The system asked me to chase his wife

"No, no, no ma'am, I can't." Xia Mang twisted her sleeves, not knowing what to do. For the first time in her life, she found it so difficult to say no.

Qiao Yuandong couldn't help but take two quick steps forward and asked, "Why not? Do you hate me?"

When Xia Mang saw the loneliness and sadness in Qiao Yuandong's eyes, her heart ached. She subconsciously said, "I have never hated Madam."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Mang saw the person in front of her instantly smiled with his eyes curved in curves, his dark eyes seemed to be filled with starlight, so bright that she couldn't take her eyes away.

How could she not be moved by such a person, as she was not a heartless person?

"It's just that I like my son, and I am not worthy of the madam's kindness." Xia Mang lowered her head, and the nails in her sleeves dug deeply into her flesh.

However, her home is not here. Her mother has been with her for more than 20 years, and she cannot abandon her mother just for this feeling.

It's just a heartbeat, it's not uncontrollable.

At worst, we can cut the Gordian knot before we get too deep into trouble!
Xia Mang suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said this, not daring to look up at Qiao Yuandong.

The room fell into a long silence for a moment, and the indescribable silence was so oppressive that it made people feel suffocated.

After a while, she finally heard Qiao Yuandong's slow voice: "I understand. You should just think that what I said just now was nonsense. But I don't regard you as a slave, so you don't have to call me that in the future."

Xia Mang nodded. The dejection in Qiao Yuandong's words was so obvious that she also felt a wave of sadness.

She despised herself in her heart. She was clearly trying to be a good guy to Qiao Yuandong, so why did she act as depressed as if she had just broken up?

"Ma'am, I."

Xia Mang wanted to say something comforting when suddenly a distant bell sounded. The sound came from a very far distance, echoing in the sky, layer after layer, making people feel uneasy.

"Knell!"

'It's the death knell!'

When Xia Mang heard the bell, he also heard the voices of Qiao Yuandong and Xiang Xiukai.

She saw Qiao Yuandong's expression change suddenly. He walked to the yard in three or two steps, looked up at the sky outside the courtyard wall, and his whole body was trembling slightly.

For the first time, Xia Mang felt panic from Qiao Yuandong. She couldn't help but ask the system: "What does the death knell mean?"

The system quickly replied: "This is the palace's death knell. It will only ring when the country is in mourning."

Xiang Xiukai's words were vague, but Xia Mang understood. He was afraid that a person in the palace was missing, but he didn't know who it was.

The bell rang for a long time, and the huge sound echoed in the empty sky, forming waves of overlapping sound waves, impacting everyone's body and mind.

At this moment, everyone who heard the bell had the same thought in their mind.

It's going to change!

After an unknown amount of time, the bell finally stopped ringing and Qiao Yuandong came to her senses. She suddenly turned around and walked towards the room.

Seeing Xia Mang standing by the door with a worried look on her face, Qiao Yuandong nodded at her reassuringly and said, "Bring me my court robes. I want to go to the palace."

"Okay." Xia Mang nodded and left.

As for the ambiguity and regret just now, they were completely dispelled by the tension of the moment, and neither of them mentioned what happened before.

When Xia Mang brought the clothes for the ladies, Rong Zhu and others were in the room. He Lan and He Huan had already combed Qiao Yuandong's hair.

After Qiao Yuandong changed into her royal attire, she turned around and glanced at the three of them. Her gaze stayed on Xia Mang for a moment before quickly looking away.

"Rongzhu, come with me. You take care of the mansion. If you have any questions, go to the lady." Perhaps because the situation was special this time, Qiao Yuandong gave instructions to the three people who stayed behind for the first time.

Because of Qiao Yuandong's unprecedented order, Xia Mang also felt a sense of crisis. She tugged at the corner of her sleeve and couldn't help but said, "Madam, you should take care of yourself too."

Qiao Yuandong glanced at her, his eyes softened for a moment before he hid his emotions, and finally just nodded and said, "Yeah."

Qiao Yuandong went straight towards the palace. On the way, she met Madam Qiao's carriage, so she sat in it with Madam Qiao.

In the carriage, Mrs. Qiao held Qiao Yuandong's hand, and her face was full of panic.

"You heard it, it's a national mourning." Madam Qiao murmured, "There is no queen mother in the palace, and the remaining ones are all in their prime. Who is it?"

