Chapter 379 We Will Return
Chen Xi really helped Ling Jingxuan a lot, not only because he helped Qi Luoyuan, but also because he confessed that the prince had forged the jade seal.
He said that the prince and Lin Xiafeng had conspired to poison the emperor, empress, and concubine Shu, but apart from the poisons found in the prince's mansion, there was no direct evidence.
After Chen Xi confessed that he had forged the imperial seal with a radish, Ling Jingxuan immediately sent people to find the so-called decree of succession that Ling Jingyu had taken out, as well as the imperial edict he had issued before.
Radishes will deform if they lose water, so Chen Xi has to use a new one every time.
This kind of copy-and-paste counterfeiting technique cannot be seen at the time, but as time goes by, the ink soaked in radish juice will spread slightly. If you compare carefully, you can see that the heart mark is lighter than the eye mark under the jade seal.
It may be because the radish contains too much water.
When Ling Jingxuan saw the imperial edict, the smile on his face was not restrained at all. It had been a long time since he felt so happy!
He also didn't need to think carefully about whitewashing the fact that he forced the emperor to abdicate and discredited Ling Jingyu. Ling Jingyu was clearly seeking his own death.
"I hereby inform all my lords that I will hold court tomorrow morning. I have something important to announce."
"yes!"
The next day, Ling Jingxuan brought the fake imperial edict and all the imperial decrees issued by Ling Jingyu to the court. He also brought some imperial decrees issued by the previous emperor for comparison.
In the court, Ling Jingxuan didn't waste any words and asked directly, "Since the crown prince ascended the throne, have any of you gentlemen seen the imperial seal?"
The ministers lowered their heads and looked submissive, and no one said a word.
Ling Jingxuan didn't really want anyone to answer. It would be weird if they had seen it. At most, they had seen the empty box that Ling Jingyu used to fool people. Who knew what was inside.
"Take these down and show them to the ministers."
The eunuch received the order and sent the two imperial edicts to the civil and military officials respectively.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, and Ling Jingxuan said, "Please carefully look at the jade seal on the imperial edict in your hands."
The officials below gathered together in groups of three or five to take a closer look. They had no idea what Prince Duan was up to, so no one said anything.
After a while, Ling Jingxuan spoke again, "Now, please exchange the imperial edicts in your hands and take another look at them."
After comparing the two, someone soon discovered the problem, "Your Highness, this..."
Ling Jingxuan nodded, his expression solemn. "The imperial edict that the crown prince brought out was fake. Even the imperial seal on it was fake."
Civil and military officials: "..."
They did know that after the previous emperor passed away, the prince frantically searched the palace for the imperial seal, but in the end he found a fake one?
Ling Jingxuan sighed softly, looking incredibly grief-stricken. "Actually, Father was thinking of deposing the Crown Prince, which is why he was willing to poison the Crown Prince to death."
"Why does Your Highness Prince Duan say that?"
Prince Duan directly threw out all the evidence of Ling Jingyu's crimes that Dugu Yu had found before Prince Ning's body entered the city. If the late emperor was not dead, these evidences would be in front of him after the incident of Prince Ning was over, and the prince would most likely be deposed!
Some ministers in the court already knew about the dirty things Ling Jingyu had done. After all, they were also involved in collecting evidence.
"My father collected all the evidence against the Crown Prince, but he was too heartbroken by Prince Ning's incident to deal with it promptly. Who knew the Crown Prince would get wind of it and strike first?"
"Father... handed the imperial seal to me."
As soon as these words came out, the whole court was in an uproar. If I remember correctly, His Royal Highness Prince Duan was still imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court at that time...
"My father had already instructed me that if the Crown Prince persisted in his wrongdoing, he should have Minister Qin take me away. I didn't expect that the Crown Prince would actually..."
Having said this, Ling Jingxuan's eyes were red and his face was full of grief. He seemed to feel guilty for not being able to save the late emperor from the prince in time.
All the ministers who could walk into the Golden Palace were shrewd people. If we connect these things together, the whole story becomes very clear.
The prince was licentious, immoral, and cruel. When the emperor found out, he not only refused to repent but instead killed the emperor and usurped the throne.
But the emperor was wise and had made preparations in advance, so he hid the imperial seal and asked Prime Minister Qin to rescue Prince Duan. Isn't it just as Prince Duan said, he came back to restore order!
Seeing that the officials below had almost understood everything, Ling Jingxuan opened the brocade box he brought with him, took out the jade seal in front of everyone, and placed it solemnly on the dragon table.
All the officials bowed respectfully, "Long live His Royal Highness Prince Duan!"
…
Qin Qingyao followed He Ming to the new garrison of the Yanling Army, where all the rescued Qin family members were.
It was only at this moment that she realized that the Yanling Army had suffered such heavy losses this time.
Five thousand people went out, but less than two thousand came back!
