Chapter 447 Cleaning Up the House
"Fate...have mercy..."
Yan Shixu chewed over these four words, his eyes dim and unclear.
He held the Empress Dowager's hand tightly, and finally slowly let go with a heavy feeling of powerlessness.
"Li'er." He turned to Wen Li'er, who had been waiting silently beside him with a worried look on her face.
Looking at her pale and tired face and the deep worry in her eyes, his voice softened unconsciously.
"You are pregnant, so you shouldn't stay here for long, and you shouldn't worry too much."
"Go back to Pineapple Palace and rest first. Zhao Zhao needs you too."
Wen Li'er opened her mouth, wanting to say that how could she leave peacefully when the Empress Dowager was still asleep? She wanted to say that she could still hold on and wanted to stay here to guard her.
But facing the concern in his eyes, and the fragility and heaviness hidden deep within them...
She finally swallowed her words and just nodded slightly.
"I obey your command. Your Majesty, please take care of your health and don't... get sick from overwork."
Yan Shixu nodded slightly, then took her hand again and quickly explained in a low voice.
"Now that a storm is approaching, to be on the safe side, except for the Crown Prince who needs to stay in the East Palace, Zhao Zhao, Mu Mu, and Miao Miao will all move back to the Pineapple Palace to live with you."
Wen Li'er naturally understood that the situation was serious.
She squeezed his hand tightly and nodded.
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
She turned to Nanny Qin, who was standing by her side, and ordered, "Nanny, take someone to bring Mumu and Miaomiao to the Pineapple Palace immediately, and pack up the things and go to the warm room."
"Yes, your Majesty, I will do it right away!" Nanny Qin looked solemn and hurriedly took the order and left.
Wen Li'er took a last deep look at the heartbreakingly old figure on the couch.
With the support of Hua Zhan and Qiu Ying, he left the Cining Palace with a heavy heart full of worries.
Yan Shixu waved his hand and temporarily dismissed all the imperial doctors and palace maids to the outer hall to await orders.
Finally, Yan Shixu was the only one left in the huge palace.
He slowly walked to the window and pushed it open a crack.
The night wind suddenly rushed in, causing the candlelight to sway wildly, flickering unsteadily, and also blowing away some of the strong and indissoluble smell of medicine in the hall.
He looked out the window at the dark, boundless night sky, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
It was as if he wanted to penetrate the thick darkness and see through the evil spirits hiding behind the heavy curtains, extending their cold and murderous hands towards his closest flesh and blood.
"deliver an imperial order."
Without turning around, he said to the dead air, "Tell Zhang Sicheng to come see me immediately."
Half a quarter of an hour later.
The palace door opened silently, and a dark figure walked in quickly. It was Zhang Sicheng.
He knelt on one knee and saluted: "Your Majesty!"
"Zhang Sicheng."
"I am here!"
"Convey my secret order immediately."
"Select a group of the most elite shadow guards to keep a close watch on Princess Taiping's mansion. Even if a fly flies in, we must find out who is the male and female! And secretly search the secret rooms, secret passages, mezzanines, cellars, hidden compartments in the Buddhist shrines... Any place that could harbor filth or pass information, leave no one untouched! All personnel in the mansion, regardless of master or servant, are to be placed under surveillance. Pay special attention to any unfamiliar faces, those with suspicious whereabouts, or those with unusual contact with the outside world. Report any clues immediately!"
"Also, the Crown Prince has secretly dispatched additional personnel to protect their safety. Anyone approaching them, regardless of their identity, will be strictly interrogated."
"Also, the Pineapple Palace Shadow Guards' protection has been immediately restructured. All sentries, covert posts, patrol routes, and shift schedules have been restructured and intensified. Double the manpower to form a triple layer of internal and external protection. Pay special attention to easily overlooked areas like the four corners of the palace walls, hidden gaps in doors and windows, rockery caves, and tunnel entrances. All Shadow Guards have the highest priority: the safety of the Empress and the princes and princesses! If there's even the slightest misstep, you'll be beheaded!"
