Jinling, Imperial Palace, Yangju Palace.
Emperor Liang didn't know that Yue wanted to use force. He was dealing with trivial matters in the harem. He looked at the empress kneeling below and said angrily, "What a master of the six palaces, what a mother of the country. You just left the palace for five days and you arrested a third-rank concubine.
Concubine Jing has been in the palace for more than 20 years and has raised an adult prince. I have bestowed upon her the Imperial Seal and the Golden Seal. You have imprisoned him in Zhengyang Palace and tortured him for no reason. Do you still have me in your eyes?"
The queen remained calm and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, this is serious. I dare not disrespect Your Majesty. I don't know what Concubine Jing said to Your Majesty, but to me, this matter is not without reason. It was Doctor Zheng from the hospital..."
Emperor Liang became even more angry after hearing this. He even gestured exaggeratedly with his hands and said angrily, "Don't pull Concubine Jing. She didn't say a word to protect you. I only found out after asking other concubines.
Just because a doctor with ulterior motives says a few words, you believe it?
I asked the doctor at the Imperial Hospital, if she wanted to poison me with the herb, she would need to use a roomful of herb to make it every day!"
The Queen was of course clear about it. She knew that Emperor Liang was very suspicious and would definitely ask the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital when he returned to determine whether her reasons were true or false.
She was just looking for an excuse. Now she was just looking forward to what method Prince Yu would come up with to overthrow Prince Jing.
So when faced with the emperor's rebuke, she said calmly, "I am just a woman, naturally I am not as wise as Your Majesty. As soon as I heard that someone was hurting Your Majesty, my heart was in turmoil, and I didn't think so much about public security.
Even so, I only questioned Concubine Jing and did nothing to her. After hearing the imperial physician say such things, shouldn't I even ask a question?"
Emperor Liang certainly understood the real situation, but when he saw that the Queen was speaking with good reason and acting as if she was doing it for your own good, he was so angry that he wanted to take action.
At this moment, Concubine Jing suddenly asked for a meeting, which made him calm down. After all, the queen was the queen, and he had to give her some face. He snorted coldly and asked someone to summon Concubine Jing in.
After Concubine Jing came in, she bowed respectfully. When Emperor Liang asked her to stand up, she remained kneeling there and said sincerely, "I heard that Your Majesty summoned the Queen to the Yangju Palace. It was about something concerning me. I must have something to ask you, so I rushed here rashly. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Liang's crown prince was on the verge of being deposed, and the only prince suitable to inherit the throne was Prince Jing. He certainly could not make things difficult for Concubine Jing.
It’s not that Prince Yu is a bad person, but his background. His mother is Princess Linglong of the Hua clan, which has doomed him to be unable to inherit the throne.
Therefore, Emperor Liang is now cultivating his relationship with Prince Jing, and of course he would not let Concubine Jing suffer any grievances.
So, he said very straightforwardly, "Princess Jing, I won't let you suffer in vain!"
Concubine Jing was also aware of Emperor Liang's current situation, but she felt that she had to be more cautious at this time. If she aroused the emperor's suspicion, Emperor Liang might try to win over another prince.
Although the other princes had no talents, Emperor Liang tolerated the incompetent crown prince for more than ten years, let alone the other princes.
So, she still spoke respectfully and sincerely, "Your Majesty the Queen has the responsibility to manage the six palaces. There is nothing wrong with her coming to inspect Zhiluo Palace. As for the misunderstandings that occurred, just explain them clearly. It's not a big deal. After all, there is a difference between the high and the low. If the Queen is punished because she reprimanded the concubines, and people outside talk about it, I'm afraid that her face and wisdom will be lost in the underworld."
Every word she said was for the overall situation and for the emperor. This method of overcoming hardness with softness touched the emperor's heart immediately and was much better than confronting the empress directly.
As expected, the emperor looked at the sensible Concubine Jing and said with emotion, "Concubine Jing, you really understand the situation when you think this way!"
After he finished speaking, he glared at the queen and said, "Look, you are unworthy of being the master of the six palaces. If you can be as good as Concubine Jing, I will be satisfied.
I will forgive you this time, but you must understand that this honor is for your status as queen, for Prince Yu, and for the Yan family, not for you! If you make such a mistake again, I will never forgive you easily. "
The queen was filled with anger, but there was nothing she could do. She could only thank the emperor for his grace and leave.
After the queen left, the emperor followed Concubine Jing to Zhiluo Palace, wanting to comfort her.
……
Concubine Jing determined that Mei Changsu was Lin Shu from a travelogue that Prince Jing got from Mei Changsu. She understood that Lin Shu was trying to reverse the verdict on the Red Flame Army.
So she started preparing from that day on, and after returning from the Queen's visit that day, she lit a strange incense in the palace that could give people nightmares.
