There was a rolled up note stuffed in the bamboo tube. Xu Mingyi unfolded it and saw Xiao Qi's handwriting.
After seeing the content above, I can't help but feel warm in my heart.
It turned out that Mr. Mo and Xiao Qi invited her and Tianmu to spend New Year's Eve at Xuesheng Tea House and have New Year's Eve dinner together. They also said that they had prepared many of her favorite dishes.
This is because she knows that she is alone in the capital, which may make her feel lonely.
And perhaps Wu Chao's instruction was involved.
Xu Mingyi slightly curved the corners of her mouth.
It was a good intention, and she accepted it, but she couldn't go.
They, the people from the Zhenguogong Mansion, had been hiding in the secret passage for a long time. The food and water they had prepared earlier were long gone. Xiao Qi came from another entrance to the secret passage - an inconspicuous and unknown place outside Qingyunfang.
He led people to secretly deliver food supplies to other people's courtyards.
Although this was something that had been arranged before leaving Beijing, Xiao Qi had not dared to relax at all because there were many secret guards hiding in Xuesheng Tea House these days. Xiao Qi had already taken risks several times for this reason.
If she goes to Xuesheng Teahouse tonight, if someone catches her, the whole teahouse and Dr. Qiao who is hiding in the teahouse will be affected.
Even though this is only the worst possibility, it is still best to be cautious at this juncture.
She never ventures into trouble or danger that can be avoided.
For her, it is the best year if she can spend it peacefully.
Xu Mingyi did not hesitate, wrote a brief reply, put it in the bamboo tube, and tied it to Tianmu again.
"Let's take another trip." She patted the big bird's wings and said, "When you fly here, you can continue to have lunch. There is no need to come back in the evening. Since you are gone, you can have two more meals.
"
These words undoubtedly touched the heart of the big bird. It turned around with bright eyes, swayed, and ran out with a patter of feet.
The snow fell yesterday and laid a thick layer on the eaves and treetops.
In the evening, dense stars appeared in the sky. There was no moon on New Year's Eve, but with lanterns everywhere, and the contrast between the snow and the sky, there seemed to be a moonlight between the sky and the earth.
Xu Mingyi sat on the stone steps of the small courtyard, staring at the stars in the sky in a daze.
There were faint sounds of children chasing and laughing all around, singing New Year's nursery rhymes, probably walking through the streets carrying lanterns.
No matter how difficult life is, the New Year must still be passed.
However, compared to previous years, this New Year's Eve in Beijing this year was undoubtedly the most deserted in her memory.
At this time in previous years, the long streets leading to the city gate in the city must not be crowded - the emperor wants to climb the city tower to celebrate with all the people. The emperor stands on the city tower, with fireworks behind him, gorgeous and prosperous.
This year obviously there is no such process.
The emperor had to climb that high tower, but he might not have the strength to climb it.
Besides, the people may not still be willing to see this emperor.
Xu Mingyi looked at the starry sky, thinking about everything.
She went over her plans for the year after the new year in her mind, and estimated the progress of various arrangements.
Then I thought of Linyuan City - Linyuan City must be very lively at this time, right?
Father and mother, are they thinking about themselves?
After all, during the festive season, we miss our loved ones even more.
With her absent, everyone may have lost a little bit of their appetite in front of a table full of New Year's Eve dinner.
And tomorrow, he shouldn't be crying secretly, right?
Not to mention Ah Kui and Ah Zhu, these two girls must be worried about her every day.
Thinking of this, the girl sitting on the stone steps with her chin in her hands sighed softly.
Who makes everyone unable to live without her.
And Wu Chao——
I wonder where he is at this time?
But I guess he must be busy arranging things, so he can't be like her, sitting here with nothing to do, thinking about him in a daze.
Yes, she missed Wu Chao.
Since he left Linyuan, a lot of big and small things have happened, especially to him. She thought that he must also need her.
Fortunately, it won't be long before we can meet again.
Before meeting each other, she and he should take care of themselves and do everything they should do, so that they can live up to the time they are separated from each other.
And even though she couldn't see each other, she could still miss people when she saw things. Oh, no, she missed people when she saw birds——
Xu Mingyi turned her head slightly and rubbed the bald head of Big Bird who was squatting beside her.
She originally told her that the third eye did not have to come back, but it still came back.
It was as if he knew today was New Year's Eve, so he just sat next to her obediently. Several times he saw that his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't even open them. After shaking his head to wake up a little, he still insisted on sitting here with her.
This time when she came to the capital, she had no intention of bringing it with her. After all, this person had a blessed life, and it was winter, so she was afraid that it would follow and suffer.
But more than ten miles after leaving Linyuan City, the driver discovered that there was someone squatting on the roof of the car...
And after entering the city, he really helped her a lot, and the job of delivering letters to and from Xuesheng Tea House was even more satisfying.
Seeing that it was really sleepy and the way its eyelids were opening and closing was really funny, Xu Mingyi picked up the big bird and turned back to the room.
