Just after the spring break, the second court meeting of the new year was held in Hanyuan Hall.
When the sound of the bells and drums died down, the emperor was seen ascending the throne, and soon afterwards whips were heard and music was played, and all officials finished their ceremony.
After the report was made by the Honglu Temple, several officials came out one after another and read the memorial aloud. However, the emperor at the top did not make a decision. Instead, he looked at Xie Shiguan and habitually asked, "What do you think, uncle?"
Then he said, "That makes sense. Let's do as the emperor's uncle says."
The people in the hall were already accustomed to such scenes. This emperor had ascended the throne at the age of nine and had been in power for seven years, but he still needed others to teach him when he played music.
When Man Changshan was still alive, he would diligently enter the palace early every day and force the young emperor to memorize the memorials he had prepared long ago, so as to save face in the court.
But now that the Grand Tutor is gone, no one treats him as a child anymore.
When no one was about to report, an old official in purple robes suddenly coughed, stepped out of the line, walked to the front of the emperor, and knelt slowly: "Your Majesty, I observed the sky at night and checked the records. On the 22nd day of the twelfth month of last year, a star entered the Big Dipper, which was a sign of great misfortune. If it was true, I heard that Your Majesty was frightened and fell ill, and I also heard that the Grand Tutor died."
The twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month last year happened to be the day when Prince Yan brought Chen Que back to Beijing.
Xie Shiguan frowned but did not get angry. Instead, he waited quietly for him to continue speaking.
"The day of Liduan was clearly an auspicious day, but in the middle of the sky, a white rainbow appeared, piercing the sun. The white rainbow was like a knife. It was recorded in ancient books that this was a bad omen that the emperor was threatened!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yizhi tightened the golden handle on the dragon throne and asked, "What does this mean?"
"The twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month is the day when Prince Yan enters the capital. The Prince Regent, as the emperor's assistant, left the capital without permission and led his troops to break into the palace. He was so majestic." Without even raising his head, he held the ivory tablet in both hands and spoke loudly to the memorial.
"On the day of Li Duan, I have divined many times, but the hexagrams I got were all about the inner hall of Prince Luoyan's palace, which means that this evil creature is hiding in your Highness's inner house. Last year and this year happened to be a time of trouble, so we have to be on guard. I hope the saint will take a clear look."
Xie Yizhi looked down from above and saw that King Yan nodded slightly with no displeasure on his face, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Yizi had also summoned the androgynous beauty who was granted entry into the palace by the emperor. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he did have a handsome face, and he looked somewhat like the mute, which was the most rare thing.
But the emperor's uncle actually sent the person back intact...
Could it be that Xie Shiguan really regarded that crippled and cheap mute as his first wife? This was really crazy. Even if he really cherished her and loved her dearly, and kept a few concubines, what would that matter?
Therefore, the young emperor was certain that it was the jealous mute who forced Xie Shiguan to refuse even the imperial gift.
Then all the officials in the hall heard the leader slowly speaking, "The emperor's uncle has been with me for many years, and he is also my blood relative. His loyalty is as sincere as that of the late Taifu. I have seen it all. Therefore, this disaster must have been caused by the monster, and has nothing to do with the emperor's uncle."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hand, and a waiter brought up a tray, which contained only a yellowed prescription. After thanking Yizhi for a look, the waiter moved the tray away and asked the ministers to take a look.
"This is a prescription that Yu Tanhua, a former student of Master Man, obtained in a clinic. It was also written by Chen Que, a personal guard in Prince Yan's mansion. What is incredible is that this is a medicine for stabilizing pregnancy."
Someone immediately started to murmur, "Aren't the guards all men?"
"I have seen this Chen Que before. He is clearly a man. If you insist on linking him to this pregnancy-preserving medicine, could it be that he is having an affair with some woman outside?"
"How could such a shameful thing be brought up in the court?"
"Could it be that we have the same name?"
There was a lot of discussion in the hall, but the emperor on the dragon throne slammed the teacup heavily and said, "Silence!"
