In the main hall of the Tai Chi Palace in the imperial city, there were lanterns and colorful decorations and soldiers and soldiers. There were several feet of incense burning on the altar. Everything was ready for the wedding. Civil and military officials were also entering the palace one after another to prepare for the ceremony.
The carriages and horses welcoming the bride have yet to enter the palace. Seeing that the auspicious moment of the ceremony is approaching, most people are a little anxious.
In Chang'an City, many people who heard the news about Princess Gaoyang's wedding today gathered around the market early to watch the excitement. There was already a sea of people, queuing directly from the Zhuque Gate to the Prince Consort's Qin Mansion.
Soon, even Emperor Li Shimin and Concubine Yin De came, wearing dragon robes and crowns, sitting under the canopy. Seeing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but frown: "Why haven't you come yet and you are already late? How does Zongzheng Temple do things? Chu Suiliang, please ride a horse to have a look and urge me."
"Yes." Chu Suiliang responded and left.
Chu Suiliang rode his horse out of the Zhuque Gate of the palace. He heard roaring laughter from the West Market Street in the distance. Many people crowded into a ball, and they were filled with water. They shouted one after another, "Let the groom come out to meet the guests."
The great matchmaker was Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia. He wore a bright red floral robe, rode on a big horse, and led a team of soldiers to clear the way. He smiled and said to passers-by, cupping his hands: "Fellows, you have also eaten sweets and given out fruits. Please be kind and give in, don’t miss this great moment!”
"That won't work! How can there be any reason for the groom to hide in the sedan? Only the bride has always been like this, right? Besides, Qin's consort is a military officer. How can he not come out on a big horse to say hello to us?"
"Haha, forgive me, folks. This is the custom of the old Qin family in Shandong. Duke Yi made a special trip to make such arrangements. The young king cannot make the decision, and the consort cannot flatter the father!" Li Daozong said with a smile, "Everyone. Just make it easy and let the wedding team pass. The auspicious time is coming, so don’t wait for the bride and distinguished guests!”
The crowd burst into laughter, but wouldn't let it go.
Chu Suiliang only understood this when he saw it. He immediately came over and said, "Your Majesty, why are you so arrogant? Your Majesty has sent orders from humble officials to urge you. The auspicious time is coming."
The crowd then dispersed with a roar of laughter, allowing King Jiangxia to lead "Qin Mubai's" sedan chair past.
Li Daozong secretly took a deep breath, held his hands and rode past with a smile.
Chu Sui, who had a conscience as thin as a hair, saw that Li Daozong seemed to have a strange look on his face, so he hurriedly patted his horse and came over and whispered: "Your Majesty, why are you worried?"
"It's such a happy event, why are you worried? Let's go, don't say anything more!" Li Daozong patted his horse and looked forward.
A cloud of doubt arose in Chu Sui's conscience. After looking at the groom's sedan for a few times, he didn't know how to ask more questions, so he had to pat his horse and follow him.
When the wedding team entered the Zhuque Gate, Li Daozong hurriedly called Chu Suiliang to his pants and whispered: "Something bad has happened!"
"Oh?" Chu Suiliang's face was startled: Sure enough!
"You are a fast horse. Please go ahead and report to His Majesty. Just say... Mu Bai is missing! Let Your Majesty find a way to calm the situation. Just now in Chang'an City, Xiao Wang managed to suppress the situation without making a fool of himself. Tai Chi Palace There are people from all over the court waiting for Mu Bai, so don’t make the matter a big deal!”
"This!..." Chu Suiliang was suddenly dumbfounded, "How come the groom has disappeared at such a moment? Not to mention the civil and military affairs of the court, the whole world is probably staring at this brown wedding!"
"Forget chatting, go and inform His Majesty first." Li Daozong waved his hand, "Go quickly! The little king is stalling for time and letting the wedding procession slip around the imperial city. It can only take a while. Let Your Majesty send someone. Looking for Qin Mubai!”
"If you say so, could it be that... Qin Mubai is in the palace?"
"Go ahead and tell me, and your Majesty will know what to do!"
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
Chu Suiliang was also smart. He did not take the Taiji Palace Avenue. Instead, he walked around the palace path to the Taiji Palace and asked a young eunuch to invite Li Shimin who was sitting in the main hall of the Taiji Palace.
Li Shimin was already extremely dissatisfied. When he saw Chu Suiliang covering his face, he scolded: "What's going on with Qin Mubai? The auspicious time has come and he still hasn't shown up. Could it be that he doesn't want to get married!"
