Ningguo Mansion
After Jia Heng took a bath, he put on a blue brocade robe and walked to the back hall. He saw bright lights and clear or bright eyes in the hall.
After a lot of twists and turns, due to the long winter nights, the sky was completely dark at this moment, and it was time to eat.
"Brother Heng."
"Brother Heng."
Princess Xianning and the little princess, as well as Baochai, Daiyu, Xiangyun, Tanchun, Baoqin, Zhenxi and other girls looked at the young man, as well as Youshi, with concern on their faces.
Everyone had already learned the result of King Chu's assassination from Princess Xianning and the little princess. After Tanchun's explanation, everyone was worried.
Bao Qin was the first to ask: "Brother Heng, have you caught the assassin?"
Jia Heng said: "Most of them were killed on the spot. The three who escaped have been arrested by people from Jinyi Mansion. I think there will be news soon."
Tan Chun frowned and said, "How could such a good person assassinate the King of Chu?"
While Jia Heng was speaking, he sat down and said, "The motive is still unclear. It may be an assassination attempt by someone who rebelled against the party. The King of Chu has sent extra personnel to protect him."
Tanchun asked: "I just heard from Sister Xianning that Prince Wang was unfortunately killed. I don't know what happened?"
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "I am also a little confused. It is said that those people came for the King of Chu and were busy assassinating the King of Chu. They could not have accidentally hit the passenger car. I turned around and asked someone to investigate. At that time, the assassin What's going on? The scene was too chaotic before, so it's hard to ask."
It’s not that there are so many villains, but the layout of the whole scene is a bit strange. The King of Chu is protected by the palace guards, and the King of Chu’s child Chen Chun falls in a pool of blood, and Zhen Qing stays there.
Jia Heng was not a god, and he had never thought of King Chu's "ugly" behavior driven by his survival instinct when the situation was urgent.
Naturally, the King of Chu would not tell the truth. As for the people present at the time, except Zhen Qing who was paying attention to her child, the other maids and female officials did not dare to say a word.
Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, the gangster was so crazy that he actually killed a child.
And the subsequent investigation will probably cover it up for the King of Chu.
The knife that the gangster took out was the cause of the death of King Chu's son, and it was also due to the poor life of King Chu's son.
The bright starry eyes under Daiyu's smoky brows stared intently and asked: "Brother Heng, will this matter... cause another disturbance in Beijing?"
After all, she has been with Jia Heng for a long time. Daiyu has been told by Jia Heng personally. In addition to the previous explanation, she also understands some of the situation Jia Heng faces - surrounded by political enemies.
Jia Heng said: "When I was in Yangzhou, I was assassinated by Jurchen gangsters. Later, the gangsters were not caught. It was only now that they were completely caught. Many things happen, and manpower is sometimes exhausted."
As the commander-in-chief of Jinyi, he would inevitably be assassinated, let alone a descendant of the previous King of Chu's clan?
Moreover, the child died in infancy, so it would be unreasonable to involve him, the military minister and the hero of the war, in this matter.
The front leg is dealing with the aftermath of the battle against the captives, and the back leg is busy ransacking the Zhen family's properties. Do you really think that he is a god with clairvoyance, ears for the wind, three heads and six arms?
The end result is still... no one claimed responsibility.
However, he was a little worried about Zhen Qing's condition. Although Zhen Qing's self-regulation ability should not lead to grief, he was still a little worried.
Xiangyun frowned and said softly: "These villains are too vicious."
Baochai sighed softly.
He secretly said that life and death are determined by destiny, and wealth is in heaven.
The Zhen family's great business suddenly collapsed overnight, and now the house leaks and it rains all night, and the Princess of Chu also loses her beloved son.
I don’t know how heartbroken it must be?
It is really not easy for a person to have peace and smoothness in this life. Those who are rich and dignified will eventually...
In the past, Zhen Qing and Zhen Xue often visited Ningguo Mansion. When Baochai saw the two princesses, he felt envious deep down in his heart. But after this incident, it can be said that his heart was shaken.
No matter how much I read in books or plays, nothing is more touching than the experience under my nose.
"Sir, girl, the food is ready. Let's have dinner first." At this time, seeing everyone talking, Yuanyang said.
Everyone sighed and sighed for a few words, but didn't say much. Then they sat down and started eating dinner.
Jia Heng finished dinner and did not accompany several girls to discuss matters there. He returned to the study alone, stared at Chen Xiao who had been sitting on the Taishi chair behind the desk for some time, and asked: "Xiao Xiao, the gangsters have been found during the search." ?"
