Shen Wan was weighed down with worries, and felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
There was another round of thunderous applause from the crowd, but she turned a deaf ear to it.
The sky above the parade grounds had also darkened at some point, with dense layers of clouds blocking the view from view.
It seems like a storm is coming.
Eunuch Ni looked at the sky and cautiously asked the emperor: "Your Majesty, we don't know if it will rain in this weather. Should we..." Go back to the palace quickly?
"No need." The emperor raised his hand to refuse. "Master Xuan Jing has calculated that the weather will be good until the Wanshou Festival."
An old official with gray hair beside him smiled and echoed, "Your Majesty, Taoist Xuan Jing is indeed very skilled in Taoism. He is proficient in fortune-telling, praying for rain, and refining elixirs. He is truly a god."
Several ministers around him took the opportunity to flatter the emperor, praising him for his wisdom and bravery, and saying that he had the help of gods and so on.
The emperor felt quite pleased after hearing this. He waved the folding fan in his hand leisurely, his eyes flickering slightly.
While the emperor and his ministers were talking, the young men on the parade ground below had already ridden their horses half a circle. Each of them was trying his best, not afraid of the danger of falling off the horse, and each of them wanted to show his face in front of the emperor.
The sound of horse hooves in the field was like thunder.
Looking at the young men bending their bows on horseback, the emperor said with emotion: "Heroes emerge from youth. These teenage boys are all skilled in riding and extremely brave. They are truly a blessing to our Great Qi."
"I still remember that my ninth brother concealed his identity and won the martial arts test when he was twelve years old...
No one expected that the emperor would suddenly mention the Prince of Chen. Several ministers looked a little strange and didn't know how to continue the topic.
Fortunately, the emperor did not expect them to say anything. He smiled and asked, "Is the ninth brother here today?"
The ministers looked at each other, and some of them had already tasted something: the emperor naturally knew that the prince was not there, but he still asked knowingly, so he might have other intentions.
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Chen has never been here." The old minister replied immediately.
The emperor frowned slightly, as if he was surprised. "When my father was alive, he came to watch the martial arts test every year. Why didn't he come today?"
After the emperor said so much, the old minister and several other close ministers knew more and more that the emperor was most likely targeting Prince Chen.
The old minister followed the emperor's wishes and said, "Your Highness Prince Chen has been closed to visitors recently. Perhaps he has forgotten?"
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Chen has always admired young people who are both talented in literature and martial arts. Anyway, Prince Chen's Palace is not far from here. Why don't Your Majesty summon His Royal Highness Prince Chen to come and have fun together?" Another middle-aged minister suggested with a smile.
Just as he said, the Prince Chen's Mansion is only two streets away from the parade ground, and it won't take much time to go back and forth.
The emperor was quite satisfied with the two men's tact and ordered Eunuch Ni, "Go to Prince Chen's Mansion and summon my ninth brother to come here for me."
Eunuch Ni received the order respectfully and withdrew from the emperor's private seat.
The competition below continued in full swing.
After a stick of incense, Eunuch Ni came back. The space behind him was empty and everyone had the answer in their hearts.
really--
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Chen refuses to come." Eunuch Ni reported dryly. He had guessed this result.
Eunuch Ni thought the emperor would be furious, but the emperor smiled instead. He stood up and said, fanning himself, "Then I will go and pick up my ninth brother myself."
The Emperor actually planned to go to Prince Chen's Palace? !
The ministers were shocked again.
Although they were unsure of the emperor's intention, since the emperor planned to go to the Prince Chen's Palace in person, they, as his subjects, naturally had to go with him. The accompanying ministers stood up one after another, and even some court officials who were originally watching the game followed.
A group of ministers surrounded the emperor and led him down the platform, watching the grand scene.
Such a big commotion naturally caught the attention of other people around.
Chu Qianchen, who was on the high platform diagonally opposite, also saw it, and secretly glanced at Amber, asking her to go and take a look.
Amber was very smart. She retreated silently. After finding out the news, she came back hurriedly and whispered something to Chu Qianchen.
Chu Qianchen's expression changed slightly.
She stood up without hesitation, walked up to Shen, and said, "Mother, when I came here, I saw a bookstore in front of me. I want to go and take a look."
"Go ahead." Shen guessed that Chu Qianchen must have something urgent to do, so she agreed readily.
Shen Wan, who was standing aside, was preoccupied with something. She lowered her eyes and drank her tea, not even looking at Chu Qianchen.
