The emperor suffered a stroke on the thirteenth day.
The queen used the excuse that the emperor's illness required rest, and no one was allowed to visit. No one except the queen and the exclusive imperial doctor could enter or leave the Zichen Palace.
Although news is coming every day and the emperor is gradually recovering, more and more people are doubting the authenticity of the news.
Everyone has not been able to see the emperor for so long, and it is understandable to speculate.
But what really makes everyone uneasy is that His Royal Highness Prince Yu's face is as cold and stern as an iceberg that has not melted for thousands of years. It looks like the situation is not good and the emperor is in danger. I heard that Prince Yu also has four and six princes. The others knelt down in front of Zichen Palace every day, just asking to go in and have a look at the emperor. However, the queen refused.
On the other hand, His Royal Highness, of course, went to kneel down outside Zichen Palace every day to pray for the Holy Ann. His expression was also worried, but it was by no means as heavy as Prince Yu. Moreover, the Prince gradually began to take care of the government affairs. Of course, this was in front of all the ministers. After repeated requests, it turned out that most of the people who made such requests were people from the prince's party.
what does that mean
It’s hard not to think too much!
Just when the situation was in a stalemate and suspicions were gathering, a fire broke out in the Duke Jingguo's mansion. That night, the flames soared into the sky and burned almost half of the Duke Jingguo's mansion.
The Patrol Department of the Five Cities, the Jingzhao Mansion Office, and the Fire Fighting Department were all dispatched. After working hard for half a night, they finally got the fire under control. When they found out the cause of the fire, it turned out to be an explosion in the alchemy furnace of Duke Jingguo Mansion. It was even more fatal. Unfortunately, when people from the Patrol Department were rescuing property, they found a box of pills. It was verified that they were pills that had the effect of refreshing and aphrodisiac.
Immediately the rumors spread like the wind. At this time, King Anle, also known as the Fifth Emperor's Uncle, who was far away in Luzhou, happened to return to Jinling. After hearing the news, he led a group of people into the palace to ask the queen for an explanation.
Didn't the Queen suspect that someone had given the Emperor some kind of medicine? Otherwise, would the emperor be so powerful during that period? The queen mobilized a large number of people to search the harem but could not find any evidence. As a result, such pills were found in the Duke Jingguo's mansion.
Where is the Duke Jingguo Mansion? It is the queen's natal family, which makes people have to doubt it.
For a time, all the fingers were pointed at the queen, who was hard to tell.
The Fifth Emperor's Uncle was very excited and threatened that if the Queen did not give an explanation, he would not hesitate to send troops to help the King.
The king sent troops to Qin said such serious words, and he was clearly accusing the queen and prince of being suspected of treason. In fact, the suspicion was not considered. In the eyes of some people, it was clear that the evidence was conclusive.
Mountain rain is coming, and a storm is about to break out.
When things happened to this point, Xia Chunyu, who was the first-class guard and deputy commander of the imperial guard, was very busy. He didn't care about his family at all, and guarded the palace day and night. The Prince's East Palace was even busier, with meetings taking place one after another.
"Luzhou has come to report that the troops of the Fifth Emperor's Uncle are gathering."
"Xuzhou came to report that Xuzhou's troops have already marched towards Jinling."
"The soldiers and horses of Fujian and Zhejiang are marching towards Jinling."
"The soldiers and horses of Shuzhou are marching towards Jinling."
"There is no movement at the northwest camp."
"Many unfamiliar faces have come to Jinling City recently..."
"The team that went to pick up Prince Helian has already joined Prince Helian and is rapidly approaching Jinling."
“…”
Almost all of them were bad news, but the last one made everyone secretly relieved, but their nerves became even tighter.
Now the only forces in Jinling City are the Imperial Guards and the Northwest Camp stationed not far from Jinling.
There are only 3,000 Imperial Guards and 20,000 in the Five-City Patrol Department, and the people are not unified. Although the Northwest Camp is under He Lianxuan, He Lianxuan has been away for more than a year, during which he was helplessly placed in various positions. With so few people, it’s hard to tell whether this is a monolithic thing. If several groups of troops come to the city,
Several teams under the banner of King Qin have already taken the lead, and the prince has no right to mobilize troops unless there is an edict to supervise the country. It is not difficult for the prince to do this. The jade seal is now in the hands of the queen. But once the jade seal is covered, it will really be a false edict. If the emperor wakes up...
Everyone made strong comments.
"Your Highness, the situation is imminent. If reinforcements are not mobilized, Jinling City will be in danger. Your Highness, please make up your mind early."
"His Royal Highness, the wolfish ambitions of the Fifth Uncle Emperor and His Highness King Yu are obvious. If they do not strike first and let the rebels attack Jinling, it will turn everything upside down and the consequences will be disastrous..."
"Your Highness, please make your decision as soon as possible..."
The prince's brows were always furrowed and never relaxed. He thought for a long time and looked at Xia Chunyu.
"Chunyu, what do you think?"
For a moment, everyone's eyes fell on Xia Chunyu's face.
Xia Chunyu knew that His Highness the Crown Prince was entangled in his heart. The Crown Prince was the rightful heir to the throne. As long as he kept a low profile, waited patiently and did not let the Emperor catch his fault, the throne would definitely belong to His Highness the Crown Prince. However, contrary to one's wishes, the development of the situation forced the prince into a dilemma.
