A staff member of the Eastern Palace went out to meet Wang Zhi, led him to a small room in the palace, received the memorial, asked him for details, and asked him to wait in the room before rushing to see the prince.
Wang Zhi looked at the decorations in the house and was at a loss. This house is almost a utility room in the palace, not even the porter. But in Wang Zhi's eyes, he was extremely advanced. He was a poor child in the border area, survived from the dead, and today he stood in the palace and delivered a letter to the future emperor! Wang Zhi has a sense of pride in being ahead of others, and he deeply feels that he is going to be a great success from now on.
Although the prince's family background is much higher than Wang Zhi's, his state of mind at this time is very similar to Wang Zhi's. He read Ji Wenzhao's petition for help, and his hands trembled with excitement! The memorial said that the Beirong blatantly violated the border. There were more than 400,000 people north of Yancheng, and another route of 130,000 to 40,000 people took the northeast route, and the destination should be the inland coast. The Shen family army sent nearly a thousand soldiers to resist, the second son of Marquis Zhenbei was injured, and the rest of the soldiers vowed to die. However, considering the disparity in the strength of the enemy and ourselves, it is hoped that the imperial court will allow the southeast region to prepare early. Moreover, the Shen family's army is not strong enough to resist the northern army of the Northern Rong, food and grass are in short supply, and weapons are in short supply. I hope the imperial court will reinforce it as soon as possible! …
The prince read it a few times, and felt relieved: Shen's army is not strong enough! Food and grass are running low! The total number of Beirong has exceeded 500,000, and the Shen family's army will definitely be wiped out! The Marquis of Zhenbei is only a few days away, and the third prince is also a few days away!
The staff said in a low voice: "According to the messenger, he pushed Second Master Shen into Bei Rong's arrow, and Second Master Shen was already dead, but Ji Wenzhao was afraid that Zhenbei Hou's mood would be affected, so he kept it secret."
The prince smiled: "Good! Good! The Shen family and his son have already left one of three."
The staff pointed to the memorial and said: "There are 400,000 troops on Beirong North Road, and the Shen family's army will definitely lose..."
The prince finally raised his head and laughed loudly: "Okay! I will wait for him to lose!"
An aide asked hesitantly: "Should I ask the emperor to send reinforcements as soon as possible? In case the Shen family's army is defeated and the northern troops go south?"
The prince took a long breath: "What kind of faction to send? How to send it? What soldiers can be sent? These years of famine, military supplies have been cut, and many government troops have long since dispersed. The soldiers of the Northwest Fan have not been mobilized for many years. It would have to wait a few months to get in touch in the past. Only the emperor’s imperial forest army has tens of thousands of horses, but they are protecting the emperor, how can they be sent out of the capital?”
The staff said with some concern: "Then, what if..."
The prince chuckled: "The Marquis of Zhenbei always said that he would defend the border for the people and the country. Now is the time for him to fight to the death! A Shen family army should at least fight off two or three Beirong? Otherwise, how can they be worthy of their consistent heroic title? ? When they are all desperate, there are not many Beirong left! Hahahaha..." He was extremely excited.
When the prince stopped laughing, the staff member asked again: "When should this memorial be presented to the emperor?"
The prince said: "What's the rush? It's the New Year now, wait a minute. This date fell more than half a month ago, right? Waiting another ten days and a half months is reasonable. Who sent the letter?"
The staff also said: "It's the subordinate of Shen Jian, the second son of the Marquis of Zhenbei. This person has heard what His Highness said before, that killing the sons of the Shen family can lead to promotion and fortune..."
The prince shook his hand: "Kill him..."
The staff member hurriedly said: "He said he still left an informant in the Zhenbeihou Zhongjun who would inform him of the news in the future."
The crown prince snorted: "Didn't he want to use this as a threat?"
The staff quickly said: "He doesn't seem like a scheming..."
The prince reprimanded: "The person who betrayed the master has no plans?! Keep him first, and ask him to confirm whether the letter from the border in the future is written by the person he left behind. But when the emperor asks about it in the future, he will say that the letter is delivered. The person was seriously injured and died! In case the father wants to meet him in person, let him live in your house first, and get rid of him when the matter in the north is over."
The staff member hurriedly agreed, resigned, and let Wang Zhi go home with him. Fearing that someone in the capital would see Wang Zhi and recognize him, he let Wang Zhi ride in a donkey cart with him.
