If you were to ask who Zhao Yuanrou hates the most in this world, it would undoubtedly be Sheng Xiyan.

Sometimes, she didn't know why she hated her, maybe because Sheng Xiyan was Zhou Jingxun's fiancée, or maybe they were born with different auras. Anyway, ever since Zhao Yuanrou came here and saw Sheng Xiyan for the first time, she didn't like her. She had a vague idea in her heart that she and Sheng Xiyan could not get along, and sooner or later they would live and die, one win and the other lose.

Sure enough, she was right.

Every time when she had the upper hand, Sheng Xiyan would ruin it.

She had been tolerant and retreated everywhere, but Sheng Xiyan still refused to let her go.

Her initial hunch was correct. She was just too naive and too kind...

Zhao Yuanrou said unwillingly: "Sheng Xiyan, why are you hindering me?"

Sheng Xi smiled: "Are you still asleep?"

"You have come this far step by step on your own."

"Hindering you? What a pity." Sheng Xiyan suppressed her smile and spoke word by word, "I have never taken you seriously."

Whether in the last life or now!

Sheng Xiyan never cared about Zhao Yuanrou, just like she never cared about Zhou Jingxun.

Sometimes, she woke up in the middle of the night and didn't understand why she lived like that in her previous life. Maybe at that time, she was just a supporting role in someone else's novel and was not worthy of having her own ideas.

Zhao Yuanrou looked at her hatefully, her eyes a little dazed. She always felt that things shouldn't be like this, she shouldn't have fallen to this point, she should be standing above the nine heavens, moving forward hand in hand with Zhou Jingxun.

"It's all Qin Wei's fault." Zhao Yuanrou gritted her teeth and said, "He's incapable of accomplishing anything, but always capable of causing trouble!"

Qin Wei knew it was impossible, but he still didn't stop.

It was Qin Wei who implicated himself!

Zhao Yuanrou said hatefully: "I didn't lose." You didn't win either.

"No. You lost. You lost miserably." Sheng Xiyan smiled and said, "Do you know where Zhou Jingxun went? When he saw that things were not going well, he left you and ran away."

Zhao Yuanrou blurted out: "This is impossible!"

Sheng Xiyan kept smiling and said, "This is your carriage, cousin Rou, why do you think I am here?"

Sheng Xiyan did not explain, but just smiled. This smile made Zhao Yuanrou feel a lot colder. She was about to ask, but someone knocked gently on the carriage outside. Sheng Xiyan opened the curtain and saw Liu Junshen from the Five Cities Army.

Liu Junshen clasped his fists towards her and said with a playful smile, "Sister-in-law, leave the person to me."

Sheng Xiyan made a gesture of invitation and let him come up and take the person away.

Zhao Yuanrou shouted, "Where is Zhou Jingxun? Where is Zhou Jingxun?"

No one answered her, and her voice faded farther and farther away until it was completely drowned out by the cheers coming from the execution ground. The cheers came one after another, rising and falling like rolling waves, full of excitement.

Sheng Xiyan jumped off the carriage, picked up the telescope and looked towards the execution platform.

The telescope is really a good thing. Just now, when she was looking around with the telescope, she found Zhou Jingxun in the carriage. The carriage was in an alley, and Zhou Jingxun seemed to think that there was no one around and no one would notice him, so he opened the curtain.

Sheng Xiyan asked Mo Ba for help to knock Zhou Jingxun unconscious, and then waited for the opportunity.

As expected, she finally got the rabbit.

Zhao Yuanrou was taken away, and the Wucheng Bingmasi had completely controlled the order of the execution ground. To be precise, when the Jinwu Guards turned against Qin Wei and captured him, everything was a foregone conclusion.

Chu Yuanchen stood at the edge of the execution ground, while Qin Wei fell there. There was no anger or unwillingness on Qin Wei's face. He was laughing, an almost crazy laugh, and there was endless sadness in his laughter.

Lin Shoufu and the others stood there in a daze. They finally breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Shoufu's back was almost soaked. It was only early spring and the weather was still cool, but he was already sweating profusely and felt relieved for having survived a disaster.

Mo Jiu picked up the imperial edict from Qin Wei's hand and presented it to Chu Yuanchen.

After Chu Yuanchen opened it and took a look at it, he smiled and rolled it up again.

Lin Shoufu asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, can I have a look at this imperial decree?"

Chu Yuanchen handed it to Mo Jiu and said, "I will personally give it to Governor Xiao. If the Prime Minister wants to see it, go and tell the Governor."