"Your Majesty, calm down!" Chu Suiliang hurriedly pushed back and whispered urgently in Li Shimin's ear.
After Li Shimin heard this, his eyebrows suddenly stood up: "Is there such a thing?"
"The King of Jiangxia did indeed say that. Presumably, he is not someone who talks nonsense!"
"This is unreasonable!" Li Shimin suddenly became furious and gritted his teeth so hard that his bones chattered, "Under my eyes, someone actually dared to kidnap the consort!"
"Your Majesty, calm down. According to the Qin family, Qin's consort suddenly disappeared after being announced to the palace by His Majesty last night. So, it is most likely that Qin's consort is... trapped in the palace!" Chu Suiliang said.
"What? How is this possible!" Li Shimin was shocked and angry, and said, "Yesterday, I indeed announced his entry into the palace to inform him of the great victory in Lanzhou so that he could get married with peace of mind. Afterwards, I had a few drinks with him . I drank too much, so I sent him to go home. Is it possible that I didn’t arrest him? "
"Your Majesty, why don't you send the King of Jin here so that you can know after asking?"
"Come here, tell Li Zhi!"
Li Zhi was also preparing to attend the wedding in Taiji Palace, and Shao Qing called him. Li Shimin asked right away: "Slave slave, let me ask you - when you sent your mentor home yesterday, did you send anyone to your door?"
"No, no." Li Zhi rarely saw Li Shimin so angry, and he felt a little guilty, and said in panic, "My son sent Dong Hua and Zhao Ming, two personal eunuchs, to prepare carriages and horses to take him home. What happened to my mentor?"
"Then where are Dong Hua and Zhao Ming now?"
"I went to see someone off yesterday, but I haven't seen anyone come back yet."
"What?!" Li Shimin's eyes suddenly widened in his heart, and he yelled angrily, "You idiot! Why can't you get things done? It's okay that you didn't send Qin Mubai to the house in person. You need to send someone to send him home. It's only safe if the servants reply. How do you do things without receiving anything in return?"
Several thunderous shouts frightened Li Zhi to the point where he trembled and immediately knelt down, saying in panic: "Father, forgive me! I will go to find Dong Zhao and my mentor right now!"
"Hurry up and go! - Wait, you are not doing your job well, Chu Suiliang, you go with him!"
"Yes." Chu Suiliang agreed, stepped forward to help Li Zhi and prepared to leave.
At this moment, two eunuchs rushed in with frightened steps like ants on a hot pot. Li Shimin was furious when he saw these two eunuchs barging in without any sense or dignity. He was about to yell angrily when he saw two eunuchs in charge of Yeting who were always the most stable. He held down his hand in confusion. He lost his temper and asked, "Why are you so alarmed? You have no decency!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something serious is going to happen!" The leader of the group, the eunuch Song, who was in charge of the inner garden, turned pale with fright. He came forward with trembling lips and whispered urgently.
When Li Shimin heard this, his eyes almost straightened, and his face turned red and white.
Before Manager Song finished speaking, Li Shimin suddenly screamed, raised his hands and fell forward.
"Ah! Your Majesty!!!"
A room full of people became a mess...
After a stick of incense.
Just when the master of ceremonies at the altar was about to shout "The auspicious time has come", Chu Suiliang immediately appeared and stopped him, saying: "Just now, His Majesty suddenly fell ill and fainted after shouting several times. For some reason, The ceremony will be carried out temporarily, and we will decide on another day!”
"ah!!!"
The Tai Chi Hall suddenly exploded!
"His Majesty the Emperor suddenly fainted?! This... How could this happen?"
"Everyone, don't panic!" Changsun Wuji was the first to stand up and pressed his hands down, silencing everyone.
Changsun Wuji glanced around with satisfaction and said: "I am most familiar with Your Majesty. I know that although Your Majesty has always been in good health, he suffers from hereditary syncope. Perhaps he has been very tired recently and waited too long today. The cold wind caused him to faint temporarily, but he is expected to be fine. We are all ministers of the country, and we should pay attention to the overall situation. The incident of your Majesty's fainting should not be spread to others, so as not to alarm the people and cause unnecessary trouble. "
"What Mr. Changsun said is true, and what he said is true." Everyone agreed.
"At this moment, Your Majesty has fainted. The wedding of the princess and the consort must not be presided over by Your Majesty. Therefore, the ceremony has to be postponed temporarily. It is not important, good things come in a long way! Now, everyone will leave the Taiji Hall first, but Don't leave the palace, just wait for the news in the imperial offices. Maybe your Majesty will wake up again later. There are many good days in the zodiac. Just wait for Si Tianjian to choose another auspicious time."
