Chapter 290 Autumn Hunt
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing'an's expression grew even darker, and he immediately summoned the guard who had come to the palace to report the incident and questioned him.
The guards guarding Fengxing Mountain entered the palace and reported, "Your Majesty, Fengxing Mountain is on fire. We discovered it in time, so it didn't burn down the other courtyards."
Only with the token given by Emperor Jing'an could they enter the city smoothly even though the city gates were closed.
"Your Majesty, the fire started at night. It's very strange. It doesn't seem like a wildfire caused by the heat." The guard continued, "We investigated immediately and found no suspicious individuals."
Fengxing Mountain is very vast. Although it is considered a forbidden area and is secretly guarded by guards, it is difficult to prevent arson.
Emperor Jing'an couldn't help but wonder, could it be that someone discovered the secret of the villa and set it on fire to test it first?
He thought of the secret hidden in the villa, and recalled the dream he had just had, with a hint of anxiety between his brows.
"I will assign you additional personnel. Every intersection will have people taking turns patrolling." Emperor Jing'an said in a deep voice, "Secure the villa strictly and do not allow anyone to approach. Anyone who disobeys will be executed first and reported later."
Emperor Jing'an did not punish him, and the guard breathed a sigh of relief: "I obey your order."
Emperor Jing'an dispatched personnel to Fengxing Mountain, and finally, he secretly sent people to guard the mountains bordering Fengxing Mountain.
Anyone acting suspiciously should be arrested immediately.
With Emperor Jing'an's actions, the situation in the court became tense in an instant.
In the harem, Concubine Ling keenly smelled a hint of something unusual and sent a letter to Prince Yu, wanting to summon him to the palace for a talk.
Prince Yu did not reply to Concubine Ling's letter, nor did he enter the palace to see Concubine Ling.
Concubine Ling was anxious, so she wrote a letter to her brother Ling Zhongshi and sent him to Prince Yu's Mansion to inquire about the situation.
As soon as Ling Zhongshi arrived at Prince Yu's mansion, he was placed under house arrest in a side room by the Chancellor before he even met Prince Yu. He was afraid that Ling Zhongshi would hinder Prince Yu at a critical moment.
After the Chancellor had finished his work, he went to report to Prince Yu: "Your Highness, your uncle is imprisoned in the palace. If word of this were to reach the Queen, I'm afraid it would disturb your peace again. Would you like to write a letter to the Queen and inform her of the situation?"
Prince Yu looked at the letter in his hand and automatically blocked out the words of Zhan Shi.
Fengxing Mountain caught fire, and the guards guarding Fengxing Mountain entered the city overnight.
Not only could the guards enter the city unimpeded at night, Emperor Jing'an also sent additional personnel to guard Fengxing Mountain.
Just to say that during the morning court sessions these past two days, Emperor Jing'an became more irritable and angry, and he had to consult the imperial physician several times. His liver fire symptoms became more serious, which was enough to illustrate the importance of Fengxing Mountain.
At this time, a guard reported at the door: "Your Highness, the Langzhong of the Military Treasury Department and the Langzhong of the Military Selection Department have been arrested by the Jinyiwei."
The Arsenal Department is responsible for the replacement, manufacture, and storage of military equipment, while the Military Selection Department is responsible for the promotion of military commanders. These two departments are of vital importance.
Now that the doctor has been arrested, the knife is hanging over Prince Yu's head.
Prince Yu changed into casual clothes and went into the palace to meet Emperor Jing'an.
When Emperor Jing'an summoned Prince Yu, he was drinking medicine.
Prince Yu saw that Emperor Jing'an looked unhappy. As he handed the medicine bowl to the eunuch, he pressed his ribs uncomfortably and leaned back in his chair.
He asked gently, "Father, how is your health?"
Emperor Jing'an felt better from the pain in his ribs and looked up at Prince Yu.
Prince Yu had a gentle face, like the breeze and bright moon. It was hard to imagine that beneath such a face, he harbored an insatiable ambition.
Prince Yu destroyed the evidence of what he did in the Ministry of War, so he thought that the blame would not be traced back to him?
