After the beginning of spring, it no longer snows in Shuojing, and the drizzle turns to fall incessantly, and it seems to be endless.
In the palace, there was no joy and vitality for the new year. Emperor Wenxuan became more and more ill, and the people in the palace looked somber, even with the spring rain, a layer of depression.
The door to the bedroom was opened, and the fourth prince, Guang Shuo, came out.
These days, he came very often to see Emperor Wenxuan. Emperor Wenxuan had always loved this son, and his servants were not surprised. Although they did not dare to discuss it openly, the palace people were secretly thinking in their hearts. Although Guangyan is now the crown prince, it is still true who will be crowned the throne in the future. Hard to say.
In the dormitory, Emperor Wenxuan was lying on the collapse, looking at the bright yellow curtain on the dragon collapse in a trance.
In recent days, he asked Concubine Lan Guifei not to run to this direction every day. It was nothing else. He was afraid that it would fall into the eyes of outsiders and spread some rumors. People's hearts are unpredictable, if it was okay in the past, but now he has difficulty even going to court, I am afraid that he will not be able to protect Lan Guifei's mother and son as well as before.
Thinking of Guangshuo, Emperor Wenxuan sighed again in his heart.
Guangshuo is very good, has both ability and political integrity, and is filial. Apart from other things, if he is more decisive and cold, he is a rare wise emperor in the Wei Dynasty. But it was precisely because of his kindness and soft-heartedness that Emperor Wenxuan treated him differently—because such Guangshuo was like his own son.
It is a pity that even so, Emperor Wenxuan could not change the crown prince at this juncture and hand over the throne to Guangshuo. Once he does this, the imperial court will be in chaos. According to Kuan Yan's personality, I am afraid that there will be a scene of royal children fighting against each other and blood splashing in the hall.
If he was in his prime, he would still be able to suppress all of this, but he is already old. Over the years, the courtiers have followed Guangshuo, followed Guangshuo, and Guangyan followed Guangyan. Everyone has his own mind. , he can't control so much, and he can't control it at all.
But... in the end, there is still a result.
There was a slight noise from the door outside, and Emperor Wen Xuan was startled, thinking it was a palace servant. Then, Guang Yan's voice rang out: "Royal Father... Are you asleep?"
The person who came was actually Guang Yan.
Carrying a mahogany basket in his hand, he saw Emperor Wenxuan lying on the slump and was about to get up, so he hurriedly stepped forward, helped Emperor Wenxuan up, leaned on the head of the bed, and called out "Father Emperor" again.
"...Why are you here?" Emperor Wenxuan asked. As soon as he spoke, he was startled to realize that his voice was surprisingly hoarse.
"I heard that the royal father is sick, and my son is terrified..." Guang Yan seemed to be a little nervous. "I think about it, or do I dare to enter the palace to see the royal father. Is the dragon of the father healthy?"
Guangyan was domineering and arrogant, and it was the first time he showed such a helpless expression. Emperor Wen Xuan looked at him and suddenly sighed.
Since Xu Jingfu's accident, Guangyan hasn't come to the palace very much. Of course, Emperor Wenxuan knew that when Guangyan got close to Xu Jingfu in the past, he was afraid that he would be implicated by Xu Jingfu, so he deliberately avoided the limelight. Emperor Wenxuan was also angry with Guangyan in his heart, and it was indeed because of Xu Jingfu's relationship that he was particularly disgusted by it.
However, Guangyan is his son after all, and his sons are not many.
So this is the reason why Guangyan is still safe and sound. That's because the people at Dali Temple got the word of Emperor Wenxuan, and all the cases related to Xu Jingfu bypassed Crown Prince Guangyan.
Seeing Emperor Wenxuan staring at him, he didn't know what he was thinking. Guang Yan felt a little uneasy, and subconsciously opened the mahogany basket and brought out a small bowl of soup from it.
"Royal Father, this is the ginseng soup that my minister went to the imperial kitchen to make." Guang Yan said hesitantly, "Royal Father, drink a little."
Emperor Wenxuan looked at him, and for some reason, he suddenly remembered that when Guangyan was a child, Guangshuo had not been born yet. He was only the eldest son of Guangyan, and he loved him sincerely. At that time, Guang Yan was only four years old, and he was not as tyrannical and ruthless as he is now, and he was still only a little tall.
