Chapter 083
Because Chu Xiuming was hiding in the palace, the news was a little delayed. However, even Shen Jin who was in the border town did not expect that the Prince of England would rebel so quickly. Of course, the Prince of England was not talking about rebellion. He was under the banner of revenge for the late emperor and the prince, and he listed dozens of crimes of Emperor Cheng.
The first one is that Emperor Cheng killed his father and brother.
It was even said that King Ying had led his troops into the capital on a secret order from the late emperor to rescue people, but unfortunately he failed. Not only were the late emperor and the crown prince killed by Emperor Cheng, but even his father, King Ying, could not escape the hands of the emperor.
At this time, there was a silence in the meeting hall of the border town. No one expected that the Prince of England would be so confused about right and wrong.
Shen Jin took a sip of the tea and said, "This prince of England is not easy to deal with."
If the person who spoke tonight had not been God, Manager Zhao would have rolled his eyes. Isn't this nonsense? To be honest, the Prince of England is scheming and gloomy, and he is not comparable to Emperor Cheng. Every charge of Emperor Cheng announced by the Prince of England hits Emperor Cheng's sore spot, and each charge can be derived into many charges. Some of the words are even vague and suggestive, and their meanings are different in the eyes of different people. After all, everyone knows and understands different things about some things.
"How shameless." Shen Jin sighed. Shen Jin was really not good at dealing with such shameless people.
As for what happened in the 37th year of Yongjia, Shen Jin knew that if it were not for the King of Ying, even if Emperor Cheng had some ability, he would not be able to plot against the Crown Prince. But now the Prince of Ying is almost like describing himself as a loyal and brave little Baicai, and he has endured humiliation for so long.
Manager Zhao finally couldn't help rolling his eyes, and Chief Steward Wang's eyes twitched. It turned out that what the lady meant by being difficult to deal with was just being thick-skinned.
Nanny Zhao smiled and refilled Shen Jin's cup with tea. Shen Jin said, "Emperor Cheng wanted to save face, so Border Town could develop into what it is now, and my husband could live safely until now. If it was Prince Ying, he wouldn't care about the people's will and would just issue an order for my husband to return to the capital. If my husband doesn't go back with one order, what about ten or eight orders? Even if my husband doesn't go back in the end, I'm afraid he will suffer in terms of the people's will."
Even if Emperor Cheng had many faults, in the hearts of most people, Emperor Cheng was the legitimate emperor. Chu Xiuming disobeyed the order, so he must have other plans in mind. "And if it's the Prince of Ying, do you think he will still provide food and grass to the border town?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone understood that, unlike Emperor Cheng, the Crown Prince of England was good at military affairs and was extremely confident, otherwise he would not have cooperated with the barbarians. He probably planned to seize the throne first and then drive the people away. Naturally, he would not be as fearful as Emperor Cheng.
Shen Jin held the cup in both hands. This cup was specially found by Zhao Ma after Shen Jin came to the meeting room. It was much larger than the ordinary teacup. "Besides, I am afraid that once my husband arrives in the capital, even if it is during the morning court, the prince of Ying will dare to call the guards to surround and kill my husband. What use is my husband's martial arts skills?"
During the morning court session, neither civil officials nor military generals were allowed to carry weapons.
Everyone's expressions changed from surprise to helplessness, and they heard Shen Jin still assuming that the current emperor was the prince of England and how he killed the general, and now it has gone from beating to poisoning to assassination.
Madam, the general is your husband. Is it really okay to tell everyone about the many ways to kill your husband?
When Shen Jin said he was satisfied, he saw everyone drinking tea and eating snacks.
Seeing Shen Jin stop, Manager Wang said quickly, "Sure enough, the shameless Prince of England is more difficult to deal with."
"Madam, how do you think Emperor Cheng will respond?" asked Manager Zhao.
Shen Jin thought for a moment and said, "It's time for a war of words."
Manager Wang laughed and said, "The more guilty he feels, the louder his voice should be."
Zhao Duan frowned before saying, "And Emperor Cheng has a huge guilty conscience. Both the previous emperor and the crown prince died at his hands."
