lady, please calm down

March 19th.

Because the King of Chu was assassinated, the people of Tokyo were in panic. At noon, Liu Baishun, the commander of the wing army, suddenly ordered the closure of thirteen city gates by land and water, and the tense atmosphere suddenly increased.

Dongjing is not only a capital city north of the Huai River where all goods from all over the world gather, but also a place where millions of soldiers and civilians live!

In the past thirty years, Tokyo residents have only experienced the city being closed during the day twice: one was the Dingwei Incident and the other was the Defense of Tokyo in the third year of Xuanqing.

Each time, it is a major event that is enough to change the situation in the world.

Due to the intuition of danger, long queues had formed in front of the rice shops along the street by late afternoon.

When the city is closed, the most important thing is to stock up on food!
Tokyo residents' response to the crisis was so skillful that it made people feel distressed.

Shops selling non-essential goods closed their doors in broad daylight, and many even temporarily sealed their doors with thick wood to reduce losses from any subsequent chaos.

"Ding ding bang bang~"

Outside Dongji Satin Shop on Niuxing Street, the owner Dong Tianbao, together with his son and his assistants, nailed and sealed the shop's doors and windows facing the street, and could not help but let out a long sigh.

Since he was reunited with his relatives at the end of last year, Dong Tianbao has had a smile on his face for several months. He has not looked so sad and sighing like he does now for a long time.

Next to him, the young master of Xu's cosmetics shop, under the urging of his father, finally reinforced the door panel. Seeing Dong Tianbao's worried look, he couldn't help but said in a relaxed tone: "Uncle Dong, you and my father are both worrying too much. I would say that the city gate will be opened in just one or two days at most. Why scare you like this?"

Facing the young master of the neighboring family, Dong Tianbao could still maintain politeness. He only heard him say: "Hey, Dalang, you are young. You were not in the city during the Dingwei period. You didn't know that when the turmoil started, it would be a disaster for us."

As he spoke, Dong Tianbao actually wiped away his tears, "I don't know where this bastard came from, but he dared to assassinate the prince. We have finally had a few years of peace and stability, and now, I'm afraid there will be chaos again."

Whether life is good or bad depends entirely on perception, and there are huge individual differences.

The young master of the Xu family was left in his hometown by his father in his early years. With a relatively well-off family, he always felt that life was peaceful.

But the older Dong Tianbao was different. He had experienced the tragedy of his property being robbed and his relatives being abducted and killed when the city was broken in Dingwei. In the past few years, he also experienced the Battle of Tokyo along with the people of the city.

The city was besieged by foreign tribes twice, but the outcomes were very different. In addition, at the end of last year, her daughter, who had been abducted for many years, was escorted home by the Chu army. Naturally, she regarded the King of Chu as the defender of a good life.

Now that he suddenly heard that the King of Chu had been stabbed and seriously injured, Dong Tianbao was filled with worry, fear, and anger.

But the young master of the Xu family could not empathize with him. Seeing Uncle Dong, who always smiled and greeted people, crying like a woman, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "Uncle Dong, it's not that serious, is it? Although the King of Chu is good, he doesn't let us earn more money. Are you worried to this extent?"

Dong Tianbao was immediately furious when he heard this. He no longer cared about his status as an elder and directly scolded him, "You know nothing! If I throw you back to the Dingwei year and let you watch your relatives being killed and raped, you would not say such nonsense!"

The dispute outside the door naturally attracted the attention of the owner of Xu's Cosmetics Shop. He saw the shopkeeper Xu striding out of the shop, and when he was still two or three steps away from his son, he kicked his son directly in the lower back.

The young master was caught off guard and fell to the ground. He turned around angrily and saw his father with an angry face behind him. He couldn't help but said aggrievedly: "Dad, how did I provoke you?"

Shopkeeper Xu stepped forward and kicked his son on the butt again, pointing his finger and cursing, "You bastard! If it weren't for the prince's desperate fight outside the city in the third year of Xuanqing, this Tokyo City would have been destroyed again! The grass on your grave is three feet long, and neither your mother nor your sister can survive? For this matter alone, my Xu family owes the prince! If you dare to speak nonsense again, I will beat you to death."

The young master still did not understand his father and Uncle Dong's feelings towards the King of Chu, but he did not dare to speak again. With the persuasion of Erlang of the Dong family, Shopkeeper Xu gradually calmed down.

