"Where is the late emperor's body?"
The emperor asked in despair, but in his heart, there was still some hope.
Sun Mao didn't even dare to look up at him, and said with difficulty: "The Zi Palace was burned down by the fire..."
The emperor's body was shaking and his vision went dark for a moment. He was almost unable to bear the sudden stimulation.
The coffin of the late emperor was burned and his body was gone?!
Grind the bones and spread the ashes! ?
"No, that's impossible..."
The emperor murmured to himself, his heartstrings were stretched to the extreme, and he was only a step away from collapse.
The lady stood there, with great ecstasy rolling in her chest.
"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen spoke lightly with a faint smile on his face, seeming to be indifferent, but also as if he was hinting at something.
"Perhaps the people are so angry about the late emperor's collusion with Nan Huai that they acted impulsively. Your Majesty, I ask for your forgiveness on behalf of these impulsive people."
“Chu…Chu Yuanchen?!”
The emperor's lips pursed, and he uttered these three words with great difficulty.
Chu Yuanchen looked at him and said, "Your Majesty. When the tomb of King Lingnan was dug up and his clothes were burned, what did the late emperor say? It seemed that he said that the people were angry for a while and thought that King Lingnan had colluded with Nan Huai, so they acted like this. It is better not to bother with these angry people, as they are also out of love for Darong."
"I think what the late emperor said is absolutely right! Your Majesty, please don't bother with these angry people. They are also out of love for Darong."
"Alas." He pretended to sigh and said, "I told you long ago that the feng shui of that place is not good."
At that time, in order to express his grief over the death of King Lingnan, the late emperor specially ordered the construction of the Loyal Minister's Tomb next to the Yingling Tomb, which had not yet been completed, so that the King Lingnan's cenotaph could be buried there.
In recent days, the emperor also wanted to bury the coffins of King Lingnan and his wife here, but Chu Yuanchen stopped it on the grounds of "bad feng shui".
"Chu Yuanchen!" The emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief and said angrily, "It's you, right? It's you! It was you who had the tomb of the late emperor dug up. You are so brave! Someone come here!"
"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen suppressed the nonchalant expression on his face, "This captain said that 10,000 bandits surrounded Yingling."
"When I returned to the capital that day, I only brought 500 men with me. I have also reported these 500 men to the Ministry of War, and all of them are registered in the military."
Chu Yuanchen smiled faintly and said, "I have 10,000 people in Beijing. Please don't wrongly accuse me."
emperor:"……"
Only the imperial guards can be stationed in the capital. If Chu Yuanchen brought 10,000 men back to the capital, he would not be unaware of the placement, training, food, and other matters of these 10,000 soldiers.
What's more, if Chu Yuanchen really brought 10,000 people into the capital secretly, he could have killed him on the charge of treason. Chu Yuanchen was a smart man and he would not leave such an obvious handle.
The emperor was certain that it was Chu Yuanchen who did it, but the question was, where did Chu Yuanchen get the troops? !
The emperor thought about it and looked at Sun Mao again, his face changing from gloomy to happy.
Sun Mao's eyes were daring. At this point, he dared not say that there were only three to five hundred attackers. Otherwise, the fact that they were collecting empty salaries would be exposed.
Taking a salary without working is a small matter, but if it causes the destruction of the Yingling Mausoleum and the burning of the late emperor's coffin, that is no longer a small matter. Not to mention his own life, the lives of his entire family may be in danger.
He gritted his teeth and said decisively: "Your Majesty, there are 10,000 bandits. I can't defeat them..."
Chu Yuanchen glanced at Sun Mao lightly, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a determined smile.
He pretended to sigh and said, "Your Majesty, your words have reminded me."
"The King of Lingnan and the King of Pingliang have both been killed by the previous emperor. Of the three vassal kings that existed since the founding of the dynasty of Darong, only the Zhenbei Palace is left. Whenever I think of this, I can't sleep at night and feel anxious."
Chu Yuanchen suppressed his smile and said worriedly, "I am now trapped in the capital and cannot go anywhere. I have a mother to take care of and a younger sister to take care of. I am about to get married. The emperor has always followed the will of the previous emperor. If he follows the example of the previous emperor and refuses to let go of me, the only vassal king, what should I do?"
If Chu Yuanchen had said this before today, the emperor would have punished him for disrespect.
But now, the emperor couldn't even refute a word.
The emperor asked weakly: "Chu Yuanchen, what do you want to say?"
