Chapter 145

The emperor is critically ill. The entire palace seems calm, but there are already undercurrents behind the scenes.

The Liaonan King is far superior to the court in terms of military strength and popular support. Although the eldest princess summoned the prince of Huai to the palace, there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable.

The imperial power is weak, and the palace people secretly begin to plot their own way out.

Although the eldest princess tried her best to stabilize the court, the situation was over, and she alone could not stop the tide of the dynasty change.

Now, it is unclear how many people in the palace are loyal and how many are spies of various forces.

When Jiang Yanxi stepped into Feng Shiyan's bedroom, the sunlight was shining in from the carved red lacquer door frame. She was wearing a navy blue palace dress, with long sleeves embroidered with brocade flowers trailing on the shiny floor tiles. The maid beside her was holding a cup of steaming brown medicine.

The bright yellow curtains in the hall were lifted layer by layer by the palace maids, and the gloom in the room finally showed a little light. The smoke of ambergris was swallowed from the mouth of the Jiaozi beast, but it still couldn't cover the bitter smell of medicine.

Several palace servants were kneeling in front of Feng Shiyan's bed. Everything here was dead, including the once arrogant tyrant lying on the dragon bed.

In a few months, Feng Shiyan had become so thin that he was unrecognizable. He could not eat and had to rely on medicine to survive. His old clothes could not fit him at all.

Jiang Yanxi looked at the man with sunken cheeks and closed eyes on the bed, covered her mouth with her hands, and tears kept falling.

Ever since Feng Shiyan found that he was getting thinner day by day, he did not allow Jiang Yanxi to visit him. Every day when he was awake, after explaining the political affairs of the court, he would listen to the palace servants report what Jiang Yanxi did every day.

The tiny sobs still woke Feng Shiyan up. Looking at the person so close to him, his dry lips moved, "Why are you here?"

Because he was weak, his voice was not loud, and he was very hoarse.

"Your Majesty..." Jiang Yanxi choked up and couldn't stop sobbing. She did hate him in the past, but now seeing him tortured by the snake venom to this extent, she felt only bitterness in her heart.

She wanted to hug Feng Shiyan and cry, but he was so thin that he was almost just a skeleton. She didn't even dare to touch him. She remembered how strong his muscular arms used to be.

The man in front of her was as fragile as a candle in the wind, which could be blown out by the wind at any time.

In the end, she could only lie on the side of the bed and sob.

Feng Shiyan looked at the ceiling with empty eyes. He had a good bone structure. Even though he was extremely thin, at first glance he only had a kind of haggard and fragile beauty, which did not make people feel scary.

"Xi'er, the lotus flowers in the palace are gone."

He turned his head with difficulty and stroked her long black hair: "I'm sorry, I can't accompany you to the palace to see the lotus flowers."

Even at this moment, what he still remembered was that he couldn't accompany her to the palace.

Previously, the capital was besieged and they couldn't leave the palace.

Jiang Yanxi shook her head and burst into tears.

She trembled and held Feng Shiyan's hand, which was so thin that only a layer of skin remained, as if she was protecting something precious, and tried to squeeze out a smile: "Your Majesty, we will go next year."

Feng Shiyan looked at her red eyes from crying, clenched his five fingers slightly, and held her hand: "Okay, next year... next year I will accompany you."

They all knew that this was just a lie.

He couldn't wait until the lotus flowers bloomed next year.

Jiang Yanxi took the medicine bowl from the maid, and Langxi wiped her eyes, "Your Majesty, I will feed you the medicine."

She finally put away her thorns and wanted to accompany him through this last journey.

Feng Shiyan now felt nauseous when he smelled the medicine, but because it was Jiang Yanxi who fed him, he still swallowed it all spoonful by spoonful. However, after drinking only half a bowl, he could no longer hold it and vomited it all out. The quilt, his own lapels, the corners of his mouth and his jaw were all covered with the medicine juice, making a mess.

The palace maids who were serving on the side rushed over, some wiped his face, some changed clothes, and some changed quilts. Everyone was silent and quick, as if they were already used to it. Instead, Jiang Yanxi stood aside, at a loss.

When everything was packed up, Feng Shiyan was extremely tired. He didn't want Jiang Yanxi to see him in such a frenzy, so he said, "Xi'er, go back."

Jiang Yanxi responded with tears in her eyes, and left the bedroom, looking back every few steps.

