Chapter 83 The Fierce Bird Will Shoot (Part 3) "But Your Highness, why must you..."
Inside the Xi'an Gate, right next to the Xixin Si (a government office), and further east were the flower shop and the wine shop; the fire started raging from this very area. Although the Imperial Guards had urgently dispatched a large number of troops, enough to control the situation, the rebels showed no sign of surrendering and continued to resist desperately.
The emperor awoke from a nightmare, and upon hearing of Prince Xin's plot to rebel, he fainted from shock and anger. The attending imperial physician examined the emperor's pulse and said that the emperor was not in any immediate danger, but the place was too noisy and would not be conducive to the emperor's rest.
The palace eunuchs were at a loss, and even Qiu Cong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, dared not make the decision to send the emperor directly back to the inner palace. The palace coup outside was chaotic, and at this critical moment, even the usually autocratic Eunuch was absent.
Qiu Cong frowned and asked Sun Shan, "Have you gone to invite His Highness the Crown Prince yet?"
Sun Shan nodded and said, "Please."
Qiu Cong remained silent and withdrew quietly, directing the Imperial Guards while sending men to investigate the situation at each palace gate. Because it was nighttime and the opposing force was Prince Xin, Qiu Cong had some reservations and therefore did not issue a death order.
Yan Fei had been by the emperor's side the whole time. Despite his young age, he remained calm in the face of danger and even managed to reprimand a few panicked eunuchs.
The palace fell into a somber silence. Yan Fei could no longer sit still and wanted to go out and follow Qiu Cong. This startled Sun Shan, who was about to stop him, but Yan Fei said, "I'll just go along and take a look from afar. I won't cause any trouble."
Yan Fei had only intended to walk a few more steps forward to get a clearer view of the battle. Swords clashed, and the air was thick with the clamor of voices. Looking out, the Great Bright Hall was shrouded in the thick smoke of the night, its flames stretching to the edge of the Taiye Pond. He craned his neck to look towards the inner palace, but could only see a distant point of light; the darkness obscured which palace it was.
The Crown Prince finally led his army to the West Garden, passed the South Terrace and Taiye Pond, bypassed the Shouming Hall and headed north, quickly forming a pincer movement against the rebels from the north and south. At the Crown Prince's command, ten thousand arrows were unleashed, and the rebels were almost annihilated; the rebels near Renshou Palace had been wiped out, and he then ordered the capture of the mastermind and the investigation of any remaining followers.
With the situation stabilized, the palace servants gradually cleaned up the mess.
As the Crown Prince and his entourage were walking towards Renshou Palace, they passed the Yuhe Bridge when they suddenly saw a flash of light near the riverbank, and then an arm emerged. Everyone immediately became alert, and Zhang Jixian shouted, "Protect the Emperor!" But the hand in the water sank again. They approached with lanterns, and blood was visible on the surface of the water.
"Save them!" Yan Chao guessed who it was almost instantly.
Yan Fei was carried back to a side hall of Renshou Palace. Fortunately, he was discovered in time and his life was saved, but because he had been shot in the arm with an arrow and had been exposed to the cold from drowning, his condition was much more critical than the emperor's. He woke up groggily, shivering all over, and when he recalled Yan Chao's figure, he felt a little more at ease. After a moment of stunned silence, he turned to look for his robes.
"Your Highness, what are you looking for?"
"We just changed your clothes. His Highness the Crown Prince discovered the imperial edict and took it away."
"Oh. That's good. Sixth Uncle should have gone to see the Emperor. Go and report back that the imperial edict was forged by Prince Xin."
Yan Fei rubbed his sore eyes and instructed his personal eunuch, "Go back to Zhaoyang Palace quickly and tell Mother that the situation in Xiyuan has been quelled and that I am safe and sound. Don't let her worry."
"Should I thank you for sparing my life to become the retired emperor?"
"Your Majesty, I had no choice!"
"You're helpless! Did I force you to stage a coup, or did the Crown Prince instill in you such wolfish ambitions?"
Unable to defend himself, Prince Xin tried to crawl forward on his knees, but was immediately held down by Yan Chao. Unable to break free, he was filled with grief and indignation: tonight's plan had failed, and he could not possibly die peacefully. How could he, with his pride and arrogance, accept this?
“Your Majesty is wise. I was indeed confused for a moment, but the Crown Prince is also involved! You will know once you investigate that the rebels still have the Crown Prince's order! He is taking advantage of the chaos, and he arrived late tonight. Who knows if he is not planning to reap the benefits!”
"Whether or not the order was personally issued by me will be investigated later. You led the rebel army to force your way into the palace, seized control of the palace gates and keys, and even ordered the eunuchs to burn down the Eastern Palace. Now you dare to turn around and slander me! Is your desperation such that you dare to kill your father and not spare your young nephew?"
