Qiu Yizhi, who was locked up alone in the cage, had no chance to experience such a grand occasion, but he did not feel lonely or desolate. When Zhong Likuang visited him in prison a few days ago, the news he brought to him was enough to make his heart surge for a while.
The emperor's body is in danger. If he dies one day, once this towering tree falls down, what will happen to the branches, moss, insects and even rotten scars attached to his body
A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. After this big tree falls, another big tree will surely grow on its body. To whom will this brave and wise emperor, with his increasingly weak fingers, give up the throne that determines the well-being of the people of the world? The eldest prince Zheng Xin, the second prince Zheng Sen, and the third prince Zheng Miao are all not mediocre people. Which of them is lucky enough to be favored by their supreme father
The current emperor is a wise emperor who knows both people and himself. He knows that he will die soon, and he will definitely clean up the iron-clad country for his successor - at least that's what the old emperor himself thinks?. However, if it is "cleaning up", then there must be "reason", and it must be "cleaned up". I wonder which one, or which group of unlucky people, will lose their official positions and be ruined in the process of "cleaning up"
After the emperor passed away, what policies would the new emperor adopt in the face of such a vast country? Would he send Qiu Yizhi and Dai Luanxiang to Youyan and Lingnan respectively to guard these two key places for the court? Would the "new policy" measures that the old emperor had been thinking about continue to be implemented in the hands of the new emperor
This series of questions, mixed with his thoughts about Wen Lingjiao, Princess Yiran, and his rumored son, were like straw mixed with paste, which clogged Qiu Yizhi's originally smart brain. It also made the owner of this brain, Qiu Yizhi, unable to sleep or eat, and his body, which had been fat in prison, became thin again at a rapid speed.
Generally speaking, prisoners in prison can be divided into the following categories:
The other type is those who are detained in prison before the verdict is announced. These people are worried and anxious because the case is not clear and the punishment is not determined. If the crime they committed is slightly more serious, or if they refuse to confess for various reasons, they will inevitably be punished by "a small beating every day and a big beating every three days", which will cause great damage to both their body and mind.
The first type is those who have already been sentenced, either to exile, dismissal, or beheading. These people have a set future and are the most calm. Especially for those who have been sentenced to death, the jailers often treat them very well in order to avoid being haunted by their wronged souls. Many death row prisoners who come from poor places have the best food in their lives in prison.
Another type is those who have been sentenced to imprisonment, and they serve their sentences in prison. These people have to stay in prison, and they know that if they offend the jailer, they will suffer the consequences. Therefore, they are the most flattering to the jailer, and often ask their family members outside to bring some money to bribe these living devils who guard them, so as to avoid being bullied and framed by them.
There is another type of people who were forgotten in the cell for various reasons. These people have a bleak future and are the most pitiful. Some of them don't even have anyone to prepare their own meals, and can only pick up the already crude leftovers in the cell to fill their stomachs.
Qiu Yizi was like the last type of person. No one tortured him, no one interrogated him, and no one released him. No one said he was guilty, and no one said he was not guilty. No outsiders could come to visit him in prison, and of course he could not leave this tiny death place.
Such a situation really seems like being forgotten by the world. If ordinary people encounter such a situation, they will definitely become anxious and insane, suffer from a serious illness, or even die.
Although Qiu Yizi always talks about retiring to the mountains and farming, at this point his mind is full of thoughts about the rise and fall of the country, the future of the country, and the safety of the nation. How can he have the time to worry about his own honor and disgrace, success or failure
In this way, Qiu Yizi was detained for nearly half a month. The emperor neither summoned him nor ordered his release. His originally tense heart finally relaxed gradually as time passed.
Qiu Yizi learned from his frequent communications with Lin Shuhan outside the prison that the rebels in the Lingnan Palace had been completely wiped out by the court. However, the court was not yet ready to take over all the military and political affairs of Lingnan, so it temporarily kept its troops in Jiangnan and did not immediately march south.
The eldest son Zheng Xin and the second son Zheng Sen, who were responsible for encircling and annihilating Zheng Yu and the remnants of the Lingnan Army, were also ordered to return to Nanjing and come before the emperor. As for the troops in their hands, the elite cavalry that Zheng Sen brought down from Youyan Road were the emperor's old troops and could accompany the guard; while the newly recruited northwestern soldiers by Zheng Xin were all stationed nearby and could not be brought back to Nanjing.
At the same time, the emperor issued another imperial decree to summon the former general Dai Luanxiang, who was living in seclusion in the capital, to Nanjing. On the surface, he wanted him to help reorganize and gradually disband the surrendered troops of the Lingnan Palace, but in fact, he had already made plans to let him lead the army to pacify Lingnan Road.
As for the third prince Zheng Miao, who was serving as regent in the capital city of Luoyang, the emperor let him handle state affairs on his own. Apart from occasional comments and interventions, he never interfered, and often even included a few words of praise in the imperial edicts.
These countless pieces of information were like countless thin threads tied to a silver needle. Countless pieces of information coming from countless directions eventually converged in the direction pointed by the tiny needle tip. Just as Prime Minister Zhongli Kuang said, Emperor Zheng Rong was preparing for his own funeral, and the heir to the throne was increasingly pointing to the third son of the emperor, Zheng Miao.