There was a hint of pleading in these words. In Chu Yuanchen's opinion, the emperor had lost.
Chu Yuanchen narrowed his peach blossom eyes, like an eagle waiting for an opportunity to strike, and his sharp edge was revealed: "Your Majesty, please allow me to mobilize 50,000 Zhenbei troops to station in Beijing."
The princes were not allowed to possess troops in the capital, and their military power was only in their fiefdoms.
If the emperor agrees to the Zhenbei Palace to station troops in the capital, it is equivalent to allowing Chu Yuanchen to recruit soldiers under his nose. By then, the capital will not only have imperial guards. If Chu Yuanchen wants to force the palace to rebel, he will have people under his command!
The emperor said without hesitation: "No!"
Chu Yuanchen did not force it, and only said: "Then why don't you order the emperor to let me take my family back to the northern border."
emperor:"……"
How could he let the tiger go back to the mountain?!
If Chu Yuanchen and his family were allowed to return to Northern Frontier, and Jingle was no longer left in the capital as a hostage, Chu Yuanchen would definitely rebel!
The emperor didn't believe that Chu Yuanchen would still be loyal to Darong, and Chu Yuanchen would not be stupid enough to give himself time to recuperate.
For Chu Yuanchen, only when he died and Da Rong passed away, would he feel at ease.
The two of them cannot coexist.
Chu Yuanchen raised the corner of his mouth and took another step back in a good-natured manner: "Your Majesty, it's okay if you don't want to, but can you swear that Darong will never attack the Zhenbei Palace and will never withdraw the fiefdom."
Of course the emperor could not swear an oath.
Let's not talk about whether the oath will come true. As the saying goes, I never joke. If I make this oath in front of so many people, won't I just let the Zhenbei Palace grow stronger in the future? He will never be able to take back the fiefdom and military power?
"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen chuckled, raised his eyebrows, and said, "This is not okay, and that is not okay. What if you accuse me of collaborating with the enemy one day? The only thing left of the Great Rong Dynasty is the Zhenbei Palace, and I am very scared. What do you think?"
emperor:"……"
Chu Yuanchen added: "If the emperor does not agree, is it possible that he is just waiting for an opportunity to frame me and make me unable to defend myself and follow in the footsteps of the two princes? If so, I really dare not stay in the capital."
"Even if I have to risk my life, I will take my family back to Northern Xinjiang."
"You'll die if you keep it, right?"
Chu Yuanchen's eyes were sharp and intimidating.
With this attitude, as long as the emperor said "no", he would immediately turn around and leave the capital.
The emperor gritted his teeth and said, "Fifty thousand is not enough, ten thousand is better."
Chu Yuanchen chuckled and said, "There are 500,000 imperial guards. Your Majesty, are you still afraid of my 50,000 northern frontier troops?"
The emperor's eyes were gloomy.
Indeed, 50,000 Northern Frontier troops are just a drop in the bucket compared to the Imperial Guards.
The emperor thought for a moment and said, "30,000."
He seemed to think it was good to be able to suppress one person.
The noble officials watched the two of them bargaining and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Before today, if Chu Yuanchen proposed to station camp in the capital, not only the emperor, but even they would never agree, as it concerns the safety of the capital and the reputation of the royal family. However, after hearing with their own ears how the two princes were framed and killed, they suddenly felt that Chu Yuanchen's request was not excessive at all, and he was just trying to protect himself.
Chu Yuanchen seemed to have considered it for a long time, and finally agreed: "Okay. Thirty thousand! Please also ask the emperor to allocate the West Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing to the Northern Frontier Army as a garrison."
The emperor has already retreated a step. Next, all he can do is retreat again, step by step, until there is no more room for retreat.
The emperor agreed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen clasped his fists in thanks.
The emperor didn't want to look at him even once and wished he could suck his flesh and blood.
The emperor flicked his sleeves and said, "Go ahead. I'm going to Yingling."
The late emperor's body is gone, how should his son cope with the situation? !
His body was shaking and he was about to fall. His chest felt suffocating and he dared not think any more.
"Swing."
After giving his instructions, the chief eunuch Song Yuan quickly supported him and said, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."
He asked someone to bring a glass of water and said, "Have a drink first."
The emperor drank it all in one gulp, and the dryness in his throat finally eased a little.
His face was gloomy and he couldn't suppress the anger and frustration in his heart.