Queen Zhang gave Guangyan a bowl of sweet soup, but Guangyan was reluctant to eat it, so she ran from Kunning Palace to the imperial study with the bowl in her arms. , asked with a smile, "What are you doing here with this bowl?"
"Royal Father," the little boy said something vaguely vague, and raised the bowl laboriously to his mouth, "This is delicious, Father, let's drink a little!"
When Emperor Wenxuan heard the words, he laughed heartily, "It's hard for you to think of me at such a young age, but it doesn't mean that you are not hurting you in vain!"
What the taste of that bowl of sweet soup was, Emperor Wen Xuan had already forgotten, the laughter seemed to be yesterday, but in a blink of an eye, Guang Yan had grown so big, the same as the little boy who would hold a bowl and lie on his knees and act like a spoiled child. Children are no longer alike. He is also confused. After so many years, what did he do wrong to cause today's situation
Emperor Wenxuan took a deep breath and asked, "Guangyan, what do you want to say about Xu Jingfu?"
With this bowl of ginseng soup, he was still soft-hearted, and he still wanted to give Guangyan a chance.
Guangyan's heart skipped a beat, not knowing what the meaning of Emperor Wenxuan's sudden question, he only said: "I didn't expect that Xu Jingfu, as the prime minister, would actually cooperate with the enemy and betray the country... After so many years, the emperor has trusted him, and he actually has the heart to rebel. , this crime should be punished!"
Seeing the dodging in his eyes, Emperor Wenxuan sighed invisibly, shook his head and said, "When I was young, I read books, and the people of the book rule the ministers, just like the hunters rule the eagles, take them to the back, and control them when they are hungry and full. If you are full, you will not be hungry. If you are hungry, you will not have enough energy, and if you are full, you will fly behind your back. Old officials like Xu Jingfu in the court are like full-fed eagles. They are shameless. Don’t be afraid of punishment, and don’t lead the way for the great Wei.”
Guangyan listened absent-mindedly, his eyes fell on the bowl of ginseng soup, and he said, "Erchen obeys the teachings of the emperor. That Xu Jingfu is really hateful, and I have all been deceived by him, and I blame my son. , If Xu Jingfu's disobedience had been discovered earlier, those utuos would not have succeeded."
Emperor Wenxuan looked at him deeply, "Guangyan, it's not as good as self-righteousness."
The emperor's originally somewhat cloudy eyes, at this moment, turned out to be extraordinarily clear, as if he could see the soul of a person clearly through his eyes. Guangyan lowered his head sharply, took the bowl of ginseng soup and brought it to Emperor Wenxuan. He smiled and said, "I must be tired after saying so much. The ginseng soup will be cold if I don't drink it, so I'd better finish the ginseng soup first. ."
Seeing that his expression was earnest, Emperor Wenxuan was not as frivolous as in the past, and thought that Xu Jingfu had finally made Guangyan a little better, so he nodded.
Guangyan sat next to Emperor Wenxuan, picked up the bowl, scooped a little with a silver spoon, and brought it to Emperor Wenxuan's mouth.
Emperor Wenxuan was startled, "Don't you try the soup?"
"Try the soup?" Guang Yan looked at him.
"You may be, it's been a long time since you served me with soup, and you don't even know the rules of trying soup." Even though Emperor Wenxuan said this, his tone was still tolerant, "The old four has to try the soup every day. "
There was a moment of panic on the extension face.
It is true that he has not served Emperor Wenxuan for a long time. Therefore, he does not know that Emperor Wenxuan is so ill now that he still remembers to test the poison. He never imagined that even the food sent by Guangshuo would not gain the full trust of Emperor Wenxuan.
But this ginseng soup…
His fingers trembled slightly.
Emperor Wenxuan was originally just a joke. Although there were many rules in the palace, occasionally he would not observe everything. He wanted to say it, but when he looked up, he saw Guang Yan's slightly pale complexion and his pale fingers holding the soup bowl.
Humans are intuitive at some point.
The bowl of ginseng soup was simmering hot, and after sitting for a while, it was just right, and I could smell a faint aroma. But the appearance of the person in front of him was too nervous.
The emperor's eyes instantly became dark, and he slowly opened his mouth, with a sudden and unpredictable tone, "Guangyan, take a sip first."
