Chapter 102 The mantis stalks the cicada
At this time, Lei Jing was suggesting to the man in black in front of him: "Master, we should send four of the six sky-shaking mines back for research.
What are we going to do with the remaining two?
Or maybe just throw two into the palace on the Dragon Boat Festival to send that dog emperor to heaven."
The man in black spoke slowly, and a cold voice came out:
"We were careless last time, allowing Feng Shenyu and Li Yueyao to guess our intentions in advance.
Now all the imperial guards have been replaced by the Thousand Feather Guards. The security is so tight that the Sky-shaking Thunder can't get in."
Lei Jing was very upset after hearing this: "I originally thought that a large number of weapons had been shipped out smoothly, and I would pry open Wen Ruliang's mouth and get the formula of the Thunder Bomb.
If we kill King Qin, Feng Shenyu and Li Yueyao, we won’t be afraid even if someone finds out.
If we can just bombard the capital of the Great Jin with thunder bombs, we can evacuate smoothly as planned.
At that time, send a message back to Nanli and ask General Ruan to lead the army to attack the border. By then, the Jin Dynasty will be facing internal and external troubles and will certainly not be able to take care of both ends.
It's a pity that such a good game was ruined by Princess Jinyang and Feng Shenyu.
Should we take advantage of this Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet to get rid of them directly?"
The man in black stretched out his handsome and slender hand, stroking the jade ring on his thumb and said:
"Li Yueyao, I heard that Master Tianyi had read her fortune when she was just born.
It is said that fate is closely related to the destiny of the Jin Dynasty. I thought it was nonsense, but now it seems to be somewhat credible.
I already have a solution for her, so you don't have to worry about it for now.
As for the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, I have made arrangements in the harem. Don't be reckless and disrupt my plans."
Lei Jing bowed and said, "Yes, Master."
Then he asked, "Then why don't we use the Sky-shaking Bomb for now?"
"These two thunder bombs must be used in places they least expect. That way they can unleash their maximum power."
"Master, your vision is far-sighted, and I will obey your orders."
After hearing this, the man in black casually took off the ring in his hand and fumbled with it for a while.
"Is there any news from the country?" asked the man in black.
"No. Everything depends on the situation on our side. The king replied that everyone in the country will cooperate with the master at any time."
The man in black nodded: "That's good. By the way, how is Chen Fang doing?"
Lei Jing frowned and said, "Master, I was just about to say this. I think something might have gone wrong with Chen Fang."
"oh?"
The man in black turned to look at Lei Jing. His white chin and clear jawline were clearly visible under the hood.
"Chen Fang has lost contact with his hometown of Meixun in Jiangnan Road for some time. I'm afraid there's something wrong with the Chen family."
The man in black put back the ring he was groping for after hearing this, and then said:
"Put it there and cut it, if necessary..."
The man in black made a gesture of wiping his neck.
Lei Jing listened and nodded seriously.
"If something really happens to the Chen family, it won't have a big impact on us. We can just develop other people. There's no need to worry too much."
"Master is right. The Chen family alone cannot affect our overall situation. As long as nothing happens to the Yu family, it will be fine."
"Naive! If something really happens to the Chen family, the Yu family will be implicated. There is no doubt about that.
However, Yuan San is the person in charge of the Yu and Chen families. You should arrange for Yuan San to return to Nanli as soon as possible and let Yuan Er take over his affairs.
All traces of Jiangnan Road have been cleared away."
"Yes, Master."
Lei Jing turned and left after he finished speaking.
The man in black stood up only after seeing Lei Jing leave. He walked out of the magnificently decorated hall and stood at the door, staring at the dark sky outside in a daze.
…
Five days later, it is Dragon Boat Festival.
Li Yueyao got up early and washed up, then went into the palace with Feng Shenyu. They first went to Taiji Palace to pay a visit to the emperor.
The Emperor looked at Consort Xian and said, "Today, all the young ladies from various families are already in the Imperial Garden. You and your aunt should go over and watch over them first to make sure nothing happens."
Li Yueyao glanced at Feng Shenyu and said, "Take good care of His Majesty."
Feng Shenyu bowed and replied, "Don't worry, Your Highness."
When Li Yueyao and Concubine Xian appeared in the Imperial Garden, all the concubines in the harem had already arrived, except the Queen.