The incident in Yingling was definitely done by Chu Yuanchen. He must find evidence and tear Chu Yuanchen into pieces.
Finally, the dragon chariot was ready. At this time, the afterglow of dusk had completely faded and the sky was completely dark. Song Yuan was about to help the emperor over, but somehow, the emperor suddenly felt dizzy and his eyes went dark. He could no longer control himself and fell down.
"emperor!"
Song Yuan's sharp voice cut through the sky.
Chu Yuanchen and Sheng Xiyan were in the same bamboo shed with the emperor. Before the emperor fell to the ground, Chu Yuanchen quickly supported him and said with a worried look on his face, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
When the emperor saw that the person supporting him was Chu Yuanchen, he instinctively felt disgusted. He wanted to say that he was fine and asked Chu Yuanchen to get out quickly, but he was so dizzy that he couldn't speak.
Sheng Xiyan touched her sleeve pocket, and a silver needle appeared in her palm.
Song Yuan turned slightly to the side, blocking the view of others with his body, and continued to shout: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Sheng Xiyan's heart was beating very fast because she was nervous. However, her hands did not tremble at all and her eyes did not show any hesitation.
She knew what she was doing. This was something she would never dare to do in her previous life.
The ministers around were running towards this side. Amid the noise and clamor, she seemed to be immersed in silence. Her wide sleeves concealed the movements of her hands. As her sleeves were raised and lowered, the silver needle had already been steadily inserted into the acupuncture point on the back of the emperor's neck.
The emperor became even more dizzy, and suddenly felt uncomfortable and vomited uncontrollably.
Sheng Xiyan dodged and pulled out the silver needle, and the emperor spit all of it onto Song Yuan's body.
Song Yuan did not dodge at all. He shouted in panic, "Someone, come, imperial physician, imperial physician!"
Whenever the emperor went out, he would always be accompanied by an imperial physician, who came hurriedly, rolling and crawling. The noble ministers had already gathered around the bamboo shed by now, and when they saw that the emperor's face was pale and half of his body was twitching, they couldn't help but have a bad premonition.
There were three imperial doctors accompanying the emperor. They knelt before the emperor and took turns taking his pulse.
Sheng Xiyan's palms felt slightly warm, also because of nervousness. She didn't know whether the imperial physician would discover her injection.
Chu Yuanchen gently held her hand, opened his lips slightly, and said in an inaudible voice: "Don't worry."
Sheng Xiyan's heart suddenly settled down.
Yes, with him around, she doesn't have to worry.
The three imperial doctors examined the emperor's pulse and then went aside to discuss. The imperial physician sighed and said, "The emperor's pulse is weak but rapid. It must be a stroke."
Another young imperial physician said hesitantly, "Sir, the emperor's pulse is a little strange..."
"It's a stroke." The imperial physician with a goatee stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty's pulse is floating, your joint pulse is sinking, and your stomach qi is rising. He has paralysis on one side and dizziness. What else could it be but a stroke? My grandson, when I saw you taking your pulse just now, you looked panicked and restless. I'm afraid you made a mistake."
They both said so, and Xiaosun suspected that he was too nervous and took the wrong pulse. It was true that his hands were shaking when he took the pulse just now, so it was not surprising to take the wrong pulse. If it was another patient, he would definitely take a closer look, but that was the emperor, he couldn't say that he took the wrong pulse and had to take it again. If he dared to say so, he would probably lose his job and his head.
The Imperial Physician asked, "The Emperor has had a stroke. Do you have any objections?"
The two of them bowed and said, "No."
A consultation requires the unanimous opinion of several imperial physicians. The Imperial Medical Officer nodded slightly and went to report to Lin Shoufu, "The Emperor has had a stroke."
At this moment, everyone was waiting outside the bamboo shed where the emperor was. The emperor felt dizzy and his body seemed to be out of control. He could still hear the voice of the imperial physician, and when he heard it, an indescribable fear surged in his heart.
Stroke?
Did he have a stroke?
How is that possible!
He wanted to shout out that he did not have a stroke, but his lips moved for a long time and he could not utter a word.
Not only the emperor, but everyone was stunned. Several princes were so shocked that they couldn't help but look at the emperor who was lying in the bamboo shed.
How could the emperor, at such a young age, suddenly suffer a stroke?
They couldn't help but recall that the last time the emperor vomited blood, the imperial physician had said that if he lost control of his anger again, he would have a stroke...
"Return to the palace."
