Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 281 The fake emperor got angry, and the real emperor got scared
Zhang Lun was shocked at first, but then he understood instantly.

He followed Ding Xiu and entered the palace from the Shenwu Gate. The Shenwu Gate was a special gate for the empress and the royal family to enter and exit the palace. When the emperor went on a tour, the accompanying concubines had to leave the palace through the Shenwu Gate. As the back door of the palace, the Shenwu Gate had a strict access control system. There were three gates on the city platform. The emperor and empress went through the middle main gate, while the concubines, officials, guards, eunuchs and craftsmen entered and exited through the gates on both sides.

The Meridian Gate is the main gate of the imperial palace. It is not only an important place for the emperor to issue imperial edicts and go on expeditions, but also an important passage for the empress, the top three candidates in the imperial examination, and other people who are qualified to enter and exit this gate. It is also the place where the emperor holds important ceremonies.

No matter which gate it was, outsiders were strictly prohibited from entering or leaving. However, Ding Xiu had a token, so he took Zhang Lun through the side door of Shenwu and came to the Qianqing Palace.

When Zhang Lun saw that the emperor was half lying on the dragon bed and was not unconscious, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately paid his respects: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and said, "Zhang Lun, I have something for you to do."

He signaled to the eunuch Cao Jixiang beside him, who came to Zhang Lun with a plate and said, "General Zhang, this is His Majesty's golden order."

Zhang Lun's face changed drastically. He had seen this golden order arrow before. Yang Guifang had used it to execute corrupt officials in Henan. Seeing the golden order arrow was like seeing the emperor in person.

"Your Majesty?" He looked up in surprise.

"Someone wants me dead." Zhu Qizhen's face was calm. "I am unconscious now, maybe someone will take the opportunity to cause trouble. I will give you an imperial decree. You take my golden medal and arrow, skip the Five Military Commandery, and secretly control the Beijing camp. Here is a list of elite commanders. They will understand when they see the imperial decree."

The Jingying is the core defense force of the Ming capital, including the Wujunying, Sanqianying and Shenjiying. Zhang Lun realized the seriousness of the matter and bowed heavily: "I obey your order."

Zhu Qizhen sighed softly: "My life is in your hands."

"I swear to be loyal to your majesty until death." Zhang Lun's eyes were filled with tears. "Your Majesty, please take good care of me. If there are any traitors, I will definitely wipe them out."

Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly and gave some instructions. Zhang Lun took the order and left. The reason why he chose Zhang Lun was because he and the Zhang family were completely bound together, and the virtuous concubine was in the palace. Of course, Zhang Lun was promoted by him, and he trusted him first.

……

Xiyao brought a bowl of soup and said softly, "Your Majesty, drink the soup. This is stewed by Tan Yuanshi. It uses a lot of medicinal herbs. It will help heal your wound."

"Well, I do feel a little hungry." Zhu Qizhen's lips curled up into a warm smile.

Xiyao took a gentle step and sat down gracefully in front of the couch, holding the small bowl filled with soup steadily in her hand. Her face was gentle, and every inch of her revealed impeccable refinement. Her bright and moving eyes flickered gently, hiding endless tenderness. As she fed, a strand of black hair inadvertently fell on her shoulders, adding a bit of charm to her.

After Zhu Qizhen finished drinking the soup, he felt sleepy and said to Xiyao, "I'll lie down for a while. When Shi Biao comes, wake me up."

"Yes." Xiyao nodded.

She cleaned up the dishes and handed them to the maid to take away. She went to the door and saw the eunuch chief Cao Jixiang standing guard. She stepped forward and bowed: "His Majesty has fallen asleep. He said that he would be woken up when Lord Shi Biao arrives."

"Miss Xiyao, thanks to you." Cao Jixiang said politely, "You helped me share a lot of the burden. Otherwise, I really don't know how to face the ladies."

"I'm just being forced into it." Xiyao said helplessly, with a flash of sadness in her eyes.

Cao Jixiang looked at her, guessed what she was worried about, and smiled: "Miss, don't worry. In this harem, as long as His Majesty protects you, no one dares to hurt you."

Xiyao pouted: "Your Majesty didn't protect me either. Besides, I'm just a poor little maid."

Her big eyes flickered, revealing a bit of cuteness, which made Cao Jixiang laugh. At this time, a group of people came over. Xiyao saw the leader and happily greeted him: "Meeting Queen Jingwen."

It turned out to be the emperor's new concubine, Empress Jingwen. Cao Jixiang knew that Xiyao and Empress Jingwen were good sisters, so he just went forward to pay his respects and walked to the other side without disturbing them.

