Chapter 82
There is a small house in the west of the capital, only one street away from the most prosperous Yongxing Street. Just after midnight, a sedan chair stopped at the door of the house. A man dressed as a guard lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and helped the person sitting inside down: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xiao Cheng coughed twice and asked, "Have you found out?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The former maid of the Shangyi Bureau named Wuya lives here."
Xiao Cheng looked at the tightly closed door, his eyes gradually darkening: "Go in."
It was long past curfew, and people were sleeping soundly. It was a dark and windy night. A faint light shone through the house, casting a thin silhouette on the window, as if it had been waiting for Xiao Cheng for a long time.
Reason told Xiao Cheng that this was most likely a trap. But right now, he couldn't care about anything else. Even if it was a trap, he had to jump into it in order to get clues to Shen Huaishi's whereabouts. Fortunately, he brought a group of guards with him tonight. It would be extremely difficult for the people in the house to assassinate him, so he had nothing to worry about.
Xiao Cheng signaled the guard to open the door. The two guards held the hilt of their swords tightly with one hand and pushed the door open with the other. In the silence, the creaking sound of the door opening was particularly harsh.
I saw a man in white standing in the room with his back to the light. He had a handsome appearance and a temperament as pure as ice and jade. He bowed to Xiao Cheng and said, "Your Highness."
Xiao Cheng's eyes were deep: "Ahem... it's you, Lin Qingyu."
Lin Qingyu smiled slightly and said sarcastically: "Your Highness, why don't you call me 'Xiao Qingyu' anymore?"
Xiao Cheng raised his hand: "All of you retreat."
A guard hesitated and said, "Your Highness..."
I don't know if it was because of the root of the disease left by Shen Huaishi's sword, or because of Lin Qingyu's ironic words, Xiao Cheng's face was extremely pale, but he still did not forget to curl his lips in a chic manner: "This man is just a doctor who can't even tie a chicken with his hands. Can he really stab me in the chest again? You just wait outside."
After the guards left, only Lin Qingyu and Xiao Cheng were left in the room. Xiao Cheng stared at Lin Qingyu's face. In the past, he was attracted by the similarities between Lin Qingyu and Jingchun, but now he realized how ridiculous he was.
The man in front of him was scheming, sinister and vicious. Hidden beneath his handsome face were plots and calculations. Now that Lin Qingyu appears here, does it mean that he is the mastermind behind all this?
How could such a person be like Jingchun?
Lin Qingyu said: "Your Highness seems to have something to ask me."
Xiao Cheng said word by word: "The palace belt that Wu Ya took out was not Jing Chun's."
Gong had three ribbons in total, one for himself and the other two he gave to Shen Huaishi and Jing Chun as a testimony of their childhood friendship.
They met in Changsheng Temple, a prince of noble status, a guard of the secret guard organization, and a little monk without a father or a mother. The three men have very different personalities - the prince is arrogant and conceited, the guard is loyal and honest, and the little monk is naive and childish. Their social statuses were so different that they shouldn't have interacted too closely. His mother also taught him that he would become a crown prince and an emperor in the future, and an emperor doesn't need friends. But he was too young at that time. No matter how mature he was, he was still a child after all.
When he was young, he spent the most relaxing and comfortable time of his life in Changsheng Temple to avoid illness. He didn't have to engage in intrigue with his half-brothers, be dignified and reserved in front of his stepmother, or go to great lengths to please his father. It seemed like he was just an ordinary kid with two good friends.
After the epidemic was over, he and Shen Huaishi said goodbye to Jingchun and returned to the palace. As a prince, he couldn’t leave the palace, but Shen Huaishi could. Every time he left the palace, he would go to Changsheng Temple to visit Jingchun, and sometimes he would bring back letters written to him by Jingchun. Until one day, Shen Huaishi couldn't find Jingchun in Changsheng Temple. After asking around, he learned that Jingchun had been found by her biological parents and taken home.
