Heavy rain fell, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky, and the rumble of thunder resounded throughout the capital. Thick and colorful dark clouds continued to billow, pressing down on the dome.
The sky quickly darkened, and the Forbidden City, which was supposed to be under lock and key, was still brightly lit at this moment.
Yu Qian and Yu Shiyue, under Huaien's guidance, entered the Qianqing Palace. When they raised their eyes, they saw the emperor, who was wearing a pale green Yanju uniform and had a stern look on his face.
Seeing this situation, the two of them knew that today's matter was not trivial, and they quickly bowed down and said,
"I will see you, Your Majesty."
"Gentlemen, please sit down."
When he saw the two of them coming in, the emperor's face looked a little warmer, and he raised his hand and ordered someone to sit down.
However, they didn't say anything more. The two of them looked at each other and had the same tacit understanding without speaking, and waited quietly with the emperor.
Not long after, a servant came to report.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Shu Liang and Commander Lu are outside seeking an audience."
"Xuan!"
The chamberlain received the instructions and hurriedly went down to receive the guests. A moment later, Shu Liang and Lu Zhong, who had just changed into clean clothes, walked in.
After the salute, the emperor asked directly without any nonsense.
"How is the investigation going?"
After hearing this, Yu Qian and Yu Shiyue's eyes immediately fell on Shu Liang and Lu Zhong.
The latter two hesitated for a moment, and Shu Liang took the lead.
"Reporting to your Majesty, the person is dead. He took poison and died before the Imperial Army arrived. This is suicide!"
"Just now, the servants summoned the eunuchs in charge of various places to identify and confirm that this person is the eunuch who helps the kitchen in the imperial kitchen. His name is Wu Yongcheng. He is from Guangping Prefecture, Zhili. He was purified and entered the palace three months ago. He still has two nephews at home. , but the authenticity is doubtful, Jin Yiwei has sent people overnight to Guangping Mansion to verify."
"According to the investigation, this man was born in poverty and was usually timid and afraid of getting into trouble. He also did the dirty work of transporting swill in the imperial kitchen. When he woke up this morning, he asked the eunuch in charge for a day off on the grounds of abdominal pain and did not work in the imperial kitchen. value."
"However, after questioning the gatekeepers, they learned that this person told the imperial kitchen that he was unable to be on duty. However, after noon, he still sent swill out of the palace as usual. When he returned before returning, the guards inspected as usual and found nothing. Something wrong.”
"At the beginning of the Youchu period, he claimed that he had lost his 'treasure sign' when he left the palace and wanted to go out to look for it. He used twenty taels of silver to bribe the imperial guards guarding the Guiji Gate and entered the square in front of the Fengtian Palace."
"Then, he took out the mahogany stick that had been hidden in the corner, took advantage of the darkness, went straight to the incense pavilion, hit it with the stick several times, and broke the incense pavilion in half. After the sound attracted the attention of the patrolling imperial army, they shouted several times Saying, "Strike Dongfang Jiayimu first," the Imperial Army came forward to capture him, but before he could get close, he had already fallen to the ground."
"When the Imperial Guards arrived, they found that the man had a poison sac in his mouth. After hitting the incense pavilion, he bit the poison sac and died..."
Shu Liang spoke in detail, with rigorous words and a calm tone.
This performance really surprised Yu Qian and Yu Shiyue.
You must know that the image of this Dongchang Admiral in front of everyone in the past was nothing more than arrogant, crazy, bold, ruthless, and terrifying.
However, these words just now made them see another Shu Liang.
After such a big thing happened, the Dongchang admiral and eunuch did not panic at all. Calculating the time, the attack on the Xiangting Pavilion should have happened when Yu Qian and the two heard the noise in the palace. By all calculations, things have happened so far.
It happened no more than half an hour ago.
But in this short period of time, Shu Liang was not only able to understand the ins and outs of the matter clearly, but every word he said was supported by factual evidence and there was no trace of conjecture.
Even an experienced Xing Ming person may not be able to achieve such ability.
It can be seen that Eunuch Shu was able to gain the emperor's trust through more than just his loyalty.
However, in the current situation, Shu Liang's performance is still second to none.
The point is, the matter itself!
‘First fight the Oriental A and B wood’…
East Palace, also known as Spring Palace and Qing Palace.
The east belongs to wood, and the time in the east belongs to spring. The place where the east palace resides is the prince's storage, which is like the morning sun in early spring, which means endless life.
The so-called incense pavilion is an object used by the prince to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth and burn incense when he leaves the pavilion.
This man's words and deeds tell everyone that he... is here for the prince!
With only one day left before the crown prince was to leave the cabinet, such an incident occurred, and its political implications must be said to be very strong.
Yu Qian and Yu Shiyue looked at each other, their brows furrowed tightly, obviously feeling quite uneasy.
"Jin Yiwei will take charge of this matter, and we must investigate it thoroughly!"
Just at this moment, the emperor's cold voice came.
Underneath, Lu Zhong's face was as sinking as water, and he cupped his hands.
"I accept the decree."
