Chapter 787 The Emperor trusts this Empress very much!
Meanwhile, in a secret chamber of the Prince Heng's mansion.
Xie Shang, wearing a golden crown and a black outfit, had a furrowed brow, exuding an imposing aura, and his eyes flashed with a cold light. "Have you found Night Shadow?"
The shadowy figure said, "My men searched the entire Prince Kang's residence but couldn't find him, nor could they find any exits from the underground palace or secret chambers. Prince Kang is not in the residence either."
Prince Kang had been in the Northwest for years and had not returned to Shengjing. As a result, Prince Kang's mansion had fallen into disrepair. During the two months he returned to the capital, the mansion underwent some haphazard repairs.
Xie Shang had sent people to search for several days, but there were no clues. He then turned to another middle-aged man and said, "Night Shadow is a bodyguard trained by Mr. Gongsun. You know him. Could he be disloyal?"
Mr. Gongsun said, "He had no reason to pledge allegiance to Prince Kang. His original surname was Zhou. He joined the Divine Concealment Camp because he had no one left in his family. Later, according to the camp's rules, he changed his code name to Night Shadow. He was quite skilled in martial arts and served as a captain in the camp. I also secretly investigated his family. His family had suffered a misfortune, and I saved him unintentionally. Our Divine Concealment Camp never accepts disciples with family members or those with poor aptitude. He is considered to have some talent."
Mr. Gongsun continued, "King Kang has not shown himself yet, which shows how cautious he is. Even the late emperor did not realize that he had returned to Shengjing. Now that he is hiding, it will be very difficult for us to find him."
Xie Shang also found it unbelievable. Xie Kang had an affair with Consort Chang, and his father had always been mindful of their brotherly bond, yet he had done something that was worse than that of an animal.
Just then, another guard rushed over, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty, greetings, Master Gongsun. Night Shadow has returned to the palace."
"There's another matter. An assassin attempted to kill the Empress in the palace, but the guards protecting her were killed before they could even show themselves... The Empress is safe and sound." The guard recounted the news from the palace in detail.
Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "You mean Ye Ying appeared and saved the Empress?"
"He helped the Queen; our men didn't even have a chance to make a move before he shot the assassins."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Gongsun said, "I never expected that the Empress would know martial arts. No wonder the Emperor dared to keep her in the palace."
Xie Shang said, "The Empress is capable of protecting herself. I believe she can handle things on her own. The fact that she went to see Consort Chang shows that she has already guessed the relationship between Prince Kang and Consort Chang."
He had long ago instructed Yao Guangzong that if the Empress wanted to see Consort Chang, she should be allowed to enter.
The reason for imprisoning Consort Chang in the Imperial Clan Court's prison was merely to use her as bait.
The person who led the Xie family to the Hengyang Imperial Mausoleum was not himself, but someone he had impersonate. Lin Feng led them to the mausoleum to pay homage to the late emperor.
Black Bee continued, "However, there is one strange thing. When I disguised myself as a soldier and met Nightshade at the palace gate, he did not recognize me. He was walking very fast and had his waist token in his hand. The soldiers guarding the palace gate let him in."
Xie Shang had long ago placed his own people in the palace, distributing them among various military camps to conceal their identities. Each of them had their own specific role, and Black Bee's outward identity was that of an inconspicuous soldier.
The newcomer was none other than Black Bee, who was as famous as Nightshade. They each had their own duties and had trained together in the military camp, so they were practically brothers. Even if Nightshade was in a hurry to leave, he couldn't possibly not recognize him.
Black Bee said, "I suspect he is not Night Shadow. I have also investigated in secret. The last person to have contact with Night Shadow was Xiao Liu. On the night Kunning Palace caught fire, Xiao Liu appeared at the palace gate. And the Night Shadow that night was no longer Night Shadow. The real Night Shadow had an accident on the night of the Lantern Festival. I suspect that the one who truly betrayed the master was Xiao Liu."
