Chapter 208 The Emperor's Decision
The two guards rushed forward and saw that the woman was lying on the side. Although her eyes were open, she was no longer breathing.
Gradually, her face turned dark blue, and the blood flowing from her lips was almost black. It was obvious that she was poisoned.
The maid who originally served Liu Qingwan saw the paleness on the ground behind her and the guards staring at her. When they thought that the two maids would die along with their master, Xiao Mo arrived.
"Young Master! She..." The guard was upset for not keeping a good eye on the hostage.
Xiao Mo walked up to him, glanced at him, and said nothing.
Liu Qingwan is dead, and it is not known who caused her death.
But it doesn't matter, he was a man who deserved to die.
The guard continued, "Master! She seemed to have something to say before she died. We were discussing it when she suddenly vomited black blood."
After hearing this, Xiao Mo just nodded and let the person go. There was no surprise on his face.
Despite this, he still asked someone to notify Xiao Jinrong.
After Liu Qingwan disappeared from the manor that day, Xiao Jinrong had people search for her for a while.
It was not until he found out that she had become the top prostitute in Chunfeng Tower as Madam Lingyi that Xiao Mo told his grandmother. After hearing the news, the old lady decided to announce the death to the public. His second brother had now married a second wife.
When Xiao Jinrong heard that the Lady Lingyi of Chunfeng Tower was actually Liu Qingwan, he immediately became angry, but then he learned about her death from the messenger.
He seemed stunned for a moment, and then did not speak for a long time.
He suddenly thought of Wang Jingcheng who came to visit him that year. If he hadn't been so nosy, would Liu Qingwan have lived a better life if she had gotten married as she wished?
But there are no ifs in life.
Xiao Jinrong finally sighed and sent someone to help the other party collect the body.
Next, when the officers and soldiers were searching the main building of Chunfeng Tower, they discovered a tunnel. The tunnel led directly to the outside of the city and was well connected. It was obvious that the key figures had already left through the tunnel.
After Xiao Mo made this series of big moves, he had no choice but to go to the palace to express his love to the little emperor.
"You mean they also built a tunnel inside?" Zhu Hongyuan sat up straight in shock.
"Yes! Your Majesty! Originally, I thought there was no need to touch them, thinking it would not be too late to close the net after all the fish swam in, but it was only a temporary measure. At present, it seems that letting them stay in the capital may be a mistake. Your Majesty, you don't know how heartbroken I was when I looked at those colleagues in disheveled clothes." Xiao Mo said, with genuine worry on his face.
Zhu Hongyuan looked at her and smiled: "Whether you did it for my country or for my beloved, it's fine. Do you think I'm the kind of emperor who doesn't understand his subjects?"
Although the little emperor was in the palace, there were a lot of gossips.
Outsiders don’t know that the Crown Prince’s wife has been abducted, but he knows it.
After hearing this, Xiao Mo bowed and said: "Mo, first, to protect my colleagues from being harmed, and second, for my family."
Zhu Hongyuan waved his hand, telling him to stop talking, and then asked about what happened the day before yesterday at noon: "I heard that someone from Nanyang Prefecture asked you to go to the capital to quell the rebellion in front of the restaurant. Is this true?"
Xiao Mo was startled, thinking, "Your Majesty! This is indeed true, but those people are not beggars from Nanyang Prefecture. They are people gathered by someone with ulterior motives. I'm afraid their motives are not pure."
Zhu Hongyuan looked at him, frowned, and said, "Could it be that you, my dear, do not want to go to Nanyang Prefecture?"
Xiao Mo hurriedly bowed and said, "That's not the case! Mo will just follow the emperor's orders."
Zhu Hongyuan listened to his words for a long while before sighing, "Even if the beggars are fake, what they say makes sense. Otherwise, they wouldn't have incited so many people to watch and respond. This shows that you are truly popular among the people."
Xiao Mo didn't say anything else. At this moment, it seemed that anything he said would be redundant.
