Chapter 101 (None)
Xiao Yunjue drank wine at night and slept until dusk. He was sound asleep when Emperor Yuanming summoned him, still half-asleep. As he raised his hand to pay his respects, he couldn't help but yawn.
Emperor Yuanming had not seen Xiao Yunjue for a long time. When he looked closely, he was shocked and almost did not recognize him.
Xiao Yunjue had gained weight since his injury, and the scar under his right eye was almost stretched open, red, swollen, and grotesque. He acted frivolously and restlessly, and looked listless.
As he was dragged down the stone steps, Emperor Yuanming, who was already harboring resentment, suddenly became furious and cursed, "You scoundrel! Where are your manners? Look at your shameless behavior, you have utterly disgraced me!"
Xiao Yunjue stood crookedly, glancing disdainfully at Jiang Ling sitting next to Emperor Yuanming, and said impatiently, "What does Father want with me?"
"How dare you!"
Emperor Yuanming roared angrily, pointing at Xiao Yunjue with a livid face, "Do I need your permission to summon me? I was injured because of you, and you didn't come to pay your respects and take care of me. Instead, you spent your days drinking and making merry. Are you hoping for my early death so you can celebrate in advance? You unfilial beast!"
Since his injury, Xiao Yunjue has been filled with resentment and bitterness. He dares not look at his own face in the mirror, and he doesn't want anyone to see how he walks.
At first, he was still somewhat sober, but when Emperor Yuanming berated him harshly, especially in front of Jiang Ling, anger and resentment surged in his chest.
"If Father can't stand me, just issue an edict to kill me! Anyway, Father has two good sons, what's the point of keeping a wicked beast like me alive!"
Xiao Yunjue's expression was ferocious, his eyes filled with resentment. He waved his arms and roared at Emperor Yuanming, "Heh heh, I am a beast, and what is Father? You and your favorite concubine summoned me to humiliate me. Father, have you ever treated me as your own son!"
"You beast, you beast!"
Emperor Yuanming was so angry that his lips trembled, his vision blurred, and his chest heaved violently. He grabbed the teacup beside him and smashed it over the ground: "I don't have a son like you, but I'll beat you to death today!"
The tea was neither too hot nor too cold; it wouldn't have caused any harm if it splashed on him. However, the teacup hit the back of his hand, and Xiao Yunjue jumped up and shouted in pain. Because of his leg injury, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Xiao Yunjue lay sprawled on the bluestone ground. The pain in his hand was nothing compared to the agony in his heart. His hatred burned fiercely. He roared as he scrambled to his feet, his body hunched over, his arms flailing wildly as he stumbled forward: "I don't want to live anymore! I'll fight you all to the death! None of you will survive!"
When Huang Liang and the other eunuchs and guards who were serving him saw Emperor Yuanming and his son arguing, they all quietly hid to the side and stood there without daring to make a sound.
Surrounded by imperial guards and eunuchs, Jiang Ling never expected that Xiao Yunjue would dare to make a move under everyone's watchful eyes!
Emperor Yuanming, still recovering from his leg injury, sat immobile on his couch. Seeing Xiao Yunjue writhing his obese body like a mad calf, his eyes bloodshot, approaching him, he cried out in terror, "Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"
Jiang Ling was nearby and, seeing that Xiao Yunjue was about to be caught in the crossfire, quickly grabbed the teapot and threw it at her. The teapot was filled with boiling water, and because she was weak and clumsy, her aim was off; the teapot landed right in front of Xiao Yunjue.
Caught off guard, Xiao Yunjue stepped on the teapot lid, his arms flailing wildly as he stumbled forward and crashed into the low table. The table overturned, along with the teacups and saucers.
Jiang Ling reacted quickly and managed to brace herself against the low table. The rosewood table was heavy, and she lost her balance, causing it to crash down towards Emperor Yuanming.
With a cracking sound of bones breaking, Emperor Yuanming screamed in agony. At that moment, his guards Huang Liang and the others rushed forward, overturned the low table, and pinned Xiao Yunjue down, dragging him away along with the eunuchs who were attending him.
Jiang Ling swung her aching arm and looked at Emperor Yuanming, who was screaming in pain. Her vision was blurred. She took a deep breath and called out, "Zhang Shan, go and summon Wu Shishan! Zhang Shan, quickly go and call Ding Huangcheng Envoy here."