Among the three princes, Zheng Miao has the best relationship with Qiu Yizi, and his character is a combination of strength and gentleness. If he ascends the throne and becomes emperor, Qiu Yizi's chances of realizing her ultimate wish of retiring to the countryside will greatly increase.
When he thought of this, Qiu Yizi could not hold back his excitement. He even dreamed of himself and Wen Lingjiao farming, reading and singing in the beautiful countryside several times; he also dreamed of himself and Princess Yiran riding horses and laughing on the endless grassland, with his son following behind him, whose face was still a little blurry.
Every time this happened, Qiu Yizi would laugh out loud in her sleep.
But in the blink of an eye, he fell into depression and contemplation again - after all, Zheng Miao was the youngest of the three brothers and not the eldest son. He had some shortcomings in etiquette and law, and the throne might not be secure from the beginning. If he was asked to lend a hand and support them, it would be difficult for him to refuse.
"That's fine. Third brother is not stupid, and he has Master Zhongli to help him. He only needs to take care of the minor details for Zheng Miao. This way, it will take no more than two or three years, or at least a year or two. After the government is stabilized, he can retire from the martial arts world with peace of mind."
With such a wishful thinking in mind, Qiu Yizi stayed in the Jinling prison cell for another half a month.
During these ten days, Qiu Yizhi decided to recuperate in prison first, and continued to eat, sleep, practice boxing and read books every day. However, Zhongli Kuang never came to visit him in prison again, and the emperor did not issue any decree to him.
The weather in Jiangnan gradually gets hotter after spring, and it is even more unbearable in the airtight prison cell. The prison warden in charge of guarding Qiu Yizhi knew the identity of this unusual prisoner and accepted bribes, so he sent Qiu Yizhi iced fruits every day for him to cool down.
Even so, Qiu Yizi was still sweating profusely and was restless.
Just as Qiu Yi was fanning herself on the belly with a palm-leaf fan the size of a washbasin, she suddenly heard the prison door creak open from the outside, bringing in a gust of cool air.
When Qiu Yizi was in a disheveled state, the cool air blowing on his exposed skin made him shiver. He quickly tightened his loose robe, and looked up again, only to see two people in tight clothes standing at the door one after the other. Their figures seemed very familiar.
The light in the cell was very dim. While Qiu Yizhi was still trying to identify the two men, he heard the person in front of him say, "Sir, it's bad. Something has happened. You should leave quickly!"
This voice reached Qiu Yizhi's ears, and immediately lifted his spirits. He said with great surprise in his tone: "Lingjiao...you...why are you here?" As he spoke, he jumped off the bed with bare feet, walked quickly to Wen Lingjiao, and hugged her tightly in his arms.
Wen Lingjiao seemed to have something very urgent to do. She pushed Qiu Yizi away and repeated, "Sir, it's bad. Something happened. Come out with me quickly, otherwise it will be terrible."
Qiu Yizi was a curious person who didn't want to be manipulated by others, so of course he had to ask the reason: "Tell me slowly, what happened? How did you get in?"
Wen Lingjiao's eyebrows shrank into a ball in anxiety, and she immediately explained: "Your elder brother, that Zheng Xin, is going to rebel. He will definitely come to kill you. I broke in with Jiming, why don't you come with me!"
Qiu Yizi was stunned when he heard this, and tilted his head. Sure enough, he saw Yuchi Jiming protecting Wen Lingjiao behind him, his face full of tension, and there were quite a few bloodstains on his clothes.
Wen Lingjiao was Qiu Yizhi's confidante. Qiu Yizhi had no reason not to believe her words, but the news of "Zheng Xin's rebellion" was still hard for him to accept. He still confirmed with some doubt: "How is this possible? My brother is the emperor's biological son. Why did he rebel? Even if he rebelled, I am a prisoner. Why would he come to kill me?"
Wen Lingjiao was so anxious that she almost cried: "I don't have time to tell you in detail. I can only tell you that my brother is with Zheng Xin now. He was the one who instigated Zheng Xin to rebel. I also heard this news by eavesdropping. I came to save you, but my brother didn't even know about it. Don't ask me anymore, just follow me!"
When Qiu Yizi heard such news, she was stunned: Wen Honghui, the leader of Tianzun Sect, has always been a troublemaker. After the failure of the Lingnan King's rebellion, it was not unimaginable that he looked for ways to join the eldest prince Zheng Xin and instigated Zheng Xin to make trouble. And such news was brought by Wen Honghui's younger sister, Wen Lingjiao, the saint of Tianzun Sect, which undoubtedly increased the credibility of the news to a greater extent.
Although Qiu Yizhi's mind was clear, he still couldn't accept such a drastic change in the situation. He gritted his teeth and said, "Even if Wen Honghui persuaded my brother to rebel, he might not listen to him. Even if he really rebelled, there are still the emperor and the prime minister in Jinling City, and he can't make much waves. I don't have any soldiers now, so even if I go out, it won't be of much use. Instead, it will bring disaster to myself. It's better to stay here first."