The rumors of the queen and the prince's rebellion are rampant, and no one can argue. At this time, if he announces the formal supervision of the country and mobilizes the army, it will become more and more popular. The prince is benevolent and filial, and the most intolerable thing is the false accusation of patricide to seize the throne. Moreover, the emperor is sometimes sober and sometimes confused. Who knows if the emperor will use this as an excuse to harm the prince when he is completely sober
But if you do nothing, you can only sit back and wait for death.
Forbearance can only lead to death, but counterattack may still have a way of life. History has always been written by the victors. The winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. This has been the case since ancient times.
Xia Chunyu's eyes hesitated for a moment, then gradually became firm.
The people here are all trustworthy, but speaking skills are still needed.
He stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, Mr. Song is right. How could it be such a coincidence that the Fifth Emperor's Uncle returned to Jinling at this time? He clearly had a premeditated plan. Back then, the Fifth Emperor's Uncle coveted the throne of the Emperor, and Zhao Zhuohui, the leader of Xuzhou's troops in Southwest China, Everyone knows whose orders Qiu Guangsheng, who is leading the army, is following. As for those who have recently sneaked into Jinling, they are people from the Jianghu. Don't forget that the Jiangzuo League, the Duke of Rongguo and Prince Yu are inextricably linked. Wei Chen understood that His Highness the Crown Prince was in trouble at the moment because he was worried about the Emperor's health. He was afraid that the Emperor's condition would worsen after hearing this. The Queen and the Crown Prince endured any grievances for the Emperor's sake. However, the anger was almost burning to their eyebrows, so they still asked His Highness the Crown Prince to please the Emperor. I have issued an order to mobilize the army to serve the king, otherwise the Song Dynasty will be in danger. I believe that the emperor will not let the conspiracy of the traitor succeed after knowing it."
Among the people sitting here, only he, Xiao Jing and the prince knew the true situation of the emperor. The emperor was just hanging on for a breath. It was impossible for him to make decrees as a living dead. Therefore, he said this deliberately to let everyone Thinking that the emperor could still make a decision, the prince's hesitation was just because he was worried that the emperor's condition would relapse.
Xiao Jing also stood up and said: "His Royal Highness is a filial piety, but you cannot just watch the rebellious ministers and traitors act rebelliously because of this. I also ask Your Highness to put state affairs first and the overall situation first."
All the ministers gave advice one after another and asked His Highness the Crown Prince to put the overall situation first.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was silent for a long time, with a complicated look on his face, and sighed with emotion: "When I was a child, the Fifth Emperor's Uncle loved me the most. I was occasionally scolded by my father, and the Emperor's uncle would always say good things for me. I never expected that now I have to When the soldiers met, King Yu... The third brother, when he was a child, he always followed me, calling him the prince brother, the prince brother. Now, he is also greedy for profit, hey... I really don't want to see such a situation today. "
Everyone is anxious and complaining. The prince's benevolence and filial piety are true, but his benevolence and filial piety go too far, regardless of the severity. When the time comes, not only the prince will be killed, but all the ministers who swear loyalty to the death will also suffer.
Only Xia Chunyu remained calm, and the fact that the prince was here reminiscing about the past showed that he was determined.
Sure enough, the prince's eyes suddenly turned cold, revealing a rare coldness.
His tone changed: "What everyone said is absolutely true. I cannot disregard the overall situation for my own selfish interests, let alone allow the conspiracy of the rebellious ministers and traitors to succeed. I will go and ask for the order now."
Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief, and their hearts fell to the ground.
"In this chaotic situation, I ask you all to perform your duties, and don't mess up the situation first." The prince warned.
Everyone is here.
"Chunyu, Helianjing, you stay, the others will leave for now."
Xia Chunyu and Helianjing stayed.
After everyone left, the prince said with a solemn expression: "Chunyu, Xiaojing, we have no way out."
What this means is that once the decree is requested, everything is a foregone conclusion. No matter whether the emperor can get better or not, he will never be able to sit on that dragon chair again. Otherwise, the prince's ability to burst out this time will definitely be beyond the reach of the emperor. Will be afraid.
Xia Chunyu and Xiaojing also had serious expressions on their faces. No one wanted to make such a choice, but the situation forced them to do it as a last resort. The prince said this because he wanted them to show their attitude and be mentally prepared.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I will swear allegiance to Your Highness to the death." The two said in unison.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince nodded with a resolute look: "Prince Yu thought that by colluding with the Five Emperors and using the power of the world, he could subvert the world. Hmm, little did he know that this move was to lure the tiger away and drive the wolf away. I am benevolent and filial, but I am not stupid either. Chunyu, Xiaojing, act according to plan."
"Yes." The two of them accepted the order in unison.
The plan has already been drawn up, and we are just waiting for His Highness the Crown Prince to make this decision. Now, let’s have a good fight!
On that day, there were several vicious looting and smashing incidents in Jinling City. Officers and soldiers mobilized the entire city to impose martial law and arrested all strangers. This was an action directed at the gangsters who had sneaked into Jinling City.
The next day, thirty-six horses galloped out of the city and headed toward the southeast, northwest and northwest.
In the palace, a beauty who had been banished to the cold palace reported Concubine Shu, saying that the medicine given by Concubine Shu was colorless and tasteless. She mixed it with wine and gave it to the emperor to drink. The medicine not only had the effect of refreshing and strengthening the body, but also It will damage people's internal organs.
The next day, Uncle Wuhuang, who was returning to Luzhou, was intercepted and killed on the way. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, and Uncle Wuhuang disappeared without a trace.
(End of chapter)