It was not easy for the two young kids to find Jingchun in such a huge sea of people. Neither he nor Shen Huaishi expected that they would see Jingchun again in the palace.
A group of newly selected young eunuchs were lining up outside the Imperial Household Department, waiting for the old eunuchs to castrate them. When Shen Huaishi passed by, he heard a familiar sobbing sound. He stopped and looked, only to see that he and His Highness's good friend were wearing tattered clothes, with tears streaming down their faces and their noses red from crying.
Shen Huaishi rescued Jingchun and took him to find Xiao Cheng. The palace has strict rules and regulations, and will not tolerate anyone with unknown origins. Xiao Cheng wanted to send Jingchun out of the palace. Jingchun buried himself in Shen Huaishi's arms, crying out of breath. He said that he didn't want to leave the palace, and he didn't want to go home and be beaten by his father. He wanted to stay in the palace with his two friends.
The eunuchs would examine Jingchun's body every once in a while. Jingchun could escape it temporarily, but not forever. The two were reluctant to let Jingchun undergo castration, so Xiao Cheng used some tricks to let Jingchun replace a young palace maid who died of a sudden illness. The young Xiao Cheng had no idea how much trouble his actions would cause in the future, and he even felt complacent with his meticulous arrangements.
From then on, the friendship between the three of them continued in the palace, year after year, quietly and gradually deteriorating.
When he grew up, he did everything he could to become the crown prince. The Tianyumen clan was loyal to him, and he would abandon them just like that. However, the only thing he couldn't let go of was the childhood friendship.
His father wanted to wipe out the entire Tianyu Sect because of their loyalty to him. He planned everything, and even though he hesitated in the end because of Shen Huaishi's weakness, he did not stop it from happening. Fortunately, he saved Shen Huaishi. But because of his soft-heartedness and hesitation, his father was quite dissatisfied with him, so that when Jingchun was proposed to by the King of the North, he could not do anything.
He thought countless times that if he had not spared Shen Huaishi's life, would he have been able to keep Jing Chun by his side.
The strange thing is, despite all his thoughts, he never regretted his decision.
On the eve of Jingchun's wedding, the three of them met secretly. Jingchun hugged him and Shen Huaishi with tears in her eyes. He tightly grasped the palace belt that symbolized their childhood friendship and said that he would commit suicide before the King of the North discovered that he was a man, and would not even leave his body for the North. This way they won't be implicated, and Dayu and the North won't go to war over him.
On the day of Jingchun's wedding, he saw with his own eyes Jingchun wearing the palace belt and marrying far away in the northern border. Later, he learned from the Tianji Camp that Jingchun was living well in the Northern Territory and that the King of the Northern Territory loved him very much. He didn't know whether Jingchun's identity had been exposed, and this matter had become a heavy stone that could crush him at any time. The only way for him to ascend the throne as soon as possible is to protect himself and Shen Huaishi when something happens in the future.
The palace belt that Wu Ya took out was neither Jing Chun's nor his, so it could only be Shen Huai Shi's. After Jingchun left, Shen Huaishi kept to himself and worked on his own affairs. Lin Qingyu was the only person who had contact with him.
Lin Qingyu…knows the whereabouts of Shen Huaishi.
Xiao Cheng's eyes were burning, as if he wanted to see through the person in front of him: "Where is he?"
Lin Qingyu shook his head: "I don't know."
"Nonsense!" Xiao Cheng said with rapid breathing, "If you haven't seen him, how did you find the palace belt?"
"What are you talking about, Your Highness?" Lin Qingyu said, "That palace belt was found by Wu Ya in Princess Jingchun's room after she got married."
A sinister smile appeared on Xiao Cheng's face: "You can fool others, but you can't fool me. Jingchun's palace belt was taken to the northern border by him. Even if you have supernatural powers, you can't get his belt. The one you gave to Wuya was Shen Huaishi's."
