Qiu Yizhi thought: Since my adoptive father has not crossed the Yellow River yet, maybe I can persuade him to stay put and not go to Beijing in Youyan Dao. That would be the best. So he quickly finished his lunch and was about to get up to go to the dock to find a ferry. But he saw from the upstairs that a large ship had been parked at the Yellow River ferry. A large flag on the highest mast in the middle of the ship was fluttering in the wind, and several golden dragons were faintly seen embroidered on the flag.
Although Qiu Yizhi could not see clearly, he had a rough idea in his heart - the person on the big ship was none other than his adoptive father, the late emperor's brother, the Prince of Youyan, Zheng Rong. He secretly cried out "not good", and hurriedly told Zhao Chengxiao to throw down his bowl and chopsticks, and even without paying for the meal, he went downstairs, mounted his horse and galloped towards the ferry.
As he approached the ferry, Qiu Yizi saw that the flag hanging on the ship was indeed the one that belonged to King Youyan, with seven golden dragons embroidered on it and the inscription "Zheng, Marshal of the Army of King Youyan of Han" inscribed on it. He quickly rolled off the saddle and led the horse to the side of the boat.
The ship had already docked, and steps had been laid on the pier and the deck of the ship. Many soldiers and family members of the palace were busy using the steps to carry luggage to the shore.
Qiu Yizhi saw that the commander was Zhang Long, a close confidant of his adoptive father, and became more certain that Prince Youyan was on this ship. He hurried forward to greet him and said, "General Zhang, how are you?"
Zhang Long heard someone calling him, and when he turned around, he saw Qiu Yizi, the adopted son of the Prince of Youyan, whom he had not seen for months. He was a little surprised, and hurriedly bowed and said, "It turns out that it is the Lord Yi who has come down. I am honored to meet you."
Qiu Yizi had no time to greet him. He just raised his hand to support him and asked, "Is my foster father, the prince, on this boat?"
"Oh, yes. The prince is on the boat. He was sent by the imperial court in an emergency message of 800 miles to the capital Luoyang to pay respects to the late emperor." Zhang Long replied.
Qiu Yizhi saw that everyone was wearing plain clothes and the boat was hung with black and white spirit banners and tents. She knew that Zhang Long was right, so she said to him, "General Zhang, take a rest first. The prince may send an order soon. Don't do the work twice then."
Zhang Long knew that Qiu Yizhi was unconventional in his words and deeds, so he was not surprised to hear his inexplicable instructions. He just asked for confirmation: "Your Highness Yi, do you want me to stop moving the luggage?"
Qiu Yizi didn't answer, just nodded, stepped on the wobbly pedal, and boarded the boat. Halfway through, Qiu Yizi seemed to remember something, turned back, and asked Zhang Long: "When did the prince leave Guangyang?"
"Four days ago. The prince received the obituary from the court and immediately ordered his troops to set off. He traveled day and night and finally got here." Zhang Long answered very readily.
Qiu Yizi said "Oh" and strode towards the boat without looking back.
The people on the boat were all acquaintances in the palace. Qiu Yizhi asked around and found the cabin where his adoptive father was. He then tidied up his clothes and asked Zhao Chengxiao to wait outside. He then announced his name loudly outside the door: "Qiu Yizhi is here to pay his respects to my adoptive father."
When Youyan King Zheng Rong heard Qiu Yizhi coming here, he was quite surprised and said hurriedly: "Come in!"
Qiu Yizi pushed the door open and drew aside the curtain to go inside, and saw her adoptive father Zheng Rong, eldest brother Zheng Xin, second brother Zheng Sen, third brother Zheng Miao and her master Zhong Li Kuang all sitting in the cabin discussing matters. The Zheng family members were all close relatives of the late emperor, so they were all dressed in heavy mourning, making the not-so-spacious space even more depressing.
Zheng Rong was not in a very good mood. After Qiu Yizhi entered the room and finished her greetings, he asked, "Didn't the king ask you to stay in the capital for a while to do some work? Didn't Zhao Chengxiao send the letter to you?"
