When Mingyue saw Mu Qing, she finally felt relieved. After the place was thoroughly cleaned up, Mu Qing had someone block the secret passage with large stones.
The next day, he led people down the dry well and lit many torches there, so he could see the situation inside. It turned out that in addition to the wellhead, there was also a secret passage leading directly to the outside of the city.
After a night, Fuxia and her maid had disappeared long ago, and they had no choice but to block this secret passage and return to Yangzhou.
As the New Year's Eve is approaching, the Duke's Mansion has already started to get busy. The head of the family has to be in charge of purchasing New Year's goods and dealing with social interactions during the New Year.
But Chen Qiu is pregnant now, so it is not convenient for her to go to anyone's house. Ye Chen is also worried about her going out. After all, Ye Chen and Yan Qinglian have already fallen out, and there are undercurrents in the court. Everyone knows that something big is going to happen, but it just hasn't happened yet.
It's like having a knife hanging over your head. You know it will fall, but you don't know when. No one likes this feeling.
Only Ye Chen was still leisurely at home, not caring about worldly affairs. All the ministers who came to visit him were turned away by him, regardless of their gifts or personal relationships.
But on the day of the Little New Year, someone came who no one expected.
Ye Chen and Shen Qiu were arranging the plum blossoms picked by Xiaofu when a servant came to report that there were guests.
Ye Chen said without looking up: "Didn't I say it? I won't see anyone."
The servant bowed his head and said, "But the man who came is Lord Yan."
Ye Chen paused and said, "Oh? Interesting, he actually came to me at this time? Then go and meet him, is he alone?"
The servant hurriedly said, "Yes, the guards are all staying outside the door."
Ye Chen put down the plum blossom in his hand and said to Shen Qiu: "Qiu'er, I'll go take a look and come back in a while."
Chen Qiu nodded and said, "Okay, I'll have someone prepare some fish soup, and we'll have some when we get back."
Then he took Ye Chen's cotton robe from Jin'er and put it on Ye Chen. "Although the weather is sunny, it is colder. Don't get sick."
Ye Chen smiled and said, "Let's go," then walked towards the front yard with the servant.
Entering the main hall of the front courtyard, Yan Qinglian was drinking tea. Before Ye Chen came in, a voice came in, "I wonder what wind has blown in this capital that has blown Lord Yan to the residence of a scholar like me?"
Yan Qinglian didn't get up. He put down his teacup and said, "Everyone knows that although the Duke has only the title of Juren, you are a top figure in Kyoto. During the New Year's social interaction, anyone can be invited, but the Duke's Mansion cannot be excluded."
Ye Chen smiled and sat down opposite Yan Qinglian. He picked up the tea brought in by the servant, took a sip and said, "It is a great honor for my humble residence that you have come to visit me as Master Yan. I just wonder what Master Yan wants to bring me here for?"
"I haven't been to Old Yan's house this year. I was thinking of visiting him after the Little New Year, but I never expected you to come."
Yan Qinglian narrowed his eyes, as if to confirm whether what Ye Chen said was true or not.
The fish soup was already ready. Chen Qiu waited and waited but Ye Chen didn't come back, so he stood at the door and looked at him.
After a while, the servant beside Ye Chen came running over and bowed to Shen Qiu, saying, "Madam, the Duke said he had to go to the palace for an urgent matter, so you don't have to wait, just have your meal first."
So anxious? Shen Qiu subconsciously asked: "Are you going with Master Yan?"
The servant shook his head and said, "No, Lord Yan left a while ago, and then the Duke went there."
Chen Qiu didn't ask any more questions, but just ordered: "Is the Duke wearing a cloak?"
The servant smiled and said, "I've put it on. The Duke said he was afraid you'd worry, so he took great care to keep warm."
Shen Qiu smiled and said, "You go and do your work. I'm fine here."
It was almost noon when Ye Chen entered the palace.
The emperor met him in the upper study and asked, "What happened? Why are you here at this hour? Haven't you been out for several days?"
Ye Chen said, "I won't be attending court after today. The next few days may not be peaceful. Yan Qinglian is about to take action. I guess the most likely date is New Year's Eve. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
After hearing Ye Chen's words, the emperor tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously, narrowed his eyes and said, "That day all the ministers and their families will enter the palace. It is the best time. If we can think of it, Yan Qinglian will naturally think of it too."
Ye Chen said: "It's natural for him to think of it, but apart from that day, there was no more suitable opportunity to gather everyone together for him to catch them all in one fell swoop. The troops he had were not enough to capture the residences of these adults in Kyoto."
"Although there are many ministers who have defected to him, there are also many who are neutral and royalist."
"From now on, it seems that the last time the Order of the Phoenix attacked the Duke's Mansion was to test him."
The emperor said, "Outside the palace, you still have to worry about it. I'm here to take care of it."
Ye Chen said: "Just in case, I sent a letter to the King of Zhennan. The Phoenix Order on his side has almost dealt with it, and he should be on his way back to Kyoto now."
The emperor asked in surprise, "When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?"
Ye Chen said: "When I was idle at home, I told the King of Zhennan to clean up the Phoenix Society along the way when he came back, so that he could make the best use of it."
The emperor smiled and pointed at Ye Chen, saying, "Forget it, you are Ye Chen after all. Don't do it again!"
"Oh, that's not right. He will come back just because you told him to? He wouldn't dare to come back without my order, right?"
Ye Chen clenched his fist and put it to his mouth, coughed, and said, "I asked him to bring only 3,000 personal soldiers with him, and disguise himself to take them by surprise. I told him that I would take the blame for anything that happened."
"Well, uncle, can I bear it?"
The emperor pointed at Ye Chen angrily and said, "Can't you tell me in advance? How can I not agree?"
Ye Chen said: "Someone around you is unreliable. If someone leaks the news, it will be troublesome, so I made the decision on my own."
The emperor snorted and said, "Aren't you the same now?"
Ye Chen shook his head and said, "It's different. You are basically safe here now."
The emperor was stunned and asked, "Are you saying that you were the one who killed those eunuchs and palace maids a few days ago?"
If someone else had done something like arbitrarily mobilizing troops, they might have been beheaded by now, but in this case, the emperor didn't care.
When Lu Chenyuan received Ye Chen's letter, his first reaction was that Ye Chen was out to punish him, sending him to the capital without a summons? And bringing three thousand personal soldiers with him? Was he seeking revenge because he'd known Xiao Qiu longer than him? Was this Duke just that petty?
But it was followed by several express letters sent over 800 miles, with almost the same content.
The last letter read: "You can use the previous letters as evidence. I will protect you from being implicated if you are not recalled to Beijing."
After that, Lu Chenyuan assembled his troops and headed north. But Ye Chen also gave him a few addresses and asked him to clean up the Phoenix Society on the way? This Ye Chen really knows how to make the best use of everything.
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