In a blink of an eye, the time has come to noon.
royal palace.
The sun has come out, the heavy clouds have been forcefully dispersed, and the bright sunshine spreads across the earth, making people feel cheerful.
Emperor Chen held a banquet in the Qinzheng Hall to entertain Su Xian, Li Qingniu and their party.
There are also civil and military officials from all dynasties sitting here, but these civil and military officials are the ones who just "performed well".
During the banquet, Emperor Chen and Su Xian exchanged cups and cups, accompanied by the ministers, and the guests and hosts had a great time. The hall was peaceful and happy.
However, when the banquet was halfway through, Chen Keyan and King Tian suddenly arrived and brought bad news:
"Father, I am incompetent. The core members of the queen's family... have already heard the news and fled out of the city. They are missing. I have ordered the imperial army to step up the search."
"this……"
Emperor Chen and the ministers looked at each other in confusion. Has the big fish escaped?
Before Emperor Chen could say anything, someone else broke into the hall immediately afterwards:
"Your Majesty, countless people have gathered in the city with great momentum, demanding that your Majesty stop persecuting the Queen's family and issue an edict to make it clear to the world!"
"A decree to sin against oneself?"
"You still show it to the world?"
"A large number of people gathered in the city?"
"The core members of the Queen's family fled after hearing the news?"
"..."
It was as if a pot had exploded in the hall.
The ministers attending the banquet were talking and whispering among themselves.
He angrily rebuked the Queen's family and the ignorant people.
After a morning's rest, Emperor Chen's complexion had recovered a lot. Just now, he not only had a drink with Su Xian, but also laughed heartily.
How long has it been since then? Something went wrong again.
Emperor Chen heard the noise of the ministers and felt inexplicably irritable. He slowly raised his left hand in the air and waved it gently, and the noise in the hall suddenly stopped.
"Your Majesty, the Queen's family is deeply rooted in our dynasty, and its prestige among the people is also very high. The people don't know the reason for today, so it is understandable that they are blindly booing."
Zuo Pu shot up and bowed.
Zuo Pushe once defected to the Queen and King Li. Under normal circumstances, Chen Keyan and King Tian would never use him again, and they might even pull him out and behead him.
Fortunately, Zuopushe and a group of ministers performed well. They stepped forward at the most critical moment and interceded for the two noble concubines Xian and Shu.
Even though it was not successful, it still left a good impression in the hearts of Emperor Chen, Chen Keyan and King Tian.
In addition, those civil servants who desperately stood in front of Emperor Chen and resisted the attack of the Imperial Forest Army with their bodies also received the same treatment.
Emperor Chen invited them to the celebration banquet, which was a signal of goodwill.
"Then according to Zuopushe's opinion, what should we do?"
Emperor Chen turned his head sideways.
Zuo Pushe thought that this was a good opportunity to express himself, and he bowed hurriedly:
"Reporting to your majesty, Her Royal Highness the Princess has sent people to hunt down the escaped traitors, but Her Royal Highness's ability is far superior to that of the old minister. The old minister dare not point fingers."
"As for those ignorant and blind people, I believe that today's events should be announced to the world immediately so that the people will not be confused. In this way, the gathered people will disperse."
"..."
Emperor Chen nodded, his frown relaxed a little, and he ordered:
"It's accurate, just follow Zuo Pushe's suggestion and do it immediately."
"According to the order."
After the eunuch holding a fly whisk came down in response, Emperor Chen smiled and waved to Su Xian and others:
"Su Hou, Doctor Li, and everyone, this is not a big deal, our banquet will continue. Yan'er, Tian'er, you have been busy for a long time, please sit down and have something to eat."
"yes."
"According to the order!"
Everyone thanked them in unison and took their seats one by one.
The sound of silk and bamboo sounded again in the sky above the hall, and the lingering sound lingered. The guests pushed cups and changed cups, drinking until they were blushing and drunk, it was so lively.
Baimeng book
After a while, the banquet ended.
After the leftovers were removed, a palace maid brought fragrant tea, and everyone drank tea while chatting.