Qiao Yuandong squeezed Madam Qiao's hand to sober her up a little: "Mother, you can't discuss such things. We will know the answer after we enter the palace."

After her reminder, Mrs. Qiao suddenly came to her senses and a thin layer of sweat broke out on her temples.

The only ones who are qualified to sound the death knell in the palace right now are the Emperor, Empress and Crown Prince. The life and death of any of these people cannot be taken lightly!

Mrs. Qiao calmed herself down, with worry in her eyes: "Mother Dong, I am very nervous and panicked. I am afraid that the Qiao family will be hit hard this time!"

Mrs. Qiao's voice became choked up as she spoke.

Qiao Yuandong's heart was heavy as well. There were only three people in the palace who were qualified to sound the death knell. Among them, both the queen and the prince were closely related to the Qiao family.

The probability of this kind of crisis of choosing one out of three is too high for the Qiao family!
To put it bluntly, no matter which one they lose, it will be a huge change for the Qiao family.

"Mother, don't make any conclusions until the last step. You need to stay calm at this time."

Qiao Yuandong had no idea what to do about the current situation and could only reluctantly comfort Mrs. Qiao.

In a short while, they arrived at the palace. Qiao Yuandong and Mrs. Qiao got off the carriage and found that not only them, but many other ladies had arrived.

Everyone looked at each other secretly, no one spoke, just waiting to be tested to enter the palace, but the palace gate was closed, neither entering nor leaving.

The ministers who had attended the court early in the morning were also locked up in the palace.

"I don't know what has happened. The master is still in there. I hope nothing happens to him." Mrs. Qiao became more and more panicked when she saw that she couldn't even enter the palace gate.

At this moment, a team of armored cavalry guards suddenly came roaring, scaring the ladies so much that they screamed and dodged.

Qiao Yuandong pulled Mrs. Qiao to the side of the road and stood still. Only then did they see that the leader was none other than the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, Wu Hongyi.

As early as mid-January, Wu Hongyi was recalled to the capital, and the emperor began to send a series of reprimanding imperial edicts to Jiaodong.

This matter was not a secret. The emperor's dissatisfaction with Prince Qi was obvious, and everyone in the capital knew about it.

In March, the emperor ordered Prince Qi to enter the palace, but for some reason, Prince Qi has not yet arrived in Beijing.

But something unexpected happened in the palace today. I wonder if there is any connection between the two things?

Wu Hongyi led the imperial guards into the palace gate. The elderly wife of Duke Xu suddenly asked in a loud voice: "Excuse me, sir, do you know what happened so that we can be prepared?" This was actually to find out who died. After all, whether it was the queen, his majesty, or the prince, the funeral rituals were different. Knowing in advance would avoid breaking the rules.

It was understandable that Lady Xu asked this question, and the other ladies also pricked up their ears to listen.

Wu Hongyi's face was solemn, and he swept a sharp gaze around everyone and said, "The East Palace has passed away."

The crowd was suddenly in an uproar, as if a bucket of cold water was poured into hot oil.

Mrs. Qiao's legs and feet suddenly went limp, and Qiao Yuandong had to try his best to support her. The whispers all around her made her feel very upset.

how come? !

The prince is only sixteen years old this year, and there has been no news of the Crown Prince being seriously ill recently, so there is only one possibility.

The prince died suddenly!

Now looking at the tightly closed palace, even the ministers attending the court are not allowed to leave. I'm afraid the prince died suddenly this morning!
Who did it?
The harem? The former dynasty? Or Prince Qi?

Qiao Yuandong closed his eyes, his mind in a mess and he couldn't make up his mind.

Mrs. Qiao was already in a semi-comatose state at this time. She had no choice but to send Mrs. Qiao back to the Qiao Mansion first.

Now Lord Qiao is still imprisoned in the palace and his life or death is unknown, and Madam Qiao is in a coma, so Qiao Yuandong really cannot leave.

She had no choice but to ask Rongzhu to go back to the Duke's Mansion to inform them, while she stayed in the Qiao Mansion to take care of him.

The death of the crown prince was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, quickly setting off an uproar in the capital.

Many sensitive and fearful families even began to choose to move out of Kyoto. As they left, the impact of this incident began to spread beyond the capital.

Everyone was watching the emperor's reaction.