At this time, the sound of firecrackers suddenly exploded everywhere.
The time has come and the new year has begun.
The old housekeeper personally brought her a bowl of flat food, saying it was the master's instruction.
She thanked her again and again.
The freshly cooked flat food is carried in a food box. Once the food box is opened, a hot aroma will come out.
Xu Mingyi picked one up and took a bite. He felt the warm pyrotechnics soothing his spleen and stomach, dispelling the cold winter at this moment.
She sat at the table, holding a pair of chopsticks in her hands, and turned to look out the window.
There was a cluster of bright fireworks blooming in her pupils.
In my ears, I could hear the clear and deep Sanskrit sound of the bell ringing in a nearby temple, as if it was intended to clear away the noise, filth and suffering of all living beings in the world.
At this moment, Xu Mingyi suddenly felt infinite hope in his heart.
The New Year has arrived.
The deep winter will pass soon.
Spring is already on the way.
…
At the end of the first month, long-lost good news came from Beijing.
Taking advantage of King Yan's serious illness, the imperial court dispatched 100,000 soldiers and horses to drive King Yan's army out of the territory of Cangzhou——
Not only did they take back Cangzhou, but they also completely defeated King Yan's army, which was already in civil strife, into two and retreated all the way to Cangzhou three hundred miles away. Another group of soldiers and horses protected the King of Yan, who was not sure whether he was alive or dead, and headed north.
At this point, King Yan's army, which had been invincible all the way, was defeated and its morale was greatly reduced.
This news undoubtedly inspired both the government and the public.
The doubts about King Yan's serious illness were almost completely eliminated.
The defeat of the Yan army caused confusion among all the forces.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the imperial court took back more than ten counties and cities that had been captured by the rebels and refugees. Seeing that the situation was already turning around.
Ningyang and Linyuan, on the other hand, never saw any movement. It seemed that they were completely thrown into disarray because of King Yan's incident, and they didn't know where to go for a while.
Moreover, a few days ago, a security guard secretly guarding outside Linyuan City intercepted a secret letter. It was a letter secretly sent by Zhen Guogong to Ningyang to King Dingnan. Judging from the content of the letter,
Due to interests, there are signs of a breakdown between the two.
All kinds of news and secret gains undoubtedly gradually dispelled the court's doubts.
On this day, Emperor Qingming had just finished drinking the medicine and was listening to Mingxiao's detailed report on recent events.
Emperor Qingming was very happy about this.
He knew there was no way he would lose——
If he can win once, he can win a second time!
Although this reversal was more about luck, didn't it just prove that he was the destined monarch of Daqing?
This thought seemed to re-inject strength into his rotten and dry body, making him more eager and fanatical.
"Now that the situation has been stabilized, I can no longer stay in this Yangxin Hall all day long and be manipulated by others!"
He must take back the emperor's seal and political power as soon as possible, otherwise he will have to watch the prince and those rebellious officials and traitors take away everything from him... The external troubles have been eliminated, now it is time to deal with the internal worries!
And the first thing he has to do is to depose the prince!
This seemingly stupid beast dared to covet his throne and put him under house arrest... He should not have kept this beast in the first place!
But now that he has no jade seal, his words have no weight at all, and everything is controlled by the group of cabinet ministers. If he wants to depose the prince, he must leave here first and reappear in front of the officials before he can destroy the prince and the prince.
The crimes of cabinet officials are made known to the public!
Li Ji told him that all the officials outside were deceived by the prince and thought that he was too ill to govern - he could only break the lie by getting out of here!
Yes, it's all lies...
As long as he is the king of a country, he can always get people to find good doctors to treat him, and he will always get better.
Instead of like now, life and death are in the hands of others. Who knows whether the so-called miracle doctors the prince found for him are here to harm his life - just like the "miracle doctors" he found from the people for his father back then!
Therefore, if he continues to stay in this dormitory, there is only death waiting for him!
Feeling the emperor's eagerness and the panic caused by this eagerness, Ming Xiaozhi sneered in his heart.
Yesterday, the other party went crazy and threw the medicine bowl, saying that his illness had not been cured for a long time, so someone must have tampered with the medicine and wanted to poison him to death.
Because you have done such evil, are you afraid that the same fate will come back to you?
However, it’s better to be crazy now.
The more crazy you are, the more panicked you will be.
"Ming Ai, you have to help me... now you are the only one who can help me! Immediately pass on my oral instructions and tell all officials that I will reopen the morning court tomorrow!"
He didn't mention the idea of deposing the crown prince at all. Even though he "trusted" Ming Xie at this time, he still retained a caution that before the matter was completed, he must not say it out loud, otherwise it would only increase the obstacles.
He wanted to destroy that unfilial and unfaithful beast in one fell swoop!
Ming Xiaozhi stood up and saluted: "Yes, I obey your order."
However, that night, Ming Xiaozhi returned without success.
