The time to go to Foquan Temple to ask for an auspicious date is getting closer.

Since using Meng Po powder that night, the palpitations he had during nightmares have disappeared. Ying Jingjue felt that the effect was very good and started using it every day.

But sometimes when I wake up in the morning, my eyes are sore, my mind is blank, and my heart is empty.

Sometimes he would stare at a certain place in a daze, and only come back to his senses when Xiao Zhizi woke him up, not knowing what he was thinking at all.

"Your Majesty? You are distracted again."

“…”

"I didn't notice. Go, ask the young marquis to come to the palace. I have something to tell him." Ying Jingjue put down the memorial and wrote a secret decree instead.

Asking for an auspicious date at the Foquan Temple was a big deal, and the steps were complicated. According to the original ancestral regulations, the eldest and third princes should also go together, but they were guilty of participating in the power grab, and Ying Jingjue was the new emperor, so if he didn't mention it, no one would touch this thorny issue.

There were very few royal family members, but the royal procession to Foquan Temple was not simplified because of the small number of people. According to the rules handed down, burning paper, carrying the sedan chair, and three turns in front of the Golden Throne Hall, no process could be missed.

On the day when the procession went to Foquan Temple, preparations began in all parts of the palace.

The atmosphere in the capital was inexplicably tense.

People gave way and the streets became quiet.

Ying Jingjue, wearing the full uniform of an emperor, looked back at the imperial city.

Today, since he left here, the imperial city will never be peaceful.

Half an hour before he left, an extremely low-key carriage quietly left from behind the Regent's Palace.

A ferocious bird folded its wings and nimbly slipped into the curtain of the carriage. A few low coughs were heard from inside the carriage.

The young marquis Li Ningfeng, who had always been by the emperor's side, did not follow this time. Instead, he wore armor and led the black armor guards and escort troops.

After watching the emperor's procession leave, Li Ningfeng said in a deep voice: "Seal off the capital!"

"If anyone attempts to leave the capital by force, he will be killed immediately!"

Just like a year ago, the Regent ordered the city to be sealed off.

He opened the bright yellow secret decree in his hand, reined in his horse, and said, "Your Majesty has a decree."

"I have inherited the will of the previous emperor, cleaned up the emperor's side, rectified the court, corrected the morals, and eliminated the treacherous and treacherous..."

Reading every word, one can glimpse Ying Jingjue's courage between the lines.

From ancient times to the present, looking at the emperors of the prosperous dynasties, no one dared to decide to completely purge the court on the day when he asked for an auspicious day for the previous emperor.

This is considered disrespectful to ancestors and unfilial to elders, and is a great taboo.

But at the same time, choosing to take action on this day is least likely to arouse the vigilance of those with ulterior motives.

Ying Jing definitely doesn't think this is a taboo.

They are from the Ying family. There is no ambitious emperor who does not hate corrupt officials.

With blood and decisiveness, he firmly grasped power in his own hands.

If successful, he would become the first emperor to have actual power before reaching the age of twenty.

The capital city is a piece of rotten meat inside. What Li Ningfeng has to do now is to become the knife that cuts out the rotten meat and clean up the accumulated filth here.

The secret decree stated the names of the officials to be investigated.

Not only officials, but also many powerful people who depend on them for support.

The names of those who were directly executed after their homes were confiscated were written in red, and the names of those who were imprisoned in imperial prison after their homes were searched were written in black.

At first glance, it was filled with red words.

Officials transferred from the local areas are almost arriving in the capital. After this year's imperial examination, these people's positions will be immediately replaced by someone else. The newly appointed officials have a clean background and are the easiest to control.

I'm afraid that the capital city will be flooded with blood today.

Li Ning sealed the last name in the last row -

Lian Shenwei.

He was not surprised to see the Regent here, but the color of the name made him feel a little surprised, and then he stopped thinking about it.

After the reading, nearly a thousand people said in a deep voice: "We will obey your majesty's order!"

Li Ningfeng took a deep breath, put away the secret order, and immediately started to act with his men.

Lian Shenwei did not expect that Ying Jing would choose to take action today.

He is still unclear about what is happening in the capital.

In the afternoon, outside Beijing.

The carriage slowly stopped. Tiannan lifted his hat slightly and opened the curtain: "Master, can you take a rest?"

"good."

Lian Shenwei got off the carriage. He looked unhappy. He leaned against the side of the carriage, closed his eyes and relaxed.