Everyone fell silent when these words were spoken, but they had to admit that it was true. Although the King of England led his troops to the capital, he was defeated by the Crown Prince and did not commit regicide because he did not have enough time.
Shen Jin looked at the heavy expressions on everyone's faces and asked in confusion, "These are all matters concerning Emperor Cheng and Prince Ying, why are you so worried?"
Everyone's faces froze for a moment, and then they looked at Shen Jin, who also looked at them in confusion, "Shouldn't you think about how to take advantage of the opportunity?"
Shen Jin took a few sips from the cup before continuing, "Besides, it's useless for you to think too much. No matter how much we think, Emperor Cheng and Prince Ying will not listen to us."
Manager Zhao had been with Shen Jin for a long time, so he was used to Shen Jin's shocking remarks, so he was the first to react and said, "Madam is right."
Although Shen Jin's words sounded straightforward, they also made sense. No matter what they thought, Emperor Cheng and Prince Ying would not listen. Not only that, the ideas of these two people were often beyond the expectations of normal people.
Steward Wang asked, "Madam, do you think they will have a verbal fight next?"
Shen Jin nodded.
Manager Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Besides, Prince Ying has been patient for so many years, why didn't he wait until Emperor Cheng's troops were concentrated in Shu?"
Zhao Duan hesitated for a moment and said, "Did something unexpected happen?"
Manager Wang narrowed his eyes, took a sip of tea, and said, "But the Crown Prince of England chose Nanjing?"
In fact, after Shen Jin mentioned Jiangnan, everyone thought that Jiangnan was more likely. After all, sometimes people's luck is very strange. Who knew that the Prince of England would choose Nanjing this time? Could it be...
"I have thought of a possibility." Manager Zhao said, "Could it be that Nanjing is just a cover, just like in Shuzhong?"
"It's very likely." Manager Wang said through gritting his teeth.
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and asked, "But why is it so?"
"Actually, there is another possibility." Shen Jin looked at the man who was thinking and said, "He was originally planning to start an uprising in Nanjing."
"But didn't Madam say she was in Jiangnan?" Manager Wang said.
Shen Jin looked confused, and obviously didn't remember what he had said. It was only when Aunt Zhao leaned over and whispered something in Shen Jin's ear that Shen Jin suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I just said if it were me, but I'm not the Crown Prince of England."
Manager Zhao and Manager Wang looked at each other, not knowing how to refute. Shen Jin continued, "And wouldn't it be better if he didn't choose Jiangnan? Or maybe he actually regarded Jiangnan as a money bag, so naturally he didn't want it to be affected by the war."
This makes sense, but why is the Prince of England so anxious this time?
"No matter why, it's a good thing for us if the Crown Prince of England is not fully prepared," said Butler Wang.
Manager Zhao also nodded, "What we need to be prepared for now is whether Emperor Cheng will issue an order for the general to lead his troops to Nanjing."
Shen Jin said, "Then let's first submit a memorial to report the unusual movements of the barbarians."
This is also a solution, but it is not good enough. Manager Zhao asked, "What if Emperor Cheng wants Marquis Zhongyi to take over the affairs of the border city?"
Chief Steward Wang narrowed his eyes and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Lord Zhongyi to get sick or injured. The barbarians are brutal and cruel, and Lord Zhongyi fought bravely, but swords and guns are merciless on the battlefield."
"Then let's ask for credit for Marquis Zhongyi." Shen Jin thought for a moment and said, "After all, Marquis Zhongyi is the son-in-law of Emperor Cheng, so he can't refuse to reward him, right?"
Madam Zhao narrowed her eyes and wanted to tell the madam that, in fact, the border town was not as poor as the madam imagined. Although it could not compare with the national treasury, it was not much different after so many years of operation. Taxes from the mutual trade were directly deducted by the border town. In addition, there was also income from business outside. It was just that money was a little tight at the beginning, but now it has started to make a lot of money.
In fact, Shen Jin didn’t think that the border town was poor, but he felt that it would be a waste not to take advantage of Emperor Cheng, especially after knowing those past events.
