It is rare for Jingchen not to reprimand Jing Shao for his reckless words, but to be silent for a long time. If the imperial decree was not issued by Emperor Hongzheng, then the four princes usurped the throne, and their princes outside should return to the Qingjun side; if the imperial decree was true, if Emperor Hongzheng was really suspicious of him this time, then returning to the capital alone would be a dead end.
Mu Hanzhang looked at Jing Shao and sighed lightly: "This is the end of the matter, and only by letting go can we find a chance of life."
With Prince Rui's aptitude, he was naturally the best candidate for the crown prince. He originally thought that as long as they acted cautiously and kept a low profile, Emperor Hongzheng would naturally succeed in ascending the throne a hundred years later, but he did not expect such a disaster. However, since ancient times, royal seizing the throne has rarely been peaceful. Isn't the preparation they made before just to prevent this day
Jing Shao understood the meaning in his eyes, held the slender and lustrous hand, and then looked at his brother who was calm and steady.
"Go back," Jingchen finally spoke, his voice was calm, it was reassuring to hear, "I'd rather be broken than broken tiles!"
Without further ado, Jing Shao left 30,000 of the 80,000 soldiers and horses in Jiangnan, and the remaining 50,000 plus his own 5,000 personal soldiers, and personally escorted his brother back to Beijing. Gu Huaiqing also wanted to follow, but was unanimously rejected by the other three. Now Emperor Hongzheng is suspicious. If he sees King Huainan, then Jingchen has no choice but to force the palace to seize the throne.
The Huainan feudal position is unique. Starting with it, you can go straight to Huanglong. If the army wants to capture the capital, there is basically no natural danger.
Jing Shao never understood why Taizu gave such a dangerous fief to the ancestors of the King of Huainan, but no matter what he was, the "defect" that Taizu left now has greatly benefited him.
If they were as expected, there were people who kept killing people along the way, but the small group of soldiers were not worth mentioning in front of the army at all. Hearing this in the capital, the eldest prince led troops to block Cheng Wang's army.
"What is the strength of the first prince?" Jing Chen sat on the carriage and asked Mu Hanzhang, who had just gotten in.
"Less than 30,000." Mu Hanzhang, who was used to seeing Jingshao fighting, was not too worried.
Jingchen put down the book in his hand, pondered for a moment, and nodded slightly.
"Brother, but what did you see?" Mu Hanzhang couldn't help asking when he saw him thinking.
"If the army in the Central Plains is dispatched by the emperor, at least 80,000 people can be dispatched." Jing Chen saw that he understood instantly, with a little satisfaction in his eyes, and said a few more words about the distribution and dispatch of Dachen's troops.
In the past few days, Mu Hanzhang shared the carriage with Jingchen most of the time. The two of them didn't talk much, but the occasional conversation can benefit each other a lot, especially Mu Hanzhang, who has a deep understanding of the emperor's ingenuity. After a deeper understanding, I also realized that what Jingchen had learned since he was a child was really the way of being a king.
"Jing Shao is good at fighting, but he doesn't know anything about other things. Since you decide to spend this life with him, you have to take more care of it." Jing Chen looked at his brother's figure in the distance, and said blame in his voice. It is full of maintenance.
"Brother, you can rest assured, this younger brother will not bully him." These days, he has been very close to this elder brother, and Mu Hanzhang couldn't help but tease him.
Jingchen glanced at him and slowly revealed a faint smile.
"咴~" A neighing sound of a horse sounded, and Jing Shao shouted loudly from outside the carriage: "Brother, Jun Qing, come and see what I caught!"
The two got off the carriage when they heard the sound, and saw Jing Shao standing outside the carriage, with a man tied into a zongzi with hemp rope at his feet, staring at them gloomily, but it was the First Prince Jingrong!
"Brother, is the father poisoned?" Jingchen looked at the people on the ground quietly and said solemnly.
