Changsun De's words were like a blow to the head, which not only made Emperor Zhou and the courtiers dizzy, but also made Zhao Su's heart plummet to the bottom. She remained kneeling motionless, like a statue, her hands and feet were cold to the bone. Many thoughts flashed through my mind at that moment, but nothing caught on.
It was so quiet in the main hall that you could hear the drop of a pin.
After a period of dead silence, Zhao Su finally made a move. Everyone saw her slowly raising her eyes to look at Changsun De. If her gaze could condense into substance, it would be the coldest ice in the world. She coldly uttered two words: "Absurd!"
Her voice suddenly rose, shaking the entire court, and Changsun De was frightened to the point of being shaken all over.
All the ministers saw Zhao Suhu standing up from the ground, looking at Changsun De with blazing eyes, and approaching him step by step: "I am impeaching you in the palace today for making false accounts. I am accusing you of being disloyal! You have neglected the lives of the victims and committed corruption. Accepting bribes is unkind! If you are such a disloyal and unkind person, you will not repent even when you are about to die, but you will still feel resentful and slander your Majesty out of thin air. Even if you kill the Nine Clan, you will not be able to escape your death!"
Zhao Su has always been calm and courteous to the outside world, but it is inevitable that people will be surprised when he suddenly shows such an awe-inspiring attitude. She took a step forward every time she said a word, forcing Changsun De to the corner of the steps: "You said that Gu Zai is a woman disguised as a man, are you trying to ridicule your father for being blind and mistaking women for men for many years?! You said that Gu Zai is a man? When a woman disguises herself as a man, do you mean that the whole hospital is full of people who are just trying to take care of themselves but they can't tell the difference between men and women? Are you saying that the woman disguises herself as a man so that she can be accused of cheating on you? The whole clan was slaughtered! Are you saying that Gu Zaiyu disguised himself as a man and wanted to make the emperor a laughing stock among the nations?"
Every time Zhao Su said something, Emperor Zhou's face became gloomier. He watched this farce with cold eyes, sitting in a high position without saying a word, which only made people feel that the storm was coming.
The queen's mother's family, the Wen family, also had someone serving as an official in the court. Hearing this, he was the first to come out and reprimand Chang Sun De: "Your Majesty, I have observed that Chang Sun De is insane. He is obviously about to die. He deliberately bites and bites indiscriminately. I beg your majesty to punish him severely!" "
One person takes the lead, and others can only follow and second their opinions. These courtiers are not like Changsun De, who is full of shit and insists that the prince is a woman disguised as a man. What is the benefit? Isn't this a blatant accusation that the emperor is blind? The son he has raised for more than 20 years can't even tell the difference between male and female.
To put it bluntly, even if the prince really disguises himself as a man, it is the emperor's own business and it is not the turn of foreign ministers to expose it. Whoever dares to stand up at this time will undoubtedly get burned. Didn't you see that even the Eighth Prince and the others dare not speak out.
Only Changsun De was ready to risk his life and was determined to drag Zhao Su into the water. He scrambled to his feet, panicked like a bereaved dog, pointed at Zhao Su and said incoherently: "Do you dare to take off your clothes and do a body check?! Zhao Su! Do you dare to take off your clothes and do a body check in front of all the civil and military officials?! I heard that you have been since your birth. Since then, I have been raised by the Queen herself, and I have not even used a wet nurse. You are already of marriageable age, but you are refusing to get married. How dare you say that you are not pretending to be a man?"
The more Changsun De thought about it, the more it seemed possible, and the more he spoke, the more he felt that he made sense. He finally took off the official hat he was wearing crookedly on his head, threw it heavily to the ground, and said desperately: "Zhao Su! How dare you do it in front of all the civil and military officials?" Do you want to take off your clothes for a body test?”
Zhao Su did not speak when he heard this, but slowly backed away step by step and stood in the middle of the hall. Just when Changsun De thought she was timid, Zhao Su suddenly opened his arms, shook his sleeves heavily, and asked in a stern voice without fear in front of all the civil and military officials: "Why don't you dare?!"
Zhao Su looked directly at the ministers and said loudly every word: "I am standing here today. If anyone doesn't believe it, you can ask your majesty to ask someone to take off their clothes and examine themselves to see if I am a boy or a girl!"
