There are no secrets that stay hidden forever.
Although Ni Dingguo, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard and the Earl of Lanling, who initially took over the handling of the "Chen Longxiang, Prince of Jin, massacred the city of Jinling," had ordered that the matter be kept strictly confidential;
However, the Nanjing residents who had gathered in Yangliu Lane, where the incident occurred, had already spread this shocking news before the Imperial Guards and the Dragon City Inner Guards could seal off the scene.
Imagine how terrifyingly fast the news of the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the first prince turning against each other and fighting amongst themselves would spread among the common people.
Some people who love to watch the drama even spread rumors that the flag of kings was about to change hands again on the walls of Jinling City.
Suddenly, the people of Nanjing, who should have been immersed in the joy of "New Year's Eve reunion and family happiness," began to feel apprehensive.
That afternoon, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who had locked himself in the Imperial Study in the Imperial City to await news from the naval fleet, was surprised to be greeted by his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun.
It should be noted that since Chen Huai'an launched the Jingnan Rebellion in Longcheng, Empress Xu Ruoyun has completely retreated behind the scenes. Even when faced with the predicament of Longcheng, the fiefdom of Prince Jin, about to fall into the hands of the Yunhui Army of the court, Xu Ruoyun never interfered in any external affairs of the Prince's Mansion.
After Chen Huai'an ascended the throne and moved his family from Longcheng to the Jinling Imperial City, Xu Ruoyun lived in the deep palace for a long time, never leaving the inner palace.
Not to mention, in broad daylight, they barged directly into the imperial study where Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an continued to handle state affairs and summon officials after court sessions.
Therefore, when Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who was in the Imperial Study, heard the announcement of "The Empress Dowager has arrived" coming from outside the Imperial Study, his already gloomy mood and tense nerves became even heavier and more complicated.
Chen Huai'an knew very well that his mother's trip was definitely for his younger brother, Chen Longxiang.
As expected, after entering the Imperial Study, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun didn't even bother with Chen Huai'an's greetings and went straight to the point: "My son, I heard that your brother has gotten into trouble?"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded.
He wanted to put on a relaxed smile to reassure his mother, but he found that he couldn't smile at all.
Xu Ruoyun continued, "I have also heard that the reason your brother suddenly attacked and injured people in the street was because Marquis Wuping, Luo Yucheng, assaulted Li Wan'er, who was already pregnant, in the street?"
"How dare Luo Yucheng! Doesn't he know that Li Wan'er is from the Prince of Jin's residence?"
"Or is it that Wan'er's identity as the widow of the former royal family of Goguryeo was already on the wanted list of the Longcheng Inner Guard, which is why Luo Yucheng attacked Wan'er in the street?"
snort!
With that, Xu Ruoyun gave a cold snort, her face expressionless, and continued, "If I remember correctly, Luo Yucheng and the Dragon City Guards are directly under your command, Your Majesty."
Did he discuss this with you beforehand?
Faced with his mother Xu Ruoyun's barrage of rebukes and questions, Chen Huai'an, already in a state of confusion, was at a loss as to which question to answer first.
Clearly, even now, the Empress Dowager still doesn't know the true identity of "Li Wan'er," who is none other than the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, a woman who should have committed suicide by jumping into the river two and a half years ago.
Indeed, regarding Su Wan'er's true identity, not only her mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun, in the deep palace, but even the people of Jinling City who are at the scene of the incident today, and even the Dragon City Inner Guards and Imperial Guards who participated in this operation, only the leading commander knows Su Wan'er's true identity.
Everyone else only knew that Su Wan'er was just a pregnant woman with a big belly.
Therefore, in the eyes of the uninformed people, the root cause of such a tragedy was the brutal law enforcement of the Longcheng Inner Guard, who used violence against a pregnant woman, which led to Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin taking such drastic measures.
Thus, through misinformation, when it reached the ears of Empress Xu Ruoyun, it became the version we know today.
This prompted Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, upon receiving the news, to rush to the Imperial Study to "demand an explanation" without any regard for the consequences!
Chen Huai'an could understand his mother's feelings and, more importantly, he understood the hardships she had endured.
After his father, Emperor Chen Polu, was killed, he and his younger brother, Chen Longxiang, became their mother's only relatives in the world, and also her concern and reliance.
Now, with the world's situation settled and the Tang Dynasty firmly in the hands of the Chen family, the situation is much better.
Unexpectedly, at this time, such a thing happened. Chen Longxiang, the first prince of the Tang Dynasty, went on a killing spree in the streets, killing hundreds of Dragon City guards and imperial guards in Jinling City.
This is tantamount to treason!
Next, will his two sons, the eldest and the youngest, suffer the tragedy of brothers turning against each other and fighting amongst themselves, just like in the imperial family?
This was something Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun could not accept under any circumstances.
Xu Ruoyun's purpose in coming here was to "demand an explanation" and see if she could shift all the blame onto Luo Yucheng, the deputy commander of the Longcheng Inner Guard and Marquis of Wuping, so that this matter could be reduced to a minor issue and forgotten.
This middle-aged woman, who had lost her husband, simply couldn't bear the blow of losing her son as well!
Chen Huai'an could understand his mother's feelings, but as the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the ruler of all the people under heaven, he was unable to give his mother a satisfactory answer in handling this matter.
A country has its laws, and a family has its rules.
