Chapter 59
As Granny Shen and Zhu Chunhua hurriedly arrived at the Princess's courtyard, a black iron arrow was embedded perfectly in the stone target. Mo Yinghuo was overjoyed; the chill on her body gradually subsided, the Bloodlust Gu weakened, and she gained increasing control over the black iron arrow.
"What's wrong, Granny Shen?" Mo Yinghuo tossed the longbow to Zhu Chunhua.
Granny Shen, unusually composed, said, "Your Highness, Imperial Uncle Yu has impeached you."
Mo Yinghuo gave a faint "Oh".
Granny Shen took a breath and added, "More than a dozen memorials, and the Emperor was furious."
Mo Yinghuo seemed to have expected this. "Hmm, a dozen or so books, isn't that normal? We've done this before."
Granny Shen: "This time is different. For some reason, the Emperor suddenly became angry and has already imprisoned the Imperial Uncle."
Mo Yinghuo simply smiled and asked, "Granny Chen, do you know why this time is different?"
Granny Shen said, "It seems that Li Fenglu impeached him, and the impeachment document listed the large amount of gold and silver treasures that Yu Guojiu had embezzled and accepted bribes over the years."
Mo Yinghuo nodded and said, "Do you know about 'the fish outside the door'?"
The fish outside the gate are people in Yunxiu Kingdom who hold official positions but no real power.
This idea was proposed by the First Prince. When the late Emperor passed away, the Yunxiu Kingdom's treasury was already strained. At that time, after Mo Beichen ascended the throne, he decisively adopted Mo Qiming's suggestion, allowing the sons of wealthy families in Yunxiu Kingdom who possessed certain talents to enter the court as officials with some real power, but without holding official positions, and with a set term limit.
The civil and military officials of Yunxiu Kingdom have always been selected through the imperial examination, which has aroused much dissatisfaction in the court.
However, talented sons of wealthy merchants who wished to serve in the court had to make certain contributions to the Yunxiu Kingdom. The meaning of "contribution" was clear to everyone in the court and among the common people: the Princess was leading troops on the front lines, either fighting for the country on the battlefield or contributing to the logistical support behind the lines. At that time, the national treasury was almost emptied by the Princess's contributions; paying money was considered service.
Therefore, this was considered a contribution, and these wealthy merchants' sons who contributed money to replenish the national treasury were privately referred to as "outsiders" by the officials who passed the imperial examinations.
Although it was the First Prince who proposed it, the Imperial Uncle was the biggest driving force behind the "outsider fish" scheme. Being greedy for money, half naturally went into the national treasury, while the other half ended up in his own pocket. As a result, the contributions of these outsiders to Yunxiu Kingdom appeared to be significantly reduced. When the Emperor began to investigate, who would dare to righteously claim that the money was rightfully theirs?
Granny Shen nodded, pondering with a shrewd and calculating air, wondering why His Highness had suddenly brought this up.
Mo Yinghuo looked into the distance and said slowly, "We will soon be sending troops to the northern frontier."
Granny Shen suddenly paused, "Your Highness means that you need money to fight the war."
Mo Yinghuo nodded. "Do you think the Emperor was completely unaware of the Imperial Uncle's actions these past few years? He merely turned a blind eye, allowing the Imperial Uncle to amass wealth for him."
Granny Shen: "Then Empress Yu..."
Mo Yinghuo sighed, "The Emperor's feelings for the Empress are genuine. However, as the Emperor of Yunxiu Kingdom, there are some things that are beyond his control."
Granny Shen said in a low voice, "Your Highness, how do you know that you have always ignored the affairs of the court?"
Mo Yinghuo quietly looked at the black iron arrow stuck in the bullseye of the stone in front of her, thinking that the emperor had never hidden anything from her. The rumors circulating in the court about his high merits threatening the emperor and the talk of the princess and empress were insignificant compared to the people of Shiling Kingdom in the eyes of the two siblings.
Mo Beichen and Mo Yinghuo's battles were never against the surrounding enemy states or the various northern barbarian tribes, but against the extraterrestrial kingdom that easily manipulated Yunxiu Kingdom and possessed unfathomable power. Neither of them coveted the throne, yet everyone else considered it incredibly precious.
The moon and stars are sparse.
In the Shuqing Palace, Emperor Zhaoming stood with his hands behind his back in front of the window. The severed tree had grown back, with several tender branches poised to sprout. He closed his eyes, and his memories grew along with the tree trunk.
"Sister, what are you doing?" Mo Beichen looked at Mo Yinghuo, who was squatting under the table, with a look of horror.
Mo Yinghuo's eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed, clearly from crying and struggling for a long time. Her lips and teeth were stained with blood, and there were shocking teeth marks on her arms. She raised her head and sobbed, "Achen, it's the Bloodthirsty Gu."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mo Beichen hurriedly ran over and slowly opened the door. "Granny Chen, His Highness is resting. What is it?"
