Chapter 80 Coup
Chu Yangyang waited until the evening before her father returned home.
When Chu Yangyang stepped into the study, Chu Shiyuan was reviewing urgent reports from the border.
The bronze animal-head incense burner emitted green smoke, dyeing the white hair on his temples into a frosty color.
Chu Yangyang placed the hot tea on the table and said, "Father, you've been working hard lately. Have some tea first. This is the Wuqian Longjing tea I sent someone to bring back from Wushan."
"Yangyang is so thoughtful." Chu Shiyuan smiled lovingly. He hadn't seen his precious daughter for a long time, and he felt that she had become much more sensible.
"How have you and Xifeng been doing recently?" He was always worried about her marriage, and as a father, he always hoped that his children could be truly happy.
Chu Yangyang smiled, "Father, Lord Luo and I have been getting along very well recently, don't worry."
"That's good." Chu Shiyuan said with relief.
Seeing her standing in front of the desk, he lowered his head to continue reviewing the memorials and asked casually, "Yangyang, do you have something to ask me?"
Chu Yangyang stepped forward and asked seriously, "Father, do you know that the Third Prince has secretly manufactured weapons and armor?"
Chu Shiyuan paused, "Girls in the boudoir should not discuss state affairs."
"What if I said the prince would be poisoned and vomit blood in seven days?"
She placed her hands on the table and said, "I've been having strange dreams these past few days. I dreamed that the Prime Minister's residence was ransacked, the red sandalwood chessboard you carved with your own hands was split in two, and my blood was splattered all over the coming-of-age gift you gave me."
The tip of the wolf-hair brush spreads a ball of ink on the memorial.
Chu Shiyuan finally looked up, his face full of confusion, "How could Yangyang have such a dream? Maybe you are worrying too much."
"In three days, the imperial kitchen will present a tribute of snow mountain whitebait." Chu Yangyang pointed to the teacup on the table. "This is the Crown Prince's favorite ingredient. If he drinks it with the cloud mist tea you gave him, he will be instantly poisoned. Then, someone will use this to frame you and the Third Prince for conspiring against the Crown Prince. By then, our Prime Minister's Mansion will be irreparable."
Chu Shiyuan stood up suddenly, and the teacup overturned, soaking the memorials. The pack of Jin Junmei Cloud Mist Tea was the one he had just sent to the East Palace yesterday.
Chu Shiyuan pinched his daughter's wrist, but loosened his grip when he touched the purple poison mark on her wrist.
"Yangyang, how did you find out about this?"
Chu Yangyang lowered her voice, "Father, don't worry about how I know this. What I'm saying now is all true. You must carefully consider your decision. The Third Prince is treacherous and cunning, and he's ruthless. If he ascends the throne, the first people he'll want to kill will be those who know his secrets. Besides, father, you haven't really helped him. The Third Prince is not a suitable choice for the throne."
Chu Shiyuan stared at Chu Yangyang. He had no idea when his daughter had become so smart and knew everything about the court.
Like a person in power who is in control of everything.
Chu Shiyuan stared at his daughter's facial features which were similar to those of his deceased wife.
He failed to protect his wife back then. Now, if what Yangyang said is true, then the life and death of the Prime Minister's Mansion depends on his decision.
After a moment, he said, "After tomorrow morning court, I will invite the Crown Prince to appreciate calligraphy and paintings."
He held the teacup on the table, and his old fingers dipped into the tea to draw a blood vessel diagram on the table. "There are three hundred secret agents in the mansion, and you can command them at will."
Chu Yangyang looked at the white hair on her father's temples and recalled the ending of the original book, where Chu Shiyuan held his daughter's broken body and screamed in agony.
"Father, our Prime Minister's Mansion will be fine."
On the seventh day after the summer solstice, the chirping of cicadas breaks the sultry sky.
Chu Yangyang leaned on the bamboo couch and counted the medicine residue in the glass bowl. The prescription left by Luo Xifeng had changed its handwriting three times, and the last three words "snow lotus seeds" were stained with blood.
Chu Yangyang felt uneasy and looked at the bloodstains in deep thought, wondering what Luo Xifeng's condition was like and whether he was safe.
When the news came that the emperor was seriously ill, the bruises on her wrists had already climbed up to her shoulder blades.
Chu Yangyang has been sleeping restlessly lately. He keeps dreaming of Luo Xifeng kneeling in the snow picking up broken jade. But every time he looks up, the snowflakes flying all over the sky turn into the paper money flying all over the sky on the day when the prime minister's residence was confiscated.