Prime Minister Lin wiped the cold sweat from his head and laughed twice. Seeing this, Chu Yuanchen glanced at the imperial edict and sighed: "Prime Minister, it's not that I don't want to give it to you, but the content of this imperial edict is a little... It should be read by Governor Xiao."

Lin Shoufu's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what else the King Zhao and the Queen Mother had been up to. He quickly responded, "I'll let Governor Xiao take a look at it first."

Chu Yuanchen nodded slightly and continued, "King Zhao Qin Wei mobilized the Jinwu Guards without authorization, which is equivalent to plotting rebellion. Do you have any objections?"

Since he had said so much, they naturally had no objections.

Chu Yuanchen said, "Whatever the crime of King Zhao is, it will also be decided by Governor Xiao."

Seeing that Chu Yuanchen did not act on his own, the chief assistant and others couldn't help but think: The King of Zhenbei is indeed upright and honest, and would not resort to such petty tricks.

They were just afraid that Chu Yuanchen would get angry and kill Qin Wei.

No matter what, Qin Wei is the legitimate son of the late emperor and has a noble status. His life and death cannot be decided hastily.

There are also Jinwu Guards.

Lin Shoufu glanced at Fu Junqing who was standing behind Chu Yuanchen. Even if he didn't follow Qin Weiluan, he mobilized the Jinwu Guards without authorization...

Noticing his gaze, Chu Yuanchen said before he could speak: "The matter of the Jinwu Guards should be consulted with Commander Xiao. It is not convenient for me to interfere."

After hearing this, Prime Minister Lin felt relieved. Yes, leave it to Xiao Shuo!

Chu Yuanchen glanced at the people around the execution ground, smiled faintly, and said, "You all can go back, there is nothing to worry about."

He was calm and radiant, his peach blossom eyes were bright and firm, and his expression naturally revealed a kingly aura.

The people burst into even more enthusiastic cheers, with their fanatical gazes fixed on Chu Yuanchen. After Chu Yuanchen said a few more words, the people finally dispersed gradually, their faces filled with admiration and expectation.

The true Dragon Emperor has appeared...

They saw the white tiger transform into a dragon with their own eyes, and they must tell their wives, children, parents, parents-in-law, relatives and friends...

Caishikou was finally not so crowded, and Chu Yuanchen began to look for the beautiful figure in the crowd. He saw her standing at the entrance of a small alley with a telescope in her hand. The moment he looked over, Sheng Xiyan waved to him.

The corners of Chu Yuanchen's mouth curled up, and his eyebrows became softer.

He moved his mouth and mouthed, "I'm going to go do my work first. You can come back after you see how lively it is."

Sheng Xiyan didn't understand his lip movements, but she could still guess what he said. She didn't care whether he could see it or not. She smiled, and her smile was sweet and obedient. She waved again, used the telescope to find Sheng Yan and Wei Xiu, and then walked over with brisk steps and a clear goal.

At this time, Chu Yuanchen and Lin Shoufu and others on the execution ground also left one after another. The Wucheng Bingmasi, who were maintaining order, also withdrew their troops. Caishikou gradually returned to normal, but it was noisier than usual and the crowds were more crowded.

When he saw her coming, Sheng Yan jumped and called out "Sister", and Wei Xiu followed suit.

"good."

Sheng Xiyan touched his head, but Wei Xiu didn't react at all and just froze there. Sheng Yan laughed and was just thinking about being happy that he had a younger baby for his sister to touch his head, but the next moment, his sister didn't forget and touched his head too without any favoritism.

Sheng Yan: "..." Extreme joy leads to sadness! "Sister, I'm already sixteen, I won't grow taller!"

Sheng Xiyan flicked his forehead lightly, and Sheng Yan quickly covered his forehead with his hands, muttering, "You are too old! You are too old!"

Wei Xiu's eyes revealed a hint of joy and relief. He reminded her, "Sister, Yun Yangzi is leaving."

Sheng Xiyan looked up and saw Yun Yangzi walking out slowly with a sullen face. However, there were too many of his followers, surrounding him and making him move slower than a snail. There was also a group of people asking him questions, mostly about the White Tiger Star. Some even mentioned the Phoenix Girl of Destiny. She couldn't help but ask, "Master, Prince Zhao has been captured. What should be done with his wife?"

Isn't the Phoenix Girl the Princess of Heaven the wife of Prince Zhao?

