Chu Yuanchen went out for a while and came back after about half an hour.
For Chu Yuanchen, once a decision has been made, there will be no more hesitation or doubt. Instead, he will calmly use everything he can to the fullest.
At this moment, the people in the private room had already had their tea and snacks, and Jingle even ordered some delicious milk porridge for the lady.
Seeing Chu Yuanchen come in, the lady was in a very good mood and asked him to sit down and eat something.
"The Holy Chariot is almost here." Chu Yuanchen said with a faint smile, "I'll pick up A'yan and go over first."
He added, emphasizing, "Mother, you have to save it for me. We'll use it later when we come back to see the lanterns. Little wolf, you must not eat it all."
As he was picking up the thousand-layer puff pastry, Jiaoyang Chong made a face at him, then said pitifully, "Sister, my elder brother bullied me."
The speed at which his expression changes is astonishing.
Sheng Xiyan patted him on the arm and couldn't stop laughing.
Chu Yuanchen: “…”
He had thick skin and tough flesh, so the light slap felt like dust to him, as if a feather was gently tickling his chest.
The lady laughed out loud, her whole body emitting a sense of joy.
With these few words, the slightly depressing atmosphere in the private room began to lighten up.
"Mother, Madam, don't worry, I will make arrangements." Chu Yuanchen emphasized the word "don't worry", "Ayan and I will go over first."
His relaxed attitude was enough to soothe Jingle's inner anxiety.
She watched the two of them go out, then suddenly smiled and said to the lady, "Look, as soon as the child grows up, I'll be thinking of relying on him." When Chu Yuanchen was far away in the northern border, she could still handle everything on her own, but now that her son is back, she seems to have put down a heavy burden, and she is a little restrained in doing things.
"Because Achen is capable." The lady said with a smile.
Jingle sighed inwardly: "No matter how capable you are, you are still a child. You haven't even got married yet, so you are still a child!"
She still has to work hard so that Achen can rely on her.
The old lady was a little dazed. After a while, she said softly, "What's wrong with that? You are his mother. When the child grows up, he will be for us to rely on. Achen has his wife to stand by him. You just need to wait and be a good old lady."
She said it in a teasing tone, causing Jingle to chuckle.
The lady looked at the two people who were walking out of Fu Man Lou and said in a barely audible voice: "If Yao Ge'er were still alive, he would probably be getting married soon like A Chen..."
The restaurant is very close to Huangjue Temple.
Along the way, there are all kinds of lanterns, which will be lit together after the arrival of the Holy Chariot.
Sheng Xiyan said happily: "None of them are as pretty as my cat lamp!"
"Let's get a cat in the future." Chu Yuanchen discovered that she liked cats very much, and even the "New Year's money" she gave him was a cat.
"Okay!" she agreed happily.
After walking a few steps, they arrived at Huangjue Temple. A large open space had been cleared in front of the temple gate. Several bamboo sheds were built on the open space, and fully armed imperial guards surrounded it.
The imperial guards were also divided into several teams to guard the city strictly and patrol the area.
Quite a few common people had already arrived in front of Huangjue Temple. Under the control of the imperial guards, they stood there in an orderly manner, waiting to kowtow to the emperor.
"My Lord."
The imperial guards bowed to Chu Yuanchen, stepped aside, and let the two of them in.
Not everyone will accompany the emperor. There are also some sons and daughters of noble royal families who mostly have no official duties. They will wait here first, awaiting the emperor's arrival.
Sheng Xiyan saw Zhao Yuanrou at a glance, and Zhao Yuanrou also saw her. The two looked at each other for a moment and then ignored each other.
Chu Yuanchen and his companions arrived neither too early nor too late. He had just pulled up the canopy for Sheng Xiyan to protect her from the cold wind when he heard shouts of "Long live the dragon" from afar. A bright yellow dragon chariot was slowly approaching from afar.
The people knelt down one after another, kowtowed and cheered.
The emperor came with a group of civil and military officials.
The imperial guards led the way, with civil and military officials in front, and behind the dragon chariot were a group of palace maids holding up a canopy. Whenever the emperor traveled, even if it was just from the emperor to Huangjue Temple, there would be thousands of people accompanying him, making for a very impressive trip.
The emperor has been away from court for a long time, and Chu Yuanchen hasn't seen him for a while. Now he seems to be in much better spirits than before.
The ceremony of welcoming the emperor was quite grand and complicated. After the emperor sat down, Chu Yuanchen and Sheng Xiyan went over to pay their respects.