Wang Zhi didn't know that he just escaped the disaster of killing himself, he rushed all the way, delivered the letter, and entered the palace, feeling relaxed and excited. In the car, he asked the prince's staff: "I killed the second son of Marquis Zhenbei, is that considered a great achievement?"
The staff held their breath, not wanting to smell the sour smell of sweat on Wang Zhi's body, and replied in a nasal voice: "Of course it's... a great achievement."
Wang Zhi anxiously asked: "Did His Royal Highness say that? What is the reward?"
The staff said: "The prince said that there will be many rewards, and when Yancheng falls, it should be given to you."
Wang Zhi is full of longing: "Can I have a courtyard? Can I have an official position?"
The aide was vague: "Don't worry, I must be worthy of you."
Wang Zhi smiled: "That's good, you help me keep an eye on it, and I will help you when I get an official in the future."
The aide smiled dryly and nodded, turning his face to the car window so as not to spit it out. (Let you, a man who betrays the Lord, help me? Am I tired of living?)
Almost at the same time, the old Taoist priest and the young Taoist priest also returned to Xiaoyun Temple outside the city. This time, they can be regarded as returning home in good clothes, and they brought a whole load of things with them. Anyway, the people and things in the wine cellar had to be evacuated, and they couldn't be left to Beirong, so Zhang Yunzheng asked someone to bring a lot to the old Taoist priest. Not only the materials needed for alchemy, but also wine and meat, food and cloth...
When the old Taoist arrived at the door, he generously gave Guanli a cart full of things. Naturally, no one gave him a blank stare this time, and the little Taoist also stretched out his back and ran back and forth to help. The old Taoist didn't put on a show at all, and lived in the old fasting room with the young Taoist, just asking to use the pill room to make some pills.
The Taoist priests of Xiaoyun Temple did not object. After all, this time the two old Taoist priests did not live and live for nothing as before, and they were not so contemptuous.
The prince was very excited and was in high spirits for several days. He had waited so long for this day, and now the dawn was ahead! He was looking forward to receiving new news every day. Finally, the day before the Lantern Festival, the prince's messenger network sent the first letter from Zhang Ding, an insider trained by Wang Zhi. Wang Zhi checked the secret notes and handwriting and confirmed that it was written by Zhang Ding. This letter confirmed that all the members of the Shen family army who went to stop Beirong's Northeast Route Army were dead, and the Northeast Route Army should have gone all the way south. He also said that the Bei Rong in the north had crossed the border, and the Shen family's army retreated across the board, with countless casualties. They are now fleeing to Yancheng.
Such good news kept the prince awake all night. He wasn't worried at all about the hundreds of thousands of Donglu Beirong. The coastal areas are densely populated, with thirty to forty million people. What counts as hundreds of thousands of people? Of course he didn't know that in his previous life, he was this Beirong. Under the leadership of Huo Luo, he burned, killed and looted all the way, and the tiger entered the flock without anyone daring to stop him. He successfully arrived at the capital and washed the city with blood...
What the prince is doing now is to repeatedly speculate in his mind when the Shen family's army will be wiped out. The time in the letter was before the New Year's Eve. According to Bei Rong's actions, Yan City should have been surrounded by this time, and Yan City must be turned upside down... If Marquis Zhenbei dies, he really can't wait to see the expression of the Third Prince...
During this period of time, Yancheng was really fighting like the prince imagined.
Since Tugu Khan divided his troops, he began to formally attack the city. Ji Wenzhao was afraid that if Tugu Khan was dealt a heavy blow, Tugu Khan would recall the left West Route Army and join forces to destroy Yancheng. After all, the West Route Army had only left not long ago, and they were all cavalry, so they came and went quickly, so they had to be on guard. So he was very cautious, so that it became more difficult to defend the city: he could neither show his strength, nor let the enemy succeed. He only used inferior defenders to fight at the front, and let the elite soldiers stand guard at the back and were not allowed to go forward. All the weapons are still the bows and crossbows of the past, plus stones. If the enemy attacked the city, they would pour hot oil and ignite it. If there were still enemies entering the city, the people on the edge of the city could only beat them down with sticks and broadswords. Showing a sharp blade...
Only those siege ladders or catapults that were being pushed forward, Ji Wenzhao didn't dare to let them approach. Zhang Yunzheng left behind a long crossbow at that time, which was aimed at this kind of thing. This kind of long crossbow is fixed on the ground. It takes two people to step on the pedal and pull it away with a mechanical arm. The range is farther than the catapult siege ladder. Ji Wenzhao ordered people to shoot at the soldiers who operated these siege equipment to ensure that they could not get close, and then shot at the rockets with oil bags again and again until the wood was ignited and the large siege equipment was burned one by one.