She stood on the main hall with her back straight, unmoving, showing no sign of fear. After hearing this, everyone subconsciously looked at Emperor Zhou who was sitting on the high seat, only to see him walking down step by step without knowing it. The beads on his crown clattered, covering the bright or dark expression in his eyes.
When Zhao Su saw Emperor Zhou approaching, he raised his arms a little without changing his expression, and said in a deep voice: "Father, please take a physical examination!"
She's betting...
She bet that Emperor Zhou would not dare to do this...
It would be fine if she were a man, but if she were really a woman, the test in the main hall would not only bring shame to the royal family, but also make Zhou the laughing stock of all the countries.
Emperor Zhou would never do this considering the face of the royal family, even if he really had doubts.
Zhao Su's character was even more ruthless than that of men. When she saw Emperor Zhou not moving, she repeated in a deep voice: "Father, please take a physical examination!"
"Wow!"
There was a sharp sound of the sword being unsheathed, and Emperor Zhou pulled out the sword of the guard beside him without any warning. This move caused the courtiers to exclaim in surprise and stepped forward to stop him: "Your Majesty! No!"
They didn't know what Emperor Zhou was going to do, but they instinctively felt the danger. In the corner, someone from the palace had already turned around and left, hurriedly going to the harem to report the news.
"Everyone, stand down!"
Emperor Zhou kicked away the nearest minister, his face was ugly, and he didn't know what he was thinking. He pointed the cold sword straight at the prince, but the prince's expression remained unchanged. Emperor Zhou turned to point his sword at Changsun De. Changsun De was so frightened that he trembled like chaff. He climbed up and hugged Emperor Zhou's legs: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You believe me! Quickly take off your clothes and check yourself. Zhao Su must be a woman, Zhao Su must be a woman..."
Before he finished speaking, Emperor Zhou suddenly raised his sword high, and without any warning in the horrified eyes of the ministers, the sword pierced his back, and blood spurted all over his face.
Changsunde's body suddenly stiffened, his face twisted in pain, and he raised his eyes to look at Emperor Zhou in disbelief, but he could only see the emperor's gloomy and fierce eyes under his crown.
The air was deathly still.
Emperor Zhou pulled out his long sword with a whoosh and kicked Chang Sun De's body down the steps. His voice was deep and he could not hide his anger: "According to my decree, Chang Sun De, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, has been corrupt and accepted bribes. He uttered wild words in front of the palace and ransacked his house for questioning. Punish the three clans! Their descendants will not be allowed to serve as officials in the court for three generations. Those who are under the age of eighteen will have their faces stabbed and their wives will be sent to prison. They will not be pardoned for a hundred years! Judgment, Liu Jianlai committed many atrocities, greedy for money and land, Qiu Hou asked to behead him!"
Emperor Zhou was addicted to the art of seeking immortality and asking for immortality. He had not killed any living being for many years. Today, he personally executed the elder Sun De in front of the palace, which showed that his anger was boiling to the extreme.
When the Marquis of Donglin heard this, before he could complain, the guards outside the palace covered his mouth and dragged him down. All the civil and military officials were as silent as cicadas, and they all knelt down and dared not make a sound.
Emperor Zhou was still angry and his chest was heaving. Everyone saw him throw the long sword on the main hall with a clang, then turned around and left with his sleeves fluttering, saying coldly: "The prince comes to see me in the bedroom!"
Today's farce in the court seemed to have finally come to an end, but only Zhao Su knew that she had killed a thousand enemies and suffered eight hundred losses.
Although Emperor Zhou had not set foot in the harem for many years, he was not stupid. He recalled carefully that from the moment the prince was born, he had never held the child in his arms. Countless doubts weighed on my mind, and finally an extremely ridiculous guess was piled up.
The officials finally receded like a tide, and walked out of the hall in twos and threes. Only Zhao Su stood there without taking a step. She slowly put down her numb arms, and for some reason, she felt calmer than ever before. He accidentally raised his eyes and saw that the guards were about to take Zhen He away. He finally said coldly with a hoarse voice: "What are you going to do?"
The guard cupped his fists and said, "Your Highness, this person is a wanted criminal by the imperial court. The general will now take him to prison to await judgment."
Zhao Su frowned fiercely when she heard this. Zhen He was the person she wanted to come from Rongrong Xuan. If she was taken to the prison today, how should she explain
However, before Zhao Su could say anything, Zhen He suddenly walked up to her and kowtowed heavily to her: "Thank you, Your Highness, for redressing Lord Zhen's grievances. A common man's life is worthless. Death is not a pity."