The chief eunuch who served Feng Shiyan glanced at Jiang Yanxi's back with his eyelids drooping, and turned around with another sad expression: "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not." Feng Shiyan

closed his eyes and said, "Say it."

The chief eunuch's eyes flashed, "There have been many pigeons appearing in the palace of Concubine Xi recently." Feng Shiyan

's eyes, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened, He turned his head, his eyes still as dignified as before: "Go on."

The chief eunuch was so frightened that his knees softened, and he knelt down, his head on the ground: "Old slave... Old slave heard from the gossiping palace maids in Cangjiao Palace that Concubine Xi seemed to have had contact with Master Lu."

If it was anything else, Feng Shiyan might not have doubts, but when it came to Lu Linyuan, his doubts and suspicions could no longer be concealed.

He closed his eyes again, "Check."

There was suppressed anger in his voice.

The chief eunuch knew that he was obviously beginning to doubt, and seeing that his goal was achieved, he quickly said: "This old slave obeys your order."

The palace maid who followed Jiang Yanxi was a cautious one. Seeing that Jiang Yanxi had been crying all the way, she returned to the Cangjiao Palace, dismissed the palace people, and then whispered: "Princess, have you softened your heart?"

Jiang Yanxi's emotions that had been suppressed for a long time finally broke out. She shouted with red eyes: "I am also a living person, not just a tool for your revenge!"

The palace maid frowned: "You are the only blood of the previous royal family, and revenge is your innate responsibility. I persuaded the princess to leave the palace earlier for the sake of her safety. You were unwilling to leave before because you were worried about Minister Jiang. Now that Minister Jiang has been released from prison, the emperor is dead. , you will have no protection in the palace. Now the palace is in chaos everywhere, and it is the best choice for us to take the opportunity to leave the palace. Didn’t you say before that you would leave the palace after seeing the emperor for the last time today? "

Jiang Yanxi closed her eyes: "I thought I had given up, but when I saw him like this, I realized that I would still be sad. "

The palace maid said: "I hope the princess will consider the old people from the previous dynasty who are involved in this matter. In three days, Master Lin will send someone to Xuanwu Gate to meet you. If you don’t leave, we won’t leave either."

She paused and added: "Moreover, if the emperor knew that the poison was handed over to Empress Gao by us, I am afraid he will no longer be so affectionate to you, the princess."

These words finally dimmed the last ray of light in Jiang Yanxi's eyes.

Neither of them noticed that there was a little palace maid outside the door, leaning against the door frame and listening to the noise inside. When she heard these words, she left quietly with her eyes wide open and her hands covering her mouth.

Few people know that the chief eunuch in the palace has a private house outside the palace.

The man who was arrogant on weekdays, at this moment, smiled and flattered the young man sitting in a wheelchair next to him: "Young Master Jiang is really smart. When the emperor heard that Concubine Xi might have had contact with Lu Linyuan, he immediately asked this old servant to investigate the matter."

Chu Yangui glanced at him, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, smiling coldly.

The chief eunuch quickly slapped himself on the lips: "Look at my mouth, now I should call you Young Master Chu."

Chu Yangui poured himself a cup of tea: "Yangui is ill and cannot drink, so I'll use tea instead of wine to toast you, eunuch."

He calculated very accurately. Feng Shiyan could dote on Jiang Yanxi at all costs, but the only thing he could not accept was that she was still in contact with Lu Linyuan. In order to find out whether this was true, he would definitely check everyone in Jiang Yanxi's palace one by one. Those people from the previous dynasty who sneaked into the palace would inevitably be unable to hide, and Jiang Yanxi's identity would also be revealed to the world.

The chief eunuch raised his cup quickly: "Young Master Chu is really kind to me. When the prince comes to Beijing, I hope that Young Master Chu will say a few good words for me in front of the prince."

Chu Yangui smiled and said, "Of course."

He liked to wear white clothes and was not good at walking. His words and deeds were all gentle and elegant like a young master from a noble family. He did not look threatening at all.

He asked casually: "I wonder what's going on with the Grand Princess recently?"

The chief eunuch put down his teacup and sighed: "Speaking of which, the capital is still stable on the surface, all thanks to the Grand Princess. To be honest, if she were a man, I'm afraid the throne would not have fallen to Your Majesty."

Chu Yangui smiled and agreed.