Lin Qingyu also smiled: "Your Highness is so sure, why don't you tell the emperor and let him punish me for deceiving the emperor."
Xiao Cheng gritted his teeth: "Lin Qingyu...!"
Lin Qingyu had a glamorous face, but her smile was filled with an indescribable sense of strangeness: "That's right, after all, Concubine Chen... No, now she should be called Chen. Chen has already confessed her guilt and has repeatedly said that this was all her doing, and Your Highness knew nothing about it. If you go to the emperor and expose me, and reveal yourself as an insider, wouldn't it be a waste of Chen's efforts?"
A bloody taste filled Xiao Cheng's mouth, and he wished he could cut this vicious beauty into pieces and grind her bones to ashes. His pale lips turned scarlet, and he said in a cold voice: "I will ask you again - where is Shen Huaishi?"
"I will answer your Highness once more, please listen carefully." Lin Qingyu said, "I don't know where he is. He asked someone else to bring me this palace belt."
Xiao Cheng's chest heaved violently: "Impossible!"
"Why not?" Lin Qingyu stepped forward and pressed, "Your Highness, how do you think I know the truth of that year? Shen Huaishi can't kill you with one sword, nor can he take away your position as the crown prince. He can only think of another way, right?"
"Shut up!" Xiao Cheng coughed violently, his eyes full of bloodshot, "No matter how much Shen Huaishi hates me, he can't really want to take my life!"
At this point, Xiao Cheng has even forgotten the noble self-proclaimed title that symbolizes his status. I think he is not far from completely losing control.
Lin Qingyu sneered. Shen Huaishi didn't take Xiao Cheng's life with a sword that day. Was it because he missed the target or was he soft-hearted? It seems that he already has the answer.
"This palace belt was indeed given to me voluntarily by Guard Shen. Guard Shen is very skilled and good at hiding himself. Even the Tianji Camp can't find his whereabouts. How can I, a doctor with no power, force him?" Lin Qingyu stared coldly at the "protagonist" with a halo with eyes that were very similar to Jingchun's. "You said that he couldn't really want to take your life, but you became this sickly because of his sword, even worse than the young Marquis Lu back then. Are you soft-hearted or cruel?"
Xiao Cheng's eyes opened wide, his once handsome face became extremely hideous, and only intense love, hatred and vengeance remained in his once frivolous eyes.
Lin Qingyu smiled: "Perhaps, he really doesn't want to kill you. You saved him, but the entire Tianyu Sect also died because of you. After you saved him, did you treat him well? You treated him as a forbidden delicacy and humiliated him unscrupulously in bed. He got off your bed and worked for you. He suffered countless injuries, big and small, and almost died several times. What's the point of killing you with a sword? Wouldn't it be more satisfying to watch you suffer torture, be abandoned by your friends and relatives, be abandoned by the emperor, abandoned by Dayu, and become worthless?!"
Xiao Cheng's legs retreated uncontrollably, and he leaned against the pillar of the room, his lips trembling as he said in astonishment, "No... No..."
"I have told your Highness the truth." Lin Qingyu said calmly, "It is your choice whether to believe it or not."
Xiao Cheng's face turned purple. He looked up at the teardrop mole at the corner of Lin Qingyu's eye, and with a grunt, a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. “Come, come…” Blood continued to flow out of his mouth, soaking the four-clawed giant python on his chest, “Come!”
The guards waiting outside the door heard the noise and rushed in immediately: "Your Highness!"
The two men supported Xiao Cheng on the left and right. The third man drew his sword and put it on Lin Qingyu's shoulder: "Bold assassin, what have you done to His Highness!"
Lin Qingyu looked down at Xiao Cheng: "If you hurt me in the slightest, you will never see him again in this life."
Xiao Cheng closed his eyes deeply: "...Return to the palace."
Lin Qingyu smiled calmly: "Your Highness, please take care. I'm sorry I can't see you off."
