Chapter 88 088 The Second Prince's Rebellion
At the Meng residence, Meng Qingshan served a bowl of simmered mutton soup to his mother, saying, "Mother, it's cold in winter, you like to drink mutton soup, please drink more."
Unexpectedly, he still remembered. Mencius' mother's eyes were filled with tears, glistening in the light, and she said with relief, "Alright, you drink too."
Meng Qingshan took a sip, waiting for his mother to continue.
"Has the errand been completed?"
Meng Qingshan nodded. "The evidence is conclusive."
Meng's mother rolled her eyes, looked at Jiang An, and continued, "These corrupt officials who prey on the people must be severely punished."
Meng Qingshan pretended not to see their gestures and continued, "This matter has nothing to do with officials, but it involves the court, so it cannot be discussed."
"Oh." Mother Meng raised the mutton soup in her spoon, then put it down, and said earnestly, "Since His Majesty has already bestowed a marriage upon you and Qingli, it is a destiny that you two have cultivated. I am very happy."
"But Qingli has been pampered since childhood, how can she handle the trivial matters at home?"
Meng Qingshan looked at his mother with a cold gaze, "Mother, what are your thoughts?"
“I’m old and useless now, but Qingli has been with me since childhood, and I love her dearly. After the marriage, she can just focus on living with you. Let Jiang An handle the rest. Looking at things these past few days, no one is more suitable than Jiang An…”
With a creak, the round stool stood up. Meng Qingshan's broad body blocked the light, casting a shadow over Meng's mother's head. Meng's mother was startled and was about to change her expression.
"Mother...the decision is yours."
Meng Qingshan strode away until he was out of sight. Jiang An, her cheeks flushed, stepped forward and carefully served food to Meng's mother, tentatively asking, "Madam, what is the meaning of this, sir?"
Meng's mother smiled and took her hand, saying, "I know who I gave birth to. Since you've let me make the decision, it means I agree to take you as a concubine after the marriage."
Jiang Anxin's heart pounded wildly. She knelt on the ground and said, "Thank you, Madam. This servant will serve you well. In spring, I will accompany you to pick green leaves; in summer, I will accompany you to admire lotus flowers; in autumn, I will accompany you to climb mountains; and in winter, I will watch the snow with you."
Jiang An's sweet words pleased Meng's mother greatly, and she clapped her hands with satisfaction as she pulled her up.
Behind Meng's mother's back, Jiang An's eyes were full of scheming. To become a concubine? Her goal was to become the wife of the Imperial Guard.
"Madam, I'll go lie down in the alley later."
Meng's mother hesitated for a moment, looking at the bowl of mutton soup in her hand. She took a sip, but it was cold and had a strong fishy smell, making her feel nauseous. She put down the spoon and finally nodded.
Inside the Phoenix Palace, the Empress sat under the lamp with a pale face. Not a single maid dared to make a sound, and the silent atmosphere made everyone hold their breath.
"Still unable to see the Emperor?"
"Eunuch Dexi said that His Majesty's decree states that you can make all the decisions."
The Empress sneered, "Me, make the decisions? When did this empire become the property of the Cai family!"
Before the words were even finished, the palace maid knelt down in a panic.
With a soft rustling sound, a figure moved behind the screen. The Empress waved for the palace maids to leave, but there was no one in the hall. "Come out," she said.
Song Shuo emerged from behind the screen, his face showing displeasure. He said to the Empress with a hint of helplessness, "Be careful what you say."
The Empress sighed angrily, relaxed her tense shoulders and back, leaned back on the soft pillows, and said in a tone of dependence she had never shown to anyone else, "Although the government is in our hands, he is hiding in Qichun Palace and not coming out, which makes me feel uneasy."
Song Shuo stepped forward and sat down below the Empress. "Your intuition was right, something has indeed happened."
The Empress suddenly sat up straight.
He then said, "The Second Prince is hiding in Qichun Palace."
The Empress was furious. She couldn't believe that Consort Liu, that fool, could give birth to such a bold son. He was just as stupid as anyone else. With the world at peace, he dared to plot a coup! Didn't he know that this was an act deserving of universal condemnation? Unless...
"His Majesty secretly dispatched Meng Qingshan to Chuzhou."
"What?!"
The Empress suddenly stood up, her face full of disbelief. Her eyes darted around, staring intently at Song Shuo, as if trying to see through him so that he could still sit still. Meng Qingshan was a fierce general, ruthless yet meticulous in his actions. He navigated the interests of all parties in the capital without flattery or infighting. No one could control or threaten him. On the surface, he was only loyal to the Emperor, and he was deeply favored by the Emperor.
