Chapter 198 The Mastermind
Shen Yiqiu naturally believed in the future he described, but a strange unease welled up from the bottom of her heart.
It went too smoothly...
Zhao Ke'er has been plotting for years, and she is meticulous and ruthless. Fu Langxing is just a pawn she has put in the open. Will they really let themselves be rescued so easily?
The carriage traveled along the quiet streets; the night was eerily still.
As the outline of the Eastern Palace gradually came into view, Shen Yiqiu could only comfort herself that she was just overthinking things.
Just a short distance from the East Palace, at the corner of a long street, the carriage was forcibly stopped by a group of soldiers.
The driver tightened the reins, and the carriage shook violently.
"Whoa—! Your Highness, there are troops blocking the road ahead!"
Xiao Yongjing was puzzled and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to look.
At the end of the long street, torches blazed brightly.
A group of about a hundred soldiers in black armor stood in a dense forest, blocking the way completely.
Their armor was unfamiliar, and their aura was cold and menacing; they were definitely not the imperial guards of the capital.
The commander of the black-clad armored soldiers stepped forward:
"By the decree of the Imperial Noble Consort, the traitor Xiao Yongjing, who plotted to assassinate His Majesty and wreak havoc in the palace, is hereby apprehended. All those inside the carriage, disembark immediately and surrender!"
Xiao Yongjing did not get out of the car, but responded loudly:
"Insolence! I am the Crown Prince, who dares to arrest people without an imperial edict? Who are you under, daring to intercept the Crown Prince's carriage!"
"Xiao Yongjing, even now, do you still want to put on your princely airs?"
Behind the army, a solemn voice rang out. She walked forward slowly, and Xiao Yongjing was taken aback by her familiar face. The person who came was the Imperial Noble Consort Zhao Ke'er.
She glanced at the carriage, pausing for a second on Shen Yiqiu, who was being helped down from the carriage by Xiao Yongjing, with a hint of surprise, but quickly composed herself and returned her gaze to Xiao Yongjing.
"Mother...you..."
Xiao Yongjing frowned and spoke, not understanding why Zhao Ke'er, who had raised him for so many years, would actually turn against him.
"Don't call me Mother! Who do you think you are?"
"His Majesty treats you like his own son and has made you the Crown Prince, yet you harbor treacherous intentions and secretly poisoned him, causing him to fall into a coma and be on the verge of death. The Imperial Guards have already found evidence of your crimes in your Eastern Palace, catching you red-handed. What else do you have to say?"
Xiao Yongjing felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, but he still managed to retort sharply:
"You're spouting nonsense! My loyalty to my father is as clear as day. All my actions tonight have been reported to my father. You're fabricating an imperial edict to frame me!"
Zhao Ke'er sneered repeatedly, took out a roll of bright yellow silk from her sleeve, and held it high:
"Framed? Before His Majesty fell into a coma, he had already seen through your wolfish ambitions and secretly left behind an edict of succession, deposing you as crown prince and passing the throne to a true member of the royal bloodline!"
"You are nothing but a bastard of unknown origin, a raccoon who has usurped the Eastern Palace for many years! Today, I will clean house for His Majesty and for the Great Jin Dynasty!"
She turned to the black-armored soldiers around her, her voice chilling:
"Capture this traitor for me! If he dares to resist, kill him without mercy! His accomplices shall also be executed!"
These soldiers exuded a cold and fierce aura, with indifferent eyes. They were no ordinary guards of the capital region, but rather seemed to be a private army that had been raised for a long time.
Although Shen Yiqiu was weak, she calmed down faster than Xiao Yongjing. She gripped Xiao Yongjing's arm tightly and whispered:
"Your Highness, calm down! Since Zhao Ke'er dares to stand here personally and openly make accusations, it means... it means that she has probably taken control of at least part of the situation in the palace! She came prepared!"
Zhao Ke'er watched with satisfaction as their expressions changed drastically; she had truly struck at their hearts.
“I know that you, the Crown Prince, still have some loyal dogs. But, Xiao Yongjing, look around you.”
With a gentle wave of her hand, countless dark figures with bows and arrows appeared all around her.
"If you resist or try to escape, I will not hesitate to kill you, along with the Marquis of Yongjia who was just rescued, and all the guards loyal to you, on the spot! Leave no one alive! Do you want them all to be buried with you, this fake crown prince?"
Shen Yiqiu broke free from the guards' support and took a step forward:
"Your Highness, you keep saying that His Highness is a fake Crown Prince. You're just trying to find fault with him. But no matter what His Highness's identity is, I, Shen Yiqiu, am the Marquis of Yongjia, personally appointed by His Majesty and holding an imperial edict! I am a general who has served the country for seven years on the frontier!"
"Your Majesty, without any evidence, you intend to execute everyone present on the spot, including a hereditary marquis. Do you want the world to see how the Great Jin Dynasty treats its meritorious officials? Aren't you afraid that this will chill the hearts of the people and the hearts of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the frontier?!"
"Moreover, His Highness is the Crown Prince of the country. Even if you fabricate charges against him, he will still be the Crown Prince before the three judicial departments conduct a joint trial and announce it to the world. If you dare to kill the Crown Prince at this moment, you will be shaking the foundation of the country."
"Once this news gets out, the enemy in Longnan can take advantage of this internal strife to trample our great Jin lands with their iron hooves! Can you bear this responsibility? Can the Zhao family behind you bear this responsibility?"
Zhao Ke'er's face instantly darkened. She stared at Shen Yiqiu and sneered:
"Shen Yiqiu, even on the verge of death, you still try to use your power to suppress me with your clever words and flattery?"
Her tone was tinged with superiority:
"Don't worry, I won't kill you, at least not now. As for him..."
"I will not take his life now. But—"
"Today, he must come with me and go to that imperial prison! This is the rule and the procedure. As for your concerns about the border... once the new emperor, who is truly legitimate, ascends the throne, he will naturally appease the soldiers and wipe out the enemy. There is no need for Marquis Yongjia to worry about it!"
Xiao Yongjing looked at the dense array of crossbows around him, then at the tough-looking Shen Yiqiu.
He took a deep breath. Zhao Ke'er had come prepared. If he fought her head-on now, he would only die.
He took a step forward and said, "Fine... I'll go with you. Let them go."
Shen Yiqiu suddenly grabbed his sleeve:
No...you can't go!
Xiao Yongjing looked up, gazing intently at her. He raised his hand, gently brushing her hand away, and offered a smile.
"Yiqiu, listen to me. Believe me, I will definitely find a way. I will definitely... come out alive to find you."
He resolutely turned away, no longer looking at her. A guard stepped forward and pinned him down.
"take away!"
"Your Highness!"
Shen Yiqiu wanted to rush forward, but Mo Yu held her back. She stared at Zhao Ke'er's eyes, which were filled with anticipation of victory, and calmed down.
She was the only one who could save Xiao Yongjing; she couldn't afford to make a mistake.
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