Chapter 317: Heavy Sins
When meeting Wei Jinxiu, Emperor Jiaping left the secret guards outside the door. Although the secret guards rushed in immediately, the burning kerosene got on his robes, and Emperor Jiaping was covered in flames in an instant.
When one of the secret guards dared to tear off the burning dragon robe and threw it aside before flying out with Emperor Jiaping, he discovered that Emperor Jiaping's neck, chest, arms, and legs... were all burned...
When Chen Ning arrived, the director of the Imperial Hospital had already brought people to treat the injuries and fed Emperor Jiaping garlic water. When he saw Chen Ning, the director shook his head slightly in a subtle way.
In an instant, Shen Ning understood that Emperor Jiaping would not survive.
Chen Ning's heart sank suddenly. She did not waste a moment and quietly retreated. When she returned to Cining Palace, she blew the whistle to summon the golden eagle. She quickly wrote down the fact that Emperor Jiaping was burned and dying, and asked the golden eagle to bring it to Xiao Nanchen.
With the great changes in the capital, there will certainly be changes in the army. The sooner Xiao Nanchen knows about it, the sooner he can prepare...
Soon, Emperor Jiaping also realized that his condition was not good. Even though he took a lot of painkillers, the burned areas still caused piercing pain, which made him dizzy and unable to think.
He knew something was wrong, so he summoned Lord Xu immediately, asked Wei Fuhai to prepare pen and ink, and struggled to get up.
Tormented by immense pain, Emperor Jiaping's hands were still trembling, but the words he wrote on the small table were sharp and powerful: "...Among my sons, the seventh prince, Xiao Nanchen, is a man of both civil and military skill, loyal and upright, of noble character, a true reflection of our ancestors, and shall succeed the throne..."
Next to him, the Second Prince Xiao Nanyong, who was kneeling beside the dragon couch and serving, slowly raised his eyes and pulled the corners of his mouth.
In one go, Emperor Jiaping affixed the imperial seal with all his might, then collapsed on his back exhausted, saying in a hoarse voice, "Announce it to the world!"
However, there was deathly silence in the bedroom.
The strange silence suddenly shook the already tense spirit of Emperor Jiaping. He opened his eyes and saw that his close companion Wei Fuhai was trembling as he held up the imperial edict with both hands. He turned and walked to the table beside the dragon couch, bowed and handed the edict out. The second prince Xiao Nanyong, who had been serving him these days, curled his lips and reached out to take it.
The usually docile and humble second son suddenly revealed a fierceness that Emperor Jiaping could not fathom. The next moment, Emperor Jiaping heard a cold and deep voice.
"Father's calligraphy has improved greatly."
Emperor Jiaping suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring at his second son who had been mute for nearly twenty years, and said calmly, "It's just that I don't like what you wrote."
After saying that, Xiao Nanyong smiled, raised his hand and held the imperial edict in his hand over the lamp... Flames rose, and the edict burned slowly, just like the fire that Emperor Jiaping saw in the cold palace, instantly forcing him into a desperate situation.
His mind, which had been somewhat unclear due to the severe pain, suddenly became clear at this moment.
Emperor Jiaping suddenly remembered something he had long forgotten: Wei had been imprisoned in the cold palace... Who gave her the kerosene in the cold palace?
He struggled to sit up and pointed at Lord Xu: "Lord... I treat you well!"
Elder Xu had aged immensely in recent days. Upon hearing this, his eyes welled up and he slowly knelt down. "Your Majesty, I will repay your kindness in my next life... But while I am alive, I will fight for the Xu family, for the entire Xu clan, and for those who depend on them."
Elder Xu burst into tears: "If Prince Ding succeeds to the throne, the entire Xu family...will have a hard time surviving!"
Over the years, relying on the Xu family's support, all those with kinship with them attached themselves to the Xu family, and throughout the provinces of Daxuan, they became kings, annexing land and evading land taxes...
Lord Xu knew clearly that the current situation of the Xuan Dynasty was closely related to these things, but by the time he realized it, the situation had become too powerful to be controlled and he was unable to deal with it.
A single move can affect the entire body. He is the leader of the entire Xu family. If the powerful and iron-fisted Prince Ding succeeds to the throne, for the sake of national stability, he will definitely target the Xu family because he has the courage and ability to do so!
Elder Xu wanted to support the country, but he had to choose to protect tens of thousands of people in his family...
He slowly knelt down and kowtowed to Emperor Jiaping: "This old minister has committed grave sins. Even if I die nine times, I will not be wronged. In my next life, I will work like an ox or a horse to atone for my sins and repay your majesty's kindness..."