Deep down, he really didn't want to leave Beijing to quell the rebellion.
However, the Xiao family has always regarded protecting Dayan as their responsibility, and they do not want the government to be in turmoil and the people to be displaced.
Xiao Mo has come this far and has a clear conscience.
Not only him, but also his father and third brother, they are all working hard for the long-term stability of the Dayan Dynasty.
My father was stationed at the border for many years and was separated from my mother.
Xiao Mo originally didn't realize what his parents had given up, but after he got married, he realized how difficult such self-sacrifice was.
He thought for a moment and said, "My father, brother, and I all work for the Emperor. If the Emperor has any orders, we will not refuse, even if it means death!"
After he said goodbye and left, Zhu Hongyuan asked the eunuch Liu beside him: "What do you think?"
As the eunuch in charge, Eunuch Liu still has the same idea in mind: trust people when you employ them, and don't employ people if you don't trust them.
But the emperor's worries are justified. Prince Xiao's achievements surpass his own, which is a big taboo.
"Why don't the Emperor send another capable general?" the eunuch asked tentatively.
"Just look at the situation in the court and the country. Even Prime Minister Zhang has told me more than once that Prince Xiao is the most suitable candidate. What can I do?" Zhu Hongyuan seemed a little discouraged.
"You are the emperor." Eunuch Liu said lightly.
The next morning, at court, Zhu Hongyuan again asked in front of all the civil and military officials, "The bandit situation in Nanyang Prefecture is severe. Is there any noble willing to go and quell the rebellion?"
The court officials were all shocked. Could it be that the emperor really had another candidate?
But when they thought of the beggar asking for mercy in front of the restaurant, they felt a little uneasy.
The corners of Xiao Mo's lips curled up, and he walked forward with a calm expression.
Also appearing with him was the Minister of War Ren Shenglai. Ren Shenglai was about forty years old. Although he was the Minister of War, he was far less prestigious in the army than Xiao Mo and his son.
But to be able to serve as the Minister of War, he must have some ability, otherwise the late emperor would not have let him sit in this position for so many years.
Ren Shenglai is about the same age as the Duke, and he used to be his subordinate.
He originally thought that today he would just accompany the prince to study, just a formality. After all, when a war broke out, it would be unreasonable for him, the Minister of War, not to participate.
But when he stood before the emperor, he saw the little emperor smiling and asking about the details of the rebellion. Then he clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Lord Ren, you have really helped me out of my urgent need.
"Pass the order down, you will lead an army of 100,000 to Nanyang Prefecture in three days!"
Ren Shenglai was shocked, it was just like that!
He quickly said, "I obey your order!"
Prime Minister Zhang Jiming twitched his beard and was about to say something but stopped.
The emperor is full of vigor and energy and does not want to rely too much on anyone.
Apart from the Xiao family, I'm afraid that the Prime Minister also has the same idea about him.
But the old Prime Minister, mindful of the late emperor's trust, felt that he still had to negotiate with the young emperor in private while taking his reputation into consideration.
The banditry is coming with great force, and it is probably not an easy task for Ren Sheng, who has only trained soldiers and not fought wars for many years.
Not only Prime Minister Zhang, but also those court officials who originally supported Prince Xiao to leave the capital to quell the rebellion looked at each other in bewilderment.
However, the decree has been issued and the Prime Minister has kept his mouth shut. What else can they say?
Xiao Mo walked back to his seat silently. He had expected this to happen.
If the emperor wanted him to go, he should have made the decision when the news reached the palace that day. Why wait until today?
He is also deeply worried about the current situation.
Therefore, what the court officials saw was that the prince had a deeply frowned brow and looked quite unhappy.
They also felt sorry for it. Who could feel good about being feared by the emperor?
Even if the person sitting on the high throne is just a hot-blooded little emperor, since he is the emperor, he must uphold the dignity of the emperor and has the right to life and death.
This Prince Xiao is probably in big trouble.
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