Chapter 152 The Emperor is Reluctant
All the officials had doubts in their hearts, but they dared not ask anything or discuss anything.
They left the palace under the escort of the imperial guards.
When I got to the street, I found that the people's doors and windows were closed, and there was no sound at all, as if...
It was as if he had received the order long ago.
There are also Ling Rui's men who patrol the streets of the capital frequently, strictly and cautiously.
As for the fire seen in the palace, no trace of it was found in the imperial city.
Someone happened to meet Ling Rui who was on patrol and stopped him to ask him questions, but Ling Rui remained silent and just told them to go back home and rest.
Ling Rui saw these officials off and looked at their backs in a daze.
Thinking about how Ling Chan found him yesterday, he was more shocked than anyone else.
He was heartbroken to know that Ling Chan died in a house fire, but it was of no use.
He collected her body and buried her next to Ruan Yiyu.
He erected a tablet for her and placed it in the mansion despite his mother's objections...
Unexpectedly, she was not dead, but disguised herself as the Wolf King's personal soldier.
Ling Chan asked him to allow the spies guarding the city to open the city gate today and let people from outside in.
His men only need to stand outside a street and wait for her to come, where one man can hold his own against ten thousand.
That was the first time that the father and daughter had a serious conversation. She came to him because she trusted his identity as a general, and he agreed to her because he trusted her identity as the Marquis of Zhenbei.
Today, Ling Rui specially switched shifts with the general who was originally guarding the city. All officials entered the palace, and soon, many people gathered outside the city.
When the soldiers guarding the city came to report, he only started to deploy one street away and let the spies among the soldiers guarding the city open the city gate.
The spies and the Dahe people outside worked together and quickly broke in.
Ling Rui was worried. After all, these soldiers guarding the city were also human beings. If something went wrong with Ling Chan, their lives would be lost in vain.
Fortunately, as soon as those people came in, they were surrounded by people who suddenly appeared.
Hongdou was Lingchan's maid, who should have died in the fire with Lingchan. She came with a group of sisters from Qingyilou.
Among them is Liu Hong's granddaughter Liu Huaiyu...
Hongdou, Liu Huaiyu, Gong Lan and Gong Yu were holding black hidden weapons, while the others were holding various things.
But these things can shoot hidden weapons.
More than a hundred people surrounded the 20,000 people inside and outside the city gate and fired at them...
Seeing this situation, Ling Rui quickly ordered people to light a fire at the city gate so that people in the palace could see the fire and think that the city was being burned, killed and looted by the Dahe people.
As for what happened in the palace, Ling Rui didn't know, but since all the officials were able to walk out safely, the situation in the palace must be under control.
"General Ling." The palace guards came over to deliver the message.
"The Emperor has ordered that the matter today be handled entirely by the Marquis of Zhenbei."
"The Marquis of Zhenbei has ordered General Ling to patrol the city tonight and strengthen the guards. Anyone who encounters a suspicious person will be executed on the spot."
Ling Rui clasped his fists and said, "I obey your orders."
He grabbed the man's arm and asked, "Brother, what is the situation in the palace?"
"Everything is fine in the palace now. The Wolf King has been apprehended." The visitor was very anxious. "General Ling, I have to go back to the palace for night patrol. I'll take my leave now."
"Take care."
Ling Rui looked towards the direction of the palace...
Ling Chan...is worthy of being Gong Lele's daughter, she can easily solve such things.
At this moment, Ling Rui felt very ashamed.
He couldn't compare to Gong Lele before, and he can't compare to her daughter now...
But her achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor. Ling Rui sighed and hoped... hoped that the emperor would tolerate Ling Chan.
Xiao Jin broke free from his own ropes and came to Ling Chan with a sigh, "You might as well tie me up tighter..."
Where is his place...
"It's because Ling Rui and the sisters from Qingyi Tower cooperated well." Ling Chan said.
The crisis was resolved and the palace maid brought tea.
"Marquis Zhenbei, thank you for saving my life. You've worked hard. Have some tea."
Ling Chan drank it all in one gulp and stayed beside the Wolf King, always on edge. Today, she finally relaxed.
"It's late at night, the Ling Mansion has burned down, where are you living now?" Xiao Jin asked.
Ling Chan put down the teacup and said, "I used to live on...the rooftop."
"Only half of the Ling Mansion was burned, there are other courtyards..."
"Why not live in Prince Rui's Mansion?" Xiao Jin asked anxiously.
Ling Chan shook her head without even thinking, "No."
Although she saved the emperor's face in the hall, those officials were not all fools, and someone would definitely be able to guess the truth.
If she continued to live in Prince Rui's Mansion, Xiao Jin would be implicated and he would be accused of a false crime.
"Haven't you been having people rebuilding? But for a few days, we can just stay at Ling Mansion."