"Hmph, if you commit trouble, you must not die!" The eldest prince sneered, without denying, his eyes were full of resentment and madness.
Jingchen closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Kill the king and kill the father, you guys are just crazy!"
"You really know how to throw dirty water. Everyone knows that you can't wait to be enthroned. Besides poisoning your father and emperor, do you still want to kill your brother?" The eldest prince was about to pounce on Jingchen when he was struggling. Kicked down.
"It just so happened that Jingyu sent a prison cart to me. Now, let's pass it on to the eldest brother." Jing Shao picked up the person on the ground, threw it to Zhao Meng, and pointed to the prison cart not far away. The one that came.
Zhao Meng was unequivocal, lifted Jing Rong with one hand and carried it on his shoulders, and strode toward the prison van.
"There are only two carriages in the army. Prince Rui and Lord Hou have to share one, and give it to His Royal Highness alone. It's true that our prince's house is kind-hearted." You Hujun followed over to join in the fun, watching the first prince With the expression on his face about to pounce and bite, he couldn't help but stab him a few words.
"If Hao Dadao is not here, you will be arrogant again." Zhao Meng threw the man into the prison car and slammed the door shut. Among them, Hao Dadao was the most upright.
Zuo Hujun stood silently watching the two of them bicker, and stepped forward to lock the big lock of the prison cart.
This time, Jing Shao and the others, if they gambled wrongly, they would commit chaos, and the generals who followed him would not survive, so even though Hao Dadao was unwilling, they were still guarded by Jing Shao in Jiangnan. If they failed then, Not too deeply involved. But Zhao Meng and the left and right guards had to follow whatever they said. After all, they were the king's personal soldiers from beginning to end.
Jingchen glanced at the noisy generals, turned around and got on the carriage again. The journey is long, the situation is critical, and there is not much time for them to waste.
"Be bold and become a king, how dare you bring a large army back to the capital!" A hundred miles outside the capital, it was Duke Mao's military power.
Jing Shao glanced at Duke Mao. He had the highest title among the dukes, so his military power was the closest to the imperial city. It was a wise move to choose to marry his family, but... Look at the fact that there are less than 10,000 people behind Duke Mao. Human soldiers and horses are really not enough to see.
"This king heard that someone had committed a rebellion, and he should return to Beijing to clear the traitor for the father and emperor." Jing Shao pointed a silver spear at Duke Mao's nose and said confidently.
"Hmph, the two of you brothers are trying to usurp the throne. The emperor already knows. I advise you to surrender immediately and return to the palace to apologize with the old minister. The emperor's kindness, I can't say that I can spare your life." .
"When the army returns to Beijing, the royal father should know something. It is better for Duke Mao to take out the imperial edict. My brothers and I will be captured." Jing Chen stood on the carriage and looked at Duke Mao coldly.
"Be careful!" Mu Hanzhang heard the sound of breaking the wind and pushed Jingchen away. Jingchen immediately reacted and pulled Mu Hanzhang, who was not in a hurry to avoid him. The arrow was pinned straight at the position where he had just stood.
"Well..." Mu Hanzhang got up, his lustrous palm was scratched by the stone on the ground, blood spilled out, and quickly dyed the snow-colored sleeves red.
"Junqing!" Jing Shao turned around and saw that his princess was injured, and immediately became furious. When he turned back, Duke Mao had already led his troops to kill him.
Jing Shao leaned back to avoid Mao Guogong's slashing, turned around and threw the gun at him fiercely. Mao Guogong returned his hand and blocked the silver spear with the back of the knife. ring.
The guards on the left and right did not go forward to fight, but stood firmly on both sides of the carriage, killing all the cavalry that rushed over to the sword.
Jingchen pulled his brother-in-law to get up, and Mo Yun's eighteen cavalry quickly stepped forward to surround the two of them. Together with the cavalry guarding the army on the left and right, they formed an indestructible barrier.
Mao Guogong fought for many years when he was young.
