Jiuxi

Chapter 860 858 [An Ordinary Personal Soldier]

The harem, Cining Palace.

Perhaps because she had a good sleep last night, Empress Dowager Xu looked in good spirits, not as tired as she was the day before.

Several female officials were helping her put on makeup.

Looking at the face gradually getting older in the bronze mirror, Empress Dowager Xu sighed silently, but said calmly: "Yuan Yuji will be here soon. You will take my imperial decree and personally lead people to the west gate to meet him, and then bring him directly into the palace."

Outside the pearl curtain, the newly appointed Chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wei Zhen, said respectfully, "Yes, Queen Mother."

After a while, the female officials withdrew one after another, and the hall became very quiet.

Queen Mother Xu took a sip of tea without haste and said leisurely, "There is no one around at the moment, so just say what you want to say."

Wei Zhen lowered his head and said softly, "Queen Dowager, I am so bold to speak nonsense. We should be more careful about Minister Li."

"You mean Li Shizhi?"

Queen Mother Xu put down her teacup and said calmly, "How could I not know that he is ambitious? However, Li Zongben is determined to kill Zongjian. What can I do? Even though I am the queen mother, if I don't have the support of the Jiangnan nobles, even if you can kill Li Zongben, I will not be able to end it in the end. As for the future, let's talk about it later. We must first work together to deal with the troubles at hand."

Wei Zhen said: "I understand."

"I know you are loyal, but you should keep your feelings hidden and don't show them easily."

Empress Dowager Xu looked at this confidant who had been loyal to her for more than ten years, and she finally showed some kindness. She continued, "If you were to offend Li Shizhi rashly, I would still need his support, and I may not be able to let you escape unscathed."

Wei Zhen was deeply moved and bowed, saying, "I obey your order."

Empress Dowager Xu did not want to discuss this topic in depth, so she asked, "Is everything going well in Yong'an Palace?"

Wei Zhen replied: "Please rest assured, Queen Mother, the Queen and the Crown Prince have not made any unusual moves."

"it is good."

Queen Mother Xu stood up and said calmly, "Go and do your work."

Wei Zhen followed closely until Empress Dowager Xu boarded the phoenix chariot and headed for the court surrounded by a large group of palace servants. Only then did he lead his men quickly out of the palace and rush to the west gate of the capital.

When the phoenix chariot arrived at the rear hall of Duancheng Palace, Empress Dowager Xu immediately saw Empress Ning and Crown Prince Li Daoming who were waiting respectfully.

Although a country cannot be without a king for a day, Li Daoming is too young, and he was not even a crown prince before. The court must go through the necessary procedures.

It has only been four days since the death of the late emperor, and the real culprit of the regicide has not yet been identified, so it will take at least three to five days for Li Daoming to ascend the throne. By then, the status of Empress Dowager Xu, Empress Dowager Liu, and Empress Ning will also be raised to a higher level.

After the mother and son finished greeting each other, Empress Dowager Xu slowed down her tone and said, "Empress, all the officials are gathered today. You must take good care of the prince and don't let him lose his manners in the palace."

Queen Ning said respectfully, "I obey your order."

About two quarters of an hour later, three generations of grandparents and grandchildren went to the main hall.

Duancheng Hall is the largest hall in the imperial palace. It has a spacious space and a majestic layout, enough to accommodate hundreds of officials from the capital.

Today, except for the civil and military officials who had to stay on duty, all other officials above the seventh rank in the capital had entered the court. Looking around, all one could see was a sea of ​​heads.

Not to mention Li Daoming who was only five years old, even Empress Dowager Xu was a little dazed when she saw such a scene.

All the ministers performed the ceremony as required.

Queen Mother Xu cleared her throat and said loudly, "Please stand up, all the nobles."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

The ministers agreed.

After a brief silence, Li Shizhi, the Minister of Personnel, came out and said, "Your Majesty, I received a report from the Marquis of Linjiang before I went to court."

Just one sentence made the atmosphere in the hall tense.

Whether it was the important officials in purple who watched the whole process in Chongzheng Hall four days ago, or the other officials attending the grand court meeting today, they all knew that Duke Qin was suspected of regicide. One of the clues was that he was suspected of harboring the mastermind of the assassination in the imperial tomb two and a half years ago.

Empress Dowager Xu said calmly, "Tell me."

Li Shizhi did not look away and said loudly: "Linjiang Hou reported that he led the soldiers of the Jinwu Camp to surround the Ruishi Camp. After two days of investigation, they did not find the imperial prisoner Ning Bugui. He will do a final investigation today, but it seems that Duke Qin is not harboring the imperial prisoner."

The officials had different moods.

Some people finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had never believed that Lu Chen would kill the king, but these people only accounted for a very small part of the officials in the palace.

Some people frowned quietly, thinking that Chen Lanyu was not very reliable. Even if Ning Bugui was really not at the Ruishi Camp, couldn't he think of a way?
There were also some people who, although somewhat relieved, could still not hide their worries, such as the Right Prime Minister Xu Zuo and the Imperial Censor Yao Chong.

