Princess Jin Yao didn't want to figure out who was thinking about whom, so she decided to go to General Iron Mask to ask for details after seeing the third prince.
But when I returned to the palace, I couldn't find the Iron Mask General, not even the third prince.
"Are you going to see your father?" Princess Jin Yao asked the eunuchs, "I'm going too."
She raised her feet to go towards the emperor, but was stopped by the guards before she got close.
"Princess, Your Majesty has ordered that no one can come near you," they said.
Princess Jin Yao didn't force her way in. She asked them to pass the message and tell her father that I was here. Maybe he would meet her.
But the guard shook his head: "Princess, please come back. Your Majesty has ordered not to see anyone."
What's going on? Princess Jin Yao didn't understand. She couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and look over there. Her eyes froze. It was not that there was no one walking around there. Several eunuchs dragged one person into the palace -
He was too far away to see his face clearly, but judging from his figure and clothes, he seemed to be the fifth prince.
Did the fifth prince get into trouble again?
It seems that the trouble caused this time is not small. The emperor even sealed the palace.
The fifth prince was pushed in by the guards and roared: "Don't push me, I will leave!"
His voice broke the silence in the palace. It was not that there was no one in the quiet palace. In addition to the emperor and the prince, other princes were also there, as well as Zhou Xuan, the iron-faced general.
Hearing the fifth prince's roar, everyone looked over.
"Presumptuous!" The prince walked over quickly, stepped forward and slapped him, "Kneel down!"
Although the prince was strict with his brothers, he only punished them in terms of words, deeds, and knowledge. At most, he punished them for copying and standing, and he never beat them.
It was obvious that he was very angry.
The fifth prince covered his face with his hands, gritted his teeth and knelt down, kowtowing to the emperor: "My son is guilty."
The emperor sat on the dragon chair with a dull expression and asked: "What crime do you have?"
The fifth prince said: "My son followed Zhou Xuan out without permission from my father."
Over there, Zhou Xuan also knelt down and said, "I am guilty. I secretly allowed the fifth prince to accompany me on this journey."
The emperor asked: "Zhou Xuan was given the important task by my order. Chu Lerong, why are you following him?"
The fifth prince said: "I'm too bored in the palace. Every day I hear people say that the third brother has done great things. What about Qi County? I'm curious and I want to see it too."
The prince said angrily from the side: "If you want to go, just say it. Will my father not allow it?"
The fifth prince was also angry: "Father, will you allow it? Father, and eldest brother, you all accuse me of being ignorant and incompetent. You all don't agree with what I want to do. I said I also want to visit Qi County."
, I want to learn how Third Brother does things, will you agree?"
The prince's face suddenly froze and then filled with pain: "Le Rong, my eldest brother hasn't done much, but you, you have to say it."
The fifth prince said with a sullen face: "Anyway, I did it, so I can punish it however I want."
The prince was filled with anger and self-blame. He turned around and knelt down to the emperor: "Your Majesty, please punish Le Rong severely and for neglecting to discipline his children."
The fourth prince followed him and was about to kneel down - he was used to it. When he was about to kneel down, he saw that the second prince and the third prince were not moving, so he slowly stood up straight and quietly moved back.
step.
The emperor said: "Don't worry, I will punish you after I finish asking." He looked at Zhou Xuan, "Axuan, where were you when the third prince was attacked?"
Zhou Xuandao: "I am leading the army a hundred miles away. The third prince and I have already exchanged messages. Since we can meet in two days, I stopped marching and set up camp to wait for the third prince to join the army."
The iron-faced general said: "Zhou Xuan, Your Majesty ordered you to lead the troops to protect the third prince. Before joining the army with the third prince, except for the necessary rest and recuperation of the army, you are not allowed to stop and camp at will. Even if you camp, you must divide your troops to ensure uninterrupted stealth.
Hurry on your way in case something unexpected happens. As a general, you made such a big mistake. I am really disappointed."
Zhou Xuan leaned over and said, "The general is guilty." Then he kowtowed to the emperor, "I deserve to die for my crime."
The emperor looked at Zhou Xuan who was bending down and kowtowing. He had taken off his armor and was tied with ropes. After learning the news, the Iron-faced General had ordered him to be dealt with according to military law.