Song Yuan gave the order without saying anything.
"Please follow the Emperor back to the palace, everyone. The other matters will be decided by the Lord Governor."
Everyone around immediately fell silent. Yes, Xiao Shuo was here, and he would be the one making the decision.
Chu Yuanchen leaned over and said, "Ayan, take the Madam back first. I will go to the palace."
Sheng Xiyan responded softly.
The Lantern Festival was in a complete mess. The people who had witnessed it all could not help but talk about it. Chi Yu led a group of students to give a loud speech, and there was constant noise inside and outside the Huangjue Temple.
After the emperor left, Sheng Xiyan and the lady left Huangjue Temple and returned to Fumanlou, where Jingle and Jiaoyang were waiting in the private room.
Their location was very good. Even though they couldn't hear what was happening in Huangjue Temple, they could still see the excited people.
Jingle knew that things were mostly done, and seeing them come back made her feel completely relieved.
As soon as the lady came in, she asked, "Madam, your injury..."
Having said that, she stood up and wanted to check.
"No." The lady shook her head and said with a smile, "Achen should have taken care of everything."
"Achen?" Jingle's mind moved, but he just smiled and said nothing.
No matter what, it was good that she didn't get beaten! Otherwise, Jingle was really worried that the lady wouldn't be able to survive the thirty strokes of the cane.
Jiuyang served the lady a cup of tea. After she took a few sips, she finally calmed down.
Twenty years of hard work were all for this day, and she was completely satisfied.
"Princess, the Madam is amazing!"
Sheng Xiyan said happily: "As soon as she left, the emperor was frightened."
She knew that Jingle had been worried for so long, so she deliberately exaggerated and made Jingle laugh. Jiuyang was stunned, sometimes exclaiming, sometimes jumping for joy, and then throwing himself into Sheng Xiyan's arms, giggling.
The lady looked at them with a smile, and when Sheng Xiyan finished speaking, she asked, "Sister Yan, where is Yingling..."
What she wanted to ask was whether Chu Yuanchen was responsible for the incident at Yingling.
Sheng Xiyan nodded slightly, dipped her finger in water, wrote "yes" on the table, and then quickly wiped it off.
The imperial guards were severely lacking in pay, with only five out of ten soldiers remaining.
Although Chu Yuanchen was only allowed to bring 500 people back to the capital, these 500 people were all elites who had just come down from the battlefield. Those good-for-nothings in Yingling were unlikely to be elite enemies from the Northern Frontier. Moreover, with Ji Mingyang leading the troops personally, everything would be safe.
Originally, Chu Yuanchen wanted Chi Yu to lead the students to petition today, and then burn the Ying Mausoleum to make the people think that the late emperor was punished by heaven.
When the lady did the bidding, Chu Yuanchen changed his plan. However, he had already gone to Yingling Mausoleum, so wouldn't it be a wasted trip if he didn't burn the tomb there?
"Achen also got the emperor to agree to have 30,000 northern frontier troops stationed in the capital."
Jingle covered her lips with her hands, hardly able to believe her ears.
The Zhenbei Palace in the capital is like a tiger with its teeth and claws pulled out. Apart from the 500 people and the palace guards, there are only nearly a thousand elite troops scattered around the suburbs of the capital.
The emperor did not dare to move against the Zhenbei Palace, not because he really did not dare to move, but because Chu Yuanchen had just made great contributions, expanded the territory, and had no major faults, so he had no reason to do so. If Chu Yuanchen dared to store troops in the capital, he would have handed over a huge handle to the emperor.
But now it is different. The emperor himself has promised to allow Chu Yuanchen to station troops in the capital.
Even if there are only 30,000 people, it is enough to make Chu Yuanchen more powerful.
At least in the capital, they are no longer isolated and helpless.
Sheng Xiyan finally said: "The emperor had a stroke, and Achen has entered the palace."
"Stroke?" Jingle raised his eyebrows.
Sheng Xiyan nodded lightly.
Of course, her silver needles could not cause a healthy person to have a stroke. They would only make the emperor dizzy, temporarily paralyzed on one side, numb in his limbs, and have symptoms similar to a stroke. His pulse would also be more like a stroke. However, the symptoms would only last for a day at most.
The rest will depend on Chu Yuanchen.
Jingle knew that this was all part of Chu Yuanchen's plan. She nodded without asking any more questions.
"Sister Yan." The lady pondered for a long time before asking, "Who is Xiao Shuo?"