Empress Dowager Xu observed the reactions of the officials with a calm expression, and she was quite impressed with Li Shizhi's prediction. The contributions made by Lu Chen over the years had indeed made him a golden figure. If she acted rashly against him, the court would probably fall apart.

Her gaze shifted, and she glanced at the three heroes of war standing in the front as if unintentionally.

Xiao Wangzhi didn't need to say much. Li Tianrun was obviously very weak, but he still insisted on participating in this grand court meeting, obviously to support Lu Chen.

This was another important reason why Empress Dowager Xu listened to Li Shizhi's advice. It was already very difficult to deal with Lu Chen alone. If she didn't convince the majority of people, would she have to kill three dukes at once? Moreover, Xiao Li and the others were the founders of the current Daqi border army.

If that were to happen, the more than 200,000 border troops in Jiangbei would surely revolt collectively.

Suppressing her displeasure, Queen Mother Xu said calmly: "I know. My dear ministers, I also have something to tell you, Shen Yi."

"Chen is here!"

In the right corner of the hall, Shen Yi, the supervisor of the Sutra Weaving Department, responded loudly.

Empress Dowager Xu said, "Inform the ministers of the court of the clues you have found."

"The minister obeys the order!"

Shen Yi spoke in a sonorous tone, and then, under the gaze of all the civil and military officials in the court, briefly recounted the secret collusion between Su Yunqing and Lu Chen and the massive leakage of intelligence from the Weaving Bureau. Of course, he would not be so foolish as to reveal that Lu Chen also had an identity as an official of the Weaving Bureau on this occasion. As for the jade token that Qin Zheng gave to Lu Chen, he had long forgotten about it.

"Su Yunqing has now been imprisoned in the Weaving Bureau's prison, but despite facing numerous irrefutable evidences, he still refuses to admit that he has any connection with Duke Qin."

Shen Yi bowed and said with shame: "I have failed in my duties, please punish me, Queen Mother!"

"You have done a great service to the country by discovering the traitor Su Yunqing in time. How could I blame you?"

Queen Mother Xu praised him briefly, then looked at Wu Xun and said, "Duke Qin, what's your explanation?"

All the officials looked in the direction of the voice.

This time, even the court officials who had originally believed in Lu Chen's innocence began to waver. Putting aside the issue of Ning Bugui, the fact that the powerful military meritorious officials secretly colluded with the weaving department supervisor was enough to convict Lu Chen of treason. There was no need to confirm whether he had really committed regicide, after all, this was an iron rule of the court.

Lu Chen coughed lightly and said calmly, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report that five or six years ago, I met Su Tiju, who was then the inspector of Huaizhou, several times, but that was all. Regarding Shen Tidian's accusation, I feel that it is full of loopholes. First of all, I have no personal relationship with Su Tiju. Secondly, the Beijing inspection was presided over by Minister Li, and the appointment and dismissal of officials had nothing to do with others. May I ask Shen Tidian, the problem of the more than 40 Beijing officials you mentioned just now was exposed by me, and the conclusion that I was in collusion with Su Tiju was drawn from this. May I ask if you saw me send people to do this with your own eyes?"

Shen Yi frowned but did not refute.

Queen Mother Xu took the initiative to take over the conversation and said in a cold voice: "I know that Duke Qin is not only good at leading troops in battle, but also has first-class eloquence and quick wit. Today, I will reveal your true face in front of all the civil and military officials, so that everyone can see clearly what the so-called loyal Duke Qin has done over the years!"

The ministers were shocked.

Queen Mother Xu's words in public were tantamount to tearing off her relationship with him. Next, she would either have to produce solid evidence to prove that Lu Chen was the real murderer of the king, or she would have to suppress Lu Chen with tough measures.

No matter which one it is, it is destined that today will not end.

Hearing what Queen Mother Xu said, Lu Chen remained unmoved, maintaining a calmness that no one could imagine, and said loudly: "If the Queen Mother wants to accuse me, there is actually no need to go through so much trouble. However, Da Qi has been following a principle for 170 years, that is, you cannot punish without teaching, which shows that the Queen Mother really remembers the ancestral teachings. In this case, I am willing to listen to the details."

Queen Mother Xu snorted coldly, and raised her eyebrows slightly: "Bring Yuan Yuji into the palace!"

After a while, Yuan Yuji, the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, walked into the hall, looking exhausted and grief-stricken.

From his expression, it can be seen that this eunuch who was highly trusted by the late emperor was still a little dazed at the moment. After all, he had only been away from the capital for ten days, and when he returned, the world was already collapsing.

"Yuan Yuji."

Empress Dowager Xu raised her voice, a little sharper: "You were ordered by the late emperor to arrest and interrogate the Gao brothers. Did you get any results?"

Until now, Yuan Yuji still doesn't know the specific circumstances of the emperor's death. He only knows that he was murdered by a palace maid. He wanted to return to the capital to ask the confidants in the palace, but before he arrived in the capital, he was picked up by people sent by Empress Dowager Xu. When he reached the west gate, he was stopped by Wei Zhen with the Empress Dowager's edict, and then he hurried all the way to the palace.