The big sword with the Qinglongwen on it is as flexible as the right arm, and it seems to have a thousand powers between slashing and slashing. Jing Shao connected several tricks with the barrel of a gun, which made his mouth go numb. The blade that shone with cold light slashed across the silver spear, making a harsh sound. Jing Shao immediately turned the silver spear over and stuck the blade tightly with the spear head, so that he could breathe for a while.
"Does your lord really think that he is the first general of Dachen?" Duke Mao looked at Jing Shao with contempt. In the eyes of these old officials, it was just because the officials did not dare to take credit, and they all pushed it to him. Only one person can appear so powerful. In fact, when he encounters a real master, he can only be beaten.
Jing Shao looked at Duke Mao coldly, and seemed to be exhausted, and the hand holding the silver spear was shaking slightly. Duke Mao's eyes became more colourful, and he was more and more oppressed. Seeing that the silver spear was bent, the blade was about to touch Jing Shao's neck, and suddenly he heard a "swipe", which was the sound of blood spurting.
Duke Mao was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head slowly, looking at his waist and abdomen slashed by the sharp sword, he couldn't react for a while.
Jing Shao held the gun with one hand and slapped it sideways, and Duke Mao fell off his horse, the sword fell to the ground, and was covered up by the sound of fighting around him. The left hand flicked the blood beads on the long sword and put it in the scabbard. The armor this old man wore covered from head to toe, and even protected his neck. It took him a long time to see that there was a cloth connected to his waist. gap.
"The Duke of Mao has been put down, and you can quickly put down your weapons, otherwise you will be punished as treason!" Jing Shao's voice with inner strength spread all over the world, and the soldiers of the Duke of Mao were in chaos, and the morale of King Cheng was high vibrate.
The war stopped after a while, Jing Shao quickly rushed to the carriage, squeezed away Mo Yun's eighteen horses, and hugged his princess: "Where is the injury, show me."
"It doesn't matter, it's just scratched," Mu Hanzhang held up his wrapped left hand to show him, "The purpose of Duke Mao is to kill my brother, and it's definitely not the intention of the father."
"The injury is so deep, no, you have to use that medicine, otherwise it will leave a scar." Jing Shao didn't listen at all, and skillfully removed the bandage and reapplied the medicine.
Jingchen glanced silently at his younger brother who "forgot my brother when I had a daughter-in-law", and turned to ask Mo Yun Shiba: "What did the royal father give you before leaving the imperial city?"
Eighteen black-clothed men looked at each other, and one of them replied, "King Rui, the emperor only told me to protect His Highness, and said nothing else."
"The imperial decree says that this king is rebellious, do you still want to protect this king?" Jing Chen looked at the speaker deeply. He never interrogated these 18 people along the way, and they followed them all the time. Because of the eighteen of them, he was sure that the father and emperor did not really want to kill him. Now that he is about to enter the capital, the capital must be extremely dangerous, and the position of these eighteen people must be reconfirmed.
Jing Shao quietly winked at the Zuo Hujun on the periphery, and once the loyalty of the Eighteen Cavalry was in question, he immediately killed them by the sword.
"I have never received any other orders, and the eighteen subordinates will protect His Royal Highness comprehensively." The man replied without hesitation.
Mo Yun's eighteen cavalry said in unison: "I swear to protect His Royal Highness Prince Rui!"
Jingchen nodded slightly. In front of Jingshao's army, these people did not change their allegiance to him at all, insisting that they only obey the emperor, so the meaning of the father emperor is very clear.
"The army can't be within a hundred miles of the capital, so let them be stationed here." Jing Chen raised his head and said to Jing Shao.
Jing Shao frowned, Duke Mao was dead, and there was really no troops around the capital. However, there were still 10,000 Imperial Forest troops in the capital: "Zhao Meng and the army stay here, and the army will follow this king for another fifty miles to the camp." Fifty miles south of the city is the place where Jing Shao rectifies his troops before each expedition.