"You!" Jiang Ling pointed at Wei Cang, the head of the imperial guards, and ordered, "Keep a close eye on the Second Prince. No one in Qionghua Pavilion may leave without orders, and no one may enter without a summons, regardless of who they are. Anyone who disobeys will be treated as a traitor. Anyone who forces their way in without orders will be beheaded!"
During the time Jiang Ling had stayed at Qionghua Pavilion, the eunuchs and palace maids serving the emperor, including Zhang Shan and Huang Liang, had long been accustomed to obeying her orders. Wei Cang shouldn't have followed her instructions. But with Emperor Yuanming injured, his life, along with that of all the imperial guards on duty, was in grave danger.
In his shock and panic, Wei Cang didn't care about anything else and repeatedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely guard Qionghua Pavilion well." He waved his hand at the imperial guards and ordered, "Take them away!"
Xiao Yunjue finally came to his senses. Realizing the terrible disaster he had committed, he cried out in terror, his face pale, "Father! Father! I was wrong! I was confused for a moment! Father, save me!"
After crying out for Emperor Yuanming, Xiao Yunjue began calling for Consort Zhao, "Mother, Mother, save me, Mother..."
Wei Cang was extremely annoyed and gave the imperial guards a look. The guards hurriedly covered Xiao Yunjue's mouth and dragged him away.
Huang Liang led the eunuchs to carry Emperor Yuanming back to his bedroom in a soft sling. Wu Shishan and the imperial physician rushed over with their medicine chests. The two dared not ask any questions and, without even wiping the sweat from their brows, hurriedly examined Emperor Yuanming's injuries.
Fortunately, apart from the fact that most of Emperor Yuanming's injuries had healed and his bones had cracked again, he only suffered some abrasions and bruises.
Wu Shishan and the imperial physician were busy skillfully administering acupuncture when Wu Shishan bowed and took his leave. "Your Majesty, I have written the prescription. I will have someone accompany me to fetch it later. I will come back to administer acupuncture to His Majesty in a while."
Huang Liang sent his trusted aide to fetch the medicine, and Ding Shang arrived at that moment, waiting outside the door.
Jiang Ling said to Emperor Yuanming, "I am worried about Your Majesty's safety, so I summoned Imperial Envoy Ding and intend to have him send more men to guard the Chuigong Hall. What does Your Majesty think?"
A throbbing pain shot through his leg, filling Emperor Yuanming with both rage and lingering fear. He quickly nodded. Then, thinking of Xiao Yunjue, he gritted his teeth and said, "That bastard! Have someone keep a close eye on him. I will not let him get away with this!"
Jiang Ling said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, Wei Cang and the others have kept an eye on the Second Prince. He is not allowed to enter or leave Qionghua Pavilion without permission."
Thinking back to how fortunate it was that Jiang Ling had intervened earlier, otherwise, given Xiao Yunjue's ruthlessness, he might have lost his life. Now that Jiang Ling was in charge and everything was arranged in an orderly manner, Emperor Yuanming breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "I'm entrusting everything to you. You must keep a close eye on things for me."
Jiang Ling said yes. Ding Shang followed Huang Liang into the room. He stepped forward to pay his respects, but Emperor Yuanming waved his hand at him and said, "I am not feeling well. For now, you should follow Consort Hui's instructions."
On his way here, Ding Shang already knew roughly what had happened at Qionghua Pavilion. He knew that the world was about to change, but he was still taken aback when he heard Emperor Yuanming's order.
The Imperial City Guard protects the capital city, and Emperor Yuanming has entrusted his safety entirely to Jiang Lingzhi!
Jiang Ling said gently, "Your Majesty, please rest well. I will go out and speak with Ding Huangcheng."
Emperor Yuanming was weak and exhausted. He closed his eyes and said, "Go."
Jiang Ling walked outside, and Ding Shang hurriedly bowed and took his leave, following her into the main room.
After the two sat down, Jiang Ling did not exchange pleasantries and said, "Commander Ding, you must already know about the Second Prince's assassination attempt on the Emperor."
Ding Shang's eyes changed slightly. Xiao Yunjue's rush towards Emperor Yuanming in front of everyone could indeed be considered an assassination attempt.
