Seeing that the blue sky in the early morning was gradually fading, the chamberlain quickly reminded him: "Your Majesty, it's almost time to go to court."
The emperor gave a faint "hmm", as if he didn't see the individual courtiers being frightened to the point of peeing, and strode out of the palace, barely pausing when he passed the body of the fourth prince.
Ministers, you look at me, I look at you, and you quickly held your breath, holding the hem of your robe, avoiding the messy tables in the hall, pouring cups and cups, and followed cautiously.
Only Xiang Xu, Grand Scholar Yang, and Yushi Chen could remain calm as usual.
Wei Shicheng, on the other hand, didn't even move his eyebrows from beginning to end.
Wei Baozhu is the concubine of the fourth prince. This relationship is neither light nor serious, nor far nor close. Another person will definitely be frightened and uneasy.
Li Qingyi has been paying attention to Wei Shicheng's actions, but can't see anything.
After the emperor and the ministers left, Queen Wang glanced at Concubine Mu who was dripping with cold sweat and almost collapsed. No, Mu Cairen, she calmly told the palace attendants: "Send Mu Cairen to Qingliang Hall and guard her carefully. Don't show any signs of illness." error."
"Yes, Queen."
Mu Cairen didn't even have the strength to stand, and was almost speechless. He was dragged away.
Queen Wang walked up to Li Qingyi and said, "Thanks to you, I saved my life. Otherwise, if Concubine Mu had not died today, my palace would have been lost at the hands of the traitor."
Li Qingyi hurriedly knelt down and saluted, "I am also very scared. The Queen is the mother of the world. If anything happens to you, I will be in trouble for the rest of my life."
Queen Wang was used to hearing casual talk, and she felt very comfortable when she saw the sincerity of what she said, "Good child, we are a family. We don't have to rush to get close to each other for a while. When the current matter comes to an end, we can talk more openly."
"Yes, concubine."
After sending the queen off respectfully, Li Qingyi met Qin Zeng's gaze.
Qin Zeng walked up to her and said, "You go back to Li's Mansion first. I'll go find you after I finish dealing with things in the palace."
Li Qingyi knew that a lot of things must happen to Qin Zeng right now, so he nodded and said, "You don't have to worry about me, just go and do your own business."
After the two parted ways, Li Qingyi walked out of the palace door. Looking back, he saw the body of the fourth prince being carried out, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Silan murmured: "To die like this... I thought the fourth prince could call the wind and rain and stir up huge waves."
Changlan was disdainful, "You said that was the fourth prince of the East China Sea Dragon Palace, right?"
Silan looked at her speechlessly, "No matter what, it is always on the side of regicide and rebellion, so quietly..."
Chang Lan raised his eyebrows, "Of course it's because we, adults, have planned ahead and arranged everything carefully! Of course, our girls' contribution is also indispensable!"
Li Qingyi smiled slightly when he heard this: "Wei Baozhu helped me a lot."
*****
The Fourth Prince's Mansion.
Song Linlang had just learned that the fourth prince had died in the palace!
She stood in the middle of the room with a pale face, her legs felt like they were filled with lead and she couldn't move an inch.
Concubine Mu confused the royal bloodline, exchanged babies with Mrs. Mu, and pretended to be the prince!
How can it be?
How can this be?
"No, I don't believe it...it's impossible..."
Song Linlang kept repeating these words and almost collapsed.
However, the prince's palace has been surrounded by the imperial army, which shows that all this is true.
At this time, a voice rang in her ear, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Song Linlang looked up.
Then she saw the concubine Wei Baozhu entering the room and walking towards her slowly. The silver pattern between the plain white skirt, following her movements, seemed like a layer of silver light slowly floating, which perfectly complemented her slender steps.
Song Linlang's emotions that had nowhere to vent suddenly found an outlet, "It's already this time, are you still in the mood to dress yourself up?"
Wei Baozhu raised her eyebrows slightly, "I don't know, when is this time?"
Song Linlang looked at him in confusion, "The Fourth Highness's head is missing, and you and I are her bedfellows! An Neng escaped! You can still be so relaxed, are you stupid?"
At this time, Song Linlang also forgot about the things she usually did to make things difficult for Wei Baozhu. She just felt that the two of them were grasshoppers on the same rope and should be in the same boat.
Wei Baozhu chuckled, "Your Highness the Fourth? Where did our Fourth Highness come from in Dajing?"
Song Linlang's face turned purple with anger, "Wei Baozhu! What riddles are you trying to tell me! Are you crazy? Isn't His Highness your husband?"
"Oh?" Wei Baozhu smiled when he heard this, "That's not what the princess said before."
Song Linlang's complexion changed slightly.
Previously, she was resentful because of Wei Baozhu's trickery into the prince's palace. She often used this matter to shame Wei Baozhu, saying in her words that Wei Baozhu was no different from a concubine to a humble maid. In this world, she could be called the fourth prince. She is the only one who is husband and wife.
"Now is not the time to worry about this!"
Wei Baozhu looked at her in surprise: "Isn't that the time to settle accounts? When the wall falls and everyone pushes down, and the tree falls and the hozens scatter, isn't it the time to settle accounts?"
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that when the impostor dies, you should be buried with him."
"What...what are you going to do?"
Song Linlang subconsciously wanted to leave the room, but was grabbed by Wei Baozhu.
Song Linlang struggled desperately, but was kicked in the calf by Wei Baozhu!
