The third prince only returned to Beijing last night. Returning in the middle of the night in the wind and snow, he also knew that he was not only unsightly, but also inevitably held accountable by the emperor, so he was very careful when he came back and did not disturb others. In addition, the Qiyang wedding yesterday took a lot of attention away from everyone, so the news was kept under wraps for most of the day, and it wasn't until this afternoon that the news broke.
It was not too late for Qi Yang and Lu Qipei to receive the news, but the information they got was quite limited. All I know is that the third prince was defeated and fled back, and now he has been called into the palace by the emperor, and the rest is unknown.
This made Qi Yang a little anxious, and his beautiful brows were furrowed: "There is no new battle report from the northern border, and I don't know what the situation is now." She stood up and said to Lu Qipei, "No, I want to enter. A trip to the palace."
Lu Qipei knew that she was worried about the situation of the prince, and also understood the position of the two, and immediately stood up: "I am with you."
Qi Yang did not refuse. After the two sent Zhi Ting to prepare the car, they went back to the inner room and changed their clothes for going out. Lu Qipei specially added an extra scarf to her, covering everyone's neck, and then said solemnly: "It's windy outside, block it."
Qi Yang gave her a faint look, but without rejecting it, he straightened the front of her clothes with his backhand.
Lu Qipei's heart was sweet because of this small gesture, and his eyebrows also curved up. Before leaving the house, she held Qi Yang's hand and comforted: "It's alright, even if the battle situation in the northern Xinjiang changes, as the crown prince, if something really happens, news will come back. Now only the third prince is back, what? There is no news, the prince will be fine."
Qi Yang nodded, the two of them didn't say much, Zhi Ting ordered someone to prepare the carriage and set off for the palace.
When a princess gets married, in some respects, it is no different from an ordinary daughter's marriage. The first two days are spent at the husband's house, and on the third day, the concubine will be brought back to the palace to express gratitude, and the emperor will also give some rewards according to the etiquette.
Now that Qiyang's wedding has just passed, it stands to reason that he will have to wait two days before returning to the palace, but the appearance of her and her concubine does not seem to be surprising. In fact, not only Qi Yang, but also the other princes rushed to the palace after hearing the news.
Compared with the crown prince and the third prince, the rest of the princes have no advantage in seizing the throne. But both are princes, but everyone has ambitions, so these brothers have also emerged one after another in the days when the two were away.
Suddenly hearing this change, everyone was surprised, why didn't they have other plans in their hearts
The Lu Mansion and the palace were not far away, the carriage arrived at the palace gate after half an hour in the snow, and then entered the palace as usual. When it was time to transfer to the sedan car, Qi Yang glanced at it, and as expected, the chariots of several princes were already there.
When Qi Yang and Lu Qipei arrived at the Xuanshi Hall, they saw several princes being blocked by Zhang Jian: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is busy with business, and I have no time to meet you at this moment. The weather outside is also cold, and your Highnesses should go back first. ."
The emperor has six sons in total, the crown prince is the first-in-class, the second prince died young, and the third prince to the seventh prince are all descendants. Except for the third prince who could compete with the prince in the court due to his mother's powerful family, the rest of the brothers were suppressed by the two, and it was difficult to turn a wave in the court. It was also because the prince and the third prince were not around recently that these princes had some voices in the court.
At this time, the four princes were all blocked outside the Xuanshi Hall. The fourth prince who was headed was the first to speak: "I heard that the third brother has returned from the northern border. My brothers and I don't know what the situation in the northern border is, so I came to the palace and wanted to see the third brother."
The fifth prince next to him immediately said, "That's right, we just want to see the third brother, and Director Zhang should stop us. If the royal father has no time to meet him, I will not disturb the royal father and wait outside the hall for a while. that is."
Several people defended Zhang Jian a few words, and then inquired about the situation in the hall without a trace. Just what kind of person is Zhang Jian? How can someone who can be the chief servant of the emperor's side not have an exquisite heart? Therefore, his smoothness is much more powerful than these princes. No matter what the other party asks, he can talk about his tricks.
Until Zhang Jian saw the young couple from Qiyang who came to the snow, he left a few princes and went up to say hello: "Why did Your Highness enter the palace today? Your Majesty was still talking about yesterday. After His Royal Highness left the palace, the palace was deserted. many."
The few princes next to him secretly pouted when they heard the words, and looked at Qi Yang with displeased eyes.
Qi Yang ignored them, smiled and said to Zhang Jian, "I heard that the third brother is back, and I was a little worried about the situation between the emperor and the northern border, so I went to the palace to see." She said, and went to the closed door behind Zhang Jian. Looking at it: "I don't know how the situation is now?"
The smile on Zhang Jian's face did not change, and he replied, "Your Majesty is talking to the Third Highness. If His Highness wants to wait, you may as well go to the side hall."
After saying this, Zhang Jian turned his head and looked at the other princes as if he treated them equally. But God knew that these princes had been talking about him for a long time before, and the chief servant did not let go, but when Qi Yang came, his attitude softened, which made people suffocated.
Qi Yang didn't bother, and after thanking Zhang Jian, he greeted several princes, and led the concubine to the side hall together.
The two took a step first, and the others followed indignantly. Qi Yang whispered to Lu Qipei, "What are they doing so quickly outside the Xuanshi Hall?"
