Wind and Rain 2
Ling Wan frowned. What nonsense is Tao talking about?
The Tao family commanded 30,000 imperial guards, and if they wanted to maintain their family status during the transition of imperial power, they would choose not to stand aside. Even if the Tao family were not those who pursued fame and fortune and wanted to be loyal and honest subjects, the reality of honor and disgrace and the lives of the entire family would not allow the head of the family to choose to wait and see.
Ren An during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han is a living example.
During the Witchcraft Rebellion, he neither supported Liu Ju nor Emperor Wu. Instead, he sat on the fence while the two sides clashed, euphemistically saying, "If I am disloyal and untrustworthy, what is the point of living? However, my choice was forced upon me, and I hope future generations will understand it!"
What a joke! The commander of the Northern Army, commanding 30,000 elite cavalry, hesitated to make a decision and ended up suffering the consequences.
Since ancient times, the victors have been kings and the losers have been bandits. When the storm of power change comes, inaction and neutrality is the greatest stupidity, and sitting on the fence and watching is more deadly than taking sides.
Tao's father, Cheng Enbo, was trusted by the suspicious old emperor and was placed in the position of commander of the right guard of the imperial guards for so many years. He must know this better than anyone else.
If that's the case, then why did Tao say that? Could it be that—
"Zhangyi, does that mean the Tao family has decided to accept the offer from Prince Zhao or Prince Ning?" Before Mrs. Tao could stop crying, Ling Wan's heart sank, and she had a bad feeling.
"No, not yet." Such a solemn look startled Tao, and she quickly explained, "My father has already rejected the Second Prince of Zhaoning. I cried today because I was worried that the Shen family and the Tao family would go their separate ways in the future..."
"Why are you so afraid of the Chen and Tao families going their separate ways? Did someone come to the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion today?" She hadn't heard Chen Cong or her eldest sister-in-law mention this at home. Ling Wan had a hunch that something was wrong and put her hands on her shoulders, forcing her to calm down.
"Just... just now, my mother sent someone to say that she missed Huaicheng and asked me to take Huaicheng back to her parents' home for a short stay. She also said that the situation is unstable now, and the entire Shen family is dependent on the prince, and the rumors about the prince in the palace..." As Tao said this, she suddenly understood why Ling Wan's face was so embarrassed.
Her father, while claiming to be "neutral," had actually already chosen his side in the struggle for imperial power. Otherwise, why would her mother send for her at this hour? She must have secretly sent someone to take her back.
Tao's face turned pale instantly, she couldn't believe it: "No, no, second sister-in-law! The Tao family and the Shen family are relatives, there is no way -"
Absolutely not. Tao Shi had already understood clearly in her mind that just because they were relatives by marriage, the Cheng En Marquisate would never involve the entire Tao family in the consideration of the matter.
Ling Wanqiang held onto the table and called out to the two maids, "Qingque Zhuchi, quickly go to the outer courtyard and tell someone to tell the First and Second Masters that Lord Cheng'en may have changed his mind!"
She didn't know what Chen Duo, Chen Cong and the old emperor were plotting, but she was sure that the 30,000 imperial guards were absolutely and must be an indispensable and decisive part of this plan.
On the other side, Mrs. Tao had already fallen into the chair, her face as pale as gold paper and her eyes empty, as if she couldn't believe or accept that the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion would betray the Shen family.
Ling Wan couldn't take care of her at this time, and ordered several maids to take good care of her.
The young prince was clearly not in the palace, so why did the second prince of Zhaoning send his advisors to lobby the emperor to claim that the Crown Prince had died? The reasons are as follows:
First, they already knew that the Crown Prince was not in the East Palace, so they took advantage of the Crown Prince's serious illness to deny his existence and thus turned the tables on him;
Second, they didn’t know that the prince was not in the East Palace.
But this is no longer important, because the old emperor personally determined that the prince was seriously ill, and they would kill him personally later.
Firstly, they wanted to take advantage of the lobbying rumors spread by the counselors and go around to the Chen Mansion through the relationship with the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion to find out the truth about the prince; secondly, they wanted to force those ministers who were waiting and neutral to express their stance. Now that the emperor is seriously ill and the orthodox prince has passed away, who will you follow next?
What was even more fatal was that the news of the "Crown Prince's death" had not reached the Shen family from an hour ago until now. This meant that there was definitely someone or a group of people in the Shen family camp who had turned against them.
Ling Wan's palms were already sweating. She was not sure whether the Shen Mansion was still safe for the little prince.
"Why is my sister here?" Xiao Yuanxi looked up and saw his sister Tianxian rushing over with two confidants, with a hint of worry between her brows.