After Chu Qianchen left the parade ground, she took a shortcut to Prince Chen's Palace. She did not go through the main gate, but knocked on the door of the house next door and entered the palace through the secret door of this house.
The person who picked her up was the same old lady from last time.
Gu Jue was not there, so the old nanny took her to see Yun Zhan.
Not long after Chu Qianchen entered the palace, the emperor's carriage arrived. Together with the accompanying civil officials, military generals, Jinyiwei and imperial guards, the team had a total of more than two hundred people. This team looked mighty and powerful.
Such a team attracted many people to follow along the way from the parade ground to the Prince Chen's Palace, making the team even larger.
A long line of carriages and horses stopped in front of the vermilion lacquered gate of Prince Chen's Palace.
A young eunuch ran and knocked on the gate of the palace, and soon the doorman came to answer the door.
The eunuch shouted arrogantly: "The emperor has arrived, why don't you come and greet him quickly!"
Thus, the vermilion lacquered gate of the palace was opened. This was the second time the main gate of the palace was opened after Gu Jue returned to Beijing from the north.
Two teams of the palace's personal guards came out of the palace in a well-trained manner and stood in two rows inside and outside the gate. They stood straight and had an impressive aura, not like ordinary guards at all.
They were indeed not ordinary guards, all of them had followed Gu Jue to the North and had experienced life and death trials on the battlefield. They just stood there quietly, like precious swords hidden in their sheaths, even the imperial guards were outshined.
When they stood still, Yun Zhan, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe, strode over with big strides. His tall figure was as straight as a pine tree, and his steps were vigorous.
He walked to the front of the magnificent dragon chariot without looking around, clasped his fists and saluted in a proper manner: "Your Majesty is here in person, I am sorry for not coming to greet you in person."
From beginning to end, he didn't even look at Earl Zhongyong who was following behind him. Earl Zhongyong's face was slightly grim, and he cursed in his heart: Rebellious son!
The other ministers exchanged glances with different expressions. Today, the emperor came to Prince Chen's mansion in person. As a minister, Prince Chen should have come to greet him in person, but Prince Chen only let Yunzhan come to greet him.
In public, with so many eyes staring at the Prince Chen's Mansion, from court officials to common people, why did the Prince Chen "dare" to be so disrespectful to the Emperor?
The ministers couldn't help but wonder, is the Prince of Chen so arrogant that he has no respect for the Emperor, or is he simply unable to come and welcome the Emperor?
The emperor slowly lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing half of his face, and asked indifferently, "Where is my ninth brother? Why didn't he come to greet me?"
"Your Majesty, the prince has caught a slight cold and is bedridden." Yunzhan answered briefly and calmly.
This time the prince went to Nanyang with Qin Yao, and only brought Mo Chen with him, leaving him and Xue Fengyan to guard Prince Chen's Mansion and Chu Qianchen.
Before leaving, the prince had instructed that if anything happened while he was away, since the emperor believed he was seriously ill, then let the emperor think that he was indeed "seriously ill".
However, Yunzhan did not expect that the emperor would come in person.
"Oh?" The emperor pulled the corner of his lip nonchalantly, and said with emotion, "Today's third martial arts test has produced many rising stars, which reminds me of the heroic figure of my ninth brother in the past."
"These young men are the future of our Great Qi. If the Ninth Prince can go to the scene to reward these young men, it will also be a good story of passing on the torch."
The emperor's words sounded very high-sounding. When some people on the roadside heard it, they couldn't help but get excited and their eyes lit up with surprise. They thought that the next "King of Chen" might be among those young men taking part in the martial arts test.
Yun Zhan did not respond. The emperor asked with concern, "Is your cold okay, Ninth Prince? Have you asked the imperial physician?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty," Yunzhan maintained his fist-holding posture, "I have already called a doctor."
Yun Zhan's words were vague, and he didn't say anything about Gu Jue's condition. Many court officials knew what was going on after hearing this: the Prince was most likely seriously ill, but they didn't dare to invite the imperial physician to the palace, for fear that his condition would be heard by the emperor and he would take control of it.
Under such circumstances, the Prince of Chen has yet to show up. I'm afraid he is too ill to get up.
The emperor suddenly decided to come to Prince Chen's mansion today, probably to confirm Prince Chen's condition.
The emperor's smile deepened. "Since I'm here, I'll go see my ninth brother."
The emperor, with an attitude of "loving younger brother", got down from the dragon chariot with the help of eunuchs, and then strode towards the Prince Chen's Palace with his head held high.
