The Red Mansions

Zhongshun County Prince's Mansion

I don't know how long it took, but in the wing room, the clouds closed and the rain stopped, and it gradually became calm.

Wei Lan lightly punched Chen Rui and said with a hint of reproach in his tone: "Master, it's a national mourning. If anyone sees this, I'm afraid we'll all have to dip into the pig cage."

Chen Rui sighed heavily, stared at the gorgeous and unprovoked jade face, and said, "It's not certain whether we can still be together after a few more days."

If the King of Qi ascends the throne, his father will resume his position as prince, and Wei Lan will return to his father. If he wants to stay warm in his hibiscus tent, he will probably not be able to do so if the spring breeze blows a few times.

"Why did the young master say this?" Wei Lan was surprised when he heard this. He was slightly startled and asked in a low voice.

"I'll tell you quietly, don't tell anyone else." Chen Rui frowned and whispered a few words in Wei Lan's ear.

Of course, no details were given, but it was mentioned that King Zhongshun might be released from Gongling after the funeral.

When Wei Lan heard this, she couldn't help being shocked. Under her dark eyebrows, her beautiful eyes widened a little, and she said softly: "This... this is treason."

Chen Rui waved his hand and said: "What kind of rebellion is this? It's just a son and a father."

This was how King Yong ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor when he was in Qiandi. Now Qi King Chen Cheng also uses this method to force Emperor Chongping to abdicate. It is really a son's father's move.

As Chen Rui spoke, he waved his hand gently and said in a low voice: "Okay, don't worry about that. We will know what happens when the time comes."

With that said, he went to play with Wei Lan, as if he wanted to make trouble for a while longer.

Wei Lan's jade face paused slightly, feeling somewhat shocked and inexplicable, and said nothing more.

And Chen Rui made a fuss for a while, took a look at the sky, stood up, and said softly: "I have to go see big brother, you wait for me to come back tonight."

Wei Lan stood up and said softly: "Then go ahead, Your Majesty."

When Chen Rui left, Wei Lan's expression changed, and deep in her heart there was already a turmoil.

After thinking about it for a moment, I felt a little struggling in my heart.

Do you want to report it?

After Wei Lan and Chen Rui had been together for such a long time, it would be impossible to say that they didn't have any feelings at all, and Wei Lan obviously knew what it would mean if they reported on each other.

This means that the Zhongshun Palace may be destroyed from now on.

Thinking of this, Wei Lan's eyes lit up.

Yes, if the Zhongshun Palace is destroyed, then she will be free from now on and will no longer be controlled by the Zhongshun Palace.

If that old thing comes out of Gongling from now on, she will have to be manipulated by that old thing again.

Wei Lan touched the scar left on his chest. He seemed to be still in pain, and his heart was filled with overwhelming hatred.

When the old man used her to block the knife, he was so cruel and vicious. He must not be allowed to come out of that prison again.

Together with these thoughts, they grew like wild weeds in Wei Lan's heart, and soon they quickly wrapped around her heart.

Wei Lan made up her mind, put on her clothes, got up, calmed down, and left the wing to look for Jiang Yuhan.

Qi Guan'er Jiang Yuhan entered the wing, looked at Wei Lan, and asked in surprise, "Why is he coming back to you at this time?"

"What else can you do? You just need me to vent your animal desires." Wei Lan gently held Jiang Yuhan's hand, his face full of resentment.

Jiang Yuhan's face paused slightly, and she couldn't help but sigh.

Wei Lan looked at Jiang Yuhan with longing eyes and asked, "When do you think that person will be able to get us out of this sea of ​​misery and fly far away?"

Jiang Yuhan said softly: "I will ask him when he comes back. Now King Zhongshun is supposed to be deposed as a commoner, so it should be almost done."

Wei Lan was worried: "What if that person returns to the palace again?"

Jiang Yuhan's face moved slightly when he heard the words, but he didn't understand what he meant for a while.

Wei Lan's eyes flickered, then he lowered his voice and whispered a few words in Jiang Yuhan's ear.

Jiang Yuhan's heart tightened and she said, "What do you mean by this? To force the emperor to abdicate?"

"That's what Chen Rui told me. He said it happened in the past two days." Wei Lan said.

Jiang Yuhan was shocked and said, "What are you going to do?"

"We must not let that old guy gain power again." Wei Lan said with stern eyes and gritted teeth.

Jiang Yuhan's expression changed and she whispered, "Then I'll go and let you know."