For Emperor Liang, the biggest nightmare was the death of Concubine Chen and Princess Jinyang, so that night, Emperor Liang dreamed of Concubine Chen.
But he couldn't talk about this matter with anyone else. He could only talk about his dream with Jingfei, the female doctor sent by the Lin family.
Of course, Concubine Jing only talked about the good things. She also dreamed about the past events when she first entered the palace and flew with Concubine Chen.
After hearing this, Emperor Liang was very envious and said with emotion, "My dream is different from yours. In my dream, there are no plum blossoms or smiles. She is just hanging there, floating in the air, and her face..."
Concubine Jing didn't expect the medicine to be so effective. She unconsciously became heavier in her movements, causing both of them to gasp.
Concubine Jing reacted very quickly. She followed what Emperor Liang said and said, "The pain here means that your Majesty's meridians are blocked. It seems that your Majesty has been feeling uneasy lately."
Emperor Liang was very curious, so he asked doubtfully, "Can you feel it out?"
Concubine Jing calmly explained, "Your Majesty, if you miss your old lover, you should take care of your body. Sister Chenfei has already ascended to the immortal world, and she must not want to stay in the secular world. Your Majesty dreamed of her, but he just couldn't let her go."
Emperor Liang had been frightened by nightmares these days, and as he got older he believed more and more in ghosts and gods. He was really worried that Concubine Chen's soul would not leave, and wanted to take him with her.
After hearing what Jing Fei said, she couldn't help but grab Jing Fei's hand and asked excitedly, "She really doesn't want to leave?"
Concubine Jing was well prepared and said casually, "Why don't you go? In this world, Concubine Chen has no name or spirit, not even a stick of incense or paper money, so why is she staying?"
Emperor Liang was moved, and he pondered to himself, "Without a spirit tablet, no one offered sacrifices to her, so she was filled with resentment, lingering in the world, and was reluctant to leave."
Concubine Jing didn't expect it to be so easy, but she knew she couldn't show any particular eagerness, so she calmly prepared to comfort him.
But Emperor Liang did not allow her to speak at all, and immediately said seriously, "Do something for me, and don't let outsiders know."
Concubine Jing was delighted, but still looked embarrassed. However, her words were gentle as ever, and she agreed without hesitation.
Emperor Liang was very satisfied with the result, but he still had a nightmare when he slept at night. When he left Zhiluo Palace the next morning, he repeatedly instructed Concubine Jing to arrange the spirit tablet as soon as possible.
Concubine Jing looked at Emperor Liang who was walking away and couldn't help but sneer in her heart. Her plan had already been set up, and it all depended on when the Queen and Prince Yu would fall into it.
……
Jinling, Su's Residence
After Qi Meng woke up, he found that Xiao Xin had left. He went back and told Lie Zhanying, the confidant of Prince Jing, that he was stopped by people sent by Mei Changsu.
But Lie Zhanying didn’t have time to pay attention to this now. He knew that Mei Changsu was a man with ideas, so he hurried to Su’s house to study how to rescue him.
It was just that Lie Zhanying went there at an unfortunate time, as Mei Changsu was still not awake at this moment. He had no way of seeing Mei Changsu at all, so he could only go back helplessly.
What was even more tragic was that Prince Jing was resting at the last post station before Jinling and had no idea what had happened in Jinling, so the people sent by Lie Zhanying to look for Prince Jing did not find him at all.
Just when Prince Jing and his group were leaderless, Mei Changsu finally woke up and learned about what had happened recently.
When Mei Changsu heard that Nie Yi had been arrested, he immediately instructed Zhen Ping and Li Gang, "Notify the old subordinates in Langzhou that those who are a little famous should not show their faces for the time being. The situation between us and Yue State is very delicate recently, and Xuan Jingsi may not have any scruples anymore."
Zhen Ping knew that Mei Changsu was trying to protect the old members of the Red Flame Army. He hesitated for a moment before asking seriously, "Master, we and Master Yue are from the same origin. Why should we break away from them?"
He had endured this sentence for a long time. He didn't understand why the two sides couldn't work together to take revenge when they had the same enemy?
Mei Changsu smiled bitterly. He knew that this was not the opinion of one person, so he said helplessly, "Although Brother Wang did not show it, we in Yue Kingdom can feel that Yue Kingdom is no longer satisfied with its current territory.
However, if we help Prince Jing ascend the throne, we must protect Daliang and prevent it from being harmed. In the future, we and the Kingdom of Yue may very likely become enemies.
Rather than letting Brother Wang be timid in the future, which would affect Yue’s military and national strategy, it would be better for me to be the bad guy first and allow Brother Wang to attack as he pleases.
In fact, in my heart, no matter whether it is Big Brother Wang or Prince Jing, I will support whoever becomes the emperor."