"Everything is based on the instructions of Prime Minister Changsun." None of the generals had any objections. They all dispersed one after another, and no one dared to whisper or discuss anything.
Seeing this scene, Changsun Wuji secretly took a long breath and looked at Chu Suiliang. Chu Suiliang gave him a look, and the two of them understood each other tacitly. After all the officials dispersed one after another, they hurriedly arrived at the Tai Chi Palace.
Li Shimin lay flat on the imperial couch, his eyes closed tightly and his face turned pale. Two imperial doctors were waiting beside the imperial couch, checking his pulse. Chu Suiliang and Changsun Wuji came into the room and asked about his condition. They were relieved when they learned that His Majesty was fine. The two of them thought to themselves that the emperor was still resourceful and had to adapt to the situation. If he hadn't suddenly pretended to be ill and fell down, using this as an excuse to postpone the wedding. If the groom does not show up when the time comes and the wedding cannot be held, the scandal will spread, and the world will be in chaos.
The two of them moved away and knelt down in front of the imperial couch.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." Changsun Wuji called softly.
After calling for more than ten times, Li Shimin slowly woke up, turned his head slightly to see the two people on his left and right, closed his eyes again, and let out a long and quiet sigh, which seemed to be filled with infinite regret and resentment.
"What happened?" Changsun Wuji asked softly.
Li Shimin raised his finger and pointed at Chu Suiliang: "Ask him. I can't tell you."
"Ah?" Changsun Wuji couldn't help being surprised.
Chu Suiliang raised his hands and was about to say something when Li Shimin suddenly shouted: "Don't say it in front of me!"
"yes… "
The two had no choice but to retreat outside Pingfeng and whisper for a while. After Changsun Wuji heard this, he almost fell to the ground.
"This is so good!" He couldn't help shouting.
"What can we do?" Li Shimin inside roared angrily, "Kill! Kill them all! Leave no one alive, chop them into pieces and feed them to the dogs! I don't want to see anyone anymore! Anyone who knows anything about it will be killed. "
Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang suddenly felt chills all over! —We are all insiders too!
The emperor, who always valued the king's etiquette the most and never said anything lightly, was really stimulated today and actually said such cruel words!
The two of them looked at each other with cold sweat, walked quietly to Li Shimin's couch, and knelt down on both sides. Changsun Wuji said softly: "Your Majesty, something is fishy. Why don't you find out and ask again?"
"Check, check, check!" Li Shimin angrily yelled, "No matter how much we check, no matter what the truth is, it will bring shame on my family! There is no need to investigate, kill!"
"So, aren't you falling into someone else's scheme?" Chu Suiliang's abrupt words made Li Shimin's expression freeze.
"Treacherous plot?" Furious, Li Shimin finally found some room, stretched out his hand to call on his eldest son, Sun Wuji, to lift him up a little and put his back on the palace pillow. He stared at Chu Suiliang and said, "Who would be so bold and dare to plot against me in my harem? His son-in-law? It was clear that Qin Mubai accidentally entered Ye Ting after being drunk, and committed such a savage act while drunk. There were also the corpses of four eunuchs at the scene, namely Dong Zhaoer who sent him out of the palace. As Qin Mubai's identity, they did not dare to disobey the orders given by Ye Ting's eunuch. When the incident occurred, the four had no choice but to stop them and use Qin Mubai's skills to kill the four. It’s even easier for a eunuch who has no blood at all to catch someone in bed, so what can be said?”
"Your Majesty, the more reasonable things are, the more unreasonable they are." Chu Suiliang was not in a hurry to argue and said in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, please think about how Qin Mubai treated the harem when he was in Baiqi for a long time. He knew all the big and small things, and most of the concubines in the harem knew him. Even if Qin Mubai did something while drunk, why did the two concubines sleep with him until dawn and didn't escape afterward? Besides, there are thousands of palace maids and eunuchs living in Ye Ting, and there are even walls with ears separated by three or five rooms. How can there be no movement for murder and rape, but only at dawn is someone caught raping someone in bed? Isn't this too much? What a coincidence?"
After Li Shimin heard this, he raised his eyebrows and pondered for a long time.
