Chapter 69
Chapter 69
He and Prince Jing heard the emperor's words. On the way back, Prince Jing asked him, "Master Xie, are you scared?"
After going through all this, the situation has become clear, and the two of them don't need to beat around the bush. This time, the Xie family has been tied to Prince Jing.
The prince is the emperor's only biological son. No matter how domineering he is, the emperor may be angry but will not necessarily do anything to him.
If the prince were to rise to power in the future, the Xie family would be doomed.
"Since the Xie family moved to Fengcheng, they have been on the opposite side of that person. The Xie family should have been destroyed half a month ago. They were able to rely on the prince to escape this disaster. It is destiny that will not be destroyed. There is nothing to be afraid of."
Prince Jing was startled and looked at him in surprise, but Xie Shao opposite him had a calm and indifferent expression.
Prince Jing withdrew his gaze and stopped talking, a faint dark light slowly emerging from his eyes.
He knew very well that if it came to that, not only his Xie family, but also Prince Jing's Mansion would be in trouble. Could they really surrender?
If he is a man of great virtue, works diligently for the people, is respected by all, and is the popular choice, then my existence will only cause him worries, and I will not need him to attack me, as I will give him an explanation that will allow him to rest assured.
But he repeatedly showed his foolish and incompetent side, provoking wars without reason and withholding food and fodder for soldiers. Such a person is really worthy of him losing the entire Jingwang Mansion and even the whole world...
"I have been with Your Majesty since I was young. I have witnessed him conquer the country from the chaos of war. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, the war that had lasted for decades was finally ended. The world has been peaceful for more than 20 years. The rivers are clear and the seas are calm. Don't worry, Master Xie. Your Majesty knows better than anyone how hard it is to come by all this."
The Imperial Palace.
The emperor smashed a teacup, cursed loudly, and then sat on the dragon throne in the imperial study for a long time without moving.
Inciting war, seizing food and fodder, forging imperial edicts, disobeying them, secretly dispatching military officials to openly hunt down witnesses...
Is there anything else that the prince dare not do?
The emperor closed his eyes, but still could not calm his anger. His chest rose and fell violently, and after a moment he suddenly began to gasp for air.
Liu Kun hurried forward to support him, "Your Majesty, calm down and take care of yourself..."
When the emperor was young, he was strong and healthy. He could break out of an encirclement of hundreds of people by himself. Now that he is old, he has to admit his age. This time, when he was angry, his old illness came back. His face turned red from coughing. He drank half a cup of hot tea before he calmed down.
The emperor knew clearly what the prince was doing, but even if he resorted to all sorts of tricks, he should not lose his conscience, corrupt his character, and shake the foundation of the country.
"He only knows how to seize power, but does he know how to defend against enemies? He thought the world would be peaceful forever. Why didn't the Liao Kingdom dare to start a war? Was it because they were afraid of the crown prince? Or did they lose their ambitions?" The emperor was extremely disappointed. "I have few children and no descendants. Today, only he and Prince Jing are left. Why can't he tolerate his brothers? He must kill them all and leave no way out for himself?"
Liu Kun didn't dare to say anything after the emperor asked these questions.
No one knows a son better than his father. The emperor has seen through the prince's character not today. That's why he sent Xie Pushe to Fengcheng eight years ago. Wasn't this also a way to leave a way out for himself?
The emperor's anger gradually subsided, and he said with regret: "What I hate most is fratricide."
Their parents passed away early, leaving behind the three brothers. They had depended on each other as children. Since they could share the hardships, why couldn't they share the happiness as well?
Therefore, no matter how absurd the two princes of Hexi and Hebei did, he turned a blind eye.
It was not until the prince said he wanted to reduce the power of the vassal states and put all the actions of the two men in front of him that he realized that he could no longer indulge them. With the virtues of the two men, they would surely lead their troops to attack the Eastern Capital after he returned a hundred years later. By then, it would be him who had planted the seeds of disaster for Dafeng and tacitly agreed to the prince's approach, allowing him to completely eliminate his two uncles in Hexi and Hebei.
But Prince Jing is different. He abides by the law and has been stationed in Zhongzhou. How can he get in the way of the Crown Prince?
At that time, he was in the midst of war and was displaced. He had no choice but to bring the two-year-old Prince Jing with him, taught him by words and deeds, and finally followed him to the battlefield.
He almost didn't make it back several times. He crawled out of the pile of dead bodies. He couldn't sleep for countless days and nights. He felt guilty about his mother's last words, "I just hope my son will be safe for the rest of his life."
He had conquered the country and could finally fulfill his original promise. He wanted him to live a stable life, so he gave Zhongzhou to him. In his heart, he still wanted him to be closer to him. As long as Dafeng was there, he, the King of Jing, and his descendants could live a stable life.