After hearing this, Zhen Ping still didn't understand. He said unwillingly, "Brother Wang has provided a lot of help to the Red Flame Army for so many years, and he didn't ask any of us brothers. He didn't let us down. We are the first to betray the Kingdom of Yue. Isn't that a bit unfair? Can't we talk about it properly? Why can't we work together with Brother Wang?"
The questions he asked were also the voice of all the people in the Jiangzuo League. After all, Wang Yue was also from the Red Flame Army, and the State of Yue was also from the Red Flame Army. They were all originally one family.
In addition, Wang Yue's long-term care for the Red Flame Army also made the Jiangzuo League highly recognize Wang Yue, second only to Mei Changsu.
Mei Changsu looked at Zhen Ping's worried expression and said seriously, "Our Lin family has been loyal for generations and never thought of leading the Red Flame Army to betray Daliang. Brother Wang can rebel, but I can't, just like my father resolutely went to Beijing back then.
There are many kinds of revenge. I think the only thing we need to do is to clear the Red Flame Army of its grievances and restore its reputation.
But Brother Wang thought differently from me. He felt that Daliang had betrayed the Chiyan Army and had not yet apologized, so he might as well overthrow Daliang and force the emperor of Daliang to apologize.
Although he promised me not to attack Daliang while the Empress Dowager was still alive for the sake of friendship, now that the Empress Dowager is gone, the promise between him and me is over. He may launch an attack on Daliang at any time, so I must give Brother Wang a reason to take action. "
Zhen Ping sighed. He knew that this was a disagreement between Wang Yue and Mei Changsu, and it was not something that a person like him could intervene in. So he simply asked, "Okay, then what about Nie Yi? When you were unconscious, we tried to rescue you once under the leadership of Brother Nie Feng, but we failed and lost a lot of manpower."
Mei Changsu was relieved to see Zhen Ping no longer pursuing the matter, and said seriously, "We still need to save her, but we need to think of a way, and can't be so reckless."
Zhen Ping saw that Mei Changsu had made up his mind. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything else. He was just a reckless man who had joined the Red Flame Army since he was a child and didn't know much except how to take action.
Seeing that Mei Changsu had already made up his mind, he said hesitantly, "Master, I have some understanding of Brother Wang's character. If someone stabs him, he will definitely stab back immediately. Now that the Xuan Jing Division has captured Nie Yi, I am worried that Brother Wang will go all out and declare war on Daliang directly."
After hearing this, Mei Changsu felt a headache. He felt that this possibility was very high. Even if Wang Yue did not do it, Chen Qianzhi, Wang Yue's subordinate, would definitely instigate Wang Yue. Chen Qianzhi was a warmongering person and had been thinking about taking action two years ago. If it were not for Wang Yue's suppression, he would not have waited until now.
So, he looked at Zhen Ping who was looking forward to it, and said helplessly, "We can only rescue Nie Yi as soon as possible before Brother Wang takes action, so that the two countries can avoid war."
Chapter 120: Repair my spear!
The king has raised an army and repaired my spear!
The entire Yue State has entered a state of war readiness. Not only are the 200,000 regular soldiers of Yue State urgently gathering to prepare for the expedition, but even the soldiers from various counties are also making preparations.
Most importantly, in order to cope with the needs of war, the King of Yue ordered the recruitment of another 100,000 soldiers to prepare for emergencies.
After the call was issued, many people responded. In just two days, the number of people who joined the army from all over the country exceeded 50,000. Everyone had been waiting for this battle for a long time.
Even the 200,000 soldiers of the Yizhou Legion were ready to cross the sea and fight at any time.
It can be said that the State of Yue had already sharpened its knives, waiting for Emperor Liang to reject the letter and then attack Daliang.
The reason for the war was simply that Prince Yu cooperated with the Xuan Jing Division to capture Nie Yi.
Despite such a bizarre reason, the entire Yue State was united in hatred of the enemy.
Daliang, Jinling, Imperial Palace, Wuying Hall
Prince Yu had no idea that because of his decision, the Kingdom of Yue had found an excuse and the war was approaching.
He was now thinking about how to deal with Prince Jing. He knew that Prince Jing had returned, and was worried that Mei Changsu's meeting with Prince Jing would cause his plan to go awry, so he waited for Prince Jing at the gate of Jinling City, waiting for the two of them to enter the palace together.
Prince Jing had no idea that his good brother had already begun to plot against him, and he had no idea that Wang Yue had unexpectedly helped him break the impasse. After he and Prince Yu had paid their respects to the emperor, he said in all seriousness, "Father, I have been ordered by the emperor to supervise the famine relief in Yuezhou and other five prefectures. Now the famine has been resolved. Please make a prediction first. I will submit a joint report with the Ministry of Revenue tomorrow!"
