On this day, the imperial city was destined to be unable to calm down.
At the east city gate.
I don’t know since when, the arriving refugees started from the city gate and knelt upright in the snow.
First there were seven or eight, and eventually it grew to hundreds or thousands.
Among them, some were from the imperial city themselves, while others came from elsewhere.
There was no other reason why they became refugees. If they didn't go to the imperial city to survive, they wouldn't be able to survive this winter.
When this winter passes, most of them can still return to their hometowns to farm and build a home again.
As more and more people kneeled, the crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger.
If this was normal, a large number of soldiers would have come to disperse the crowd.
This is a riot.
But today, everything was weird, as if everyone was letting this matter develop.
"This scene is rare to see in a hundred years. His Highness, the Seventh Prince, doesn't know if he dares to appear."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... His Highness, the Seventh Prince, I guess he has offended too many people and is trying to push him to death."
"Haha, if you don't do something that is unconscionable, whoever dares to force a prince to death, I can only say that it is dog eating dog."
"If His Highness the Seventh Prince can't get the money, even the Emperor probably won't be able to keep it. How can it be so easy to block the mouth of the world?"
"What's the use of taking out the money? In just half a day, the price of food has doubled again. In the two days since he disappeared with it, how much food has been lost and how many people will be killed."
"The human heart is not as good as a snake swallowing an elephant. He is already a prince, and he still wants to embezzle money for disaster relief. He deserves to die."
In the palace.
Ye Chen and Ye Yucheng, the royal father and son, were playing chess. The maids and eunuchs around them did not dare to show their anger.
No one is a fool, anyone can see that this is the calm before the storm.
As a black stone fell, Ye Chen threw in the white stone and admitted defeat.
Ye Yucheng shook his head and said, "Fourth Emperor, your chess skills have deteriorated."
Ye Chen did not retort, but said in a deep voice: "Father, do you really want to do this? If things continue to develop, how will the seventh brother get out of the whirlpool of this matter?"
In the end, he couldn't help it and spoke out what was on his mind.
Ye Yucheng said calmly: "This is the pressure he should bear. When he is enjoying the convenience and glory brought by the prince, he should think that such a day may come."
"But this is something that you, Father, can stop with just a word." Ye Chen couldn't help clenching his hands and said angrily.
Ye Yucheng glanced at him with a smile on his face.
"But don't you believe in your imperial brother? I just believe in him."
"What my father said is wrong. You don't believe your seventh brother. You just regard him as a chess piece, a chess piece used to play against the aristocratic family and those who support me behind the scenes.
Father, you don't care at all whether this chess skill is dead or alive, as long as you can maintain an advantage on the entire chessboard. "
Ye Chen suddenly stood up and made a gesture to leave the palace.
Ye Yucheng's voice sounded behind him.
"Fourth Prince, it's useless if you go. The Imperial Guards won't listen to you now, and the ministers behind you won't help you. If you go, it will only make the situation more chaotic.
Now, the Seventh Emperor can either be the chess piece that can determine the outcome with one piece, or he can only be a dead chess piece. "
Hearing this, Ye Chen stopped and said weakly: "Didn't my father want my seventh brother to be my whetstone? Wouldn't it be a pity to give up so soon?"
Ye Yucheng smiled slightly: "Today is different from the past, not to mention that one has to be skilled at the whetstone.
From your current performance, it is obvious that the Seventh Prince still needs to work hard. "
Ye Chen took a deep breath, calmed down, and said calmly: "I went to Ninghua Palace to visit my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law was very worried about my seventh brother, so I resigned now."
Ye Yucheng waved his hands and said, "Go ahead, it's not easy for Concubine Xian to have her thoughts on the Seventh Prince all these years.
As a son, you should also fulfill your filial piety. "
After Ye Chen left, Ye Yucheng also stood up and told the old eunuch beside him: "Go to Qingning Palace. I haven't seen Concubine Zhang for a while."
The old eunuch smiled and said: "The emperor has many things to do every day, and Concubine Zhang knows that."
On Ye Yan's side.
Because we have to take care of the bullock carts, we travel at a slower pace.
However, he still reached the entrance of the East City Gate before dusk came.
But when he entered the city and saw the scene in front of him, he was shocked.
What's happening here? Why are there so many people and so many refugees kneeling on the ground?
And they all looked at him.
Ye Yan swallowed subconsciously. He had already noticed that something was wrong in the atmosphere.
Lin Yuyu, Bai Enci and the seventeen female generals also stood around, vaguely protecting Ye Yan.
In this confrontation, the scene became very silent.
Even the onlookers who had been chattering incessantly before stopped their mouths.
The atmosphere was too solemn, with so many people openly surrounding a prince. If strictly investigated, these refugees would be equivalent to rebelling.
The people rebelled directly in the imperial city. This was something that had never happened since the founding of the Daqian Dynasty.
Some people have begun to regret coming to see this excitement. If they are implicated, it will be like a dung beetle entering the latrine - a big court for death.
At the same time, from behind the crowd, Lin Xianyu and Mingyu arrived.
The place was so blocked that if they wanted to pick up Ye Yan at the city gate, they had to cross the sea of people.
Lin Xianyu walked directly into the crowd without any hesitation.
Mingyu grabbed her arm tightly and said, "Miss, there are so many people. If there is chaos, the two of us will be trampled to death."
Lin Xianyu comforted him: "It's okay, these refugees are just trying to survive and won't do anything extreme.
His Highness needs us now. We need to inform His Highness of what happened in the Imperial City in the past two days, otherwise he will not know where to start.
Mingyu, don’t you miss your highness?
If you want to, then calm down and show your highness your most beautiful appearance. "
"I understand, Miss." Mingyu nodded.
It's easy to say, but if you want to pass through the wall surrounded by so many people, you can't do it without a little effort.
The two of them had only walked halfway, their hair was already stuck to their foreheads, and sweat was dripping from the tip of their noses.
But hard work paid off, and they finally saw Ye Yan standing there at a loss.
Mingyu immediately shouted: "Your Highness, we are here."
This shout instantly caught Ye Yan's attention.
Ye Yan looked over in search of the voice and saw tears in Mingyu's eyes.
This makes me cry, it’s not beautiful at all, it’s ugly.
Looking past Mingyu, Lin Xianyu stood quietly behind him.
She didn't rush to say anything to Ye Yan, but took her time to tidy up the hair on her forehead.
Then she raised her head and smiled from the bottom of her heart.
Among all the refugees, her smile was enough to be unforgettable. No matter how beautiful the picture was in the world, it was just like this.
Ye Yan couldn't help but smile when he saw it.
His originally very anxious mood was cured by this smile.
The heroine who is worthy of his beautiful yearning always has the power to warm people's hearts.
