eyes were clear, clean and bright like stars.
Shen Yujiao tenderly pulled Yong'an into her arms and gently massaged her stiff shoulders and neck: "Our little Yong'an, you've worked hard."
These small shoulders bore a weight that didn't belong to her.
"I've heard that Consort Rong's condition has recently improved?"
Previously, Consort Rong was only kept alive by medicine, and her condition was extremely dangerous. She was at the point where she didn't know if she would live to see tomorrow. Shen Yujiao originally wanted to help her find Doctor Luqiu, but the people from the East Palace and the Shen family were sent out wave after wave, but they still couldn't find such a living person.
Although I knew he was a hermit, I didn't expect him to be so completely hidden from the world, as if he had never existed.
If there was any news at all, it was that the Duke of Cheng had warned her about it: "Most people in this world can't afford the consultation fee for Doctor Lüqiu. Even Princess Yong'an, as his own daughter, might not be able to afford it. Why should you, an outsider, go to such lengths?"
"Your Highness, think carefully about whether Consort Rong is more important, or the Eastern Palace and the Shen family."
Hearing this, Shen Yujiao felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn't thought about it deeply before, but after being warned by the Duke of Cheng, Jiang Yu's complicated expression at the teahouse that day resurfaced in her mind.
What did Jiang Yu offer in exchange for paying Lu Qiu for her medical consultation?
Yong'an's gentle voice interrupted her unease: "Yes, Mother's health has improved somewhat. I wonder if she is worried about Father and wants to wake up to see him soon."
There was no one else in the room at the moment, but even so, Yong'an was still able to lie through her teeth, which reassured Shen Yujiao quite a bit.
Whether it's because of concerns for the emperor or because no one is currently focusing their attention and energy on Consort Rong, any improvement in the situation is a good thing.
Being alive is more important than anything else.
The two sisters-in-law spoke in hushed tones in the inner room. Mu Jin firmly stopped them for a while, and only after she felt that the Crown Princess should have recovered her senses did she let the person outside in: "Your Highness, Physician Liu from the Imperial Hospital requests an audience."
"Announce."
Since she was taking a short nap, Shen Yujiao didn't even need to tidy her clothes. She simply raised her hand to gently smooth her temples before sitting upright to receive the long-waiting Physician Liu.
"Your subject Liu Si pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Princess."
Shen Yujiao nodded and waved her hand, indicating to Mu Jin: "Give Lord Liu a seat."
This Physician Liu was none other than the nephew of Physician Wang, who was in charge of treating the Crown Prince. Because Physician Wang had been out of the palace for many years, Physician Liu did not attract much attention when he entered the palace. However, his stance was naturally clear from the start.
"...You mean, His Majesty awoke today?"
"yes."
"You're awake, but you didn't call for anyone?"
"He didn't call out, but Eunuch Feng went in to take a look."
Feng Xu... For some reason, Shen Yujiao suddenly thought of Zhu Yu. As the emperor, the people he trusts most are mostly his personal eunuchs. She wondered if Zhu Yu would ever have that day, since Jiang Chen currently trusts her the most.
"Who did Eunuch Feng see after that?"
“No, I have been watching all along—” Liu Si seemed to have thought of something, he paused, and then said somewhat uncertainly, “Eunuch Feng seemed to have mentioned that he wanted to invite a Taoist priest to perform a ritual for Your Majesty.”
A Taoist priest? Performing rituals? What's with all this strange stuff all of a sudden? Shen Yujiao couldn't help but frown, but then something suddenly occurred to her—
Dao Fa, Qingjue Temple, Princess Yongxian.
Her brows suddenly relaxed, and she lowered her eyes slightly to hide the mockery in them. So, the emperor still wants to protect Li Lu.
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