Now it seems that I thought too simply. His brother could not tolerate him and was willing to sacrifice his own reputation and future to take his life.
While he is still alive, he can be so unscrupulous. When he is gone in the future, will Prince Jing and his family still be able to survive?
I silently repeated that name in my heart.
Nian'er, there is no real stability and peace in this world. Only by sitting on this chair can you decide your own life and death.
"Liu Kun." The emperor suddenly called out.
Liu Kun hurried forward, "The servant is here."
"Draft an edict."
No one can understand better than him how hard it was to conquer this country and sit on it for twenty years. The ruler of a country is supported by all the people. He has paid so much hardship to bring peace to the world, and no one can destroy it, including his own son.
Liu Kun bowed: "Yes."
When Empress Yuan heard that the Emperor had already met the third son of the Xie family, her face turned pale and she hurried over. Liu Kun was helping the Emperor as he came out of the imperial study.
Seeing the emperor's expression, his heart sank, and he asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, but Yan'er has made Your Majesty angry again..."
Without waiting for the emperor to answer, the queen said anxiously, "The child has grown up beside your majesty since he was young. His father-son relationship with your majesty is better than that of a monarch and a subject. If he does anything wrong, your majesty is his father. Call him in and give him a good lecture. He will definitely listen to your majesty."
The emperor shook his head and sneered, "Preaching? I'm afraid I don't have the ability to do that."
The queen's face changed, and she hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is his biological father. The son is wrong. If the father doesn't teach him, who else can teach him? He was just confused for a moment, Your Majesty..."
"A moment of confusion?" The emperor snorted coldly and said sternly: "Forging imperial edicts, instigating war, and withholding military rations, does he have me as his father in his eyes? Does he have the people of the world in his eyes?"
The queen knelt on the ground with a plop. "Your Majesty, he has realized his mistakes. It's all my fault. I was reluctant to discipline him. Your Majesty, call him back. I will definitely give him a good scolding..."
"It's too late." The emperor's voice softened, as if he had used up all his strength. "If you had been aware of this before, he wouldn't have come to this point today. I can't teach him all his life, and neither can you. He has had too good a life since he was a child. He doesn't know what hardship is, what people's livelihood is, and he is obsessed with power. He can't fulfill his responsibilities as the crown prince, so how can he exercise the power of the princes? Take this opportunity to let him reflect on himself."
What does this mean?
Queen Yuan was panicked and held him tighter, "Your Majesty, he is your only son..."
The emperor turned to look at her, "So, what you mean is that no matter what he did, no matter how incompetent he was, I have no choice but to hand over the world to him?" A trace of disgust suddenly flashed in his eyes, "Don't force me to investigate your Yuan family. Why did the prince end up like this? As his mother, you should also reflect on yourself and take care of yourself."
The queen was stunned.
The emperor raised his hand to pull the sleeve out of her hand, held Liu Kun's arm, and returned to the bedroom without looking back.
The next morning, at the court session, all the ministers arrived outside the hall early, waiting for the door to open for the worship.
The atmosphere suddenly changed from the previous few days. Yuan Xiang stood aside, his face no longer relaxed, his expression solemn, and there were bags under his eyes. It was obvious that he did not sleep well last night.
This time it was General Yang who took the initiative to come forward and talk to him, "Hey, what's wrong with Prime Minister Yuan? Didn't you sleep well last night? Is there anyone in this world who can't sleep as well as Prime Minister Yuan?"
How could Yuan Mingan not see his sarcasm? He turned his head and didn't want to pay any attention to him.
General Yang did not let it go, and leaned over to whisper, "I heard that the young master of the Xie family arrived in the Eastern Capital yesterday, and Commander Xu's people who went to pick him up encountered assassins in the South City." He shook his head and said in amazement, "I don't know who is so bold. Isn't this openly disobeying the order and not taking His Majesty and the Crown Prince seriously?"
Yuan Mingan's face became more and more ugly. "Didn't General Yang fall seriously ill a few days ago? What's the matter? Did he take some life-saving medicine and suddenly become so energetic?"
General Yang smiled and said, "My grandson also came back yesterday. Thanks to your majesty, he is safe and sound. Isn't that life-saving medicine?"
Yuan Mingan's forehead jumped twice, and he simply moved a few steps to the side, too lazy to pay any more attention to him.
Uncle Wen was also in the queue, secretly looking in the direction of Yuan Xiang and General Yang, feeling uneasy.
Everyone serving as an official in the court is unaware of the recent undercurrents in the court.