The crown prince is the eldest son of the emperor and empress. The emperor has invested a lot of effort and emotion in him. Now that the crown prince has died suddenly, how can the emperor not be furious?
Then who will be affected by this wrath, or who can be attacked by this wrath of thunder?
Those who are mediocre avoid power, while those who abuse power take advantage of it.

From this moment on, people's hearts began to waver.

The entire palace was under martial law, with the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery personally leading the imperial guards to guard every place. It was impossible for a single person to escape, not even a bird to fly out.

All the ministers who came to court were locked up in the Fengtian Hall. They knew no more information than the ladies who wanted to enter the palace, so they were all in a state of panic.

Lord Qiao stood in the hall with a solemn expression, and the jade scepter in his arms was almost broken by him.

The prince is gone!

For the Qiao family, this was a disaster like the end of the world.

Colleagues were whispering around him, some discussing the cause of the prince's death, and some speculating about the person behind it.

Lord Qiao just stood there silently, ignoring anyone who wanted to approach him and talk to him. Everything was not clear yet, so there was no point in saying anything.

After all, he is an experienced minister who has seen the world through thick and thin. The fact that he has been able to rise to the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat proves that his character is incomparable to that of ordinary people.

After a brief moment of shock, anger and sorrow, Lord Qiao quickly considered what this incident would bring to the Qiao family, the court and the world.

After a while, a eunuch came to convey an oral order, saying that the emperor summoned the Minister of the Central Secretariat and Tutor Yun.

Amid the suspicious or thoughtful gazes of the ministers, the two men stepped out silently and followed the eunuchs to meet the emperor.

Emperor Xiao Qi was in the Yangxin Palace. When Lord Qiao and Grand Tutor Yun saw him, he was leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed.

The emperor was in his prime, with a tall and strong figure. Sitting there in his dragon robe, he looked naturally majestic without even being angry.

However, Lord Qiao, who often discussed political affairs with him, still noticed something different.

The emperor's brows were deeply furrowed, and the corners of his lips were tightly drawn, revealing a bit of bloody hostility. An idea suddenly popped up in Lord Qiao's mind.

Your Majesty, he just killed someone!

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." The two gentlemen knelt down and bowed their heads, not daring to look at the emperor sitting above them.

"Get up." The emperor's voice was a little hoarse, and even carried a hint of sadness and dejection.

After receiving the order, Lord Qiao and Master Yun stood up in fear and trepidation, bowed their heads and waited for instructions.

"I'm sure you have guessed why I summoned you two, my dear ministers?"

Lord Qiao and Grand Tutor Yun looked at each other and said in unison, "I am willing to share your worries, Your Majesty."

"I wanted to be a kind and wise king, but a vicious person has emerged and dared to covet the throne. Poor Jing'er is innocent!"

When the emperor said this, his eyes turned dark red with bloodshot eyes, making his face look grim.

Lord Qiao quickly raised his head to glance at him, then bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, calm down. Great grief will hurt your body."

The emperor slammed the table in front of him, and with a wave of his hand, he swept all the memorials on the table to the ground.

"Only by digging out all those evil spirits hiding in the dark can I calm down!"

With such majesty, Lord Qiao and Master Yun had no choice but to kneel down again and beg His Majesty to calm down.

The emperor, who had lost his temper once before, quickly calmed down. He looked at the two people kneeling on the ground and sighed.

"Among all the civil and military officials in the court, I only believe that you two have nothing to do with the Crown Prince's case, so I want you to lead the three judicial departments to thoroughly investigate the Crown Prince's case."

Lord Qiao and Master Yun were both shocked, and then they said at the same time: "I obey your command!"

The Qiao family is the Queen's maternal family, and the Yun family is the designated maiden family of the Crown Princess. In the entire Jin Dynasty, apart from the Emperor and the Empress, these two families are the ones who least want anything to happen to the Crown Prince.

Therefore, the two of them had already anticipated that the Qiao and Yun families would take the lead in investigating the case.

This is also what the two of them want. No matter what the purpose of the person behind the scenes is, once the prince dies, the Qiao and Yun families will definitely be at loggerheads with him!

The emperor continued, "The person behind the scenes who dared to attack the crown prince is quite powerful. No matter if they are from an aristocratic family, a party in the court, or even those local kings, no one can be spared. Find them all for me!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

(End of this chapter)