Therefore, the soldiers of the Northern Army could only rely on the crowd tactics and carry dozens of ladders to the city. For more than ten days in a row, fierce battles were fought on the city day and night. Although the army of Beirong could not attack, the power to defend the city always seemed to be in jeopardy. Sometimes you can even see old and weak people shooting arrows with broken bows at the arrow stacks, which makes people feel that the Shen family army is already at the end of its strength...
In Yancheng, the Shen family army is not only the end of something, but full of vitality like a newborn sprout. Soldiers mobilized every day walked through the street in line, high morale, orderly. The people sent food and water to the city in teams, and the medical soldiers led the people to send the wounded. The inspectors of the household registration led the retired soldiers to sort out the idlers, and suspicious people could not go to the city at all. Of course, the more elite a soldier is, the less he has to do, he can only sleep, eat and practice every day.
Dressed like a bun, Shi Helin took turns explaining first aid knowledge to these soldiers every day.
"Children, I've heard that you are the best in the Shen family's army. You are either sharpshooters or good riders..."
A soldier shouted: "I can be both!"
Others continued: "Isn't that a good fighter?"
Shi Helin was used to these people tossing about, and said with a good temper: "It's all counted!... Anyway, it's not easy to train you! Don't hurt your body because of injuries. I'll tell you what to do if you get hurt. manage… "
The soldiers looked at the sky boredly: "Master, do you know the people above?"
Shi Helin was particularly proud: "My son, Duan Zeng, leads the medical soldiers! He is good friends with General Shen and Superintendent Shen!"
Someone immediately said: "Then you ask him to ask, when will we be able to go to the battlefield?"
Another person said: "That's right! The crooked mouth who was with me saw me yesterday and said that he went to the city four times, each time for three hours, and repelled more than a dozen attacks from Beirong. He felt that he But it's amazing, and he asked me if I was hurt. Pooh! I told him I was not hurt, but his mouth was crooked to the back of his head... "
Someone interrupted: "Hey, stop talking! Langzhong Shi, are you going to see Langzhong Duan today?"
Shi Helin whispered, "I... I haven't seen him for several days..."
A soldier suddenly slapped his head: "Langzhong! I miss you! Did you go to pick us up when we entered the city that day? Then a man hurt his arm. When he got off his horse, you fainted to the ground?"
Another person said: "That's right! Mr. Duan has to carry you back...
Everyone laughed, and Shi Helin got angry: "I can't stand the smell! What's the matter?! You children! Come on, listen carefully..."
Someone ran over in a hurry and shouted: "Mr. Shi? Mr. Duan fell on the wall..."
Shi Helin turned pale: "Ah?! Take me there!"
He ran all the way with the people, and when they reached the city wall, there was a row of wounded on the side of the road, waiting to be carried away one by one. The strong smell of blood could be smelled from far away, and Shi Helin felt dizzy. But he still resisted, identifying each one, and finally saw Duan Zeng. Duan Zeng's body was covered in blood, Shi Helin's eyes turned black, but he rushed over immediately, took Duan Zeng's hand to signal his pulse. After squatting for a while, he frowned, then squatting carefully for a while, heaved a sigh of relief, and then untied Duan Zeng's clothes to check the wound.
A medical soldier came and said, "Duan Langzhong just fainted, don't wake him up, he has been on guard for several days and nights..."
Shi Helin nodded: "That's right, he's just out of his mind, he'll be fine after a night of sleep..." Then, he was taken aback for a moment, and then laughed. The people around were in a hurry, and there was a lot of shouting in the city. Everyone looked sideways at Shi Helin, thinking that there was something wrong with him. Shi Helin laughed enough, and said to the sleeping Duan Zeng: "Look! I don't feel dizzy anymore!" A person who ran past him turned around and shouted, "Then go to the city!"
Shi Helin hesitated for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go and have a look..."
He went up to the city, and saw outside the city wall, a large number of soldiers of the Northern Army rushed towards them shouting and killing. Some of the soldiers and civilians on the city were shooting arrows and throwing stones in front, some were passing weapons and stones back and forth, and some were sending hot oil or food up. Water... shouting, cursing, and the smell of burnt paste...