It was past three o'clock in the morning, and Gu Fuzhou was waiting quietly in the side room, listening to the whole drama. He knew that there would only be verbal fighting and no physical fighting tonight, but just in case, he still surrounded the mansion with his trusted followers.
He was still a little uneasy when the guards broke in. But his wife was worthy of being his wife, and she helped him get away with it with just a few words.
Lin Qingyu pushed open the door of the side room, and Gu Fuzhou came up to her yawning, "Is it done?"
Lin Qingyu nodded: "Xiao Cheng vomited blood."
Vomiting blood should be a serious matter. After he started vomiting blood that year, his body deteriorated rapidly and he died in front of Lin Qingyu within a few months.
Gu Fuzhou took off his cloak and put it on Lin Qingyu. He gently put his hand on Lin Qingyu's hair and said, "Call home."
After Xiao Cheng returned to the Eastern Palace, he fell ill and everyone thought that he was deeply traumatized by Chen's imprisonment. Although the prince has become a sickly person since his "acute illness" last year, the imperial physician also said that as long as he takes care of himself, he can still live for a few more decades without any illness. This time he got so angry that his old injury relapsed and he fell into a coma. I'm afraid he is in great danger.
Xiao Cheng was so seriously ill that he naturally could no longer take care of the government affairs. The emperor ordered the token of the Tianji Camp to be taken back from him. At this time, Ning Wang Xiao Jie was being ordered to investigate the matter of Xixia spies and was short of manpower. This secret guard organization that worked specifically for the royal family fell into Xiao Jie's hands.
Misfortunes never come singly. The Eastern Palace was filled with gloom and the emperor had not been seen in the Qinzheng Palace for many days. After the beginning of summer, the weather gradually became warmer, but the emperor's condition did not improve, but became more and more serious. The entire Imperial Hospital, including Lin Qingyu who had no official position, was worried about the illness of these two people, but there was no effect.
The emperor was dying from a headache. He felt like there was a shovel in his head, hitting his brain again and again. The emperor's moans echoed in the bedroom day and night. In the end, he couldn't even scream.
The imperial doctors were helpless, and the emperor could only place his hope on Lin Qingyu. He hoped that Lin Qingyu would save him a second time, and even gave him the position of deputy director of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Lin Qingyu did not disappoint his expectations and prescribed him a new prescription. After the emperor took the medicine, his headache was indeed gone, but he fell into a long period of drowsiness. He was in a daze all day long, and when he was awake he didn't know whether it was day or night - he seemed to no longer feel any pain.
As the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, Lin Rushan knew what medicine the emperor used. He found Lin Qingyu and said hesitantly: "Qingyu, the medicine you gave His Majesty..."
Lin Qingyu said: "His Majesty said he doesn't want to be in pain anymore, so I won't let him be in pain. I am following the imperial edict, father, don't worry too much."
Lin Rushan was still worried: "Do you know what you are doing? Not to mention the Crown Prince and Chen, if the Queen and Prince Ning knew about this, would they allow you to do this?"
Lin Qingyu smiled soothingly: "Don't worry, father. I know what's going on. Don't worry about this matter."
Lin Rushan sighed and said, "Well, I can't control you. You better be careful."
The emperor and the crown prince fell ill one after another, and the important task of regulating the country naturally fell on the shoulders of Prince Ning. In the past, Xiao Jie was nothing but a pretty face, born of a humble mother and without any talent or virtue. No one had expected that one day Dayu's kingdom would be under his control. The ministers who were close to Xiao Jie were not convinced at first, but they had to admit that Xiao Jie did a better job every time the emperor assigned him a task.
Due to the busy state affairs, Xiao Jie has not returned to Prince Ning's Mansion for many days. He moved into a side hall of the Qinzheng Palace with Xi Rong. While he was busy with all kinds of affairs, he also did not forget to take care of his father and pay his respects to his stepmother. After several months, Xiao Jie gained the reputation of being diligent in governing the country and being both loyal and filial.