While we were chatting, someone brought the topic to the topic just now. This question was not trivial at all. After hearing this, Emperor Chen frowned slightly and the smile at the corner of his mouth slowly disappeared.
A minister with sharp eyes noticed the strange behavior of Emperor Chen and stood up in a hurry to worship:
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that Zuo Pushe's method will definitely work. Wei Chen estimates that there may be good news before this cup of tea is finished."
"Yes, Your Majesty, just wait for a moment with peace of mind. The people gathered together without knowing the inside story. I believe that after the announcement is made to the world, they will naturally disperse."
After hearing what the ministers said, Emperor Chen couldn't help but nodded slowly, his face relaxed, and the smile that disappeared from the corner of his mouth gradually returned.
At this moment, someone outside the palace asked to see him, saying that he came to report the outcome of the "people gathering" incident.
Emperor Chen's spirit was shaken, and he waved his hand and commanded:
"Xuan!"
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty." The visitor was a minor official. He knelt down on the ground when he entered the palace, making it difficult for people to see his face clearly.
"Without courtesy, get up and speak. Can all the people gathered in the city disperse?" Emperor Chen was calm and confident after listening to the advice of his ministers.
The little official didn't dare to raise his head, and still knelt on the ground:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the people gathered in the city... have not dispersed yet! Instead, they... said that the contents of the notice were fabricated out of thin air. They do not believe that the Queen would murder Your Majesty!"
"What did you say!?"
Emperor Chen instantly "broken his skills", stood up, and stared at the clerk with a look of disbelief on his face: "People don't believe that the Queen is the mastermind behind the scenes?"
The officials, including Su Xian and others, also looked suspicious. In their opinion, it was a sure thing, so why did such an accident happen?
The little official continued:
"Not only did the people not believe it, they were even more indignant than before. More and more people gathered, strongly demanding that Your Majesty cancel the persecution of the Queen's family and issue an edict to thank the world for the crime!"
"presumptuous!"
Emperor Chen's nose was almost crooked with anger. Long Yan was furious and slapped the table hard. The teacup on the table jumped and made a clanging sound.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me..." The little official was frightened and trembling.
At this time, Chen Keyan stood up and said: "Father, please calm down."
Then he looked sideways at the clerk kneeling on the ground and asked: "Is the content in the notice detailed? Is there any misunderstanding in it?"
"No, the contents of the notice are correct, and there is no misunderstanding. I dare to guarantee it with the head on my head." The clerk assured repeatedly.
Chen Keyan frowned and thought for a while, then turned to face Emperor Chen:
"Father, I suspect there must be a conspiracy in this!"
"The Queen's family has great prestige among the people and is deeply rooted. With the people gathering like this and repeating the 'Edict of Sin' one after another, I believe there must be someone behind them!"
"The core members of the rebels have escaped from the city. In order to avoid being arrested, they used these deceptions and secretly mobilized the people to become their 'rear queens'."
"..."
After hearing what Chen Keyan said, everyone couldn't help but nodded slowly, thinking it was reasonable.
Emperor Chen was pleased and asked quickly: "What can Yan'er do?"
Chen Keyan is busy making suggestions:
"Father, we can start from three aspects. First, send a large army to maintain order in the city and avoid further deterioration of the situation."
"Second, secretly investigate and arrest the spies hiding among the people, interrogate them strictly, and perhaps get the whereabouts of the traitors."
"Third, send a large number of undercover agents to hide among the people and deliberately guide the public opinion of the people."
"With this three-pronged approach, we will surely be able to quell the chaos in the city."
After hearing this, Emperor Chen laughed and said:
"Yes, it's Yan'er who can relieve my worries. Let's just deal with this matter. Yan'er, you can make the arrangements yourself."
"My son, I accept the decree."
However, just when Chen Keyan was about to leave after receiving the order, a voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "Urgent report, eight hundred miles urgent report!"
The people in the main hall were stunned for a moment.
Urgent report?
Or is it expedited at 800 miles away?