Shi Helin trembled, but forced a smile and said: "This place...is so lively..."
Someone shouted next to his ear: "He is injured!" Shi Helin ran over...
The Beirong Northeast Route Army, which had been scared off by the avalanche, fell apart after a few days. Most of the people, greedy for life and afraid of death, returned to the grassland. There are wild beasts everywhere on the grassland. They may be poor, but they can easily survive starvation. Some people also want to try to go to the south: maybe Tugu Khan did not withdraw his troops, and sooner or later someone will come to support him, and he will be able to invade the Southern Dynasty. The Southern Dynasties have always been a rich and prosperous country, and you can earn more than a lifetime of hard work on the grasslands if you just grab it.
So three or four thousand people passed through the snow and climbed over the unguarded ridge. Someone stole Huo Luo's head and went to Yancheng to find Khan Tugu, while someone continued to go south.
Tugu Khan was a little annoyed seeing that Yancheng could not be captured for such a long time. When the moon was full, the soldiers were allowed to rest for a few days before fighting again, so the soldiers and civilians in Yancheng had a Lantern Festival without fighting.
The people defending the city had a chance to breathe and rest quickly. Zhenbeihou and Ji Wenzhao led the generals to study the deployment of soldiers, Shen Yi sorted out his guards again, Shen Jian and Yan Shi "discussed" important matters in the Chinese army all night...
There were no activities during the Lantern Festival in Yancheng. Ji Yan made a lantern with his own hands, painted green mountains and green waters, and a line of egrets, hanging high in front of the door. Ji Wenzhao, who came back to see her, suddenly had hot eyes and almost cried.
The Lantern Festival in the capital is naturally much more lively. The palace is decorated with lanterns and festoons everywhere, vowing to spend the New Year thoroughly. There is a grand dinner in the palace. In previous years, the emperor would walk around the lantern street in the palace to see the colorful lanterns made by the concubines in the palace. This year should be no exception.
The prince didn't want to go out of the palace to go to the lantern market in the capital these years, he only spent the Lantern Festival in the palace.
After the dinner, the third prince went back to the mansion by himself, as uneasy as ever. After the banquet, the emperor went to the inner room of the main hall to rest for a while, and the concubines also had to put on thick clothes in the side hall. When the emperor came out again, a group of concubines were already waiting inside the palace gate.
With the help of the eunuch, the emperor put on a thick fleece coat, and Concubine Xue stood beside the emperor with a smile. Then it was rumored that the prince and princess had also arrived, and came to accompany the emperor to stroll around the lamp.
Speaking of the salute between the crown princess and the emperor's concubines, it is a little complicated. The crown princess is the official wife, and the future mother of the country and the emperor's concubines are all concubines. According to the etiquette, concubines should salute their wives. But the emperor is a king, that is, his concubine is considered an elder compared to the princess. According to the number of generations, the younger generation should salute. And in terms of rank, the Crown Princess and Concubine Xue are at the same level, so they should exchange courtesy. The other concubines are inferior to the crown princess, so they should salute to her... and so on, it is dizzying for people to see, and in the end, they usually give up with half salutes to each other.
After the crown prince and crown princess saluted the emperor, the crown princess approached Concubine Xue on purpose, and gave a half salute to Concubine Xue, who hurriedly returned the salute. There was a strong fragrance on the crown prince's coat, which was faintly mixed with a fishy smell. When Xue Guifei smelled it, she suddenly felt nauseous and almost vomited, so she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
The Crown Princess asked with concern in her tone, "How is your empress?"
Concubine Xue swallowed hard, and said a little shyly: "It's okay, I probably ate a little too much for the dinner just now, I'm really sorry."
The princess said with a sigh of relief: "Oh, I thought the empress was happy..."
These words hit Concubine Xue Gui's heart like a drum. Concubine Xue's face turned pale in an instant, she forced a smile and said, "Prince Princess really knows how to joke..."
The prince's ruthless gaze fell on the princess, but the princess smiled at him, and then said to Concubine Xue: "Your Majesty, let the imperial doctor come to check your pulse. If you are pregnant, you must be careful." Ah!" Although her words were caring on the surface, but when she said them, there was a sinister feeling.
Concubine Xue Gui hurriedly said: "No need, no need, let's watch the lamp with the emperor first."
The emperor said with a slight smile: "If my concubine is unwell, how can I delay? Come, tell the imperial doctor."
