After many days, Chu Jinyao finally returned to Ciqing Palace. The palace staff in Changhe Garden had already been sent back. They heard the movement outside and hurriedly greeted them: "Prince Concubine!"
Chu Jinyao was still wearing the same clothes as before. This kind of gray cloth was incompatible with the palace, and it could almost be said to be disrespectful.
If you dare to provoke the Crown Princess again at this juncture, she is either blind or stupid, and she doesn't want to live anymore.
Kikyo looked at Chu Jinyao and shed tears: "Prince Concubine, you'll be fine."
The situation was critical yesterday, and the fewer people Chu Jinyao took away, the better, so except for Lilac and Linglong, everyone else was left behind. However, it is safe to be left behind at such a time. Changhe Garden is so big, there is no place to hide anyone.
Chu Jinyao was just doing it just in case, but she didn't expect that she had guessed it. General Hu was kidnapping the truth in the name of protection. When he learned that the Crown Princess was not there, he immediately ordered to go outside to chase him. Time tossing these palace people. Now it can be regarded as a fortune among misfortunes, Chu Jinyao was not in danger, except that these maids were a little frightened, there was no accident.
The greatest good news was that no one was injured. Seeing Chu Jinyao's tired expression, Linglong immediately said, "If you have anything to say, please take it slow. The Crown Princess has been bumpy all night, so let the Crown Princess rest first."
Chu Jinyao's spirit is really not good. She has not slept all night, and she has experienced so many changes and shocks. She was trying her best to take advantage of Qin Yi outside because she was worried about Qin Yi. Now, when she returned to the familiar environment, she could not hold it any longer. The maids immediately shut their mouths when they saw it, and carefully served Chu Jinyao to go to bed. After Chu Jinyao took off her rough clothes, she couldn't even take a shower, so she fell into a deep sleep on the pillow.
She slept until the afternoon, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the golden rays of the sun shining on the coffin, warm and peaceful, as if nothing had changed. Chu Jinyao moved a little, and the maid who was guarding outside heard the voice and quickly opened the curtain and came in: "Prince Concubine, are you awake?"
"When is it?"
"It's time for you."
"How long have I slept, Your Highness?"
"The Prince's Palace came back in the afternoon. Seeing that the princess was still sleeping, she instructed the servants not to disturb the rest of the prince. Not long after that, she was called away by the father-in-law again."
Chu Jinyao nodded. Now that the entire imperial court is on the verge of collapse, there are naturally many places where Qin Yi's presence is needed. Chu Jinyao was supported by the palace maid to get up, Linglong changed his clothes, and stood outside the bed compartment and asked, "Prince Concubine, The food has been kept warm in the small kitchen, do you want to eat first?"
Chu Jinyao originally wanted to take a bath, but she thought that she hadn't eaten all day, and taking a bath at this time is not good for the body or the child. With this thought in mind, Chu Jinyao dismissed the original idea, nodded and said, "Okay, let's set the meal."
While the palace servants were setting meals outside, Chu Jinyao asked about other things: "How are elder sister and brother Lu?"
"The great aunt just sent a letter over, saying that everything is fine, so that the prince can rest assured. The Zhao family also sent the prince some nourishing things."
When Qin Yi brought Chu Jinyao back to Beijing, he sent another team to take Chu Jinxian back to Zhao's house. Now Chu Jinyao learned that Chu Jinxian's mother and son were relieved, and there was no serious problem. Rest assured. nodded.
Strange to say, Chu Jinyao was out of the palace for more than a month, and when she came back, she was not used to it at all, as if life should be like this. Even when she first got married, she still felt that this place was oppressive, and the red walls and green tiles of the Forbidden City were almost overwhelming.
It turned out that before she knew it, Chu Jinyao's life had already been integrated into this magnificent palace, and her breathing was inseparable.
Chu Jinyao still doesn't know how the outside world has changed while she is sleeping. Leaving aside the affairs of state affairs, sisters Chu Jinyao and Chu Jinxian are now completely famous in the capital.
