"Lord Li, just remember that my young lady is someone you can't afford to offend." Du Yiling said.
Li Kun didn't get a definitive answer, but Du Yi was the one who spoke and acted, and he certainly couldn't afford to offend the person behind the scenes. "Guardian Du is right, but... Guardian Du, please give me some information. If this gets to the emperor and he calls me in for questioning, I'll be prepared."
"If the Emperor asks, Lord Li might as well ask the Emperor to ask the Fifth Princess."
Fifth Princess?
Li Kun suddenly realized that he was also among the crowd during the incident at the city gate yesterday. Judging from the Fifth Princess's expression, she hated Xiang Minghou and his group to the core. It's not impossible that she sent people to hunt them down...
Hiss? Something seems wrong. The Fifth Princess sent people to hunt down Marquis Xiang Ming and his daughter. What does this have to do with Du Hu?
The two have nothing to do with each other...
"Guard Du... say it again..."
Li Kun wanted to ask a few more questions, but before he could finish, Du Yi flew down from the city wall, followed by the others who followed him down like dumplings...
“…”
Li Kun mustered up the courage to silently glance down at the city wall, quickly covering his chest with his fingers and taking a few deep breaths. This was not going to be easy!
The capital city is the face of the country, and there are twelve bloody people hanging on it... It is a bit difficult to explain.
"Sir, is he really dead?" The soldiers didn't dare to look down.
"Do you dare to let go?"
The soldier thought of Du Yi's look just now and shrank his head.
"That's it for now. Have someone keep a close eye on them while I go to the Changyang Palace."
"yes."
Li Kun will not feel at ease unless he finds a backbone.
Suddenly, twelve bloody people were hung on both sides of the city gate. People entering and leaving the city gate early in the morning were frightened by this scene and no one dared to investigate further.
At the time of Chen, more and more people came in and out of the city gate, and some brave ones gathered around to watch the person hanging on the city gate.
At first, everyone thought that the government had captured the rebels and hung them at the city gate as a warning. Later, someone noticed the notice posted on the wall of the city gate.
The notice listed the name, information, and address of the person being hanged. The reason for hanging him there was because of the assassination of Marquis Xiang Ming and Miss Xiang.
"This name on it, this is not it, this is not it..."
A scholar stared at the notice in surprise.
"Oh? Do you know who it is?"
"This is the eldest son of the Li family in our town. He joined the Earl's Palace as a guard several years ago. How could he be related to the assassination?" The scholar said as he glanced at the person hanging above.
Looking closely at them one by one, the third one on the left side of the city gate...
"Oh my, it really is the eldest son of the Li family..." The scholar's face was filled with surprise. He tilted his head and shouted twice: "You are the eldest son of the Li family in Dongcheng Town, Li Ke?"
The person above opened his closed eyes and opened his mouth weakly.
The scholar was finally sure: "It's really you. This... this... I'll go tell your parents right now."
The scholar left in a panic...
The crowd watched for a while and heard the name of the Earl's Mansion.
When the people on the city wall heard the Earl's Mansion yesterday, they immediately understood that the fifth princess was behind the assassination.
The notice said that as long as the government came to pick up the people, they would not care. If they didn't come to pick them up, these people would probably be hanged at the city gate.
Before the news of what happened on the city wall spread, another incident in the city had already spread to every street in the capital.
Early in the morning, many replica papers appeared in the streets, restaurants and inns of the city, all of which recorded the mistakes made by Concubine Yuan of Sifang Mountain ten years ago.
There is also the fact that Xiang Minghou did not rebel. The most shocking thing is that the signature is stamped with the national seal.
Especially the Sifang Mountain incident, where Concubine Yuan framed someone and Ye Qianning's rescue was covered up. Although the above officials did not admit their mistakes in person, every word and sentence could be understood as a mistake.
There is also the matter of Xiang Minghou being convicted of treason, which is mostly explained. Specifically, the incident with Concubine Yuan made the emperor suspicious, and the treacherous villains made some slanderous remarks, so he was misled.
What follows is regret, remorse, and the desire to make amends.
Many years later, he still couldn't let go of the lapse of judgment that year, which caused Beili to lose a brave and capable general. He regretted it very much. The capital city had prepared a good mansion for him, and Beili would compensate him. He hoped that Marquis Xiang Ming would bring the child back to the capital to give him a chance to make up for his mistake.
"Tsk tsk, is this...really written by the Emperor?"
"Yesterday on the city wall, the Fifth Princess said it was fake. It must be fake. How could the Emperor..."
How could I admit my mistake?
"It's fake. Look at the national seal, it's real. How could it be fake?"
"Oh, it's hard to say. Elder Chen and Marquis Xiang Ming are together. Elder Chen is also the emperor's mentor. He knows the emperor's handwriting best. If it's not true, how could Marquis Xiang Ming and Elder Chen bring the child back?"