Concubine Xue swayed a bit, almost unable to stand still, the princess said kindly: "Your Majesty, please sit down, if you are really happy, I would like to congratulate you..." The smile on her face was deeply felt in Concubine Xue's eyes. Concubine Xue Gui stuttered in fright: "Why... I don't have... Youxi..."
In the main hall, all the concubines exchanged glances with each other, the emperor walked to the table and sat down, and said to them: "Go and see the lamp, I will be here in a while."
Everyone understood that if something happened, the emperor didn't want to fall into the eyes of others, so they hurriedly saluted and walked out of the palace together. But after they walked away, they chatted in twos and threes in low voices, and some couldn't help laughing.
Only the emperor Concubine Xue, the Crown Prince and the concubine and several court ladies and eunuchs were left in the hall. Concubine Xue began to tremble, and said to the emperor in a trembling voice: "The concubine is really unwell, can you go back to the palace to rest first? Let the imperial doctor go In the court of concubines..."
The emperor said: "I also want to know what's wrong with my concubine, otherwise wouldn't it appear that I don't know the basics?" Although he had a smile on his face, there was a chill in his tone.
Beads of sweat appeared on Concubine Xue Gui's face, her baby days were late, but this kind of thing happened in the past, and she didn't know if she was pregnant.
The Crown Princess smiled steadily. The fishy smell she used was usually smelled by ordinary people but felt that the smell of spices was not right, but if she was pregnant, she would feel sick. For these years, she has been staring at who might be pregnant every day, how could Concubine Xue escape her eyes
The prince had no expression on his face, his hands were clenched tightly in his sleeves.
After a while, an imperial doctor hurried in and saluted the emperor, the crown prince and others. The emperor tapped Concubine Xue with his chin and said, "Take Concubine Xue's pulse and see if she is happy." How long has he not touched Concubine Xue? a year? two years? Did this bitch do something
Xue Guifei's lips trembled, and she looked at the imperial doctor with tears in her eyes: "No... no..."
The emperor said to the outside: "Go find another imperial doctor, don't make a mistake." He gave the imperial doctor a stern look.
The imperial doctor nodded quickly: "I must be careful."
He motioned Concubine Xue to sit down, Concubine Xue was a little wobbly, the Crown Princess stepped forward to help Concubine Xue with a smile: "Your Majesty, please sit down, happiness is a good thing..."
Concubine Xue Gui smelled that fragrance again, she almost wanted to vomit, and quickly covered her mouth again. The emperor's eyes became cold, Concubine Xue was sweating profusely, but she still held out her hand under the emperor's watchful eyes with a ray of luck.
When the imperial doctor's finger rested on Concubine Xue Gui's wrist, Concubine Xue trembled and almost jumped up. The princess beside her held her arm and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please be safe..."
Concubine Xue Gui didn't want to smell the fragrance of the princess beside her, so she could only hold her breath. She saw the sarcasm in the eyes of the princess in a blink of an eye, she widened her eyes and suddenly said: "You...you..." Opening her mouth, she gagged again...
The imperial doctor said: "Congratulations to the emperor, your empress is happy!"
The emperor smiled lightly and said to the imperial doctor, "Are you sure?"
The imperial doctor nodded quickly: "Sure."
The emperor nodded and said, "Go down."
The imperial doctor just wanted to ask if he still needed the medicine to prevent miscarriage, but he realized that the atmosphere in the hall was not right, so he hurriedly bowed and left.
The Crown Princess whispered softly to Concubine Xue: "Congratulations, Empress."
The prince's cheeks showed joints.
The emperor said to the prince and princess: "Go and see the lamp!"
The prince knew that as a son he couldn't stay here to see how his father got a cuckold, but he really wanted to be here. But under the gaze of the emperor, he still saluted silently, the princess also saluted the emperor with a smile, whispered: "Congratulations to the emperor!" Then followed the prince's footsteps and exited the hall.
Seeing the prince leaving from the corner of her eyes, Concubine Xue began to burst into tears. She trembled like a pendulum. At this time, someone outside the hall said, "The imperial doctor is here!" This is another imperial doctor who has been invited.
The emperor said, "Come in!"
The second imperial doctor came in and saw Concubine Xue Gui was crying and the emperor's expression was not right, so he was extra careful. The emperor asked him to take the pulse of Concubine Xue Gui too, and the result was naturally the same: Concubine Xue Gui was pregnant.