Ji Ji slipped a very small piece of paper into Zhao Su's hand without leaving a trace, gave her a deep look, indicating that there was no need to plead, and then stood up and left with the escorting guards.
Zhao Su stopped talking. She saw Zhen He's back disappearing before her eyes. She opened the note without leaving a trace and saw a line written on it -
The Empress Dowager passed away, and the world gave him a general amnesty.
There has always been a rule in the Zhou Dynasty. Whenever a new emperor ascends the throne or an emperor or queen dies, a three-year amnesty must be issued to show kindness. The Empress Dowager's time was short, and everyone knew it, and Emperor Zhou believed in gods. In order to accumulate moral virtue, an edict of amnesty would inevitably be issued.
It can be as fast as three days, or as slowly as ten days. As long as the Empress Dowager passes away, Zhen He can be released from prison.
There are also ten evils in the universal amnesty: the first is treason, the second is treason, the third is treason, the fourth is rebellion, the fifth is disrespect, the seventh is unfilial, the eighth is corruption, the ninth is civil strife, and the tenth is unjust.
The criminals in Donglinhou Mansion and Changsunde were not pardoned for their corruption.
Zhao Su walked out of the hall facing the setting sun and quietly tore the note into pieces. She twitched the corner of her mouth. Rong Xuan was indeed bold, and he dared to write such taboo words on paper, but he just missed everything and always had a way to survive.
What about yourself
Can he put himself to death and survive
In front of Zhao Su, there was a woman who was about forty years old. She was wearing an imperial Qingluan female official uniform, holding a sword in both arms, with clear eyebrows, and a temperament as unfathomable as the abyss. She was the only female swordsman Zhou Xiqiong in the world.
Zhou Xiqiong has been worshiped by the Zhou royal family and walks in front of the emperor every day to protect her. It must be a big deal for her to come here. Her unwavering eyes fell on Zhao Su, with a hint of pity hidden in her eyes: "Your Highness, Your Majesty has summoned you and orders you to enter the inner palace as soon as possible."
Zhao Su knew that Emperor Zhou was about to undergo a physical examination. She couldn't avoid it, but she became calmer, straightened her clothes and said, "If you have a problem, please lead the way, Mr. Zhou."
When the news reached the harem, Queen Wen was so frightened and frightened that she vomited blood. Regardless of her illness, she hurried to the emperor's bedroom with others, only to see that through a screen, the palace servants were undressing the prince and checking his body. Emperor Zhou was sitting outside, his eyebrows were heavy, and it was difficult to tell whether he was happy or angry.
Queen Wen ignored the salute and rushed directly behind the screen, only to see the palace maid unbuttoning Zhao Su's belt. I don't know where the strength came from, I stepped forward and pushed those people away, blocked Zhao Su behind him, and sternly scolded: "You bastard! You can't touch the prince's body of ten thousand gold, why don't you retreat?" !”
The palace servants were so frightened that they all knelt down and apologized: "The queen, the slaves, etc. are also under your majesty's orders."
Emperor Zhou heard the commotion and walked in from behind the screen with an ugly expression. When he saw the queen standing in front of Zhao Su, he cursed angrily at the surrounding palace maids: "What are you doing here? Why don't you pull the queen away!"
However, in full view of everyone, the queen pulled out the hairpin and waved it around to force everyone back: "Which one of you dares to come forward!"
Emperor Zhou was furious: "Mr. Wen, are you going to rebel?!"
The queen's face was as golden as paper. She didn't know where she found the courage to look directly at Emperor Zhou. She gritted her teeth and said, "The prince is the prince. He was the prince you personally anointed back then. How can you believe someone else's words now? !”
Seeing her behavior, Emperor Zhou didn't understand anything. He was shocked and angry at the same time: "Mr. Wen, you are a criminal who deceives the emperor, you deserve to die!"
Emperor Zhou was already convinced that Zhao Su was a woman, but he still wanted to confirm it. Seeing the queen standing in front of him, he kicked her to the ground out of desperation. As the palace people screamed, the queen accidentally knocked her head against the corner of the table, and her head turned red immediately.
Zhao Su's expression changed drastically, and he quickly stepped forward to help her up: "Mother!"