In fact, when the prince just brought the princess back to the palace, many people in the palace said secretly because the princess was wearing the wrong clothes. Later, news of last night's incident spread, and both inside and outside the court knew that the grandmother of the Zhao family took risks to distract the pursuers, and the princess almost died for the country.
Such a staunch and loyal behavior, even the most virtuous people dare not say anything. The deeds of the Crown Princess and her sister soon spread to officials and officials in the capital. From the noble Hanlin family to the noble family of military commanders, everyone praised the sisters for their righteousness. When Chu Jinyao was sleeping, their sisters The deeds of the two have already been passed down by dozens, and they are almost compiled into a new legend of virtuous women and martyrs.
Because Chu Jinxian led Chu Jinyao away from chasing soldiers yesterday, Qin Yi treated Chu Jinxian very politely. Today, he specially ordered to send a lot of rewards to the Zhao family, not to mention, even to Chu Jinxian's son Lu Ge himself. Words started. For the care of Chu Jinxian for Chu Jinyao in times of crisis, Qin Yi felt that they deserved the reward.
But at this time, Chu Jinyao was stirring the clear soup in his hand without knowing anything. These are specially prepared by the imperial kitchen. Chu Jinyao has just woken up, so it is not advisable to eat too greasy food. Chu Jinyao took a sip, moistened her throat, and asked, "Where does His Highness eat? What did he use for lunch?"
The palace servant looked embarrassed: "His Royal Highness was called away by the father-in-law before he had time to eat at noon."
"How can this be possible." Chu Jinyao suddenly became angry, "I'm not here these days, so you are on duty like this? He was allowed to neglect his diet. He blew in the cold wind all night yesterday, and now he has to be with the elders. When discussing the state affairs, how can you hold on without eating. Quickly instruct the small kitchen to prepare something warm and easy to digest, wrap it up and send it to the Wenhua Hall, prepare more, I am afraid that the elders of the pavilion will not be able to eat."
The eunuch who delivered the refreshments walked carefully to the Wenhua Hall. Before entering the hall, he heard the sound of arguing inside. The eunuchs became more and more alert, and they almost stopped walking. As they slowly approached, the quarrel inside also became obvious: "...The old minister tried his best to stop His Majesty's personal expedition. If it wasn't for the traitor Liu Eunuch who slandered His Majesty, why would His Majesty suffer such a humiliation!"
This is no longer a question of humiliation. The emperor is full of confidence and leads an army of 300,000 troops. Many capable officials and promising children in the capital followed, and even the court officials followed halfway, but in the end they ended up with such a result. . The emperor was captured alive by Oara, Duke of England and Duke of Fuguo died in battle, Princess Runing's concubine Ma Chai, a small general, was killed in battle. The Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Officials, Hanlin, Taichang Temple, the Inspectorate, and more than 20 civilian officials below, as well as countless children of nobles and nobles, all died in the melee.
At this time, it is meaningless to investigate whether to die in battle or commit suicide. If the king is captured alive, if the ministers come back alive, they will be infatuated with infamy. It is better to die on the battlefield.
No one would have imagined that how could it be possible for an elite army of 300,000 to be defeated against a mere tens of thousands of stragglers? Even if you lose due to improper command, it is impossible to be so sloppy.
All the elites of the capital were lost in Xuanfu, and the accumulation of the entire Dayan Dynasty for many years was destroyed. Now the capital has to face a more serious problem. The Xuanfu battlefield is only two hundred miles away from the capital, and the army will arrive in a day. Now that the capital has no elites from the three armies to defend, and only some old and weak soldiers are left, how can they resist foreign enemies? The situation can even be a little worse. When the Oirat troops approach the city, the two armies will face each other, and the Oirat people will bring the emperor to the front. Will the Yan army attack or not
Qin Yiguang has a headache thinking about these problems. The capital is now like a child with a thousand gold in his arms. The guards who used to deter foreign enemies were destroyed overnight. empty city.
But in such a critical situation, these courtiers still have the heart to quarrel and blame each other. A good court was destroyed overnight, and no courtier could stand the shock. The sound of crying seemed to be contagious, Qin Yi watched the well-dressed courtiers beat their chests and feet one by one, crying bitterly, his headache became more and more, and he couldn't bear to press his eyebrows.