"It's Ah Chen." The emperor offered him a seat in a gentle manner, "I thought you were not coming."
Chu Yuanchen thanked him and sat down, smiling and saying, "I took Ah Yan to see the lanterns, and when I saw the emperor arrive, I came here to pay my respects."
How could he be so nice? He came to greet me? He came here just to piss me off, right?!
The emperor now felt uncomfortable just by seeing the two of them, and always felt that something bad was going to happen. He believed that he was not being suspicious, and his eyes kept glancing at Chu Yuanchen from time to time.
Chu Yuanchen, a general who had been trained on the battlefield, had much sharper senses than the average person, so he naturally felt that the emperor was glancing at him.
"Achen, you guys..."
The emperor was about to send them away, at least to keep them out of his sight, when Chu Yuanchen said, "Your Majesty, are you feeling well these days?"
Why is he concerned about his own body? He must have bad intentions! The emperor laughed and said, "I feel much better these days. I am just too tired. I just need to rest."
"Then I am relieved." Chu Yuanchen looked like he was worried about the emperor's well-being. He changed the subject and asked, "Your Majesty, when do you plan to personally investigate the late emperor's collusion with Nan Huai?"
He said it as if it were a nonchalant question, as if he was asking when it would rain.
The emperor's hand shook as he picked up the teacup and he almost spilled the tea.
As expected! He knew that Chu Yuanchen had bad intentions! He was simply asking for trouble!
It was such a great Lantern Festival, but he chose to ruin my mood.
The emperor put down the teacup, turned the red coral ring on his thumb, and said in a deep voice: "The origin of this letter is unclear. I think someone must have forged the handwriting of the late emperor..."
After the emperor said this, Chu Yuanchen also nodded: "Indeed." Then he continued with a smile and asked, "Then Your Majesty, when do you plan to personally review the case of forging the handwriting of the previous emperor?"
emperor:"……"
He knew that Chu Yuanchen was born to be his nemesis!
Since Chu Yuanchen came back from Northern Frontier, he hasn't had a good day! He really wanted to drive him back to Northern Frontier.
When the emperor first heard that Chu Yuanchen would not accompany him to the Lantern Festival, he was actually relieved. He did not care at all about Chu Yuanchen's disrespect. He just didn't want to see him!
Unexpectedly, Chu Yuanchen actually came, and came specifically to irritate him.
The emperor's eyes were gloomy and he stared at Chu Yuanchen silently with no expression on his face.
Chu Yuanchen still smiled, his posture was relaxed and a little nonchalant, as if he was just chatting with the emperor.
The movement in the bamboo shed attracted many sidelong glances from all directions. Now in the court, everyone knew that the emperor and the King of Zhenbei were at loggerheads. One could not help but think: Could there be another quarrel now?
The emperor didn't want to get angry with him in front of so many people, so he was silent for a while and said, "I will check it out."
Chu Yuanchen smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
He was so easy to talk to. The emperor was still a little uncomfortable with it.
Bang!
A firework bloomed in the night sky, turning into a large rose, dazzling and eye-catching.
Soon after, fireworks exploded into the sky one after another. Amidst the riot of colour, the lanterns all around were lit at the same time. In front of the Huangjue Temple, the lights were brilliant and beautiful.
The people exclaimed in amazement and praise.
Immediately, an envoy stepped forward, bowed and said, "Darong's country is peaceful and the people are safe. This is the wisdom of the emperor and the blessing of Darong."
As soon as these words came out, many ministers responded: "The country is peaceful and the people are safe, which is a blessing of great prosperity."
The people were also overwhelmed by this atmosphere and shouted "Long live the emperor" again.
The sound of the fireworks was almost drowned out by the bursts of "Long Live".
The emperor, who was so angry that he was about to explode, suddenly felt relieved. A comfortable smile appeared on his face. After looking at Chu Yuanchen, he snorted barely audibly, and his lips curled up with a hint of sarcasm.
Chu Yuanchen, ah Chu Yuanchen, do you see that? I am the king of Darong, the ruler of a country.
It's in vain that you have done so many things to sow discord; the people still recognize themselves!
An indescribable feeling of joy welled up in his heart.
He smiled and said to Chu Yuanchen: "Ah Chen, you see, the king is the king, the minister is the minister, and the people are the people."
This is a gap that can never be crossed.
Chu Yuanchen did not refute, but smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty is right."
The emperor stared at him closely, unable to tell what he was thinking.
"emperor!"