Granny Shen: "This morning His Highness instructed that the First Prince was coming to the Princess's residence, and asked this old servant to prepare some fine wine and food."
Mo Beichen smiled and said politely, "Thank you for your trouble, Granny Chen. Let's wait another hour until my sister wakes up, then we can go together. I just had some pastries, and I'll write a few calligraphy pieces for His Highness."
Granny Shen bowed respectfully. She held the Second Prince, who was known for his humility and studiousness, in the highest esteem and said, “Yes, this old servant will go and warm up the food.”
Mo Beichen closed the door, strode under the table, and said affectionately, "Sister, come out first."
Mo Yinghuo remained huddled under the table, hugging his legs.
“Come on.” Mo Beichen rolled up his sleeves, put his arm under the table, and said in a gentle tone, “Sister, let’s support Yunxiu Kingdom together, okay?”
Mo Yinghuo wiped himself with his clothes and nodded.
...
"Lord Wu, can the Bloodthirsty Gu be cured?" Emperor Zhaoming put down the purple wine in his hand, stood up and stared intently at the leader of the Star Division, who was dressed in black.
Lord Wu looked troubled. “Your Majesty, in recent years I have sent half of the Star Bureau’s spies deep into the Northern Barbarian lands. The witchcraft and sorcery of the Northern Barbarians can only be described as inconceivable.”
Emperor Zhaoming's expression remained unchanged as he asked even more resolutely, "Is there a solution?"
Lord Wu: "Yes, but no one has ever survived it. Therefore, King Hunxie said there is no solution."
Emperor Zhaoming glanced at him.
"For thirty days, one must not eat or drink, endure the pain of ten thousand needles, and lose half of one's own blood. Moreover, during this process, one must remain conscious, the blood must be released slowly, and each bloodletting hole must be fed with a blood scorpion; otherwise, one will immediately suffer the backlash of the bloodthirsty gu. If one can get through this, the gu poison will be cured."
Emperor Zhaoming's face immediately changed color. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Who could endure that? Thirty days without food or water, a person would die long ago; and then there's the need for acupuncture and bloodletting, and feeding hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of blood scorpions... The Princess, she was only bitten by one, and she was in excruciating pain... Lord Wu, I think it's not that no one has ever endured it, it's that no one wants to!"
Lord Wu's brow twitched. "Your Majesty, my birth mother was a Northern Barbarian, and I know a little about their sorcery. I remember my mother saying that the Northern Barbarians actually practice some witchcraft, and the reason it's considered evil is because..."
Seeing his hesitation, Emperor Zhaoming said, "Speak frankly."
Lord Wu: "That's not something we have here."
Emperor Zhaoming turned his back, looked up at the door, and said slowly, "So, we still have to wait."
Emperor Zhaoming slowly opened his eyes, sighed, and said, "The Nightfall Star People have arrived. Everything that has happened since then seems to have been easily and calmly resolved by them. However, now, he vaguely senses a power that is even more unfathomable and terrifying than that of the Stone Spirit Kingdom people."
“Chief Steward Pang,” Emperor Zhaoming called out.
The head steward followed closely behind, saying, "Your Majesty."
Emperor Zhaoming: "Has Abbot Zhao been staying at the Princess's residence recently?"
"Yes."
"How has the Princess been feeling lately?"
The head steward was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Isn't the princess faking illness?" He pondered for a moment and then carefully said, "This old servant doesn't know, but I've noticed that the princess looks quite well recently."
Emperor Zhaoming: "Have the eldest princess come to the palace when she has time."
The head steward acknowledged, then seemed to remember something and turned back, saying in detail, "Your Majesty, Empress Yu is still kneeling outside the palace gate."
Emperor Zhaoming waved his hand, and the chief steward obediently withdrew.
Mo Yinghuo couldn't help but sneeze. Now that the people of Shiling Kingdom had been found, why was Zhao Shu still having the Military Affairs Bureau manufacture Xuan Tie Arrows? What exactly was he planning? She sat at her desk, propping her chin up with her hand, tapping her fingers repeatedly. Strangely enough, since that incident, she hadn't had a single strange dream.
Lifting the tent flap, Mo Yinghuo strode out, mounted his horse, and saw Shu Rong riding a horse, carrying a longbow on her back and a sword at her waist, sitting upright and patrolling back and forth.
She lightly kicked the horse's belly and walked over. After meeting the Emperor last time, she said that her health had improved, and her elder brother allowed her to rest at the Northern Camp.
“Shu Rong.” Mo Yinghuo smiled.
Shu Rong tightened the reins. "General."
"Shurong, the people of Shiling Kingdom have been wiped out, and King Hunxie is also dead. Gongliang Zhong's revenge has been avenged." Mo Yinghuo looked at him calmly.