"Yes, Taoist priest." Chi Yu walked over. "Taoist priest, you are really effective. You predicted that the White Tiger General Star would have a disaster, but could turn it into a blessing. Now the King of Zhenbei has fulfilled the rumors about the White Tiger General Star. After experiencing a great disaster, he is now on the verge of turning from a White Tiger into a dragon. You are really accurate."

The people all said, "Yes, it's so accurate!"

Cang Yu's face showed a bit of enthusiasm at the right time, "Why don't you calculate the fate of Princess Zhao again, so that we can feel more at ease."

The people around also responded one after another.

Yun Yangzi's sage-like, compassionate face froze for a moment.

He had indeed practiced Taoism for decades, but his achievements had always been mediocre. His fame in the capital was entirely due to Prince Cheng.

The Destiny Phoenix Girl and the White Tiger General were also proceeding according to King Cheng's wishes, but now, it was obvious that King Cheng could not accomplish anything.

If he insists that Princess Zhao is the Phoenix Girl of Destiny, the government might take him down as well when they clear out the remaining criminals!

"Master." Chi Yu said, "Don't worry, take your time. This is a big deal. You must not make a mistake."

Others followed suit and nodded. Some people who had not yet walked far came over to take a look, and the crowd gathered together in a dark mass.

Yun Yangzi gritted his teeth and said, yes, he had to consider himself.

Prince Cheng is dying!

Yun Yangzi nodded slowly and said, "Let Qidao do the math."

He counted with his fingers for a moment, frowned at first, then took out the tortoise shell and read a fortune in front of everyone. He seemed to be thinking for a long time, then he slowly shook his head and sighed, "Alas, I was short-sighted and made a mistake."

Amid the questioning, Yun Yangzi said nonsense in all seriousness: "Princess Zhao should have the fate of a fallen phoenix."

"Fallen Phoenix?"

Yun Yangzi nodded slowly and sighed softly, a sigh that seemed to contain endless sadness and pity.

"The so-called fallen phoenix is ​​a phoenix tainted by filth and sin. Although it is the same phoenix fate, if this fate is the fallen phoenix, it means that it will bring disaster."

Yun Yangzi spoke more and more fluently, and then said: "The previous general who was about to die was also affected by the fallen phoenix."

After hearing this, the people understood.

The one who just shouted for the death of King Zhenbei was none other than King Zhao. If King Zhao's wife had the "Fallen Phoenix Fate", then everything would make sense!

Yun Yangzi knew how to stop at the right time. He paused for a moment and continued, "This fate of falling phoenix is ​​so rare that I was deceived for a while. Now that I think about it, the phoenix in the sky had a dark shadow on its feathers."

Is there? The people could not remember, but Yun Yangzi said there was, so there must be.

Now it all makes sense!

For a while, everyone was either asking if there was any way to resolve the situation, or marveling at Yun Yangzi's ability to predict the future. Yun Yangzi was surrounded and became increasingly unable to move.

Sheng Xiyan smiled slightly.

If Yun Yangzi had a little knowledge of current affairs, he would have known how to resolve this matter.

From now on, no one will mention that destiny anymore.

When it comes to Zhao Yuanrou, it will only be a fallen phoenix. Everything Zhao Yuanrou has planned with all her heart and soul will only push her one step further into the abyss.

More and more people gathered around, and they retreated quietly. Sheng Xiyan said that they would be sent to the palace first, where they would stay for a day or two, and then return home when order in the capital was fully restored.

Chi Yu was not ungrateful. He knew that she was afraid that Zheng Zhongming would take advantage of the chaos to retaliate against them. The Zhenbei Palace would be busy cleaning up the mess these days and might not be able to take care of them.

So, the group of people got on carriages or rode horses and went directly to the Zhenbei Palace.

At this time, Chu Yuanchen and his party had already arrived at the palace.

Except Zheng Zhongming who was unwilling to bow to Xiao Shuo and left directly, Lin Shoufu and others went together.

Different from Chu Yuanchen's calmness, Lin Shoufu was a little trembling with fear. Such a big thing happened in the capital, and he was afraid that Xiao Shuo would blame him.

After Lin Shoufu finished telling Xiao Shuo everything that happened today, Xiao Shuo's usually gentle face faded slightly. Lin Shoufu bowed and said, "Sir, I am doing my job poorly."

