Chapter 195: Retreat to Advance
Tang Ning settled Princess Cheng and the others, while Xiao Yan and the second prince and his entourage entered the palace.
Emperor An was already furious when he was woken up from the bed of his new favorite concubine, and when he heard that Prince Cheng had secretly stored military equipment and raised palace soldiers, he was even more furious.
His clothes were open, and when the wind and rain from outside came in through the window, the cool air not only did not make him feel refreshed, but made him even hotter.
"You said that Prince Cheng secretly hid military weapons?" Emperor An said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, please review this."
Marquis Wenxin bowed and handed over the crossbow he had brought back from Prince Cheng's palace. After the crossbow was delivered to Emperor An, he continued, "This is the Thunder Crossbow, developed by the Military Equipment Department. It has a long range, great lethality, and can fire ten shots in a row. However, the steel required for the crossbow is difficult to refine, so so far, only a small number of them have been deployed by the garrisons in various places."
"In the entire capital, only the Imperial Guards and the Divine Feather Camp outside the capital have a few of these weapons, and they are usually used as a deterrent. However, I have found over 300 of them in Prince Cheng's mansion. In addition, he also has other powerful weapons hidden in his mansion, including several ladders..."
"Ladder? Is he planning a rebellion?!"
The Thunder Crossbow is fine, but the Cloud Ladder is a siege weapon. No matter how tall the buildings in the capital are, they can't climb over the palace walls. Where else in the entire capital can a Cloud Ladder be used besides the Imperial Palace?!
Emperor An suddenly threw the short crossbow in his hand onto the table and asked, "Where is Prince Cheng?"
"I have been arrested by this humble official."
Xiao Yan hadn't changed his wet clothes yet, and after just a moment's standing, a puddle of water had already formed at his feet. He whispered:
"Prince Cheng's previous dealings with members of aristocratic families were already suspicious. Later, when I investigated the Lu family's corruption, I discovered that Prince Cheng's palace was involved. He also had close ties with the Ministry of War and the Arsenal, and had secretly ordered people to mine minerals in the northwest and set up an iron smelting plant."
"I have long wanted to investigate Prince Cheng's mansion, but have never been able to gain entry. It so happened that Princess Cheng returned home tonight, so I thought I would take the opportunity to investigate. Who could have foreseen Prince Cheng's wicked ambitions? Once I sensed something was amiss, he decided to silence me."
"Fortunately, I informed Marquis Wenxin in advance, and he and the Second Prince arrived with their men in time. Otherwise, I would have perished in the palace of Prince Cheng under those crossbows."
Emperor An rarely saw Xiao Yan in such a state of disarray. He glanced past Marquis Wenxin and Wu Huai before finally settling on the Second Prince. "Why are you with Marquis Wenxin?"
The Second Prince quickly bowed his head and said, "I entered the palace tonight to tend to the Grand Empress Dowager. When I left, I heard people talking about Marquis Wenxin mobilizing troops. Your Majesty has not issued any orders, and there are no unusual circumstances in the capital. It is highly unusual for the Imperial Patrol to mobilize troops in the middle of the night."
He paused before continuing, "Your Majesty, I dare not hide this from you. I was not with Marquis Wenxin, but I followed him secretly..."
Marquis Wenxin heard this and said coldly, "The Second Prince brought his personal entourage and dozens of personal soldiers to follow me. I almost thought they were scoundrels and had them executed."
"cough!"
The second prince's face turned red instantly, and he couldn't help but cough softly, full of embarrassment.
Emperor An looked at his second son, who had always been steady, with an embarrassed look on his face. He wished he could dig a hole in the ground and bury himself. The doubts that had just arisen in his heart were somewhat relieved.
He knew that each of his sons had his own thoughts, and that they all had their own spies in the capital and the court.
The deployment of the Beijing Patrol Camp could not be concealed. If the Second Prince said that he just happened to pass by Prince Cheng's Mansion tonight, Emperor An would still suspect that he had already had connections with Marquis Wenxin and others. But if it was his people who "find out" the news, and he secretly followed them to investigate, it would not be surprising that he ran into Prince Cheng's Mansion.
"How dare you say that." Emperor An glanced at him and pretended to be angry: "You dare to release people from the Beijing Patrol Camp? I think you are extremely bold!"
The Second Prince said hurriedly, "Your Highness dare not."
"What are you afraid of?" Emperor An's face was stern, and his eyes were filled with emotion and anger. "You are interfering in the defense of the capital without authorization and investigating military affairs. What do you want to do?"
The Second Prince's face turned pale instantly: "Father..."
"Bang--"
Emperor An slammed the table and said, "How dare you!"
The Second Prince was so frightened that he dropped to his knees with a thud. Seeing Emperor An's rage, his face turned pale and he said hurriedly, "I am not interfering in the defense of the capital, nor do I intend to investigate military affairs. I simply want to protect myself."
Emperor An looked at him coldly. The Second Prince whispered, "Your Majesty, Father, has allowed me and my brothers to participate in government affairs and has shown us a great deal of leniency and support. I can somewhat guess what your intentions are. Unlike my fourth brother and his family, I don't have the protection of my mother's family, nor do I have anyone in the court to rely on. But I don't want to give in before I even try."
"This road is dangerous. I have no intention of harming anyone, but we must always be on guard against those who might have the intention to harm us. I do have my men in the Beijing Patrol, but they are merely there with no authority. Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked bringing men with me tonight, and I would have almost been beaten to death by Marquis Wenxin..."
Marquis Wenxin frowned upon hearing this and said, "Second Prince, I did not kill you."
The Second Prince said, "I know." He touched his arm, as if in pain, and said, "Thank you, Lord, for showing mercy."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Emperor An:
"I know I shouldn't have released the prisoners while patrolling the capital, but I have absolutely no intention of disloyalty. Tonight, I am simply worried about your safety. I hope you will understand."
Emperor An looked at his second son covering his arm with a curious look in his eyes.
He has many princes, and there are always many who try to please him. Compared with those who are sweet-mouthed and thoughtful, the second prince has always been particularly low-key and taciturn.
Emperor An had always thought that he was useless, but he never expected that he would have such thoughts. Most importantly, he actually had the courage to speak to him like this.
"You are quite honest." Emperor An said something ambiguous.
The Second Prince lowered his eyes and smiled bitterly, "I dare not, but Governor Xiao and the others are here, I cannot hide it from my father."
"So you mean that you can hide it from me when they are not around?"
"Your son..."
The second prince was speechless.
Seeing his face turning pale and blue for a moment, and not knowing how to respond, Emperor An felt a little better. He didn't mind the prince having more thoughts. He also came from their status and naturally knew what they wanted.
It's not a bad thing to be ambitious. As the second prince said, he has no protection from his mother's family and no one to rely on in the court. It would be really stupid if he didn't know how to plan for himself.
"Okay, get up."
He did not pursue the matter of the Second Prince "planting" personnel in the Beijing Patrol Camp, nor did he blame him for spying on the army. He just turned his head and looked at Xiao Yan.
"Investigate the matter of Prince Cheng thoroughly. Where did the Thunder Crossbow come from? The Armament Department, the Ministry of War, and anyone in the court who is involved in this matter must not be spared."
"I obey your command, but there is one matter for your Majesty to decide."
Xiao Yan whispered, "The old Concubine Dowager of Prince Cheng's Mansion died a violent death, and the Crown Prince of Prince Cheng's Mansion is not Princess Cheng's biological son. If this matter were to be spread, it would probably cause controversy. Would you like me to have them keep quiet?"
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