Chapter 49 Chapter 49 The same old trick again.
The imperial concubine is thirty-six years old this year, at the peak of her charm. She seems to be in a very good mood today. She leans lazily against the window frame, her slender fingers casually stroking the black hair scattered on her shoulders. Her face is radiant with joy, and compared to that day, she is even more charming and attractive.
Hearing the sudden sound of the stone slab behind him, he was not surprised at all. A slight smile appeared on the corner of his lips, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
She was in no hurry to look back. Instead, she just lowered her head to look at the hair entangled around her fingertips and listened quietly to the footsteps behind her, as if it was the most beautiful sound in the world.
Not until he realized that the man had walked behind him did he smile and asked angrily, "Why are you here only now?"
The imperial concubine's flowery smile faded into a terrifying expression the moment she turned her head. "Emperor...Emperor..."
She stumbled back, bumping into the table behind her. The luxurious jade ornaments she was wearing made a sound that she found most irritating.
The Third Prince stood there in a daze for a long moment, his face turning pale and blue. Finally, he suddenly smiled and said, "So, so this is why Mother insisted on having him assist me?"
"No...it's not like that, my son!"
The imperial concubine had not yet recovered from her shock and instinctively denied what he said.
The two of them faced each other for a long time, and no one spoke. Finally, the third prince broke the silence: "He dared to humiliate my mother like this, I swear I will not let him go." After that, the third prince turned around in anger, and the imperial concubine finally came to her senses and quickly stepped forward to stop him.
"Huang'er, what are you going to do?"
"No need for you to worry, mother."
The Third Prince's tone was cold, with terrifying murderous intent surging in his eyes. He was at the age of full vigor and was filled with rage. The Imperial Concubine was afraid that he would cause trouble in his impulse, so how could she dare to let him go?
She could only advise gently, "My dear, things are not as you think. Don't act impulsively!"
Seeing that he still looked determined, the imperial concubine couldn't help but speak more seriously: "Did you hear what I said?!"
The Third Prince suddenly looked up at her, his eyes reddening. "I just listened too much to Mother! Mother, how could you be so foolish?!"
"No—no! He must have forced Mother to do it. I will tear him into pieces!"
The third prince's eyes were bloodshot, his anger had reached its peak. He brushed away the imperial concubine's hand and walked towards the secret passage with his neck stiff. The imperial concubine tried to stop him several times but failed, so she had to resort to violence.
The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the quiet Zen room. The burning pain on his face was far less than the shock in his heart. He looked at his mother in disbelief: "Mother, you...you actually hit me for him!"
"You've never hit me before, but now you're going to hit me for a stranger?!"
The imperial concubine looked at her own son, anger mingled with sorrow in her phoenix eyes. Now that things had come to this, she knew the truth would eventually come to light. After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke slowly, "...He's not an outsider."
In the meditation room, the smoke of incense curled up. The imperial concubine finally revealed the secret hidden deep in her heart to him. At the end, she hesitated and spoke intermittently: "My son, there are too many things that your mother cannot tell you. You just need to understand that everything your mother does is for you. We will pave all the ways for you. Your mother promises you that you will definitely achieve the most noble status in the world. Do you understand?"
Seeing that the Third Prince didn't respond, but the violent look in his eyes had faded, the Imperial Concubine finally breathed a sigh of relief. She also knew that it would take some time for him to come to terms with this matter. She gently stroked her son's flushed face and said softly, "Did it hurt just now? I'll send the imperial physician to your house to see you after I return to the palace."
The Third Prince remained silent. She sighed softly, "I will not pursue the question of who brought you here. Now go back and rest. I am tired, so I will return to the palace now."
After a long moment, a hollow voice echoed through the quiet room. The Third Prince's eyes were vacant as he stared blankly forward, "Your son will take his leave..."
*
Ji Sui kept Meng Liangyu outside the door for a long time before the third prince came out slowly, bowed to Meng Liangyu indifferently, and left.
Soon after, Ji Sui also said goodbye on the pretext of something and followed him out of Meng's house.
The third prince did not ride a horse, but just led the horse. Ji Sui saw him from a distance, so he abandoned the carriage and quickly chased after him.
