When the southern tour ship arrived at Songxiu Prefecture, it turned back to Yongdu without doing anything except offering sacrifices to the river.
The Yinchuan Grand Canal flows from north to south, and the return journey is upstream, so the boat's speed is much slower than when it came.
After walking for two days, we just passed Dengcheng Prefecture.
As military reports came in from the border, the emperor became anxious.
Not only did he have headaches more frequently than usual, he even suffered from insomnia and nightmares at night, and his muscles began to twitch uncontrollably.
In these few nights alone, Wen Qingci was called over several times.
Watching the emperor's changes day by day, Eunuch Xian's expression gradually became ugly.
This old eunuch, who is very good at judging the situation, has secretly planned his future...
At the beginning of the morning hour, another military report was delivered from Yongdu.
Hearing the noise outside the cabin, the emperor, who had just fallen asleep, pressed his eyebrows and opened his eyes again.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Eunuch Zhao who was standing by his side was startled: "Your Majesty, won't you take a rest for a while?" he asked subconsciously.
"What a jerk!" The emperor was furious. "How can you delay such a matter as the military report?"
“Yes, yes…” Eunuch Zhao knelt down hurriedly and kowtowed to him.
"Bring me the cloak."
The palace maid beside her obeyed the order and hurriedly took it and draped it over the emperor's shoulders.
Even in summer, the early morning is still cold.
As soon as the silk cloak fell on his shoulders, the emperor shuddered and his arms shook uncontrollably.
In an instant, the uncontrollable feeling of powerlessness swept over and swallowed him.
The emperor, who had once optimistically hoped for a long and peaceful reign, suddenly felt a deep sense of panic in his heart.
He gritted his teeth and lowered his voice to the people around him, "Go call the imperial physician."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier in silver armor was brought in, knelt on the ground, and handed the military report to the emperor.
Xie Zhaolin's face darkened.
When Wen Qingci was brought to the emperor by the eunuch, he happened to see the other party pouring a handful of Fuxuanhua Dan into his mouth without even counting.
This posture scared him.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Wen Qingci bowed slowly and suppressed the strangeness in his heart.
The emperor looked at him and said, "Get up, my dear, wait here for a moment."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wen Qingci was called in to take someone's pulse last night, and he didn't go back to his room to rest until midnight.
Therefore, like the emperor, he did not sleep for several hours.
Wen Qingci was very sleepy when he first arrived, but after listening to a few words vaguely, he suddenly woke up.
—The soldier in front of him not only brought news from the border, but also from Yongdu.
"… The case of Jingzhao Yin's corruption is true. Your Majesty, please take a look. This is the memorial from the Dali Temple."
As he said this, he handed over the thing in his hand.
Jingzhao Yin... Isn't that the second prince's grandfather
Wen Qingci slowly raised his eyes and looked towards the emperor.
Perhaps because he had encountered greater troubles recently, the emperor even forgot about the matter of the second prince. At this moment, he looked at the memorial with numb and careless eyes.
The emperor flipped through the memorial twice and threw it aside, then said to the eunuch beside him: "Go, I want to draft an imperial edict... Bring me the pen and ink."
When he was in Taishu Palace, the emperor had to consider his imperial dignity first and move slowly before doing anything.
But in recent times, he has finally put those things behind him.
The emperor was seen writing quickly while pressing his forehead with his other hand, rattling off a lot of people's names.
Finally, without caring that it was still dark, he asked Eunuch Xian to call everyone here.
The old eunuch led a group of people out, and the hall became a little quieter. The emperor finally called Wen Qingci over to give him acupuncture. At the same time, he spoke slowly in a slightly hoarse voice: "… Our dynasty has only been in power for more than 20 years, and we have not experienced any wars, nor have we had any famous generals. Now that we have encountered such a thing, the people's hearts are also unstable."
In recent times, Wei Chao's response can only be described as better than nothing.
Influenced by this, some people on the border felt that they had been abandoned by the court.
Wen Qingci nodded slightly.
The emperor slowly closed his eyes and continued, "If a prince were to go to the border at this time, it would naturally help calm the people."
What nonsense!
Wen Qingci gave the other person a cold look.
What he said seemed to be fine at first glance, but it didn't stand up to careful consideration.
Now the second prince is still a criminal and the third prince is not old enough.
The only person who can go to the border is Xie Bufeng.
Any common people who have a little knowledge of court affairs know that Xie Bufeng left Taishu Palace at the age of three and became the emperor's abandoned son.
Putting him in the north would not achieve the effect the emperor wanted.
It may even have the opposite effect.
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Outside the hall, all the people who were named by the emperor were brought here.
In addition to important court officials, Concubine Lan and Concubine Hui were also among them.
The two met in the corridor.