"Father... there is no other silver spoon here..."
"It's okay, I can go to get people again. Now, you can try the soup first."
Under such circumstances, Guangyan had no choice but to pick up the soup, scoop a spoonful with a silver spoon, and slowly put it to his mouth, but he refused to touch it.
Emperor Wen Xuan looked at it, and his heart sank.
In the past, although he knew that Guangshuo was tyrannical and ruthless, he never dared to do anything to himself. He is also the flesh and blood of his close relatives, and he turns a blind eye to the extended virtues. Even if Xu Jingfu had an accident this time, Emperor Wen Xuan still wanted to protect him. Even just now, before handing over this bowl of soup, Emperor Wen Xuan thought that he would give Guangyan a chance. Until the last moment, the matter of changing the crown prince should not be mentioned easily.
But he never expected that Guang Yan would kill his father and kill the king.
"Why don't you drink?" He said in a deep voice, looking at his unfamiliar son.
Guang Yan gritted his teeth, and was about to lower his head to drink the ginseng soup from the spoon, but at the last moment, as if touching a soldering iron, he threw the soup bowl away from his hand and stood up all of a sudden.
The soup bowl fell onto the fleece blanket before it collapsed, splashing the whole side silently. Guangyan suddenly came back to his senses, only to realize how stupid his actions just now were, and he looked at his collapsed father tremblingly.
Emperor Wenxuan looked at his eyes, disappointed, sad, and somewhat cold before.
"I don't know," the emperor said word by word, "the purpose of your visit today was to want my life."
"No, I didn't—" Guang Yan subconsciously denied, "I didn't do that!"
"I just need to find an imperial physician to check it out, and I'll immediately know if it's true." Emperor Wenxuan looked indifferent, got up and was about to collapse, shouting, "Someone—"
"Royal Father!" Guang Yan rushed over, covered his mouth, and said nervously, "No son!"
Emperor Wenxuan had been in poor health these days. He was so pounced that he lay on his back on the collapsed. Covering Emperor Wen Xuan's mouth and nose, there was only one thought in his mind: Emperor Wen Xuan cannot be allowed to speak out!
The people under him are struggling desperately, but how can an old and sick body compare with those who are in their prime. The more he struggled, the more sinister Guang Yan's expression became. He put almost the entire weight of his body on Emperor Wenxuan, and pressed the cotton pillow as hard as he was on a dying fish. call!"
The fish thrown from the water into the desert desperately swayed their bodies, eager to get a glimpse of life.
I don't know how long it took, the struggle under him gradually stopped, Guang Yan was sweating profusely, he let go of his hand suddenly, and opened the cotton pillow all at once.
Emperor Wenxuan was lying on his back, his face was blue and purple, his pupils were dilated, and under the dark lights of the bedroom, he looked like a ghost at a glance.
Guang Yan was startled, fell from the collapse and sat on the ground. He couldn't help but take two steps back.
The inner servant outside had been taken away by him a long time ago, and Guang Yan came today to poison the emperor. I just didn't expect that the bowl of ginseng soup mixed with poisonous poison would be discovered by Emperor Wen Xuan, and in the end, he was suffocated to death by his own hands.
The bedroom was empty, and the sound of the wind was like the cry of an evil spirit, which made people feel a chill down their spines. Guangyan endured the fear in his heart and stood up, walked to Emperor Wenxuan, first picked up the soup bowl on the ground, put it back into the mahogany basket, then walked to Emperor Wenxuan's dragon and helped Emperor Wenxuan to collapse again. Lie down in the middle, smoothed the emperor's wide eyes, and covered him with a quilt.
He couldn't see his father's dead eyes, and Guang Yan became more courageous. A flash of madness flashed in his eyes, looking at the body of Emperor Wen Xuan, and said in a low voice: "Father, please don't blame your ministers, you should blame them. It's your fault that you didn't give me the throne. If you hadn't forced me, I wouldn't have done it... The throne is mine, Father... Just watch how my son and minister get this position... Just look at it like this now…”
He slowly clenched his fists, stood up abruptly, took the mahogany basket, turned and left the dormitory.
…
It rained again at night.
He Yan heard the sound of rain outside in a daze in his sleep. After being woken up, he couldn't fall asleep. He turned over and hugged the person beside him.