Wen's eyes were filled with scarlet red. She forced herself to push Zhao Su behind her, looked at Emperor Zhou with difficulty, and said intermittently: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Su'er is the crown prince you personally anointed... you remember the prince you personally anointed... If she were to have a physical examination by force today, wouldn't it mean that her face would be trampled into the ground, and I will never allow it..."
The queen didn't know if she regretted it at this time. In order to consolidate her position, she forcibly disguised Zhao Su as a man. Now that the Dongchuang incident has occurred, countless people's lives have been implicated.
Seeing that she still refused to give in, Emperor Zhou pulled out the long sword hanging on the wall with a clang, pointed the sword straight at Queen Wen, and said angrily: "If you don't get out of the way, believe it or not, I will chop you down!" "
As soon as he finished speaking, the edge of the sword was suddenly firmly grasped by a hand. He looked subconsciously and saw that Zhao Su had stopped in front of the queen at some point. As if she was not afraid of pain, she lowered her eyes and clutched the sword tightly. Emperor Zhou tried hard to pull it twice but could not pull it out, and the sticky blood dripped down.
Emperor Zhou laughed angrily: "Okay! Okay! What a queen! What a prince! Zhao Su, you disguised yourself as a man and deceived the emperor. Are you trying to rebel?!"
Zhao Su raised his eyes and looked directly at him, and asked word by word: "What about men? What about women? We are all of the Zhao family, why do we have to be classified as high and low?!"
Emperor Zhou's chest was heaving: "Even now, you still don't know your fault?!"
Zhao Su silently clenched the blade of the sword. The pain stung his brain and he became more alert. He tried his best to raise his head: "My son, I have practiced literature and martial arts since I was a child, so I am not inferior to all the royal brothers. At the age of sixteen, I entered the Juxian Pavilion to debate and interpret scriptures. I outshone all the talented people in literature. I punished corrupt officials at the age of seventeen. I went to Liaodong to provide disaster relief at the age of eighteen. All my sons and ministers have set foot in the barren land of the Zhou Dynasty. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me! As a woman, can the father abandon the blood and family ties of many years and even attack his wife? "
Zhao Su clenched her teeth and released the sword bit by bit: "If your father wants to kill me today, just kill me and don't hurt innocent people. The only mistake is that in this world, men are in power, and women, even if they are talented, are looking for ways. No way!"
Emperor Zhou was so shocked by her rebellious words that he could not recover for a long time. He felt that the sword in his hand was as heavy as a sword. He staggered back a few steps, and finally fell to the ground with a clang.
"you you… "
Seeing this, Zhou Xiqiong stepped forward to support Emperor Zhou without leaving a trace, and said in a calm voice: "Your Majesty, the envoys of the Yan State have arrived in Beijing and are delivering orders outside the palace for an audience. You'd better go and receive them first."
She handed him a step, and Emperor Zhou, who was in despair, did not object, and was carefully helped out of the hall by the palace servants.
When Zhao Su saw Emperor Zhou leaving, his expression was lifeless and he didn't know what he was thinking. She came back to her senses and looked at the queen, only to see that the latter had fainted at some point. She was already breathing more out than in. She quickly hugged the queen and checked her breathing. Her face was extremely ugly: "Quickly tell the doctor! Go quickly!" "
The palace servants were frightened by the scene in front of them. After reacting, they crawled out of the palace and wanted to ask for the imperial doctor. However, they were pushed back by the imperial guards left behind by Emperor Zhou: "No one is allowed to step outside the palace without His Majesty's decree." !”
Emperor Zhou was concerned about his face and feared that the news would be leaked, so he sealed the main hall directly.
The palace man looked anxious: "The Queen is seriously ill, please show me your noble hand and ask your slave to teach the imperial doctor!"
The imperial guard frowned when he heard this, and immediately ordered a soldier to go to the Imperial Hospital to deliver the message. But he still guarded the palace gate tightly and did not allow anyone to enter or exit.
When the news reached Prince Yan's mansion, it was already late at night.
Ji Fan was bathing in the pool when he suddenly heard the news and opened his eyes suddenly: "What did you say? Zhao Su's womanhood was discovered?!"
The attendant stood behind the screen and said: "Emperor Zhou sealed his mouth tightly. We used a spy who had been lying in wait for many years to find out the news. We only know that the queen is seriously ill now and may not survive. The prince is under house arrest in the palace and is not allowed to go out easily. ”
Ji Fan lowered his eyes thoughtfully: "I understand, please step back."