Xiao Shuo asked them to follow King Zhao today, definitely not just for them to be witnesses, but they didn't handle the matter well and made a mess that almost couldn't be cleaned up. Now looking at Xiao Shuo, his heart couldn't help but be nervous.

"Master, the Queen Mother's edict is here."

Chu Yuanchen handed the bright yellow imperial edict to Xiao Shuo. After reading it, Xiao Shuo smiled softly. His eyebrows and eyes were as gentle as before, and he seemed not angry at all. It was this soft laugh that made everyone a little scared.

"Minister Lin," Xiao Shuo said with a half-smile, "Have you seen this imperial edict?"

Lin Shoufu said quickly: "I am not here yet."

Xiao Shuo motioned Wu Ning to hand it over. After Lin Shoufu took it, he read it quickly and was completely stunned. The fingers holding the imperial edict were shaking. If he had not been rational, he would have almost torn it up.

Xiao Shuo took a sip of tea and asked slowly, "What does Prime Minister Lin think of this imperial decree?"

Lin Shoufu's face turned pale and then blue. After a while, he said, "Master, the Queen Mother has been very ill recently. She needs to rest for her migraine. In the palace, the Queen Mother is always worried about the Emperor's condition. It is really difficult for her to rest. Why not let the Queen Mother rest in the garden?"

What he meant was no different from driving the empress dowager out of the palace and imprisoning her.

This is indeed somewhat disrespectful. Given Prime Minister Lin's cautiousness, he would never say such things casually.

Prince Li looked at him subconsciously. Prime Minister Lin handed the imperial edict to him with a wry smile. After reading it, Prince Li's face turned even uglier than Prime Minister Lin's. He thought: Is the Queen Mother dissatisfied that her life is too easy now and wants to stir up more trouble?

His attitude changed even faster than Lin Shoufu's. He almost deformed the imperial edict and said righteously, "Master, I heard that the Queen Mother has been secretly taking the Ten-Perfect Cream recently. You know, the Ten-Perfect Cream is not a good thing. The Queen Mother's mind and sanity have been affected. I'm afraid she is already terminally ill and has become confused in her actions."

The others looked at each other, becoming more curious about what was written in the imperial edict. Some people leaned forward to take a look, but immediately retracted their heads, not daring to read it for fear of breaking some taboo.

The imperial edict didn't even reach the fourth person before it returned to Xiao Shuo's hands.

Xiao Shuo smiled gently, but his eyes were cold, and he exuded an imposing aura: "Prince Li, what do you say?"

Prince Li Zong held the almost deformed imperial edict in his hand and said without hesitation: "The Queen Mother should go to recuperate." He was afraid that if he delayed for a moment, some terrible disaster would happen.

Prince Li is the head of the clan. Now that the emperor is seriously ill, he has a certain say in the treatment of the empress dowager.

Xiao Shuo and Chu Yuanchen looked at each other. Xiao Shuo smiled slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "Since the Queen Mother has been taking the Shiquan Paste, it must be because her life is too comfortable that she has violated the ban and relied on the Shiquan Paste. In this case, there is no need to go to the garden, just go to the Imperial Temple."

Prince Li's heart skipped a beat; Xiao Shuo's words were too subtle.

Going to the Imperial Temple is not like going to the Garden. In the Garden, there are still groups of palace maids and eunuchs. The Queen Mother is honored, dressed in fine clothes and eats delicious food. Except for the restrictions on activities, there is not much difference from the palace. But if you go to the Imperial Temple, you have to eat mushrooms and chant sutras every day. Don't even think about eating the whole cream, even a meaty meal is difficult. Even the servants may not stay for one or two, and life may be more miserable than in the cold palace.

The Queen Mother has never suffered any setbacks since her rise from Crown Princess to Empress and then to Queen Mother. Doesn't this seem a bit too bad?

"My Lord..." Prince Li said hesitantly, "Why not..." Let's go to the garden.

"Prince Li thinks it's inappropriate."

Xiao Shuo played with the bright yellow imperial edict, which turned over and over at his fingertips, making Prince Li's heart beat wildly. He almost had a heart attack when he thought about the content of the imperial edict.

He weighed the pros and cons and bowed his head without hesitation: "You are right, Lord Governor."

The final word is the hammer.

Xiao Shuo put down the imperial edict and asked casually, "How should King Zhao Qin Wei be convicted?"

Chu Yuanchen chimed in, saying, "Prince Zhao mobilized the Jinwu Guards without authorization, which is no different from treason. It's better to kill him."

He said it as a matter of course, as if it were killing a chicken.