"Does the Empress know that Night Shadow is a problem?" Xie Shang frowned. Xiao Liu was Night Shadow's subordinate. If he wanted to scheme against Night Shadow, Night Shadow would be unable to defend against him.
Black Bee added, "The Empress returned to Kunning Palace before I left the palace. Aoxue also noticed something was wrong. Your Highness should know as well. He might make another move tonight."
"Lord Shang went to the camp to mobilize the Imperial Guards, which was ordered by Her Majesty the Empress." Black Bee continued, "The Empress has turned the Imperial Household Department upside down. Even after Steward Cheng was captured and brought to the palace, he was not allowed to leave. There is another matter. Her Majesty summoned Commander Shang alone. I don't know what they talked about. The Empress's people are guarding the surrounding area, so I can't get close."
Mr. Gongsun asked, "Why did the Empress issue this order?"
According to the Emperor's plan, he intended to stage an empty city ruse to provoke Prince Kang into attacking the palace. Now that the Empress has made such a big fuss, will Prince Kang still make a move?
"Because of corruption in the Imperial Household Department, a eunuch named Xiao Shunzi was killed. It was found that it was Steward Cheng who entered the palace and killed him. It seems that it was also because Steward Cheng stole something from the Imperial Household Department and Xiao Shunzi found out. These are the statements that Her Majesty the Empress made to the outside world."
Xie Shang said, "Cheng Zhong has been eating his fill at the Prince Heng's residence for a long time. He has no reason to go to the palace to do such a thing. It must be that the Empress has discovered new clues."
Black Bee continued, “I have shown my face to Her Majesty the Empress, and she already knows me, but she has not told me the clues she obtained. Even Commander Shang has kept his mouth shut. Does Her Majesty not trust me?”
“Ruan Ruan is always cautious. She must have her reasons for not saying anything. You should go back to the palace first and make sure to protect the safety of the Empress, the princes and princesses.” Xie Shang added, “Xiao Liu went to Hengyang with Lin Feng and passed the message to him. He knows what to do.”
Black Bee received the order and left quickly.
Gongsun Ling also brought people to Shengjing this time, and the more he listened, the more he wanted to meet this Empress.
He said, "If Prince Kang continues not to show himself, will the Emperor continue not to return to the palace?" He did want to go to the palace with the Emperor.
"Of course we must return to the palace," Xie Shang said coldly. "I never imagined that Uncle Kang had been plotting a rebellion for over thirty years. So many years have passed, yet he remains timid and cautious. If he doesn't show his face now, how can I find fault with him?"
Consort Chang has admitted to her affair with Prince Kang. She has always said that her mother and father broke them up and that she was also a victim.
However, Xie Yang's current state is also due to the bad ideas that Consort Chang instilled in him from a young age.
They incited Xie Yang to rebel and become emperor, filling him with hatred. In reality, they wanted Xie Yang to do the work for them, hoping to reap the benefits.
Xie Kang kept saying he was doing it for the good of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but what he did was harming the Great Zhou and the country left by his grandfather.
I want to know how much genuine affection he truly had for Consort Chang.
Upon hearing this, Gongsun Ling was speechless. Was this really something an emperor would say? The emperor seemed to have changed a lot since marrying Jiang Fenghua. What was the value of true feelings in the royal family? Or did the royal family even have true feelings?
Prince Kang had an affair with one of the late emperor's concubines. Wasn't he taking advantage of Consort Chang?
What kind of woman is Jiang Fenghua? Back then, the emperor was involved with that woman from the Su family. It could be said that he was after the Su family's military power, but at that time, the Jiang family was just a powerless and insignificant scholarly family.
The Emperor keeps giving power to the Jiang family and supporting them to rise to power. Jiang Fenghua is now the Empress. Isn't he afraid of supporting another ambitious family like the Su family?
The emperor trusted this empress completely!
Gongsun Ling was also a descendant of a divine physician. When Aoxue asked him for medicine, he gave it to her without asking why. Later, he found out that it was for the Empress.
Ao Xue has learned to keep secrets after arriving in Shengjing.
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