"What was that sound just now?"
"I do not know……"
Somewhere in the city, men who woke up in the middle of the night put on their clothes and went out one after another. They gathered in the streets and alleys, talking hotly, and everyone had a look of fear on their faces.
Women and children from every household were afraid to go out. The loud rumbling noise just now really frightened them, and now their legs and feet are still sore.
"Look, over there."
On the street, someone shouted and pointed in one direction.
Everyone turned to look and saw that the night sky over there was on fire. The flames rose more than ten feet high and illuminated the entire Tanzhou City like a mountain of flames.
"That seems to be...the direction of the imperial city!" someone exclaimed.
"Mingtang, that's Mingtang, Mingtang was burned down?! It's over, this is terrible..."
The people were in an uproar.
Their hearts were horrified and their hands and feet were trembling. They recalled how much manpower, material and financial resources the Emperor of Chu had spent on building this Mingtang.
Even the Emperor of Chu, as an emperor, personally guarded the Mingtang, handling government affairs and going to bed near the Mingtang every day.
But now, Mingtang has been set on fire...
The people gradually had a premonition that there would be no peace in Tanzhou City in the next few days, and there might even be a bloody storm.
"wrong."
Suddenly, someone shook his head.
The blazing fire coming from the direction of the imperial city illuminated his frightened face.
"What's wrong? That's the Mingtang over there. We used to go in and out, and when we looked up we could see the towering buildings, but now there's only a mountain of flames."
Someone refuted.
"No, what I mean is that the Mingtang was not set on fire. If you think about it carefully, even if the Mingtang was flooded, it would have made such a loud noise, and it would not have collapsed in an instant."
"Hiss...that makes sense, so what exactly is going on?"
"I heard that Nan Chen's divine thunder will make a huge noise when it explodes, and its destructive power is amazing, enough to destroy Mingtang in an instant!"
"Nan Chen, divine thunder!"
"..."
The people chatted for a while, but no one dared to continue chatting.
This matter actually involved Nan Chen's divine thunder. The trouble was so big that they didn't even dare to stay outside.
Soon, the streets that were noisy just now were deserted.
…
Imperial City.
The Mingtang, which cost a huge amount of money to build, has long been reduced to ruins.
The flames rose several feet high, and the heat was so intense that no one dared to approach.
Ten feet away from the "Fire Mountain", Emperor Chu was wearing pajamas, with a horrified look on his face and disheveled hair on his temples. He was retreating here surrounded by palace guards, eunuchs and maidens.
Emperor Chu was shocked and inexplicable.
After the Mingtang was built, he rested near the Mingtang every night.
Tonight was no exception.
Fortunately, he did not live in the Mingtang, otherwise... the consequences would be disastrous.
Emperor Chu was panting heavily, his wide eyes reflected the light of fire, and he felt terrified, and everything from his vertebrae to his forehead felt cold.
The Mingtang is a relatively independent tall building with an extremely empty surrounding. Now that the Mingtang has been destroyed, it has not affected other buildings in the imperial city.
Although the flames on the ruins became more intense, the situation was effectively controlled.
Seeing this, Emperor Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief. When the fear in his heart gradually subsided, he immediately became furious and asked in a cold voice:
"What happened? Why did the good Mingtang become like this?"
The people surrounding Emperor Chu were all guards, maids, eunuchs, etc. How could they know? So he just bowed his head and remained silent, for fear of being angered by Emperor Chu.
"Pass my decree and immediately summon all the ministers to the palace to discuss matters."
Emperor Chu also knew that it was useless to ask these guards, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and gave instructions to a eunuch.
"According to the order."
A eunuch bowed and quickly left.
Emperor Chu turned around and looked at the blazing "Fire Mountain", his heart bleeding.
This is the bright hall that he has been looking forward to for a long time.
Seeing that it was about to be completed, it ended up being destroyed by this misfortune...
The Emperor of Chu had always been ambitious and determined to be the orthodox emperor of the Central Plains through the ages, and the towering Mingtang was the "standard feature" of a sage and wise king.
In order to build this Mingtang, he did not hesitate to fight against everyone's opinions, almost depleting the money in the treasury, and making the people of the country complain.
Seeing that it was almost completed, he was also preparing to hold a grand ceremony in the Mingtang to demonstrate his national power and prestige, and to show his sagacity.
But who could have expected that the good Mingtang would be blown into ruins, and his "dream of a wise king" would be shattered to pieces...
etc.
Emperor Chu's face illuminated by fire suddenly changed, and a trace of clarity flashed in his eyes that were dancing with anger.
fry!
He finally noticed the keyword.
"Nan Chen's Divine Thunder!"
Emperor Chu was not a fool and quickly guessed this.
He instinctively realized that since Nan Chen's divine thunder was involved in this matter, it would not be simple. There must be some kind of ulterior conspiracy in it!
