Two years later, the gossip among the eunuchs and maids in the Yanguo Palace turned into the ascension of the new emperor of Qi to the throne.
I heard that the new emperor who ascended the throne is the seventh prince!
Who is the seventh prince?
I believe that the older palace officials have heard of the deeds of the Seventh Prince of Qi.
Seven years ago, he was sent to Yan State by Qi State as a hostage. His life was worse than that of pigs and dogs. He didn't have enough to eat or sleep well, and was often bullied by palace servants.
Even Emperor Yanqing hadn't paid attention to him for a long time.
Who would have thought that the hostage who was supposed to be imprisoned in the harem of Yan State actually ran back to Qi State quietly and successfully became the emperor!
In response to this, Emperor Yanqing, who suddenly discovered that the hostage was missing, wanted to use this incident to attack the State of Qi and ask Qi to pay more compensation. Unexpectedly, the hostage turned around and became the emperor of Qi.
Then can I still ask for this compensation?
Emperor Yanqing wanted it.
However.
As soon as he raised this matter at the morning court, he was strongly opposed by all the treacherous officials in the court.
"Your Majesty, Yan is now facing internal and external troubles. You should first deal with the rebels, and then deal with Qi!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. A mere hostage is not worth your concern. The most urgent task is to discuss who to send to suppress the rebels!"
In the court, the treacherous ministers were sweating with anxiety.
After their years of hard work, not only was the treasury of Yan State empty, but even its loyal ministers and generals had been almost worn out. A few months ago, Your Majesty, at their persuasion, tricked the General of the Protectorate back to the Forbidden City, and then directly imprisoned him in the Sky Prison!
The reason is that the evidence of their corruption was obtained by the general, who was preparing to put the evidence in front of the emperor on a chosen day!
Isn't this a capital crime punishable by beheading?
If the emperor really symbolically punished some people at that time...
No one wants to be the one who is punished as a warning to others.
A few treacherous officials who formed a clique for personal gain conspired to plot a rebellion against the general who protects the country and put him in prison.
That way, they can rest easy.
It was also thanks to the deputy general beside the general who was their insider, otherwise they might not have been able to bring down the general in time.
Who would have thought that after the general was imprisoned, the border would be lost?
More than thirty cities were lost in succession!
Nearly one-fifth of the country’s land is gone!
Under such external threat, that group of refugees actually dared to unite and said they wanted to overthrow Emperor Yanqing and establish a new emperor!
It's outrageous.
The treacherous ministers were really sweating profusely now. The external threat was not resolved yet and now the internal threat came. Looking around, there was not a single civil or military official in the court who could solve this incident.
Emperor Yanqing glared at his ministers below:
"You all talk a lot, but who can solve the problem? Who has the ability to use the troops? In my opinion, it is better to release General Wei and let him return to the border to lead the troops and take back the lost city! As for the refugees, they are just lowly people and are not a big deal. Marquis Zhongwu, you go and suppress them!"
"Ah? Release General Wei? No, Your Majesty. He has been imprisoned for three months. I am afraid he hates the court to the core. If he were to lead the troops, he might rebel!"
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War bowed, his pupils trembling, fearing that Wei Hua would be released.
The Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War also bowed:
"Your Majesty, how about letting the Third Prince lead the troops? He has always been gifted in military strategy. If he leads the troops, he will surely return victorious and bring back the enemy general's head to present to Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yanqing also hesitated. Although Wei Hua had been very loyal to the court before, there was no guarantee that he would not bear a grudge against the court after this incident. What if he really hated the court to the core as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War said?
So, letting him lead the troops again would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains, which would cause endless troubles.
Seeing that Emperor Yanqing was wavering, the Minister of Revenue also added fuel to the fire:
"Your Majesty, let the Third Prince go. A year ago, the Third Prince went to the border and chopped off the head of an enemy general! He was really brave!"
Taichang Shaoqing, who lowered his head to reduce his presence, twitched his mouth: Anyone with a little bit of connections knows that the so-called Third Prince chopped off the enemy general's head, and the credit was taken by the Third Prince from a soldier.
However, the Third Prince gave enough money and benefits, so those who knew about the situation turned a blind eye and tacitly allowed him to take the credit.
Emperor Yanqing was persuaded:
"Okay, then let the third brother lead the troops to recapture the border! As for the loyal and martial marquis, you must set off immediately and capture those untouchables within three months. If they surrender, they will be sent to Fengxing to mine coal. Those who refuse to surrender will be killed without mercy!"
Marquis Zhongwu excitedly accepted the order.
There is a lot of money in leading troops to fight. Although the national treasury is in deficit now, we can always squeeze out some more money if we squeeze it.
After suppressing this group of refugees, the Third Prince will recover the border and the Kingdom of Yan will resume its previous life. Then they can slowly recuperate. As the Marquis of Loyalty and Martial Arts who has made great contributions, won’t the benefits roll in?
*
The Kingdom of Yeonggu is about to be destroyed.
If nothing unexpected happens, the Forbidden City will be breached in a year. By then, Emperor Yanqing, his concubines, and treacherous ministers will not be able to escape.
Chu Qi knew this very well.
After the demise of Yan State, the land of Yan State will be divided into three parts, with three rebel leaders each claiming to be the king. The people of this land, who have suffered so much, will also fall into a new round of dire straits.
It's time to take action.
Chu Qi prepared to leave the Forbidden City and join one of the rebel armies.
However, before that, she had to settle Shi Qiang first.
——The harem is no longer a safe place.
As the war consumes resources, the allowances of concubines in the harem will be reduced. People like Shi Qiang might even starve to death.
And...collect the loyal fragments.
At night, Chu Qi wore a black nightgown - actually it didn't have to be black, it was mainly to match the atmosphere of what she was about to do.
Wearing a nightgown, she used her lightness skills to jump all the way to the entrance of the sky prison.
There were two jailers standing at the gate of the prison. Perhaps they did not expect that someone would be bold enough to break into the prison, so the jailers were very relaxed. Not only did they not stand guard properly, but they took the wine and snacks and sat at the gate to eat.
Chu Qi waited for a while, and when the jailers got drunk, he went straight over and knocked them out with a knife.
Then she entered the gate of the sky prison. Inside the entrance was a gloomy and dark road, illuminated by candles on both sides.
She entered and found two jailers inside, who were also drinking and eating.
Chu Qi was speechless. It was the first time she knew that the jailer was so leisurely.
This job is much easier than being a eunuch...
As usual, she waited for a while. When the jailer got drunk, she knocked him out using the same method and easily took a bunch of keys from the table.
The movement here attracted the prisoner's attention.
"Who are you?" a question came from the nearest cell.
Chu Qi picked up a candle and came to the first prison door.
The dim candlelight revealed a dishevelled, thin man inside.
Suddenly illuminated by the candlelight, the thin man squinted his eyes uncomfortably and took a half step back.
"Excuse me, which loyal minister are you?"
Chu Qi asked with a chuckle.
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