Wei Lan nodded and said: "After this incident, Prince Zhongshun's palace will definitely be ransacked. At that time, we will fly far away to a place where no one can find us."

Jiang Yuhan didn't say much, left Zhongshun County Prince's Mansion and went to Jinyi Mansion.

……

……

Prince Qi's Mansion

It was mid-afternoon, and the heavy rain in the sky had stopped.

King Chen Cheng of Qi did not know that Shandong had already won a great victory. At dusk, he left the palace, accompanied by a large number of retinues, returned to the palace and entered the study.

At this time, Palace Chief Shi Dou Rong said: "Your Majesty, Xie Zaiyi usually travels to the capital camp and the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion, but usually he doesn't go anywhere else?"

"Are there times when the guards here are lax?" King Qi asked in a low voice with his two mung bean-sized eyes slightly narrowed under his thick eyebrows.

Dou Rong lowered his voice and said: "According to an acquaintance in the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, when Xie Zaiyi goes home, he usually has fewer guards. This man is very brave and self-reliant, and he usually doesn't have many guards around him."

The fierce light in King Qi's eyes flashed away, and he said: "Then kill this person first. At least we can't let him mobilize troops and suppress the Beijing camp."

Monk Huitong next to Xu Shaozhen said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, everyone is ready, and they are all top-notch masters. Xie Zaiyi is brave, but a good tiger can't fight a pack of wolves. We can calculate with intention but without intention. Then Xie Zaiyi Absolutely irresistible.”

Monk Huitong has a group of people with strong martial arts skills under him, who are proficient in various assassination techniques.

King Qi said in a deep voice: "Then everything is ready, all we need is the east wind. After two days, when the sky clears, the emperor will have a funeral. At that time, if we leave the city gate, it will be our opportunity!"

The other generals and commanders in the capital camp are similarly prepared. As long as he ascends to the top and shouts, he will be crowned the great treasure.

As for the plans of Uncle Zhongshun and his son, he was not unaware of them, but now he had no choice.

At this moment, in the barracks on the southwest side of the Beijing camp, the guards outside were on guard with knives, looking alert, walking back and forth and patrolling.

In a barracks, Generals such as Yu Shijin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Lianwu Camp, Chu Bojun, the Commander-in-Chief of the Yaowu Camp, and Wu Fengchao, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zhenwei Camp, were all gathered together, discussing something secretly.

In addition, Qian Shi, the governor of the brave camp, wished Faxing, and Lu Ziwen, the general of the brave camp.

There are as many as three to four hundred high-ranking generals above the rank of general in the Beijing camp. In previous wars, not everyone can be put to use, or even make contributions and receive rewards.

Seeing Jia Heng promoting Guo Yongying and other close associates and receiving knighthoods, some of the generals and commanders who had been treated coldly felt resentful in their hearts.

And through the secret connection and instigation of the cronies of Qi King Chen Cheng and Zhongshun County King Chen Hong, some of them planned to accompany the rebellion and strive for fame and wealth.

The people in front of them were like this. Headed by the governor Qianshi Zhu Faxing, he whispered: "Everyone, according to the wishes of the prince, when the funeral is held, soldiers will be dispatched from my camp to Baqiao, three miles away from Shenjing City. , then support the prince and lead the troops back to the capital."

It was impossible to be too far away from the sacred city. The main thing was to control Emperor Chongping who was sending him off, and then let him write the abdication edict, mainly the edict of sin, and then, under the witness of King Zhongshun and his son, the Zen throne was given to King Qi.

Then, everyone returned to Shenjing City, supported King Qi on the throne, controlled the capital camp, and cleaned up the royalists, mainly the Jia family in Ning and Rong Prefectures.

Then, the King of Qi issued an edict to abolish the four new policies, um, to bring order out of chaos, so that the civil servants and gentry in the world would return to their hearts, at least remain neutral, and would no longer interfere with the housework of the Chen and Han clan.

Afterwards, he rewarded the generals of the Beijing camp, wooed the four princes and eight public groups, and dealt with Jia Heng who was leading the troops outside in the name of righteousness.

Having said that, this plan is quite feasible.

However, generally speaking, if a new emperor comes to the throne, even to prevent accidents, the emperor will not go to the mausoleum with Emperor Daxing, but choose ministers to be responsible for the burial. However, Emperor Chongping has been on the throne for many years, but he does not have too many worries during the itinerary. The arrangement includes the operation of sending spirits to Gongling, which is also to show the filial piety of the heavenly family.