"That's right. If I were Xiang Minghou and saw this letter, I would definitely come back."
"But now it's the royal family that refuses to acknowledge us. Yesterday, the Fifth Princess ordered Fang Xiao to close the city gates and even threatened that there were rebels in the city. When have there ever been rebels in Kyoto City in all these years? Isn't it obvious that they don't want them to enter the city?"
"If you don't want them to enter the city, why did you write such an edict?"
"That's the weird part. I don't know what the royal family was thinking, but Marquis Xiang Ming and his entourage knew the imperial edict was fake, so they just turned around and left. They didn't even acknowledge them and were rude enough to enter the city. That's exactly what Miss Xiang said yesterday."
"You saw Miss Xiang yesterday. What did she look like? Is she really the same child as before?"
"No, Miss Xiang didn't get off the car yesterday, but from the sound of her voice, she's definitely a beauty."
"Beauty? Hahahaha, you're overthinking it, brother. Everyone in the capital knew that Miss Xiang was born obese, three times heavier than an average child. She didn't get out of the car, maybe because she had difficulty moving."
"Yeah?"
"If you don't believe me, go ask around. She was short and fat like a ball when she was little. How could she be considered a beauty? I guess she weighed 300 kilograms, hahaha..."
“Hahahaha…”
"Alas, I don't know whether this imperial edict is true or not. The royal family hasn't come out to explain yet. I only know that Lord Fang's residence was sealed off this morning."
"Lord Fang's mansion has been sealed off, so what about the Fifth Princess?"
"There seems to be no movement in the Earl's Mansion."
"Tsk, Lord Fang is pretty miserable."
"After all, they are members of the royal family. If they make a mistake, it's the people below who suffer."
"Why……!"
The bustling streets were filled with people talking about the imperial edict. The Xiang family and Mr. Chen and his group were talking non-stop. Their initial surprise gradually turned into joking as they talked.
No matter how shocking the imperial edict was, it seemed to have little to do with the poor people. After reading it, everyone had a general idea in their minds and naturally wanted to see how the emperor would handle it, and how the officials, dignitaries, and royal palaces in the capital would handle the matter.
The news of the imperial edict spread quickly. In less than two hours, every household in the streets and alleys of Kyoto knew about it.
In teahouses, restaurants, and any other place where business is done, there is always a storyteller who holds the imperial edict and reads it aloud, for fear that illiterate people will not understand.
The city was suddenly filled with noise. No matter where you went, you could hear the storyteller reading, the voices repeating over and over again without stopping.
Inside a street restaurant.
The first floor was bustling with people. A storyteller sat in the main hall, reading aloud the words written on the imperial edict. Every sentence was vivid and colorful. He didn't even need to look at the paper, just spoke it out loud.
There were many people in the restaurant and no one dared to step forward to drive them away.
Several noblemen gathered on the second floor to discuss the current situation in the capital and the authenticity of the imperial edict.
"Growing up in the capital, I've never seen anyone dare challenge the imperial power. I wonder who is so bold."
"I just went out and looked at the so-called imperial edict. It seems to be the emperor's handwriting. I also saw the national seal in my father's study. It is exactly the same. It shouldn't be fake."
"Hush, you can't tell whether it's true or not. Be careful if someone with ulterior motives comes to your Zhang Mansion or you'll be in trouble."
"Yes, yes, I forgot. Hey, I have a feeling that the trend in the capital will change in the future. Look, the whole capital knows about it now, and many papers with the national seal have been trampled underfoot. It's so scary."
"Stepping on the national seal is like stepping on the reputation of the royal family. We must be careful when we go out. If the emperor investigates, we will be charged with the heinous crime of killing all nine generations of our clan. Don't you think so, Takaki?" The man who spoke thrusted a finger at the person next to him.
Takaki was dressed in a gorgeous blue suit, with one hand supporting his head and the other holding a wine glass. He stared at the storyteller downstairs with a smile on his lips.
Yin Qing, the son of the Minister of the Central Secretariat, poked Gao Qi a few times, but when he saw that he did not respond, he turned around and looked at Huo Jinxuan, the son of the admiral opposite him. Both of them were a little puzzled.
"Takasaki, why do you look so good today?" Huo Jinxuan asked.
Gao Qi didn't even turn his head, and said cheerfully, "It's rare for the capital to be so lively. It's great to be able to watch a show when you go out."
"Good? The situation is so chaotic now, and you still think it's good? If this matter gets to the palace, Prime Minister Gao will be the first one to be worried." Yin Qing raised his voice.
"Yin Qing." Huo Jinxuan called softly.
Yin Qing noticed his mistake and said, "I forgot again."
Huo Jinxuan was speechless and turned to look at Gao Qi: "Mr. Gao, please be careful with your words. If this gets out, we might get into trouble."