Chen Xiao raised his eyes to look at Jia Heng and said in a clear voice: "I caught one and ran away with two. They ran separately. Jinyi Tiqi is still searching throughout the city."
Jia Heng looked at the girl, walked closer, and asked in a clear voice: "Aren't you going to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." Chen Xiao shook his head, pursed his pink lips, looked at the young man intently, and asked, "You don't have anything to ask me?"
Jia Heng said: "If I ask you, you won't know what to say, so you're too lazy to ask."
After saying that, he took Chen Xiao's hand and said softly: "Don't always sit in my seat."
Then, sitting on the huanghuali wood Taishi chair behind the writing desk, he delivered the memorial and said: "This memorial must be handed over quickly. There are also flying pigeons delivering the letter. I reported to the capital earlier."
"Fei Ge passed the letter. I just asked the guards of Jinyi Palace to deliver it." Chen Xiao's eyes moved slightly and he said softly.
Jia Heng nodded, looked at the girl, picked up another memorial, inscribed a new memorial, and said: "How to write this memorial? There must be someone behind the scenes."
Chen Xiao pursed her pink lips and suddenly said softly: "I didn't hide it from you intentionally before."
The tea cup in Jia Heng's hand paused for a moment, and the light from the lantern shone on the young man's face. His slightly dim eyebrows flashed, and he said, "It's understandable."
Chen Xiao walked closer and said, "Chen Yuan should not be in Jinling now."
Jia Heng frowned, his eyes fell on Chen Xiao's still calm face, and he said in a clear voice: "The son of King Zhao is called Chen Yuan?"
Chen Xiao nodded and said: "He used the trick of feigning death and escaped from the implicated people. I later lived in the rivers and lakes and met him again. He had a group of well-trained dead soldiers under his command. It was these dead soldiers who came to assassinate him this time. .”
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, looked at Chen Xiao, his eyes were burning, and he said nothing.
"I don't know where these dead soldiers are hiding. He himself is on guard against me. Originally, we got together because of our common hatred." Chen Xiao seemed to see what Jia Heng was thinking and whispered.
Jia Heng said, "Then can you help me provide clues to find them?"
"I have quarreled with them before, and we finally broke up." Chen Xiao said softly.
I had previously suspected that Chen Yuan was here for the person in front of me, and I didn't want the two sides to conflict or quarrel with him, or to reveal Chen Yuan's true intention.
Jia Heng looked at Chen Xiao and said softly: "If we can't find these people now, how can we explain to the palace?"
"Just tell the truth and say that he is a remnant of King Zhao and the Crown Prince's party. There won't be too many twists and turns in this matter." Chen Xiao said.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, looking out the window at the dark night, and whispered: "This is the only solution for now."
Immediately, he lowered his head and wrote the memorial, while the girl with a quiet temperament on the side helped Jia Heng study the ink and looked at the young man who wrote the memorial seriously.
After a while, Jia Heng put the memorial aside, dried his handwriting, turned to look at Chen Xiao and said: "Xiaoxiao, tell me what happens next, and we will make up our minds together.
When Chen Xiao heard this, he paused his hand that was sharpening the ink, met those quiet eyes, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Okay."
…
…
In the post house——
The body of the Prince of Chu, Chen Chun, had already been carried down and his remains were arranged so that he could find a coffin for burial. Zhen Qing was lying on the bed in the inner compartment, facing the curtains on the bed, her eyes were dazed, and her silent tears had already been shed. Damn it, my thoughts were racing for a while.
The scene where the King of Chu abandoned his son and fled just now was like a flashback that reappeared in Zhen Qing's heart, making Zhen Qing feel chilled and angry every time.
"Princess, have something to eat." The female official on the side said with a cry in her voice.
Zhen Qing has been in this state for several hours since the previous loss of her son, as if she were a lifeless piece of wood.
Zhen Qing still turned a deaf ear, her heart was filled with despair, and she was immersed in the great grief of losing her beloved son.
The female official was a personal maid brought by Zhen Qing from the Zhen family. She was a confidant among her confidants. Seeing this, she felt distressed and said, "What should I do if the princess is violating her body like this?"
For some reason, Zhen Qing suddenly thought of Jia Heng and was startled. Her eyes that had lost focus gradually gathered a faint glow.
She wanted her mother to honor the world, and she wanted that person to regret everything he had done before! She wants to rebuild the Zhen family!
What leverage does she have now?
Yes, she still has a child in her belly. She can't do this to herself. She has that bastard's child in her belly. That bastard doesn't have a child yet. This is his eldest son!