The people below immediately stopped talking, and the whole room was silent for a while.
Suddenly, General Yunhui in the front row coughed lightly and stepped out. It was the early spring holiday of the Yuan Dynasty, and he returned to the capital to report on his work and had not yet left the capital.
"Saint, it's just a prescription. Anyone can forge it. It's just empty words. But I have met Brother Shen once before. He is a real man. I hope Saint will not be deceived by a villain and make a mistake for a good person."
Xie Yizhi seemed to have not expected that someone among the officials in the palace would speak up for the lowly mute. He was obviously stunned for a moment, but the next moment his face turned slightly cold, and he asked angrily: "If there is no evidence, how could I bring this matter to the court, such a trifle."
Then he raised his hand and waved, asking his men to escort two civilians, one old and one young, to the hall: "These are the doctor who treated Shen Que that day and the medicine boy who took him in. Just bring Shen Que here and we'll know him right away."
The Astronomical Observatory below him also said: "The star Betelgeux has passed through the Big Dipper, and now there is a sign of confusion between men and women. If this evil is not eliminated, there will be endless troubles!"
"Not only does this person have a deformed body, but he also has an affair with an adulterer and is causing chaos in the palace..."
Before he finished speaking, King Yan suddenly took a step forward. Xie Yizi thought he was going to speak up to defend the mute, his heart skipped a beat and the words Feng Xier had taught him to respond immediately popped up in his mind.
But who would have thought that Xie Shiguan said nothing and walked straight to the dragon throne.
Xie Yizhi stood up blankly and called him softly, "Uncle Emperor..."
Xie Shiguan first stared at him with a half-smile, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped him hard on the cheek with all his might.
Xie Yizi had not expected him to suddenly attack, and he was unable to dodge in time. The force was not contained at all, and he was forced to fall awkwardly on the dragon throne. Even his dragon crown and tassels were crooked, and he looked so embarrassed that he did not look like an emperor.
Giving him a slap was not enough, Xie Shiguan raised his foot and crushed the hem of his brand new dragon robe, then leaned down slightly and pressed his throat with the tablet in his hand: "The adulterer is none other than me."
Xie Yizi widened his eyes, covering the half of his face that was burning from the fall, and was so scared that he could hardly speak.
"You dare to put your hand into the inner courtyard of the palace," Xie Shiguan clearly just whispered, but the cold and heavy tone suppressed Xie Yizhi so much that he could not stand up. "If you dare to touch him, I will definitely..."
Before he finished speaking, an eunuch finally shouted in a shrill voice: "Come here, protect the emperor! What are you all standing there for? Protect the emperor!"
Upon hearing the sound, two groups of Qianniu Guards immediately stepped forward and subdued Xie Shiguan. There was also commotion in the hall, and the palace was in an uproar. The people of King Yan were also pulled away by the guards.
But inexplicably, Xie Yizi still heard clearly what King Yan hadn't finished saying.
"I will definitely... make sure you die a miserable death."
"You're crazy," Xie Yizhi's legs were so weak that he had to be supported by two eunuchs in the end. "He must be crazy..."
Only after the two eunuchs helped him back to the dragon throne did Xie Yizi finally calm down a little. After the panic, the boundless anger climbed up along his spine.
The words of my mother and maternal uncle are still fresh in my mind. Prince Yan is just a vicious dog that can never be tamed. Emperor Miao Zongping was defeated, Queen Mother Miao fell, and the century-old Miao family was uprooted by Prince Yan. Now it is his turn to express his gratitude.
One day, he will usurp the throne, kill the king and destroy the queen. What will he and his mother do then... Xie Yizi didn't dare and didn't want to think about it.
But now, he is clearly the emperor. How dare Xie Ling ask him to be humiliated in the court? How dare he...
At that moment, Xie Yizhi was so angry that he grabbed the teacup on the golden table and threw it down fiercely, and ordered: "Prince Yan is disrespectful and blasphemes the emperor. He is guilty of disrespect. Arrest him and put him in jail immediately!"