Then, the emperor nodded, finally turned his eyes to Yu Qian and the two of them, and asked, his expression slightly brightened.
"Shu Liang has just told what happened. At that time, the two gentlemen were outside Donghua Gate and must have seen part of it. What do you think about this matter?"
It should be said that this incident shocked both of them greatly.
However, after all, they are all people who have experienced strong winds and waves, especially Yu Qian. He can withstand news like the civil war, let alone this.
In a short period of time, they had sorted out their thoughts.
After pondering for a moment, Yu Shiyue spoke first and said.
"Your Majesty, this person is obviously here for the ceremony of the crown prince's coming out of the cabinet. Although the incident happened suddenly, the commotion was so great that it would be difficult to conceal the news. I believe that the top priority is to find out who is behind the scenes, and secondly
The purpose is to eliminate the impact as soon as possible so that the cabinet exit ceremony can go ahead as scheduled!"
Having said this is equivalent to not saying it...
However, as the official of the Prince's Mansion, it is Yu Shiyue's duty to ensure that the ceremony goes on as scheduled, and it is understandable.
What's more, Yu Shiyue's words are cryptic, but the meaning is not difficult to understand. Since this matter is difficult to cover up, it cannot affect the ceremony of leaving the cabinet. Otherwise, the public opinion in the government and the public will not know what it will be like.
the direction of the wind.
This was obviously not the answer the emperor wanted. After pondering for a while, the emperor did not speak, but turned his eyes to Yu Qian who was aside.
Compared with Yu Shiyue, Zai Shaobao was obviously more direct. The first sentence he spoke was shocking, saying:
"Your Majesty, this is a deliberate frame-up!"
After saying these words, there was silence in the palace.
Yu Shiyue on the side sighed inwardly, looking helpless.
The temperament of his old friend... He is really upright and not afraid of anyone...
"Framed?"
After the sound of these two words fell, the emperor's eyes became a little intense. He repeated them softly, and saw the old man staring at Yu Qian closely and asking.
"Who is framing whom?"
In the huge palace, this question echoed endlessly.
Outside the window, the rain kept falling and thunder rumbled.
Yu Qian took a deep breath, looked into Yu Shiyue's complicated eyes, raised his hands and said.
"Your Majesty! Someone is...deliberately framing Your Majesty!"
have to……
At this moment, Yu Cifu wanted to hold up his forehead to express his helplessness, my Yu Shaobao, how dare you say this!
He glanced at Yu Qian resentfully. If he had known this, he would not have taken a shortcut today and left the palace through Donghua Gate.
But, having said that, at that time, if I didn’t go through Donghuamen...
Well, we might as well go through Donghua Gate!
Now that the window paper has been torn, there is nothing left to hide.
Yu Qian held his hand again, with a stern look on his face and said.
"Just now Yu Cifu said that this person came for the ceremony of the prince leaving the palace, but I thought otherwise."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came out of the cabinet and attracted the attention of the court. It is not easy to stop him. Although the incense pavilion outside Fengtianmen is very important, it is just a utensil after all. Even if it is destroyed, the Ministry of Rites still has spare things that can be used. Therefore, it is said that the stile attack
Xiangting cannot have a substantial impact on the prince’s appointment.”
"Looking closely at its purpose, there are only two reasons. One is that he is dissatisfied with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's leaving the cabinet, but is powerless to stop it, so he can only vent his anger in this way. The other is that he wants to use this move to trigger discussions between the government and the public, and to make the government and the public dissatisfied.
I feel that some people are preventing the prince from leaving the cabinet, but some people are not willing to really stop the prince from leaving the cabinet!"
This is a bit hard to say, but the meaning is expressed very clearly.
Of these two possibilities, if it is the former, then this incident is just an act of venting anger by a small group of people and is not worth mentioning.
But the problem is that the prince's appointment is the result of compromise between all parties. For civil servants, it is a great joy to have the country's headquarters settled and the country laid in peace. For Wu Xun, the prince's appointment means the reset of the young army. Lord
It is also a great good thing that our children have a way to quickly rise again.
If there is one person who does not want the prince to leave the cabinet, then it is...
"How courageous, you actually plotted against me!"
On the throne, the emperor obviously thought of something. Although his tone was light, the air pressure in the palace suddenly dropped.
Yu Qian was talking about two possibilities, but in fact, there is a third possibility that he did not mention, that is...
Someone really wants to use this method to delay the ceremony of the prince's leaving the cabinet.
And this is actually the second possibility mentioned by Yu Qian. The person who instigated this matter wanted to make the government and the public think the 'truth'.
So, why do you want to say it so clearly?
Yu Cifu sighed and said.
"Your Majesty, the only plan now is to control the influence as soon as possible and make the ceremony of the prince leaving the cabinet go on as scheduled. In this way, all the troubles will be calmed down."
What Yu Qian can see, Yu Shiyue can naturally see too.
However, he didn't say it, not only because of caution, but also because whether he said it or not, the result was the same.
No matter what the possibility is, as long as something goes wrong, the next thing to do is to keep the ceremony as scheduled.