On this day, Lin Qingyu was invited by King Ning to the Qinzheng Palace. The person who came to summon him said that Prince Ning was feeling unwell and asked him to go and see him. When he arrived at the side hall of the Qinzheng Palace, he saw Xiao Jie sleeping soundly on the table, with a pen in his hand and a few stains of ink on his nose.
Lin Qingyu whispered: "Prince?"
Xi Rong's voice came from behind: "Doctor Lin is here."
Lin Qingyu turned around and looked. During this period, he and Xi Rong often met in the palace. Compared to when he was in the palace, Xi Rong was several times busier, but his face did not look tired at all. Instead, he looked energetic and radiant. He seems to be enjoying his life now.
Lin Qingyu laughed with an ambiguous tone. Xi Rong personally poured him a cup of tea and asked politely, "What are you laughing at, Doctor Lin?"
"I laugh at the fact that Steward Xi and the general are two extremes." Lin Qingyu took the tea handed over by Xi Rong, "The busier Steward Xi is, the more cheerful he is. If it were my husband, he would probably complain loudly and quit in two days."
A strange look flashed across Xi Rong's eyes. When Lin Qingyu mentioned changing the one from his family, was he just saying it casually or did he have some hidden meaning?
"General Gu has worked hard for the country and the peace of the northwest for a long time. In order to let the general rest in peace, the prince has exempted him from the daily morning court." Xi Rong smiled, "Or does Doctor Lin have other requests?"
"No, this is good." Lin Qingyu looked at Xiao Jie, "Butler Xi, let the prince sleep like this? Although it is already summer, it is still a bit cold in the morning and evening. At this time, the prince can't fall ill again."
"Doctor Lin, please wait a moment."
Xi Rong walked up to Xiao Jie, bent over and picked him up horizontally. Xiao Jie woke up from his dream, saw Xi Rong's face, and called out "A Rong" in a daze. Xi Rong said gently: "I will carry you to the bedroom to sleep."
Xiao Jie nodded, put his arms around Xi Rong's neck, and closed his eyes again.
After Xi Rong settled Xiao Jie, he returned to the side hall and apologized to Lin Qingyu, saying, "I've been waiting for you, Doctor Lin."
Lin Qingyu had already finished half of his cup of tea: "Butler Xi, if you have anything important to say, please feel free to speak up."
The two of them each got what they needed, and after being allies for a while, they no longer beat around the bush when speaking like they did in the past. Xi Rong said: "The prince has been the regent for quite some time now. I wonder if Doctor Lin is satisfied?"
"What Steward Xi said is interesting." Lin Qingyu said, "Whether you are satisfied or not, you should ask His Majesty and ask me what I do."
Xi Rong smiled and said, "Then who do you think should be the one to make the first move, Doctor Lin?"
Lin Qingyu raised his eyes and looked at him: "What do you mean?"
"We need someone to step forward. It would be best if this person is a civil servant who is deeply trusted by His Majesty, and a middleman who is not too close to the Crown Prince and Prince Ning." Xi Rong said, "Your Majesty's illness is getting worse day by day, and he is conscious less and less. I still hope that Your Majesty can give the prince a legitimate reason when he is conscious. Doctor Lin is very smart and should understand what I mean."
Lin Qingyu said slowly: "Butler Xi has been dormant for many years, why do you lose your patience now?"
Xi Rong was dressed in gorgeous clothes. He was obviously a eunuch, but he seemed to be born superior and more like a prince than Xiao Jie: "It is precisely because I have been dormant for many years and waited too long that I don't want to wait anymore."
Lin Qingyu said: "Haste makes waste, Steward Xi, please be patient."
Xi Rong bowed and saluted, very modest and respectful: "In that case, thank you very much, Doctor Lin."
Lin Qingyu and Gu Fuzhou have been planning for a long time, one thing after another, and now they are only one step away from achieving their goal. All Xi Rong wanted to be legitimate was an imperial edict to appoint a crown prince.