Xiao Jin no longer insisted, "Okay then."
Ling Chan stood up and said, "I'm going to see the emperor. You should leave the palace first."
She didn't know whether Xiao Jin saw him poisoning her, nor did she bring it up.
Xiao Jin followed her, "I'll accompany you to see the emperor."
Ling Chan didn't refuse.
"I'll wait outside and not go in." Xiao Jin said.
The two came to Xiao Heng's bedroom, which was pitch black.
"Has the emperor gone to bed?" Xiao Jin asked Fu Lu.
Fu Lu glanced at Ling Chan and shook his head at Xiao Jin, "The Emperor...is not asleep."
How can I sleep after being poisoned by Ling Chan?
Moreover, the Emperor summoned the imperial physician as soon as he returned to his chambers, and the imperial physician had just entered...
Originally, the imperial physician wanted to light a candle to examine the emperor, but the emperor did not allow it.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and cannot diagnose the poison you are suffering from..." The voice of the imperial physician came from the darkness.
Xiao Heng remained silent. The imperial physician urgently suggested, "Your Majesty, if you still suspect you've been poisoned, you can ask Imperial Physician Ge, who has already left the palace, to return."
The imperial physician's words still received no response. After a while, the imperial physician came out carrying a medicine box.
"Prince Rui, Marquis Zhenbei." The imperial physician stopped and saluted as he passed by the two men.
Xiao Heng heard it inside and became tense.
Just now in the hall, his reputation was at stake, so he chose to drink the cup of tea.
But when he returned to the bedroom, the matter had already been resolved... He felt lucky again.
Maybe... maybe Ling Chan didn't poison at all?
Perhaps, she just used ordinary poison...
Xiao Jin grabbed the imperial physician and asked, "The emperor has been poisoned?"
The imperial physician frowned in dismay, "This..."
"The Emperor said he was poisoned, but I took his pulse and found no poison."
Xiao Jin let go of his hand and looked into the bedroom.
Ling Chan walked in, while Xiao Jin and Fu Lu stayed outside.
Fu Lu looked at Xiao Jin several times, not knowing whether he should tell him about Ling Chan's poisoning, nor did he know whether Xiao Jin knew about it.
"Your Majesty." Ling Chan looked at Xiao Heng, who was curled up on the bed in the darkness, "Why don't you light the lamp?"
As she spoke, she walked to the lamp and picked up the tinder.
"Don't." Xiao Heng stopped her, "Don't order."
When he turned on the light, he felt even more ashamed of himself.
He was the king of a country, yet he opened the gates to welcome the enemy...
"Your Majesty thinks... that by being locked up in this darkness, you can hide the mistakes you've made?"
Xiao Heng was silent for a long time, "But I...don't deserve the death penalty."
After hearing his words, Ling Chan sneered without disguising herself.
"Your Majesty, do you dare to speak in front of the corpses of the soldiers on the border?"
"Or... say it to the tablets of your royal ancestors?"
Xiao Heng fell silent again and retreated into his shell like a turtle.
How dare he...
"You poisoned me..." Xiao Heng said slowly, "Does Prince Rui know?"
Ling Chan glanced outside and said, "I didn't know before, but now I know."
When Xiao Jin heard this, he was surprised, but he still stayed outside as agreed and did not go in.
Xiao Heng didn't see Xiao Jin come in for a long time, and there was some disappointment in his eyes.
His relationship with Xiao Jin was not very close, and even if he was given an important position, it was only because of Xiao Jin's ability to do things.
Now that he was injured, Xiao Jin turned a blind eye, as if it was nothing.
After all, Xiao Jin's mother was killed by his mother...
"What kind of poison did you give me?" Xiao Heng asked again.
Ling Chan turned to look at him. After all, he still didn't want to die.
"Bing Xin."
Bing Xin?! Xiao Heng’s pupils widened.
"It seems that the emperor knows about this poison." Ling Chan stared at Xiao Heng with a smile.
Xiao Heng's throat tightened...He, of course he knew.
Back then, Xiao Jin's mother, the palace maid named Yunshu...died from a large amount of Bingxin poison.
He was also present at the time.
Almost as soon as she drank the icy poison, she knew she was frozen into an ice man.
After she completely died, she slowly melted away. Her clothes were all wet, and her body was very dry.
But even though her body looked so strange, the Queen Mother was able to make everyone believe that she died of illness.
The Queen Mother said at the time that this poison, called Bingxin, was colorless and odorless. Large doses would kill instantly, while small doses would slowly attack the heart. It was undiagnosable and incurable.
It has been half an hour since he drank that cup of tea, which means that Ling Chan gave him a small dose.
Does that mean he still has time to find an antidote?
Ling Chan chuckled, "Your Majesty, do you think there's time to find an antidote?"