Changsun Wuji thought for a moment and said: "On this occasion, the matter must not be spread. The harem must be sealed and no one is allowed to enter or exit. News is spread to the outside world that His Majesty suddenly fainted due to cold. The wedding is being held and the Si Tianjian is ordered to choose another day. It will be held on an auspicious day. In this way, you can keep the public secret for a while, and your majesty will have time to get to the bottom of the matter. "
Li Shimin thought for a moment and nodded slowly: "That's very good. I'll leave it to you to appease the auxiliary officials and the civil and military officials. Send them away separately, and the officials from the capital will return home and stay in the hotel for a few days. There will be another wedding. Chu Suiliang, please go and invite Fang Xuanling."
"Yes." The two agreed and retreated.
Li Shimin was alone on the royal couch, his eyes closed in pain and he hit his forehead with his fist, shaking his head repeatedly and saying to himself: "What on earth is going on? Are the Li family, Qin Mubai, and Ling'er cursed?" How can the marriage of this couple be so troubled!"
Not long after, Fang Xuanling came.
Fang's plan was over and Du Ruhui was gone. Li Shimin had always been lucky to have Fang Xuanling, the most resourceful and resourceful person beside him. Now that something like this happened, involving a family scandal, he only dared to discuss it with Fang Xuanling, the most calm and sophisticated minister. Although Changsun Wuji was his brother-in-law, he lacked resourcefulness; although Chu Suiliang was his confidant, he was young and did not understand the affairs of the harem after all. Only Fang Xuanling was both resourceful and deeply concerned about harem affairs. He had been Empress Changsun's adviser in the early days when she was still alive.
Now it is time to listen to his opinion on a case like this.
Fang Xuanling bowed and was given a seat by Li Shimin. He was as calm as ever. Even if something big happened, it would be hard to see anything strange on his old face.
"Your Majesty summoned your ministers to come here. What's the matter?"
"Xuan Ling... This time, I am alive and dead, and I have no shame in living." Li Shimin shook his head and sighed with emotion.
"Why did your Majesty say this?" Fang Xuanling asked softly.
Li Shimin looked a little embarrassed and was ashamed to speak, so he briefly explained the matter to Fang Xuanling.
After hearing this, Fang Xuanling was actually indifferent.
This time it was Li Shimin who was surprised. He said, "Xuan Ling must have known about it for a long time. You are not surprised at all by such a shocking thing."
Fang Xuanling's expression froze for a moment, then she cupped her hand and whispered: "Your Majesty, not only did I know this a long time ago, I also..."
"So what?" Li Shimin was extremely surprised.
"I still know the truth and the ins and outs of the matter. And I have already captured the real murderer."
"What?!" Li Shimin was shocked, jumped up from the imperial couch, and said in disbelief, "Xuanling, this matter is nothing but a child's play, and you can't believe it!"
Fang Xuanling's face was ashen, and she bowed her hands, then knelt down, put her forehead to the ground, and said, "Your Majesty, the real culprit is Fang Xuanling. Please punish him!"
Li Shimin suddenly turned to stone, all his expressions froze, and his body became stiff.
The king stands and the ministers kneel, the scene is like a frozen scene.
"Xuan Ling, let me say it again! This matter is nothing more than a child's play and cannot be trusted to be spoken!"
"We have been with your Majesty for more than twenty years and have never dared to lie to you. Qin Mubai was framed. And the person who committed the most serious crime in this case is Fang Xuanling himself. Please punish him!" After that, Fang Xuanling Take off the black gauze hat from your head and put it aside, then kneel again with your head on the ground.
With a "plop", Li Shimin really fainted and fell heavily on the imperial couch.
In the harem of Yeting, in the room where the crime occurred.
There were more than ten layers of soldiers surrounded by imperial guards inside and outside. The door was closed tightly. The bodies of the four eunuchs in the room were still uncollected, and the room was filled with the strange smell of wine and blood. The two "victimized" concubines had been taken away by the eunuchs of Ye Ting and put under separate custody. Qin Mubai was sitting alone in the room.
Staring at the "Picture of Autumn Moon Royal Case with Incense" painted on the wall panel by the great palace painter Wang Lide, Qin Mubai remained as motionless as a clay sculpture.
It's already happened, it's useless to regret it. But now, the only thing is to find a way to survive.
After waking up, Qin Mubai understood what he had done. My inner treasury was empty. I had been topsy-turvy with those two vixens so many times last night that my legs were weak.
However, he couldn't remember any of the details, and he didn't even know how he ended up here.
It was obvious that I had fallen into someone else's trap yesterday. It was very likely that he was drugged to the point of numbness and then given a strong drug, which caused this.
No matter what, it is an indisputable fact that he slept with the concubines of two emperors of martial virtue.
Li Shimin's fake mother was fucked by him... Whenever he thought of this, Qin Mubai felt a lot of pressure and had a headache.