He had his own carriage, which was very comfortable, but the logo of the Regent's Palace was too strong, so he did not use it this time and only used a very ordinary carriage.

It was fine in the capital, but once we got to the outskirts of the city, the road started to get bumpy.

Lian Shenwei didn't expect that he would feel so uncomfortable just by changing a carriage. He had never had any problems riding a horse before.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he could no longer see other people's lips. Tiannan could only worry silently and wait for him to recover.

After taking a break, Lian Shenwei started to feel sleepy again.

A year ago, he was in a coma due to a high fever and did not get to see Ying Jingjue wearing the full uniform of an emperor. Today, he wanted to come to the vicinity of Foquan Temple and take a look at him from a distance.

Tiannan came out with him, while Mingzhu was packing things in the mansion.

After tonight, he plans to leave the capital.

In fact, he had originally planned to wait until the Northern Barbarian spies in the capital were found before leaving, but he estimated that the guy would soon attack him, and if he didn't leave, he might die in the capital.

If this brat needs his death to establish his authority, he will burn down the Regent's Palace and there will be no Lian Shenwei in the world anymore.

There were royal guards guarding the area around the Foquan Temple, so he didn't want to get close to it for the time being. The divination ceremony would not begin until the hour of Xu, so if he prepared now, it wouldn't be too late to sneak in then.

It was the first time that Ah Zhi was brought to the outskirts of Beijing by his owner. He was so excited that he flew around and even pecked a wild rabbit back.

Tiannan roasted the wild rabbit skillfully and cut a piece of rabbit leg meat for Lian Shenwei.

"I am not good at making candles. This is my first time roasting something outside. Master, please try it and see if it tastes good."

Lian Shenwei took a bite and said calmly: "It's delicious."

Tiannan's eyes lit up: "Then you should eat more."

He took a bite himself, and just as it went into his mouth, his face froze.

Tiannan almost vomited.

...What a strange smell.

Did he put the wrong sauce?

The master has always been very particular about food, how could he possibly eat something like this? Tiannan glanced at Lian Shenwei's face cautiously, and found nothing wrong.

He hesitated for a moment, put down the plate, and asked tentatively, "Master, is it a little sweet?"

Lian Shenwei was completely unaware and followed his words, "Not bad."

“…”

This roasted rabbit is not sweet, but salty, without any sweetness at all.

His eyes fell on Lian Shenwei's ear, and slowly moved to his lips as he was eating slowly.

Tiannan was confused.

After a long while, he raised his hand to stop Lian Shenwei's movements and said in a stern voice: "Master, don't eat it. This rabbit is not tasty."

Lian Shenwei glanced at him and smiled: "I think it's okay."

Tiannan looked at his smile and felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife, feeling both painful and blocked.

He recalled vaguely that it seemed like a long time ago, when he and Ming Cang asked the master whether the food today was to his liking, the master's answer changed from detailed comments to neutral evaluations such as "okay" and "OK".

Because he couldn't taste it anymore.

Tiannan gently took the plate from his hand and put it aside, planning to give it to Azhi later.

There was actually some dry food on the carriage, but the master was not in good health now, and he and Ming Cang didn't want him to eat it, so they prepared some cooking utensils that could be used to make some simple food.

Tiannan put the dry food in front of Lian Shenwei.

Lian Shenwei was puzzled: "What's wrong? You look like you're not in a good mood."

Thinking it was because of the roasted rabbit, Lian Shenwei comforted him jokingly: "It's okay, I think it's delicious."

Tiannan looked at him with an indescribable sadness in his eyes.

He said, "Master, roasted rabbit is salty."

Lian Shenwei was stunned for a moment.

When night fell, the air in the imperial city was filled with a strong smell of blood.

I don’t know if it was because God couldn’t bear it anymore, but a fine autumn rain slowly fell, washing away everything silently.

The message blockade is severe.

When Li Ningfeng led his men to the gate of the Regent's Palace, the lights in the palace were still on.

He tilted the bloody pistol in his hand, his hair wet, and full of murderous aura, and said coldly: "Surround them! Kick the door!"

Bang!

After a few moments, the door of the Regent's Palace was kicked open and a group of people quickly rushed in.

Ming Cang was packing things in the warehouse. When she heard the noise, her ears trembled. She locked the door and quickly rushed to the main hall.

I spotted the leading young man at a glance.

He is the master's student.

She had secretly worked in the border area for some time.

But the momentum at this moment is strong and it is definitely not a good thing.