Jinyiwei commander Lu Lianxiu came over quickly and bowed to report: "Supervisory official Zhang Lin wants to see you. Someone has struck the drum to report!"
Dengwen drum? !
The emperor was slightly startled. He had been on the throne for so many years, but no one had ever beaten the drum to report his crimes.
He asked Lu Lianxiu to bring Zhang Lin over.
Darong set up a drum for reporting news, and there were inspectors and envoys guarding in front of the drum. The person on duty today was Zhang Lin.
Zhang Lin bowed nervously, and then he heard the emperor ask, "Who is going to beat the drum for hearing the news?"
"She is Xiang, the legitimate wife of General Rong Xuan."
Rong Xuan? Xiang?
The name Rong Xuan sounded familiar to the emperor.
General Rong Xuan...
That’s right!
The emperor suddenly remembered that Princess Lingnan's surname was Rong, and Rong Xuan was Princess Lingnan's biological father. So Xiang was her mother? !
Hasn't she been stupid for years? No!
The emperor suddenly turned his head to look at Chu Yuanchen, a ball of evil fire swirling in his heart.
It’s Chu Yuanchen!
After Xue Bei was imprisoned, he thought that she was just a stupid old lady who wouldn't live long, so he let Chu Yuanchen take her back and take care of her.
Is Xiang pretending to be crazy and stupid?
The emperor's mind was in a mess. Xue Bei told him that Xiang was stupid, and Xue Bei...
"Your Majesty," Zhang Lin said cautiously, "Xiang has already sounded the drum for hearing the news."
The "Da Rong Law" states that no matter who it is, once the drum for hearing the case is struck, the emperor must receive it and must personally examine the case.
The emperor looked unhappy. All his good mood and high spirits were interrupted.
His heart was filled with impatience and irritation.
He and this Huangjue Temple are simply in conflict!
Boom boom boom!
Although he was standing in front of the Huangjue Temple and could not hear any movement from the Meridian Gate, the emperor always felt that the drumbeats seemed very close.
The Dengwen drum has not been sounded for decades.
Today was the Lantern Festival, and the emperor was coming. Almost all the people in every household went out, and soon people heard about the drum being struck. The people were talking about it. If there was no great injustice, who would risk thirty court sticks to beat the drum?
Many people flocked to the Meridian Gate, and the news spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. In a short period of time, it spread throughout the capital.
A student wearing a square scarf hurried into Fu Man Lou and panted, "Did you hear that someone has knocked on the drum to report the incident?"
He finished speaking in one breath, took two deep breaths, and then said, "She is Princess Lingnan's biological mother, Xiang, the wife of General Rong Xuan, the former pillar of the country!"
On the first floor of Fumanlou was a group of students. They had been waiting here since early morning, just waiting for the arrival of the imperial chariot so that they could petition on behalf of King Lingnan.
I didn't expect that the news I was waiting for would be this.
There were also people who did not recognize the Xiang family and could not help asking a question. Chi Yu explained: "Do you know that the Huali Kingdom invaded the north and massacred seven cities?"
Thirty years ago, Lingnan’s biggest concern was not Nanhuai, but Huali.
"Back then, General Rong Xuan led the people of the city to defend it to the death, and then pretended to surrender, and cooperated with the reinforcements from the King of Lingnan to annihilate the army of Huali and defend Lingnan. He also led his army to invade Huali, pursued the victory, and destroyed Huali."
After the fall of the Huali Kingdom, Lingnan was peaceful for nearly ten years before the rise and invasion of Nanhuai.
This happened thirty years ago. For most young students, they were not even born at that time.
However, in order to take the imperial examination, they had to read thousands of books, so when they heard this, they all remembered this matter.
Chi Yu spoke passionately, and for a moment, the students were in awe.
Chi Yu added: "General Rong Xuan was buried in the swamp with King Lingnan 20 years ago."
He sighed softly, and raised his voice a little: "I didn't expect that Madam Rong is still alive!"
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Why would Madam Rong go to beat the drum for hearing the news?"
"Could it be the same as us?"
Do you want to petition for the Lingnan Palace?
They looked at each other, their hearts filled with a surge of blood boiling.
Chi Yu sighed, "Madam Rong should be almost seventy this year. I wonder if she can endure thirty beatings of the cane."
Anyone who beats the drum must be beaten with the stick thirty times. After thirty beatings, not to mention a man nearly 70 years old, even a young man in his prime would be half dead.
Maybe Madam Rong would be beaten to death on the spot!