Assassinating the emperor is a capital offense punishable by beheading!
Jiang Ling changed the subject, "The Second Prince is the Emperor's own flesh and blood. How the Emperor decides to deal with him is a family matter between the Emperor and his son. However, I am afraid that he will be used by those with ulterior motives to sow discord and endanger the Great Yin Dynasty."
Ding Shang felt a chill run down his spine and his back was covered in cold sweat. He dared not reply and simply echoed, "What Your Majesty says is true."
Jiang Ling said no more, and said, "I trouble the Imperial City Guard to personally select loyal and reliable guards for the palace. The shifts of the guards at the palace gates are confidential and are changed frequently. For example, Wang Jia was originally on duty at the North Gate, but when it's his turn, he will be assigned to the South Gate. As for the Qionghua Pavilion, no one is allowed to enter without a summons, no matter who it is. The Chuigong Hall will be staffed with Imperial City Guards, and even those on patrol are not allowed to enter."
She paused for a moment, then said, "I will speak to Yuan Daban about this matter myself."
As a result, all the guards who patrolled the inner palace were replaced. The guards in front of the Emperor at the Chuigong Hall were now all from the Imperial City Guard!
When palace maids and eunuchs went out of the palace on errands, they became familiar with the guards and often turned a blind eye to their comings and goings. Ding Shang knew all about this.
With one incident after another occurring in the palace, Ding Shang's heart pounded uncontrollably. He dared not say a word and hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I will make arrangements immediately."
Jiang Ling nodded and said, "Seeing the weather getting hot, it must be really hard work for you to work in the wind and rain. His Majesty will certainly not forget your contributions. However, His Majesty is currently unwell and cannot attend to these matters, so I will reward you on his behalf."
She called Wenjuan in and asked her to fetch fifty taels of gold ingots, saying, "Take these, Imperial Envoy Ding, and use them to buy some wine and drinks for the people on duty."
The gold ingots that Emperor Yuanming had previously bestowed upon Jiang Ling were distributed among his wife, Lady Xue, to take back to her parents' home. The rest were kept until now, and finally, they came in handy.
Ding Shang was a trusted minister of Emperor Yuanming, holding a high position and wielding great power. He was well-off and had no shortage of fifty taels of gold.
However, aside from festivals and celebrations, Ding Shang rarely received any rewards from Emperor Yuanming. Jiang Ling claimed that the reward was for the soldiers of the Imperial City Guard, but instead directly handed him fifty taels of gold, leaving him to do as he pleased.
Ding Shang was loyal only to Emperor Yuanming and never participated in the power struggles among the concubines in the harem or in the matter of choosing an heir.
At present, Emperor Yuanming only has two sons, Xiao Yunzan and Xiao Yunlang, who are both born with full beards and tails. One of them is Jiang Ling's biological son, and the other is raised by her.
The matter of the crown prince is basically clear, and Emperor Yuanming personally instructed him to obey Jiang Ling's orders. Impressed by Jiang Ling's magnanimity, Ding Shang hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, Xue Cang and the others failed in their duties and should be executed according to the law. However, given the circumstances at the time, they were truly powerless to do so. I beg Your Majesty to spare their lives in consideration of their unwavering loyalty."
Jiang Ling said, "The incident happened too quickly, and no one expected it. Xue Cang and the others were too far away to come to the Emperor's rescue. Alas, I cannot make the decision on this matter; I can only plead with the Emperor on their behalf."
Ding Shang was already very satisfied that Jiang Ling had pleaded for him, so he quickly thanked him and took his leave to attend to his duties.
Jiang Ling then summoned Huang Liang and said, "Go and summon the prime ministers from the Council of State Affairs and Grand Secretary Wei to Qionghua Pavilion."
Huang Liang accepted the order and left, while Jiang Ling turned and went back to his bedroom.
The sun was high in the sky; it was time for lunch.
Jiang Ling had been busy all morning, and now he was burning with energy, not feeling hungry at all, and still full of spirit.
How could she miss such a golden opportunity?
She not only wanted to gradually extend her influence to the imperial court, but also wanted to take the opportunity to eliminate Consort Liu and Yuan Changsheng's faction!
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