The arrival of Xuan Tianming and Feng Yuheng gave some people hope, but also gave others despair.
Tianwu and Zhang Yuan were naturally looking forward to their arrival. When they came, Tianwu had a backbone, and Zhang Yuan was relieved. But as for Concubine Yuan Shu, for some reason, although she knew that Concubine Yun could not still be in the palace, when she saw Xuan Tianming and Feng Yuheng, she began to be afraid for no reason, and began to feel that the current situation might be reversed because of this.
Yuexiu reminded her quietly, "Don't be afraid, Madam. They don't know how to perform magic tricks. How can they make someone who is not in the palace appear again? Even if they bring the person into the palace right away, it is impossible to do it without anyone noticing."
Having said that, Concubine Yuan Shu's heart still sank.
At this time, Xuan Tianming and the other two had already arrived in front of Tianwu and knelt down together: "Your son (daughter-in-law) kowtows to your father."
Tianwu hurried forward and personally helped the two up, saying anxiously, "There's a fire in Yuehan Palace, and your mother is missing. Ming'er, think of a solution quickly, the fire is so big, maybe something happened to her."
Xuan Tianming patted Tianwu's arm and consoled him, "Don't worry, Father. I believe that Mother will be fine and will not follow the wishes of those who harbor resentment and cruelty."
"Hiss!" Tianwu sucked in a breath of cold air. He had been panicking and anxious before, and only then did he realize that there was something strange about the fire.
Xuan Tianming sneered, and his sharp eyes suddenly shot towards Yuan Shu again. With just one glance, he made Concubine Yuan Shu feel cold all over.
"You were the one who just said that my mother is missing?" His voice was cold and emotionless.
The nine princes of the Xuan family, apart from being close to their own mothers and having basic respect for the queen, have no feelings for the other concubines in the palace. They are even unwilling to call them mother out of courtesy. Xuan Tianming is the first to bear the brunt of this.
This question made Concubine Yuan Shu not know how to answer. She subconsciously took two steps back, but then she heard Xuan Tianming ask again, "Concubine Yuan Shu? Yes, Old Eight's biological mother. Why did it sound to me that what you said just now was to create a false impression that Concubine Yun was not in the palace? Every sentence was reminding my father to think in the worst direction, using my father's feelings for Concubine Yun to provoke my father's greatest emotional fluctuations. Let me ask you, if my father gets angry because of this and something happens to him, can you bear the responsibility, or can your mother's family bear it? Moreover, can Old Eight bear it? Yes, what is your intention in deliberately stirring up trouble to anger my father?"
The barrage of questions made Concubine Yuan Shu's heart beat up and down, almost jumping out of her throat. After Xuan Tianming finally finished speaking, she knelt down in front of Tianwu with a plop: "Your Majesty, I didn't, I really didn't mean that!"
Tianwu didn't think so much at first, but Xuan Tianming said it one by one, and he thought about it the other way around. Yes, he was originally just worried about the safety of Concubine Yun, but after being provoked by Concubine Yuan Shu's words, he actually began to question whether Concubine Yun was in this palace. He even wondered, if Concubine Yun really ran away, what should he do?
Now that he had turned this corner, he was filled with rage. Looking at Concubine Yuan Shu who was kneeling on the ground, he shouted angrily, "Drag her away! Drag her away for me! Remove her from her position as Concubine Shu, and never let her appear before me again!"
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Concubine Yuan Shu's head. She fell to the ground, totally unable to believe that this was true.
At this time, the guards came forward to pull her away. She realized that if she didn't fight back, she would be finished, so she resisted vigorously, and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty! Do you dare to make a bet with me? If Concubine Yun is still in the palace, I will accept the punishment, but if she is really not here, please give me justice!" After shouting for a long time, she saw that Tianwu didn't respond, so she hurriedly asked: "Your Majesty, don't you dare?"
Tianwu was angry: "Why shouldn't I dare? Although Pian Pian is angry with me and refused to see me for twenty years, she would never run away from the palace and betray me!"
At this time, Feng Yuheng had already taken action: "Let me ask you, is there any place to take refuge in Yuehan Palace? Or a place to avoid fire and cool down?" She was asking the palace servants in Yuehan Palace, without even looking at the imperial guards.
The palace servants of Yuehan Palace knew that Concubine Yun was not there, but now that the Ninth Prince and Princess Ji'an were here, they had to tell the truth. A eunuch thought for a moment and said, "The coolest place in our palace is the ice cellar. When Yuehan Palace was first built, the Empress was afraid of the heat, so the Emperor dug an ice cellar for her. Every summer, they would bring out ice cubes from it, either to cool off or to chill fruits."
She nodded, looked at the Yuehan Palace which was still smoking, and turned to Tianwu and said, "Father, since we have already searched the open places, we might as well look in the dark places. Mother has always been a clear-minded person. Such a strange fire suddenly started. Not to mention burning people to death, even if it didn't burn people to death, there might be other means hidden in the dark. Now is not the time to hold people accountable, but now that the open fire has been extinguished, we can send our trusted people to search the palace."
