Chapter 197 Tonight is unusual (fourth update)
Yongning Palace.
The Queen Mother sat in the hall in a majestic palace dress, chanting a string of Buddhist beads in her hand, moving non-stop.
Unlike the commotion and bustle outside the palace, Yongning Palace was completely silent. However, beneath this quiet atmosphere was a heavy and oppressive atmosphere, and everyone was cautious and dared not disturb it.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound of a copper basin being overturned outside the hall, like a sharp knife piercing a swollen drum. The sound of "Dang" frightened the Queen Mother so much that she jumped.
Seeing this, the old nanny walked out of the hall with a sullen face and ordered in a low voice: "If you frighten the Queen Mother, drag her away and beat her to death."
The maid holding the basin knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, but before she could utter a single word, her mouth was covered. Soon, she was dragged away, her figure disappearing silently into the dark night.
When the old nanny entered the hall again, the empress dowager had no intention of reciting the Buddhist beads, and her face was full of unconcealable anxiety.
"What's going on outside? Any news?"
"Her Majesty," the old maid said, "there is no news."
After a moment's silence, the Queen Mother nodded: "No news is good news."
Then he asked again, "Where is the emperor?"
"The Emperor was at Suzaku Tower admiring the lanterns at 11:00 PM and has not returned yet."
"Where's Liang Yixin?"
"Miss Liang is currently praying for the Queen Mother in the Dongchen Palace."
"Hmph!" The Queen Mother snorted and ordered, "Go, call her here."
"yes."
After a while, Liang Yixin's slender figure came slowly. When she reached the Empress Dowager, she bowed politely.
"Auntie, may you be well!"
"Get up and let me see you." The Queen Mother took her hand, looked her up and down, and said with a look of pity, "How come you've lost so much weight in just a few days?"
She pretended to be angry: "Are you taking advantage of my illness to neglect my Xin'er?"
The old maid knelt down hurriedly: "Oh, Your Majesty, Miss Liang is your most beloved niece. You look at her like the apple of your eye. How dare we, the servants, neglect her?"
"Then why have you lost weight?" the Queen Mother asked Liang Yixin.
Liang Yixin lowered her head: "Aunt, don't blame them. It's Xin'er herself who is not doing well. She has a poor appetite these days and can't eat."
"Poor appetite? Ask the imperial physician to come and see me tomorrow."
The Queen Mother's face was full of concern, as if she truly loved Liang Yixin. But everyone knew in their hearts that if she really loved her, how could she lock Liang Yixin up and ignore her? She was probably just talking about calling in the imperial physician.
"Xin'er, don't blame your aunt for being so cruel to keep you in the palace. Some things I do are actually for your own good and for the good of the Liang family." After a moment, the Queen Mother spoke.
Liang Yixin also noticed that something was unusual tonight, but she was confused as to what had happened.
"Aunt, Xin'er is stupid and doesn't understand."
"It's okay if you don't understand. You'll know after tonight."
.
Today was the Lantern Festival, and while there was no banquet at the palace, the courtiers spontaneously entered the palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. On a day of national celebration, the Emperor inevitably drank a couple of glasses of wine. He was still a little tipsy at first, but by the time he came down from the Vermillion Bird Tower, he was completely sober.
"Where does Pei Xing live?" he asked.
The eunuch said, "Master Pei is already waiting in the Qinzheng Hall."
The emperor rode his sedan chair to the Qinzheng Palace. When he arrived, he saw Pei Xingju entering the palace without even wearing court robes, which made him look anxious.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant, pays homage," Pei Xingju knelt down, "Long live the emperor..."
"Alright, since you're entering the palace in plain clothes, keep it simple." Li Jinyu stopped him: "Are you here, Pei Aiqing, regarding the mutiny outside the city?"
"Your Majesty knows?"
"I know."
Pei Xingju was stunned. For the first time, he clearly realized that the emperor had grown up, become a true emperor, and was even hiding some things from him.
Li Jinyu said, "I know what you want to ask. I have already heard about the mutiny, and I ordered Duan Hongyuan to lead the imperial guards."
"Your Majesty," Pei Xingju knelt again, "Would you please let me know what happened today?"
"It's okay to tell you," Li Jinyu said. "Two days ago, Duan Hongyuan secretly told me that there were unusual movements in the Red Wind Camp in Quzhou, implying that Duke Xin was planning a rebellion."
Pei Xingju raised his eyes and heard Li Jinyu continue, "Of course I don't believe it. I previously found out that Duan Hongyuan had a close relationship with Duke Xin, but now he's saying that Duke Xin has rebellious intentions. It's inevitable that people will think too much."
"The Emperor's intention..."
"I'm pretending to be ignorant. I set up this trap today to see what Duan Hongyuan is up to, and also to test whether Duke Xin has any intention of rebellion."
"What if Duke Xinke is really forced to rebel?" Pei Xingju asked.
The people from the Red Wind Camp appeared outside the capital. Although there were only 30,000 troops, they put Duke Xin in a difficult position. If he really intended to fight to the death, the emperor might not win this gamble.
Li Jinyu naturally anticipated this consequence and immediately said, "I still don't know whether Duke Xin will rebel, but if I can use today's incident well, I can reap the benefits."
"I sent Duan Hongyuan, but I don't trust him. Now..." He opened the box on the table and took out a token from it: "I want you to go outside the city to stop the Red Wind Army. This is the token of the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard, which can mobilize 30,000 Imperial Guards. I'm giving it to you now, and don't use it unless it's absolutely necessary."
"It's good that Duke Xin has no intention of rebelling. If he does, the lives of the people of the capital and mine will be in your hands."
Pei Xingju was shocked and stepped forward respectfully to take the token.
"I will obey your orders and will not fail in my mission!"
After Pei Xingju left, the chief eunuch asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, are you confident in handing the token over to Lord Pei?"
"Why are you worried?" Li Jinyu sat on the dragon throne, his innocent, fair face already showing the edge of an emperor. "The Imperial City has 100,000 guards. Duan Hongyuan leads 30,000, Pei Xingju leads 30,000, and I have 40,000. Tonight, anyone who harbors disloyalty will be buried beneath the Imperial City."
"Besides, I want to see who the rebel is."
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