Despite all the planning, he never expected to end up in the Fourth Prince's camp, and he did so willingly, all for a mere woman. It's surprising that the Huang family is full of people who are deeply in love, both more than ten years ago and now, they are still the source of envy and resentment.
"Is Your Majesty aware of the situation in Chuzhou?"
"They probably don't know."
"Why not have Cai Kechang kill them in Chuzhou?"
Song Shuo shook his head. Not to mention that assassinating court officials was a serious crime, the imperial guards that Meng Qingshan brought were all descendants of powerful families in the capital. Since they left Chuzhou, they were surrounded by guards from various ethnic groups, making it impossible for their men to make a move.
Meng Qingshan is indeed clever and has a keen eye. He doesn't get bogged down in the present but plans for the future. With just one commander of the Imperial Guards, he has won over most of the power in the capital. In the end, the world will fall into the hands of young people, and then things will be completely different.
"Cai Kechang has lost contact; I reckon something must have happened to him."
Cai Kechang was the one she chose, she said, "He is trustworthy and will not betray us."
"The scouts report that the Chuzhou kiln has been completely destroyed. We can ignore that place now. The priority is to prevent Meng Qingshan from seeing the Emperor."
The Empress scoffed, "If he can see it, then that's his skill."
After the Empress finished speaking, seeing that Song Shuo remained silent, she stopped teasing him and asked seriously, "Do you have any plans?"
Song Shuo slowly said, "In that case, why not go with the flow and make sure Meng Qingshan never sees His Majesty again?"
"If Meng Qingshan were so easy to kill..." The Empress said, suddenly standing up, gripping the armrests tightly, her face pale as she looked at Song Shuo. He nodded in agreement. She slumped back into her armchair with a thud, her whole body icy cold, as if she had been torn apart by the winter wind outside.
The Cai family was once a powerful ruler with 20,000 troops under their command. The late emperor was cunning and deceitful, using sweet words to trick his father and brothers into submitting to him. However, the late emperor sent them to intercept the barbarians in the northwest. Seeing the turmoil in the Great Jin Dynasty, the barbarians wanted to rob and kill. They came with great force, and his father and brothers all died under the hooves of horses.
She had someone she loved, but they were forced to separate and she was given to the suspicious and foolish Emperor Mingkang to demonstrate the comfort of the Ling family. The Empress was indignant but could only endure it. She saw through Emperor Mingkang's delusions and realized that he was just cowardly and patient. She encouraged him in bed and devised plans at night to help him make friends with talented people and put her on the dragon throne.
But who remembers her father and brothers?
If the Ling family can sit on this throne, why can't the Cai family? She is not greedy. The Great Jin Dynasty will still be the Great Jin Dynasty, and her son will still be her son. She can simply change the surname of the emperor.
Thinking of this, the fear in the Empress's heart turned into a hidden excitement, and she decisively said, "Alright, isn't this the day we've been waiting for?"
The two exchanged a smile and discussed their next plan. The sky was beginning to lighten in the east. Song Shuo got up to leave, but before he did, he suddenly said, "Be careful of Meng Qingshan."
"I know."
The Empress still had one last trump card up her sleeve.
"The palace is bustling with activity, did you go to see it?"
A palace maid, hiding under the wall, shushed her and looked around before whispering, "I was on duty this morning, and Commander Meng was in a terrible temper. He dragged me away and said he'd give me thirty lashes."
Another palace maid's eyes lit up, and she pulled her companion aside to explain in detail.
"Actually, it's not a big deal. Commander Meng hasn't been to the palace for a long time, and some people are slacking off by playing with dice."
"No wonder I heard that Commander Meng was furious; gambling in the palace is a major taboo."
The palace maids knew the inside story: that person was trying to curry favor with the eldest prince. In fact, all of them who served him closely knew that the eldest prince was even more outrageous, and he had even neglected his duties in government affairs, leaving most of them to be handled by the old ministers. None of those old ministers offered any advice, and they, the servants, were left to their own devices.
"Commander Meng is a man of principle and cannot tolerate any wrongdoing."
Another palace maid nudged her with her elbow mischievously, "Every time Commander Meng is mentioned, you speak up for him. Tell me! Are you up to something?"
The palace maid blushed at the teasing and retorted loudly, "What nonsense are you talking about? Commander Meng is a great hero. How could I possibly dare to dream of him?"