When the imperial doctor left, there was only Concubine Xue Gui's low cry in the hall, and outside the hall, there was the sound of firecrackers in the distance, indicating that the night of Lantern Festival was already late.
Concubine Xue Gui slid from the chair and sat on the ground, knelt down to the emperor, cried and said: "Your Majesty, my concubine deserves death, but I beg you to read that this concubine is pregnant with royal flesh and blood, so spare the child in my womb." , Rong Chenqie will give birth to this child, and then let Chenqie die." Just now, when she found out that she was pregnant, there was a tinge of joy amidst the great fear. She finally had a baby of her own!
As soon as the emperor heard the words "royal flesh and blood", his face became dark. This kind of thing is not unheard of. In the previous royal family, the father-in-law married the daughter-in-law, and the son married the concubine of Lao Tzu. What he couldn't tolerate was that they were lying to him right under his nose!
The emperor said: "Call the prince!" Who else could be involved in this matter except the prince? Every time the third prince entered the palace, he wished he could leave right away, and he didn't want to stay here for a minute, the fourth prince was not here! Who else could have the so-called "royal flesh and blood"? !
After a while, the crown prince hurried in. When he saw Concubine Xue Gui crying and kneeling on the ground, he knew that what he was most afraid of was that something had finally happened. He saluted the emperor, and asked calmly, "Why did the emperor call the child?"
The emperor glanced at Concubine Xue, and asked the crown prince, "My concubine has an affair with others, how should I deal with it?"
The prince was shocked and said: "There is such a thing?!"
The emperor sneered, nodded to the prince and said: "Indeed, such a thing happened!..." He was about to curse, but the prince said seriously: "Then you should be beaten to death with a stick!"
Concubine Xue Gui stopped crying, and suddenly turned her head to look at the prince, but the prince did not look at her, but still focused on the emperor.
The emperor stared into the prince's eyes, and the prince's eyes stared blankly at the emperor without flinching. He muttered in his heart: I have nothing to fear! Beirong has already attacked!
This kind of rare bravery made the emperor shake his original judgment: this child has been irritable since he was a child, and he will feel guilty in all likelihood after doing something, and he will definitely not be so calm.
Finally, in the eye contact with the prince, the emperor blinked first.
Concubine Xue screamed from the side: "His Royal Highness! This is your child!"
The crown prince stared blankly at Concubine Xue: "What do you mean, my lady? Now that I have been accused of having an affair with you, I will be accused of poisoning me in the future. My lady, please be respectful! Don't try to support me!"
Concubine Xue Gui almost collapsed, unable to kneel, collapsed on the ground, and began to cry again, "Your Highness! Your Highness! How can you say that?! Those flowers are blooming before the moon, those swallows are good...you said that in the future you will..." She There was chaos in her mind, and things happened so fast that she couldn't even react. Before coming here today, thinking of meeting the prince, she even dressed up specially. Knowing that the Lantern Festival will accompany the emperor to watch the lanterns, there is probably no chance to have a good time with the prince, but she still bathed thoroughly, repaired her toes, and put on a layer Pink Nail Polish…
But suddenly, why did it come to this point? ! Countless memories suddenly come to light. The prince dressed as a eunuch and entangled with her passionately on Qixi night.
The crown prince interrupted Xue Guifei's words, and saluted the emperor: "Father, I don't want to hear such nonsense. Someone must have bribed this person to frame my child. Please, Father, investigate clearly, and Rong Erchen will leave." He said it lightly. , without any concern, with the kind intention of saving some face for the emperor.
Concubine Xue Gui struggled and crawled towards the emperor: "Your Majesty! I ask Concubine Rong Chen to give birth to this child, and confess to the prince with blood!"
The emperor's face became even more gloomy: Are you still confessing to your relatives with blood? ! Do you still want to slap me in public? ! I'm afraid everyone doesn't know that I'm wearing a cuckold
The prince twitched the corner of his mouth coldly: "Absurd!"
Concubine Xue Gui cried again: "Your Majesty! The crown prince poisoned his concubine!" But these words coincided with what the crown prince said just now that she would frame her.
The prince sighed to the emperor: "Father..." But he didn't say much, looking helpless
The emperor looked at the prince again for a long time, and the prince lowered his head indifferently, as if he ignored everything, not nervous at all...
The emperor frowned slightly—could someone really frame the prince? He looked at the prince and said slowly: "Then, I have listened to you." He raised his voice and said to the outside: "Come here, beat Concubine Xue to death with a stick! Let Concubine Xue perform witchcraft in the palace to commit crimes." Because of this, the Jiangnan Xue Mansion will be copied and inspected!"