Some of them cried out in spite of their courtiers' decency, while the rest of the irascible and belligerent were even more excited at this moment. One person said: "The emperor had no intention of exercising in person, but he blamed the greedy villain, flattering and deceiving him, and coaxing His Majesty to expedition in person. Now that the front-line commander has failed, their culpability is indispensable."
There were many voices of agreement. Eunuch Liu, who was the first to ask for the expedition in person, naturally became the target of public criticism. Eunuch Liu’s godson did not know when he was arrested. First, the first person went up and kicked to vent his anger, and more and more people followed. , has gradually become completely out of control.
Qin Yi's face was completely frozen, and they couldn't listen to what they said at this time. The guards of the East Palace quickly protected Qin Yi from standing elsewhere to prevent the prince from being affected by these out-of-control courtiers. Qin Yi looked at the farce in front of him with a cold eye and became angry, but he also knew that these civil servants were holding their breath, and they would not let them vent their breath, and no one could calm down and think about what to do next. For this reason, Qin Yi did not forcefully stop the brawl in front of the hall, but he just stood aside and endured it.
This disaster is simply inexplicable. If it is due to natural disasters and wars, even man-made disasters, the courtiers will feel better, but it is this inexplicable reason, the inexplicable defeat, and the accumulation of years of overturning overnight, no one can accept it. .
In addition to Qin Yi, the people from Zhenbei Hou's mansion also stood far away, instead of standing, it was better to hide. Their expressions were evasive, and they didn't even dare to make a sound, for fear of attracting attention and being angered together.
It is true that Eunuch Liu was the first person to persuade the emperor to go private, but it was Empress Qi who really let the emperor make up his mind.
The Marquis of Zhenbei, as Xiao Qi's mother's family, was sitting on pins and needles at the moment, unable to stand.
It's a pity that the Marquis of Zhenbei tried so hard to cover it up, but the other courtiers were not so forgetful. The courtiers can't wait to smash Liu Gonggong into ten thousand pieces, how can they forget another "hero" who has added a hammer. However, after all, the identities of the Marquis of Zhenbei were different, and Empress Wenxiao was also surnamed Qi. The courtiers were concerned about the prince's face, so they did not do anything to the Marquis of Zhenbei.
But as the saying goes, a death penalty can be avoided, and a living crime cannot be escaped. If Empress Qi did not pay the price at all, she would look down on the 300,000 elites who died innocently, as well as the century-old foundation of the entire Dayan Dynasty.
The courtiers were so excited that they knelt on the ground together and asked the prince to help Chaogang and punish the traitor. Seeing that the situation was wrong, the Marquis of Zhenbei hurriedly stepped forward and asked to be dismissed, but before he could finish his words, a courtier of the Inspectorate spat at him: "Marquis Zhenbei has such a great face, he can be reinstated after dismissal, then Xuanfu The army of 300,000 people, and the two officers who died in the Inspectorate, can they be brought back to life?"
Zhenbeihou's expression was embarrassed, and he could no longer speak. Qin Yi knew in his heart that if he didn't give a statement today, these mad ministers would not give up.
Qin Yi is also worthless for his Dayan's heroic spirit. It is not enough for this poisonous woman after Xiao Qi to mutilate the harem. Now she has even indirectly killed 300,000 sergeants. The lives of 300,000 people are not just words.
Qin Yi paused, and said, "The empress is arrogant in discussing the state and politics, and she has joined forces with the Liu Party to make troubles and disorder. She has lost the virtue of the empress, and she has no ceremonies in charge of the phoenix seal and command of the six palaces. Now she has seized the phoenix seal of the queen's middle palace, and stopped ordering her to congratulate her. Let him live in the Kunning Palace and think about it."
Taking the phoenix seal means losing the power of the harem to govern the palace, and stopping the order of the wife Chao He means that she can't even maintain the queen's ceremonial significance, the last layer of face. A middle palace empress who has been deprived of all internal affairs and foreign affairs, except that she still has the name of an empress, how is it different from the abolition of the queen.