Prince Li hurriedly said, "My Lord, Prince Zhao is the legitimate son of the late emperor."

There has never been a precedent of killing a member of the royal family in this dynasty, not to mention that Prince Zhao is the emperor's younger brother.

Prince Li calmed down and said, "According to precedent, should we keep him in prison for the time being?"

"Confinement" was the result that Xiao Shuo and Chu Yuanchen had anticipated early on, and it was also a very good result.

If Qin Wei had died, the matter would have been over.

For Qin Wei, it makes no difference whether he is dead or alive. It is just that being alive is temporarily more valuable than being dead.

Xiao Shuo nodded, which was considered as his agreement.

Xiao Shuo said: "First, lock him up, and then let the three officials interrogate him."

Lin Shoufu and the others didn't expect Xiao Shuo to be so easy to talk to. Seeing that Chu Yuanchen had no objection, they felt more at ease.

"However," Xiao Shuo said calmly, "Since he is under arrest, he naturally has no share as a prince. All the property in Prince Zhao's mansion will be confiscated."

Lin Shoufu was about to ask if it was too heavy, but Xiao Shuo's next sentence was: "It will be confiscated into the national treasury."

Lin Shoufu's heart was pounding. Not put into the national treasury?! The national treasury was short of silver! The prince's palace alone had hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and Prince Zhao's palace was extravagant. If all of it was not put into the national treasury, silver would not be so tight this year!

Good, very good!

Without a second thought, he immediately said righteously: "The governor is right. Since Prince Zhao is a criminal, he naturally does not need to enjoy the status of a prince. Prince Zhao's palace should be confiscated!"

The money for disaster relief is finally there, perfect!

Everyone: “…”

Well, they also knew that Prime Minister Lin was so worried about raising money that he couldn't sleep.

Xiao Shuo is indeed Xiao Shuo, he hit the seven-inch mark accurately with just one pinch.

Lin Shoufu's eyes were still filled with enthusiasm, and he continued to ask: "Lord Governor, do you want to copy some of the remaining members of King Zhao's party and give them to the country... Uh, what I mean is that we cannot tolerate them either.

Everyone: “…”

Don't think they couldn't hear him. What he just said was to copy it all and give it to the national treasury!

Xiao Shuo said: "Let the Jinyi Guard investigate, and confiscate all the property of the remaining members of Prince Zhao's party, and hand them over to the Three Departments for trial and conviction. All the confiscated gold and silver will be returned to the national treasury."

Lin Shoufu was delighted and said happily, "The governor is wise!"

Everyone: “…”

The others remained silent and could copy whoever they wanted, as it didn't mix in their own work.

Xiao Shuo changed the subject and asked, "I heard Zhou Jingxun was also arrested?"

After Zhou Jingxun was knocked unconscious by Mo Ba, he was handed over to the Wucheng Bingma Division for custody. When Xiao Shuo asked this question, someone immediately replied, saying, "After the Yongning Marquis's Mansion was ransacked, Zhou Jingxun has been hiding in the Zhaowang Mansion. Today, he went to Caishikou with Zhaowang's wife, and he has been arrested."

Speaking of this, many people looked strange.

Everyone in the capital knew the relationship between Zhou Jingxun and Zhao Yuanrou, and now, Zhao Yuanrou actually hid Zhou Jingxun in the palace.

This King Zhao has a lot of green on his head.

Lin Shoufu wanted to ask whether Zhou Jingxun should be imprisoned with the Yongning Marquis' family and then exiled together, but before he could ask, Xiao Shuo nodded and said, "In that case, let's send them to Prince Zhao's mansion together. Anyway, Dongchang will come to confiscate the family's property, so let Dongchang take them along."

ah?!

The others looked at each other in bewilderment. How come they could recognize every word of Xiao Shuo's words, but couldn't understand them when they were put together?

"Your Majesty is right! I heard that the Queen Mother arranged a marriage between Zhou Jingxun and Zhao," Chu Yuanchen said with a smile, clapping his hands. "Since the Queen Mother always likes to let people have a common heir, then let Zhou Jingxun and Prince Zhao have a common heir. This will not be a disappointment to the Queen Mother."

"The idea of ​​having two sons as legitimate wives has existed since ancient times, and there is no saying that a man cannot have another son as legitimate wife."

"What do you think, Lord?"

As everyone stared in amazement, Xiao Shuo nodded slightly and agreed, "King Zhenbei is right."