Yunzhan, the courtiers and the Embroidered Uniform Guards brought by the emperor also followed in, leaving only the imperial guards waiting outside the palace.
This was not the first time the emperor came to Prince Chen's Mansion, so he didn't need anyone to lead the way. He walked towards Tianshui Garden where Gu Jue lived with familiarity.
The accompanying court officials were entering Prince Chen's Palace for the first time and couldn't help looking around. Many of them secretly sighed: This Prince Chen's Palace is too spacious, as if the owner does not intend to live here for long.
When they arrived at the gate of Tianshui Garden, the atmosphere changed again.
There were also two rows of royal guards standing in the courtyard of Tianshui Garden. All of them were tall and mighty, and each of them exuded murderous aura without concealment, as if they would draw the swords at their waists if they disagreed with something.
Some civil officials in the rear were already regretting at this moment and felt that they should not have followed the emperor.
What if the emperor insisted on seeing the prince, and the palace guards stopped him, and the two sides turned on each other without a word? !
As if to verify their thoughts, Yun Zhan's cold voice sounded again in front of them: "Colds are easily contagious, and the emperor's dragon body is precious..."
Yun Zhan seemed to be worried that Gu Jue would infect the emperor with his cold, but everyone knew that he was ordering the emperor to expel him.
"It's just a cold. I'm not that precious."
The emperor interrupted Yunzhan calmly, smiling slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
The air ahead was filled with sparks, the atmosphere was tense and on the verge of a showdown.
Some people silently fell behind a few steps, and when they saw that no one was paying attention, they took a few more steps back.
When gods fight, the devils suffer.
It’s better for them to stay away. Even if the Prince loses his military power, they won’t benefit from it anyway.
“Bang!”
Suddenly, there was a sound of porcelain falling from the main room in front, and a teacup fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
The maid who accidentally dropped the teacup looked at the emperor in the courtyard in panic.
"Noise!"
The next moment, a slightly cold female voice was heard scolding unhappily.
The girl's voice was like the gurgling of a mountain stream. It was neither light nor heavy, but it had a peculiar penetrating power and was clearly heard by everyone.
The emperor frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a green figure walking into the main room from the side room.
"Since you have invited me to treat Prince Chen, you should abide by my rules!"
She frowned slightly, with a hint of arrogance in her expression and tone.
It's her! The emperor recognized Chu Qianchen at a glance and stopped under a phoenix tree.
The faint shadow of the phoenix tree was reflected on the emperor's face, making his expression look unfathomable.
"Divine Doctor!" Yun Zhan walked quickly into the main hall and solemnly bowed to Chu Qianchen who was about to leave. "They are rude, please don't take it as an offense, Divine Doctor."
Those court officials were also guessing about Chu Qianchen's identity. Yun Zhan's words verified their guess. Now, they were all sure: Prince Chen was indeed seriously ill!
There were about twenty noble officials present, each with his or her own stance and expression, exchanging glances in groups of two or three.
Some people frowned with worry, wondering if the Prince was really seriously ill and the news got to the people of Nanhao, would they be ready to take action? Some people waited and watched; as for the royalists, they were secretly happy, thinking that since the Prince was seriously ill, he would have to hand over the military power.
Uncle Zhongyong hurried forward and entered the main hall, shouting at Yunzhan: "Yunzhan, what are you doing?!"
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
The loyal and brave uncle was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. He was actually very panicked: even a fool could see that the emperor was clearly here to cause trouble for the prince, and wanted to confirm whether the prince was seriously ill. Yunzhan was acting so recklessly, wasn't he deliberately going against the emperor? !
If the emperor were to vent his anger on the Yun family, their Yun family would be killed by this rebellious son!
If the emperor and other court officials had not been in the courtyard outside at that moment, Earl Zhongyong would have slapped Yunzhan in the face.
What a rebellious son! What a rebellious son!
When his mother gave birth to him, she should have strangled him to death to avoid harming the entire family!
Yun Zhan still ignored Lord Zhongyong and said to Chu Qianchen in a gentle voice, "Thank you for troubling the genius doctor."
Chu Qianchen stroked his sleeves impatiently and said, "I am doing acupuncture. A slight mistake can lead to a huge error. If you keep arguing, you will bear the consequences if you make a mistake!"
She spoke the last four words almost word by word.
Eunuch Ni curled the corner of his mouth and thought: This so-called miracle doctor is so arrogant, just like she was when she was in Jishidiang, she looks down on everyone!