Concubine Xue burst into tears, her eyes were blinded by tears, and she suddenly saw in a blur many years ago, Jiangnan, two young men, one was calm and breezy, the other was proud and handsome... Regret was like a million piercing through Xue. The heart of a noble concubine: No wonder they are so indifferent, because they have the magnanimity to ask for nothing. In her heart, she loves the kind with noble arrogance, not vulgar, not vulgar, and disdain to be with others... But why did she change her mind because she couldn't get it? As a result, she turned into the opposite side, pursuing status and power, forgetting the value of character, and becoming an eternal hate... She hoarsely shouted at the prince: "You are going to hell! You will not have a good result!"
The emperor never took his eyes off the prince's face: the prince's expression was calm, his eyelashes didn't even tremble, and he didn't act abnormally—it wasn't the first time he had heard these words. The woman just cursed a few times, so boring, saying these things Is it interesting to useless words
A eunuch came in and blocked Concubine Xue Gui, dragged her out of the palace gate,
The prince felt relieved: the emperor still wanted to keep his crown prince. Otherwise, Concubine Xue should be imprisoned and investigated.
The emperor waved to the prince: "Go and see the lamp."
The prince saluted the emperor: "My child, you can accompany my father to walk a few steps on Lantern Street. It is very interesting to have a few lanterns."
The emperor felt that if Concubine Xue Gui was really having an affair with the prince, the prince would be hard-hearted if he could still talk and laugh like this when Concubine Xue died. He looked at the prince for a while, seeing the prince's attentive demeanor, he said: "Go and pick some lamps for me, just hang them outside for me to see."
The crown prince nodded and said, "Okay, my son will go and choose for the emperor."
After he retired, there were only the emperor, Eunuch Sun and a few eunuchs in the hall. The emperor motioned to Eunuch Sun to help him up, and Eunuch Sun realized that the emperor's hands were shaking and still a little cold.
Eunuch Sun supported the emperor and walked back to the bedroom. It was not until the emperor sat on the bed after washing that the emperor said: "It turned out to be the princess who made the trouble..." It seems that it should be the prince. The emperor has long known about the dirtiness between the prince and the princess. The princess was chosen by the empress back then, and the emperor didn't care about it at all. Let the prince taste the bad results his mother gave him, so he can understand some truths and know who to listen to when things happen.
The emperor thought about it again, and said to Eunuch Sun: "Go and ask the eunuchs and maids of Concubine Xue carefully, and search her place."
Eunuch Sun agreed, and the emperor said, "You should know what to do tonight."
Eunuch Sun hurriedly said: "I know." He asked people to keep their mouths shut.
The emperor sighed deeply: "I am getting old."
Eunuch Sun hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is not old."
The emperor slowly shook his head: "I don't have much time for women anymore. Concubine Xue's place is just..." A distant figure emerged... The emperor coughed a few times, feeling his chest tightness. He shook his head: "That unbelievable thing!"
Eunuch Sun whispered: "Sooner or later, the prince will understand His Majesty's love for him." The emperor killed Concubine Xue Gui so resolutely, it did not mean that a bed of brocade was covering up the scandal. It's just that I don't want to tear myself apart with the prince on the spot. Concubine Xue is dead, and there are other people, things will be found out no matter what, it doesn't look good to anyone to keep Concubine Xue who yells at the crown prince in public. As for the child in Concubine Xue Gui's stomach, even if it belongs to the crown prince, she cannot be allowed to give birth. How should this child address his elders? Concubine Yang had to divorce her husband before she could be with her father-in-law. Wu Zetian was also a widow after her husband died and entered the temple, so she could openly come back and have a child with the new emperor who was her son's generation. But what's going on with Concubine Xue Gui now? Concubine and son, this is not only adultery, but also incest.
The prince was in Lantern Street. He really chose a few novelty lanterns and sent them to the emperor. Only then did he know that the emperor had already rested. He returned to the East Palace, and it was already past midnight.
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Shen Wen also knew that Yancheng was besieged, and the Beirong divided its troops. These things are developing according to the plan, but the Beirong division is going to Zhang Yunzheng's side, Shen Wen is even more worried.