These were all small matters, so Manager Wang quickly agreed and said, "Madam is really good at managing the household."
Shen Jin smiled with a hint of pride, "In fact, I think the reason why the Prince of England is so anxious may be because he is in poor health."
Everyone laughed when they heard this and didn't take it seriously. Even Shen Jin said it casually. However, they didn't expect that sometimes people's luck can be so amazing.
Chief Steward Wang said, "Then it depends on how Emperor Cheng responds. I'm afraid that Emperor Cheng will use the fact that King Ying is cooperating with the barbarians to strike back."
"Also, what the Prince of England was talking about was that the late emperor summoned the King of England to the capital, but the Prince of England couldn't produce any evidence at all." Manager Zhao narrowed his eyes and spoke.
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said, "Emperor Cheng has been the emperor for so long that many people have subtly believed that it was King Ying who killed the late emperor and the crown prince. Emperor Cheng is also very good at saving face, and he always makes a show of it on the anniversary of the late emperor and the crown prince's death. Even now, many officials who came after him in the court don't know the truth."
"In fact, have you ever thought that the Prince of England doesn't need a reason at all?" Shen Jin said, "He just needs to find something to hold against Emperor Cheng and he doesn't need to pay attention to Emperor Cheng's questions at all."
Everyone was silent.
Shen Jin continued, "If the Prince of England wanted to save face, he would not use the names of the late emperor and the Prince of England. So why should he care about Emperor Cheng's questioning? Isn't it enough for him to make the people of the world and the soldiers who follow him believe it?"
Manager Zhao thought for a moment and said, "That's true. The King of England was a shameless man. But if the Chu family hadn't resisted Manyi, the King of England might have succeeded. But now it seems that the Crown Prince of England is more targeting Emperor Cheng?"
Zhao Duan nodded and said, "Indeed, and everything is related to Emperor Cheng's lifeblood."
Chief Steward Wang said, "Perhaps it is because the Crown Prince of England's goal is the throne, and there is no conflict with us?"
"It could also be that the Crown Prince of England simply despises Emperor Cheng." Shen Jin didn't think things were that complicated. "The King of England was defeated by the Crown Prince at the beginning. The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Since the King of England chose this path, he was well prepared, so he arranged for the Crown Prince in advance. If the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne, it is only natural."
"What my niece means is that the Crown Prince of England is a hero who appreciates heroes, so he is very dissatisfied with the fact that Emperor Cheng used such despicable means to sit on the throne?" Zhao Duan said after hearing this.
Shen Jin looked at Zhao Duan in confusion and said, "No, what I mean is that the Prince of Ying just hates such a difficult and unpleasant thing as making wedding clothes for others. It's like he thinks that the throne should have belonged to their lineage, but was tarnished by Emperor Cheng."
It seems that the word "defile" should not be used here... But at this time, no one felt anything, as they were used to Shen Jin's shocking words.
"It feels too possible." Zhao Duan hesitated and said, "If it is true, it would be too much of a joke."
Shen Jin said, "I was just talking casually."
But Manager Zhao said, "In fact, I think what Madam said is very likely."
Steward Wang thought for a moment and said, "I also think this reason is too ridiculous."
"Actually, no matter what the reason is, it's always in our favor." Manager Zhao said, "Now we just have to continue to hide."
Manager Wang nodded and said, "We must not let that person's affairs get out, otherwise, neither Emperor Cheng nor the Prince of Ying will let us go. After all, we are the greater threat if we really speak out." As long as they don't expose that person's affairs, they can just sit back and watch.
Manager Zhao prepared a pen and paper and said, "Let me first list the verbal battles between the Crown Prince of Ying and Emperor Cheng."
"Is this useful?" Shen Jin asked with some doubt.
Manager Wang explained, "We can use this to infer their plans and take preemptive action."
Shen Jin actually still didn't quite understand, but nodded and didn't say much. He watched Manager Wang, Manager Zhao, and Zhao Duan discuss one after another. Shen Jin listened for a long time and found that each of them raised a point, and then the three of them refuted it together. After eating two pieces of cake and drinking some ** tea, Shen Jin found that there was nothing for him to do, so he went to the backyard to feed Dongdong. Dongdong was particularly excited to see Shen Jin, and he danced with joy after eating. He was chubby, wearing a red dress embroidered with golden carp, and a red cap on his head.
