Chapter 50 Duan Chang San
Jing Cang and several generals deployed the three-army strategy to encircle and suppress Prince Ning's Mansion. The palace maid came to report that Concubine Zhu had arrived for a visit.
Jing Cang received her and secretly wondered whether her purpose in coming was related to Prince Ning, or whether she was here to complain or plead for mercy.
In the main hall, Concubine Zhu bowed lightly and said straight to the point, "Prince, I came here today because I heard that Jing Yi, the rebellious son, captured the pregnant concubine of the Eastern Palace and forced you to hand over the evidence of his corruption and rebellion with the Zhu family. He also threatened you to give up your throne. Please make him the crown prince."
As she spoke, she became a little flustered. "God knows that I never instigated him and my mother's family to do this. They even hid me from them. My closest relatives are so bold and fearless, but I cannot bear to see them make the same mistake again and again, and thus I have come to recommend myself and ask the prince to take me as a hostage in exchange for the concubine and force Jing Yi to surrender."
Jing Cang looked at Concubine Zhu. In his memory, she was like a shadow behind his father and mother, and she was always a blurry face for everyone.
I just discovered today that she is very pretty, with a demeanor that is very different from my mother's dignified and elegant demeanor. She is like a peony blooming silently in a corner, appearing in front of people only out of necessity.
He had only reported the content of Jing Yi's letter to his father and mother, especially Yu Fei's condition, which was only known to his mother.
Jing Cang listened to Concubine Zhu's words and felt that it seemed that his mother had instructed him to come here. Perhaps his mother was worried that he would suffer a loss if he confronted Jing Yi, so she deliberately added a bargaining chip for him.
But the harem was not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the court, let alone the dangerous situation of the confrontation between the two armies. Secondly, whether Concubine Zhu was related to the Ning Wang case still needed further investigation by the court, and her one-sided words and deeds might also be to clear herself of suspicion. Finally, although she was a concubine, she was an elder and represented the majesty of the royal family and the face of her father. If he took her to the front of the battlefield, wouldn't it be a laughing stock for the three armies?
Jing Cang said calmly, "Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness, but I have my own plan for quelling the rebellion. Please go back."
Concubine Zhu staggered a step, then calmed down and said, "I did this for my own selfish reasons... I hope the court can subdue Prince Ning without spending any soldiers, so that he can be given a lighter sentence. I hope to protect the Crown Prince's concubine and the unborn prince, and this can be considered as my meritorious service for the Zhu family."
As if she had thought of something, she said, "Prince, I will never make things difficult for you. I will hold a sword across my neck in front of my rebellious son and force him to ask for his concubines and surrender and accept punishment. Even if blood is spilled on the spot, it has nothing to do with you and the Queen. This is the love of a loving mother for her son, and it is also a small effort to protect the family. Please help me!"
Jing Cang thought for a moment and hesitated: "Where is my father?"
Concubine Zhu said, "As long as you agree, I will go and ask His Majesty for permission." She smiled sadly, "If you and the Queen have agreed, His Majesty will definitely agree."
Jing Cang nodded, but he felt vaguely that he saw the shadow of Yang Zhi in the future in Concubine Zhu.
Marrying a woman even though you don't love her, trapping her in the palace just because of her family background. Is this really right?
Because there was an additional Concubine Zhu in the plan, Jing Cang informed his subordinates and slightly changed the battle strategy.
He originally wanted to pretend to force Jing Yi to agree to his request, but he asked to see Yu Fei. According to Jing Yi's personality, he would let him enter the house alone to fulfill the conditions in the letter.
But the shackles have been removed, and he is no longer constrained by Jing Yi. He can pretend to be arrogant and ask him to bring Yu Fei out of the mansion to meet him. If Jing Yi refuses and uses the shackles to force him, he will bluntly tell him to perish together with the enemy - the three armies of the court will not stop until the prince dies in front of Prince Ning's mansion for no reason. Jing Yi is guilty but weak inside, and will definitely take the risk to bring Yu Fei out.
As long as he saw that Yu Fei was intact, and then revealed the matter of Po Gu, and used the pressure of the army to force Jing Yi to return Yu Fei, the other party could survive. Even if Jing Yi was unwilling, he had to do it for his own life and the advice of his subordinates.
But these were all his speculations about human nature. If he miscalculated, Yu Fei's life would be in danger, and he was afraid that he would not be able to forgive himself.
But the participation of Concubine Zhu was like a divine help in his quest to suppress Jing Yi's rebellion. Once he was sure that Yu Fei was safe, Concubine Zhu would take the stage to act out the "mother forcing her rebellious son" drama. He believed that without too much hassle, Jing Yi would soon release Yu Fei and surrender.
Everyone has soft spots to some extent, such as Yu Fei to him and Concubine Zhu to Jing Yi.
Jing Yi was a playboy and dissolute man, but he acted like a noble gentleman in the face of Concubine Zhu's constant admonitions. He had evil intentions, but he acted as if he was not interested in fame, wealth or power in front of Concubine Zhu... All these things made his mother happy.
He believed that Yu Fei would return safely.
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"Your Highness, there's another letter from the East Palace." a guard reported.
Jing Yi slowly pushed away the beautiful maid in his arms and took the letter. "Isn't he going to meet Yu Fei today? What nonsense is written here?"
After a careful observation, he immediately slammed the table and said, "He actually wants me to bring Yu Fei out of the palace to meet him, otherwise he will perish with me. He even wants to die at the gate of the palace so that my father will find me to settle accounts!"
An aide said, "Your Majesty, the Eastern Palace suddenly took the initiative. Did they notice that something was wrong with Gu..."
Jing Yi raised his hand, waved the servants away, and frowned in thought.
He originally wanted to use the snake to force Jing Cang to enter the palace alone, and force him to cripple his legs and write a letter of abdication in the trap, but Jing Cang resisted and fought to the death.
This is inconsistent with his usual style of seeking progress while maintaining stability and taking the overall situation into consideration.
Jing Yi thought: "My brother is always careful and rigorous in his conduct, so it's not surprising that he found Jie Gu."
The staff frowned and sighed: "Does your Highness have any good plan to deal with this?"
Jing Yi glared at his staff and said, "How can a bunch of useless people like you achieve great things when they become timid and cowardly when something goes wrong?"
The staff looked at each other in dismay.
I thought it was a sure win, but it turned out to be a gamble with very little chance of winning.
With no way out, everyone could only rack their brains to come up with a strategy to deal with the prince.
Jing Yi asked: "How is Yu Fei?"
"She stays in your room obediently every day. The servants are watching her closely, so she has no chance to contact anyone." said a confidant.
Jing Yi nodded, and suddenly thought of something, and said with a sinister smile: "Go to the pharmacy and find a bottle of Duanchangsan. I want to let my brother know what it means to be a hero in a gentle town."