Minister Qin was tortured in prison and later injured, bleeding a lot. He is still lying in bed and unable to get up. I'm afraid his legs will never heal again.
Although she hadn't seen them for only a month, Qin Qingyao found that her parents had suddenly aged a lot. Her father was actually only fifty years old, but his long hair had turned gray.
"father!"
"Rumor..."
Dugu Yu was right. No matter how much you listened to other people's reports, it was not as reassuring as seeing the person in person.
Qin Qingyao's appearance made everyone in the Qin family's eyes red.
Dugu Yu's action that day was carefully planned. From the perspective of purpose, their action was very successful, but the price they paid made Qin Qingyao so anxious that she couldn't even lift her head when facing Jin Feiang.
Although all members of the Qin family, including concubines, were not in good condition, almost all of them were rescued.
Only Qin Yuefeng's second son fell seriously ill in prison and was frightened by the scene he encountered during the parade. He was brought back but could not be saved. The child, who was not even one year old, passed away.
Qin Yuelu had only one wife and one concubine. When his family was imprisoned that day, his concubine was more than two months pregnant. She miscarried after just a few days in the cell.
After that, I fell seriously ill. I was lucky to be alive.
"Commander Jin, thank you."
Qin Qingyao knew that this thank you seemed so insignificant, but she still wanted to thank them solemnly in person.
"Princess, you are too kind. This is what I should do. Even if it is not for you and Your Majesty, General Qin is now the highest commander of the Yanling Army."
Qin Qingyao stopped being polite and said, "No matter what, Commander Jin, please quickly count the number of our fallen brothers so that we can take good care of their families."
Jin Feiang clasped his fists and saluted Qin Qingyao, "I thank the princess on behalf of my brothers!"
Qin Qingyao shook her head. This was what she should have done. She really didn't deserve a thank you.
Sitting in front of Minister Qin's hospital bed, Qin Qingyao felt very complicated.
If possible, what she hopes most is that the whole family can stay away from the court and live together happily, without so many intrigues and double-crosses, and without having to worry about losing their heads.
Go to the countryside to build a few big houses, buy hundreds of acres of land, and become a local tycoon. It would be so happy.
"Dad, what are your plans for the future?"
Minister Qin looked at Qin Qingyao, his expression showing no emotion. He only said, "Your elder brother is still in the court."
Qin Qingyao lowered her head, so this meant that they had no choice but to go back?
"Besides, your third brother now holds an official position. The Yanling Army is just a private army. Once the prince leaves the court, your third brother can no longer act as he pleases. He will have to wait for orders from his superiors and serve in the army."
After all, the reason why Qin Yuelin can be at ease in the Yanling Army every day is because he has the protection of King Wuling. As a general under the prince, it is understandable that the prince sends him to help train his private army. After all, the existence of the Yanling Army is approved by the emperor.
However, once Dugu Yu left the court, he couldn't take all his men with him. All his men naturally had to obey the court's deployment.
"Didn't you build a college for your second brother? It's near Yulin City, not far away... So, we will go back."
If they don't go back, this family will break up. Besides, Ling Jingxuan hasn't made any arrangements for the Qin family yet. Even if he doesn't want to go back, where else can he go?
Like King Wu Ling, they never came back? They didn't have the capital to do that.
Qin Qingyao leaned over and gently rested on her father's shoulder. Such closeness made Qin Shangshu very uncomfortable, but he did not push her away.
Because they all knew that the next time father and daughter could be so close, they didn't know when it would be.
After Qin Qingyao had taken care of her parents for four days, news came that the new emperor had ascended the throne. Ling Jingxuan was also a man of action and did not waste any time.
The new emperor's ascension to the throne meant that they had to go back and ask for their fate. It would be a sin to stay outside for too long.
Minister Qin's legs were still weak, and when he got on the carriage, Qin Yuelin carried him on his back. "Don't send me off. Go back and take care of the prince. We should leave now."
Qin Qingyao tried hard not to cry, but her eyes were as red as a rabbit's. She said goodbye to her parents and kept thanking all her sisters-in-law for taking care of her parents in the future. Watching the team escorting the Qin family disappear before her eyes, Qin Qingyao stood there for a long time without moving.
"Princess, it's snowing. Let's go back to the tent."
Qin Qingyao came back to his senses and shook his head, "No need, give me a horse, I want to go back."
When we rode to their cabin, a thin layer of snow had already fallen on the ground.
Dugu Yu was wearing a cloak and standing at the door looking out. When he saw Qin Qingyao riding a horse at full speed, a big smile appeared on his face.
After Qin Qingyao got off the horse, she hugged Dugu Yu. Considering that he was injured, she did not dare to use force and just hugged him gently.
Dugu Yu patted her head and said, "You're back. Are you freezing? There's a brazier in the house. Want to warm up?"
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