It was the next morning when we reached the fifty-mile camp. Jing Shao actually didn't want to let the army stay. After all, it was not clear what the situation in Beijing was. He patted the person who was sleeping soundly in his arms, and wanted to discuss with him how to persuade his brother.
The slender eyelashes trembled, and Mu Hanzhang slowly opened his eyes, but before he said anything, there was the sound of horses' hooves not far away, looking closely, it was actually the Minister of War that rushed over with a group of forbidden troops.
"We have seen Prince Rui, Prince Cheng, and Marquis Wenyuan!" Sun Shangshu dismounted and saluted.
"Sun Shangshu, what's going on?" Jing Shao asked. After so many days, he finally saw someone on his side. The Minister of War signaled the forbidden army behind him to wait for a while, and walked to Jingchen's carriage. Jing Shao immediately drove his horse to get close, but he did not dismount, but stood behind him.
"I don't know about Wei Chen," Sun Shangshu said in a low voice. "The emperor did not go to court for several days, so he sealed all the news. A few days ago, the fourth prince suddenly announced that he would supervise the country on his behalf."
"Then, your lord is here today..." Mu Hanzhang frowned, but he didn't know who ordered Sun Shangshu to come.
"It's the emperor's will." Sun Shangshu replied immediately, took out a hand letter from his sleeve, and handed it to Jingchen with both hands.
Jingchen unfolded and took a closer look. It was indeed Emperor Hongzheng's handwriting. They asked their brothers to place their soldiers at the fifty-mile camp and enter the palace alone.
Jing Shao frowned, quietly stuffed a soldier talisman into the palm of the person in his arms, and whispered in his ear: "You will take the left and right guards to the forest in a while, and once I let off the fireworks, you will lead the soldiers to rush in. in the palace."
Mu Hanzhang's eyes widened, he quietly hid his hand in his sleeve, nodded slowly, and squeezed Jingshao's palm lightly: "Be careful in everything."
Since it was Emperor Hongzheng's will, they couldn't resist. Jing Shao left Xiao Hei to his princess, got into his brother's carriage, and only took Mo Yun eighteen to the imperial city.
The entire palace was silent, and the guard's face was very serious. When he got off the carriage, he saw An Xian, the eunuch chief beside Emperor Hongzheng, standing quietly outside the carriage.
"The two highnesses, please come with the servants." An Xian rarely lost a smile on his face, and he didn't say much. He directly led the two to the palace of Emperor Hongzheng. No one stopped him when he followed.
At the foot of the jade steps, An Xian did not lead the two up, but left the eighteen cavalry at the foot of the steps and led the two of them through the side door behind the main hall. There were eight tall guards inside the door. Then, let the two of them remove all the weapons from their bodies.
Jing Shao frowned, and was about to lose his temper when his brother held his arm, signaling him not to act rashly, and then handed over the small porcelain bottle in his arms to An Xian: "This is what the royal father told this king to look for, I'll take my trouble to give it to you. Father."
The two took off all their weapons, not even the jade belt on their bodies, so they walked in in baggy clothes.
"Bang dang!" The door behind him slammed shut, Jing Shao saw the situation in front of him clearly, and the hair on his whole body stood up.
In front of them is a long corridor, with candles lit on both sides, which is not dim, but without weapons, on this narrow road, if there is any mechanism here, the two of them will die without a place to be buried.
Jingchen also raised a heart and got closer to his brother: "don't panic, let's go out quickly."
Jing Shao nodded: "I'll go ahead, my brother will walk next to me!" With a click, he broke off a candlestick embedded in the wall. The hollow brass candlestick was about a foot long. It was not a good weapon, it was better than nothing. .
Jingchen nodded, really got close to his brother, and rushed towards the end of the corridor.
In fact, the corridor is not very long, but in this situation, it feels extremely long. As soon as it came to the end, the wooden door opened by itself. Jing Shao instantly blocked the candlestick in front of him, and the light from outside the door came in, which excited two people The man squinted, and when he saw the situation in the house, he immediately threw the candlestick to his feet.