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"slow!"
After thinking about this, Emperor Chu suddenly turned around and stopped the eunuch who had followed the order and walked away.
"Your Majesty?" The eunuch stopped.
"Cancel the summons to the ministers and pass on my decree. All the officers and soldiers of the forbidden army in the city are on standby. The officers and soldiers stationed outside the city are also on standby. Without my order, no rash action is allowed. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed!" Emperor Chu ordered in a deep voice.
"According to the order."
The eunuch had a premonition that this matter was going to be a big deal. He didn't dare to think too much at the moment and quickly retreated to deliver the order.
Emperor Chu turned back and glanced at the burning ruins of Mingtang, with a complicated light shining in his eyes.
But more than anything, it was outrage.
He silently made the decision that no matter who ruined his career, he would bring this person to justice and make him pay a heavy price. He would never tolerate it!
…
After some time.
In a palace.
Emperor Chu and his cronies were seated separately. Emperor Chu looked ugly, and his cronies were even more afraid to express their dignity. Their expressions were horrified.
"You all know the specific situation. Now let's talk about it. What do you think?"
Emperor Chu glanced at all his cronies.
He now doesn't trust the ministers, which is why he canceled the summons to the ministers and instead sat together with his cronies to discuss matters.
"Your Majesty, although our two countries, Nanchu and Nanchen, are not on good terms, they have always been in trouble but not in the river. Logically speaking, Nanchen has no reason to blow up our Mingtang!" A close acquaintance said doubtfully.
"maybe."
Another confidant stood up and bowed to the Emperor of Chu: "Your Majesty built the Mingtang to demonstrate the national strength of Southern Chu and prove that your Majesty is the one destined by destiny."
"It must be that Nan Chen was dissatisfied and wanted to compete for the good reputation that was destined to him, so he used the divine thunder to blow up our Mingtang. His heart is terrible."
After hearing this, Emperor Chu frowned deeply.
He is the destiny, who is that Nan Chen?
"Your Majesty, I think it's unlikely." Another confidant stood up and said.
"Oh? Why is it impossible?" Emperor Chu looked at this person.
"Your Majesty, Nanchen has just experienced several major chaos, and the root of the disaster has not been eliminated. They are still in a precarious situation. How can they distract themselves from competing with us for the good name that is destined to them? This is unreasonable."
Emperor Chu nodded slowly and said:
"It makes sense. I am quite familiar with Emperor Chen. He is old and has lost his ambition. In addition, the domestic situation in Nanchen is unstable. It is indeed unlikely that he will send someone to blow up my palace."
"Then, who blew up Mingtang?"
"The loud noise just now must be divine thunder, and only divine thunder can turn the entire Mingtang into ruins in an instant."
"Among all the countries in the world, only Nanchen has the divine thunder."
"..."
Emperor Chu and his cronies gradually fell into silence.
They all felt that this matter was too strange.
But after thinking about it, they didn't have any clue.
At this time, people kept coming in and out of the hall, bringing various information to Emperor Chu, including the Imperial Army's investigation of the vicinity of Mingtang, as well as reactions from various parts of the city, etc.
The whole story of the bombing of Mingtang has become a complete mystery. The Forbidden Army found nothing within a radius of several miles.
As for the situation in various parts of the city, it is relatively stable, but the people are frightened...
Not long after, another forbidden soldier entered the hall and brought the latest news: "Your Majesty, there is another rumor in the city, and it still concerns the Yang family."
"Yang family? Rumors?"
Emperor Chu suddenly raised his head, his spirit was shaken, and he ordered in a deep voice: "Speak quickly!"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the rumor says that the culprit who blew up the Mingtang was none other than the Yang family, and the divine thunder used was provided by the remnants of Nanchen!"
"It turns out to be the Yang family! Yes, yes..."
Emperor Chu's expression changed suddenly, and he stood up immediately. He suddenly remembered the rumor he heard this morning, that the Yang family had secretly colluded with the remnants of Nanchen.
And the remnants of Nanchen must have the divine thunder formula in their hands.
That makes sense.
"It is indeed the Yang family, it turns out to be the Yang family!" Emperor Chu said with a ferocious face, clenched his fists, and said in a cold voice:
"The Yang family has always wanted to restore the Daqian Dynasty. Although I wanted to stop it, for the sake of the Queen Mother and the Empress, I also wanted to turn a blind eye."
"But the Yang family is good, haha, they actually blew up my Mingtang! The Yang family's move is to completely cut off my ambition to unify the Central Plains!"
On the side, the cronies also looked stunned.
They had no dealings with the Yang family, but now that they had this opportunity, they naturally resorted to slandering them.
I just heard a close confidant say:
"Your Majesty, the Yang family has been attached to our Nanchu all year round. Without the protection of our Nanchu, they would have been eradicated by the Liang Dynasty long ago."
