Chapter 54
Chapter 54
Although his father named him the crown prince, he also established three vassal kings.
The fief of Zhongzhou was given to Prince Jing, who was appointed as the governor of Zhongzhou. Not only was the territory larger than that of Dongzhou, but Fengcheng, Qingzhou and other places were close to Dongzhou, which was equivalent to trapping his northwest side and blocking his opportunity to expand westward.
The east and north roads were blocked by the two uncles.
To the south is the Imperial Palace.
He was trapped alone in the middle. His father didn't intend to pass the throne to him at all. It was obvious that he wanted to suppress him. Therefore, he could only find a way to break out of the siege by his own means.
He first reduced the power of the Hexi and Hebei provinces, thus solving the problem of the two uncles who were blocking his head. Seeing that his father had no objection, he was happy in his heart, thinking that his father's arrangement was a deliberate test for him.
He excitedly directed his attack at Prince Jing who was standing next to him, but encountered obstacles everywhere.
My father has repeatedly protected Prince Jing in front of all the ministers. Some people have long been saying privately that my father is raising a tiger to cause trouble, and that Dafeng might fall into the hands of his adopted son in the future.
I originally thought it was ridiculous, but now it seems very possible.
After all, his adopted son was not a real outsider, but his nephew of the Zhou family.
All the way here, a layer of sweat formed on his back, and he didn't know whether it was from the heat or anger. Only when he got to his mother's place could he vent his emotions. He gulped down a cup of tea, and after putting it down, his anger subsided a little, but his expression didn't get any better, and he looked unwilling, "Father wants to drive me back to the Dongzhou vassal state."
When Empress Yuan heard this shocking news, her face changed and she immediately stood up from the phoenix chair and hurried to the imperial study to plead for mercy. However, the emperor had made up his mind and kicked her out before she could say a few words.
Seeing that there was no room for maneuver, he could only hastily summon the right prime minister to the palace to discuss countermeasures.
Seeing the Right Prime Minister, the Crown Prince was a little annoyed, complaining that none of his previous strategies worked. "Not long ago, Prince Jing really arrived in Luo'an. Who else could it be if Deputy General Xiao didn't give the document to my father? As soon as the document reached my father, Yang Zhijing knelt outside the imperial study and accused me of withholding food and grass. I was ambushed in my own territory. People who don't know would think that there is no one around me."
No one informed Prince Jing of the time when he arrived in Luoan and how he met the Liao army.
Last time, regarding the armory incident, Yang Zhijing had embarrassed him in front of the imperial court, and he had always remembered it.
It just so happened that his grandson was in charge of supervising the grain and grass, so he left a message and deliberately withheld the grain and grass, hoping to accuse him of poor supervision, and it would be best if he could also implicate the Yang family so that he could vent his anger.
Who would have known that his own grandson would actually go to Fengcheng to beg for food, and was found out by Yang Zhijing, and the evidence was given to his father.
None of his plans came to fruition as he was caught off guard by others.
Over the years, Prime Minister Yuan has used his position to win over many connections. Logically, he should have been well-connected, but he was of no use at the critical moment and was even forced out of the palace by a prince from a vassal state.
When Yuan Xiang first heard the news that the prince was demoted back to Dongzhou, he was also very nervous, but he quickly calmed down.
When the war in Luoan broke out, he had anticipated this day and had prepared countermeasures. However, before he could receive any news from his own side, the fire spread to the prince first.
He could tell that the prince's words were meant to mock him. Knowing his nephew's temper, he was not easily offended by soft words. Yuan Xiang quickly apologized, "It was my fault. Your Highness, please calm down."
Things have come to this point, there is no point blaming anyone.
The prince asked him again: "How long have they been in Fengcheng? Is there still no news?"
What he was asking about was the fake imperial edict issued by Prime Minister Yuan that ordered people to go to Fengcheng to reduce the power of the feudal lords.
He agreed that it is better to strike first and to gain the advantage, and that the victor will be the king and the loser will be the bandit, regardless of the means used. If the person died, even if his father blamed him, what could he do?