The attendant whispered another thing: "Your Highness, General Han and Right Prime Minister Yue Yuanting have arrived at the post house with their envoys and are here to pay their respects tonight."
After saying that, he quietly left.
Rong Xuan heard the sound of closing the door and subconsciously looked at Ji Fan, his tone unable to conceal his surprise: "Why was Zhao Su's identity discovered?"
Ji Fan said in the shrouding mist: "It seems that your calculations sometimes make mistakes. Changsun De exposed Zhao Su's identity in front of the palace today and was stabbed to death by Emperor Zhou. Zhao Su is now under house arrest in the palace. , It's hard to get out. Your phrase "The Empress Dowager passed away" will probably be changed to "The Queen passed away."
Rong Xuan never expected that Chang Sun De would turn out to be a variable, and he couldn't help but fell into deep thought: "Her womanhood has been exposed, and Emperor Zhou will never make her the crown prince."
Ji Fan quietly swam in front of him, his black hair falling wetly on his shoulders, and his lips as red as blood, like a water demon: "Not necessarily, it just depends on whether Zhao Su can be so cruel. Emperor Zhou wanted to save face. , he will not expose her disguise as a man, on the contrary, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the courtiers, he will let Zhao Suan sit safely on the throne of the prince, but... "
Rong Xuan sighed and said, "It's hard to say how long I can sit in this position. When the storm over this matter subsides, Emperor Zhou will either let Zhao Su die suddenly of illness, or he will choose the wrong place to remove her from the position of crown prince." It’s really a dilemma.”
Unless... Zhao Su embarks on the path of rebellion.
Ji Fan wasn't necessarily happy when he heard the news. Zhao Su had to endure a lot of criticism for being the Crown Prince as a woman. If he proclaimed himself emperor as a Qingzi in the future, he would only face more resistance than Zhao Su.
Ji Fan picked up a handful of water and gurgled it on Rong Xuan's shoulders from between his fingers. Suddenly his mood waned: "Those old ministers are really boring. They themselves are too talented and incompetent to be emperor, but they don't allow talented and capable people." Take charge.”
Rong Xuan pulled him into his arms, hugging him closely, and laughed softly: "Those old ministers have half of their bodies in the coffin, so they can only show off their power in the remaining days. In this world, only those who can win will win." , why bother with them.”
After Rong Xuanyuan finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something: "The envoy of the State of Yan came to Beijing, and why did Han Xiaoyun follow him? He is the general of the State of Yan, isn't he afraid of being discovered by Emperor Zhou?"
Ji Fan lay lazily on Rong Xuan's shoulder, with a certain satisfaction in the corners of his eyes and brows. Hearing this, he lightly tapped Rong Xuan's cheek with his fingertips and said in a hoarse voice: "You are stupid, but you are really stupid. Naturally, Han Xiaoyun would not go to Beijing blatantly. He would disguise himself as a follower of the right minister and no one would recognize him. "
Rong Xuan stroked his back every now and then: "Are they here to escort you back to the Yan Kingdom?"
Ji Fan paused slightly when he heard the words: "... They have asked Gu to return to Yan many times, but Emperor Zhou has blocked it again and again. Now that the situation in the Yan country is in chaos, and the Queen Mother is alone and weak, Gu must go back to fight for one. Fight for that position. Otherwise, when Lao San ascends the throne and sends troops to attack Zhou to regain the lost territory, he and these three thousand cavalry will be killed in Shengjing."
Zhao Su is behind bars, and he is walking on thin ice.
Ji Fan unconsciously tightened his grip on Rong Xuan's shoulders and said in a low voice: "No matter what this time, I will find a way to leave Da Zhou, even if we meet with swords."
Ji Fan has three thousand cavalry in the Great Zhou Dynasty. This is a force that cannot be underestimated, and every move is monitored. If he wanted to take these people and escape from Shengjing under the nose of Emperor Zhou, it would be extremely difficult.
Rong Xuan reached out to hold Ji Fan's face and kissed the injury on the side of his face: "I'll help you."
His tone was serious: "I'll help you leave Zhou."
Although this road is difficult, it is not impossible. As long as you find allies, you can get twice the result with half the effort.