The chief eunuch was afraid that Chu Yangui might misunderstand him, so he hurriedly said, "The Grand Princess was the person that His Majesty trusted the most. His Majesty began to be suspicious of the Grand Princess because she helped Mr. Chu San to leave the capital."

Chu Yangui was unaware of this past, and his eyes changed slightly, "I hope you can explain it in detail, eunuch."

The chief eunuch sighed, "When Mr. Chu San returned to the capital privately, it was a serious crime punishable by death. His Majesty ordered the imperial guards to go to the Chu Mansion to arrest him, but it was the Grand Princess who stopped the imperial guards for half a minute on the way, so Mr. Chu San was able to escape. Afterwards, His Majesty found out about this matter, and although he did not break up with the Grand Princess, he still had a grudge in his heart and did not dare to trust the Grand Princess as before."

"The Grand Princess feels guilty towards His Majesty, and she has always believed that His Majesty's poisoning was the work of the Prince, so she can't stand on the Prince's side. That's why she wants to wait until the Emperor dies before supporting the Prince of Huai to take the throne."

Knowing that the Grand Princess had been kind to Chu Changping, Chu Yangui thought for a moment and said to the chief eunuch, "Please tell the Grand Princess the truth about the Emperor's poisoning."

Although the Grand Princess is a woman, her means should not be underestimated. Otherwise, after Feng Shiyan fell, the civil and military officials of the court would not be easily subdued by her.

Without the hatred of poisoning Feng Shiyan, it would save a lot of trouble if he could make peace with the Grand Princess.

The chief eunuch was an old man in the palace and knew about Chu Changping's refusal to marry the eldest princess. He immediately said, "Okay, okay."

Xizhou

On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yang Xiu and Bing Shao bought the ingredients for making mooncakes early in the morning. Jiang Yanyi also asked people to spread the news that the people of Hengzhou would make mooncakes for the soldiers in the military camp. Many people voluntarily brought some flour in large and small bags to make them together.

Merchants of all sizes also bought some ingredients. Jiang Yanyi originally had to budget the ingredients tightly, but now he was not worried about not having enough ingredients.

Jiang Yanyi asked people to set up a shed in front of the gate of the palace, and he taught the women there every day to make mooncakes. The pastry chefs who originally knew how to make mooncakes also spontaneously taught the women who came to learn the skills to make ordinary mooncakes.

When there was not enough firewood, the men from each family went to the mountains to chop wood, and the half-grown children also helped their mothers.

Some children from poor families probably had only eaten a few cakes all year round. When they saw the baked yellow mooncakes, they were so greedy that they swallowed their saliva but did not dare to steal a piece. They carefully wrapped them with oil paper and put them on the table beside.

Jiang Yanyi occasionally saw them, and seeing that they were as thin as beans, he could not bear it and handed some to them.

It is said that children from poor families take charge of the family early, and those children refused to accept it no matter what. A child of four or five years old with only a tuft of hair on his forehead hesitated to go forward to take it, but was stopped by his sister who was only a few years older than him.

"Xiaobao, don't take it, it's for the soldiers!" The girl with the whip scolded her brother.

Jiang Yanyi said, "It's okay for each of you to take one. We have plenty of flour and we can continue making it."

The girl looked at the mooncake in Jiang Yanyi's hand and swallowed her saliva, but still shook her head stubbornly, "Dad and big brother have joined the army. If we don't eat it, they might get one."

The little boy retracted his hand when he heard his sister say this, "Xiaobao won't eat it, leave it for dad and big brother."

Jiang Yanyi looked at their childish faces and dark eyes, and felt very bitter. The swords on the battlefield are blind. When this war is over, they don't know if they can see their dad and big brother.

Jiang Yanyi said, "All soldiers can get some."

The girl's eyes showed some hope: "Really?"

Jiang Yanyi nodded. The girl looked at the mooncake in her hand, but still refused to take it. She smiled shyly: "Then wait until all soldiers get their mooncakes. If there are any left, we can eat them."

Yanyi took his younger brother to his mother's side to help.

Jiang Yanyi's eyes were moved, but there was something else.

"What are you looking at?"

Someone suddenly spoke from behind, and Jiang Yanyi was startled.

She turned around and saw that it was Feng Shuo. She couldn't help but glare at him: "When did you come? You didn't even make a sound and just scared me."

Feng Shuo said with a smile: "I heard that you were here when I came back, so I came to see you. You were too engrossed, why are you blaming me?"