Tianwu took a deep breath, thinking that he was confused by his haste. As expected, Lao Jiu and his wife had made a new decision as soon as they arrived. He immediately ordered the secret guards around him: "You, follow me in!"
Zhang Yuan was so frightened that he shuddered and grabbed Tianwu's sleeve. "No! They can go, but Your Majesty, you can't go! Although there is no open fire, it is very dangerous now. The backbone of the house has been burnt and rotten. Even though it is still holding up now, there is no telling where a piece of it will fall off. Who will be responsible if it hits you?"
Tianwu said angrily: "I will take responsibility for it myself!"
"No, no." Zhang Yuan still held him tightly, "You can't take this responsibility, absolutely not."
Xuan Tianming also said, "That's right, Father can't come in." Then he said to the secret guards, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go!"
The secret guards nodded, dodged, and rushed into Yuehan Palace.
After hearing Xuan Tianming's words, Tianwu stopped talking, but stared at the burned palace, praying in his heart that the secret guards could bring Concubine Yun out.
The queen also came back to her senses and was ordering her servants, "Quick, go and call all the doctors on duty. If Concubine Yun is injured, she can be treated as quickly as possible."
Xuan Tianming didn't say anything, but nodded to the queen, accepting the favor. No matter what, the queen was thoughtful.
But Tianwu said: "I don't want Pianpian to get hurt. I would rather she escaped from the palace than get hurt. I would rather lose her than let her get hurt at all."
The words were spoken in a loud voice, and as the place was so quiet, almost all the concubines heard them.
Suddenly, someone couldn't help crying, with a sense of mourning in their cry, mourning for their youth in this life. After more than 20 years of waiting, they were still not as good as a Yunfei. Until today, they really understood the importance of Yunfei in Tianwu's heart. He would rather lose than hurt. This is an emperor who promised a woman such love, which no one else can reach.
More and more people gathered in front of Yuehan Palace. Almost everyone in the entire palace came here to wait for the final outcome of the fire.
After a while, the secret guards finally flashed out of the palace, and this time they brought Tianwudi a piece of good news that was almost life-saving - "Empress Yun is indeed hiding in the ice cellar, but your subordinates can't get her out. The Empress said that the Emperor must go in and get her in person."
As soon as these words came out, Tianwu was so excited that he almost jumped up. He couldn't believe his ears at all. He stopped the secret guard and asked uncertainly: "What did you say? Say what you just said again!"
The secret guard repeated, "Empress Yun said that His Majesty is requested to go in and receive him personally."
"But it's very dangerous!" Someone among the concubines questioned again, "It will be dangerous for the emperor to go in."
The queen was also a little worried, but she knew exactly what to say and when. Over the years, she had learned a rule: as long as it concerned Concubine Yun, it was better not to express any opinions.
Zhang Yuan, who was originally pulling his sleeve, also let go of Feng Yuheng's hand after he shook his head gently. He thought, since the princess didn't object, it should be okay to go in, right? But he was also very surprised. Concubine Yun was obviously not in the palace, so why did she run to the ice cellar at this time? It seemed that the Ninth Prince and Princess Ji'an had just entered the palace, and they came from the outer road. It was impossible to send Concubine Yun back in advance!
Just as he was puzzled, Xuan Tianming personally stepped forward and supported Tianwu's arm, saying, "Your son will accompany your father in."
Feng Yuheng also accompanied them.
Just like that, after more than 20 years, Emperor Tianwu finally entered Yuehan Palace on this night. The moment his feet stepped into the gate of Yuehan Palace, Xuan Tianming could feel his father's arms trembling, and the excitement on his face was not concealed at all.
At this moment, even Xuan Tianming and Feng Yuheng couldn't help but sigh.
Tianwu staggered for a long time from the palace gate to the ice cellar. When he finally reached the door of the ice cellar, he suddenly stopped. He asked Xuan Tianming: "Do you think she is really here?"
Xuan Tianming said: "Didn't the secret guards see everything?"
"But why do I always feel uneasy? This is like a dream. Just now they said Pian Pian is not in the palace, and I thought, if she ran away, I have to go out to find her, and the country will be handed over to you. You must be a good emperor, marry a wife and give birth to a son, don't marry too many, raising a child well is better than anything else. What's the point of having many children? In the end, it will only cause trouble for yourself."
Xuan Tianming nodded, "Don't worry, Father. I definitely can't marry too many wives. As for children, that depends on how many your daughter-in-law is willing to give birth to."
Feng Yuheng glanced at him sideways and said nothing.
Tianwu was still worried and kept asking, "Does she really want to see me? Ah Heng! Hurry up and show father, isn't my dress a bit too casual?" He glared at Zhang Yuan as he spoke, "Why don't you tell me to wear something nice? Look at what I am wearing? And my hair, is it messy? Oh no!" He began to touch his face again, "It's over, it's over, this face has aged, I saw my eyes drooping a few days ago, what should I do?"
He was hesitant and didn't know what to do. At this moment, he heard a woman's cold voice suddenly rise from inside the ice cellar - "Xuan Zhan! If you don't come in, I'm going to freeze to death!"
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