He thought about his situation and thought that the worst-case scenario was that he would be cut into millions of pieces to feed the bastards in the Taiye Pond, and then the Qin family would be full of people, old and young, leaving no one behind. Next, it may be that Princess Gaoyang dies in love, Wu Meiniang becomes a widow or remarries, and is reviled by the world. Although her body is gone, she will be beaten with swords and pens. Qin Mubai will be infamy for thousands of years...
In conclusion, I will feel better if I wipe my neck with a knife now.
However, Qin Mubai was never a person who gave up easily and took his own life.
Now that we have prepared for the worst, why not try our best to give it a try
If you fight hard, you may not succeed; if you don’t fight, you will definitely die without a place to die!
…
The four corpses stood there frozen and cold. Qin Mubai turned to look at them and had the urge to wake them up and ask them for the truth.
"I don't know, what is Ling'er doing now? They put me under house arrest here, and I don't know what they want to do? The emperor must have known about it at this time. Counting the time, it should be the auspicious time for my wedding. I don't know what will happen. What kind of chaos is this..." Qin Mubai thought to himself and smiled indifferently, "Damn, my life is almost gone, why don't I worry about it! Fortunately, these eunuchs from Yeting, Baiqi, and Jinwuwei have nothing to worry about! I'm familiar with it. Otherwise, I would have been chopped into pieces just now! Every extra second of life is just a waste."
At this moment, there was a noise outside the house, the unique sound of armor shaking, and the soldiers who surrounded the house seemed to be moving together.
Someone whispered: "Why is Her Royal Highness here?"
"Why can't I come? It is my husband you are imprisoning!" Princess Gao Yang's voice was cold, arrogant and arrogant!
"Your Highness, please forgive me! At this moment, no one can see the consort!" It was Qin Tong's voice.
"Brother! Your third brother is locked up inside!" Princess Gao Yang scolded, "Do you know what you are talking about?"
"I know." Qin Tong's voice revealed unbearability, anxiety and anger, and he said in a deep voice, "But at this moment, I am the deputy envoy of Baiqi first, and then his brother. If he commits a crime, I will not spare him! Even if the princess comes, I can’t let her in!”
"What did you say?"
"Just like when Mu Bai didn't let you enter the palace to disturb His Majesty's nap! Today, unless the princess kills Qin Tong and steps on Qin Tong's body, Qin Tong will never let the princess in!"
With a "bang" sound, the weapon was unsheathed!
"Your Highness, don't do anything stupid!"
Qin Mubai's heart tightened, of course he knew what Princess Gaoyang had done.
Wearing a blood-promise wedding robe, she stabbed a short dagger into her neck, causing the skin to break and bleed.
Bright red blood flowed down from the snow-like pink neck, which was a bit redder than the wedding robe and a bit dazzling.
"Get out of the way, or collect the body for me, your choice!"
"Your Highness, please don't force me!"
"Qin Tong, you are still the eldest son of the Qin family!" Princess Gao Yang scolded loudly, "I, Li Ling'er, and my surname is Li, I will give up my job and my life for your third brother, so why don't you? Can’t you give up your position as the deputy envoy of Baiqi?”
The whole place was silent.
Dou Ran!
"Bang!! Bang bang!" With several loud noises, Qin Tong slammed his helmet and saber on the ground, and shouted angrily: "Get out of the way! I will accompany the princess and enter together! But for big and small matters, you have to have the ability. I will take care of it!”
All the armored soldiers had been waiting for Qin Tong's words for a long time, and they dodge faster than he imagined.
Princess Gaoyang threw the dagger and walked towards the house carrying her extra-long wedding dress.
When she and Qin Tong opened the door and came in, Qin Mubai was still sitting at the table, motionless, just looking sideways at Princess Gao Yang and smiling slightly: "Brother, Ling'er, you are here."
"Brother, close the door."
As if in an instant, Princess Li Ling'er of Gaoyang became a man of distinction!
With firm eyes and a decisive expression, he gave orders to Qin Tong, just like a general commanding thousands of troops galloping on the battlefield.
Qin Tong closed the door as he was told, glanced inside the room, and then at his third brother. He sighed with shame and anger, and turned his head away unbearably.
"What's the shame? Mu Bai is innocent! Nothing will happen to Mu Bai, nothing will happen to the Qin family, we are still husband and wife, and the wedding will still be held!" Princess Gao Yang said categorically as follows, almost word for word. In one sentence:
"If Ling'er doesn't die, Mu Bai will die!"