Li Yueyao snorted in her heart: She is still thinking about her position as queen at this time and has to be the last one to appear.
But he did not show it on his face, and he and Concubine Xian found seats and sat down separately.
As soon as the two sat down, they heard the announcement: "The Queen has arrived."
Everyone stood up and said in unison: "Welcome to the Queen."
The Queen walked past the crowd, sat down in her seat, and then slowly spoke:
"Stand up."
After everyone calmed down, they turned their attention to the queen.
Since the Lantern Festival palace banquet, the queen seemed to have disappeared from everyone's sight. This was the first time she appeared in public after three or four months.
The people below were too far away to see clearly, but they felt that the queen was still majestic and dignified.
However, only the three concubines who were close to her could see the dark circles under the queen's eyes and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
The three concubines were all wondering what could have happened to make the queen so haggard, as if she had not slept all night.
Li Yueyao looked up at the people on the field, and sure enough, people from the Xie family were among them.
The old lady of the Xie family, the queen's mother, Lady Wei, was sitting with two pretty girls.
I suddenly realized that the Xie family is really bold. Not only are they thinking about the crown prince, they also want to diversify their bets. They want to form an alliance with the eldest prince and the second prince.
No wonder the queen looked so unhappy.
Li Yueyao could see it, and Concubine Xian could naturally see it as well, and the two of them smiled at each other.
The Queen happened to see their smiling faces and said bluntly:
"The virtuous concubine and my aunt seem to be getting along better and better. What are they laughing at?"
After hearing this, Concubine Xian said, "In reply to the Queen, I saw these girls outside. They are as delicate as flowers and are pleasing to the eyes."
Li Yueyao echoed, "Who says it's not true? When you entered the palace, you were also in the Imperial Garden, full of vibrant colors, even more magnificent than today."
Mrs. Wei smiled and continued, "Yes, I vaguely remember the grand occasion back then when His Majesty came to this imperial garden.
He plucked a gorgeous peony and handed it to the queen.
After hearing what Mrs. Wei said, everyone had different expressions on their faces.
After hearing this, Concubine Shu raised her lips slightly and continued, "Madam is right. Your Majesty and the Empress are still as affectionate as they were in the past."
Everyone in the court knew that the emperor and the empress were at odds, but Lady Wei said that the emperor fell in love with the empress at first sight, and Concubine Shu agreed that the emperor and the empress were deeply in love.
Li Yueyao tried hard not to laugh.
Shufei is a person who either doesn't speak at all or when she does, she hits the nail on the head.
Mrs. Wei insisted on showing off, and there was nothing wrong with Concubine Shu agreeing with her.
Seeing the Queen's expression becoming even uglier, Concubine Xian said:
"Well, now that the Queen has arrived, let's stop talking and start the banquet."
The eunuch next to him heard it and shouted loudly at the edge of the pavilion:
"Let's have a feast."
The royal family and ladies sitting in the hall saw Concubine Xian bypass the Queen and directly arrange for the banquet.
He became even more convinced of the rumors he had heard before about the queen's loss of power.
The last time Huan Zi'an went to Pushan Temple to investigate spies, Lady Wei was burning incense there and blocked Huan Zi'an outside the door.
Finally, Gan Hong went with Li Yueyao's handwritten order, stating that anyone who obstructed the order would be charged with treason and collaborating with the enemy.
Seeing this, Mrs. Wei was reluctant to give way.
After this incident, Mrs. Wei was unwilling to accept it and went to the palace to tell the queen about Li Yueyao's faults.
During those days, the whole court was trying to catch spies. How could the queen not know this? After listening to Madam Wei's words, she did not say anything wrong about Li Yueyao.
Instead, he said a few words to Lady Wei.
Mrs. Wei was unhappy when she heard this, thinking that the queen had no heart for her parents. After returning home, she complained to Duke Cheng'en for a long time.
As a result, Duke Cheng'en scolded her again, and Lady Wei became even more dissatisfied.
Yesterday, Prince Cheng En asked to bring people here today just to go through the motions, but Madam Wei didn't think so. She just wanted to insert people for the eldest and second princes.
She sent someone to deliver the news to the palace in advance, and the queen sat in Kunning Palace without sleeping all night.
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