"Your Highness, who knows about your stay in the Shen Mansion?" Ling Wan didn't care about the rules at the moment. After a hasty salute, she asked anxiously.
"Apart from father and mother, there are only you and teacher." Xiao Yuanxi knew that something must have happened, and his face couldn't help but darken.
Ling Wan shook his head and said, "No, there is another person who knows it." Pei Lin, Duke of Zhao.
Even if he hadn't seen the young prince follow Xu Lingwan back to the Shen Mansion, he could have guessed it. But guessing it or not didn't matter. If he accepted that the prince was dead, then Xiao Yuanxi would be dead. If not now, then in the future.
Ling Wan briefly told the little prince about Tao's abnormality and her guess. Her meaning was very clear: the Shen Mansion was probably not safe now.
"Your Highness, it's better to be safe than sorry. There is no news from my uncle and Shen Cong yet, but I am worried that when there is news, it will be too late!" Ling Wan's eyes showed a rare anxiety.
She didn't dare to gamble, let alone gamble.
A false alarm would be best, but if she hadn't been overthinking it, then Shen Duo and Shen Cong would have been restrained in the palace at this moment. Even the old emperor might have been restrained.
Xiao Yuanxi remained silent with a gloomy look in his eyes.
Just when Ling Wan was about to persuade her again, as if to prove her guess, Chen Duo actually came to Yan Xiju secretly with several eunuchs.
"Mother!" When the little prince saw the figure of one of the eunuchs, his gloomy face changed and he threw himself into the woman's arms.
The hood dropped. It was a face whose mere profile robbed the world of its splendor.
Ling Wan was stunned for a moment. When she confirmed that none of the three eunuchs with blood on their clothes were Shen Cong, her face turned pale.
"Xi'er, listen to what I have to say." The woman hugged the little prince for only a moment before grabbing his shoulders and pushing him away. She pulled out a tiger talisman from her bosom and a vermilion brocade pouch from her neck. She said solemnly, "Inside the pouch is your father's secret decree and imperial seal. Keep them safe."
"Take your personal guards with you immediately and follow General Shen to mobilize the Sucheng army."
The Sukujo Army was the closest garrison to Kyoto. In the Imperial Palace, a coup must have already occurred.
Xiao Yuanxi's face turned pale and he grabbed the woman's sleeve tightly: "Mother, father...you, won't you come with me?" Tears welled up in his eyes.
The woman seemed reluctant and reached out to hug him again, then pushed him away. She took a deep breath and said sternly, "Prince Zhao is plotting rebellion and colluding with Concubine Pei to control the palace. I don't think this news can be kept secret for long. Then Prince Ning will rush into the palace under the pretext of protecting the emperor."
"Now is not the time to be fussy. Your father is still in the palace. While Prince Ning hasn't made any move and the city defenses haven't been taken control, you should quickly follow General Shen and leave. General Shen will explain everything to you on the way!"
As the woman spoke, she led him to Chen Duo, then put her hands in front of her forehead, bowed deeply to Chen Duo, and said, "General Shen, Xi'er is in your care!"
How could Chen Duo dare to accept this gift? He quickly bent down and bowed, saying in a firm voice: "Don't worry, my lord, Chen Duo will not fail in his mission!"
Afterwards, they had a brief conversation. A short while later, Chen Duo quietly left with dozens of the palace's elite secret guards and the young prince.
From the time he appeared to the time he left, the entire city took less than two quarters of an hour. He didn't even have the chance to return to Minghui Hall to see Mrs. Lu. Ling Wan knew that the situation in the palace must be more urgent than she had imagined.
"Lingwan, are you feeling unwell? Do you want to call a doctor?" If the extremely beautiful woman in front of him had not spoken, Xu Lingwan himself would not have noticed that he had been sitting quietly in the armchair, lost in thought.
Ling Wan suppressed her panic and was about to stand up when she was held down by her mother. So she could only curl her lips and bow her head and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency. I am fine. I was rude just now, and I hope Your Excellency will forgive me."
As he spoke, he began to ask whether the current news in the palace and Shen Duo and Chen Cong should be notified immediately to Old Lady Shen and the eldest sister-in-law Lu in the mansion.
At such moments, she was able to remain calm and quickly arrange the next steps.
Lu Xian stared at her biological daughter whom she hadn't seen for fifteen years, not knowing whether to be happy or sad that her daughter was taught so well by the Xu family.
Her heart felt sour, bitter, and swollen, but when Ling Wan finished speaking, the bitterness in her eyes faded, leaving only a clear and bright look: "Send someone to invite Madam Shen and Madam Lu here. I have something to say to them in person."
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