Although Concubine Zhen has lost her hair, the Queen Mother still ordered Concubine Zhen to be grounded just to be on the safe side.
Before the emperor's first seven days, the noble concubine Zhen could not step out of Yufu Palace.
She was still thinking about the matter of her second sister, and wanted to go to the Department of Punishment to take a look, but because of the Queen Mother's order, she couldn't go out, so she could only ask the prince to help.
But the prince has been very busy recently.
He had to deal with the death of the emperor and prepare for his ascension to the throne, so he was so exhausted that he didn't even have the time to come to Yufu Palace to see Concubine Zhen.
As for the little palace lady who was imprisoned in the Punishment Department, he had already forgotten about it.
Until a secret letter urgently sent to the palace.
There are only a few words in the letter, and the writing is very sloppy, and it can be seen that it was written hastily.
"The regent raised troops, the defender of Lingnan defected to the enemy, and the rebels broke through thirteen cities. Please send troops to help!"
After reading the contents of the letter, Prince Li Qiong's expression changed drastically.
He looked up at the two prime ministers on the left and right.
Before the secret letter was sent to the prince, the two prime ministers had read the contents of the letter.
At this time, both of them had worried faces.
After the Prince Regent was wanted, they envisioned many outcomes.
One of the worst results is that the regent rebelled.
With his ability on the battlefield, once he rebelled, he would be like a tiger descending a mountain, and he would be unstoppable.
Now, their worst fears have come true.
This feeling is like being forcibly poured a large bowl of ice water in winter, which can freeze the internal organs of a person into ice slag.
Li Qiong asked: "What's the best opinion of the two lovers?"
At this critical moment, the two prime ministers did not dare to be passive and sabotage their work, and racked their brains to help out with suggestions.
Since the regent rebelled, they must send troops to suppress the rebellion.
The point is, who will be sent to counter the rebellion
Li Ji's prestige on the battlefield has long spread throughout the world. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is the God of War. Even if all the generals in the court are added up, they may not be his opponent.
It seems that no matter who is chosen, it is impossible to stop Li Ji's pace.
The left and right prime ministers listed all the names of the generals in the court, and analyzed their advantages and disadvantages one by one.
In the end, it was the prince who made up his mind.
Li Qiong looked at the paper full of generals' names in front of him, and was silent for a long time, before he selected a veteran from among them to be the commander in charge of countering the rebellion, and selected two other generals as lieutenants.
Next, there are still matters such as food, grass, and troop deployment that need to be discussed.
After finishing the work, it was already midnight.
Li Qiong dragged his tired body back to his residence.
But he couldn't sleep yet, he saw Mr. Zhu called to him and said.
"Li Ji turned back."
Mr. Zhu's reaction was very calm: "That's it."
Seeing his unsurprised look, Li Qiong couldn't help asking.
"Could it be that you already knew about this?"
Mr. Zhu will explain his own analysis.
"As early as the day when Li Ji was wanted, I guessed that Li Ji would definitely rebel, because in that case, rebellion was his only way out. The only difference is when did he rebel? Now the saint just After his death, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has not officially ascended the throne, and the throne is vacant, so it is the best time to raise troops, Li Ji seized this opportunity to take advantage of the situation, it is reasonable and reasonable, there is no surprise."
Li Qiong asked: "Since Mr. has already expected it, why didn't you let Gu prepare in advance?"
Mr. Zhu did not answer the question.
"What preparations can you make in advance? Is it to garrison troops or garrison food?"
Li Qiong couldn't answer.
Mr. Zhu: "Please forgive me for speaking bluntly, even if you have ten times more soldiers and horses in your hands, you will not be Li Ji's opponent."
Li Qiong's self-esteem was hit, and she couldn't help retorting.
"Sir, how can you increase the ambition of others and destroy your prestige?! Gu admits that Li Ji is very powerful, but Gu is not much worse than him!"
Mr. Zhu looked at him quietly.
For some reason, when Li Qiong touched his dark and deep eyes, the anger and injustice in his heart dissipated all of a sudden, and he became much calmer.
Li Qiong pursed her lower lip and said in a low voice.
"Well, Gu knows that he is no match for Li Ji."
Mr. Zhu comforted him softly: "Some people are naturally suitable for the battlefield, and Li Ji is that kind of person. Your Highness the Crown Prince has your own strengths, so there is no need to compare with him."
Li Qiong said unwillingly: "What should we do? We can't let the rebels drive straight in, right?"
He thought Mr. Zhu could make plans for himself as usual.
As a result, the next moment he heard Mr. Zhu say something.
"Then let them drive straight in."
Li Qiong thought she had heard wrong, and asked in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
Mr. Zhu explained unhurriedly.
"No one in the court will be Li Ji's opponent. No matter who you send to suppress the rebellion, there will only be one ending in the end, that is, defeat. Not only that, but you will also lose a lot of soldiers and waste a lot of food and grass. There is no harm at all. Therefore, I suggest that you give up resistance and directly order someone to write a letter to Li Ji, saying that his wife is in our hands. If he wants his wife to live, he will be captured obediently, otherwise we will. His wife's life! Then we shall win without fighting."
Li Qiong asked in surprise: "Didn't Li Ji's first wife die a long time ago?"
Mr. Zhu smiled unfathomably.
"It is true that he died, but he came back to life, and now he is being imprisoned in the prison of the Punishment Department."
Li Qiong twitched the corners of his mouth: "It's about this time, sir, stop joking."
Mr. Zhu: "If His Royal Highness doesn't believe it, you can ask your mother and concubine."
Li Qiong saw that his expression was serious, and he didn't seem to be joking, so he couldn't help but feel a little shaken.
Is it possible that Mr. Zhu is telling the truth
Although it was midnight, Li Qiong was so full of worries that she couldn't sleep.
He went to Yufu Palace in a chariot.
It just so happened that Concubine Zhen also suffered from insomnia, and she was staring at the moon outside the window at the moment. When she heard that the prince was coming, she was very surprised, and immediately got up and walked out.
She looked at the prince who was getting closer and closer, and asked curiously.
"It's so late, why does Qiong'er come here without sleeping?"
Li Qiong: "Didn't the mother and concubine also sleep?"
Concubine Zhen: "A lot of things have happened recently. I am upset and can't sleep."
Li Qiong: "It's the same for Gu."
The mother and son went into the room and sat down.
Li Qiongping retreated to the left and right, and only their mother and son were left in the room.
Seeing this, Concubine Zhen knew that he had something to say, so she waited quietly.
Li Qiong asked immediately.
"Is my aunt alive?"
Concubine Zhen was taken aback for a moment, and then asked back.
"Why do you ask that?"
Li Qiong looked at her firmly: "You just answer yes or no."
Concubine Zhen was also looking at him.
The mother and son looked at each other for a long time.
Silence wandered between the two.
After a long time, I heard Concubine Zhen spit out a word slowly.
"People cannot be resurrected after death. Do you still need this palace to teach you such simple common sense?"
(end of this chapter)