As long as she has his child, he will definitely help her if he is so powerful.
As for why it was a son and not a daughter, well, Zhen Qing was confident in her belly and would definitely give birth to a boy.
Thinking of this, Zhen Qing stood up and held back her tears. Under the light of the lamp, her charming and pretty face was slightly pale. She took the millet porridge from the female officer and sipped it.
At this moment, perhaps it was the warmth from the millet porridge that made Zhen Qing's eyes burst into tears again, and they fell into the bowl.
Her Chun'er, her child, why, why didn't she die...
In the study room separated by a wall, the lights were like beans, the halo was orange, and it was almost deathly quiet.
King Chu Chen Qin's handsome face was gloomy and gloomy, and his eyes were bloodshot. Liao Xian, who was not far away, looked worried and said comfortingly: "Your Majesty, please bear with me and accept the change."
In fact, both of them had just seen Chen Qin's survival instinct in times of crisis, but at this time they just made a tacit agreement not to mention this issue.
After all, this was a bloody disaster, and the prince could not be blamed for being eager to survive. It could only be said that the murderers were too ruthless.
Chen Qin looked sad and sighed: "Two gentlemen, what should we do now?"
He only had this son, and now he died in a tragedy, the Zhen family was now ransacked, the princess was bedridden, almost despairing, and he now had mixed feelings.
Is it still possible to be in the East Palace in this life?
Liao Xian thought for a while and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the most urgent thing is to write a memorial and report this matter to the Holy One in detail."
After thinking about it, Liao Xian reminded: "You must not blame Uncle Yong Ning for this matter."
Chen Qin's face paused slightly, suppressing the sadness in his heart for the time being, and asked doubtfully: "Why?"
Liao Xian whispered: "If the prince blames Uncle Yongning, then Uncle Yongning will definitely use it to confront the prince for blocking the guards of Jinyi Mansion? How will the people of the world look at the prince at that time? But now the prince never mentions Jinyi Mansion. Wei, I just say that the villain is cunning and fierce, all because of fate! In that way, the prince's generous and virtuous name will be spread throughout the world. Otherwise, if the investigation reveals the past, the protection of the guards of the Jinyi Mansion was declined by the prince, and this will become a problem in the eyes of the world. It’s your own fault.”
In fact, it has not been mentioned vaguely. Once Uncle Yongning is bitten, people will investigate the whole story from the beginning. So many people see the prince abandoning his son to escape for themselves... the impact is too bad.
The only solution now is to downplay the matter.
Feng Ci nodded and agreed: "Liao Changshi is right. Even if there is no prince, for the people Yong Ning offended in Jiangnan, other people's impeachment memorials will be delivered to Beijing."
In other words, the King of Chu appears in the role of a victim. Don't add too much drama to yourself. Blaming others will easily offend the superiors and subordinates, and it is easy to make enemies.
When King Chu heard this, his expression changed, and his eyes were filled with complex expressions.
You can't blame him for still thinking about countermeasures here. Only if he survives the difficulties safely can he avenge Chun'er and find out the real culprit in the future!
Liao Xian pondered for a moment, seeming to see some concerns in King Chu's silence, and said with relief: "Your Majesty, you still have to focus on important matters now."
In fact, the princess was very powerful in the palace, and the retainers in the Chu palace knew it very well. On the one hand, they admired Zhen Qing's methods, but on the other hand, they were worried about the king of Chu.
Not to mention other things, the King of Chu has only one son for so many years since he got married, which is enough to make people's hair stand on end.
If the King of Chu becomes concerned, Zhen Qing can be charged with hindering the succession of the Tian family's descendants.
But because of the Zhen family, the King of Chu did not investigate it carefully, and even suppressed Concubine Liu's miscarriage.
At this moment, a palace guard entered the study, with a slightly anxious look on his face, and whispered: "Your Majesty, Duan Dianjun drew his sword and committed suicide."
Chen Qin was shocked and said hurriedly: "Where is the person? Go and take a look alone."
He is already in dire straits, and if he loses another general in the house, it will almost make things worse.
Duan Dianjun, formerly known as Duan Lingchen, was a fierce general discovered by Chen Qin. He clearly felt guilty and blamed himself for not protecting Chen Chun, the eldest son of the King of Chu, in the previous battle at the post house.
"Your Majesty, you were discovered by several captains. Rescue the general and bring him back." The palace guard said quickly.
