Chapter 240 Bloody Storm Bloody Storm
After a great victory in Yunzhou, the returning troops are on their way back to Beijing.
After a series of good news came, the capital city swept away the gloom of the previous period and became joyous. Even the depressing atmosphere in the palace was relaxed a little, and the palace was decorated with lights and waiting for the celebration banquet to be held.
Early that morning, the sky was gloomy, and dark clouds were pressing down on the palace, making it look like a storm was about to come.
Even so, the joy in the palace could not be suppressed. The emperor put on his crown and clothes with great energy, and all the illness in his body seemed to have disappeared.
Seeing the emperor's good mood, Eunuch Li smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The army has returned to the capital today. This great achievement will surely be remembered for generations to come."
The emperor laughed heartily. "I haven't done anything wrong. Back then, Taizu was able to intimidate the Xianbei people. I'm no match for him."
Although the words were humble, the smile on his face clearly showed a hint of pride.
Eunuch Li, the emperor's most admired figure, immediately declared, "Destroying the enemy commander and capturing over ten thousand Xianbei is a feat even the Emperor Taizu could only manage. I cannot stop expressing my admiration for Your Majesty. Every time I see Your Majesty, I feel he is more wise and powerful than the last. He's almost as good as the gods in heaven."
The emperor glanced at him and snorted coldly, "You are only good at smooth talk. Don't dare say anything that offends the gods."
After saying this, the emperor added, "According to the time, it's time for Lao Wu to pick them up."
Eunuch Li smiled and said, "That's right. I believe Prince Cheng will rest with them for the night and return to the city in high spirits tomorrow."
The emperor nodded and said, "Is the celebration banquet ready?"
Eunuch Li hurriedly said, "The news sent by the Empress has been prepared. Everything is waiting for their return."
The emperor smiled and said, "I am still at ease with the Queen's work."
After saying this, he frowned and said, "The Queen is good at everything except raising children. When Xiaojiu was born, she looked healthy, but now that she's over a year old, she's been sick from time to time."
Eunuch Li didn't dare to respond, so he could only lower his head and remain silent.
The emperor didn't expect him to answer. He sighed and said, "I only have three sons. Sometimes I feel desolate when I think about it. When I am a hundred years old, I don't know who to hand over the Great Zhou to."
Eunuch Li dared not interrupt and only said, "Your Majesty, you are still in good health."
The emperor laughed, waved his hand and said, "Don't flatter me. I know my own health and I don't know how many more years I can live. I can't sleep or eat when I think about this."
"If the Crown Prince had not made a mistake and had not been deposed, I would not have to be so distressed."
At this moment, someone reported: "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince requests an audience."
The emperor frowned slightly: "I guess it's about the celebration banquet again."
"Tell me about the fourth child. He used to be quite smart and capable. Why has he become so confused now? The situation in Yunzhou is unclear, but he is so focused on cleaning up the He and Su families. When He Jun and Su Fengzhang return to Beijing, they will surely be dissatisfied with him. Why doesn't he think about the long term?"
Eunuch Li stole a glance at his expression and whispered, "The Xu and He families have always been at odds. Now that Prince Xi is in trouble, it's no surprise that the Fourth Prince is taking advantage of the situation."
The emperor snorted coldly, and after a while he said, "Forget it, let him in."
Soon, the Fourth Prince walked in with a rosy face. After bowing, he said, "Father, tomorrow's celebration banquet will be very special. I'm worried that something might be amiss. How about we review it again today?"
The emperor glanced at him and said calmly, "The celebration banquet is organized by the Queen. What do you have to worry about?"
The Fourth Prince hinted, "Father, those attending the celebration banquet this time are all military commanders or soldiers. Each of them has fought on the battlefield and made great achievements. For example, He Jun and Su Fengzhang are both highly skilled in martial arts."
"Although I am a meritorious official, I cannot help but worry about my father's safety."
The emperor's expression remained unchanged, without a trace of smile. He stared at him and asked, "Fourth Brother, from what you said, it sounds as if Prince Xi and Lord Su are planning to rebel."
The Fourth Prince lowered his head, not daring to look at him, but said, "That's not what I meant. I just think it's best to be cautious."
The emperor sneered: "With the Imperial Guards here, I will naturally be safe and secure."
The Fourth Prince said, "Father, this is exactly what I'm worried about. The Imperial Guard was previously controlled by the Emperor's uncle, and now it's controlled by my fifth brother. However, both of them are on good terms with Prince Xi and Su Fengzhang. I feel..."
The emperor stared at him coldly and asked sternly, "Why, do you feel at ease only when it's in your hands?"
The Fourth Prince hurriedly said, "I dare not. I just hope that Father will be vigilant. Rewards are inevitable, but you must be careful."
The hall fell into silence. The emperor looked at his son and could no longer understand why he favored and doted on him in the past and thought he was smarter than the deposed crown prince.
He pinched his brows and cursed, "You asked me to mobilize the Imperial Guards at this time. This is forcing Old Five to become disloyal to me."
