Aoyama

Chapter 306 Assassination
Escorted by the Yulin Army, the Crown Prince of Goryeo passed through the palace from the left side of the Huangji Gate.

The prince who came from afar couldn't help but look around the palace with a fascinated look.

An official from the Honglu Temple reminded him, "Sir, don't look around."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo sighed: "How can I resist looking at such a magnificent palace? I originally thought that Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul was one of the most magnificent places in the world, but now that I have seen the Daening Palace, I understand the divine right of the emperor and the majesty of the royal family."

When the Honglu Temple official heard what he said, he immediately smiled and stopped interfering: "Of course."

Passing by Huangji Hall and Zhongji Hall, everyone waited outside Jianji Hall for orders and for Emperor Ning to take the throne.

Chen Ji looked around silently, wondering where the dark cloud would be hiding now after it entered the palace last night and where it was missing. Was it in some danger that made it hide and lie dormant?

At this time, another group of armored soldiers came from the east. They had red pheasant tails on their helmets, held muskets in their hands, and walked like dragons and tigers. When this group of soldiers passed by the Yulin Army, they only glanced at them and then turned their eyes away.

Qi Chenzhuo whispered enviously: "Shenjiying!"

Chen Ji turned around and looked at the Shenjiying hand cannon. This hand cannon was composed of a simple front chamber, a powder chamber, a flash cover, and a tail bolt. It was far from the appearance of a "firearm" in later generations. It was more like a large, strange copper flute.

He thought to himself that this kind of hand cannon was not as good as the bird gun in terms of range and accuracy, and it was also not very stable and convenient to shoot from horseback... But it was effective enough to stop cavalry in a defensive position. Even a great official in the Xundao realm might not be able to dodge a round of volleys from the army.

However, it is better to skip the bird gun and consider the flintlock gun instead of developing the bird gun. Who made the first flintlock gun in China? It seems that it was a craftsman named Bi in the late Ming Dynasty who named it the self-fired firearm...

From hand cannon to matchlock gun, and then to flintlock rifle, Chen Ji's thoughts drifted to who knows where.

It was not until the roars of hand cannons were heard that he came to his senses and saw the soldiers of the Shenji Camp standing in two rows in front of the Jianji Palace, firing their cannons as a salute.

For a moment, the air was filled with smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the air.

Chen Ji looked at the Crown Prince of Goryeo again, and saw that he was fascinated by the pistol.

The official from the Honglu Temple tugged at the prince and reminded him, "Prince, it's time to meet the emperor. Remember what I told you. Don't make a mistake when you kowtow three times and bow nine times. Don't be disrespectful in front of the emperor."

The Goryeo prince stroked his red robe and said, "I know."

The next moment, Wu Xiu strode out of Jianji Hall and said in a loud voice: "Announce, the Crown Prince of Goryeo, Li Yi, is here to see you!"

The Yulin Army escorted the Crown Prince of Goryeo up the high steps and saw the Jianji Palace, which had red walls and golden tiles, a five-panel door and was nine rooms wide.

In front of the imperial screen, on the gilded throne, the emperor lowered his eyes.

The prince lifted his skirt and stepped over the threshold, then prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowed three times and bowed nine times: "Your Majesty, Li Yi, begs for the grace of the Emperor!"

However, as the shouts were heard, Chen Ji, who was standing outside the hall, was suddenly stunned and his pupils suddenly contracted.

At the highest point of the magnificent Jianji Palace, Emperor Ning was wearing a black crown and sitting on a golden lacquer throne, with no sign of emotion. A little to the east of him was a phoenix throne, and the Empress was wearing a phoenix crown and a bridal robe, smiling gently.

But what is strange is that in such a solemn occasion, the queen was holding a black cat in her arms!
The black cat was wearing a fitted brocade dress that covered her belly, and a small pure gold longevity lock hung around her neck, looking extremely wealthy.

dark clouds?

dark clouds!

Chen Ji opened his mouth slightly. If he was not too familiar with Wu Yun, he would hardly recognize the other party's current wealthy appearance.

He tried to think of the cause and effect in his mind, but he couldn't understand why the dark cloud appeared in the queen's arms. Many doubts were stuck in his throat.

Is this why you don't go home?

In Jianji Palace, Wu Yun meowed, "Don't keep staring at me. I'm afraid the Queen will misunderstand."

Chen Ji: "..."

Qi Chenzhuo, who was standing by, lowered his head and spoke through gaps in his teeth: "You don't want to live anymore, lower your head quickly and turn around to face the outside of the palace!"

Chen Ji immediately withdrew his gaze and guarded the palace gate with other Yulin soldiers, feeling mixed emotions.

At this time, the Crown Prince of Goryeo knelt before the Emperor and said: "Today, a humble official from overseas is honored to see the Emperor of Heaven. I respectfully wish that the Emperor's virtue is as great as heaven and earth, and his benevolence is as great as the sun and the moon."

Emperor Ning, sitting on the throne, ignored the other party's compliments and just asked casually: "Korea is the first vassal state, so there is no need to say these polite words. What brings you here from afar?"