Yu Shijin, the governor of the training camp, frowned and said: "Marquis Zhongqin will also choose to send the Central Guards from the Beijing camp to escort him. With Marquis Zhongqin's bravery, it will not be easy for us to make a difference."

Zhu Faxing said coldly: "Xie Zaiyi will have someone to deal with it, so we don't have to worry."

"The key is to be quick. Here in the Beijing camp, all the veterans of the cavalry have been mobilized. Nowadays, most of them are newly recruited soldiers. It is not a big problem to control the military power." Wu Fengchao, the commander-in-chief of Zhenwei camp, frowned and whispered. said.

Zhu Faxing nodded and encouraged: "Everyone, after serving the city, we will serve as ministers of the dragon and will not lose our position as princes."

This person is obviously Chen Hong, the king of Zhongshun County.

……

……

Time flies by, and before you know it, two more days have passed. The day of the funeral of the Supreme Emperor is getting closer, and God is also kind. The originally heavy rain has stopped the day before yesterday.

In Shenjing City, officials, sergeants, and people all knew that Emperor Longzhi, the great emperor, wanted to be buried in Gongling Mausoleum.

Jinyi Mansion, among the government offices——

Qu Lang, the commander of Jinyidu, was in charge of matters in the office at the moment, instructing a group of thousands or hundreds of households to keep an eye on the abnormalities in the streets and alleys of Shenjing City.

Because the burial of the emperor was approaching, the entire capital was crowded and in chaos, so people needed to keep a close eye on it.

At this time, a guard in Jinyi came quickly, raised his hand and said: "My lord, this is the information sent from Prince Zhongshun's palace. Please take a look at it."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from his arms and presented it respectfully with both hands.

Qu Lang put down the book in his hand and said, "Delivered from Prince Zhongshun's Mansion?" He searched the relevant information from his memory. Was it delivered by Qi Guan'er Jiang Yuhan?

Then, he took the piece of paper from the hand of the Jinyi palace guard and read the words on it, with a look of surprise on his face.

"Come, go to the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion immediately." Qu Lang was startled and said in a deep voice.

Xie Zaiyi, the Marquis of Zhongqin, was at the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion at the moment. He had just left his duty. With a dozen horse guards as escort, he mounted his horse and returned to his residence in Ruyifang, Shenjing City.

In the capital city, even if Marquis Wu returns to his home, it is impossible to say that he will be accompanied by hundreds of personal guards and retinues. That would be too ostentatious and could easily lead to the impeachment of the officials of the Ministry of Education.

The residence in Ruyifang was the residence rewarded by the palace after Xie Zaiyi became a marquis. It was built majestic and magnificent, with several courtyards in front and back. Xie Zaiyi's wife and children all lived in the mansion.

This elementary school student in Beijing gradually became a high-ranking prince in the Han Dynasty. After three generations, his descendants developed a noble spirit, and he could be called a family with bells and dishes.

Xie Zaiyi walked along the spacious and clean street, and now he came to a wine stall selling wine.

There was a restaurant on the side of the road with a signboard with the words "Lao Bai Restaurant" hanging on it. Several young men by the window picked up the wine bowls in their hands and stared at the more than ten horses on the street.

When Xie Zaiyi passed by, several people's minds were moved.

At this moment, we must prepare to take action.

Suddenly, the pupils of several people shrank, and their hearts turned pale with fright. They clearly saw dozens of Jinyi palace guards wearing flying fish uniforms and embroidered spring knives at their waists coming quickly from the end of the street.

Qu Lang looked at Xie Zaiyi at this moment and said: "Xiehou, there is something going on in the Jinyi Mansion. I would like to ask Xiehou to go there."

Xie Zaiyi obviously recognized Qu Lang, Jia Heng's confidant in Jinyi. There was a look of surprise on his face and he asked, "Qu Tongzhi, what's going on?"

Qu Lang smiled without any hint of indifference and said: "Xiehou, I want to discuss something with Xiehou. Let's go to Jinyi Mansion to talk first."

Xie Zaiyi responded softly, and then walked away quickly with Qu Lang.

"He's gone?" At this moment, several people on the first floor of the restaurant frowned and looked at each other, confused for a moment.

"There must be something wrong."

"What should we do later?"

"Go and tell the prince first."

On the other side, Qu Lang and the guards of Jinyi Mansion dragged Xie Zaiyi to the official office of Jinyi Mansion, led him to the inner hall, and retreated all the guards. Qu Lang and Xie Zaiyi were left in the wing for a while.