When he came to Beijing to serve as an official, he was most afraid of taking sides. Before, no matter whether it was Yuan Xiang's people or Pei Yuanqiu's people, they had come to him several times to try to win him over, but he refused to give in.
Perhaps it is because of this that he can do it with such confidence.
The day before yesterday, news suddenly came of a rebellion in Fengcheng. The Xie family was involved and was guilty of a capital crime.
The third son of Xie family is his uncle from Wen family. If anything happens to Xie family, Gaoxian will definitely be implicated. As an uncle, how can he just stand by and watch? Even if it means breaking his own bones, he has to do everything he can to protect her.
I didn't sleep well after staying up all night.
At the morning court the next day, after listening to Prime Minister Yuan and others reporting the evidence of the Xie family's crimes to His Majesty, he was so nervous that sweat broke out on his back.
But logically speaking, since the Xie family committed such a serious crime, they should have their property confiscated and their entire family exterminated. However, the emperor did not issue an order immediately, but instead sent people to pick up the third son of the Xie family.
As a result, he suddenly had no idea which direction the wind was blowing.
Last night, I heard news from the palace's staff that Master Xie had already arrived in the Eastern Capital and had met with His Majesty together with Prince Jing. The stone in my heart immediately fell to the ground.
As the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public. Ordinary people would solve it behind closed doors, let alone the crown prince, the heir apparent of a country, whose future is related to Dafeng.
While everyone was speculating, the door of the hall opened.
After all the ministers paid their respects, there was complete silence. The emperor exchanged glances with Liu Kun, and Liu Kun read out an imperial edict.
The Crown Prince has lost his moral integrity, is evil, alienates himself from upright people, and goes against moral principles. His crimes have disappointed the government and the people and have caused resentment among them. Even after repeated warnings, he still refuses to mend his ways. I am deeply saddened and feel ashamed of my ancestors and the people. Therefore, I depose him from his position as Crown Prince, hoping that he can turn over a new leaf and repent.
The imperial edict was like a thunderclap, instantly causing an uproar.
Those who knew the situation did not expect the emperor to be so decisive. Those who did not know the situation were extremely shocked, but when they thought about it carefully, the last time the crown prince was suddenly demoted back to his fiefdom in Dongzhou, and now this imperial decree to depose the crown prince was not without signs.
In the court, half of the people were from Yuan Xiang's faction who supported the prince, and now they all looked ashen.
Mr. Wen stood at the end, let out a long breath, and as soon as the court was over, he immediately called the eldest son and returned to the house.
The eldest lady was talking to Wen Suning behind closed doors.
When Wen Suning came back last night, she did not tell Master Wen about seeing Wen Shuse. In the morning, she could not help it, fearing that someone would suddenly come to her house and it would be difficult to deal with, so she went to the eldest lady's room and told her about seeing Wen Shuse yesterday.
The eldest lady was startled, and her expression changed immediately, "Why is she here?"
Wen Su Ning frowned, "With the third son of the Xie family."
The eldest lady was so frightened that she stood up from her chair instantly, "I was wondering why her eyelids were twitching so much these past two days. Sure enough, there must be something wrong. Why did she come to Dongdu at this time? Such a big thing happened to the Xie family..." She paused and said in horror, "She couldn't have come to your father to plead for the Xie family. My God, your father has only been in Dongdu for a short time, and he hasn't even warmed up to the office yet, but he's already been targeted. No... I'll go say hello to the doorman. I can't let her see your father..."
If something really happened to the Xie family, then the third son of the Xie family and Wen Shuse would be fugitives. Now that they have come to Dongdu, they must have known in advance that a disaster was about to happen, and most likely came to Dongdu to seek protection.
This is outrageous.
At the beginning, the old lady insisted on marrying her own granddaughter to the Xie family regardless of the eldest lady's life or death. Now that the Xie family is in trouble, she should be responsible.
I secretly thanked my luck that I had nothing to do with the Xie family.
"Go and find out where she lives later, and have someone watch her secretly. If she comes, stop her immediately..."
Before he could finish his words, he heard footsteps outside. He knew it was Uncle Wen coming back, so he quickly stopped talking.
Master Wen pushed the door open and entered. He wanted to ask the Madam why she kept the door closed during the day. When he entered the room and saw Su Ning was there, he thought it was just a considerate remark from the mother and daughter and didn't take it seriously. He even had a bit of joy on his face. It was rare for him to take the initiative to talk to the Madam about the affairs of the court. "The Xie family is fine now."
The eldest lady was stunned.
Master Wen added, "The crown prince has been deposed, and the Xie family has been cleared of the injustice."
The eldest lady and Wen Suning were both startled, and it took them a while to come back to their senses. The eldest lady asked in a low voice: "What happened? Why was the prince deposed? What on earth happened?"
