In the dead of night, while stealing chickens and dogs, Li Yi and Lan Tingche arranged to meet at the Ministry of War.
Li Yi, dressed in black, was a little confused when he saw Lan Tingche, whose robes trailed on the ground. Why were they dressed so nicely when they were doing something like stealing chickens and dogs?
Why bother with that useless sense of face?
"Why are you dressed so extravagantly?" Li Yi asked.
"The prince just came to see me, and there wasn't time to change."
The man's words were full of boasting to Li Yi: "My woman dotes on me the only one, your woman doesn't, hehe, aren't you angry?"
Logically speaking, such old cases should all be handled by the Ministry of Justice, but the cases of the former Crown Prince and Crown Princess are different. Back then, too many people from the Ministry of War were involved in this matter, so the documents were temporarily handled here.
"Here, see for yourself."
Li Yi pulled out a document from a hidden compartment in the bookcase and let Lan Tingche read it himself. Without him, even if someone were planted, they wouldn't be able to find it.
Lan Tingche read three lines at a glance, then quickly closed the book, bowed to Li Yi, and led the guards back to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
"So, our Emperor previously rebelled against the Crown Prince's father, the new Emperor?"
Over here, Cen Ang was also telling Long'er about what happened back then. The woman nodded when she heard this and continued.
"When the storm was brewing, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had already sensed it, but they had no capable generals by their side. That year, all the borders were in turmoil, and the late emperor sent all the generals out to quell the rebellion."
"Then the Crown Princess had someone send your brother Tingche to his maternal home, and then it was my turn with your Aunt Hua."
Long'er stared at Cen Ang with wide eyes, then pouted and said...
"Mom, you're definitely not leaving. With your temper and skills, who could make you leave?"
"Yes, that's why Mom didn't leave."
“But your Aunt Hua couldn’t. She was already married at that time and had to sever ties with the Crown Princess, otherwise her husband’s family would also suffer. Even so, your Aunt Hua wouldn’t leave.”
"She said that at worst she would fight for a divorce with Wang, ask to be divorced, and even if she died, she would die with us."
"Then what?"
"Then, I drugged your Aunt Hua and sent her and Wang Zheng out of the capital."
The woman smiled as she recalled this moment, as if reminiscing about the friendship of yesteryear, yet also lamenting the regrets of life.
“I’m next. The Crown Princess told me to leave, but this time I don’t want to listen to her.”
“I was there when Yuwen Xuanhong forced the emperor to abdicate. Do you know what he used to force him to abdicate?”
"He used the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the capital to force the emperor to abdicate. It was during the Qingming Festival, the day for ancestor worship. The emperor would be worshipping the heavens at the altar outside the capital, which would naturally attract people to come and watch. If the late emperor did not issue an edict of abdication, he would blow up those people who were waiting on the day of the ancestor worship."
Huo Xiaolong frowned upon hearing this and asked...
"Can't we delay it a few days until reinforcements arrive?"
Cen Ang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“They can stall, but Yuwen Xuanhong and his gang kill one person every incense stick’s time. Those people are all important officials of the court. What will happen to their families after they die?”
"Our emperor is truly ruthless. How could he possibly succeed like this?"
Can he still become emperor?
Long'er didn't say it aloud, but she looked down on him from the bottom of her heart.
"After receiving the abdication edict, the emperor fabricated a crime against the late emperor and forced him to drink a cup of poison."
"Next up are the Crown Prince and Crown Princess."
"For some reason, it seems that the emperor did not want the Crown Princess to die at the time. He just pinned the blame for putting explosives on the altar on the Crown Prince, even though neither your Aunt Hua nor I were actually implicated."
"The Empress Dowager sent someone to see me. She said that if the Crown Princess doesn't cause trouble, her status and honor will remain unchanged. She asked me to help persuade her."
"But the Crown Princess refused. When the Crown Prince led people to wet the explosives on the altar, she went with him."
That year, she was dressed in military uniform, just like when the Crown Prince first saw her. Lan Youxin asked Cen Ang to tie her hair up, and she went to find her beloved with a riding whip in her hand.
"I don't know why, but I miss him terribly today. I have to go with him."
"Then I'll go with you."
Lan Youxin turned around and looked at the cold and aloof palace maid from that year, who had now become a talkative and cheerful person, and felt very happy.
She raised her hand and touched Cen Ang's cheek, then continued speaking.
"Not today. Help me contact the Southwest Prince's Mansion and see if Tingche is doing well there."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The woman's silhouette is still etched in Cen Ang's mind; it was the last time he saw her.
The sunset was very red that day. The Crown Princess pushed open the door, and the blood-red sunset shone on her. Lan Youxin turned around and looked at Cen Ang and said something.
"Ah Cen, talk to people more in the future. If you don't like talking to men, then don't. Women can do it too. They don't just have their minds filled with those domestic matters. Relax and look forward."
"yes."
Cen Ang bowed and watched her mount her horse and gallop towards the person who would stay with her and understand her.
"That was the last time I saw her; she never came back."
"The altar emitted a loud bang just before nightfall, a sound that could be heard throughout the capital. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess perished there."
"Couldn't they have survived? After all, no one saw them..."
"Long'er, I went to collect the body."
How could Cen Ang not have anything to fear? With corpses scattered all over the ground, she couldn't tell which ones belonged to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, or to the guards who followed the Crown Prince. She could only put the corpses together.
But she recognized the Crown Princess's hands; such a kind person...
Such a good person.
Why did they end up like this!
She was never afraid of bloodshed.
But on that day, Cen Ang's hands were trembling. The coffin was placed beside him but it was useless. He couldn't even enter the imperial mausoleum.
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