"Everyone in the capital knows about this now, and you still want to keep it secret? Why don't you go and report it to the emperor and just destroy the city?" Takaki laughed without hiding anything.
Huo Jinxuan's mouth twitched a few times: "My tall young master, your father is the Prime Minister. You don't have to hide it, but at least have pity on us brothers. You said it's okay, but maybe we will get into trouble if we hear it."
Yin Qing nodded: "We didn't hear anything today."
"Tsk, look at what you have accomplished." Takaki looked back.
"Yes, yes, we are not as bold as Mr. Gao."
"We didn't discuss it with you anyway."
Yin Qing and Huo Jinxuan picked up the chopsticks on the table and started eating.
Takaki swirled the wine glass a few times and drank it all. Things were getting more interesting every moment.
The Eighth Prince was truly ruthless. Few civil or military officials in the court would dare to intervene in this matter. It seemed that the time for the court session to end had come, and the news from Kyoto City should have almost reached the ears of the Emperor.
What expression would the high and mighty emperor have if he knew that the national seal was being trampled underfoot and treated like garbage?
He really wanted to see it with his own eyes...
After the hour of Chen, officials left the court.
Officials who were leaving the court heard such loud discussions on the streets as they passed by, and many of them asked their servants to ask for a copy of the so-called imperial edict.
One second he was furious and threatening to forge something like that, but the next second he was stunned when he saw the handwriting and the national seal on it.
The officials in the court knew the emperor's handwriting very well. Every stroke of the handwriting on it was exactly the same as the emperor's handwriting, and the national seal could not be forged.
He was speechless for a moment, unable to tell whether it was true or false. He wanted to stop it but didn't know how. The main reason was that the emperor had intended to let Marquis Xiang Ming and Miss Xiang return to Beili during the morning court session.
At that time, Miss Xiang was so popular in Bermuda that it was possible that the emperor had some thoughts about her. In any case, the matter was not simple.
The whole city was in such chaos, but the government didn't intervene. Even the high-ranking officials didn't dare to intervene. They simply closed their ears and hurriedly ordered the carriage to speed up and go to the palace.
The timid officials did not dare to intervene, but it was different for the royal family and nobles. After listening to just a few words, they felt that every word was an humiliation to the royal family.
Especially Xu Hongwen, the eldest son of the Earl's Mansion. Xu Hongwen didn't know much about what happened on the city wall yesterday. He got the news from the Fifth Princess when she returned home in the evening.
The Earl's Mansion was also aware of the miserable plight of Concubine Yuan, and he had always known that the Fifth Princess hated Marquis Xiang Ming and Miss Xiang.
Xu Hongwen has always been fond of Sang Shu and believes everything Sang Shu says. Since their marriage, Sang Shu often mentions Xiang Minghou and wishes to tear him into pieces.
He also swore in front of Sang Shu that he would avenge her.
After learning about what happened on the city wall, he did not think there was anything wrong. Instead, he comforted Sang Shu for a long time. The killer who came late at night was sent by him.
Xu Hongwen glanced up and saw that it was already past noon. Calculating the time, the people he had sent yesterday should have returned home by then.
"Prince, please take a look." The servant bent down, picked up the copied paper from the ground and handed it into the car.
Xu Hongwen took the paper, glanced around, and was slightly stunned. It was exactly the same as what the storyteller read. His fingers stroked the position of the national seal.
Anyone with a keen eye can imitate the handwriting, but the Great Seal...
He had never heard of anyone being able to forge the national seal. How could someone as high and mighty as the emperor say that the royal family was wrong?
It's impossible. It's definitely impossible.
"Someone, go clean up the papers on the ground. No one is allowed to spread rumors or discuss anything." Xu Hongwen crumpled the paper he was talking about into a ball.
"yes."
"Catch that storyteller to me. I will personally interrogate him to find out who is behind this and how dare they slander the royal family." The emperor couldn't have written this, so there was only one possibility: someone stole the national seal and stamped it privately!
He wants to give a thorough trial. Who is so bold?
"yes."
The accompanying guard received the order and walked towards the storyteller.
There are three storytellers on this street, one at the beginning, one at the end, and one in the middle.
This section is set in the middle of the street, and the person standing there telling stories is the most famous gentleman in the capital. His storytelling is different from others, as he imitates his facial expressions with every sentence he says.
So there were a lot of people gathering on the street to watch him tell stories, and many of them were holding the replica of the imperial edict in their hands, listening with great interest.
The old man was just now talking about the time when the royal family felt guilty towards Marquis Xiang Ming. His face was lively as he spoke, "I deeply regret this. The capital has prepared a fine mansion for you, and Beili will compensate you. Come back and give me a chance to make amends..."
At the end, the old man stretched out one hand to the crowd, held his heart with the other, and stretched out the last syllable with tears in his eyes...
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