Jingwen held Xiyao's hand, her eyes full of worry, and asked in a low voice: "How is His Majesty? Is he awake?"

Xiyao pursed her lips and said, "No, the imperial physician said that the toxicity has only been controlled. We have to wait."

"Ah?" Jingwen's face turned pale.

"Alas, your majesty, there must be a disaster in your life." Xiyao sighed.

She didn't tell the truth to Jingwen, even though they were good sisters, because the emperor told her not to tell anyone. Although she could see that Jingwen was really worried about His Majesty.

"I can't go in either." Jingwen sighed, "Xiyao, please take good care of His Majesty. I'm leaving first."

Xiyao nodded: "Hmm~"

……

Jingwen left the Qianqing Palace and returned to her own bedroom.

Shuangxi was actually in her bedroom. She walked towards Shuangxi and said, "I can't find out anything. What Xiyao told me is the same as what she told everyone else. His Majesty hasn't woken up yet, but the poison has been controlled."

"Thank you, Madam." Shuangxi smiled faintly, "The Queen Mother is also worried."

Jingwen bowed slightly: "Please tell the Queen Mother that I understand everything."

Shuangxi smiled and nodded, feeling that Jingwen was a smart person, and when dealing with smart people, there was no need to point out many things. She left the hall and hurried back to Kunning Palace.

The queen in a plain long dress stood in front of the window, her skin was whiter than snow, her eyes were like a pool of clear water. Just standing there, she had an elegant and noble temperament, as cold and charming as a fairy.

"Your Majesty, what Empress Jingwen found out is the same as what we heard." Shuangxi reported.

The demon queen's mesmerizing eyes were filled with tears: "Impossible, he won't die like this."

Shuangxi nodded thoughtfully, "One thing is very strange. If His Majesty is really unconscious, why doesn't he see anyone? Not even the Concubine Xian."

"Yes!" The Demon Queen wiped her eyes, "Calling the Royal Guards in advance clearly shows that this was a decision made after consultation."

"Your Majesty, should we send a message to the Junshan Society? They must be getting impatient." Shuangxi said.

The Demon Queen pondered for a while and nodded: "Tell them not to move for the time being, but to be prepared and obey orders at any time."

"Yes." Shuangxi took the order and went out.

The demon queen looked up at the blue sky, tears welling up in her eyes, feeling a little apologetic and a little disappointed. She murmured to herself: "Don't you want to see me before you die? No, if it were me, the person I would want to see before I die would be you."

The breeze blew, the skirt moved slightly, and the beautiful figure was curvy and graceful.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen woke up slowly. Xiyao was already standing beside him. She handed him a cup of hot tea and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Shi Biao has arrived. I did not disturb you because I saw you were sleeping soundly. Lord Shi said he was not in a hurry." "Ask him in." Zhu Qizhen said after taking a sip of tea.

After a while, Shi Biao came in, paid his respects, and said, "Your Majesty, Yuan Bin still said nothing. He is indeed a tough guy as expected of a Jinyiwei senior."

Zhu Qizhen sneered, "He is tough, but others may not be. Anyway, if he can enter the capital, the Qi family cannot escape responsibility. So, you go and arrest all the Qi family members and put them in the imperial prison, and interrogate them one by one. I don't believe that you can't find out anything."

"Uh, does that include Qi Shu?" Shi Biao asked.

Zhu Qizhen frowned, thought for a while, and said, "We won't arrest Qi Shu, but we'll keep an eye on her. If she knows something, she will probably ask for help."

"As you wish." Shi Biao bowed.

After receiving the imperial edict, he returned to the Imperial Guard and immediately sent people to the Qi Mansion to arrest people. Two hours later, everyone in the Qi Mansion was imprisoned. Shi Biao personally came to the prison to interrogate.

At this moment, the imperial prison was filled with wailing and crying, because more than a hundred people from the Qi palace were all imprisoned. They cried and wailed, saying that they were wronged.

Inside the prison, the dim torches flickered, casting mottled shadows that danced on the cold stone walls, like ghosts moving silently. The air was filled with a pungent smell of dampness, mildew, and rust, which made people frown involuntarily and feel an indescribable chill in their hearts.

The sound of chains dragging echoed in the empty corridors, and every step seemed to step on the most vulnerable corner of people's hearts, causing waves of shudders. The cries and cries of the prisoners echoed in the endless darkness, adding a bit of eerie horror.

Shi Biao walked through this hell on earth with an expressionless face. His figure looked particularly cold and hard under the dim light. He had long been accustomed to everything around him. For the prisoners who stepped into this place for the first time, this was undoubtedly the darkest and most desperate abyss in their lives. Every corner was filled with unknown fear and desperate struggle.