Several palace maids turned around cautiously and glanced at Concubine Hui behind them... This lady has always been at odds with Concubine Lan, and the two of them must not make a scene here today.
But unexpectedly, the moment they met, Concubine Hui did not make sarcastic remarks or roll her eyes as she did in the past.
This... Why does she seem like a different person today
The palace maids suddenly realized that it was not just the expression, but the Concubine Hui today was completely different from the image they had always had in mind.
When Concubine Hui went on her southern tour, she only brought brightly colored clothes, so she was still wearing light red today.
But her head was no longer adorned with gold and jade, but only with a flower pinned diagonally and a hairpin hanging down.
The moment the two met, Concubine Hui suddenly smiled at Concubine Lan, and she said lightly: "Accompanying the emperor and the tiger, I hope Concubine Lan's luck will be better than mine."
There was no mockery or provocation in her tone, but a calmness she had never had before.
Concubine Lan didn't seem surprised either.
She nodded gently to Concubine Hui: "I appreciate your good words."
What, what is going on
The palace maids following behind them were all stunned. It seemed that the relationship between these two ladies shouldn't be so good
But there was no time to think about it, and several people quickened their pace and entered the hall.
The moment she entered the room, Concubine Lan clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
After fighting for nearly twenty years, she knew what kind of person Concubine Hui was.
In Taishu Palace, Concubine Hui was indeed not considered a smart person.
But her original character was not as flamboyant and bad as she appeared to be.
Concubine Hui naturally wanted to be as low-key and indifferent as Concubine Lan, but she knew her background and did not allow herself to do so.
So she simply put aside her face and fought for the greatest benefit for herself.
Since entering the palace, Concubine Hui has been "playing dumb". She often deliberately says some inappropriate but harmless words, and clearly exposes her ambitions.
Because Concubine Hui knew that those people in Taishu Palace and even Yongdu who claimed to be "smart" would not bother to argue with a "vase".
Especially the current emperor, who is both suspicious and afraid of smart people.
Sometimes being a little unscrupulous in front of him can help you achieve your goals more directly.
As it turned out, the emperor really fell for her trick.
What Concubine Hui said just now was not a provocation, but a statement.
No one dared to mention the news of the emperor's poor health in public, but everyone was talking about it behind his back.
Even she, who was imprisoned a while ago, had heard about it.
Therefore, Concubine Hui did not think that she would be in such a miserable state for too long, just as she did not think that Concubine Lan's "ending" would be better than hers.
The emperor's uneasiness will not dissipate so easily.
If he is like this, then how many days can Xie Bufeng, who has always been hated by the emperor, live in peace
It has been more than half a year since Wen Qingci traveled into the book.
Unconsciously, he no longer tried to distinguish between the original owner and himself.
After learning the story behind the Yinchuan Grand Canal and that the original owner also had murderous intentions towards the emperor, Wen Qingci developed a deep disgust for this emperor.
While he was talking to the emperor, he couldn't help but be distracted several times.
When Wen Qingci came back to his senses, the emperor's eyes fell on the casualties and the number of people in the battle report again, and then he frowned and said: "One general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. This is the inevitable price..."
hypocrisy.
Why don’t you be the “price” yourself
A few months ago, Wen Qingci probably wouldn't have thought much about the emperor's words, but now when he heard this, he realized that the person in front of him had probably "sacrificed" a lot of people based on his logic.
The jade incense burner was still emitting green smoke, and at this moment Wen Qingci felt extremely sympathetic to those who had poisoned him.
"Your Majesty, everyone has arrived and is waiting in the outer hall." Eunuch Xian walked over quickly and reminded in a low voice.
The emperor pressed his eyebrows and put the battle report in his hand aside. He sighed and said, "Bring them all in."
"yes."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wen Qingci trying to pack up his medicine box and leave. The emperor slowly waved his hand and said, "Wait a minute, my dear. You stay too."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wen Qingci nodded slightly heavily, packed up the medicine box and stood below.
The time now can't be later than six o'clock.
The cold air on the Yinchuan Grand Canal seeped up little by little along the skeleton of the ship.
Wen Qingci's legs were numb from the cold.
A breeze blew, lifting the hem of her clothes and slowly hitting her legs.
In a trance, it was like a ghost, holding his ankle.
Thinking about what was going to happen next, Wen Qingci couldn't help but clench his hands tightly.
—
Everything that happened afterwards was like a dream.
The emperor asked the eunuch beside him to read out the imperial edict he had just drafted.
—Yi Guanxuan, the prefect of Jingzhao, was found guilty of corruption, bribery, and selling official positions privately, and his property was confiscated and he was exiled.
The second prince exceeded his authority in mobilizing troops and failed to perform his duties properly, so he was punished by being sent to Guangcheng Temple for reflection.
"Guangcheng Temple" is one of the several major royal temples left over from the previous dynasty. It may not be famous in this dynasty. No royal member has ever visited here in the past 20 years.