Zhang Sicheng accepted the order solemnly: "Your Majesty, I will obey your command! Even if it means death, I will not refuse!"
His figure blended into the night and quickly retreated into the darkness outside the temple.
In the inner hall, apart from the Empress Dowager lying silently on the couch, only Yan Shixu was left.
He slowly walked to the bedside and sighed softly, "Grandmother, please wake up."
After he finished speaking, the old man lying on the bed actually slowly opened his eyes.
She looked at her grandson's tired face, her face full of heartache.
"Xu'er, thank you for your hard work."
Yan Shixu shook his head. He wrung out a wet towel from the basin and carefully wiped her palms.
"My grandson has no hardship, but it is hard for the Royal Grandmother, at such an old age, to still worry about state affairs and family matters."
The Empress Dowager suddenly asked, "Xu'er already knows?"
She didn't ask what he knew, but Yan Shixu nodded.
"Um."
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, heartbroken.
"Evil creature! What a misfortune for our family!"
Seeing the disappointment and grief in her eyes, Yan Shixu comforted her, "Grandmother, I'll leave these matters to your grandson. You just need to rest and watch the Great Yan Empire stabilize, watch Zhao Zhao and the others grow up, and watch your grandson... clean up the mess for you."
"Clean up the house..."
The Empress Dowager chewed on these four words, and two lines of turbid tears slid down her old face.
Silence spread in the hall, with only the occasional crackling of candlelight.
After a long time, the Empress Dowager sighed tiredly, and that sigh seemed to have exhausted all her life's strength.
She held Yan Shixu's hand with her backhand. Her skinny fingers were cold, yet they conveyed a heavy trust:
"Xu'er... I am no longer useful. The kingdom of Dayan depends on you. Please be extremely careful in your actions."
Yan Shixu nodded heavily, the strength in his hands was firm and warm, as if conveying a silent promise.
The grandfather and grandson, one lying and the other sitting, each carried an immense burden amidst the flickering candlelight and the heavy aroma of medicine.
Outside the window, the night is as dark as ink and full of dangers.
And in this tiny space of the Cining Palace, a silent storm has been quietly brewing amidst the deep tacit understanding and trust between the grandparents and grandchildren.
…
The next morning, in the court.
The Prince Regent read out His Majesty's decree on his behalf:
——
"The Xiyu marriage envoys are on their way to the capital, and the prefectures along the way must provide them with the 'highest standards' of reception to demonstrate the magnanimity of our Great Yan."
"Yes, all members of the diplomatic mission, regardless of rank, must be registered, their identities and backgrounds strictly checked, and their physical characteristics recorded in detail!"
"After arriving in Beijing, you will be placed in the Sifang Pavilion. No one is allowed to leave without my personal order!"
"The number of accompanying guards is strictly limited to three hundred. All weapons, bows and crossbows are to be immediately stored and sealed. The internal and external defense of Sifang Pavilion will be fully taken over by the Protector General Luo Yunzhen!"
"As for the princess who is to be married..."
"After they are settled, the clan affairs office will arrange for them to choose from unmarried members of the royal family."
——
The ministers looked at each other in confusion.
She is obviously marrying off to Your Majesty, so how could she be willing to marry a relative of the clan?
But when they thought of the miserable maid named Liu Qing, none of the civil and military officials dared to speak.
In fact, if Princess Xiyu did not enter the palace, there were indeed two very suitable candidates from the royal family, namely Prince Liang and Prince Lang, who had just celebrated their coming-of-age ceremony.
As a result, the two men ran faster than rabbits. They would never believe that they had not heard some news from King Wu in advance.
Seeing that Prince Lin was waiting for them to express their opinions, the civil and military officials accepted the order solemnly.
"Your Majesty, I obey your command!"
…
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