Ming Cang narrowed his eyes, his hands already on his waist, and said in a deep voice: "May I ask what brings you here, young marquis?"

Li Ningfeng knows Ming Cang, Lian Shenwei's confidant.

Since his confidant is here, Lian Shenwei should also be in the mansion.

Through the rain and mist, he took a look at the layout of the Regent's Palace, which was much simpler and more elegant than he had imagined.

Li Ningfeng retracted his gaze and said, "In compliance with His Majesty's order, the Regent Prince is requested to go to the Imperial Prison."

Going to the Imperial Prison, he originally thought that Jing Jue would directly let him kill Lian Shenwei there, but he didn't expect that he would be temporarily imprisoned in the Imperial Prison.

Is it because of the original teacher-student relationship that you want to handle it yourself?

Half an hour ago.

Ye Mansion.

Because of Yanniang's abnormal behavior that night, Ye Mingqin entrusted the small part of his work to others, intending to set up a trap.

There is still time now. If Yanniang is okay, she will rush to Foquan Temple as fast as she can and arrive just before the divination ceremony begins.

After Ye Mingqin finished thinking, he rolled in the mud, making himself wet and dirty, and hurried back home in the rain.

As soon as he got back home, he shouted, "Yan Niang, Yan Niang!"

Yan Niang heard the noise and thought something had happened, so she rushed out. When she saw Ye Mingqin, she covered her mouth in shock: "What happened? Quick! Come in!"

Ye Mingqin pretended to shed tears, sighed, and said nothing.

Yan Niang became even more panicked.

She had never seen Ye Mingqin like this before.

After asking several times in various ways, Ye Mingqin finally said angrily and helplessly, "I told you before that I wanted to go to Foquan Temple, but someone else snatched it away! It really was snatched away! This is a good opportunity for promotion!"

"I was so angry that I argued with the man for a few words, and then I was pushed into a mud pit and beaten."

Yan Niang covered her mouth and said, "How hateful!"

Ye Mingqin shook his head and sighed: "It's not that I want to fight, it's just that there is no money in the mansion. Besides, I have already promised to teach your children to read, and the future expenses will be..."

"That's why I thought of going to the Buddha Spring Temple. If I do it well, there will definitely be rewards, and I won't be short of money."

Yan Niang hesitated: "Actually, it doesn't matter this time. We don't need to compete with others for Foquan Temple. Your Excellency's talent is outstanding and will not be buried like this."

Ye Mingqin: "No, if you retreat this time, someone might force you to retreat again in the future. Until there is nothing left to retreat."

She changed her clothes and stood up, with a determined look on her face: "I'm going to this Foquan Temple!"

"Niang Yan, I treat you as a friend, so I know that if I fall, you two will have no one to rely on. So I have to go to this Foquan Temple."

Ye Mingqin brushed away Yan Niang's hand, turned around and left.

Yan Niang gritted her teeth and said, "Wait!"

Ye Mingqin had her back to her. She stopped walking abruptly with a complicated look in her eyes. Two seconds later, she turned around and asked in simple confusion, "What's wrong?"

Yan Niang: "Foquan Temple is not safe!"

Ye Mingqin's eyes suddenly became sharp.

When Eunuch Li heard in the palace that Li Ningfeng was going to the Regent's Palace to investigate the matter, he was stunned for a long time and his face turned pale.

Trembling, he took out the carefully hidden edict of the late emperor, and then protected it all the way, taking with him several guards who had served the late emperor, and rode away on horseback after leaving the palace.

Facing the chilly autumn rain, Eunuch Li prayed silently in his heart.

Ancestors, please bless that nothing goes wrong in the Regent's Palace. If something really goes wrong, how can he have the face to face the trust of the late emperor.

-

Ming Cang was twisted violently behind his back and pressed to the ground in a half-kneeling position.

The Kung Fu she learned were all killing moves. Although her internal strength level was higher than Li Ningfeng's, she didn't dare to attack him. She avoided every move and fell into a disadvantage.

"Let go!"

Li Ningfeng raised his hand and sealed her acupuncture points: "Search!"

"yes!"

Several rows of guards rushed to the rooms in the mansion at high speed, rummaging through the drawers and cabinets, and were very rude. Some of them even ran to the bedroom of the owner of the mansion.

Ming Candle was instantly furious: "Young Marquis!"

A piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth, and she immediately became speechless.

"Please——"

"Young Master, stop it!"