Master Wen did not answer. He turned to the eldest son who had just come in and said, "Go to Fengcheng and go back to see your grandmother."
The old lady must have been frightened by the chaos in Fengcheng. She also discussed with the second master and decided to move to Dongdu as soon as possible.
Without waiting for the young master to respond, the eldest lady immediately stopped him and said, "At this critical moment, if you let the eldest brother go back alone, you don't want him to live."
This reminded Master Wen that the crown prince had been deposed and Prince Jing was now in the court. Even he, a minister, could see the signs, let alone the crown prince.
It wasn't just luck that made Mr. Wen rise from a county magistrate in Fengcheng to the Minister of Works in Dongdu.
His expression tensed up, and he hurriedly said to the eldest son, "Quickly send a reliable person to Fengcheng to deliver a message, telling the second master the situation in Dongdu, and asking him to take the old lady away from Fengcheng as soon as possible, remember to avoid the direction of Nancheng, and go to Jiangling..."
The bed in the inn last night was really terrible. Fortunately, both of them were very tired, so they didn't move after talking and slept until dawn.
When she woke up, Xie Shao was still lying beside her. He turned his head and looked at her with his eyes open. "Are you awake?"
Wen Shuse nodded. Seeing the bright light outside the window, she knew it was getting late. She turned over lazily and said, "My dear, did you sleep well last night?"
Her response was a series of creaking sounds.
Wen Shuse took a deep breath.
Seeing her pale face, Xie Shao couldn't help but feel a shock in his stomach, and laughed out loud. Then he threw off the quilt and got off the bed. While putting on his shirt, he said, "Let's change the inn tonight."
When she didn't respond, I turned around and saw that she looked dazed, so I asked again, "What do you want to eat?"
Wen Shuse's mind was still on his smile, and she didn't hear what he said at all, "My dear."
Xie Shao turned sideways, raised his eyebrows slightly, "Hmm?"
"Why don't I go find a house?" Wen Shuse finally came back to his senses, got off the bed, and stepped barefoot on the ground. "I have to stay here anyway, so I might as well find a place to stay earlier, and I can save money on the inn."
Xie Shao didn't understand.
Wen Shuse saw that he hadn't tied the belt around his waist yet, so he stepped forward and offered his courtesy, "I asked Master Wei on the way, and found out that your position as a Yuanwailang is registered in the court, and is part of the establishment. You can use it in Fengcheng and in Dongdu as well."
Xie Shao didn't respond and asked her, "Do you like Dongdu?"
"I like it. Dongdu is so lively!"
"Then stay another month."
Wen Shuse glanced at him and whispered, "Why can't my husband stay in Dongdu?"
Xie Shao still didn't answer. He watched her holding the belt and trying for a long time before tying it around her waist. He asked her, "Do you know how to do it?"
Wen Shuse was absent-minded to begin with, and his actions were faster than his brain, so he rushed into the job. Only after he got it did he realize the difficulty. He raised his head and said in annoyance, "No."
"It's rare for a young lady to be so virtuous. I'm deeply touched. Please go in." He spread his arms, giving her room to move.
Wen Shuse glanced at the belt in her hand, then looked at the narrow waist of the man in front of her. She really didn't know where to start, so she raised her head and looked at the man for help.
"Don't look at me, figure it out on your own."
"Alright." Wen Shuse stepped forward, no longer polite, and hugged Langjun's waist. The belt in her hand went around his waist, and it seemed to be the wrong way around. She rubbed her head against his chest and began to touch him randomly, "Why is it twisted..."
Xie Shao held his breath and lowered his eyes.
The young lady was wearing his undershirt, her smooth shoulders were as white as jade, translucent and barely visible under her long black hair.
She must have done it on purpose.
The outstretched arms suddenly dropped, and his palms embraced her slender waist. He tilted his head and stared at the stunned face of the young lady. His eyes were deep, and he raised his lips and said, "Kiss?"
"Ah, I just came over, my dear, don't move..."
"My dear..."
Just as his lips were about to touch the young lady, there was a knock on the door and Min Zhang's voice came in, "Master."
Feeling suffocated, Xie Shao took a deep breath.
"master?"
After a moment, the man inside opened the door with a dark face and asked, "What's the matter?"
Min Zhang saw that his face was not right and knew that something might have gone wrong. Fortunately, the current news was enough for him to get out of this situation. "The emperor issued an order this morning to abolish the crown prince. The prince sent someone to invite you to come over."
My dears! Five thousand words today, hehe! Tomorrow you will have a big house to live in. (To celebrate, I will give you a hundred red envelopes~)
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