"But... the emperor may be disappointed."
"The Queen Mother also thought the same as the Emperor at the time. Unfortunately, she never found the antidote until her death."
"What?" Xiao Heng suddenly cried out in shock, "You killed the Queen Mother?!"
Ling Chan followed up with, "You killed the Queen Mother!"
Xiao Jin and Fu Lu outside the door looked up in surprise. The Emperor killed the Queen Mother.
Fu Lu was the first to disbelieve it, "That's impossible. When the Emperor left Ningshou Palace that day, the Empress Dowager was still fine."
He looked at Xiao Jin and said, "Prince Rui, the Emperor cannot possibly harm the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother is his mother."
Ling Chan's voice rang out again, "I always thought the Queen Mother hanged herself because of Rong An's matter, fearing that it would implicate the Emperor."
"It turns out I was wrong."
Staring at Xiao Heng, Ling Chan walked towards him step by step, "In fact, the Queen Mother was coerced."
"This person is you, the emperor."
"I didn't!" Xiao Heng refuted without thinking.
But the way he leaned back betrayed him.
"That night..." Ling Chan bent down and met Xiao Heng's eyes. "What did you say to the Queen Mother?"
She turned the ring on her finger, and something shot out from the ring and penetrated into Xiao Heng's neck.
Xiao Heng's eyes, which had been fixed on Ling Chan, suddenly became confused and his consciousness became blurred...
"What did you say to the Queen Mother that night?"
Xiao Heng couldn't concentrate, let alone lie.
"I..."
"I didn't kill my mother."
Ling Chan softened her voice, "Yes, you didn't kill her. She listened to you and hanged herself to fulfill your wish."
"Yes!" These words touched Xiao Heng's heart. It was very likely that he had been comforting himself this way every night for the past few months, "I didn't kill her."
"What did you tell the Queen Mother? Why is she so upset?"
Xiao Heng did not answer immediately. It was indeed difficult to get out the darkness hidden deep in his heart.
Ling Chan is very patient and focuses on winning people's hearts.
She had to show her understanding for him and his situation in order to break through his psychological defenses.
"Don't you think that since the Queen Mother has been poisoned and will die eventually, it would be better for her to die a worthy death?"
Xiao Heng raised his eyes and nodded heavily, "Yes, you are right."
"She's done so much for me before. Now she's dying. It's no big deal if she does one more thing for me."
"She...was going to die anyway." He used this reason to comfort himself.
Xiao Jin swallowed. He really didn't expect that there would be such a hidden story behind the empress dowager's death.
Fu Lu was also shocked. He was guarding outside the door at the time and did not hear the conversation between the emperor and the empress dowager.
Ling Chan still had something to confirm with Xiao Heng, "The Queen Mother wanted to kill Gong Lele back then. Was it because of you?"
Xiao Heng was on guard and didn't answer immediately.
Ling Chan continued to induce, "You were still young at that time, and the Queen Mother wanted to protect you..."
"Yes." Xiao Heng's eyes were hazy, with a smile on his lips. "My mother dotes on me the most... She's willing to do anything for me."
"That Gong Lele..." Xiao Heng's face turned red with anger when Gong Lele was mentioned. "My father values her, but she doesn't even know her own identity."
"She actually told my father...that the Queen's legitimate son is deep-minded and not as steady as Prince Rui."
"What does she mean? Who is she?"
"How dare she criticize the prince in front of our father and even give me instructions."
Ling Chan asked, "The so-called imperial edict of the late emperor..."
"It's fake." Xiao Heng raised his eyebrows proudly, "I lied to my mother."
"I know that my mother cares about my position as crown prince more than anyone else. As long as I tell her that, she will definitely help me..."
"The Queen Mother has never let me down..."
Ling Chan took a deep breath. Just because of Xiao Heng's lie, the Queen Mother killed her mother.
This mother and son...
"Hongdou, you were the one who sent someone to kill him."
Xiao Heng laughed foolishly, "If I can't kill you, I'll kill your maid first."
"I didn't expect that she was still alive."
"Who are you? Why can't you be killed?"
Xiao Heng was in a daze, "Why can't you kill him?"
Ling Chan clenched her fists. Can't be killed?
Hongdou is a flesh and blood body, how can it be immortal? If it weren't for the silver car and the space, grass would have grown on Hongdou's grave.
"I'm going to kill you." Xiao Heng was completely controlled by the hallucinogen.
"If it weren't for Dahe's peace talks, how would I have found the opportunity if you had returned to the capital..."
"Unfortunately, I still failed."
"Da He! Da He! Bastard!"
Xiao Heng suddenly covered his face, "Wuwuwu... I don't want to die, I don't want to die."
"Ling Chan, I beg you, please save me. I promise I won't kill you, I won't kill you..."
...Ling Chan sighed...
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