Lu Qipei raised his eyebrows, and also replied softly: "I'm just watching the joke of the third prince's downfall." After a pause, he added in a lower voice: "Maybe I'm also looking forward to something happening in the northern Xinjiang, and the prince is going to fall. there."
Qi Yang nodded, his face was not very good-looking, and he didn't even want to pay attention to the group of people behind him.
On the contrary, the princes who followed behind saw the two of them whispering, and they couldn't help but grinned in disdain - the princesses of the Liang Kingdom were not allowed to participate in politics, and the war in the northern Xinjiang had nothing to do with them, so although the news of the third princes today caused a lot of uproar, they could enter the palace. It was the prince who came.
It is also Qiyang, relying on the favor of the emperor and the prince, from time to time to get involved in political affairs, I don't know where the ambition comes from? !
The earth dragon was burning in the Xuan chamber hall, and the whole side hall was also warm and warm, and it was almost two worlds with the ice and snow outside. After Qiyang and the others entered the side hall, they didn't wait too long. It was probably only a quarter of an hour before Zhang Jian sent someone to summon him.
Afterwards, everyone entered the main hall, saw the emperor, and also saw the embarrassed third prince. He had only been in the northern border for a few months, and he was in high spirits when he left. Not to mention, the black robe was still stained with obvious traces of tea. It was obvious that the emperor threw the tea cup and criticized it before!
When several princes saw what the third prince looked like now, gloating flashes of schadenfreude flashed in their eyes, and even Qi Yang and Lu Qipei couldn't help but look at him more. It's just that the third prince was in a state of embarrassment, and he didn't seem to be injured.
Everyone obviously cares about this issue, but it is not good to ask directly in front of the emperor.
The emperor glanced at several princes with a heavy gaze, and when he caught a glimpse of Qi Yang and the concubine, his expression softened a little: "Why did the emperor come back to the palace today? But the concubine did not treat you well, and came back to the palace to complain to me?"
The latter sentence was obviously a joke, and Qi Yang immediately denied it, and took Lu Qipei's hand by the way to show the love of the husband and wife.
The father and daughter laughed and said a few words, and the tense atmosphere in the palace gradually eased. The third prince still bowed his head, making people unable to see his expression for a while, but some disappointment flashed in the eyes of the rest of the princes - rather than watching the third prince lively, they were indeed more looking forward to the prince's accident. However, seeing that the emperor was still in the mood to joke with his little daughter at this moment, he knew that the prince was in the northern border without any problems.
How could the changes in the expressions of several people escape the emperor's eyes? He snorted coldly in his heart, and said a few words to Qi Yang, and then asked several people: "You guys, all of you have come to the palace today, what's the matter? ?"
The princes looked at each other in dismay, and since it was hard to say that they were here to watch the fun, they only said: "I heard that the third brother is back, so I came to see it." After thinking about it, he added: "In addition, I heard that there was a war in the northern Xinjiang. Change, worry in my heart…”
The emperor watched a few people and couldn't talk anymore. They were not taken seriously, and Xiaosi was even more timid when facing the emperor. Unexpectedly, the more they were like this, the more displeased the emperor was. He didn't even have an explanation at the moment, so he sent them all away.
The third prince was also kicked out, and by the way, he was fined to close the house and think about it.
This frivolous treatment is not even a punishment, it only confuses people. And when these princes were gone, only the emperor and Qi Yang were left in the hall of the Xuan family. The emperor's original dignified and self-contained posture relaxed, and his face instantly added a hint of worry.
Seeing this, Qi Yang felt bad in his heart, and hurriedly asked, "Father, what happened?"
In fact, the story of the Third Prince's defeat and escape had been widely reported as soon as he returned to Beijing. However, no battle report has been returned from the northern border, whether it is a rumor or a rumor, and the situation in the northern border is unknown. And it's not just these princes and princesses who came to inquire about the news today, only the other emperors haven't seen it.
Facing Qi Yang, the emperor seemed to be less wary, so he asked her: "The emperor entered the palace today because of your third emperor brother?"
Qi Yang nodded and said the truth: "Erchen heard that Brother Sanhuang fled back from defeat. He was originally a prisoner, and his identity was there, but even he escaped..." Qi Yang said, frowning: " The situation in the northern border is not good, and the situation of the emperor is not good either."
The emperor listened to Qi Yang's words silently, stared at her for a long time, and suddenly said, "Does the emperor think about the reason why your third brother was defeated and escaped?" : "Your imperial brother was originally in Huaicheng. Seven days ago, the Rongjun raided Huaicheng. Huaicheng was destroyed. Your imperial brother disappeared.
Speaking of which, the emperor's usual dignified and steady voice also changed, with obvious emotions.
In any case, Qi Yang never thought that behind the third prince's defeat and fleeing back to Beijing, the first accident would be the crown prince. The hand she held Lu Qipei kept tightening, and she squeezed it unconsciously, causing Lu Qipei's hand to hurt.
Lu Qipei frowned slightly, but stroked Qi Yang's back with his other hand to comfort him a little.
After a while, Qi Yang calmed down a little, and then asked: "Then father, how is the northern border now? Why hasn't the battle report been sent back?"
The emperor shook his head. Before the third prince told the matter himself, he had not received the slightest news.