The Crown Prince of Goryeo bowed his head without raising his head and said, "I came here for one reason: our country has suffered from famine for several years and has also been plundered by the Gyeong Dynasty. It is difficult to prepare tribute horses. I beg you to reduce the usual tribute by half."

"allow."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo stood up and kowtowed again: "Second, I beg Your Majesty to grant me the Complete Works of the Four Books, the Complete Works of the Five Classics, and the Essentials of Agriculture and Sericulture."

"allow."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo kowtowed again: "Third, the Gyeongju has been arbitrarily provoking border conflicts for three consecutive years, causing the eight provinces of our country to collapse... I beg you to quickly send the heavenly soldiers to rescue the lives of the people and preserve the extinct sacrifices."

As soon as he finished speaking, a minister in a red robe stepped out and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this is not possible. It will take our navy dozens of days to reach Goryeo by sea, and by the time we arrive, the wind will be strong and the waves will be high. It is not suitable for a long-distance battle."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo said hurriedly: "Our small country has been bullied by the Jing Dynasty. The villains Yuan Xiang and Lu Jin have always had the ambition to annex our Goryeo. If there is no more heavenly soldiers to help us, I am afraid that our country will not be restored!"

Emperor Ning sat on the high throne: "Let's discuss it later."

The Goryeo Crown Prince looked sad.

The official from the Ministry of Rites held a tablet in his hand and asked casually, "What else do you want to report, my Lord?"

The Crown Prince of Goryeo calmed down and said in a low voice, "I beg you to help me. If there is no heavenly army to help me, please see my sincerity and give me 500 muskets and 30 guns to save my small country from danger."

The Jianji Palace suddenly became silent, and all the court officials looked towards the Crown Prince of Goryeo.

After a while, Hu Gelao coughed softly, and a blue-robed official holding a tablet stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, this is not possible. If we give firearms to Goryeo, how can we be sure that they will not fall into the hands of the thieves of Jing Dynasty? Besides, firearms are double-edged swords. If they are not used properly, they can hurt others and themselves. The Shenji Camp still needs many years of training. Even if we give them these firearms, they will not know how to use them."

Chen Ji, who was outside the palace, had been listening the whole time. He could only sigh that during a court meeting, Emperor Ning didn't have to speak at all, as someone would respond to everything for him.

The Jianji Hall was quiet again.

At this time, Wuyun suddenly meowed, "Be careful, I heard from the Queen that the invitation of the Goryeo prince had been sent to the palace a long time ago, and the last request in his invitation was for a marriage alliance. The Queen also said that his first request for firearms was just a pretext, and his purpose might be to make the emperor agree to the marriage alliance request."

Chen Ji was shocked. Emperor Ning didn't have a daughter at all.

More importantly, in the quiet Jianji Palace, Wuyun's voice was so abrupt that even the Crown Prince of Goryeo and the court officials looked up in surprise.

Everyone looked at the queen, who just stroked Wuyun's head calmly and said nothing.

Emperor Ning turned his head slightly and asked with a smile: "Where did this raccoon come from? It's as black as ink."

The court officials looked at each other. When the Crown Prince of Goryeo wanted to mention the firearm again, the Queen smiled gently and said, "I don't know where this little wild cat came from. I found it lovable, so I decided to keep it in Kunning Palace."

Emperor Ning laughed out loud: "What's its name?" The Queen replied: "It hasn't been named yet. How about Your Majesty give it a name?"

Emperor Ning thought for a moment and said, "I see it has a big head and a tiger-like appearance. How about calling it the Tiger King?"

"Shanjun? That's a good name," the Queen asked curiously, "but your Majesty also gave his own Shuangmei the title of 'Zhongxiao Zhaolong Guangji Yousheng Zhenjun', so why did you only give my Li Nu a name when it came to my turn?"

Emperor Ning smiled and said, "How about giving it the title of 'Rat Catcher General' and granting it a set of armor and a seal?"

The Queen pretended to be angry and said, "Your Majesty, why did you give it armor and seals? It can't use them, so it's useless to give them to it."

Emperor Ning smiled and looked at the Crown Prince of Goryeo: "Since you don't know how to use it, I won't give it to you."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo froze in place.

Emperor Ning did not wait for him to speak, and ordered: "Give the Crown Prince a five-chapter crown, a jade belt, a gold seal, 200 pieces of silk, 200 pieces of brocade, 2,000 taels of silver, 200 pieces of porcelain, and 20 sets of armor."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo was still distracted, and the official from the Honglu Temple beside him reminded him, "Thank you!"

The prince immediately came to his senses and bowed down: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Wu Xiu looked at the official from the Honglu Temple, who immediately understood what he meant and stepped out of the line, shouting, "The report is complete!"

Wu Xiu then said in a clear voice: "Nothing else, leave the court!"

The court officials kowtowed and filed out, not giving the Crown Prince of Goryeo another chance to speak.

Chen Ji was outside the palace and couldn't help but look out to see Emperor Ning and the Empress walking towards the back of the palace together, with Wu Yun being carried away with them.