Thinking of the fact that the emperor secretly left the Xie family to Prince Jing, he felt a chill in his heart again, and ordered: "This time, we must eradicate the Xie family to prevent future troubles."
Yuan Xiang nodded, but before he could elaborate, the eunuch from the internal affairs department came to urge him to leave. Yuan Xiang had no choice but to make it short: "Don't worry, Your Highness, everything will be fine. It would be a good idea for Your Highness to go back to Dongzhou now."
As soon as the matter of Fengcheng comes out, Prince Jing will definitely go to Dongdu to meet the emperor.
The prince only thought that he was trapped there, but he did not consider that there were three vassal kings outside blocking the border for him. Anyone who wanted to go to the Eastern Capital had to pass through his Dongzhou.
If Prince Jing steps out of his fiefdom in Zhongzhou, he will be committing a crime and the Crown Prince will have reason to execute him.
After all, he was still worried about the crown prince, so after returning, Yuan Xiang found Pei Yuanqiu and said, "Go to Dongzhou in person. If you run into Prince Jing and the Xie family, kill them without mercy."
As soon as the prince left, the queen could no longer sit still.
Before, she had nothing to fear.
Like many ministers in the court, the emperor only has one biological son, who is also the crown prince. If the throne is not passed on to him, who else can it be passed on to?
But the last time when the Hexi vassal was reduced, Prince Kang suddenly said: "Your Majesty, do you think that Your Majesty really only has one son, the Crown Prince?"
Everyone in the world knows how many children the emperor has.
The two sons born to his first wife in his early years, one died of smallpox and the other died on the battlefield. When the emperor ascended the throne, he had no heirs.
Later, he married Yuanshi as his queen and had his own son, the only one so far, the crown prince.
Over the years, Concubine Yang Shu had conceived two babies for the emperor, but unfortunately, she was born with a short life and both were princesses. Although many new people entered the harem, none of them were pregnant. All the concubines in the harem were under his watch, and except for the crown prince, the emperor had no son.
After thinking for a while, I finally thought of Prince Jing.
If you think about it carefully, the relationship between the emperor and Prince Jing is indeed not simple. Prince Jing has been with Your Majesty since he was a child, and Your Majesty raised him personally. They are not father and son, but better than father and son.
Once you have doubts in your heart, you will not be able to feel at ease. You will test them again and again, and the more you test, the colder you will feel.
Your Majesty really protected that adopted son, so she had to be on guard. A few months ago, she sent someone to Jingzhou secretly to investigate Prince Jing's biological mother, Madam Zhou.
The subordinates learned the situation from an old woman, "The Zhou family's parents passed away early. Although Miss Zhou has three older brothers, they are away all year round and rarely come back once a year. They have no time to take care of her. Miss Zhou met a bad man and was deceived into having a baby. When she was pregnant, only the villagers knew about it, and everyone scolded her for being shameless."
"At first they just cursed behind her back, but later when they saw that no one was at the Zhou family, they became more unscrupulous, throwing stones and eggs, and some even climbed over the wall with ill intentions. Madam Zhou was so scared that she didn't dare to go out. Fortunately, the eldest brother of the Zhou family came back in time and tied all the people who bullied Madam Zhou to the tree at the entrance of the village. The people in the village no longer dared to say a word, and Madam Zhou lived a peaceful life for a while. The eldest brother of the Zhou family took care of Madam Zhou until she gave birth to a child. After she was one year old, he left the house..."
"Didn't the brothers at home go to find that unfaithful man?"
The old woman shook her head, "Who knows?" She added, "Most likely he was bullied by some scoundrel in the village. He probably wanted to save his dignity by saying he met the wrong person."
No matter if you meet the wrong person or not, when a child is born, he or she must have a father.
As long as the biological father of Prince Jing is found and his identity is announced, he will not pose a threat to the crown prince. The queen called her confidant again and said, "Go to Jingzhou and ask around."
That night, after the emperor finished reviewing the memorials, he sat under the lamp, staring at a string of copper coins in his hand that had been touched so much that no mark could be seen.