The little guy was lying on the ground wearing the tiger-head hat that Concubine Chen had made for him.
Madam Zhao waited for Shen Jin and Dong Dong to play for a while before saying, "Madam, it's time to go back."
Shen Jin responded and said, "Okay."
After instructing the nanny and An Ning to take good care of Dongdong, Shen Jin got up and left. Unexpectedly, Dongdong, who had been like a good baby just now, started babbling non-stop when he saw Shen Jin was leaving.
Dongdong's voice was so tender and gentle that it was particularly heartbreaking to hear at this moment.
Shen Jinxing looked at Dongdong, then looked at Zhao Mama with expectation. Dongdong's eyes were red, but he didn't let the tears fall.
Aunt Zhao kept babbling and then sat down on the blanket, stretching her chubby arms towards Shen Jin and grabbing with her little hands.
Zhao Mama felt her heart melt, and she quickly said, "I'll prepare a blanket, and Madam, please carry Dongdong to the meeting room. I don't think there's anything important."
Shen Jin instantly smiled like a flower, quickly went over to hug her son and kissed him on the face.
When Shen Jin brought Dongdong over, they had not finished their discussion yet. After seeing Dongdong, Manager Zhao and Manager Wang both stood up. They waited for Shen Jin to hold Dongdong and sit down before sitting down again. Dongdong had just learned to sit and could only sit for a short while. Most of the time, he was in Shen Jin's arms, looking at everyone with his big eyes.
"Haven't you finished your discussion yet?" Shen Jin asked.
Wang Zongguan heard this and said, "We have already discussed some of it." He then told them what they had discussed.
Shen Jin nodded, "Then I'll add a few." He changed Dongdong into a more comfortable position so that he wouldn't have to stretch his head to look at people. "Prince Ying will ask about the prince's relics. If Emperor Cheng really respects the prince as much as he said, I think he will preserve the prince's relics very well." Unfortunately, because Emperor Cheng felt guilty, he had destroyed all the prince's relics a long time ago.
"There are also matters concerning the prince's family." Shen Jin thought of what Chu Xiuming had said to her, "matters concerning the people in the prince's palace."
Emperor Cheng had carried out so many purges, not to mention the people who had originally served in the Prince's Palace, even the families of these palace servants were not many left.
"Also, will the Crown Prince of England prepare any old relatives or descendants of the Crown Prince?" At the end, even Shen Jin hesitated.
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said, "It's possible that the prince's old relatives were there, but it's absolutely impossible that the prince's descendants were there. They paid a lot of price to save the prince's second son, and it was more of a coincidence. If it weren't for the Chu family visiting the prince's palace at that time, and if there wasn't a child of similar age, and for some reasons not many people knew about it, I'm afraid even the prince's second son wouldn't have been able to escape.
In fact, they had suspected who had set the fire in the Prince's Palace. If it was Emperor Cheng, why would he always suspect that there were still people alive in the Prince's Palace? After all, the fire only left a charred corpse, which was why the secret of the replacement was protected.
"It may not be true." Shen Jin said, "Maybe they are looking for someone of similar age or appearance. After all, if it is a real descendant, the Prince of England will not let anyone survive."
Everyone was silent.
As expected, Emperor Cheng reacted quickly, angrily denouncing the Prince of England as a traitor. It was because of the King of England that the Crown Prince died young. The late emperor was so angry that he almost died. He also questioned the Prince of England about the secret decree if the late emperor summoned the King of England to Beijing.
The Prince of England also had someone respond, questioning the cause of death of the late emperor and the prince, and angrily asked whether Emperor Cheng might show the prince's relics or the descendants of the prince's palace. At that time, the people in the capital and the surrounding areas all knew that the King of England had not been able to attack the imperial city.