Heart-wrenching pain came, and Song Linlang knelt unsteadily at Wei Baozhu's feet!
Wei Baozhu chuckled, "Such a great gift, it's really useful."
Song Linlang gritted her teeth and wanted to get up immediately, but Wei Baozhu pulled out a dagger and placed it on her neck.
Song Linlang's eyes widened and she subconsciously called for someone, but there was no movement outside the door, and even her personal maid was missing.
Wei Baozhu looked at her with a smile, "Don't move, the sword has no eyes."
Song Linlang said in a trembling voice: "Wei Baozhu, what are you going to do? I am the daughter of a British duke. If you attack me, my father will definitely kill you!"
"Ha." Wei Baozhu sneered: "The fourth prince committed a serious crime of treason. The British government helped the fourth prince privately. Do you think the British government can get away with it? The Mu family was raided today, and the fourth prince's residence will no longer exist. Maybe tomorrow , maybe it will be your family’s turn in the future.”
Song Linlang's face turned pale, "Even so, can you escape? You actually came in front of me and made sarcastic remarks!"
Wei Baozhu sneered a few times, "I don't need you to worry about my life. You just need to know that you have fallen into my hands..."
As she finished speaking, she slashed hard with the dagger in her hand, cutting off Song Linlang's hamstring.
Song Linlang screamed sharply and rolled on the ground in pain.
Wei Baozhu sneered, grabbed Song Linlang's hair, and dragged her into the inner room...
*****
Li Qingyi returned to Li Mansion and found that Princess Rongling was also there. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying and her face was pale.
After Li Qingyi asked, he found out that his second uncle had left the capital at night with the Marquis of Yongping last night, and by now he might have followed the rapid march for eighteen hundred miles.
And the troublemaker Song Yang, who was the master of heaven and earth, also followed secretly.
Princess Rongling was worried about this matter at this time.
Li Qingyi asked Ruan, "Second uncle... are you going to Huangshaling?"
Huangshaling is where the Mu family and his son are stationed.
The identity of the fourth prince was revealed, the Mu family was raided, and the fourth prince's mansion no longer existed. When Mu Rencheng learned the news, he would definitely do something. If there was chaos in Huangshaling, if Chongnan, the female imperial advisor, was smart enough, she would definitely take the opportunity to attack the city. .
Although the emperor had already made arrangements, someone still needed backup.
The second uncle and the Marquis of Yongping were both civil and military, capable of leading troops in battles and calming people's hearts. It was not unexpected that the emperor arranged for them to go.
Ruan was obviously very worried, but she still suppressed it and asked Li Qingyi about the situation in the palace, "Last night, someone came from the Yongping Marquis Mansion to pick up your second uncle, and Qin Zeng sent someone to protect our three mothers. I just Know what happened."
Her husband left Beijing for Huangshaling, and Li Qingyi was also in the palace. Ruan was so worried that she didn't sleep all night. Now that she came back safely, her heart finally fell into her stomach.
Li Qingyi briefly talked about what happened in the palace last night. Ruan and Princess Rongling looked at each other with complicated expressions. They could only hope that their husbands' affairs would go smoothly.
The battle for the crown prince in the past generations was bound to stir up a bloody storm, but this time the Mu family and the fourth prince seemed to be just a dark cloud that suddenly appeared in the clear sky. The emperor blew a gentle breath and disappeared without causing any waves.
The confiscation of the Mu family's house was carried out in an orderly manner, without even a splash of water. It can be seen that Qin Zeng's arrangements were strict and did not give the Mu family a chance to breathe.
The only thing that everyone is paying attention to now is the 100,000 troops under Mu Rencheng's command.
Privately, this 100,000-strong army is called the "Mu Family Army", which is enough to show that General Mu and Mu Rencheng, father and son, have spent many years on winning people's hearts.
If these 100,000 troops rebelled, the Huangshaling area would be wide open, giving Chongnan an opportunity to take advantage of.
The Chongnan soldiers, who had been fattened by Dajing's food and wages for many years, were afraid that they would attack and capture many cities in Dajing in one fell swoop.
However, the city gate had been sealed in advance last night to ensure that not even a fly could fly out. To say the least, even if the Mu family was alert in advance and sent the news out, it would still take five days to complete the eight-hundred-mile express. Delivered to Mu Rencheng.
The men sent by Qin Zeng had already penetrated deep into the Mu family army.
*****
Huangsha Ridge.
In the hot summer, there are few trees and vegetation in Huangshaguan, and it is several times hotter than other places in Dajing. The hot atmosphere envelopes the entire city, making people miss the coolness of the previous spring and autumn.
The city gate guard stood on the city wall, built a pergola with his hands and looked far into the distance. He casually chatted with the soldiers on the side, "Old Li, there has been a lot of gossip in the camp these two days. Have you heard about it?"
The man called Lao Li was only in his thirties, and he said in a low voice: "Why haven't you heard about it? There has been a lot of commotion these past two days, which makes me feel anxious!"
"I wonder who started this? What's going on? Does the imperial court really allocate enough food and salary to us every year?"
Lao Li looked around and whispered: "Lu Fengshou's nephew also joined the army and escorted the grain and grass last year. He said that the food and wages allocated by the court were very sufficient, and it was not like what Lu Fengshou wrote in the letter he sent home... ...It was said that when the food and grass were handed over to the Mu family army in Lu County, he kept watching helplessly, and there was absolutely no shortage..."