The Third Prince walked on his own, as if unaware of his presence.
Ji Sui once wondered whether he had seen the imperial concubine at the other end of the secret passage, or whether the imperial concubine had persuaded him to let his son be on the same front with her adulterer?
Just as Ji Sui was thinking about it and didn't know how to start, the Third Prince suddenly said without warning: "Help me kill Meng Liangyu, and Brother Ji and I will share the world equally."
Ji Sui paused for a moment, stunned for a moment, then chuckled twice and asked tentatively, "Your Highness, have you got the booklet? No wonder you're in the mood to joke with me."
As soon as these words came out, the Third Prince suddenly glared at him fiercely. After a long while, he gritted out a few words through his back teeth: "Who said that Your Highness was joking?"
Ji Sui's smile slowly froze on his face. He glanced at the carriage following not far behind them and whispered, "Your Highness, this is not the place to talk. Please get in the carriage and go back to the mansion for a chat."
*
"Send someone to assassinate Meng Liangyu?!" Ji Sui couldn't help but raise his voice.
Ji Bai is now not only certain that the Third Prince must have met the Imperial Concubine in that meditation room and learned about her affair with Meng Liangyu, but he has even been driven crazy by the excitement!
He used his pig brain to come up with a stupid idea.
Ji Sui restrained his expression and curled the corners of his lips: "Your Highness is wise and courageous, which is a blessing to the Great Zhou."
"It's just that... this is a matter of great importance to the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I must think twice before acting. I do have some humble opinions. Your Highness, would you be willing to listen?"
The Third Prince sat in the upper seat, his fists clenched tightly, his face showing impatience: "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Meng Liangyu is the Prime Minister of the dynasty. Even if the assassination succeeds, you and I will not be able to escape unscathed. I am just an ant, and death is not a pity. I am afraid that it will affect Your Highness..."
The Third Prince still frowned and looked at him, "Since Brother Ji said so, do you have another good plan?"
Ji Sui didn't answer, but only asked, "Your Highness, do you still remember the coup that the eldest prince staged during the Ghost Festival last year?"
The Third Prince was puzzled: "Why mention that traitor?"
Ji Sui put down the teacup in his hand and said with a smile: "That is Master Meng's masterpiece. Why don't we use the same trick again?"
The emperor was seriously ill. Meng Liangyu controlled the cabinet and refused the eldest prince's request to see the emperor, forcing him to rebel. In this way, he eliminated the most powerful contender for the position of crown prince - the queen and her son, and put the blame on the eldest prince.
"Last time, the traitor Qi Hanzhen was sent to his death, but this time, how are they planning a palace coup?"
"Your Highness, do you remember that at the beginning of next month, a group of important criminals will be executed at Andu Mountain outside the city. As usual, important officials from the court will be there to witness the execution. I believe Your Highness has a way to arrange for Meng Liangyu to go. If the prisoners suddenly riot, the Thousand Cavalry Guards under Your Highness's command can suppress it by force. Once a riot breaks out, casualties are inevitable—"
The Third Prince's eyes lit up, then disappeared in an instant. "It wouldn't be difficult to find someone to fake a riot with internal and external support, but His Highness has only eight hundred Thousand Cavalry Guards under his command, while the Left and Right Commanders responsible for escorting prisoners for execution have nearly two thousand men. Even if I select the best among them, my chances of success are slim..."
"Your Highness, I still have you." Ji Sui looked at the Third Prince and smiled slightly. "I can send three hundred elite soldiers from the Divine Martial Camp to take advantage of the chaos that day and attack in disguise, and then I can lend a hand to Your Highness!"
"Alright! We'll do as the General says!" The Third Prince slammed the table and stood up, but Ji Sui stepped forward to stop him. He knelt on one knee and said, "Your Highness, wait a minute. I have one request. The Divine Martial Battalion is different from Your Highness's Thousand Cavalry Guards. The armor of the guards must be inspected and handed over to the Ministry of War when they are on duty. Your Highness, please grant me three hundred sets of iron armor."
"How dare you! Making armor privately is a crime of treason! Do you know what you are talking about?" the third prince scolded.