The expressions of Emperor Chen and the ministers changed slightly, and they couldn't help but leave their seats and stand up. Chen Keyan hurriedly stopped and looked outside the hall with everyone else. Su Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly said:
"Nanchen is bordered by nothing more than Daliang in the north, Nanchu in the west, and the mountainous area in the southwest. Could it be that Nanchen and Daliang are in conflict? This is not good."
Just when everyone was worried, a postman with small flags on his back quickly walked into the hall.
He faced Emperor Chen, performed the courtesy of a monarch and a minister, and then respectfully presented a bamboo tube.
Chen Keyan personally took the bamboo tube and handed it to Emperor Chen. Emperor Chen frowned and took out a note from it and read it. After a moment, his expression relaxed:
"Don't worry, everyone, it's not an urgent report from the border, but it's sent from Yixing, Changzhou."
"Changzhou Yixing, I thought there was a problem at the border somewhere." Some ministers breathed a sigh of relief.
"We were all shocked just now."
"yes……"
Jiangning City is the capital city of Nanchen, which is located in Runzhou.
Next to the southeast of Runzhou is Changzhou. Changzhou, Suzhou, and Huzhou equally divide Taihu Lake, and Yixing is on the west bank of Taihu Lake.
In other words, the straight-line distance from Yixing, Changzhou to Jiangning City is only more than a hundred miles, which is actually very close.
Everyone was shocked by the name "Eight Hundred Miles Express".
Chen Keyan also breathed a sigh of relief, but when she looked sideways, she noticed that Chen Di's expression was not right. He was staring at the small piece of paper in a daze. Chen Keyan's heart moved and she hurriedly asked:
"Father, what's wrong with Yixing?"
The discussions among the ministers gradually stopped. Yes, there is definitely something wrong with Yixing. It is not a border border. Why send urgent documents for eight hundred miles?
Emperor Chen put away the note and glanced at everyone, his expression getting darker and darker:
"Suddenly a large number of Japanese pirates appeared in Yixing, numbering in the thousands. They burned, killed, and robbed women and children on the edge of Taihu Lake. They were extremely cruel!"
"It's Japanese pirates again!" There was an explosion in the hall, and the ministers discussed heatedly:
"I don't know since when, Japanese pirates appeared on the southeastern coast of our country. The Japanese pirates come and go without a trace. They have clever tactics and specialize in burning, killing and robbing ordinary people."
"Although the local garrison actively carried out encirclement and suppression operations, firstly, the Japanese pirates were very powerful and many local garrison troops were unable to defeat them. Secondly, the Japanese pirates fled too fast..."
"Unexpectedly, thousands of Japanese pirates appeared in Yixing today, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. I really want to catch them and kill them with a thousand knives!"
The ministers were furious for a while, and their voices gradually weakened.
They all turned to look at Emperor Chen.
Emperor Chen's face became darker and darker, and he continued: "While these thousands of Japanese pirates were making trouble in Yixing, they also made rude remarks. What they said is exactly related to what happened today!"
"What happened today? Father, what did those Japanese pirates say?" Chen Keyan asked hurriedly.
Emperor Chen frowned:
"They said that the queen and the queen's family had good relations with the king of Japan. Today I am 'persecuting' the queen and the queen's family, which they cannot tolerate."
"The Japanese pirates say that as long as I stop persecuting the queen and her family, and issue an edict to make it clear to the world, they will stop committing crimes and retreat from Yixing!"
"..."
After hearing this, the ministers became angry on the spot and cursed loudly:
"How outrageous! The Queen's intention to murder Your Majesty is an unforgivable crime. The Queen's family must be an accomplice. Confiscation of the family and extermination of the clan is a minor matter. What kind of face do those Japanese pirates have to discuss the affairs of our court?"
"Yes, you actually want to coerce Your Majesty into issuing an edict to punish yourself? That's extremely rude!"
"Sooner or later, we will wipe out all the Japanese pirates. Let's see if they are still arrogant!"
Amid the angry rebuke from the ministers, Su Xian, Chen Keyan and others remained relatively calm.
Not surprisingly, the Japanese pirates in Yixing, like the people in Jiangning City, were a problem brought by the Queen's family. In Su Xian's view, the problem was not big, but absolutely disgusting.
"Eh!"