In such an environment, time seemed to be stretched out, and every moment seemed as long as a year, making people wait for an unknown fate in agony. Shi Biao came to a cell, where Qi Feng, who had just been captured, was.

Qi Feng's face turned pale. He tried his best to control himself and said to Shi Biao, "What crime have I committed? Why do you Jinyiwei arrest people at random?"

"Haha." Shi Biao's eyes flashed with a fierce look, "Yuan Bin was arrested, and you still think you're fine?"

Qi Feng shouted angrily: "What Yuan Bin? I don't know him."

Shi Biao laughed coldly: "Really? I'm giving you a chance to confess now. Tell me everything you know. Don't wait until I torture you."

"If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext for it." Qi Feng was furious. "Although I am a scholar, I am not afraid of you."

Shi Biao's eyes flashed fiercely: "Very good, I hope you can still be so tough later."

……

Ming Trading Company.

Qi Shu, looking pale, rushed in and knelt down in front of Chao Xiaotian. Chao Xiaotian was stunned and asked, "What are you doing? Even if you want to apologize, you don't have to kneel down."

Tears fell from Qi Shu's eyes: "Please, please, save my parents, and my brothers and sisters."

"What's wrong? What happened?" Chao Xiaotian quickly helped her up.

Qi Shu's voice was trembling with endless fear: "I don't know what happened, a group of Jinyiwei rushed into my house and took away my parents, brothers and sisters, and even the servants."

"Ah?" Chao Xiaotian was shocked.

"Xiaotian, you are familiar with the Jinyiwei, please go and save them." Qi Shu cried, "From now on, I will listen to you, and we will give you all our Qi family's property. We don't want anything else. Xiaotian, go and save them."

Chao Xiaotian helped her sit down and sighed, "I don't need your property, I just hope you won't lie to me again. I don't know if I can rescue them, I'm going to Jinyiwei now."

"Xiaotian~" Qi Shu hesitated and finally said, "I'm sorry."

Zhu Qizhen smiled faintly and strode out. He rode his horse straight to the Jinyiwei prison, and the guards recognized him and let him in. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Shi Biao coming out.

"Brother Shi, have you arrested...arrested the Qi family?" Chao Xiaotian asked.

"Yes, I knew you would come." Shi Biao sighed, "The Qi family is involved in this case. Not to mention you, even I can't protect you."

Chao Xiaotian asked: "What's the matter?"

Shi Biao shook his head and spread his hands: "I can't tell you too much. I can only tell you one thing. This matter concerns His Majesty the Emperor. It is not something you and I can control."

"Ah?" Chao Xiaotian was shocked.

"Don't go looking for your master, you will implicate him." Shi Biao warned.

Chao Xiaotian is no longer the boy he was back then. He understands the power relationship and can only ask Shi Biao to take care of the old and young in the Qi family. Shi Biao watched him leave and sighed in his heart: "I hope you were also fooled by the Qi family."

……

Prince Ning’s Mansion, underground secret room.

Mu Bin came in hurriedly, looking grim, and reported to the Zhengtong Emperor: "The news that Junshan will come, we have to continue waiting. Because the emperor is in a coma, it may be a trap."

Everyone's faces changed color. The Zhengtong Emperor was silent at first, and then he smiled: "Then just wait. It has come to this point. We can afford to wait."

Mu Bin frowned and said, "There is also bad news. The Imperial Guards suddenly put the entire Qi family in prison."

The Zhengtong Emperor was horrified: "What? Did the Jinyiwei get something out of Yuan Bin?"

At this moment, he suspected that Yuan Bin had confessed everything and he panicked.

"Yuan Bin won't confess. If he did, the Jinyiwei would have directly surrounded the Prince Ning's Mansion." Wu Xingdao said in a deep voice.

The Zhengtong Emperor suddenly realized that he had just lost his composure and smiled: "Yes, I trust Yuan Bin."

Wu Xingdao's face was solemn, and he said, "Now I am worried about Qi Feng. He knows that we are going to the capital."

"What should we do then?" The Zhengtong Emperor suddenly became nervous again.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Even if Qi Feng said so, the Royal Guards wouldn't know where we are." Xu Bin analyzed, "Besides, the Qi family was deeply indebted to the Marquis of Huichang and is loyal to the Queen Mother. Qi Feng can handle it."

The Zhengtong Emperor breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still worried. Wu Xingdao pondered for a long time and said, "I also believe in the Qi family, but we must also be prepared for the Qi family to betray us. After all, that is the imperial prison."

"Alas, I didn't expect it to be so difficult." The Zhengtong Emperor smiled bitterly, "You all have suffered following me."

(End of this chapter)