Sheng Xiyan's heart skipped a beat.
The lady was puzzled and asked, "Why did Zheng Zhongming ask me to meet Xiao Shuo?"
The old lady remembered Zheng Chongming. On that day, after the overall situation was settled, it was Zheng Chongming and the emperor who led the "reinforcements" to arrive. Zheng Chongming was the emperor's deputy general at the time. The old lady knew very well that they should have arrived long ago. After setting the fire, they deliberately waited for the Pingliang reinforcements to be killed and then came to reap the rewards.
Sheng Xi remained calm and said as if nothing had happened: "Mr. Xiao is the supervisor of the East Factory."
The supervisor of the East Factory? The lady was even more confused.
She always felt that Zheng Zhongming's intention was not to tell her that Xiao Shuo was the supervisor of Dongchang.
Zheng Zhongming was interrupted by Yingling's matter when she was halfway through her words. She had a vague feeling in her heart that Xiao Shuo might be a very important person.
However, the lady believed Sheng Xiyan. Even if they were hiding something from her, there must be a reason.
The lady didn't ask any more questions, but changed the subject and asked, "Is everything okay with A-Chen?"
Sheng Xiyan said calmly, "Don't worry."
There were many people at Fu Man Lou, and the soundproofing was not very good. They all knew that this was not a good place to talk, and they just needed to know the general idea, and they could talk about the rest when they got back.
“Bang!”
A huge firework exploded in the sky, and three times in a row, the bright red firework formed the pattern of three kapok flowers.
Kapok flowers are in full bloom in Lingnan.
Sheng Xiyan walked to the window and stared at the "kapok flowers" exploding one after another in the sky, her heart surging.
The bustling crowds of people below all stopped and looked up at the sky.
"Jiuyang." Sheng Xiyan waved to Jiuyang, "Come and watch the fireworks."
Jiuyang walked over happily and took a plate of melon seeds with him.
The lady watched them silently as they chatted and laughed while eating melon seeds and watching fireworks, and she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
She never thought she would be where she is today.
The lady was in a trance, and her memory seemed to have gone back to twenty years ago.
After the late emperor took back the fiefdom, he chose Xue Bei as his adopted son to inherit the Xue family and let Xue Bei support him. The lady knew that this was just a pretense by the late emperor in front of others, and he kept her, an old woman, to fulfill his reputation.
She did not think about the stable life of an old lady. Perhaps she had thought about it, but after her husband, daughter, and grandson all died tragically, it would be impossible for her to return to a stable life in this life.
She had been planning in secret for a long time, and after she got the letter, she had been careful not to let anyone find out.
Of course she didn't believe Xue Bei. She only believed the soldiers in Lingnan and the old subordinates in the palace.
After the reduction of the feudal system, the old subordinates of the Lingnan Palace were completely disbanded. She was trapped in the inner house, and it was not easy to contact them. She put in a lot of effort, but in the end, she still lost to fate.
Sometimes, it is not that she can turn danger into safety just by being extremely careful and prudent...
Fortunately, her endurance and survival were worth it.
She died without regrets as she was able to see the late emperor being reduced to ashes during her lifetime.
"Huh?"
Xigui let out a small sound of surprise and whispered, "Miss, it's Miss Zhao, and Master Zhou..." She remembered that Zhou Jingxun's position as the crown prince was gone, "Master Zhou."
Sheng Xiyan looked over in the direction of the voice and saw Zhao Yuanrou standing side by side with Zhou Jingxun. Zhao Yuanrou pointed at the lanterns hanging above and smiled happily.
Just now in front of Huangjue Temple, Sheng Xiyan had seen Zhao Yuanrou. Afterwards, she didn't pay any attention to whether Zhao Yuanrou was there or not.
Everyone was so nervous at that time, who would pay attention to Zhao Yuanrou?
Xigui murmured to himself, "My cousin will probably be leaving the palace in a few days."
Zhao Yuanrou's wedding date was set on the 20th of the first lunar month.
The two men were standing on opposite sides of the street, and Zhao Yuanrou did not notice her.
From a distance, Zhao Yuanrou seemed a little uncomfortable. After a while, she leaned on Zhou Jingxun, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and turned her head slightly.
Zhou Jingxun patted her back gently and asked softly, "What's wrong with you?"
Zhao Yuanrou shook her head. Just now she felt her stomach churning and felt a little uncomfortable, but now she felt better.