Thinking of the day when this miracle doctor spoke nonsense to the emperor and the prince, Eunuch Ni felt complicated: apart from the Prince of Chen, perhaps only this unknown miracle doctor dared to turn his face against the emperor.
Eunuch Ni secretly went to see the emperor's face, thinking that the emperor would be furious if he saw this miracle doctor again.
Unexpectedly, the emperor raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and seemed to be in a good mood.
The emperor was indeed in a very good mood.
From the few words just spoken by this miracle doctor, it was confirmed that Gu Jue was ill, and his illness was serious.
Gu Jue was simply sick and confused, desperate to seek medical treatment, and really pinned his life on such a little girl who was only seeking fame and reputation and had no worldly desires! !
Ridiculous, really ridiculous!
This alone was enough to make the emperor not bother to care about her attitude.
The emperor walked forward a few steps and stopped under the eaves of the main hall. He interrupted with a worried look on his face and asked, "Isn't the prince suffering from a cold? Is he seriously ill?"
Chu Qianchen turned around as if he hadn't heard anything, and said to Yunzhan: "Yunzhan, I need some quiet time, don't make any noise here."
Before she uttered the last word, she waved her sleeves and walked away, leaving dozens of people inside and outside the room staring at each other in bewilderment.
The door curtain leading to the second room rose and fell, swaying gently back and forth.
The court officials behind the emperor, including the Earl of Zhongyong, were all stunned. They had never seen anyone dare to disrespect the emperor like this.
The surroundings fell into silence.
The emperor looked at the door curtain and his mood became better. A sharp light flashed across his shrewd eyes.
Yunzhan also glanced at the door curtain, frowned slightly, and answered for Chu Qianchen with a deep look in his eyes: "Your Majesty, the prince just has a cold..."
"Yunzhan, shut up!" Uncle Zhongyong shouted at Yunzhan again, with sweat dripping down his forehead, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Earl Zhongyong glared at Yunzhan fiercely, his eyes full of warning: The Prince of Chen is clearly seriously ill, and even at this point, this rebellious son is still helping the Prince of Chen to cover up. If the Emperor really wants to investigate, this will be a crime of deceiving the Emperor!
The crime of deceiving the emperor is a capital crime!
Earl Zhongyong felt his back was soaked with sweat, and softened his tone: "Your Highness is the Emperor's brother, and the Emperor loves him dearly. He came to the palace in person because he is worried about Your Highness's health..."
"Since the emperor is worried about the prince, please go back," Yunzhan caught the end of the words of the Earl of Zhongyong and said, "The miracle doctor is treating the prince, so you must concentrate..."
As he spoke, he looked at the emperor again and their eyes met.
How can this rebellious son talk like that! Uncle Zhongyong was angered by Yun Zhan again, and his chest rose and fell violently twice.
The emperor also felt that Yunzhan was ungrateful and ignorant of the times. Even now, he still helped Gu Jue to be rude to him. However, his words were also a disguised admission of one thing -
Gu Jue is seriously ill.
No matter how much the emperor wanted Gu Jue to die, he still had to put on a show. He sighed, "Ninth brother is so ill, why didn't you come to report it? You should at least invite a few doctors to come to your house."
"Pass on my oral order and call a few imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital!" the emperor instructed Eunuch Ni, his pupils surprisingly bright.
At this time, the door curtain was opened again, and Xue Fengyan walked out from the side room.
He bowed to the emperor and said, "Thank you for your kindness. I have already invited a miracle doctor for you."
The emperor glanced at the door curtain again, thinking that Xue Fengyan came out on Gu Jue's orders, and curled the corners of his lips in sarcasm.
The emperor's decision to summon an imperial physician to Gu Jue was originally intended to show his attitude to the court officials, and Xue Feng's act of rejection was exactly what he wanted.
Gu Jue's subordinates were just as self-righteous as Gu Jue himself, and insisted on hiring a quack doctor to treat Gu Jue. No wonder he couldn't be cured. Unfortunately, Gu Jue still had a glimmer of hope.
I must end his chance of survival!
At some point, the sun, which was originally blocked by the clouds, emerged again, and golden sunlight poured down.
The emperor smiled slightly, looked up at the bright sun in the blue sky, and said meaningfully to Eunuch Ni: "Am I right? It's a good day today."
"Your Majesty is right." Eunuch Ni agreed with a smile, and he felt in his heart: Taoist Xuan Jing is really accurate in his predictions!
The emperor curled his lips and ordered: "Master Xuan Xuanjing, come to the training ground."
Eunuch Ni replied "Yes" and ordered a young eunuch in blue to do the job, while he stayed beside the emperor to serve.