Once you do something, it is impossible not to leave any trace.
"It's okay." Emperor Jing'an asked, "Jing'er, do you have anything to say to father?"
Prince Yu was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes again. His clear and bright eyes were filled with concern for Emperor Jing'an.
He suggested, "Father, you're so busy, working day and night, you rarely get a moment to rest. Now that the annual autumn hunt is approaching, why not put it on your schedule and take the opportunity to rest and recuperate?"
When Emperor Jing'an heard Prince Yu's words, the smile on his face faded. "In your opinion, when should the autumn hunt be arranged?"
Prince Yu bowed and said, "It's up to the emperor, father, to arrange."
The moment Emperor Jing'an saw Prince Yu, he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart, hoping that Prince Yu was here to confess his guilt.
Unfortunately, the wish was not fulfilled.
Now that Prince Yu has proposed the autumn hunt at this critical juncture, he probably has some plans in mind.
Emperor Jing'an looked down at the two memorials placed on the dragon table, which were proposals from the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites on the autumn hunting.
His eyes grew deep, and he said, "The autumn hunt will be held in two days."
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Duke's Mansion, Lanxue Garden.
After Shen Qingtan heard that Prince Yu had entered the palace, he spread the news of the autumn hunt in two days.
The Ministry of War's mistakes led to officials being tortured but failing to give Prince Yu away. Prince Yu hadn't made any moves before this, so it's likely that the officials arrested were implicated in a case that had no direct connection to Prince Yu.
Now that the doctors from the Military Selection Department and the Arsenal Department were captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Prince Yu could not help but enter the palace. Perhaps these two people were deeply involved with Prince Yu.
In the evening, when Zhao Yi returned home, Shen Qingtan helped him wash his hands while asking, "Second Master, was it Prince Yu who proposed the autumn hunt?"
"During the morning court session, the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites brought up the matter of the Autumn Hunt, but the Emperor kept it to himself." Zhao Yi took the handkerchief offered by Shen Qingtan and wiped his hands. "Prince Yu came to the palace today to mention the Autumn Hunt, and the Emperor just set it for two days later."
"The situation is urgent, but Prince Yu is still interested in going on the autumn hunt. I suspect he wants to do something during the hunt to offset the crimes he committed in the Ministry of War."
Shen Qingtan frowned: "Are you planning to rescue me?"
Zhao Yi whispered, "Prince Yu is a cautious person. If he were to devise a plan to rescue the emperor, he would have no chance of survival if he were not careful."
Shen Qingtan thought about it and felt that it was indeed too risky.
Apart from this, is there any other way for Prince Yu to save himself?
Suddenly, Shen Qingtan had a flash of inspiration and thought of a possibility: "Northern Qi?"
Zhao Yi pondered, "Marrying Princess Guangning might just divert the trouble away."
When Shen Qingtan heard what Zhao Yi said, she couldn't help but think of what happened at the flower viewing banquet. At that time, Concubine Ling and Prince Yu plotted against Princess Guangning and were unwilling to marry her.
Now that Prince Yu has been forced into a desperate situation, does he want to resolve the crisis through marriage?
Shen Qingtan thought of Princess Guangning in the side hall, and her frightened eyes revealed the despair of being isolated and helpless.
Regardless of whether Prince Yu had any intentions towards Princess Guangning, to be on the safe side, she still planned to pass on a message to Princess Guangning, asking her to find an excuse not to go on the day of the autumn hunt.
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In the blink of an eye, it was the day of autumn hunting.
Emperor Jing'an went to the hunting ground with his ministers.
The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, and Zhao Yi helped Shen Qingtan get off the carriage.
It turned out that when I went out, the sky was cloudless.
Now when we arrived at the hunting ground, there were huge dark clouds hanging over the sky, and it seemed that a storm was about to come.
Shen Qingtan was a little uneasy.
At this time, the fourth lady came over and took Shen Qingtan's arm, "Niece-in-law, the weather has changed so quickly, let's go up the mountain quickly."
"Okay." Shen Qingtan was about to go up the mountain with the Fourth Madam. The moment she turned around, she saw a figure in the crowd and suddenly stopped.
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