This is not a difficult task. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the prince's party can no longer cause any trouble. Even if His Majesty takes into account the relationship between father and son and retains him as the crown prince, how long can he sit on the throne given his physical condition? Even if the emperor walked before the prince and the prince was able to ascend the throne, how could a new emperor who was about to die securely rule the vast empire of Dayu? Now all that’s missing is someone to bring the matter of changing the crown prince to the surface.
Gu Fuzhou has a lot of support among the military officers, so it might be possible for him to speak up, but if he is not careful he might be accused of mutiny and forcing the emperor to abdicate. What people say is scary. Lin Qingyu doesn't care what others think, but she can't stand her husband being criticized. The best candidate would be the Marquis of Nan'an who had been requested for Xiao Jie. Xi Rong was hinting at him to go to the Marquis of Nan'an and submit a memorial requesting a change of crown prince.
Xi Rong is so impatient, which shows his ambition. At this time, Lin Qingyu was no longer in a hurry. Now Xiao Jie is in charge of the country, and behind him are Gu Fuzhou and the Queen, and he also holds a seriously ill emperor in his hands. The two sides are evenly matched, so Xi Rong has the courage to teach him how to do things. When Xiao Jie becomes the crown prince, he will grow stronger with time. By then, he can only dream of being on equal footing with them.
He and Gu Fuzhou went to great lengths to drag the emperor and his son into trouble, but it was not for the sake of Xiao Jie and Xi Rong, the half-brothers.
Lin Qingyu put down the teacup: "I haven't finished speaking yet, what do you want to thank me for, Butler Xi?"
Xi Rong raised an eyebrow and asked, "What does Doctor Lin mean...?"
"I can give the prince a legitimate reason, but I have three conditions."
"Doctor Lin, please speak."
"First, I want the token of the Tianji Camp."
Xi Rong's expression changed slightly, and he said with a half-smile, "Anything else?"
"Secondly, in addition to the Imperial Cavalry Battalion, the Imperial Guards in the palace will also be under the command of General Gu." Lin Qingyu said, "Thirdly, if the prince successfully ascends the throne in the future, the current queen, the future queen mother, can rule the country from behind the curtain."
The remaining smile on Xi Rong's face disappeared completely, and he said slowly: "Doctor Lin is so ambitious, why doesn't he become the emperor himself?"
Lin Qingyu said: "You call me 'Doctor Lin'. How can an imperial physician become the emperor?"
Xi Rong sneered: "I'm afraid what Doctor Lin said is not the truth."
"I've made it clear. It won't be too late for Butler Xi and the prince to give me an answer after considering it." Lin Qingyu said, "But it's best not to make me and the general wait too long. The longer the night, the more dreams there are. What if the emperor wakes up one day?"
Xi Rong watched Lin Qingyu walk to the door, and suddenly said: "Doctor Lin, please stay. I have something else I want to ask Doctor Lin and the general."
"explain."
"Since the matter of Princess Jingchun has been exposed in the northern border, should the court take the initiative? Dayu's only king of a different surname is always a hidden danger."
"No need. The imperial court is short of troops and food at the moment, so we can just focus on dealing with the war in the northwest." Lin Qingyu said, "As long as Jingchun is by the King of the Northern Territory, the Northern Territory will not invade the imperial court."
Xi Rong asked: "How did Doctor Lin know?"
Lin Qingyu remained noncommittal. He also asked Gu Fuzhou the same question, and Gu Fuzhou told him:
"If the story of Xiao Cheng and Shen Huaishi is a bucket of abusive love, reconciliation, and disgusting swill; then the story of the King of the North and Princess Jingchun is a sweet story from beginning to end. For them, falling in love is the most important thing."
The author has something to say: Er Zhuang, hold on, try to live to the eleventh! ! !
Er Zhuang: Let me call you baby first before logging off.
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