Emperor Chen let out a long sigh, clenched his hand into a fist, and pinched the small piece of paper into a ball. His face was livid, he looked around at the crowd and asked:
"Everyone, the Japanese pirates are causing chaos in Yixing and the people are in dire straits. How should we respond?"
Everyone was silent for a while, and the ministers who were filled with indignation just now did not dare to say a word.
Seeing this, Chen Keyan took the initiative to stand up and comfort her:
"Father, please don't worry. The Japanese pirates have gathered thousands of people in Yixing with great momentum. Presumably the local garrison has already sent troops to encircle and suppress them. Good news will come soon."
Emperor Chen's face really looked better.
However, before he could speak, someone came from outside the hall to report:
"Your Majesty, Changcheng County, Sui'an County, Liyang County, Jintan County near Yixing, as well as Jinling and Wuxi have all sent large armies, totaling more than 10,000 soldiers, and are working together to encircle and suppress the Japanese pirates in Yixing!"
"good!"
Emperor Chen was overjoyed when he heard this, clapped his hands and praised:
"Garrison troops from several prefectures and counties were dispatched together, with more than 10,000 people, several times the number of Japanese pirates! Moreover, our army also controls the divine thunder, which is enough to wipe out all Japanese pirates!"
A minister smiled heartily and said:
"The Japanese pirates gathered in Yixing. They originally wanted to threaten the imperial court, but they were surrounded by our army. Haha, I believe that after this battle, the Japanese pirates who fled our court will be severely damaged!"
Just when Emperor Chen and his ministers were full of confidence, another piece of extremely bad news suddenly came:
"Your Majesty, the troops garrisoned by the Japanese pirates in various states and counties have been...already...have been wiped out! Not a single one of the more than 10,000 soldiers is left, and they all died under the swords of the Japanese pirates!"
The laughter in the hall stopped abruptly.
Emperor Chen and his ministers remained motionless as if they had been cast a restraining spell.
Yixing, Changzhou, is only more than a hundred miles away from Jiangning City. The soldiers stationed near Yixing are all elites selected at all levels. After all, it is the outer defense zone of the capital.
However, the elites that Emperor Chen and his ministers had placed high hopes on, and their number was several times that of the Japanese pirates, were defeated by the Japanese pirates and were completely wiped out!
"How is this possible? Our army's divine thunder failed to deal with those Japanese pirates?" Someone wondered.
"The Japanese pirates also have divine thunder in their hands, and there are quite a lot of them!"
"What! The Japanese pirates also have divine thunder in their hands?" Everyone was shocked and looked at each other. There must be a conspiracy in this.
"..."
At this time, someone came to deliver the message:
"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Thousands of Japanese pirates entrenched in Yixing are heading towards Jiangning City. They also said that if Your Majesty doesn't stop persecuting the Queen's family immediately, and if He doesn't issue a criminal edict immediately, they will step down. Level up Jiangning City!"
"This...why is it like this!" Emperor Chen's feet went weak and he almost lost his balance. Fortunately, Chen Keyan was beside him and helped him in time.
"Can it be said that I, the great minister, will be threatened by thousands of Japanese pirates?" The ministers discussed in low voices, all looking ugly.
"Is there no one who can deal with these Japanese pirates?"
After Chen Di stood firm, his voice became cold:
"The soldiers who are several times their number can't annihilate them. Also, where did the divine thunder in the hands of the Japanese pirates come from? What is going on? Who will tell me?"
Although there were many talented people in the hall, no one could answer Emperor Chen's question.
The power of Japanese pirates far exceeded their imagination.
In fact, they had already heard about the power of Japanese pirates before, when they first became widespread.
Especially the Japanese pirate's sword, the blade is slightly curved, sharp and hard, and ordinary swords cannot compete with it...
Just when Nan Chenjunchen was at a loss what to do, Su Xian shook his head, slowly left his seat and stood up.
I saw him straightening his clothes, walking slowly to Emperor Chen, bowing to him:
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. The foreign minister has a way to not only destroy the Japanese pirates, but also to deal with the people gathered in the city. Kill two birds with one stone!"