A cup of hot tea was thrown straight at Prince Xin, causing him to bleed profusely from his head. The emperor was furious, trembling and coughing until his face turned pale. Yan Chao turned around and shouted, "Quickly gag him and take him away!" He then rushed forward to appease the emperor. The imperial physicians who were waiting outside also immediately entered to treat him.
The emperor grabbed the imperial physician and asked, "How is Fei'er?"
"Your Majesty, the Prince has woken up, and the wound on his arm has been bandaged. He is currently out of danger."
The emperor, having caught his breath, his eyes glistening with tears, sighed and gritted his teeth: "That wretched child..."
Yan Chao patted the emperor's back and whispered, "Father, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance."
After examining the emperor's pulse, the imperial physician immediately administered acupuncture to soothe his liver and regulate his Qi. With the heat released, the emperor became somewhat drowsy. Yan Chao served the emperor his medicine, and as she put down the bowl, she turned to see the emperor silently watching her.
"How are you? Are you hurt?"
"Thank you for your concern, Father. I am fine. Only one room in the Eastern Palace burned down; it's nothing serious."
"It will be dawn in a few hours. You don't need to go back to the palace. Just rest here for now. Fei'er is young, and he is badly injured. Please take good care of him."
"yes."
After rinsing his mouth, the emperor lay down with a frown. Yan Chao tucked the blanket around him, and as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard the emperor ask, "How much do you know about tonight's events?"
Yan Chao paused for a moment, and seeing that the emperor had closed his eyes and was no longer looking at her, she lowered her eyelashes and said helplessly in a soft voice, "Even if Father Emperor really doesn't trust me, please wait until tomorrow to find out the truth before listening to my explanation. Father Emperor has been frightened today, so please rest in peace."
The commotion in the Western Garden was significant, and news of it spread like wildfire. Countless people were unlikely to sleep soundly that night. A palace coup was a major event, involving the Beijing garrison, so the entire imperial city was placed under martial law. The area around the Prince Xin's residence on East Chang'an Street was already completely surrounded by soldiers, and the Western Garden was even more heavily guarded, with more than three times the usual number of sentries.
Officials in all government offices continued to work as usual. Court officials rushed to the Western Garden, but could not even see the emperor. The eunuch delivering the imperial edict only said that the emperor was unwell. They also requested an audience with the crown prince, but the crown prince refused to see them.
Yang Ren slowly turned around, his voice somewhat low: "Everyone should go back and await further instructions. Official business cannot be delayed."
About half an hour later, an imperial edict was indeed issued to the cabinet: the title of Prince Xin, Yan Li, was immediately abolished; the case of plotting rebellion and forcing the emperor to abdicate was to be presided over by cabinet minister Chen Xiu, with the assistance of the three judicial departments; the crown prince was to continue his duties at the Wenhua Hall as usual, and all government affairs were to be reported to the crown prince for his decision.
The emperor's attitude was so clear that everyone was momentarily at a loss. No one showed any sign of relief; all eyes were on Chen Xiu. Chen Xiu bowed to them and said, "I'm going to the Wenhua Hall."
Chen Xiu was mentally prepared for last night's events and the aftermath, but being appointed as the presiding judge was completely unexpected. The cabinet was only a stone's throw away from the Wenhua Hall. When he entered the hall, Yan Chao had just returned from the West Garden and was preparing to go back to the East Palace first. He didn't want to see the ministers at the moment, but after thinking about it, he let him in.
Just then, a palace attendant reported that the official documents had been presented that day, so Yan Chao simply went to bring them in himself and waved away the palace servants. Chen Xiu hurriedly stepped forward to take them, but Yan Chao only told him to sit down first, and then placed the documents on the desk himself, saying, "Since His Majesty has given the decree, you need not have any doubts, sir."
"Yes," the Crown Prince had set up this whole scheme for today, so he naturally had no reason to hesitate. "Your Highness, please rest assured regarding the trial. However, there is one thing I don't understand. Is His Majesty aware of the deposed prince's collusion with foreign tribes?"
Chen Xiu's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at her in astonishment.
"You've already read the letter I sent to Yang He, haven't you? We should have a reply in the next couple of days. If they behave themselves, I wouldn't mind letting them off the hook for now."
Chen Xiu understood the appeasement intent in the letter, and he even knew that the Crown Prince intended to bring the Doyan army under his control. However, with the deposed king recently fallen, he couldn't help but be alarmed. "If Your Highness intends to appease and bestow kindness upon the people, it will be a blessing for all. But the Doyan are untamed and difficult to subdue. Firstly, they may be difficult to subdue; secondly, raising a tiger will only bring future trouble. Your Highness really has no need to have private dealings with them."
"I understand your concerns."