The Qianniu guards were about to take action when they saw the entire court kneeling in unison. The old official with gray hair in the front row kowtowed to the one in the upper position and advised in a trembling voice: "Sage, this cannot be done."
"Teacher Man is gone, and the court cannot be without a prime minister for a day. If you remove the backbone of Prince Yan, there will be no one to assist in the administration in the future, which is really not appropriate..."
Others followed closely behind him and agreed with him. Seeing that almost all the civil and military officials in the court were on his side, Xie Yi was so angry that he smashed everything he could. He laughed in anger: "He, Xie Ling, is the backbone, but what am I? Can't you do anything without him? You eat the emperor's salary, but you raise such a bunch of useless people!"
"He is so disrespectful and rude. Are you all blind? How can a ruler of a country tolerate such humiliation?"
"Saint, calm down..."
"Your Highness Prince Yan has been working very hard. I think he has been too stressed out recently and has developed hysteria. I hope the Saint will take into consideration his loyalty to us in the past and revoke his order!"
"I hope the Saint will take back his order!"
They shouted this sentence even louder than "Long live".
Xie Yizi slumped on the dragon chair and suddenly laughed. The laughter gradually became low and finally only a hoarse sound remained.
"My lord," Yuanzhi was a tough kid after all. After being beaten with a few sticks, he jumped out of bed alive and kicking just two days later. Now, regardless of Shen Luo's alertness, he was still in the yard and shouted loudly, "My lord!"
Shen Queyuan was reading at his desk. When he saw Yuanzhi rushing in, he quickly put down his pen and raised his hand to ask him, "What's the matter? Why are you so anxious?"
Yuan Zhi panted as he told him the rumors he had just heard from outside: "I just heard that something happened in Hanyuan Palace. Our Highness, His Highness, slapped the Saint in the face..."
Shen stood up almost immediately, and then said doubtfully: "Your Highness always knows how to behave, it won't be a misunderstanding, right?"
"I heard it clearly. The one accompanying the emperor today is Lord Shen Luo. Commander Shen has just brought a few personal guards into the palace. I also heard that the Saint is furious and wants to throw our prince into the imperial prison!"
Just by listening, Shen felt as if his body was suddenly on fire, and he was so anxious that his mind went blank.
Minister Chen, General Yunhui, General of the Sixteen Guards... These officials who were on good terms with Xie Shiguan in private, were all mentioned in his mind one by one. But now they were all in the Hanyuan Palace, so even if he ran to their mansions, he would have nowhere to turn to.
"Did Master leave any words when he left?" Shen gestured hurriedly, his hands almost moving in double vision.
Yuan Zhi pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No..."
But even though Shen knew that he could do nothing about it, he still couldn't sit still. He hastily put on the official robe, matched his waist badge, and ran towards the gate of the palace without stopping.
Shen Xiangzhi knew his temper, so he left a few guards behind before leaving and told them to stop the mute.
Therefore, when Shen Queren arrived outside the Chongtai Courtyard, he was blocked by several guards. Eleven hurriedly said to him, "Commander Shen has already led his men over. There must be officials in Hanyuan Palace who are trying to help the prince. You should calm down... We who have no power and influence should not go and get involved. Even if we go, we can't enter the palace, right?"
How could Shen not understand the truth of what he said, but he was panicked, so he wanted to get closer to His Highness for no reason, even though it was completely useless.
The mute refused to listen and continued to walk out with a stubborn face.
Eleven sighed, and had no choice but to attack directly with those bodyguards. Relying on their numbers and the fact that the mute would not use a knife on his colleagues, they quickly tied him up.
"Don't blame us. It is said that the commotion in Hanyuan Palace was caused by you. If you were to run into trouble while out of the palace, His Highness would have skinned us alive when he came back."
Shen Queren was locked to the pillar by the leather rope. He was shocked when he heard the words. For him...how could it be for him?
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