"But the Yang family, on the other hand, showed no gratitude at all. Instead, they colluded with the remnants of Nanchen to blow up the Mingtang. This is simply repaying kindness with enmity!"
"The motivation of the Yang family's move is also very clear. They are descendants of Daqian. They always think about restoring Daqian. Naturally, they don't want to see His Majesty become a wise king."
"..."
When Emperor Chu heard these words from his cronies, his expression became even colder.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
In the past, for the sake of the Queen Mother and the Empress, he could still tolerate the Yang family, but today... he is intolerable!
The Yang family's blowing up Mingtang was equivalent to ending his lofty ambitions!
This made him furious and uncontrollable.
"Your Majesty, the Yang family's crimes are extremely heinous. Send troops to search the Yang family immediately!"
Confidants advised:
"Your Majesty, please issue an order immediately to capture the Yang family's accomplices, big and small, and never let any of the thieves go!"
The Emperor of Chu looked cold. He was extremely disappointed with the Yang family and was ready to adopt the advice of his cronies - to raid the Yang family and make the Yang family pay a heavy price!
However, at this moment, several palace maids entered the palace and brought a delicious food box.
Inside the food box is a bowl of steaming chicken soup.
According to the palace maids, this bowl of chicken soup was cooked by the Empress herself for Emperor Chu. The Empress put her hard work into it. Please drink it while it is hot.
Emperor Chu was holding the bowl of chicken soup and was lost in thought.
He was speechless for a while, and his cold expression softened slightly.
Upon seeing this, the cronies looked at each other and shook their heads and sighed. The queen's bowl of chicken soup came at a bad time. It was obvious that Emperor Chu was soft-hearted again...
As expected, Emperor Chu was stunned for a while and then said slowly:
"The Yang family is, after all, the natal family of the Queen Mother and the Queen. If I raid the Yang family, how will I face them?"
The cronies continued to shake their heads. This was a great opportunity to bring down the Yang family, but it was ruined in a bowl of chicken soup. Could it be that the Yang family could only be allowed to continue to be arrogant and domineering?
Although they were extremely unwilling, there was nothing they could do.
"However, I am quite unwilling to let the Yang family go so easily."
Emperor Chu took a sip of chicken soup, looked at his cronies and said.
When the cronies heard this, they were overjoyed. It seemed that there was still a chance. Even if they could not bring down the Yang family, they would be happy to see the Yang family peel off a layer of skin.
At this time, a close confidant, Fu Zhixin, his eyes lit up, and as if he remembered something, he hurriedly said to Emperor Chu:
"Your Majesty, I suddenly thought of a way to attack the Yang family, avoid further deterioration of the situation, and preserve the face of the Queen Mother and the Empress."
"Say." Emperor Chu was shocked.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember that in the 'rumor' this morning, the Yang family prepared 500,000 taels of silver and planned to secretly transport it to Nanchen?"
"Five hundred thousand taels of silver! Of course I still remember it."
Emperor Chu immediately understood what his confidant meant, his face turned fiercely, and he said with a smile:
"This is a good idea. Since the Yang family blew up my Mingtang, let's use these 500,000 taels to compensate. It just so happens that I also spent more than 400,000 taels to build the Mingtang, which is just enough!"
"Your Majesty is wise." The cronies immediately offered flattery.
"Come on, gather the five thousand forbidden troops, rush to the Yang family immediately, and send the five hundred thousand taels of silver to the treasury without any mistakes." Emperor Chu ordered as he looked at a guard.
"According to the order."
Not long after the guard retired, another person entered the palace and brought bad news that was not optimistic:
"Your Majesty, some people took the opportunity to cause trouble in some areas of the city. The general sent people to suppress it, but the result... became more and more violent, and it has the potential to sweep away!"
"What did you say? Someone took the opportunity to cause trouble?!"
Emperor Chu stood up and frowned. He was afraid that someone would take the opportunity to cause trouble, and whatever he feared happened.
He composed himself and commanded in a deep voice:
"Send more soldiers and horses to suppress the unrest. The instigator does not need to be interrogated and killed on the spot. The accomplices will also be eliminated. It is better to kill a thousand by mistake than to leak one."
"The last general has given orders!"
"I leave this matter to you. If the turmoil cannot be suppressed, just draw your sword and kill yourself." Emperor Chu said coldly.
"The last general...accepts the order!"
After this person exited the hall, Emperor Chu suddenly remembered the five thousand forbidden troops sent to Yang Mansion. He thought for a long time, and finally looked at a guard and ordered:
"Move another five thousand imperial troops to rush to the Yang family. Remember, the property must be sent to the treasury without losing a penny, otherwise I will only ask you and take your head off your neck."
"The final general's decree."