Facing the gazes of all the officials, he could only speak as cautiously as possible: "Your Majesty, during the interrogation on the way, Gao Que admitted that Ning Bugui was the mastermind behind the assassination of the emperor in the mausoleum, and that he knew about it beforehand, but because of Ning Bugui's coercion, he did not dare to report it to the emperor. Later, he helped Ning Bugui and Gao Huan to connect. Gao Huan did not admit this, nor did he admit that he and Duke Qin had colluded secretly. This matter is of great importance, and I dare not speak nonsense."

Lu Chen stood there calmly.

Queen Mother Xu's eyes grew colder, and she slowly said, "It seems that Duke Qin really has some tricks up his sleeve. Both Su Yunqing and Gao Huan are loyal to you, and they don't care about the royal family or the court at all. Duke Qin, I know you still won't give up, and you think these evidences can't convict you, and that the civil and military officials and the people of Da Qi still won't doubt you. Now I'm going to make you give up!"

Lu Chen raised his head slightly and looked at the almost crazy lady.

He could feel the other party's strong hatred. Perhaps when he defeated Li Zongjian and punched him in the face in public, this hatred had already been deeply rooted in Empress Dowager Xu's heart. It's just that she didn't dare to show it when the late emperor was alive, and she could only bury it deep in her heart when Li Zongben was in power.

Now that times have changed, she is finally going to let it all out.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Empress Dowager Xu said sternly, "Feng Jue!"

"The slave is here!"

"Bring Jin Qiaolan up!"

"The slaves obey the orders!"

Another eunuch, Feng Jue, spoke in an excited tone and agreed without hesitation.

The ministers thought about it for a moment, then all looked sideways.

They already knew the details of the night of thunder and rain. Five palace maids first killed the other palace maids serving in the outer hall of the emperor's bedroom, and then entered the palace to assassinate the emperor. Finally, one of the female officials named Jin Qiaolan disappeared, and her four accomplices were all killed.

Now that Empress Dowager Xu said this name, doesn't it mean that the palace has finally caught the murderer who killed the king?

Combined with what Queen Mother Xu said earlier, everyone's expression changed.

They looked at Lu Chen solemnly. Could it be that he was really the one plotting to kill the monarch? !
……

The east gate of the capital.

Qiao Shan, deputy commander of the left army of the imperial guards, was in charge of guarding this gate.

He has been extremely diligent these days, carefully checking every detail of the city's defense during his daily shifts, and today was no exception.

He was seen wearing armor and holding a sword, walking slowly on the city wall, accompanied by two personal soldiers.

The soldier on the left looked very young and had an ordinary appearance, except for his cold eyes that were impressive.

Qiao Shan took two deep breaths, looked at the extremely peaceful open space outside the city, and said in a low voice: "You said that my family will be fine."

The young soldier said calmly: "General, rest assured. Although we are ruffians, we are trustworthy. Since we promised you, we will never break our promise."

Qiao Shan's eyes were dim and his mood was complicated.

More than ten days ago, his wife, children, the elderly and important relatives were controlled by a group of people with extremely high martial arts skills, and there were also people accompanying them closely, so he had no courage or ability to resist.

He didn't know the other party's origins until the emperor was assassinated four days ago, when he realized that this group of people should be the subordinates of the Duke of Qin.

This shocked and puzzled him.

It is said that Duke Qin and his confidants have long been closely watched by the court. The entire Duke's Mansion is under strict surveillance, and even the 3,000 cavalry outside the city are trapped by the Jinwu Camp. In addition, the capital has been strictly checking the entry and exit of foreigners during this period. Where did this large group of meticulous masters come from?
To make his deputy commander and the personal guards completely powerless to resist, without any flaws from beginning to end, to control so many people at one time without attracting the attention of other forces in the city, this is not something that can be done by just finding a few experts.

Even until this moment, he didn't know how many people there were on the other side.

Qiao Shan sighed silently, looked ahead and said, "I will have someone change the guard now. You have at most half a quarter of an hour to seize the city gate."

"enough."

The young guard responded and said to another guard, "Brother Xi Jun, it will be your turn to protect General Qiao from now on."

"Yes, Miss."

Xi Jun responded calmly.

Miss?
Qiao Shan's face was full of disbelief. He didn't even realize that the person next to him was actually a woman.

The young soldier smiled faintly and said, "General Qiao, don't be surprised. I am Lin Xi, the wife of Duke Qin Lu Chen. By the way, thank you for your cooperation."

After saying this, she turned and walked towards the stairs at the corner under Qiao Shan's extremely shocked gaze.

At the same time, the defenders began to change their guard.

A group of hundreds of seemingly ordinary soldiers marched towards the city gate.

In the crowd, Dong Mian raised his head and looked upwards, seeing Lin Xi walking down, a knowing smile appeared on his face.

(End of this chapter)