Otherwise, even if this matter was not ordered by the emperor, it would be fine!
After all, in the eyes of many people, if there is anyone in the whole court who does not want the prince to leave the cabinet, then it must be the emperor.
In fact, Yu Shiyue was a little worried about this.
That is to say, Yu Qian firmly ruled out this possibility.
That’s why he said this was a ‘deliberate frame-up’!
To put it bluntly, the target of the attack on Xiangting this time was not the prince, but the emperor! The mastermind behind this incident really wanted to destroy the reputation of the emperor!
"The storm will calm down?"
After hearing Yu Shiyue's sincere persuasion, Zhu Qiyu narrowed his eyes and looked at Yu Qian without commenting, and asked.
"What do you think, Mr. Yu?"
Unexpectedly, Yu Qian, who had always been upright, hesitated for a moment and said.
"Your Majesty, the storm will not subside, but the ceremony cannot be delayed. In the end, I am afraid that this matter will be reduced to a major issue and a trivial matter..."
"Why?"
Zhu Qiyu frowned and asked.
"Since Mr. Yu knows that the person behind the scenes does not really want to stop the ceremony, then if I stop the ceremony and conduct a detailed investigation, how can I not find out who is behind the scenes?"
As soon as these words came out, Yu Shiyue immediately gave Yu Qian a complaining look.
Tell you to talk too much!
What to do now?
If the emperor really becomes willful, how can you stop him?
In fact, after hearing this, Yu Qian was slightly stunned and a little surprised.
Not for anything else, because the method mentioned by the emperor, to put it bluntly, is to injure the enemy by one thousand and damage yourself by eight hundred, which is not a wise method.
After pondering for a moment, Yu Qian cupped his hands and said.
"Your Majesty, the most difficult thing in the world is to stay upright, be impartial, and follow the right path. It is not difficult. However, if you can still keep your upright heart amidst misunderstandings, you will be a gentleman. Your Majesty's Holy Light illuminates this truth.
If you don’t know it, you won’t do it.”
After the words fell, Yu Qian looked up at the emperor. Obviously, he was very confident in what he said.
Or in other words, that’s what he thinks and believes!
He believed that the emperor would not let him down.
Yu Qian didn't say anything. If he did this, he just fell into the trap of the other party, so he couldn't do it.
Because that is the category of art, not Tao practice.
What is Tao?
Thousands of people misunderstand me because they are blinded by mist. I suffer from misunderstanding, but I do not abandon my way because of this, do despicable and evil things, and do not maintain a righteous mind.
This is my way!
Yu Qian believed that this was also the way that the emperor upheld.
Apparently, he was not disappointed...
"What you said makes sense!"
Under such a heavy atmosphere, a smile suddenly appeared on Zhu Qiyu's face, and he made a small joke and said.
"Mr. Yu said this. If I really do this, wouldn't it really be a villain's behavior?"
"I don't dare!"
Yu Qian lowered his head and breathed a sigh of relief.
He does have confidence, but how it comes about is that it is constantly strengthened through repeated tests.
There is no doubt that the emperor's words just now have once again strengthened this confidence.
Zhu Qiyu suppressed his smile and spoke.
"I don't have to worry about today's matter, but as Mr. said, the storm cannot be calmed. Even if the ceremony is held normally, it will only reduce the impact. Some people will still take this opportunity to disturb the court. So, what should I do?
?”
What Yu Qian said is actually good.
This matter is difficult to investigate because it is a 'trap' specifically targeted at Zhu Qiyu.
The person who attacked the Xiang Pavilion was indeed an eunuch in the palace. This is one of them.
Before the prince left the cabinet, as the emperor, Zhu Qiyu did make some moves to obstruct him. This is the second point.
This person passed through the inner palace, passed through Guiji Gate, and entered Fengtianmen Square. He was not captured until he knocked down the Xiangting Pavilion. Before that, no one in the imperial army noticed anything unusual. This is the third point.
After attacking the Xiangting Pavilion, this person took poison and died without hesitation. He was obviously a dead soldier. This is the fourth one.
Not to mention, there are also small details like how the poison sac escaped the search of the imperial army and was brought into the palace, and how the red wooden stick was hidden in the corner of Fengtian Palace Square...
If these 'doubtful points' were connected together with a unified explanation, it would be easy for people to think that the emperor was instigating this.
Because it was the emperor who ordered it, the imperial army naturally seemed to be in doubt. Because it was the emperor's order, this person was naturally free to come and go in the palace without being interrogated. Because it was the emperor's order, this person could resolutely take poison and commit suicide after the incident was completed.
.
The emperor ordered it, this is a perfect explanation!
And since such a perfect trap has been set, it is natural to deal with all the details in advance. If you want to find out the truth, it will be even more difficult.
Even if the truth is found, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find evidence.
but……
Facing the emperor's gaze, Yu Qian raised his head and said with cold eyes.
"Your Majesty, the storm cannot be calmed down, but how can those who stir up trouble hide themselves?"
This chapter has been completed!