"Let's go and take a look."
"No matter what, you have to plead for Madam Rong."
"These thirty strokes of the cane must not be used!"
Everyone responded in unison, and a group of students rushed to Huangjue Temple.
At this time, the lady had already been brought before the emperor.
The emperor originally wanted to return to the palace immediately and then deal with the matter. However, in just a short while, the news of Xiang's beating the drum had spread throughout the capital, and some ignorant people insisted on petitioning him to personally try the case on the spot.
Chu Yuanchen even said in a sarcastic tone that he felt guilty.
After he provoked him for a few words, the emperor blurted out to have Xiang brought here. As soon as he said this, he regretted it, but was caught by Chu Yuanchen again, saying "The king never jokes."
This Chu Yuanchen simply won't let him have an easy day for even a single day!
The emperor stared at the old lady's face.
Back then, Princess Rong of Lingnan was extremely beautiful. It is conceivable that Xiang was also extremely beautiful when she was young. However, now, both of them have a sad face.
The emperor asked with a gloomy face: "Xiang, are you the one who wants to file a complaint?"
"Yes." The lady straightened her back and answered without hesitation.
"Tell who."
"The late Emperor Qin Xiao!"
"How outrageous!" the emperor was furious.
The lady looked straight at the emperor and said calmly, "The reason why Taizu established the Dengwen drum was to redress grievances for the people. The "Da Rong Law" does not say that the people cannot sue the emperor. Since there is no "cannot", then it is "allowed."
The emperor was so angry that his hands were shaking. He held the armrest and took a deep breath. Then he lowered his voice and advised, "But the "Da Rong Law" also states that anyone who beats the Deng Wen drum must first be caned thirty times in the court. Xiang, I will not take your crime of beating the Deng Wen drum without permission. This matter is over. You should go back quickly. Your body cannot withstand thirty canings in the court."
The emperor glanced at Chu Yuanchen coldly and said meaningfully: "Xiang, don't let others take advantage of you."
What he meant was that Chu Yuanchen was taking advantage of the Madam Dowager and was watching her die.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." The lady said calmly, "Since I have struck the drum to report, I will never back down!"
"I want to sue the late emperor for colluding with Nan Huai to slaughter all the people in Zhan Gucheng and kill the King of Lingnan and more than 100,000 soldiers of the Nanling Army."
"I want to accuse the late emperor of using the Prince of Pingliang to fight against Nanhuai, and when the Pingliang army suffered heavy losses, he falsely accused the Prince of Pingliang of colluding with the enemy."
"The late emperor slaughtered civilians and soldiers guarding the border without permission. Heaven and earth cannot tolerate this."
The lady's words were so powerful that they struck the emperor in the heart like a heavy hammer.
The emperor turned pale and almost fell off his armchair.
A surge of anger and murderous intent rose from his chest. He gritted his teeth and said, "Since that's the case, come, take Xiang away and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"
“No.”
Lin Shoufu stumbled over and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, no, Madam Rong is too old to endure thirty beatings!"
He took out a folded piece of rice paper from his pocket and handed it over with both hands: "Now the children are signing the petition together. Please think twice."
"You can't fight!"
A loud shout came from all around Huangjue Temple, and many people joined in, shouting together: "Don't fight! Don't fight!"
There were also some people who had no idea what was going on, but joined in the fun and shouted.
The emperor held the petition in his hand, and the force of his hands crumpled it into a ball.
"Your Majesty," Chu Yuanchen said at the right time, "You insist on fighting. Is it to kill people and silence them?"
The emperor's heart skipped a beat, and the look of being seen through clearly showed on his face.
Lin Shoufu tried to smooth things over, "The law cannot be abolished, but Madam Rong is indeed old. Why not compromise and give her five strokes of the cane? Your Majesty, what do you think?"
emperor:"……"
In his heart, he actually wished he could just beat the man to death and be done with it, but Chu Yuanchen was still here waiting to catch him.
He squeezed out a sound from between his teeth: "Then five strokes."
Xiang is indeed old and weak, and maybe with good luck, he can kill the man with five strokes of the stick. The number of strokes has been reduced from thirty to five. If he kills the man again, it will have nothing to do with Xiang. He is overestimating his own abilities.
At the emperor's command, the eunuchs took the man away.
The emperor winked at Song Yuan, and Song Yuan quietly retreated.
The lady had already prepared herself mentally for being beaten with a stick in the court. She was determined. She had endured it for twenty years, so what did a beating in the court mean to her?