Knowing that he was thinking of his old friend again, the eunuch Liu Kun stepped forward to light the lamp for him and advised: "Your Majesty, take care of your eyes and rest early."
Liu Kun was originally a servant beside Zhou Yuan. Later, when Zhou Yuan ascended the throne, he wanted to give him an official position, but Liu Kun flatly refused. He secretly performed a ritual of purification and continued to serve Zhou Yuan.
Therefore, he knew Zhou Yuan's past, including the events of decades ago. Seeing that he was reminded of someone by the things he saw, and just when he got the news, he reported: "The Queen sent someone to Jingzhou today."
The emperor frowned, "Why did she go to Jingzhou?"
Zhou Yuan lowered his head and continued, "A few months ago, the queen's people found an old woman who was asking about Madam Zhou."
Hearing this, the emperor's eyes darkened, "What does she want to know?"
Liu Kun glanced at the emperor, and his words were a little hot to his lips. He paused before mustering up the courage to say, "I heard that you want to find the biological father for Prince Jing."
The emperor was stunned, his face was frozen for a moment, and suddenly he was furious, and sneered, "Why has the prince come to this point? It's all because of Yuan Shi."
Xie Shao and his party met up with Prince Jing in Lingjiang in the evening.
After the two parties met, Xie Shao and Pei Qing came forward together, saluted and said, "Your Majesty."
Prince Jing raised his hand and helped the two of them up. "You've all worked hard. You're welcome." He then turned his gaze to Xie Shao, inquired around, and praised him, "I'm very pleased that the Third Young Master can make such a decision."
"The elders in my family betrayed the master. I am ashamed to see you, Your Highness. Please forgive me." After saying this, Xie Shao was about to lift his robe and kneel down.
Prince Jing held his arm in time and said, "It's just that he was weak-minded and fell into the trap of the thieves. It has nothing to do with you, the third young master." He hurriedly asked, "What's the situation in the city..."
A few people were talking in the front, while Wen Shuse stood at the end of the line, waiting quietly.
She had met Prince Jing before, but today she saw that his every move was righteous and he didn't look like a traitor at all. She became more convinced that the imperial edict was fake.
The appearance reflects the heart. In comparison, Deputy Envoy Xie looks like a traitor.
Look at the man standing next to Prince Jing. His body is as straight as a pine tree, and he is a few centimeters taller than Prince Jing. He leans slightly forward to talk to the prince, and the righteousness between his eyebrows has not lost an inch.
I don’t know what happened to this person recently, but he suddenly started to shine and looks better and better the more I look at him.
Just as I was looking carefully, several people suddenly turned around and looked over.
Prince Jing's eyes also fell on her. Wen Shu was stunned, and quickly withdrew her gaze, lowered her head and saluted him from a distance.
When Prince Jing left Fengcheng last time, he knew that the Wen and Xie families had married, but he had heard that it was the eldest son and the eldest lady. Later on the way, he learned from the spies from Fengcheng that it was the second lady of the Wen family and the third son of the Xie family who were married.
Prince Jing was stunned for a moment, feeling sorry for Pushe Xie and the Second Madam for not being able to witness their son's wedding banquet.
He had never seen Second Lady Wen before, and today was the first time he had seen her. She was a well-proportioned and pretty young lady, worthy of Third Master Xie. He walked up to her and greeted her gently, "Madam Wen, you've had a hard time on the road."
Wen Shuse bowed to him again, "Your Majesty." Fearing that he would think she was in the way and send her back to Fengcheng, she shook her head and said, "It's not hard for me at all."
It was indeed difficult for the newlyweds to separate. Prince Jing understood and smiled, "Get in the car."
The team set out for Dongdu without delay.
Wen Shuse got on a carriage in Prince Jing's team, while Xie Shao, Pei Qing and Prince Jing rode in front on horseback.
Although Deputy Envoy Xie closed the gates of Fengcheng, this place is still in Zhongzhou and is still safe.
Wen Shuse sat alone in the carriage, occasionally lifting the curtain to take a look at the man on horseback in front of her.