It was Lantern Festival again, and she remembered that she and Zhang Yunzheng went out on Yuanxiao night at the border, so she wanted to go out for a walk too, to review the places the two of them had walked in the past, to relieve her nervous and anxious mood, and to spy on the movement in the palace .
It was cold winter, and the moat outside the palace was frozen three feet, and Shen Wen crossed the river smoothly.
This time, there was no Eunuch Gu in the palace to intercept her, but Shen Wen was still very cautious. She was seventeen years old, her body was fully grown, and she was more exposed than her short stature in the past. She went straight to the East Palace, wanting to peek at what the prince was doing. It stands to reason that the prince should have received news from the border, but now there is no news.
The East Palace was extremely quiet, Shen Wen hid in the darkness, listened carefully, and found a sound from one direction. She went in that direction, but when she reached the wall of the palace courtyard, she regretted coming.
The courtyard was full of maids and eunuchs, but no one made a sound. The prince scolded from the palace: "What do you think of me?! I stared blankly, how did your parents teach you? Maybe I should Teach you the rules..."
The voice of the princess with a sneer: "Of course I don't have the affectionate eyes of others, because I don't want to mess up..." There was a "snap", followed by a series of tables and benches falling to the ground, and then an indecent motion sound.
Shen Wen understood what was going on, and just as he was about to leave, he heard the prince inside calling: "They all died outside?! Come in!"
Shen Wen was surprised that the prince was calling someone at this time, he was clearly...
Some people in the yard didn’t move, and some rushed in, and the prince in the house was actually performing in public... After a while, the prince opened the door and came out, turning his head and cursing: "You bastard!" Becoming the crown princess is enough to make her unable to look up for the rest of her life.
Shen Wen was in shock: she had no idea that the relationship between the prince and the princess was so bad! She couldn't help being rejoicing: If the princess and the prince were completely broken off, then the prince would lose the support of the most important Lu family in the court... But then, she understood why the prince dared to treat the princess like this—the prince was captured by the Beirong prisoner. He probably felt that he was only one step away from enthroning.
Shen Wen sneered in the dark: You got complacent too early.
She didn't stay any longer, turned around and left the palace.
In the city, she passed by the first prince's mansion, and then went to the place where Zhang Yunzheng was asked to buy wontons. Now that the famine has passed, wonton stalls have appeared on the street again. Shen Wen looked at the steamy food stall, missed Zhang Yunzheng very much, and secretly decided that since he came back, he would definitely come here again with him.
Finally, Shen Wen arrived at the courtyard, knocked on the window, and was surprised to find that Mrs. Gu had opened the door and signaled her to come in.
Shen Wen bowed to Eunuch Gu. This is Shen Qiang's master, and she must respect him as an elder.
Eunuch Gu nodded to accept the ceremony, and signaled Shen Wen to sit down.
Shen Wen had a question in mind to ask Eunuch Gu, after thanking Eunuch Gu for teaching Shen Qiang, he asked, "How is my fourth brother's martial arts?"
Eunuch Gu replied: "He is born with supernatural power and a genius in martial arts. Although he is young, he is already an unapproachable master."
Shen Wen asked: "Can you lead a hundred people to protect my mansion?"
Eunuch Gu pondered and said: "If he is willing to kill, it will be a matter of little effort."
Shen Wen hurriedly asked: "Are you willing to drive?"
Eunuch Gu nodded: "Your fourth brother has a generous heart. Although he has martial arts, unless he is practicing by himself, he will never be ruthless when fighting with his seniors or me. He is only humble and can't fight."
Shen Wen nodded slowly.
Eunuch Gu suddenly asked: "Do you want the third prince to be the crown prince?"
Shen Wen looked at Eunuch Gu, decided to speak out, and said in a low voice, "It's not just the prince, I want him to be the emperor."
Eunuch Gu seemed to smile a bit, and said, "That's good."
Shen Wen returned to the mansion, and met Shen Zhuo privately the next day, and talked about Shen Qiang's temper. Shen Zhuo said: "I will ask Lao Guan to help him, and I will tell him well before I leave. Although he doesn't speak, he can understand."
Shen Wen said: "We must ensure that we can defend the Hou Mansion for a day."
Shen Zhuo thought about it carefully, and said: "If it's a few days, I can't guarantee it, but if it's just a day, he and Lao Guan, with a hundred people, will surround grandma's small courtyard, it will definitely work."
Shen Wen also felt that there shouldn't be a big problem, so she didn't worry about it anymore. She had other things to arrange, for example, Zheng Qian.