It's not that she wants to take advantage of Xiao Jue anytime, anywhere, but it's colder and it's much warmer to hold someone next to her. Xiao Jue sleeps very peacefully and looks good, which is very different from her looking up and down.
She made such a movement that Xiao Jue also woke up. Xiao Jue glanced down at the person who got into his arms, clinging to him tightly, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you still not sleeping?"
"I was woken up." He Yan said in a muffled voice, "I can't sleep a bit."
This is a little strange. Although she has been in the army for many years, she can stay alert in her sleep, but since she came to Xiao's family, she has slept soundly at night, and it is rare to have such insomnia at night. For some reason, He Yan always felt a little uneasy, as if something was about to happen.
Xiao Jue noticed her unease, Xiao Jue paused, put her chin on the top of her hair, and asked, "Would you like to get up and sit on the roof?"
He Yan: "..."
"It's raining outside," she said.
Xiao Jue: "Just kidding."
He Yan stopped talking.
She always felt that after Xu Jingfu's death, the matter was not over, and the battle between Guangyan and the Fourth Prince had just begun. Whether Xiao Jue or the Xiao family is in a delicate position, I'm afraid it won't be solved so easily. It's just that on this night, talking about these disturbing things seems to be a bit of a disappointment.
He Yan was thinking about it when there was a sudden knock on the door, and Fei Nu's voice rang out, "Master, there is something important to report."
She was startled, what happened to Fei Nu in such a hurry in the middle of the night.
This time, I really lost sleep. Xiao Jue got up and stayed on the bed, lit the oil lamp in the room, and He Yan also got up with his clothes on. As soon as the door opened, the wind and rain from outside drifted in, and the room suddenly became a lot colder.
Fei Nu walked in, his clothes were wet, and his expression was a little dignified.
Xiao Jue asked him, "What's the matter?"
"There is news from the palace that the emperor has died."
As soon as these words came out, He Yan and Xiao Jue were shocked at the same time. Xiao Jue frowned: "When?"
"Just the news that came just now." Fei Nu said: "Master, do you want to enter the palace?"
Xiao Jue thought for a moment and said, "I see, you go to prepare the car, and I will enter the palace immediately."
Fei Nu responded and left.
He Yan took two steps forward with the oil lamp in his hand, and couldn't hide his surprise, "Your Majesty..."
She did not expect Emperor Wen Xuan to die suddenly. Although there have been rumors that Emperor Wen Xuan was not in good health these days, the news was too sudden. Her heart was complicated and difficult to understand for a while. There were rumors that he had a lot of bad things about Emperor Wenxuan, but in He Yan's view, although he was not a wise monarch, he was definitely not a foolish monarch.
Xiao Jue was dressing when He Yan asked, "Would you like me to enter the palace with you?"
Fei Nu's words are simple, no one knows what is going on in the palace now.
"No, you stay in the mansion." Xiao Jue said, "I'll go to the palace to see what's going on."
He Yan nodded. Although he was anxious, he knew that Xiao Jue was right. Her official position has not yet reached the point of entering the palace for the first time in this situation, and as the young lady of the Xiao family, there is no reason. only…
Seeing her worried expression, Xiao Jue turned around and patted her on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I will go back to the mansion immediately after I go to see it."
"Xiao Jue, be careful with everything," she instructed.
Xiao Jue put on her clothes, picked up her sword, and went out. He Yan lost his mind and continued to sleep. He walked to the window, opened the window, and the fine rainwater drifted into the house obliquely along the wind outside. He Yan's face was slightly cold, the sleepiness disappeared, and his mind was extremely awake.
Although this kind of thing should not be thought about at this time, but when one thing happens, many things will happen immediately. Before the death of Emperor Wenxuan, he did not propose to change the heir to the throne. Even if there was a lot of discussion in the court, if not, according to the current situation, it should be the crown prince.
But everyone knows who Crown Prince Guangyan is. Although Guangyan was not implicated in Xu Jingfu's case, He Yan asked Xiao Jue that the Dali Temple had the intention of Emperor Wenxuan and secretly protected the crown prince Guangyan. Emperor Wenxuan couldn't bear to be moved by the prince, because the prince was the blood of his direct relatives. However, as the future emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, a villain who could lure wolves into the house for the sake of power and profit, was not worthy of being a king at all.
The rain seemed to have no end, and so was the night.