She was also the daughter of a general, and she had once fought in the battlefield.
The lady stood in the square in front of Huangjue Temple, fearless.
Two burly eunuchs, each holding a court staff as thick as an arm, stood behind her.
"beat!"
The cane hit her on the back, making a whistling sound.
The people all covered their eyes and dared not look. The sound of the court stick was so loud that it seemed as if it was going to beat her to death.
However, the cane stopped the moment it touched her back.
The cane missed her back by a hair's breadth, but didn't touch her at all.
The old lady was stunned for a moment. She was a smart person and immediately understood what was going on. Her body fell forward in the direction of the court stick, and she let out a suppressed cry and an extremely painful expression on her face.
Then, there was the second stick, the third stick...
Every time the stick was about to hit her, the emperor would suddenly stop. To outsiders, it seemed that the lady was beaten solidly by the stick. Only the lady herself knew that none of the sticks really hit her.
The Lady Dowager had also heard people say that those who were in charge of beating with the cane in the court could cause superficial injuries but internal ruptures, or could cause skin and flesh to be torn but not cause any loss of life. But she had never heard that they could stop in time and not hit the person at all.
A stick is coming at you with great force, and you have to hold it back. This requires tremendous arm strength and control.
These two eunuchs who were beating the emperor with sticks in the court were definitely not simple people.
Just now Achen said to leave everything to him, so, these people were arranged by Achen?
The thought flashed through her mind, but the lady didn't think about it carefully, nor did she have the time to think about it.
She originally thought that she would lose at least half of her life, but now that she has gotten it back, she has nothing to fear.
She lowered her head and bit her lip without hesitation at an angle that no one else could see. Blood immediately flowed down the corner of her mouth. When the fifth stick came at her, she "fell" heavily to the ground following the force of the stick. As she fell, she quickly wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and blood immediately dyed half of her face red.
Her hair had long been gray and now covered with silver strands, her face was covered in blood, and now she was lying on the ground, no one knew whether she was alive or dead.
The glaring blood makes people even more distressed.
Finally, after five beatings, the lady fell to the ground, dying.
The emperor sat in the bamboo shed, watching expressionlessly. Just now he had specifically signaled Song Yuan to give instructions, that she must be bruised to pieces but not look too tragic on the surface. Now seeing that there was no blood on the lady's back, he secretly felt that they had done a good job.
There's no bleeding. If the person dies again, you can't blame yourself for hitting him too hard, right?
The emperor's lips curled up. He really hoped that the lady would not wake up.
The reality also disappointed him.
The lady slowly got up and said loudly in the direction of the people gathered: "I, Xiang Ruyun, the wife of General Rong Xuan, am beating the drum to accuse the late emperor of colluding with Nan Huai, killing loyal officials, and abusing the people!"
There was blood on her face, but she was not afraid at all, and her pride in the world was clearly evident.
The people were outraged.
Chi Yu was in the crowd, holding up the piece of silk paper with both hands, and shouted, "Here is the private letter from the late emperor to Prince Nan Huai!"
He led the students to shout, "Your Majesty, please thoroughly investigate the matter of the late emperor's collusion with Nan Huai! Give an explanation to the Lingnan Palace and to the people of the world!"
These words were like opening the floodgates, and for a moment, the people became excited.
"Your Majesty, please give an explanation to the people of the world!"
emperor:"……"
His face turned pale and blue, and the situation in front of him made him panic. He regretted again that he should not have been provoked by Chu Yuanchen. If he had taken the man back to Yu's study for another trial, wouldn't he be so out of control? !
The emperor was only momentarily stunned when the lady had already lifted up her sleeve, revealing the bloody and bruised wound on her wrist clearly to everyone.
Everyone gasped, and the lady turned to look at the emperor, then limped over with difficulty.
She did not put down her sleeves, so the emperor could see the wound clearly.
There were more than one. There were numerous wounds on his arms alone, all running across them. Anyone could see that this was the result of years of abuse.
Sheng Xiyan pursed her lips slightly.
She could understand the lady's intention of reopening the scabbed wound.
Indeed, just as the lady said, bloody injuries have a greater impact and are more likely to make people feel more "sympathetic".
She was long before she was born when the Lingnan Palace was destroyed. In Lingnan at that time, there must have been many people like the Madam who were strong-willed and persevering.
They are smart, perseverant and unyielding.
They defend their country.
They would rather bend than break.
But they are all dead.
Sheng Xiyan felt a slight pain in her heart. In that generation, so many people had died.