Even if he wanted to let his younger brother Chen Longxiang off the hook, would the laws of the Tang Dynasty, the civil and military officials in the court, and the people of the world let him off the hook?
Unless, of course, Chen Huai'an wanted to see the unified dynasty he had painstakingly built fall apart in less than two generations.
call--
Finally, Chen Huai'an let out a long breath, composed himself, and helped his mother, Xu Ruoyun, to sit down on a chair in the imperial study.
Then, with a calm expression, he said, "Mother, now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to tell you the truth."
"Actually, the woman that Longxiang brought back to the palace was not named Li Wan'er, nor was she a widow of the former royal family of Goguryeo. Her true identity was the former Empress Dowager—Su Wan'er!"
brush!
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, who had just settled into her chair, immediately stood up abruptly.
His face turned deathly pale, and he repeated incredulously, "Son, what did you say?"
Chen Huai'an replied, "Mother, the woman that Longxiang brought back, who is pregnant with his child, is none other than Su Wan'er, the former Empress Dowager and daughter of the Prince of Zhongshan, one of the eight non-royal princes of the Great Xin Dynasty!"
Buzz—
In an instant, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun's head exploded!
Suddenly, as if all his strength and energy had been drained, he slumped back into the chair.
In Xu Ruoyun's mind, every little thing she had spent with her daughter-in-law Li Wan'er, no, Su Wan'er, began to flash through her mind.
In particular, she knew better than the Empress Dowager herself where the scenery in the Imperial Garden was better, where the goldfish in the fishpond were fatter, and where the plum blossoms in the garden were more beautiful, when she accompanied her on a walk in the Imperial Garden last night.
Last night, Xu Ruoyun's entire attention was focused on her daughter-in-law's belly, and when they chatted, Su Wan'er deliberately talked about things she liked.
At that time, Xu Ruoyun naively believed that she and this daughter-in-law were kindred spirits!
Looking back now, Su Wan'er was simply pandering to his preferences, but he was completely unaware of it yesterday and hadn't realized it at all.
Xu Ruoyun grew angrier the more she thought about it, and her face became increasingly gloomy.
Standing beside her, Chen Huai'an witnessed his mother's reaction after learning the truth. He did not rush to express his opinion, but stood quietly beside his mother, waiting patiently.
a long time.
Xu Ruoyun finally raised her head again, looking at her eldest son Chen Huai'an and asking, "My son, now that things have come to this, your mother no longer wants to investigate why the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er is involved with the Dragon Elephant and is carrying our Chen family's child."
"Your Majesty only has one question for you: Did Marquis Wuping, Luo Yucheng, receive your order to abduct Su Wan'er in the street?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an nodded and did not deny it.
He explained, "Mother, the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er and the deposed Emperor Zhao Lingwu should have drowned on the day the Longcheng naval fleet breached the Daxin naval camp;"
"In fact, that is exactly what I proclaimed to the world, to reassure the people;"
"but--"
Chen Huai'an then changed the subject, saying, "At the time, I felt compassion for this widow and her child. The entire Xin Dynasty was already in my hands, and I didn't want to take their lives as well."
"Therefore, I have decided to spare the life of the deposed emperor Zhao Lingwu, changing his surname to Chen and his alias to Chen Lingwu."
"My original intention was to exile Su Wan'er and her son to the Goguryeo Peninsula to live as wealthy men, and to forbid them from ever setting foot in the Central Plains again."
"Who would have thought that after Long Xiang embarked on his expedition to Goguryeo as the vanguard general of the Tang Dynasty's navy, things began to spiral out of control;"
Eh—
Chen Huai'an sighed and said, "By the time I discovered it yesterday, things had completely spiraled out of my control."
"I issued an edict ordering Marquis Wuping, Luo Yucheng, to handle this matter secretly, but I never imagined that things would go wrong, leading to this irreparable situation."
"The way things have turned out is not solely the responsibility of the Dragon Elephant; I also bear responsibility!"
Eh—
After hearing Chen Huai'an's words, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun couldn't help but sigh and mutter to herself, "Fate is cruel, fate is cruel!"
After a moment, Xu Ruoyun regained her composure, stared intently at her eldest son, Chen Huai'an, and asked, "My son, I'll ask you one last question—"
"Now that things have come to this, what are you going to do with your younger brother, Longxiang?"
Chen Huai'an hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mother, after the Dragon Elephant caused havoc in Jinling City, he arbitrarily diverted the naval warships anchored at the docks outside the city and sailed down the river straight to the East China Sea;"
"I have already ordered the navy's warships to pursue along the river, hoping to bring the dragon and elephant back."
"If, if we really can't bring them back and Longxiang returns to Goguryeo, what will happen next? I have no way to answer Mother Empress right now."
After a pause, Chen Huai'an continued, "Furthermore, with such a major event occurring in the capital city of Jinling, the civil and military officials of the court must all have their own thoughts and intentions."
"In particular, a group of civil officials, led by Liu Huaiyi, a censor of the Censorate, have been obstructing my intention to have Qiluo's child inherit the title of the late Uyghur Khan, the Western King of the Tang Dynasty;"
"Now that this incident has occurred, these civil officials will surely seize the opportunity to make trouble."
"Therefore, where I and Longxiang will ultimately end up is not up to me at all, but rather up to what choices Longxiang will make next!"
Finally, Chen Huai'an looked intently at his mother, Xu Ruoyun, and said, word by word, "Mother, if that day ever comes, I hope you can understand me!"
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