Emperor Liang was worried. He glanced at it casually and said comfortingly, "You have done a great job. It has been very difficult to sort it out for more than a month. There is no rush to report it."
Prince Jing saw that Emperor Liang was not in a good mood, so he looked at Commander Meng. He saw Commander Meng shaking his head at him, and he didn't know what happened, but he still accepted the order respectfully.
Prince Yu saw the opportunity and asked hurriedly, "Jingyan's return is a happy event, why does your father look so depressed? Are you talking about something annoying? Can I share your worries for you?"
Emperor Liang knew Prince Jing's character, so he didn't want to discuss it at this time. He responded casually, "It's almost the New Year, what troubles could there be?"
Xia Jiang saw that Prince Yu wanted to talk about Nie Yi at this time, which would expose their cooperation. He immediately interrupted and spoke first, "Yes, it's the end of the year now, what can we worry about? Things like catching the old criminals are all good luck for the new year!"
Prince Yu acted as if he had just heard about it. He also continued to act and asked curiously, "What treason? Why haven't I heard of it?"
Xia Jiang looked at Prince Jing and said provocatively, "Your Highness, of course you know, but it's not a recent case, it's an old case of the Red Flame Army from three years ago.
The Red Flame Army had long been charged with treason, but many of them escaped from Meiling, except for some who went to Yue State. Among the several important criminals that Your Majesty had ordered to be captured, there were also a few who slipped through the net, and one of them happened to be caught today."
Prince Yu seemed very interested and asked quickly, "Oh, this is good news, who did you find?"
Xia Jiang saw Prince Jing's expression change, so he smiled and said seriously, "Nie Yi, the younger brother of Nie Feng from the Red Flame Army's Vanguard Battalion, he..."
Prince Yu was overjoyed when he heard this. He didn't wait for Xia Jiang to finish and said excitedly, "This is good news. The wanted criminal who had been on the run for more than ten years was finally caught. Congratulations to my father. By catching Nie Yi, we can also find Nie Feng.
The King of Yue has been telling the world that the evidence was fabricated by Daliang. With Nie Feng, we can silence the world..."
But just as he finished speaking, he was interrupted by a eunuch's voice, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Liu, Minister Li requests to see you!"
Xia Jiang frowned. This was beyond his plan. He wondered what happened.
He immediately looked towards Prince Yu, only to find that Prince Yu was also looking at him, obviously not knowing what was going on.
Although Meng Zhi didn't know what had happened, he felt relieved. After such a big incident, Nie Yi's case would probably be put on hold.
Emperor Liang didn't want to talk about this matter at first, but when he saw Prime Minister Liu and Minister Li coming together, he quickly summoned them in.
After Li Shangshu and Liu Shoufu exchanged greetings, Liu Shoufu immediately said anxiously, "Your Majesty, the King of Yue sent a letter to us, asking us to hand over Nie Yi. Otherwise, Yue will have to send troops to rescue him ourselves."
Xia Jiang's face turned pale. He received news that the Jiangzuo League and the Yue Kingdom had clearly split up. Why would they declare war over one person from the Jiangzuo League?
Prince Yu also frowned. He asked uncertainly, "Minister Li, are you kidding? Nie Yi is just a member of the Jiangzuo League. What does he have to do with the Kingdom of Yue? Besides, didn't the Jiangzuo League have a falling out with the Kingdom of Yue?"
Emperor Liang was already in a bad mood. He had already finished reading the memorial and threw the letter down, shouting angrily, "Who is that King of Yue? How dare he rebuke me! Does he still have me as his emperor in his heart?"
Prince Yu looked at Emperor Liang, who was gasping for breath with anger, and went to pick up the memorial. Only then did he realize that the wording in the letter was extremely sharp and full of threats.
As long as Daliang did not release the hostages, Yue would immediately send troops, and only gave Daliang ten days to release the hostages.
He felt a little strange. He didn't understand whether King Yue was helping him or King Jing.
Emperor Liang was already very concerned about the case that year, so when Nie Yi was caught, his mood became very bad.
Now that this kind of thing has happened, if Prince Jing speaks on behalf of the Red Flame Army, he will definitely be disliked by Emperor Liang.
However, precisely because of Yue State's tough measures, it also diverted Prince Jing's attention and he probably would not plead for Nie Yi.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Prince Jing stopped talking and no one knew what he was thinking.
Prince Yu rolled his eyes and said immediately, "Father, I think this trend should not be allowed to continue. If we give in on this matter, other countries will surely follow suit.
I think it would be better to cut Nie Yi in half, which would dampen the arrogance of the Yue Kingdom and let the soldiers know Wang Yue’s determination. "
Emperor Liang was already furious, and after hearing Prince Yu's words, he roared, "Allowed! Behead him on the tenth day!"
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