The robe was messy, and the back was beaten to pieces, revealing the fresh scars from before.
"I'll just tie him up." The emperor couldn't help but said, "Why do you still beat me? It's not too late to punish me when you come back."
Hearing the emperor's words, the fifth prince curled his lips with his head lowered, and a trace of relief flashed in his rebellious eyes.
The iron-faced general said: "What I am punishing is military law. When you come back, your majesty will punish you according to national law."
The emperor stopped talking and looked at the third prince. The third prince's face was paler than when he left, and he was also thinner. At this time, his arm was wrapped with a wound cloth, and he looked so light that a gust of wind could blow him over.
—
"Xiurong, please sit down and talk." The emperor said.
The third prince thanked him and shook his head: "Father, I'm fine. The injury on my arm is fine. I don't look good. It's not because of my health. It's because I'm tired these days."
The emperor no longer forced himself and said softly: "Xiurong, since you are okay, let's talk about the attack that day."
The third prince responded: "At that time, I was already far away from Qi County. I also received the specific location sent by A Xuan. This distance is already enough to meet the army. I am not in a hurry to travel at night and rest that night."
At that time, everything was normal, but suddenly there was chaos in the southeast, and someone attacked the camp, and when the attack started, those thieves were already in the camp."
This kind of raid was the most terrifying. The camp was in chaos in an instant, and the thieves took advantage of the chaos and rushed straight to his location.
Fortunately, the guards fought tooth and nail to attack and defend, and avoided tragedy.
The emperor asked: "How many soldiers and horses did you have in your camp at that time?"
The third prince said: "Three hundred."
The emperor asked again: "How many thieves are there?"
The third prince said: "There were about fifty people attacking the camp, and there were about fifty more helping hands outside. When the camp was in chaos, the outside of the camp was also surrounded. It seemed that the inside and outside were cooperating."
Zhou Xuan said from the side: "After receiving the news from the scouts, I led my troops to pursue and kill about twenty bandits. The rest have not been found yet."
The emperor asked: "Is there anyone alive?"
The third prince shook his head: "The assassination happened suddenly that night, and it was a life and death fight."
How could anyone care about staying alive at this time?
Zhou Xuandao: "During the pursuit, the bandits fought stubbornly and refused to surrender. Some of those who were captured alive also committed suicide by poisoning themselves."
The emperor smiled coldly and looked at everyone in the palace: "Did you hear that, today's bandits are all dead soldiers?"
The prince said softly: "Father, this is obviously someone who deliberately paid for the murder."
The emperor looked at everyone: "What do you think?"
The third prince said: "The person who attacked the bandits was not only intentional, but also knew the camp very well, and he went straight to where I was."
Zhou Xuandao: "I investigated later and found that these bandits sneaked into the camp. The camp was tightly guarded. They were able to sneak in, which shows that there was an inside job."
The Iron-faced General said: "What the Third Highness and the Marquis of Zhou said are right. I inspected and visited the surrounding counties and counties, and they all said that there have never been bandits."
The second prince hurriedly took a step forward and said: "My son also thinks that this is a deliberate attempt to pay for the murder. Although my son was not present at the scene, but -"
The emperor interrupted him: "Okay, don't say so much if you're not here."
The second prince responded sarcastically.
Seeing this, the fourth prince said obediently: "My son is not here, so I don't know what to say."
After hearing this, the emperor, who had not looked at him until now, looked at him without scolding or asking any more questions. His eyes fell on the fifth prince.
The fifth prince kept kneeling on the ground with a pulled face, looking like you all owe me money.
The emperor asked: "What about you?"
The fifth prince seemed stunned by the question: "Should I say it too?" He smiled again, "Father, do you still want to ask me?"
The prince turned around and scolded: "Speak carefully."
The fifth prince smiled and said carelessly: "I think what everyone said is right."
The emperor looked at him: "Really? Then come and see if you recognize these people."
After saying that, he waved his hands.
The curtain hanging on the side was opened, and behind it were kneeling five men in ragged clothes, all of whom were tied up in a big way.
"Chu Lerong, how much money did you spend on the murderers? I spent three times the amount on you to buy their witnesses." The emperor said with a cold expression, "Prove that you are a ruthless and unjust beast who murdered your third brother!"
There was like a spring thunder in the hall, which made everyone's ears buzz.