Qiu Yizhi heard that his adoptive father's tone was a little stiff, and he didn't let him sit down, so he had to carefully choose his words and answer truthfully: "I have received your letter. However, the situation in the capital has changed drastically compared to a few days ago. I can't sit still in the capital, so I rushed here. I have something to say to my adoptive father."
After saying that, Qiu Yizi raised his eyes to look at his adoptive father who was well-known in the court and the country. He saw faint traces of tears on his slightly thin cheeks, and he looked much more haggard than when he left Guangyang. He couldn't help but whispered, "Adoptive father, take care of yourself!" Tears almost welled up in his eyes.
Zheng Rong heard Qiu Yi's sincere tone, and thought that he really disobeyed his order out of loyalty and filial piety, so he didn't want to pursue the matter any further. He sighed and said, "The late emperor passed away, and the mountains and rivers are in mourning. How can I not..." As he said this, he reached out to wipe his tears. Seeing this, the three brothers beside him also sobbed.
Seeing them like this, Qiu Yizhi didn't know when to stop mourning, and hurriedly said directly: "Yizhi came here for this matter. I dare to ask my foster father to return to Youyan and not to come to the capital for the time being. Let's wait and see how the situation develops, and then make a long-term plan."
After hearing this, Zheng Rong sobbed twice and asked in a crying voice, "What? What did you say?" It seemed that he did not hear what Qiu Yizi said.
Qiu Yizhi then repeated what he had said before: "Yizhi wants to ask my foster father to return to Youyan and not come to the capital for the time being. Let's wait and see how the situation develops before making a long-term plan."
Zheng Rong finally heard what Qiu Yizi said, but he opened his eyes wide and stared at Qiu Yizi as if he was looking at a monster he had never seen before, making him feel uncomfortable all over.
Zhong Li Kuang, who was still standing aside with a wooden face, waved the folding fan that he had always kept in his hand and said, "Yizhi, sit down and talk slowly."
Although Zhongli Kuang was nominally only a staff member hired by the Youyan Palace, Zheng Rong had always treated him as a teacher and had great prestige in front of the Zheng family's children. Therefore, after hearing his instructions and seeing that his adoptive father had no objection, Qiu Yizhi found an empty seat in the corner and sat down. He silently organized his words in his mind and said slowly:
"My adoptive father sent me to the capital to find out who was behind the impeachment of my adoptive father. After I consulted Prime Minister Yang and inquired in many places, I finally found out that it was the eunuch Wang Zhonghai in the palace who misinterpreted the emperor's will and drove some officials who were attached to him to impeach my adoptive father. Therefore, I followed my adoptive father's plan and met with His Royal Highness the eldest prince under the introduction of Prime Minister Yang, asking him to restrain the officials of the court and set things right."
Zheng Rong listened to Qiu Yizhi's few words, and explained the whole story clearly. He also concealed his original intention of sending him to Beijing to seek refuge with the eldest son of the emperor, Zheng Chang. He was very satisfied and said, "Go on."
Qiu Yizi swallowed and said, "If the late emperor had passed away a year later, or three to five months later, then everything would be fine. But the late emperor died at this critical moment, and the one who ascended the throne was the second son Zheng Yao. I'm afraid it will be disadvantageous for my adoptive father."
Zheng Rong knew what Qiu Yizi meant, and sighed softly. His eyebrows were wrinkled into a ball, and his mouth kept moving, as if he was talking to himself.
Qiu Yizi just wanted to persuade his adoptive father to return as soon as possible, so he exaggerated and said, "When I left the capital, the situation in Luoyang was already very strange. Prime Minister Yang and other loyal ministers in the court had closed their doors to visitors, and as for the second prince, his safety was even more uncertain. The defenses of the gates of Luoyang and Tongguan were more than ten times stricter than before, and it seemed that people from the Persuasion Department were involved. In short, although Luoyang is calm and solemn on the surface, it is already undercurrents and crises are lurking everywhere!"