Seeing Qu Lang being so solemn, Xie Zaiyi frowned, making a guess in his mind, and asked: "Conductor Qu, what's going on?"

Qu Lang looked at him with burning eyes and said, "Did Mr. Xie know that someone was ambushing him on his way home just now and wanted to assassinate Mr. Xie?"

Xie Zaiyi: "..."

After calming down, a look of confusion appeared on his resolute and calm face, and he said, "Why did you assassinate me?"

Qu Lang pondered for a moment, came closer, and said in a low voice: "Recently, the capital wants to use the emperor's funeral to plot evil and harm the emperor, and Xiehou is the commander of the Beijing camp. When Xiehou is assassinated, there will be no one in the Beijing camp to take charge of the overall situation. It's just right So that they can cause trouble."

Hearing this, Xie Zaiyi couldn't help but feel a turmoil in his heart, and said in a deep voice: "Commander Jie mentioned this matter before he left the capital, and told me to be on guard against Xiaoxiao's evildoers. Commander Qu has now got specific clues? Do you know who did it?" "

Qu Lang whispered: "It is King Qi who has contacted King Zhongshun and wants to plot something evil on the day of the emperor's funeral tomorrow."

Xie Zaiyi's expression changed and he frowned: "How dare they?"

King Qi Chen Cheng is indeed in the capital at this moment. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that King Qi has no chance of being in the East Palace.

Qu Lang said: "Xie Hou, now is not the time to talk about these things. You and I should go to the palace quickly and report to the Holy One."

Xie Zaiyi composed himself and said in a deep voice: "General Qu, please go to the palace first."

The two of them talked without saying much, and then entered the palace garden.

……

……

Palace Garden, Kunning Palace

Emperor Chongping was conversing with Empress Song, and Concubine Duanrong was accompanying them, talking to each other.

Tomorrow will be the time for the funeral. Everything in the palace is complicated and complicated. The palace maids and eunuchs have already begun to prepare relevant matters.

At this moment, Dai Quan came from outside and said softly: "Your Majesty, Jinyi Mansion and Marquis Zhongqin asked to see Your Majesty about something important."

When Emperor Chongping heard this, he was stunned for a moment and said in a clear voice: "Xuan two people come to the inner study."

While speaking, he turned to look at Empress Song who was aside and said softly: "Zitong, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Your Majesty, go and do your business." Empress Song said softly, her skin as white as jade, quiet and gentle, her eyes as bright as water.

She still doesn't know how to tell His Majesty the news of her pregnancy. She can only wait until the Emperor is buried. Then it will be a matter of course for the imperial physician to diagnose her.

Daming Palace, Inner Study Room

Emperor Chongping, surrounded by the inner guards, sat down after the case, looked at Xie Zaiyi and Qu Lang, and asked: "Why did Xie Qing enter the palace with the commander of Jinyi Mansion?"

Qu Lang glanced at the guards standing on the left and right of Emperor Chongping.

Emperor Chongping signaled Dai Quan, who ordered the eunuchs and palace officials to exit the inner study.

Qu Lang cupped his hands and lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, according to reports, there are bad people who want to take advantage of the Emperor's funeral tomorrow to attack and kill Your Majesty and commit rebellion."

When Emperor Chongping heard this, he suddenly sat up straight. His tired eyes flickered a few times and asked, "Is this happening?"

Qu Lang pondered for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, this matter is already 70-80% certain. Even if it is just a suspicion, I think we still need to be vigilant and screen."

Emperor Chongping's expression changed involuntarily, and his eyes became a little gloomy and uncertain. He looked at Dai Quan aside and said softly: "Dai Quan, is this the case?"

At this time, Dai Quan knelt down with a "pop" sound, kowtowed to Emperor Chongping, and said urgently: "Your Majesty, I have been busy with the funeral of the emperor in the palace these days. I really didn't know that this happened."

As the commander of the internal defense, he was completely unaware of such a big matter, and he was really responsible for the oversight.

Emperor Chongping's face was gloomy and uncertain, and his eyes were filled with coldness.

Previously, the queen was assassinated and the emperor was poisoned. It can be seen that Chen Yuan, the deposed prince, and the rest of King Zhao's party are secretly plotting evil.

Emperor Chongping said: "Do you know who did it?"

Qu Lang hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the information came from the Prince Zhongshun's palace. It should be Prince Qi and Prince Zhongshun's father and son who are behind the scenes."