Eunuch Li almost fell off his horse in a panic. The eunuch's voice was already sharp, and this sudden shout scared Lian Ningfeng so much that he almost dropped the spear in his hand.

He turned his head suddenly and asked in surprise, "Are you... Eunuch Li?"

Eunuch Li first looked around and found that there was no irreversible scene like the sea of ​​fire and river of blood he had imagined, but only a confidant of the Regent being captured. His heart was immediately relieved.

He took two deep breaths, his face solemn, and took out the last edict of Emperor Jingcheng from his arms: "The last edict of the late emperor, you all kneel and listen!"

The late emperor's last will?!

Li Ningfeng's expression was restrained and he knelt on the ground. The guards of the imperial city also knelt on the ground.

Eunuch Li took a deep breath.

"I know that I don't have much time left, so I'm issuing this decree. Jing Judgment, my son, the Prince Regent Lian Shenwei is a benefactor of the Great Sheng Dynasty. From now on, no matter what mistakes he makes, he will be treated as innocent and his position will remain the same as before, enjoying the dignity of a prince."

Li Ningfeng suddenly raised his head: "Eunuch Li, this is impossible!"

Eunuch Li: "If you don't believe me, you can come and see for yourself!"

This edict was written by the late emperor himself, and he could not have forged it. Didn't he suspect that he had seen it wrong? But it was clearly written in this edict.

Having been with the late emperor for so many years, he knew how bad the Regent's reputation was, and he also knew that some of the things the Regent did were indeed not acts of loyalty to the emperor.

However, the late emperor had an extreme amount of trust in the Regent, a trust that even reached a blind level. He was not that doting on his own sons.

Even before his death, he was afraid that the regent would be purged by the new emperor, so he left behind such a will.

It just happened to come in handy today.

During this time, Li Ningfeng had already read the edict carefully -

This is true.

His mind was suddenly in a mess: "Why would the late emperor leave such a copy..."

Eunuch Li shook his head: "Only the late emperor knows about this matter."

"It has come to this, young marquis, it is getting late, we should not disturb the Regent Prince's rest. We will make a final decision after His Majesty returns from the Buddhist Spring Temple and sees this edict."

Li Ningfeng lowered his eyes, his dark pupils were cold and hard, and his fingers, wet by rain, clenched a corner of the bright yellow silk cloth.

He suddenly said, "No!"

Eunuch Li was surprised: "Young Marquis?"

Li Ningfeng said: "This edict only says that the Regent Prince is innocent no matter what he does, but it does not say that we cannot investigate the Regent Prince's Palace!"

What Jing Jue had told him was the end of this operation, and it even concerned the dignity of the emperor, so he had to search this place no matter what.

Eunuch Li: "Young Marquis, think it over carefully. This is disobeying an imperial order!"

"It's not disobeying the order, it's obeying the Holy Order."

Li Ningfeng's eyes turned cold and he shouted in a low voice: "Do you all want to lose your heads? Search for me! If anything goes wrong, I will take responsibility!"

Ming Cang was almost dizzy with anger and tried desperately to spit out the cloth in his mouth.

Teams of soldiers searched the rooms, not even Shen Wei's. When they opened the door of the room, no one was there. After Li Ningfeng entered, he frowned inconspicuously.

If I'm not in the bedroom at this time, where can I go?

Escaped?

It's impossible. Apart from Ying Jingjue and him, even his father didn't know about this. The news was blocked to the extreme. Lian Shenwei was stripped of his power now, so he would definitely not receive the news in advance.

Moreover, if he had escaped, why would he allow his confidants to stay here and guard it?

There is a pot of Clivia on the windowsill. The flowers are blooming beautifully and are very eye-catching.

Li Ningfeng sneered a few times: "A person like this actually grows Clivia." And it seems that he grows it well.

He thought it was a rich girl.

To accumulate wealth and power.

He walked to the desk, raised his hand and knocked on the table, then paused and knocked a few more times.

There is an agency here.

There were soldiers rummaging through drawers and cabinets in the room looking for something. Lian Ningfeng walked around the table and his eyes fell thoughtfully on the bookshelf on the back wall.

He picked up the things on the desk one by one to try, but when he got to the pen holder, he couldn't lift it.

Li Ningfeng narrowed his eyes and tentatively turned his hand left and right.

Crack, crack, crack——

The mechanism was triggered and the bookshelves moved automatically to the sides.

A sword case was revealed inside.

Just at this moment, a soldier found an exquisite box beside the bed.