"Your Highness, calm down and listen to me. I am not asking for the black iron armor registered with the Ministry of War. I simply wish to ask you to borrow the remaining armor from prisoners of war stored in the Ministry of War's warehouse from the Duke of Ying. I will return it immediately upon completion of the request."
The broken armor captured during the war does not need to be counted daily like the regular iron armor. It is only when it is handed over to the Ministry of Works for recasting at the end of the year that it is checked one by one.
The Minister of War was none other than Jiang Hong, the legitimate son of Duke Yingguo and the third prince's cousin. If he spoke up, the matter would not be difficult to handle. The third prince thought for a long time and agreed in a low voice.
Ji Rui originally thought that even if there were some flaws in this plan, it would only take some time to clean up the mess. However, he did not expect that in this battle, the army was defeated before even the sight of swords.
*
On the sixth day of May, Ji Sui led the Shenwu Camp to patrol Xuanwu Gate. The left and right generals had already escorted the prisoners out of the city. As the afternoon approached, there was still no sign of Meng Liangyu.
A little after three quarters past noon, the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly came from the city gate. The soldiers sent outside the city rolled off their horses in panic and whispered urgent reports in Ji Sui's ears. Upon hearing this, his face suddenly changed. He lowered his head and gave a few instructions to the soldiers. The latter got back on their horses and drove out of the city gate. After only a moment, they slowly retreated.
The sound of iron boots stepping on the ground could be heard outside the city gate. The Shenshu Battalion, clad in iron armor, slowly and forcefully pressed in. An oppressive and murderous aura emanated from beneath their fine iron visors. After forcing back a large number of the soldiers defending the city, they came to a steady stop.
The formation was suddenly split apart by a man in purple official robes on horseback. He rode forward quietly. Ji Sui remained calm, smiling and bowing. "May I ask, Your Excellency, what has happened that has troubled the Divine Army?"
Meng Liangyu's face was ashen. He stood on his horse, holding a bright yellow scroll. He shouted in a powerful voice, "By order of Your Majesty, the Third Prince has colluded with the Minister of War, Jiang Hong, and has secretly stored 300 sets of armor, intending to rebel! General Ji Sui is also implicated in the conspiracy and has been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice to await trial. Capture him!"
At a command, the well-trained heavy armored soldiers of the Shenshu Camp immediately surrounded Ji Bai and others.
*
Village outside the city.
Lin Zhen sat outside the rural courtyard, looking at the twinkling lights in the mountain courtyard, but his heart was not at peace at all.
It has been more than half a month since Ji Rui sent them to the farm. This place is far away from Kyoto and has no news, but she intuitively feels that something big has happened and it is related to the secret passage discovered in Dajueshan Temple last time.
The nights in May were already somewhat hot and humid, which made Lin Zhen feel even more irritated.
"Sister, so you are here. It's so easy for me to find you." Lin Yue sat on the ground beside her and smiled at her with her head tilted to the side. Her eyes were more like her father's, slightly upturned phoenix eyes, while her sister's eyes were more like her mother's, a pair of bright peach blossom eyes, which were smiling at this moment, like a clear spring flowing through her heart, driving away all the troubles.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet? Are you not used to living here?" Lin Zhen asked.
Lin Yue quickly shook her head in denial. She picked up a large leaf from the ground and fanned it gently. After a long while, she whispered, "Sister... I was wrong last time. Sister, you were doing this for my own good. I shouldn't have been angry with you..."
Lin Zhen chuckled: "It's my fault. I forgot that you've grown up. I shouldn't have treated you like a child."
Lin Yue smiled and took her arm, resting her head on her shoulder, shaking her head and said, "No! In front of my sister, I will always be a child!"
Lin Zhen smiled and looked up at the sky with her.
The chirping of insects one after another seemed particularly clear in the silent night, but it did not make people feel noisy. Instead, it added a bit of tranquility. Just when Lin Zhen thought that her sister had fallen asleep leaning on her shoulder, her faint voice came to her ears.
"Sister, do you know why he...sent us here?"
"Has Sister seen him these days? Did something happen to him?"
As she spoke, Lin Yue still rested her head on her shoulder. She couldn't see her sister's expression when she asked the question. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I don't know."
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