The Censor came to the Yangxin Hall full of anger.
"...I have just circulated your Majesty's oral instructions to hold a morning court tomorrow, when people in the cabinet came forward to disrupt the arrangement. They informed the ministers that Your Majesty is too ill to get up. This is nonsense and cannot be done while in illness.
It’s true—now that all political affairs are handled by the Crown Prince, Your Majesty only needs to rest in peace and recuperate!”
Emperor Qingming was furious and his whole body was trembling with anger.
"Such a wolfish ambition... is so blatant!"
Sure enough, he had made up his mind not to ask him to show up again!
Or is he paranoid?
Or has he wronged these "loyal and upright ministers" who serve the country, the people and the overall interests?
"Do they really think that I am going to die? Do they really think that by standing with the prince, I can do nothing to them?"
Emperor Qingming's sunken eyes turned scarlet red, and he overturned the small table with the memorial in front of him.
These memorials were all written by Ming Xiao, and they contain recent events, and all of them are true.
Since you show your loyalty, you can't cheat in the slightest.
But even if what he said was true, as long as he "reminded" the emperor a little, it would not be difficult to achieve his goal. This is the subtlety of language.
In other words, the emperor's own suspicions and fears, even without his need to say anything, had already regarded the prince and cabinet officials as mortal enemies.
At this time, the memorials were thrown under the couch, and the overturned table broke a corner of the bed tent, hitting the high stool beside the couch, and even the enamel gold tea cup placed on it was smashed to pieces.
.
The little eunuch who was guarding the palace remained silent, not daring to raise his head, let alone step forward to take care of him immediately.
Ming Xiaozhi suppressed his anger and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. On the way here, I thought of another feasible way, but -"
Emperor Qingming was so angry that he almost had difficulty breathing. Li Ji stood by to caress his back. The sickly emperor gasped for air, his dry and thin body swaying in the wind like tattered old window paper.
Hearing this, he still turned his head and looked at Ming Xiaozhi intently: "If you, Ming Ai, have any countermeasures, just say so!"
Ming Xiaozhi solemnly said: "The death anniversary of the late emperor is approaching, and there have been a lot of good news recently. I proposed that your majesty should lead all the ministers to the Lingshan Imperial Mausoleum to worship their ancestors——"
"Sacrifice to ancestors..."
Officials of the third rank and above are required to accompany any ancestor worshippers. It would indeed be a good time to depose the prince in front of the Xie family's ancestors!
Emperor Qingming looked repeatedly and gritted his teeth and said: "But they will definitely still obstruct it in every possible way..."
"No, they have no reason to obstruct!" Ming Xiao said in a cold and solemn tone: "Daqing governs the country with benevolence and filial piety. It has been an ancestral tradition for the emperor to pay homage in person on the death anniversary of the late emperor. There were no exceptions in the previous eighteen years - who dares
If you have an antagonism with the same ancestor, you have evil intentions! You should be punished as a crime of disobedience!"
His decisive tone made Emperor Qingming feel hopeful.
Yes, this is different from having a morning court. He can still use it as an excuse to rest... Worshiping ancestors is a top priority, and those people don't dare to stop him due to emotion and reason!
At this time, Ming Xiaozhi's slightly worried voice sounded: "I'm just worried about your majesty's health. There is still some distance to go on Lingshan Mountain. I'm afraid of your majesty..."
"It's a mere three hundred miles away, but I can still endure it." Emperor Qingming said resolutely: "Looking at the precedents of previous dynasties moving the capital, there are many emperors who insist on going to worship even though their ancestral mausoleums are thousands of miles away -"
As he said that, he looked at Ming Xiaozhi, his voice was weak and hoarse, but his eyes were filled with an inevitable chill: "Even if I am not going to die soon, I should go to worship in front of the late emperor's mausoleum and see my father for the last time.
I have fulfilled my heart's wish, this is my last request... So, can they stop me anymore?"
Ming Xiaozhi lowered his eyes and said knowingly: "My lord, you know what to do."
"As long as I understand that Ai Qing can do this for me, I will later promote Ai Qing to the cabinet and take charge of military affairs for me..."
Ming Xiaozhi raised his hands and bowed, his posture sincere and showing a sense of uprightness: "Eating the emperor's salary, being loyal to the emperor, sharing the emperor's worries, eliminating the unhealthy trends in the government and the public, and protecting the majesty of the ancestors and rituals - all belong to the minister.
It is my responsibility and I dare not ask for credit. Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will do my best and live up to your Majesty's trust!"
Emperor Qingming nodded slowly: "Okay... I'm just waiting for the good news from Aiqing."
Ming Xiaozhi adhered to the rules too much and even contradicted him several times. He endured several violent attacks because he knew that there needed to be such a person in the court... Fortunately, there was still such a person.
Otherwise, he is afraid that there will really be no one available at this time.
This time he had to go to Lingshan to worship his ancestors...