After opening it, the soldier looked up and said, "Young Lord! There are so many letters here!"

letter.

This is a very private matter, and it is easy to find out something.

Li Ningfeng ignored the sword case and said, "Give it here."

The small box containing the letters was made of ebony wood, which was worth one ounce of gold per inch and was very expensive. It was said to have the effect of preserving ink for a long time. So much ebony wood was actually made into a box for letters.

One can imagine how important the things inside are to the owner of the box.

His hands were wet, he wiped them on his body casually and opened the first letter.

But after reading just the first eight words, he was stunned.

It says:

[Seeing you write is like seeing you in person, Ximian writes to you personally:

……]

Rest and sleep.

Ximian personally opened the door.

Li Ningfeng felt as if he had been hit by a club, his mind went blank and he almost didn't recognize the two words.

Isn't this the Regent's Palace?

Why is there a letter from Master? !

He looked at these words for a long time, so long that the soldiers next to him thought something had happened, "Young Marquis?"

Lian Ning closed his consciousness and took a half step back. He forced himself to calm down and continued to look down.

The more I look at this handwriting, the more familiar it seems.

Sure enough, he saw Uncle Qiu's name at the end of the signature.

The content of the letter clearly talked about his time at the frontier.

Unconsciously, his fingers were trembling slightly.

Li Ningfeng suddenly poured out all the letters inside -

There are probably dozens of them.

He was familiar with most of the envelope's materials.

Because it was a letter he wrote to his Master.

Such precious things are kept in the box.

Li Ningfeng opened one of the letters, which he wrote a few days ago when he just learned about Jingjue's plan:

[Master:

I would like to share one thing with you.

I have a friend who used to be a quarrelsome person when he was young, but now that he is in a high position, he has become very decisive. But it is also for the good of the people. The sooner the cancer that once dominated the world is eliminated, the sooner the court will be clean.

I didn't embarrass you, but I played a key role in this.

I wonder where Master is these days? I will go find you when this matter is over.]

He seemed to have his soul sucked out of him, and turned back...

All of them.

There were even one or two unfinished replies, and he could recognize that it was his master's handwriting.

But the master's handwriting is clearly different from Lian Shenwei's!

Li Ningfeng's mind was in a mess. He suddenly took a deep breath and turned to look at the sword case on the table.

Why would a powerful official who has no knowledge of internal strength or martial arts set up such a secret institution to house a sword box? !

He walked over in two or three steps, and when his hand landed on the sword case, he paused for a second, not knowing what he was afraid of. Li Ningfeng moved his fingertips to the buckle in the middle of the sword case.

A slight movement.

Click.

He raised his hand.

A long sword with "Cangshan" engraved on the hilt lies quietly in the scabbard.

Next to the Cangshan Sword, there is a green Dongxiao, which was sealed in a box by its owner and has not seen the light of day for who knows how long.

Looking at the sword, Li Ningfeng suddenly remembered the time when Lian Shenwei fought with him at his welcoming banquet and he was defeated by Lian Shenwei with a single stunning blow of the sword.

Lian Shenwei.

Rest and sleep.

master.

How can he believe this...

Li Ningfeng walked up to Ming Cang, raised his hand and pulled the cloth from her mouth, and asked in a hoarse voice: "What is the relationship between the Regent King... and Mr. Ximian?"

Ming Cang stared at him coldly and turned away.

Li Ningfeng: "Speak."

"Do you know whether Lian Shenwei is my master?"

The damp and cold breath of rain outside seeped in from the threshold, and the air was filled with lingering moisture.

A man in official uniform ran in hurriedly. Ye Mingqin rushed in with an anxious look in his eyes. The moment he saw Li Ningfeng, he didn't even have time to breathe: "There are suspected spies from the Northern Barbarians in the Foquan Temple!"

"Your Majesty may be in danger!"

"What?!"

Ming Candle and Li Ningfeng said at the same time.

Li Ningfeng suddenly lowered his head and stared at her: "The Regent is not in the palace, where is he?!"

If it happened in the mansion, with such a big commotion, how could he not even show his head?

Ming Cang knew that his master had been investigating the Northern Barbarians' spies, and he had suspected the Foquan Temple, but after sending people to investigate, he found no news, so he turned his attention elsewhere.

But I hope nothing happens.

The feeling of uneasiness in her heart quickly grew, and after weighing the pros and cons, she gritted her teeth.

"Master, go watch His Majesty's divination ceremony, now near the Foquan Temple!"