When Dong Erlang helped the young master of the Xu family limped back to the store, the two old friends, Xu and Dong, were sitting dejectedly on the stone steps in front of the store.

Looking at the anxious pedestrians on the street, Shopkeeper Xu couldn't help but sigh: "Old Dong, do you think the prince can get through this?"

Dong Tianbao's eyes were unfocused, and after a long while he said, "How would I know? However, my eldest son is working in Huaibei. I heard from his letter that the people in Huaibei all say that the prince is the emperor who has descended to the world. More than ten years ago, before he was twenty, he led General Yang, General Yao and others to kill a huge white bull that had committed many evil deeds and eaten countless people in Tongbai Mountain. If this is true, then Yama Palace may not dare to accept the prince!"

Anyone who can run a shop in the imperial capital is certainly not an ignorant fool. In the past, they also scoffed at such talk about ghosts and gods.

But today, Dong Tianbao himself couldn't help but pin his hopes on the illusory mystery.

So far, Dong Tianbao has met the King of Chu twice, and had close contact with him once outside the imperial mausoleum in the east of the city. However, after experiencing war, displacement, and death for most of his life, he undoubtedly cherishes the stability and order that comes with the King of Chu more than young people.

Even subconsciously, Dong Tianbao felt that if something happened to the King of Chu, this short-lived stable order would collapse.

Shopkeeper Xu, who was sitting next to him, nodded and agreed, "The prince has come this far from Tongshan, so he must be no ordinary person! How hateful! I don't know where these rats are, using such dirty tricks to harm the prince!"

"Don't look at my old age. If I knew who did it, I would bite off a piece of his flesh with my mouth!"

In mid-spring, willows are green, flowers are fragrant, and the weather is sunny and bright.

However, the lively spring atmosphere was replaced by the tense atmosphere in Tokyo.

In Yulin Lane, at Prime Minister Cai’s residence, the door was closed in broad daylight.

Servants from various mansions appeared in front of the mansion gate from time to time, wanting to hand in visiting cards, and some anxious officials even came directly in sedan chairs.

Although Prime Minister Cai was not in his residence, his eldest son Cai Yun had already arrived half a month ago in order to attend the coronation ceremony next month.

Cai Kun was working at the Anfeng Sansi and could not leave for the time being, but his wife Youshi loved to join in the fun, so she rushed to Tokyo early with her sister-in-law and her family.

At this time, Cai Yuan's wife Wang, Cai Yun and his wife, and You, who represented Cai Kun, all gathered in the Buddhist temple at home.

Daddy has not returned from the palace yet. As the temporary speaker, Cai Yun once again rejected a visit from an official. At the same time, he took several visiting cards and read them carefully. He instructed the gatekeeper, "Go and let them know that the rioters are causing trouble and my father is staying in the palace. He has no time to receive guests. I will come to apologize in person some other day. Be polite to all the adults."

The gatekeeper received the order and went to send the officials away.

Compared to the turmoil in the outside world, everyone in the prime minister's mansion was much calmer. Putting aside emotional factors, no matter how chaotic the city was, it would not affect his family.

On the surface, it seemed that it was because of the big tree of Cai Yuan, but only the family members themselves knew clearly that in this storm, the one who could best protect the family was the little sister who once brought shame to the family.

After Cai Huan led people into the city in the morning, she not only sent the Zhang brothers and others to the mansion, but also a company of soldiers under the command of her eldest son also rushed to Yulin Lane to station.

Cai Yun and others did not know that Chen Chu was fine. They only thought that his sister had persuaded his eldest son to send someone to protect the safety of the prime minister's residence.

Seeing her younger sister's great influence in the army, Youshi felt safe and said with regret: "What a pity! It would be better if Ying'er was a boy."

"."

This is extremely dangerous.

what do you mean?
If Ying'er was a boy, would he take this opportunity to take the throne?
Seeing that her husband was slightly unhappy, Cai Yun's wife Qiao quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "A daughter is good. Only with a son and a daughter can the palace balance yin and yang and have a harmonious family."

This was a subtle reminder to Mrs. You that it was only because of Ying'er that our little sister became a close friend of the princess.

I don't know if Youshi understood, but I saw her looking at the thick stack of visiting cards in her brother-in-law's hand, and said, "Brother, so many people have come to visit, you should pick a few who are close to my family and meet them, so as not to disappoint others."