Shu Rong suddenly dropped the reins from her hand. "Princess, what else can I do?"
Mo Yinghuo picked up the rope, placed it in Shu Rong's hand, patted his shoulder, and said sternly, "Tomorrow morning you will lead the Iron Pagoda into the Northern Frontier, not to kill the enemy, but to find a megalithic site for me."
Shu Rong frowned. "Is it the same Stonehenge as Yu Chen City and Su Zang?"
Mo Yinghuo nodded. "Yes, but it will be even bigger. Bring explosives, and no matter what happens, don't go inside the stone formation."
A strange look flashed across Shu Rong's face. He lowered his voice and asked, "General, is it Zhao Shu? The King of Hunxie from Shiling Kingdom?"
Mo Yinghuo nodded slightly, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon, and said calmly, "The Northern Frontier doesn't need us. Marquis Beiding is enough."
The two rode side by side, walking silently through the Beidaying camp.
Zhao Shu stood at the entrance of the tent, looking thoughtfully at the scene.
At midnight, several shooting stars streaked across the sky. The Yanxi Tower in the capital was bustling with activity. High-ranking officials and ordinary people alike watched the shooting stars with great interest, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.
The sound of patrolling horses' hooves passed orderly outside the tent. Mo Yinghuo pursed her lips, her fingers almost digging into the table. She noticed that Zhao Shu seemed to be very obsessed with sex lately, as if he had discovered something new and was enjoying it immensely.
“Zhao Shu, actually I can also adapt to local customs,” Mo Yinghuo said, turning around and sweating profusely.
Zhao Shu: "Yes, when in Rome, do as Your Highness does."
"No!" Mo Yinghuo turned around abruptly, suddenly remembering something. "Zhao Shu, back then in the coffin, for you, weren't we already..."
"yes."
"Zhao Shu, since you're so sensitive, why didn't you kick me out of the coffin back then?"
"Because it's you."
"ah!"
"The body is honest."
"So you've been plotting against me all along."
"You were the one who provoked me first."
"Hey, that punch you threw, is that considered provocation? Well, this princess has provoked plenty of people."
"Huo'er," Zhao Shu kissed his sweat-dampened black hair and called softly, "From now on, could you please stop patting other people's shoulders so casually?"
"Hmm, so Zhao Shuai looked unwell earlier because he was jealous. By the way, does that mean you're deeply in love with me...?"
"Yes. Stop talking and be serious."
...
The Prince's Mansion.
"Impossible!" Seventh Prince Mo Chonghua roared. "Brother, how did you know?"
Mo Qiming remained gentle. "Seventh brother, do you really think it's as simple as your mother being killed by the Northern Barbarians? Haven't you ever thought about why a group of Northern Barbarians would run into the Yunxiu Kingdom's palace? Why is the Eldest Princess always present when someone dies? And why does she always manage to escape unscathed?"
Mo Chonghua gripped the ring-pommel sword. "Brother, you said those assassins were all after the Eldest Princess. Third Brother, Fifth Brother, and Mother all died because of her."
Mo Qiming: "Seventh brother, don't blame Father and the Eldest Princess. Father just wants the Eldest Princess to inherit the throne."
“Yes.” Suddenly, an old, hoarse voice rang out. Li Fenglu was supporting an old eunuch, while Mo Wangshu followed beside him. The voice belonged to the eunuch.
Mo Chonghua stared intently at the eunuch, and suddenly, his heart trembled. "You...you are Chief Steward Shang."
Chief Steward Shang nodded. "Your Highnesses, this old servant was indeed the late Emperor's personal attendant. The First Prince is right. Back then, the late Emperor decreed that the Eldest Princess should inherit the throne. The late Emperor said more than once that the Eldest Princess was the chosen one. The late Emperor said he had seen it; when Yunxiu Kingdom was engulfed in flames, it was the Eldest Princess who led a force of nearly 50,000 elite troops and archers to save Yunxiu Kingdom. Therefore, the late Emperor said that no matter what, the Eldest Princess must be protected, and she must become the ruler of Yunxiu Kingdom. Once the ruler of Yunxiu Kingdom is established, no one can easily touch her."
Mo Chonghua suddenly drew his ring-pommel sword. "Steward Shang, do you know what you're saying?"
Chief Steward Shang coughed and chuckled a few times. "Seventh Prince, this old servant knows very well, but it is the late Emperor's last wish. This old servant will risk his life to prevent the Princess from suffering injustice." After saying that, he suddenly took out a letter from his bosom. "On it is the late Emperor's handwriting, which can prove that the imperial edict has been altered."
Mo Chonghua read the letter five or six times from beginning to end, and murmured in disbelief, "Then, who changed the imperial edict?"
The usually quiet and unassuming Fourth Prince, Mo Wangshu, said calmly, "Seventh Prince, do we even need to guess who changed the imperial edict?"
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