But it is a name that appears repeatedly in the history books of previous dynasties.
Although the previous dynasty had few descendants, the throne was passed down only to the last generation.
There had been many incidents of succession disputes before this.
The winner naturally became the emperor, and the loser either died or was sent to Guangcheng Temple.
This royal temple is located deep in the mountains, and living there is no different from being imprisoned.
Most of the guilty princes of the previous dynasty were imprisoned here until they died...
The imperial edict was read for a long while, but Xie Guanzhi, who had just been brought here, did not react at all.
Eunuch Xian couldn't help but lower his voice and urged, "Second Prince, why don't you come up and receive the order?"
When his name was called, Xie Guanzhi finally raised his head slowly, and glanced at the old eunuch and the imperial edict in his hand with great disdain: "Oh."
After saying this, he did not even bow, but walked forward and took the imperial edict.
Concubine Hui, who was always flamboyant, stood at a distance and made no expression, which was unusual for her.
Being imprisoned in Guangcheng Temple was the greatest punishment that the princes and grandchildren of the emperor could receive, except for execution.
Xie Guanzhi was certainly wrong in defying the imperial edict, but that was not enough to escalate the punishment from imprisonment to execution.
Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes.
After calming down for a few days, Xie Guanzhi realized that when facing his "good father", he should learn from Xie Bufeng and not look at him with a good face.
Well done!
Wen Qingci couldn't help but silently praise Xie Guanzhi in his heart.
The emperor was indeed very angry with his reaction.
The hand that was originally placed lightly somewhere else was pressed against the center of the eyebrows again.
Xie Guanzhi's "trouble" had been solved, so he simply stopped paying attention to the young man and turned his attention to Xie Bufeng.
The emperor slowly began to laugh.
His smile was always kind and loving.
But at this moment, what everyone present read from it was boundless hypocrisy.
The emperor sighed slowly, and suddenly pretended to blame himself: "It's all my fault that I have been busy with government affairs all these years and lacked discipline for the princes. Now I look back and realize that they have all become so lawless! Ahem... "
He became more and more excited as he spoke, and in the end he even started coughing.
Wen Qingci quickly raised his head and looked at the emperor with pretended concern.
The next moment, his eyes met the emperor's.
"My dear minister, what do you think I should do?" The emperor gathered his cloak and looked down pretending to have a headache, looking like a kind father.
Wen Qingci: “…”
In recent times, the emperor has been hinting at his thoughts to himself almost every day.
This day has finally come.
The chill on the Yinchuan Grand Canal continued to rise.
Wen Qingci seemed to be frozen in place. He paused for a long while before slowly taking a step forward and bowing to him.
Seeing that Wen Qingci remained silent, the emperor hinted, "... Unknowingly, the eldest prince is already nearly eighteen years old, but he doesn't know anything. This is really not what a prince should be like." His tone was a little helpless.
"I don't understand politics... But I think that all learning is interconnected," Wen Qingci finally spoke softly, "We should start from reality and gain more experience."
The emperor smiled and nodded.
What Wen Qingci said sounded reasonable.
But in this current scene, it seems a bit weird.
His voice was no longer as gentle as usual, but instead contained a chill and determination.
Xie Bufeng, who was standing at the end, raised his eyes slowly and looked towards Wen Qingci.
The formal attire of the Wei Dynasty was all wide robes with big sleeves.
Therefore, no one noticed that the boy had a hand warmer hidden in his clothes.
—In recent days, Xie Bufeng always carried it with him, but was still hesitant and had not given it away.
The cold air from the canal enveloped Xie Bufeng in an instant.
The hand warmer, which was supported only by snow wolf fur, still had a little warmth.
There was a panic among the southern tour team.
Xie Bufeng knew that the emperor's patience with him might have reached its limit.
But Wen Qingci's voice still made his mind go blank for a moment.
The cabin was obviously not big, and there weren't many people between them, but Xie Bufeng suddenly had an illusion... The distance between him and Wen Qingci was as far as the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
"Oh?" The emperor seemed to be suddenly interested. He glanced at Wen Qingci and asked, "Then, my dear, what do you think is the best way to gain experience?"
Well, don't you already have the answer
Wen Qingci smiled slowly and numbly said the lines that he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.
His voice became extremely strange, as if it did not belong to him.
"… I think that the war between Changyuan and Beidi is urgent. If I go to the north at this time, I should be able to gain some good experience."
Beidi, Changyuan Town
This is different from Wen Qingci, who had been given a heads-up early on and had repeated hints.
Everyone else present was stunned.
They had not known the emperor's plan before.
I never expected that I could send Xie Bufeng to the battlefield.
Wen Qingci's words were like a thunderbolt, striking without any warning.
(End of this chapter)