A few days later, the night was hazy.
Miao Yun stumbled into the inner room, "Princess, Lord Luo sent word that the Crown Prince might...might not make it. He told us to close the Prime Minister's Mansion tightly. Don't leave easily."
The copper bell on the eaves suddenly rang rapidly, and Chu Yangyang ran to the window barefoot.
Twelve black iron command arrows streaked across the night sky, signaling the highest level of martial law in the imperial city.
"What's going on outside?" Chu Yangyang looked into the distance.
Miao Yun said anxiously, "There are soldiers everywhere. I don't know what happened in Tiantong City. The emperor is still seriously ill."
"Where is Luo Xifeng?"
"He is attending to the Emperor."
"Miaoyun, gather the secret guards in the mansion and act according to the plan."
What is coming will eventually come.
Chu Yangyang gripped the door frame tightly, pressing her knuckles until they turned white.
There was a loud sound of fighting outside the mansion, and Aunt Jin was trembling while holding her jewelry box.
The secret guard held a torch and grabbed a man from the corner of the wall. "My lord, this servant has dropped the gilded waist badge of the Third Prince's Mansion from his arms."
"Tied him up." Chu Yangyang's pale face was illuminated by the torch and looked a bit bloody.
Three hundred secret guards, all in iron armor, knelt in three rows. She pulled out her father's token and said, "Guardians of the Palace, listen to my orders. Team A will guard the main gate, Team B will control the arrow tower, and Team C will patrol the walls. Anyone who deserts will be executed!"
The eldest uncle Chu Shiying and the second uncle Chu Shikuang also hurriedly gathered in the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Aunt Jin was terrified and panicked, "It's over, it's over, the way of heaven is changing."
Chu Xinyao supported Aunt Jin and was also trembling with fear, "Aunt, what happened? How dare someone break into our Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Only Chu Yangyang stood in front of the crowd, staring towards the mansion gate with a serious expression.
The door of the mansion was banging loudly.
Uncle Chu Shiying suggested to Chu Yangyang, "The Third Prince is in charge of the Imperial Guards! Our three hundred palace soldiers are no match for them. Why don't we offer gold and silk as a token of our sincerity in exchange for saving our lives first?"
"Offer gold and silk?" Chu Yangyang glared at him. "Uncle, are you dissatisfied with the fact that the people in the Prime Minister's Mansion didn't die quickly enough?"
Chu Shiying was stunned, and then he put on the airs of an elder, "Yangyang, you are just a woman, what do you know about the affairs of the court? Come here, listen to my arrangements."
"Who dares?" Chu Yangyang held the secret order from the Prime Minister's Mansion. When the secret guards saw it, they all knelt down in front of her.
"The subordinates will follow the princess's instructions."
Chu Shiying wanted to argue, but Chu Yangyang ordered him, "If you know what's good for you, you should shut up and leave now."
Having never seen Chu Yangyang show such a courageous spirit, Chu Shiying actually retreated for a moment.
Second uncle Chu Shikuang trembled as he held the account book. "Yangyang, why don't you arrange some secret guards to escort us and the women out through the back door first?"
Chu Yangyang replied, "The Prime Minister's Mansion has been surrounded by three layers of security. We can't get out now."
Upon hearing this, Chu Shikuang looked hopeless and his legs went limp. Fortunately, he was supported by his second aunt.
Suddenly there was a loud bang and the west corner gate collapsed.
Chu Yangyang quickly distributed twenty fine iron crossbows to everyone. This was the life-saving weapon that the prime minister kept privately in the original book.
She picked up one and held it in front of everyone.
The secret guards resisted to the death.
The leader of the Third Prince's personal guards charged in. Chu Yangyang stood in front, showing no sign of weakness. "Commander, be careful. I know the whereabouts of the Dongling Mountain treasure house that your master has always wanted. It contains gold and silver treasures that could rival a country. But if you harm anyone in my Prime Minister's Mansion, you will never know the location of the treasure house."
The commander hesitated for a moment and did not dare to move forward.
Chu Yangyang pressed on, "If you can't make a decision, you can send someone to inform the Lord and wait for his instructions. We're trapped by you anyway, so it's hard to escape. But if you make the wrong decision, the Lord will definitely not let you go."
The commander immediately ordered, "Come here, tell the master this news."
The sudden halt in the offensive gave the secret guards enough time to reorganize their defenses, delaying the attack for as long as possible...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