Youshi was born in an official family, and she had a very superficial understanding of the officialdom. She wanted her father-in-law to take advantage of the opportunity to win people's hearts. Moreover, she married Cai Kun in her early years, which was considered a marriage of downgrade. Over the years, the family, except Cai Huan, was used to flattering her, which made her a little domineering.

Cai Yun was already unhappy just now, but he didn't want to argue with his sister-in-law. But now he heard her making trouble again, and he couldn't help it. "Now that the King of Chu is seriously injured, I will contact people in the palace and invite visitors. If it gets out, what will others think? Are we hoping that Yuan Zhang will die?"

Yu Shi, who had never been scolded by this man before, was stunned for a moment. After a while, she said unhappily, "Who doesn't hope that my brother-in-law will get better soon? But he can't manage things. Someone has to take responsibility for the overall situation in the court! If Dad doesn't step forward to lead the officials, will the Chen family get the upper hand?"

"That doesn't make sense to you!"

Cai Yun was too lazy to argue with his sister-in-law, so he said this and kept silent.

If her brother-in-law had dared to say this to her ten years ago, Youshi would have been furious. But now, her father-in-law has become a prime minister and her younger sister is about to be appointed as a noble concubine. After thinking about it, Youshi decided to hold back her angry words.

The Buddhist temple was silent for a moment. The sound of Wang, the mother, turning the Buddhist beads in her hands became louder as she knelt before the Bodhisattva to pray for her son-in-law.

After a long while, Wang sighed quietly, "The Buddhist temple is a quiet place, but you are obsessed with official positions and fame. It would be strange if the Bodhisattva appeared! All of you should get out."

When Cai Yun and his companions came to the Buddhist temple to find their mother just now, they used the excuse of praying for the King of Chu together. Now, they felt quite embarrassed after hearing what their mother said.

Wang not only scolded her son, but also scolded her three younger generations as she was "only interested in official positions and fame".

"Mother, I'm also considering my family." Yu said aggrievedly.

Wang slowly opened her eyes after hearing this. After earnestly bowing to the Buddha, she turned around and looked at her son and daughter-in-law. Her eyes turned red as she spoke, "You are all just thinking about yourselves. If you really have this family in your heart, you should feel sorry for Huan'er now. She has been stubborn since she was young. Yuanzhang is the one she has chosen. If something happens to her son-in-law, can Huan'er still live? As a brother, have you ever thought about this?"

"."

Cai Yun was overwhelmed with shame and quickly kowtowed to Wang, saying, "Mother, I was wrong."

In Yulin Lane, in addition to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Chen Jingyan's family is also temporarily living in this alley.

Compared to the calm Cai family, the atmosphere in the Chen family is indeed much more tense.

Chen Yingjun, who was working in Tokyo, heard about this today and rushed back home immediately.

But until late in the afternoon, my father and second uncle, who had gone to visit the palace, had not returned.

Just now, a personal soldier from the palace came over and told Chen Yingjun that his father and second uncle would stay at the palace tonight.

Chen Yingjun felt uneasy, but he had to tell his mother about it first.

In the back house, Tan and Chen Yingjun's aunt Cheng sat side by side on a couch, their hands clasped together, their fear visible to the naked eye.

When Tan saw her son, she asked, "Is there still no news about your father and second uncle?"

Chen Yingjun hurriedly said in a gentle tone: "Someone from the palace just sent a message that in order to deal with emergencies, father and second uncle will stay at the palace tonight, and asked mother and aunt not to worry."

Upon hearing this, Cheng cried out in surprise and burst into tears. She said, "Weiting, uncle and your second uncle, are they imprisoned? What is the situation of the King of Chu now? Did he issue the order, or did someone else issue the order in his name?"

It is normal to have such suspicion. It was worrying enough that there was no news after the two brothers entered the palace. Now the people who came to deliver the message were from the palace, not the entourage of the Chen brothers, which made people think even more.

But Chen Yingjun couldn't answer any of his aunt's questions.
Just when he was extremely anxious, another maid came in and reported that it was Pei Weishu, the Minister of Rites of Anfeng, who wanted to see him.

Without waiting for his mother to speak, Chen Yingjun shouted angrily, "No! Didn't I tell the doorman not to receive any visitors today? How much money did that doorman take from others and still come to report? Go to the front and tell him that if the doorman dares to report again, he will be beaten to death!"