His tone was somewhat lacking, and contained a hint of disappointment.
Separated by a wall, the young eunuch waited for the two palace maids to leave, then hurriedly entered the side hall and whispered his report.
De Xi's face, which had been clouded with worry for days, suddenly lit up with joy. "Finally, finally..."
After wandering aimlessly for many days, De Xi finally found his anchor. He paced back and forth in the room, then suddenly remembered something and sat back down dejectedly.
The young eunuch asked, puzzled, "Sir, is there something wrong?"
De Xi was both happy and sad. "Forget it, I can't get out anyway, I might as well wait."
The young eunuch, listless and speechless, turned the corner and went out the door, only to have his mouth covered and be dragged to another room.
Three more days passed. The sky was overcast, the wind howled, and the cold was biting. The people stayed indoors and did not go out. Qingli, having received her grandfather's instructions, quietly waited for news from the palace.
There was a commotion outside, and Qingli felt uneasy. She opened the window and saw Ling Shuyao walking in with her pregnant belly. Her maid hurriedly helped her up, and the group walked in a flustered manner.
Qingli greeted her at the door, and Ling Shuyao hurriedly called out, "Cousin..."
"Let's go inside and talk."
Ling Shuyao waved her hand, "You all wait outside."
Qingli led her to a round-backed chair, which was covered with a warm, grass-patterned cushion. She then took a pillow and placed it behind Ling Shuyao's back.
Ling Shuyao grabbed her and said anxiously, "Cousin, I'm fine, it's...it's about the secret passage in the palace."
Since the beginning of winter, Lu Yunye's grandmother's health has been declining, and she has become somewhat confused. Just two days ago, she had regained her spirits when Lu Yunye's third uncle fell off his horse and almost died. The old lady was so frightened that she started talking nonsense again.
This morning, it was time to pay respects to the deceased. It was a once-every-half-month occasion, and no matter how cold it was, she had to go out. Besides, Lu Yunye's parents were also at home, and her mother-in-law was attending to her sick mother today, so she went into Old Madam Lu's room.
The old lady had long since reversed the course of history, spouting nonsense from the previous dynasty. Her descendants were unwilling to correct the dying old woman's words, and because of the constant turmoil caused by the third branch of the family, they had barely managed to save her life. Everyone was powerless to do anything about it, and only when the princess stood by the window did they suddenly wake up.
As the room fell silent, Old Madam Lu looked up into the light with her cloudy eyes and felt as if she had returned to the day when the army stormed into the palace. The person on the dragon throne was no longer her brother, nor was she a princess. Behind her lay the corpses of her brothers and sisters. Her husband was dead, and her child had been taken away. Two streams of moisture on her cheeks could never be dried.
Madam Lu was terrified. Fireworks seemed to explode in her mind—details, dazzling moments, fleeting ones. Suddenly, she remembered something, crawled forward on her knees, clutching the hem of her robe embroidered with gold thread and auspicious patterns, and blurted out, "Your Majesty, spare our lives! This humble woman is willing to exchange the secret for the lives of my son and me..."
Madam Lu muttered to herself, then seemed to see a woman in the light, and was greatly alarmed. She knew she couldn't tell anyone about this, as the late emperor wasn't the only one involved in the transactions in the palace back then. A moment later, she forgot all about it.
The mother-in-law was shocked and tried to cover the old lady's mouth, but Ling Shuyao sent her away. Lu Yunye had been busy some time ago, and she initially thought it was because she was unwell and he had ulterior motives. After some investigation, she found out that it involved the old lady's affairs with the Holy Ancestor.
Ling Shuyao sent her mother-in-law away and sat in the shadows. She gave a vague and suggestive question, and then heard Old Madam Lu spill out her words, which included information about the secret passages in the palace.
After listening, Qingli once again praised Old Madam Lu for her extraordinary courage and insight. The situation was at a stalemate, and even the slightest thing could change the course of events. They needed to send this message to the palace, but her grandfather, Meng Qingshan, and Lu Yunye were all trapped inside. The palace gates were only for entering and not exiting, so the situation was probably already tense.
Ling Shuyao gently stroked her stomach, clearly feeling some discomfort.
Qingli summoned a maid and forced her to go rest, saying, "Don't worry."
As Qingli watched Ling Shuyao leave, her calm expression turned anxious. She instinctively felt that this matter was of utmost importance, but how could she possibly enter the palace now?
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