Emperor Cheng and the Prince of England interacted with each other, but everyone found that Emperor Cheng avoided issues such as the Prince's belongings. As a result, many foreign officials realized that the deaths of Emperor Cheng and the Prince were very subtle. Not only that, many details that were hidden at the time were found out one by one.
In the palace, because Emperor Cheng was in a bad mood, many people were very cautious, fearing the slightest mistake. Chu Xiuming did not find an opportunity to enter the Empress Dowager's palace, but he did deal with some spies who had already betrayed him.
Seeing this situation, Chu Xiuming did not delay any longer. He contacted the secret line one morning and secretly left the palace. When he arrived at Prince Rui's Mansion, he found Prince Rui and Princess Rui were packing their luggage.
Chu Xiuming thought about it and contacted people in the capital first. After learning the news during this period, he secretly sent the news to Princess Rui, and then Zhao Qi took him to secretly meet King Rui. When King Rui saw Chu Xiuming, his face changed drastically and he said, "Third son-in-law, why are you in the capital?"
Chu Xiuming's eyes were clear and elegant as he said, "Father-in-law, after Madam learned about the situation in the capital, she was particularly worried about the well-being of father-in-law and mother-in-law, so she specifically asked me to ask father-in-law if he has any plans?"
"Ah?" Prince Rui looked at Chu Xiuming. Could it be that the situation in the capital had become so dangerous?
Zhao Qi frowned and said, "Even if he is worried about the prince, Marquis Yongning is taking too much risk."
Prince Rui also said, "Yes, son-in-law, you are so rash." Although he said so, Prince Rui felt happy in his heart. After all, it felt great to be remembered by others.
Chu Xiuming showed some helplessness, "Madam asks about the situation in the capital every day, and her eyes are full of tears." After saying that, he looked at King Rui and said, "Does my father-in-law need my help?"
Prince Rui thought for a moment and said, "My princess and I are going to Fujian. I wonder if the way is ..."
Chu Xiuming frowned and said, "Since my father-in-law has made the decision, I will send him there, but it would be best if he stays for a few more days in Chu Yuan."
Upon hearing this, King Rui said, "Of course, I want to meet my father-in-law as well."
Chu Xiuming agreed, "I'll send a letter back to the border town and ask them to send some guards. This will be more appropriate."
King Rui smiled and said, "Excellent."
Zhao Qi also said, "Congratulations to my brother-in-law for having such a good son-in-law."
Prince Rui also smiled, "But son-in-law, you must not let His Majesty know that you are here."
Chu Xiuming agreed. Princess Rui personally brought in some tea and snacks. She happened to hear a few people discussing, so she said, "Let the third son-in-law stay in the mansion and leave the city with us when the time comes."
"It's better not to." Before King Rui could think about it, Chu Chu Xiuming refused, "My father-in-law is taking such a risk, and I feel uneasy."
Prince Rui thought of Chu Xiuming's risky trip to the capital for him, and said, "No need to say more, it's settled. Princess, arrange a proper place for the third son-in-law to live. In two days, let the son-in-law sneak out of the city among us. I don't believe those soldiers guarding the gate dare to stop me."
Seeing that Chu Xiuming was still about to refuse, King Rui said, "It's settled."
Chu Xiuming then said, "Then I'll trouble you, father-in-law."
Prince Rui waved his hands. No one knew whether it was because he was about to leave the capital or because he knew there was still a retreat in Minzhong. Prince Rui was more courageous than before.
"By the way, is what my son-in-law, the Prince of England, said true or false?" Prince Rui asked after a moment of hesitation.
Chu Xiuming pursed his lips and said, "I think my father-in-law has already made up his mind."
Prince Rui sighed and said nothing more. Several people discussed it again. Chu Xiuming told Prince Rui in detail about the situation along the way. Prince Rui had no idea that the situation outside was so serious. He thought it was just a verbal dispute between Emperor Cheng and Prince Ying. "So, Tianqi is going to..."
Chu Xiuming nodded. "I just hope the people can be safe. After I send my father-in-law to Minzhong, I will also return to the border town. As for the barbarians... I don't know what kind of benefits the prince of the King of England promised to make them fight so hard."
King Rui nodded, "Of course."
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