Jiang Yanyi glanced at the peasant woman and her two children who were busy in the shed, and sighed: "When the war is over, I don't know how many mothers will lose their sons, wives will lose their husbands, and children will lose their fathers. My heart sinks when I think of this..."

Feng Shuo said: "If they don't go to the battlefield, it will be their wives and children who suffer."

Jiang Yanyi understood this, and felt even more uncomfortable in her heart.

She said, "I hope the world will be stable soon."

The sadness on her face was reflected in Feng Shuo's deep eyes, and he only said, "Soon."

They both had outstanding looks and temperament, and with Feng Shuo's particularly recognizable armor, many women and children were looking over here.

Jiang Yanyi said, "Let's go inside and talk."

Feng Shuo glanced around and knew that she was shy, so he smiled and said, "No, I just went back to the mansion to get some things, and I came to tell you that I can arrange more rooms later. The thousands of soldiers and horses detained by the King of Xinyang have been released."

The King of Xinyang thought that by holding Jiang Yanyi, he had held Feng Shuo's soft spot, and when they jointly sent troops to resist the foreign enemy, he was quite afraid of Qiao. When he learned that Jiang Yanyi had arrived in Hengzhou early in the morning, he was so angry that his face turned green.

If he dared to make a move on those thousands of soldiers, Feng Shuo had no soft spot in his hands, so he would not get any good, so he had to release all the thousands of soldiers with hatred.

Jiang Yanyi was very happy to know that Aunt Guo and the thousands of soldiers who followed her south had returned safely, and he hurriedly sent people out of the city to pick them up.

At this time, neither of them expected that this incident would become a reason for Prince Xinyang to hold a grudge.

When Daxuan and Minghan Kingdom faced off on the battlefield a few days later, Prince Xinyang, who was supposed to go around Minghan Kingdom to attack from the rear, did not rush to the battlefield at all, but led his troops directly to the north, almost causing the heavy cavalry that was holding back the Minghan Kingdom army on the main battlefield to be annihilated.

"He is indeed a villain who is associated with the villains of the Fan family! The next time I see him, I will kill him!"

"That old thief! He withdrew his troops temporarily, and my eight thousand soldiers lost their lives in vain!"

In the big tent, all the princes gnashed their teeth in hatred when they mentioned Prince Xinyang.

"He's heading north, and it looks like he's heading for the capital!"

"That son of a bitch! We've been through life and death here, and he's going to seize the throne?"

"I knew he was not a good guy when he saw Fan Wei was beaten like a bereaved dog and he still protected Fan Wei!"

"My Lord, how do you decide this? That old thief dares to withdraw his troops to the north at this time. I think he's just like the Fan family, and doesn't care about his reputation at all!" An old prince said to Feng Shuo.

Feng Shuo looked at the sand map in front of him, and there was only murderous intent in his eyes: "Inform all prefectures and cities within 800 miles urgently, and don't open the city gates for Prince Xinyang!"

Capital.

It was almost dusk, and everything in the Cangjiao Palace was the same as usual. Jiang Yanxi changed into the clothes of a palace maid that the people of the previous dynasty found for her, and she was pretended by a palace maid who was knocked out.

Everything was ready, and she was just waiting to leave the palace, but a group of imperial guards surrounded the Cangjiao Palace at this time, not allowing anyone to enter or leave.

"How dare you restrain the feet of Concubine Xi?" The eldest palace maid, who was disguised as an old member of the previous dynasty, glared at the imperial guards fiercely.

The head of the imperial guards was unmoved: "We are here to protect the safety of Concubine Xi under the order of His Majesty."

The incident happened suddenly, and Jiang Yanxi and the people of the previous dynasty around her were inevitably a little confused.

Not long after, the chief eunuch came to summon, saying that Feng Shiyan wanted to see Jiang Yanxi.

Jiang Yanxi felt even more uneasy. After Feng Shiyan became so ill, she took the initiative to go to him but he wouldn't let her. What happened today?

She changed into a new palace dress and went to Feng Shiyan's bedroom. She felt uneasy all the way. But after she stepped into the palace full of the smell of medicine, her mood miraculously calmed down.

"Your Majesty, you are looking for me." She sat down beside the dragon couch, her expression the same as before.

There was no servant in the palace, only Feng Shiyan.

He closed his eyes, sneered and asked her: "Yanxi, have you ever deceived me?"