The next day, Emperor Jiaping was seriously injured and fell into a coma. Lord Xu presided over the government affairs, and the second prince stayed in the Qianqing Palace and served him with filial piety.
Before he could fully relax, the entire Daxuan court became tense again.
But Lord Xu was still standing there steadily, handling state affairs in an orderly manner. Therefore, all the ministers quickly calmed down again... After all, it was said that the emperor was seriously injured this time because the deposed queen in the cold palace went crazy and killed the king, not because of a palace coup.
Fortunately, their lives are safe.
But Chen Ning didn't think so, or rather, anyone with a brain could smell the weirdness in it.
The reason why Emperor Jiaping was seriously injured instantly after the fire broke out was because there was kerosene in the cold palace.
But if an imprisoned deposed queen had no one to help her behind the scenes, where would she get the kerosene?
Moreover, before Emperor Jiaping fell into a coma, he summoned Lord Xu to talk, and then there was no further text... A seriously injured emperor summoned the regent minister when the whole country was in turmoil, but did nothing?
No words left?
How is this possible!
And that night, the Second Prince was also in the Palace of Heavenly Purity...
The Second Prince, Xiao Nanrong, had always been gentle and humble. Although Shen Ning had not gone so far as to become enemies with him, she had always been polite and maintained a relationship between strangers and friends.
It was precisely because she always felt that the Second Prince inexplicably made her feel wary... even though he had never shown any aggressiveness.
And now, she is certain that this Second Prince is probably the most hidden one in the entire palace.
Everyone knew about the Crown Prince's coup, but the Second Prince's coup was silent...
Shen Ning was a little worried, and she didn't know what arrangements Xiao Nanchen would make after receiving the letter.
Now Xu Zhong has rebelled, and the Tatars and Wala have taken advantage of the chaos to make a comeback. The Yuan Dynasty is still like a greedy and despicable hyena, always eyeing the Liaodong Pass... More importantly, Xu Zhong is not Chen Nian.
He has talents and abilities that are not much inferior to Xiao Nanchen's!
There is also the Xu family army who are loyal to him... So, Xiao Nanchen's side is actually more difficult.
When Shen Ning thought about how Xiao Nanchen risked his life for the entire Daxuan Dynasty, while these people kept doing bad things and setting traps for him and shooting him in the back, she was filled with anger and wanted to shoot them all with a machine gun.
Is it easy for me, Emperor Jingyong?
These people are simply hateful...
But she is not a god. At this time, she can't do more than send the letter... It's not that she didn't want to go find Xiao Nanchen, but with her current physical condition, if she went to her, it would be a burden.
Shen Ning could only keep comforting herself: Believe in me, Wang!
Even without Thunderbolt in the original plot, there were still these villains, and our king still won. Of course, it is impossible for him to lose now.
But even so, when I was in the middle of the situation, I couldn't help but feel flustered...
The Queen Mother, the most senior seed player in the deep palace, could of course sense that something was wrong, but when Shen Ning thought that she would stay in the Cining Palace and not go out, she found that the old lady was still going to the Imperial Garden to digest food and exercise in the morning and evening as usual.
Shen Ning quickly understood the old lady's intention: the situation outside was already more chaotic, and if the palace became chaotic again, it would be even more difficult for the court to move forward... Nothing happened outside, but she was already confused.
That is why the old lady insisted on showing up every day like a stabilizing force.
Sure enough, the harem, which was originally in a panic, soon calmed down again... Now Concubine Ma, who is temporarily in charge of the harem affairs, is leading the entire harem to practice frugality, saying that she wants to save expenses for military pay.
But no matter how frugal she was, Concubine Ma insisted on sending things to Chen Ning every now and then.
Although the two of them didn't have many opportunities to meet, and Ma Guiren never deliberately tried to get close to Shen Ning...but she always remembered Shen Ning, her savior.
That day, when Concubine Ma sent someone to deliver something again, as soon as the person entered the palace gate, walked around the screen, and wiped off the makeup on his face, Shen Ning was stunned.
"Cousin? Why is it you?"
The person who came was actually Xie Lingyue, who had not been seen since the last palace coup. However, she had changed her previous dashing style and became a palace maid. Her makeup was also greatly changed. People who were not familiar with her would definitely not recognize her.
Xie Lingyue spoke quickly, clearly anxious, but still steady. She said, "Ningning, something's wrong. I need your help."
Shen Ning immediately said: “Cousin, please speak.”
Xie Lingyue took a deep breath: "Concubine Xu is probably dead..."
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