At this moment, a noisy sound came from outside. The Fourth Prince was the first to shout angrily, "Who is making such a noise in front of the palace?"
A young eunuch rushed in, sweating profusely and panicking: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the eldest prince has brought people to force his way to the palace!"
"What?" the emperor exclaimed.
The Fourth Prince shouted angrily, "Bullshit, where did he get his troops?"
It's not that he underestimated the deposed prince. The emperor was wary of military generals. When the deposed prince was still the prince, he was very distant from the military generals and did not have many people under his command, let alone now.
The young eunuch shouted, "It's true. The palace gate has been breached. The eldest prince is leading his men this way. Your Majesty, please flee quickly."
"Where are the Imperial Guards?" Eunuch Li asked.
The young eunuch said, "I don't know what's happening at the palace gate, but the guards inside are sick, injured, and only a bunch of strangers are left. Now they have defected to the eldest prince!"
"He came prepared!" The emperor fell down on the dragon throne.
The eldest prince was able to make such a move in one day that the imperial guards got into trouble and the palace was sealed off. This could only be the work of Empress Yuan.
The emperor, who had been full of energy, seemed to have been drained of all his energy. His skin became more sagging, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes looked like they were carved by a knife, and his eyes were dim and dark.
The fourth prince grabbed the emperor and shouted, "Father, let's get out of here first!"
Who would have thought that the next moment, the eldest prince's sneer could be heard from outside: "Fourth brother, where are you going to take our father?"
Inside this cold hall, the father and his two sons stood in a stalemate, destined to face the scene of father and son killing each other again.
In the harem, the gates of the queen's palace were locked, and the troops brought in by the prince were unable to attack for a long time. The guards who were finally deployed seemed to have disappeared.
Inside the palace walls, Concubine Yu hugged the Ninth Prince tightly, with a look of fear on her face.
The Queen, however, was still in the mood to drink her tea slowly, and only regarded the shouting and cursing outside as beautiful music.
Concubine Yu endured it again and again, but finally lost her patience and asked, "Your Majesty, are you really going to be alright?"
She herself had already put life and death aside, but she still held the Ninth Prince in her arms. He was her own flesh and blood, the closest blood relative to her in the world. He was only a little over a year old, and he could not be buried in this cold palace.
The Queen glanced at her and said with a smile, "What are you afraid of?"
Concubine Yu pursed her lips and said, "Your Majesty, if they rush in, the first person they will kill will be the Ninth Prince."
The Queen sneered and said, "You are wrong. If they rush in, none of us three will survive."
"Then..." Yu Fei felt her heart jumping into her throat.
The Queen reached out and touched her cheek, smiling, "Silly child, I don't want to die either, so they can't come in."
But the deafening shouting and screaming outside did not stop. Concubine Yu was frightened and shuddered. The child in her arms seemed to feel her mother's fear and began to cry loudly.
The Queen reached out and took the Ninth Prince in, smiling and coaxing him, "Don't cry, Little Nine. Listen carefully, there's so much noise outside."
The Ninth Prince was also very familiar with the Queen's voice and breath. In her arms, he actually stopped crying and even hugged the Queen's neck and cried, "Your Majesty, it's so noisy."
The queen smiled and handed him a piece of osmanthus cake: "Don't worry, the quarrel won't last long."
Concubine Yu clenched her fingers and suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, are you really not worried at all? If Prince Cheng takes this opportunity to kill the First, Fourth, and Ninth Princes in one fell swoop, then she will be the next emperor."
The Queen fed the Ninth Prince some cakes and said calmly, "I watched that child grow up. She's not that kind of person and wouldn't do that kind of thing."
Concubine Yu, however, was not so convinced by Prince Cheng: "Since ancient times, there have been countless cases of bloodlines killing each other for the throne. Does the Empress trust Prince Cheng so much?"
The Empress laughed and said, "I don't trust Prince Cheng, I trust the Yun family, Prince Rong, the He family, and everyone behind this matter."
Yu Fei struggled and said, "People's hearts are fickle."
"Indeed." The Queen agreed.
Handing the child to the maid beside her, the Queen reached out and took Concubine Yu's hand, smiling and saying, "But at least nothing has changed now. I am still on the same boat with them, heading towards the same goal."
After saying that, she reached out and touched Yufei's cheek. The cold touch made Yufei shiver.
The Queen smiled and said, "Look, I didn't take this opportunity to kill you."
Concubine Yu looked up in shock and happened to see the queen's smiling eyes, which made her feel a little scared involuntarily. Yes, if the queen took this opportunity to kill her, then she would be the only queen mother in the future.
The Queen patted her back soothingly and continued, "Don't be afraid. I won't do that. Didn't you say that night that you wanted a long-lasting peace, a prosperous country, a strong people, a Zhou Dynasty where people are governed by a staff and treated like their own children?"
"Yu Fei, open your eyes and watch carefully, we will have our chance soon!"
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