The palace servants thought that King Liang was shocked by the explosion.
He said, "When the Grand Master was reading the prayer, Commander Xie discovered the gunpowder and promptly reminded everyone to evacuate."
Unexpectedly, the firewood official suddenly lit the firewood on the altar. Before His Majesty and the Empress had gone far, Commander Xie and the Crown Prince worked together to push His Majesty and the Empress away. Commander Xie then jumped into the altar to dismantle the gunpowder.
There were too many people on site, and it was impossible to evacuate them all in a short time. There was also too much gunpowder buried near the altar. In order to avoid hurting everyone, Commander Xie moved all the gunpowder and threw it into a nearby ravine.
When the last gunpowder was being removed, the fire on the altar caught fire and reached the fuse, Commander Xie…
The palace maid looked very sad. She was also there at the time. If it weren't for Commander Xie, none of them would have escaped this fate.
Commander Xie sacrificed herself to save everyone. Thinking of something, she said bitterly, "I was wrong before. Not everyone is alright. That firewood official is also dead. He was thrown into the altar by the Crown Prince and burned alive."
She didn't treat that wicked man, Fanchai Guan, as a human being.
King Liang dismissed the palace servants, his face turning pale.
The official in charge of burning offerings was in charge of burning sacrificial items.
In Da Yuan, during each sacrificial ceremony, offerings such as "Tai Lao" (cattle, sheep, and pig), jade, silk, millet, and sorghum were placed on piles of firewood on the altar and burned, so that the smoke would rise and reach the heavens.
As long as the fire on the altar burns brightly, the gunpowder buried underneath will ignite.
At that time, the emperor and his entourage were performing the ritual of watching the smoke rise, which was a ceremony to complete the "communication between man and god".
Caught completely off guard, no one can escape, no one can escape.
How did Xie Tingzhou find out?
Did Xie Tingzhou realize it on the spur of the moment, or did he know about his plan from the beginning?
Did the emperor know?
Furthermore, the wood-burning officer was not one of his men and was unaware of his plan. How could he have lit the wood-burning firewood even after Xie Tingzhou discovered the gunpowder?
Who gave him orders?
Kang Le?
Or is there something else going on here?
Gazing at the thick smoke still rising from the sacrificial altar, King Liang quickened his pace. He needed to personally test the emperor to prepare a response.
"Brother, I heard there was an explosion. Are you and sister-in-law alright?"
King Liang looked at him with concern, "How could there be gunpowder under the sacrificial altar? What exactly happened?"
Who is so audacious as to attempt to harm you and your sister-in-law during the sacrificial ceremony?
The emperor's expression was grave. "The matter is still under investigation."
He then seemed unwilling to say much, so the King of Liang watched over him with great concern, awaiting the outcome.
He wasn't afraid of being implicated. Those involved in this matter today were either his people or Kang Le's people; they all had weaknesses that he could exploit.
Moreover, the gunpowder was being transported under the guise of Prince Ning and Ye Zhengqing.
Not long after, the Crown Prince entered and said, “Father, I have found out that the gunpowder was procured through the kitchen, hidden under fruits and food, and then buried by the person in charge of the wood-burning stove.”
All those involved committed suicide after the incident, while Prince Ning and Ye Zhengqing denied knowing anything about it.
Prince Ning followed in, and said aggrievedly, "Father, I really didn't know. The work was done by my subordinates. They told me it was done, and I trusted them so I didn't think much of it."
"Because of your lack of foresight, you almost caused the deaths of many people. Tingzhou is the only son of the Marquis of Zhongyong. Now that his limbs are scattered, how can I face him?"
The emperor's face was grim. "Guards, drag Prince Ning away and give him thirty strokes of the cane. Confine him to his room and forbid him from leaving until he returns to the capital."
"Father, I know I was wrong, but could you please ask them to beat me less severely?"
Prince Ning tried to bargain, but he lacked confidence.
Today's explosion terrified him. He didn't dare look at Xie Tingzhou's body. He heard that it was blown to pieces and that Xie's eyes were open when he died.
But when he went to see the ravine where the explosion had occurred, he found several huge craters blasted out by the gunpowder. If Xie Tingzhou hadn't been so vigilant, the gunpowder would have exploded on the altar, and he would have been left a bloody mess.
Thinking of this, he added, "Fine, fine, I'll make sure it's important. My son will never be lazy again."
His negligence led to Xie Tingzhou's death.
Thinking of Xie Tingzhou, his eyes reddened a little. He might dislike Xie Tingzhou, but he was also a good person.
I helped him break off his engagement with Ye Wantang, and he said he wanted to repay me, but I haven't had a chance to do so yet.
As she thought about it, her nose started to sting even more. "Fine, I'll just give him fifty slaps."
He added twenty strokes to his own lashes; Xie Tingzhou was dead, but he only received fifty strokes.
The emperor looked at Prince Ning with a mixture of relief and sorrow.
I am relieved that Prince Ning has realized his mistake, but I am also saddened that his awakening came at the cost of Xie Tingzhou's life.
The emperor knew that the King of Liang wanted to blow up the sacrificial altar, but neither Lei Ce nor Xie Tingzhou noticed anything unusual about the wood-burning official, who would suddenly set the fire without the emperor's knowledge.
The emperor glanced at the Prince of Liang.
"You should go back too. Don't go out unless necessary. Once you return to the capital, you'll remain under house arrest."
If it weren't for the person in front of him, Xie Tingzhou wouldn't have died.
King Liang was displeased.
The emperor treated outsiders better than his own brother, but judging from the emperor's reaction, he did not suspect him yet, and the plan could continue.
He said in a nonchalant tone, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please release me when we reach the capital."
Furthermore, Prince Ning has never performed official duties before, so it's inevitable that he might make mistakes on his first attempt. Fifty strokes of the cane could potentially cripple him.
Someone is trying to sabotage things; it's impossible to guard against everything. This matter can't really be blamed on Prince Ning; perhaps someone is deliberately targeting him..."
He tried to casually link the matter to the crown prince, inciting the emperor to suspect that the crown prince was plotting regicide.
"shut up!"
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