She has never left Fengcheng since she was a child. The only time she did so was a few months ago when she went to a farm in the suburbs, but she didn't go so far.
The carriage passed through several villages and towns along the way, but saw very few disaster victims.
A few days ago, when the aunt returned the remaining money to her, she told her: "We have finally survived this round of disaster. My cousin asked me to thank Third Madam for your timely help. She and her brother-in-law went to Zhongzhou. Although she has no special abilities, she is popular. If Third Madam needs her one day, please let me know."
Wen Shuse was still surprised, "They didn't go back to Qingzhou?"
"My cousin's husband said that since we are all out, we should not turn back and continue to move forward. We can settle down anywhere, so we might as well stay closer to Dongdu. So he took the people in the village and went to Zhongzhou."
Now it seems that the disaster situation in Gyeongju has indeed stabilized.
That night, several people rested at the inn. Since the two were husband and wife, they naturally stayed in the same room.
The post station cannot be compared to one's own mansion. The rooms are crowded together in a row, and you can clearly hear the cough from the next room.
Prince Jing's room was right next to them, and for fear of being overheard anything they said, they had to walk very carefully whenever they talked or walked.
After taking a quick bath, Xie Shao tacitly did not fight with her for the bed. He pulled out a quilt and put it beside Wen Shuse's bed, then lay down and fell asleep.
In the past, even though he had been competing with her for the bed, Wen Shuse could still sleep in the bed with a clear conscience. But now, seeing him giving up the bed so actively, she suddenly felt a little guilty.
Since she had decided to live with him, the two of them would be real husband and wife, and it would be only natural for them to sleep in the same bed. She glanced inside at the bed and saw that it was quite wide, so it would be no problem for one more person to sleep on it.
So she glanced sideways, opened her mouth, and said softly, "hiss" to the man next to her.
The lights were off. The moonlight from outside poured in, reflecting the latticed window panes. Xie Shao looked at the moonlight for a while and then felt sleepy. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he heard a faint, crackling sound beside his ears, which sounded like a mouse.
He opened his eyes in surprise, turned his head, and saw the young lady lip-syncing to him.
But the moonlight didn't shine on her face, so he couldn't see clearly.
Xie Shao also moved his mouth at her, "What?"
"Is it cold sleeping on the floor, my dear?"
Xie Shao moved closer and mouthed back, "I can't hear you."
"Are you cold? Do you want to sleep on the bed?"
Xie Shao: ...
Although the young lady spoke very hard, in Xie Shao's eyes, he only saw her mouth opening and closing.
Wen Shuse was also a little annoyed. He stuck his head out of the bed and almost half of his body fell out. Seeing this, the man on the ground also propped himself up considerately.
One of them sat up and tried hard to put her ear close to him, while the other one hung on the edge of the bed and put her mouth close to him, but their vision was unclear and both of them used too much force, and the lips of the girl on the bed were firmly pressed against the profile of the man.
There was a loud "boom" in their ears, and both of them froze in place.
After being stunned for two or three breaths, the young lady reacted first and retreated violently. However, her balance was unstable and she fell off the bed. With a muffled groan, she gritted her teeth and climbed up by herself.
Xie Shao was startled and reached out to help, but his foot hit the wooden table in front of the bed. The table was shaking several times. Seeing that something on it was about to fall down, he didn't care about his staggering feet or the young lady, so he had to hug her first and then slowly let go.
When I looked up, the girl had already climbed onto the bed.
From beginning to end, the two of them didn't say a word. To outsiders, it was just the sound of wooden boards creaking, and they had no idea of how thrilling it was.
The ears became quiet, and the two of them lay on their backs on the bed motionless, with their eyes open, and let out a long breath at the same time.
No matter whether he slept on the bed or on the floor, Wen Shuse didn't dare to move anymore. He pulled up the quilt and forced himself to close his eyes.
At dawn the next day, the group continued their journey.
Wen Shuse was still sitting in the carriage. The man on the horse in front of her couldn't help it after all. He took a few steps behind her and walked to her window and asked in a low voice: "What did you want to say to me last night?"
The treasures are here!! One hundred red envelopes~
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