After the emperor left, the court officials who accompanied him naturally had to follow.
Looking at the receding backs of the emperor and his entourage, Yun Zhan and Xue Fengyan exchanged a tacit look.
The emperor made this special trip, definitely not to confirm whether the prince was really sick, but probably to have other tricks up his sleeve.
However, when the enemy comes, they will fight back. The Prince Chen’s Mansion is not a soft bun that can be bullied by anyone!
Yunzhan also followed with big strides, of course, to see off the emperor, the uninvited guest.
When leaving the palace, Earl Zhongyong glared at Yunzhan fiercely, wanting to tell him that if he had the ability, he should never come back to the palace. But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he remembered that Yunzhan had never been back to the palace since he returned to Beijing.
Bo Zhongyong turned away in anger.
The emperor and his group came in a hurry and left in a hurry.
It is hot in June, midsummer.
When the group returned to the parade ground, the ministers were already sweating profusely from the sun, and several old ministers were almost fainting from the sun.
Many people were wondering what the emperor's purpose was in making this trip in person.
Inside the training ground, there was still the sound of birds crowing and the third round of horseback archery competition was in progress.
Neither the emperor nor anyone else had any interest in watching the game.
The emperor had just returned to his elegant seat on the high platform and sat down when Xuan Jing and the young eunuch in blue arrived.
Xuan Jing did not have a drop of sweat on his body and looked relaxed and contented, forming a sharp contrast with the court officials around him who were sweating profusely.
He is indeed an expert! Eunuch Ni sighed again and led Xuan Jing to the emperor.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Xuan Jing saluted the emperor.
The emperor got straight to the point and said, "Master, I just went to Prince Chen's mansion and learned that my ninth brother Prince Chen is seriously ill. Can you tell me how he can get through this?"
The emperor looked at Xuan Jing with a smile, his deep eyes were like a vast ocean.
From what others heard, it seemed that the emperor had good intentions in asking Xuan Jing to tell Gu Jue's fortune. However, Xuan Jing's heart sank and his scalp went numb.
He is a smart man, and of course he is not stupid enough to think that the emperor really wants to help Gu Jue overcome the crisis. The emperor's intention is the opposite.
The emperor turned the jade ring and said with emotion, "I still remember that when my ninth brother was six years old, the abbot of Wuwei Temple once told him that he had a unique fate and would become a precious sword for Da Qi, helping Da Qi to overcome difficulties. However, he had a calamity in his life..."
"Although it is said that a person's fate is determined by heaven, I believe that people are always 'stronger when facing a strong opponent and weaker when facing a weak opponent', and their fate may not be unchangeable. I am the Son of Heaven, and since I stand on his side, I will surely be able to overcome heaven. What do you think?"
Every word the emperor said was meaningful, containing deep meanings that only he and Taoist Xuan Jing could understand.
Xuan Jing was always good at judging the situation and guessing people's hearts. Thinking about how he had previously judged Chu Qianchen's fate, he knew what the emperor meant by this...
Xuan Jing secretly groaned. He had promised the Second Prince to say a few good words for the Second Miss of the Chu family in front of the Emperor in order to do the Second Prince a favor. However, the Emperor's mind was unpredictable. The Emperor had other ideas because of Chu Qianchen's fate of "being strong when facing the strong and weak when facing the weak".
It is better to offend the second prince than to offend the emperor.
Xuan Jing knew very well in his heart that guilt and hesitation were only a blink of an eye. Besides, if a man does not care about himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. He had to think about himself.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to tell fortunes for His Royal Highness the Prince." Xuan Jing smiled slightly and flicked his whisk. He still looked like an immortal. It was hard to tell that in just a short moment, he had been thinking a lot.
Immediately, a Taoist priest brought a cushion. Xuan Jing sat cross-legged on it, then took out the tortoise shell and copper coins again and began to divine solemnly.
The emperor drank his tea again, feeling calm and at ease. He believed that a god like Xuan Jing would definitely understand his intentions.
Everyone else's eyes were fixed on Xuan Jing, their gazes scorching, seemingly hotter and brighter than the scorching sun.
The sound of the tortoise shell and copper coins shaking echoed clearly in everyone's ears, and everyone's heartbeat quickened along with the sound.
After a while, Xuan Jing poured out a few copper coins, stared for a moment, counted a few times with the fingers of his right hand, then raised his head and said: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Chen's disaster is too difficult... I'm afraid, I'm afraid he will die."
(End of this chapter)