Before disappearing, the noble black cloud meowed: "Don't worry about me, I will find a way to find the princess!"

Chen Ji: "..."

In the back hall, Emperor Ning glanced at Wuyun in the empress's arms: "This raccoon is really well-behaved and kind. My previous Frosty Eyebrow didn't let anyone hold it... Why not keep it in Renshou Palace?"

The queen looked at him and said, "Your Majesty has spoken, and I will obey your orders."

Emperor Ning reached out to hug Wuyun, but Wuyun suddenly climbed onto the Queen's shoulders and hugged her neck tightly.

The queen's eyes softened immediately.

She held Wuyun in her arms and whispered, "Your Majesty, it can't leave me. Whenever you want to play with it, come to Kunning Palace by yourself."

……

……

The Crown Prince of Goryeo was full of anticipation when he entered the palace, but his eyes were full of fatigue when he left.

The Yulin Army escorted him to the outside of the Meridian Gate, where Bai Long had been waiting for him. He ordered, "Your Majesty still needs to discuss the matter of requesting assistance with the elders. Your Highness, please return to Huitong Hall and wait for news."

The prince sighed deeply: "This is the only way."

Bai Long waved his hand, and the Goryeo envoys brought two sedan chairs, which together covered the prince and the substitute. It was impossible for people outside to tell which sedan chair the prince was in.

Bai Long looked at Li Xuan and said, "Thank you, Commander Li, to escort the Crown Prince back to Huitong Hall in two groups."

Li Xuan clasped his fists: "Yes."

The two teams left Chengtian Gate and headed towards East and West Chang'an Street respectively.

There was a constant stream of carriages on Chang'an Street, with the Yulin Army clearing the way, and bystanders consciously avoiding the flow under the gray-tiled eaves, waiting for the procession to pass by.

Chen Ji followed the team and whispered, "Have you seen the Queen's raccoon? It looks like the one you brought to Guyuan before."

Chen Ji said casually: "Well, it is a bit similar."

At this time, Li Xuan looked around vigilantly and said to Chen Ji, "The Imperial Household Department whipped Chen Wenren and then handed him over to the Ministry of War. This move was really cruel. Yesterday, the Chen family, the Qi family, and the Xu family jointly attacked the Hu family, and today someone from the Chen family fell into the hands of the Hu family."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Will he be fired?"

Li Xuan thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. It depends on how much the Chen family is willing to pay. The elders never act on emotion. As long as there are enough benefits, they can forget about yesterday's festival today. After all, Chen Wenren is the second son of the second wife, and the first wife has no children, so they will surely protect him."

Chen Ji hummed.

Li Xuan suddenly said, "It would be good if the Chen family didn't protect him. From now on, I will be in charge of the Yulin Army, and everyone will be more relaxed. Don't worry, I will discuss it with you if there is anything."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Lord Li, I am just a small flag officer."

Li Xuan shook his head: "Everyone, there is no need to be so polite. If it weren't for you, I would have died in Guyuan. We brothers who have returned from Guyuan know what you are capable of. Just look at my brother-in-law. If you don't know, you would think you are his brother-in-law."

Qi Chenzhuo laughed: "Brother-in-law, I know the current situation."

As they were talking, two ceremonial guards arrived at Huitong Hall and got off the sedan chairs. Li Xuan said in a deep voice, "Prince, please get off the sedan chair."

The Goryeo envoy went forward and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair. The person on the right got out, but the person on the left did not move at all, as if he had fallen asleep in the sedan chair.

Li Xuan frowned, took two steps forward, and patted the person in the sedan chair: "Wake up?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the person in the sedan chair tilted and fell out.

Li Xuan's face changed, and he suddenly lifted the veil. Under the veil, he saw that the other person's face was dark blue, and he had already died!

Chen Ji said: "It's not the prince, it's a substitute."

Li Xuan looked up to the other side. The Goryeo prince took off his veil and said in horror: "My lords of Ning Dynasty, what happened? Why did he die in the sedan chair?"

More than thirty Yulin soldiers subconsciously looked at Chen Ji, but Chen Ji also frowned and remained silent.

Along the way, no one approached the sedan chair.

Absolutely not.

Li Xuan asked in a low voice: "What should we do? We were the ones who were escorting him, and he was killed right under our noses. I'm afraid we can't escape responsibility either!"

Qi Chenzhuo cursed, "Damn it, how come I'm being blamed for something as soon as I returned to the capital... Could it be that the Poison Prime Minister did this to trick my Qi family?"

Chen Ji said in a deep voice: "Send the prince to Huitong Hall first, guard the front door and the backyard; do not let anyone touch the body, immediately seal off Dongjiang Rice Lane, the murderer may be among the Goryeo envoys and the Yulin Army, no one is allowed to leave until the murderer is found!"

Li Xuan drew his sword and said, "Yulin troops, listen to my order. Block Dongjiang Rice Lane. No one is allowed to escape! Anyone who disobeys my order will be killed without mercy!"

(End of this chapter)