Chen Qin had just walked under the eaves of the corridor. When he heard the words, he sighed and said, "Why is this happening? If the prince's death is not blamed on him, why should he suffer?"
With that said, he, Liao Xian and Feng Ci went to see Duan Lingchen who was lying on the bed in the side room.
Duan Lingchen's neck was stained with blood and was already wrapped in cloth. The seven-foot-tall man was crying non-stop and said, "Your Majesty."
The surrounding guards held Duan Lingchen's arm tightly and whispered comfort.
After a while, the voice of a general came vaguely from outside the house, saying: "The prince is here, the prince is here."
The King of Chu looked at Duan Lingchen, who was not far away, and came close, saying: "Why is your minister doing this? It's just a gangster who uses his power to control him, why is he doing this?"
Duan Lingchen struggled and thought: "My lord, it's all my fault for not protecting the prince."
The King of Chu looked at the person opposite and said, "Your Majesty should be helping Chun'er to take revenge, so how can you kill yourself with a useful body?"
If you don't pull it, people's hearts will disperse.
Liao Xian and Feng Ci looked at each other with some inexplicable meaning in their eyes.
Although cold-blooded, it can be said that while Chen Chun's death was a blow to the vassal king at this moment, it also condensed some of the unyielding will of the King of Chu.
Duan Lingchen burst into tears and said, "Your Majesty."
The King of Chu also shed tears and said sadly: "I should not have brought Chun'er to the post house. If I had not come to the post house, I would not have suffered this disaster while still in the Zhen family."
When the King of Chu stayed at Zhen's house, the guards of the King of Chu's palace were in the palm of his hand, and the guards of the Jinyi Palace were outside. It could be said that the guards were very tight, and there would never be any assassination like this.
When everyone saw the King of Chu crying, some of the generals and civil servants in the King of Chu's palace looked sad and felt very uncomfortable.
Liao Xian and Feng Ci also felt uncomfortable.
The night was deep, the lights were blurry, and I didn’t know when it was Xu time. The north wind whistled outside the window, blowing the black tiles on the eaves, and the sound of "woo-woo" was endless.
Liangjiang Governor's Yamen, in the study room in the backyard
A charcoal brazier has been placed on the small table to dispel the chill after the indoor temperature drops. The candlelight on the high table flickers, casting shadows on the people in the room.
Shen Fang, the governor of Liangjiang, looked gloomy and asked, "Is this an opportunity?"
Just today, Shen Fang met with some officials from the Jiangnan officialdom, such as Fang Yaochun from the Imperial Academy, Lu Jinyi, the right deputy censor of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, Fu Xiye, the minister of rites, Xiang Tingsong from the official department, and Xiang Tingsong from the engineering department. During the incident, Lin Ruicheng and others from the southern province of Qingliu were involved.
The big news about the downfall of the Zhen family in Jiangnan was still being discussed. Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, shocking news came from the post where King Chu lived.
Bai Sixing said: "Dong Weng, I heard that the King of Chu was unscathed, but it was the prince, Concubine Zhen's son who was unfortunately killed. If this matter wants to stir up controversy, I'm afraid it won't be enough."
After all, Jia Heng was not specialized in security work. The Han custom-made vassal princes had 333 personal guards. This regulation was to solve the ceremonial and security issues for the prince's travel.
Lu Chaoyun said: "If this Jia Ziyu is just a small commander in Jinyi, no matter whether this matter is an oversight on his part or not, as long as the blame is placed on him, he will definitely not be able to get away with it."
Shen Fang's eyes became darker and he asked: "Let the impeachment be impeached first."
Bai Sixing nodded and said: "It's feasible, but Dong Weng shouldn't have too much hope. The emperor's love for Yongning Bo is at its peak."
It's okay to cause trouble for others, but don't expect to use this excuse to sway the Holy Family.
Shen Fang nodded and said: "As for the King of Chu, Mr. Yuan and I will go to the post house tomorrow to observe the movements of the King of Chu. If it is attributed to Jin Yi, then the momentum will be even greater."
Because as soon as something happened in the post house, Jinyi Mansion Guards and Jiangnan Camp sealed off the entire post house, and the King of Chu was sorting out the aftermath, so he did not let Jinling officials go to express condolences.
Bai Sixing said: "Dong Weng, Yongning Bo has just won a great victory over the captives and captured the Jurchen Prince. It is at the height of the sun. These methods are difficult to work and cannot happen overnight."
Shen Fang nodded and agreed: "I understand this, it doesn't happen overnight."
Jia Heng's status as he is today also did not happen overnight. How could it be possible to cut him off all at once?