When Emperor Chongping heard this, he was also shocked. His face turned as gloomy as iron, and veins popped up on his forehead. His eyes were gnawing at others, and he said in a cold voice: "King Chen Cheng of Qi? How dare he?"

Yes, he asked the two kings of Wei and Chu to march into the palace. However, because of the incident with the Sanhe Gang in Dongcheng, King Qi saw that he had no chance of taking over the East Palace. When the emperor died, he struck a thunderous blow and forced him to abdicate the throne. .

This middle-aged emperor was good at plotting when he was in hiding. He even came to power through a coup, and he immediately understood the key points.

Qu Lang cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the informant only said that King Qi and Prince Zhongshun colluded secretly, but there was no detailed information on how they planned it."

Under Xie Zaiyi's thick eyebrows, his eyes were piercing, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, since the villain's whereabouts have been exposed, there will be no funeral tomorrow, so he will be arrested and tortured immediately."

Emperor Chongping waved his hand. Under his thin and loose eyebrows, his eyes were uncertain, and he said quietly: "Don't scare the snake, the funeral will be held as usual tomorrow."

Xie Zaiyi: "..."

What is this going to do? Could it be to lure a snake out of its hole?

Emperor Chongping said coldly: "I want to see how many rebellious officials and traitors there are in the capital, who will join in rebellion. You can only commit a thief for a thousand days, but there is no reason to guard against a thief for a thousand days."

In addition to those exposed on the surface, how many people are hiding underneath and the undercurrents are surging. How many traitors and accomplices who rebel against King Qi and King Zhongshun are lurking in the capital camp? If they are not allowed to jump out now, we will catch them all. Hibernating and secretly plotting to kill him and his descendants, it would affect the great cause of the great rejuvenation of the Han Dynasty.

It would be best if all these rebellious officials and traitors would jump out one by one, and he would catch them all in one fell swoop!

This emperor was originally good at maneuvering, and such palace coups and stormy scenes were not worth mentioning in his past career.

Qu Lang's expression suddenly changed and he said: "Your Majesty, this may cause chaos in the capital, and it is not a wise move for Your Majesty to be in a dangerous situation."

Although fishing is good, it can also easily cause chaos. It is difficult to eliminate all the conspirators and rebels by arresting the king of Qi, the king of Zhongshun and other rebels, and then torture them.

"Don't be afraid of chaos. Great order will come after great chaos. I want to see how many rebellious ministers and traitors are still plotting evil in this capital." Emperor Chongping's brows flashed with evil intent, and the chill that enveloped him almost made several people in the palace feel a sudden shock.

As for his safety, someone will protect him.

In fact, Wei Lan's previous statement only briefly mentioned that King Qi and Prince Zhongshun would cause trouble on the day of the Emperor's funeral, but he did not mention how many party members would be involved.

Emperor Chongping obviously wanted to completely eliminate the Xiaoxiao gangsters entrenched in the capital in one fell swoop, and deal with these rebellious officials once and for all.

As he said that, Emperor Chongping looked at Xie Zaiyi with a hint of admiration in his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Marquis Zhongqin, I grant you a gold medal for troop deployment, and I will ask you to mobilize troops and horses in the capital camp to suppress unrest in the capital camp at any time."

Xie Zaiyi raised his hand and said yes.

Then at Emperor Chongping's signal, Dai Quan went to the mezzanine of the bookcase aside, took out a brocade box, and took out the gold medal.

Emperor Chongping said in a deep voice: "Qu Lang, you send the guards of Jinyi Mansion to closely monitor the palace gate guards and follow Prince Zhongshun, Prince Qi and others."

If that villain wants to plot rebellion, obviously the guards at the palace gate are probably unreliable, but who exactly is the internal agent needs to be identified.

Then, the emperor, who was known for his machinations, arranged the relevant matters in an orderly and rapid manner.

At this time, Dai Quan also received an errand and was responsible for the safety of the female family members in the palace.

When Xie Zaiyi and Qu Lang left, Emperor Chongping's face was as gloomy as iron. He stretched out his hand and patted the table with a cold light in his eyes.

Chen Cheng actually committed such a rebellious act!

And Chen Rong and his son dared to conspire against him. How many people in the court colluded with them to try to assassinate him? Subvert the Han Dynasty?

This emperor had a suspicious and jealous temperament, and the first thing that came to his mind was how many careerists were secretly plotting against him.

And he plans to use this funeral to catch all the traitors behind it!