At the end of the corridor, it turned out to be the inner room of Emperor Hongzheng's bedroom. The two walked in and faced Emperor Hongzheng's bed.
"I haven't come yet." Emperor Hongzheng leaned against the head of the bed and glared at Jing Shao.
The brothers hurried over and knelt down before the bed to salute.
An Xian was already standing at the head of the bed, and there was another imperial physician who was holding the small porcelain bottle to examine it.
"Jingshao, did you kill Duke Mao yesterday?" Emperor Hongzheng didn't look at the action of the imperial doctor, but closed his eyes and rested on the big welcoming pillow at the head of the bed.
"Yes," Jing Shao lowered his head, "Mao Guogong led his troops to prevent Erchen from entering Beijing, intending to assassinate the emperor's brother, and Erchen had to behead him." Saying this, he did not mean to admit his mistake.
Emperor Hongzheng didn't say any more, he just asked, "Where's Jingrong?"
"Back to the father, the elder brother and the army are parked a hundred miles outside the capital." Jing Shao answered honestly, of course he didn't say that the first prince was in the prison cart.
"Emperor Qi," the imperial doctor over there suddenly said, "This medicine is a folk local recipe, a small amount of it can stop a high fever, but the medicine is ferocious, taking too much is like a poison, and there is no cure... Wei Chen is incompetent! "As he said that, he knelt down with a thud, actually weeping.
Emperor Hongzheng opened his eyes and quietly looked at the two brothers kneeling in front of the bed.
Jingchen raised his head, looked at the imperial doctor in shock, and then looked at Emperor Hongzheng.
Jing Shao was also a little confused.
"Your mother was poisoned by this kind of poison back then," Emperor Hongzheng took the small porcelain bottle and looked at it carefully, ignoring the two brothers who were struck by lightning, and said in a calm voice, "Now, I can't escape."
"Imperial Father!" Jing Shao cried out, the Hongzheng Emperor of the previous life obviously lived longer than his son, what is going on now
"Jingshao, you have fought for the royal family for many years, and throughout the entire Dachen, no one is your opponent." Emperor Hongzheng's face was ruddy, and he did not speak in a hurry. Here, are you willing?"
Kaka Kaka boom! It was as if a thunderstorm hit the Tianling Gai, Jing Shao was really stunned!
In the previous life, I worked hard for Dachen, and finally ended up being a bird! This life has been cheating and cheating, selfish and selfish, and now the father emperor actually said that he would give him the throne, which is really a big joke.
Jing Shao was silent for a long time, without seeing the expression of his brother beside him, he said word by word: "Father, son, I don't want to!"
"Why?" Emperor Hongzheng stared at Jing Shao's eyes.
Jing Shao raised his head and looked directly at his father: "My son is just a military general who knows nothing about running a country, and my son is in love with Mu Hanzhang, and only wants to stay with him for life. To Erchen, I am afraid that Erchen will be destroyed in the blink of an eye!"
Emperor Hongzheng looked at him quietly for a long time, then leaned back slowly, his voice was a little tired: "Let's declare the decree."
As soon as the words fell, they saw the two slowly walking out from behind the screen. It was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan held a long wooden box and followed behind Shang Shu without looking sideways.
The Minister of Officials took out a decree and said loudly: "Cheng Wang Jingshao, committing treason, and being imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, this life will never come back!"
Jingchen widened his eyes and said sadly, "Father!"
Emperor Hongzheng waved his hand and stopped him from speaking. The Minister of Personnel put away the first decree and took out another: "Chengwang Jingshao is very brave, and before the new emperor ascends the throne, the internal guards and the imperial army are all under his jurisdiction. Given the sword of Shang Fang, all the princes and grandsons can be executed! On the day when the new emperor ascends the throne, the hereditary prince of the kingdom will be added.