After listening to Qiu Yizi's words, Zheng Rong heaved a long sigh of relief and said, "I appreciate Yizi's concern for my safety. However, going to the capital to pay respects to the late emperor is both a filial piety as a brother and a loyal duty as a subject. How can I ignore the principles of heaven and human nature just because of a little reason you heard from others?" After saying this, he fell silent again.
Qiu Yizhi frowned and thought: "Yizhi has some other reasons, but I see that there are still many people on and off the ferry. Please ask your godfather to tell the irrelevant people to leave, and I will explain everything to you in detail."
Zheng Rong said, "Except for Mr. Zhongli and your three brothers, everyone else on this ship is a veteran in the Youyan Palace. They have never leaked any secrets. If you have anything to say, just tell me."
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi said firmly: "This matter is of great importance. If you are tired now, I will ask you to rest in the boat first. I will come to report to you in the dead of night."
Zheng Rong always knew that his adopted son was always bold but not alert enough. Now he heard him speak so firmly, so he knew that this matter must be of great importance. So Zheng Rong called Zhang Long to organize all the soldiers and servants on the ship to disembark, and no one who disobeyed the order was allowed to board the ship. Qiu Yizhi was afraid that Zhang Long was not doing things carefully, so he pulled Zhang Long up and down to check again, and made sure that no one could eavesdrop. Finally, he sent Zhang Long off the ship and returned to the cabin.
By the time Qiu Yizhi had finished his work, Zheng Rong had been sitting on the boat for half an hour. Finally, he felt a little tired, so he said to him, "If you have something to say, you can say it now, right? Do you still want to ask Master Zhongli and your three brothers to get off the boat?"
Qiu Yizi bowed and said sternly, "I dare not. May I ask, father-in-law, when did the obituary of the emperor's death reach the Youyan Palace?"
Zheng Rong closed his eyes and said, "Four days ago. What happened?"
Qiu Yizhi said: "From the capital Luoyang to Guangyang City on Youyan Road, you must first pass through Tongguan. After passing Tongguan, you must pass through Linzhou and Qingzhou to reach here. After crossing the Yellow River, you must go north through Xingzhou and Yanzhou to reach Guangyang City. Yizhi learned about the emperor's death three nights ago. He immediately borrowed Yiran's BMW horse and took a shortcut. It took four days to get to Anhe Town. Therefore, even if the court rushed 800 miles, it would probably take at least ten days to deliver the court's obituary to my adoptive father! If my adoptive father doesn't believe it, you can send someone to get off the boat to ask how many people in Anhe Town know about the emperor's death."
When Qiu Yizi said this, everyone was shocked and all eight eyes looked at Zheng Rong.
Zheng Rong seemed not to believe his ears and asked, "Yizhi, what do you mean?"
"It means that the obituary has already been sent to Guangyang before the emperor passed away!" Qiu Yizi concluded neatly.
Everyone already had the answer in their hearts, and after hearing Qiu Yizi say it herself, they felt relieved and said "Oh!" in unison, but could not utter another word.
After a long silence, Zhongli Kuang asked leisurely, "Then from Yiyi's point of view, why was the obituary sent out in advance?"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi looked at Master Zhongli, and then at his adoptive father Zheng Rong. Seeing that one of them had an unpredictable look in his eyes, and the other had an extremely sad look in his eyes, he was not sure why Zhongli Kuang asked him this question, so he thought for a while before saying, "It's just because someone knew about the emperor's death in advance."
"Haha." Zhongli Kuang laughed dryly, thinking that Qiu Yizhi's trip to Luoyang had made some progress and knew the principle of keeping a low profile, so he said, "Although what Yizhi said is correct, it doesn't make much difference whether you say it or not, so let me say it for you. There is no one in this world who can predict the future. It's nothing more than someone in the court trying to kill the emperor, and then spent two or three days eliminating dissidents, and only announced it to the world when the situation stabilized. It's just that this person was too anxious to be the emperor, and neglected to calculate, so we finally saw the flaw."
"Who dares to do such a treasonous act?" Zheng Rong asked sternly. (To be continued)