Only then did the family calm down.

But staying at home all the time was not a solution. Chen Yingjun, who was feeling restless, finally quietly left the mansion through the corner gate at 2:15 pm, intending to ask someone to find out what the situation in the palace was.

However, as soon as he went out, he ran into Cui Zaidao who was guarding outside the corner gate. The latter was a student of Chen Yingjun when he taught at Lanxiang Academy, and was also the vice president of the Huaibei Student Union. He was a top Lanxiang scholar who was known even to the King of Chu.

But when Cui Zaidao saw Chen Yingjun, he pulled him to a secluded place and asked him bluntly, "Chen Yingjun, is your family related to the assassination of the King of Chu today?"

"."

Respecting teachers is an iron rule in Huaibei. After all, he was Cui Zaidao's teacher, but he was called by his full name. Coupled with this very offensive question, Chen Yingjun, who was already anxious about the situation, got angry on the spot and said directly: "Cui Zaidao, what nonsense you are talking about! My father and uncle are ministers of the King of Chu, and my sister is a member of the King of Chu's family. My Chen family has worked hard and devoted all our energy to Huaibei. How could we do such a stupid thing that would destroy our foundation!"

Cui Zaidao seemed to be waiting for Chen Yingjun to prove his point. After hearing what he said, he immediately bowed deeply and said openly, "Sir, please calm down. I didn't believe it in the first place, so I came to ask you directly."

"If you don't believe me, why come and ask me?" Chen Yingjun did not calm down.

Cui Zaidao said, "This is a serious matter, so we have to do this! Sir, someone wants to harm your family!"

Chen Yingjun lived up to his reputation as a young talent. Combining Cui Zaidao's abrupt question, he immediately responded, "But is there anyone outside who is slandering my family?"

Cui Zaidao nodded and said, "The King of Chu was assassinated at 9:00 pm. Now only two hours have passed. I have heard from two people that this was done by your family. After the assassination of the King of Chu and his wife, you supported Madam Chen and held the Second Young Master hostage. The Yingchuan Chen replaced the Tongshan Chen, stealing the sky and replacing the day, using Li as a substitute for Tao!"

"." Chen Yingjun froze involuntarily. This rumor was really serious! It was trying to put his family on the spot.

Cui Zaidao continued, "The incident happened suddenly, but the rumor spread very quickly. I think the person who planned this must be the same person who was behind the assassination! He wanted to cause civil strife in Huaibei. Now the situation of the King of Chu is unclear, and no one can suppress those arrogant soldiers and generals. If he also believes this rumor, it will be troublesome!"

Chen Yingjun immediately shook his head and said, "My Chen family doesn't have a single soldier in Tokyo. How could the Huaibei generals believe such nonsense?"

Cui Zaidao's face was still tense. He looked around and lowered his voice and said, "But the rumor is true. It says that Xin Qiji, the powerful general in the Huaibei Army, is your accomplice! It also says that you two have a secret agreement. If General Xin helps the second son ascend the throne, your family will promise him the title of Privy Councilor and the title of King!"

"."

Chen Yingjun wanted to curse that it was nonsense, but he didn't say anything. In fact, this rumor is full of loopholes, but there is a trace of reasonable logic in it.

If the Chen family of Yingchuan can help their grandson ascend the throne, since they both have the surname Chen, in ten or eight years, the two Chens will merge into one, and it will be difficult to tell who is the king and who is the subject.

Although this matter is risky, the benefits are equally great. With a vast territory ahead of you, it is normal to take a gamble.

The Chen family now had a motive.

As for Xiao Xin, if he said that the Chen family secretly allied with Zhou Liang and Peng Er, no one would believe it. But Xiao Xin was not from the direct lineage of Tongshan. According to common sense, his future fame and status would definitely not be as good as Yang Zhen, Zhou Liang, Peng Er and others, unless he made another great achievement!
But now the situation in the world has become clear, and the opportunities for achievement have been greatly reduced.

If Xiao Xin wants to be the most powerful official, his contribution in supporting the Second Young Master is indeed enough.
One inside and one outside, one civil and one military, it seems that there is a real possibility of success.

Many times, it doesn’t matter whether you will do so or not. Just because you have the ability to do so is enough to arouse fear and bring disaster.

Chen Yingjun's scalp went numb, and in a trance, he felt as if a huge net had fallen over his family. (End of this chapter)