Chapter 274 This Night
"I almost forgot," Xie Zhuoning remembered after the two of them talked that there was still something important he hadn't told Xiao Jinxuan, "The emperor has woken up."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Jinxuan looked calm and reserved, not surprised at all, "I guessed it."
The prince is currently undergoing treatment for his vitals, and it is impossible for the queen to close the palace in such a high-profile manner at this time.
A large battle formation is likely to attract criticism.
Xie Zhuoning showed admiration in his eyes and had to admit that Xiao Jinxuan had a keen sense of court affairs.
She narrated what happened in Wanshou Palace and shared her own guesses.
Emperor Zhaowen sealed off the palace under the pretext of the Empress, in order to catch the assassin and to prevent the news of his awakening.
The purpose, of course, was to catch the king by surprise and kill him without any preparation.
After all, he fell into a coma too suddenly, giving Prince Yong the opportunity to confront the prince.
Now that he has woken up again, he must take advantage of his life to get rid of Prince Yong, the great threat to his son.
"Your Majesty didn't know that I was in Wanshou Palace at the time, so he naturally didn't expect that there were other people outside the palace who knew that he had woken up. This may not be an opportunity for us."
Meeting her slightly raised cunning eyes, Xiao Jinxuan almost immediately understood what she meant, "You mean, we add fuel to the fire and secretly lend a helping hand to His Majesty?"
That's the good thing about talking to smart people: they get things across instantly.
Xie Zhuoning nodded. "Even if His Majesty wants to cause trouble for Prince Yong, he will definitely gather some evidence in secret before making trouble. Why don't we take the initiative to give Prince Yong some evidence?"
"This is easy," Xiao Jinxuan came up with a plan after a brief thought, "Prince Yong has been eyeing the Yufusi and has secretly planted many people in it. Since he wants it, I will give it to him."
After Ren Yuanjie died suddenly in the prison of Yufusi last time, he wanted to clean up and reorganize Yufusi inside and out, but he never found a suitable reason, so he did not take action.
Now is a good opportunity to carry out a major purge.
Xie Zhuoning couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, "That's a good idea."
The Ministry of Protection was not only responsible for all matters concerning civil and military officials and had the power to make its own decisions, but it also held many secret files of high-ranking officials of the imperial court.
This was undoubtedly a huge temptation for Prince Yong, who had lost several generals in succession.
How could the fish not take the bait when such a big one is thrown out?
And Yu Fusi was directly under Emperor Zhaowen. When he found out that Prince Yong dared to attack Yu Fusi while he was unconscious, how could he go easy on Prince Yong?
The two of us immediately discussed the specific matters. I supplemented what you missed and you reminded me of what I neglected. There was a tacit understanding between us as we looked at each other.
The moment the plan was decided, Xie Zhuoning smiled, "Your Highness Prince Xuan is really amazing. You have a comprehensive plan so quickly~"
Xiao Jinxuan pinched her nose, his eyes faintly smiling, "Nothing like Miss Xie, who is able to plan and strategize, and win the battle thousands of miles away."
As they were talking, a figure opened the car curtain and poked his head in. "Your Highness Prince Xuan, Sister Zhuoning, we've arrived at the palace. Don't..."
Song Yuqiu, who originally wanted to persuade the two to stop being awkward, looked at their smiling faces and intimate postures, and suddenly felt that her worry seemed a bit unnecessary.
Xie Zhuoning quickly stopped laughing, "We've arrived at the palace, right? Get off the car."
As he said this, he naturally stood up and was about to get off the carriage.
But she heard Xiao Jinxuan ask her with a half-smile behind her, "Didn't you sprain your ankle? Can you walk by yourself?"
Xie Zhuoning had no choice but to sit down again, "...Oh, it hurts so much, I still can't walk."
Sure enough, once a lie is told, it will take countless lies to cover it up.
"Yes." Xiao Jinxuan nodded, "Then I will have no choice but to carry you out of the car with great reluctance."
Xie Zhuoning frowned, his teeth showing but his eyes not showing, "That really troubles Your Highness Prince Xuan."
"You are welcome."
Song Yuqiu: “…”
No, have they ever thought that when someone sprains their ankle, the person who should be most troubled is actually the doctor?
And am I that doctor?
…
That night, someone quietly entered the palace.
The sedan chair that came to greet Bai Yingxue passed through the palace gate and wall and was carried into the East Palace.
She lowered her head and gently stroked her already bulging belly, knowing that this might be her last chance.
Is it flying into the clouds, or falling back into the quagmire?
No one knows what unknown fate awaits her.
But if she is given the slightest chance, she will grab it without hesitation and climb up desperately!
That night, someone was trembling with fear in Wanshou Palace.
Empress Sima knelt on the ground and served Emperor Zhaowen dinner, not daring to say a word.
"Where is the prince? Why didn't he come to see me?"
"The prince is...sick."
"What's wrong?"
The queen hesitated for a moment, but still didn't tell the truth, "Epidemic."
"How did you get the epidemic?"
"Cheng'er accidentally got it when he left the palace to observe the people's sentiments."
"You are lying!" Emperor Zhaowen's eyes suddenly became sharp.
He was physically frail, but his eyes were like a hawk, carrying the scrutiny of a superior.
The queen immediately knelt down and said, "I dare not deceive your majesty!"
Seeing that he could not get anything out of her, Emperor Zhaowen became tired and waved his hand, asking her to kneel down and pay her respects.
The empress bowed and only breathed a sigh of relief after she walked out of the Wanshou Palace.
"Why doesn't the Queen tell His Majesty the truth? His Majesty will surely make the decision for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Her confidant beside her asked doubtfully.
The Queen's eyes darkened. "You know, His Majesty once thought about passing the throne to someone else."
The confidant was horrified, "Does His Majesty want to pass the throne to Prince Yong?"
The queen shook her head gently, "Of course not."
Your Majesty is not a fool. If the throne falls into the hands of Prince Yong, how can they and their son survive?
"The emperor intends to pass the throne to his seventeenth brother."
"Your Highness Prince Xuan?!"
"That's right. Very few people know about this. I only learned about this secret when I heard His Majesty mumbling while sleeping in the same bed with him."
The queen still couldn't help being shocked when she recalled the scene when she heard these words.
"Your Highness, are you worrying too much? It's just a dream, how can it be true?"
The Queen shook her head. "As the saying goes, you dream about something at night, if Your Majesty didn't think about it, how could he dream about it?"
That's why she chose to conceal the fact that the prince had no sons or grandsons.
Once His Majesty knows that the Crown Prince can no longer have children for the royal family, who knows if he will consider passing the throne to Prince Xuan?
That night, people were coming in and out of the Yufusi.
Countless files were secretly transported out in batches under the cover of night and transferred to other places.
That night, the news spread as fast as it could and reached Prince Yong's mansion.
"Lock down the palace? What is the Queen doing again?" Prince Yong narrowed his eyes when he heard the news.
The Queen Mother went to the East Palace but didn't find out anything. He was increasingly confused about what the mother and son were trying to do.
But before he could think about it, another subordinate came to report that the Yufu Division had begun to secretly transfer the files in the filing cabinet!
Prince Yong was confused. "What does Old Seventeen mean by this?"