"Forgive my boldness, but I do not understand Your Highness's worries. Your Highness entered the Eastern Palace with the imperial seal and edict personally bestowed by the Emperor and presented at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. You are the heir apparent of our Great Qi, inheriting the throne and continuing the imperial line. For the past ten years, Your Highness has been diligent and cautious, and has earned a reputation for virtue, which is evident to all the subjects of the land. Even if His Majesty dotes on his illegitimate son, he would never lightly change the heir apparent. The foundation of the state is at stake, and the officials and ministers would not stand idly by. The deposed prince harbors wicked intentions and covets the position of heir apparent, and he certainly deserves to be punished. But Your Highness, why do you still feel so distressed?"
Yan Chao's eyes widened in shock. Chen Xiu was indeed astute. The deeper anxieties and fears she was forced to bear were etched into her very being; they were not merely anxieties about losing her position, but would ultimately amount to nothing more than anxieties about losing her position.
Chen Xiu then stopped pressing her about why she insisted on the Duoyan Army, and as usual reported a few important matters, inquired about the situation in the West Garden, and then took his leave.
The fire at the Eastern Palace last night wasn't serious, burning two areas. One was the Crown Prince's sleeping quarters, which was discovered by palace servants as soon as sparks appeared. The other, more unusual, was Consort Xu's Zhaojian Palace. Fortunately, the fire was put out in time, and no one was injured. The Crown Prince remained calm as usual, but Consort Xu was shocked. When Liang Lu saw her, she had dark circles under her eyes and looked somewhat haggard.
"By order of His Highness, please have the concubine go and see Xiao Jiu."
Last night, the Eastern Palace caught fire, and it has now been determined that Xiao Jiu was the mastermind. When Yan Chao lured Xiao Jiu out of the palace to deliver the message, she had no intention of keeping him alive. However, she did not expect Yan Li to release Xiao Jiu, nor did she expect him to set fire to Zhaojian Palace. Xiao Jiu's identity is special, and it is impossible to hand him over to outsiders for interrogation. There are more than just him as a traitor in the Eastern Palace; it would be enough if he could implicate Yan Li. Yan Chao also instructed that he should not be allowed to die in the Eastern Palace, so Zhang Ji took him out for interrogation. Xiao Jiu was, after all, just a eunuch, and still young; he vomited everything up within a few hours.
Xu Shuying changed to a carriage and left the palace. She heard the sounds of people talking and walking in the streets and alleys, the rustling of objects being put down, the rumbling of wheels, and the clattering of horses and donkeys, all mixed with the sound of the wind.
The personal maid was startled and glanced timidly at Liang Lu. Liang Lu was also stunned and called out, "Stop!"
Xu Shuying recognized the peddler carrying a box of silk flowers. Before she could speak, a gust of wind blew, scattering the silk flowers, and a bright pink crabapple blossom fell into the sedan chair.
Xiao Jiu was half-dragged in, his clothes were clean, his face was as pale as paper, and his hands and feet were covered in wounds. He knew it was Shu Ying who had come, and with a struggle, he opened his eyes and staggered to his knees in front of her.
Liang Lu spoke first: "Xu Xuanshi, it was Xiao Jiu who poisoned your tea last time, and he was also the one who secretly set fire to Zhaojian Palace this time."
Xu Shuying remained silent. It really was him.
Observing her expression, Zhang Ji asked suspiciously, "Does the concubine know the inside story?"
"I guessed."
Zhang Ji and Liang Lu exchanged a glance.
Xiao Jiu kowtowed to Liang Lu: "Eunuch Liang, I have betrayed my master for personal gain, and have failed your teachings of many years, and even more so, the kindness of His Highness the Crown Prince. I know I deserve to die, and I only beg Your Highness to spare no one in your anger, considering the years I have served you."
"Xiao Jiu, you're really foolish!" Liang Lu's eyes welled up with tears as he looked at him. This child had entered the palace at the age of seven or eight and had been with him every day; he had watched him grow up. He knew the child had been clever since childhood, but he hadn't expected him to become so headstrong and go astray. Liang Lu rubbed his sore eyes and sighed, "His Highness will investigate what needs to be investigated."
Xiao Jiu didn't say anything more. He had already said everything he needed to say in his confession, and at this moment, he really didn't have the strength to explain anything further.
Xu Shuying suddenly knelt down and hugged Xiao Jiu without hesitation. She took a deep breath, restraining herself from crying, and whispered in a trembling voice, "I'm sorry, I can't go with you, I can't leave..."
Zhang Ji and Liang Lu both looked unwell.
But soon, Xu Shuying stiffly released her grip and knelt down as well: "I have an affair with Xiao Jiu, which has brought shame upon Your Highness. Please report to Your Highness and punish me as well."
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