Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 32: The Emperor is in danger, and the storm continues

This was the first time that Zhu Changluo entered the Kunning Palace after traveling here.

Looking back at the two eunuchs and palace maids who were being beaten with a stick not far away, Zhu Changluo couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

Is Zhu Yijun venting his emotions and looking for trouble to punish?
This is not a good sign.

After entering the main hall of Kunning Palace, he was led by the eunuch to the queen's bedroom.

Zhu Yijun was half lying on the bed. There was still a smell of medicine in the room. Queen Wang was holding a bowl and a spoon in her hands.

"Your son pays respects to the emperor, and to the queen mother..." Zhu Changluo bowed, and then asked, "Is your father feeling better? The medicine has not been taken yet, let your son come..."

According to ancestral rules, all princes must call the queen "Mother".

Zhu Changluo stood up and prepared to step forward to show his filial piety.

This is normal. Serving at the bedside is what a son should do.

"I will step aside first and let my elder brother give His Majesty the medicine."

Queen Wang also thought it was normal. Although she knew that the emperor did not like the eldest son in the past, since he had been appointed as the crown prince, she thought that he would be willing to change the relationship between the father and the son.

"No!" On the bed, Zhu Yijun said anxiously, "Queen... bring the medicine..."

Zhu Changluo stopped and stepped back silently.

Zhu Yijun only took a sip, then paused, and then said: "Wait... for the ceremony... I... will be fine!"

The curtain blocked his face. Zhu Changluo looked over there and sighed in his heart.

"Then I will not disturb you, father, to rest. I hope you can get better soon."

He took his leave and left, and when he walked out of the palace, he looked back.

Zhu Yijun did not trust his son and did not dare to be alone with him.

The emperor who had suffered a stroke and the crown prince whom he had appointed by imperial decree.

Zhu Changluo smiled self-deprecatingly and looked at the eunuch and the palace maid who were still being punished.

The screams have become much quieter.

He clenched his fists.

Despite our great ambitions, we can only try to break this situation boldly and cautiously.

Zhu Yijun is awake now!
But when faced with a horrific future, his most immediate reaction was that he was afraid that he would kill him and take his place.

So he first appointed the crown prince, then went away to recuperate, and punished the palace maids at the same time!
As he walked towards Ciqing Palace step by step, Zhu Changluo's eyes became more and more cold.

……

The atmosphere in Beijing today is very tense, although it is relaxed outside.

During the day, Shen Yikuan, Jiuqing and Xu Wenbi entered the palace, and the news had spread by now.

The emperor seldom summoned foreign officials, let alone summoning so many people at once, including a duke?
Faced with inquiries, the eleven people kept silent, returned home, closed the door, and refused to see any outsiders.

"Master, there is no news from the palace yet?" Mo Zongmian felt uneasy.

"The palace gates are tightly closed." The housekeeper of the Zheng Mansion was a member of the Zheng clan. He shook his head, "But the nine gates are not closed, so it's not necessarily a big deal."

"Stupid!" Mo Zongmian didn't care about respecting the Zheng family, "The cabinet ministers, the nine ministers and the dukes have all been summoned. This is already a situation where you are entrusted with the care of your son!"

The butler looked suspicious.

"Trust me?" Zheng Guotai was startled at first, then shook his head. "There was news yesterday. Although His Majesty was angry about the officials crying at the gate, he was just drinking to drown his sorrows. His appetite was still good yesterday."

"Everyone knows that although His Majesty has not been ill all the time, he is indeed suffering from various diseases." Mo Zongmian shook his head with certainty, "If there is no major change in the border situation, then it is just the country's ability. If it is a border situation, why would the ministers return to their homes and stay at home after leaving the palace?"

Zheng Guotai's face was gloomy.

"Master, if this is a matter of national ability, the fact that you are all so calm shows that the prince appointed by His Majesty must be the eldest son of the Emperor. Shen Yi Guan has already rejected the decree once!"

Mo Zongmian was very anxious.

Previously, the Empress Dowager had detained the eldest prince in Ciqing Palace. He judged that this must have been due to the help of the Imperial Noble Consort and that His Majesty had persuaded the Empress Dowager.

Otherwise, why would the Queen Mother personally send people to confine the eldest prince in Ciqing Palace?
Under such circumstances, with the imperial concubine's power in the harem and the servants' loyalty, how could the situation take such a sudden turn?

Did that happen, but it didn't work out?

Mo Zongmian was not sure either. After all, there was another possibility for why Shen Yikuan and the others closed the door and refused to see outsiders after they came out: they had already succeeded, and they all believed that the eldest son was unfilial, and now they had to think about how to work with the emperor to change the ministers' minds.

So he wanted to wait for definite news.

"…What should I do then?"

"Master, the palace is under tight lockdown for a while, but if there is no news for a long time, it means that the situation is not favorable to the Imperial Concubine, so no eunuch is willing to secretly take credit..."

Mo Zongmian's heart was pounding wildly, he was the most anxious.

I want to take a gamble that it's good news, but I'm also afraid that the truth will be revealed.

He was a little clever and had thought about the possibility of being killed to hide the secret.

But as long as Empress Dowager Li and Queen Wang are still around, the Zheng family will need him.

At this moment, a shout came from outside the door: "Uncle! Uncle..."

The voice was filled with panic, and Mo Zongmian's face changed.

Then the door was opened and Chen Ju's figure came into their sight.

After looking at Zheng Guotai, the first thing Chen Ju said was, "Hasn't Commander Zheng ever reprimanded his servants for violating the rules of this title?"

"...Eunuch Chen, what does this mean?"

Zheng Guotai's face turned pale as he looked at the Jinyiwei officers swarming behind Chen Ju. Mo Zongmian's legs began to tremble.

"According to the order of the Empress Dowager, we are investigating the case of witchcraft and sorcery! You must be Mo Zongmian, right?"

The scholar-like man had a very obvious temperament. Chen Ju stared at him and said, "If you don't want to bring disaster to your clan, you should be smarter."

Amid the chill of the cold, in the Zheng residence late at night, the sound of miserable cries could be heard one after another.

We already have a lot of evidence in hand, just one link is missing.

The Queen Mother wants to find out the truth as soon as possible, so she has no choice but to act rudely.

At this time, Zhu Yijun, who should have gone to bed, refused to fall asleep.

"Your Majesty, your health is the most important thing. It's time to rest..." Queen Wang had been serving him for nearly a day and was already very tired.

Zhu Yijun said nothing, his eyes filled with fear.

What should I do if I fall asleep and can’t wake up?
What should I do if I am scolded by my ancestors and haunted by nightmares?
"…The Queen is tired…so she summons…the Imperial Noble Consort…to accompany me…"

Queen Wang was stunned when she heard this, and then she became extremely angry.

This is Kunning Palace!
Zhu Yijun didn’t want to see Zheng Mengjing before, after all, he looked too ugly now.

But at this late hour, he felt that perhaps he would feel more at ease with her by his side.

"…My mother ordered me to take good care of Your Majesty." Queen Wang already knew that the Yikun Palace was surrounded. Seeing the emperor like this, she could only delay while secretly getting angry. "I am not short of time. If Your Majesty is still not sleepy, I will talk to Your Majesty for a while."

Zhu Yijun didn't have much to say to her.

Looking at her uneasy expression, Zhu Yijun felt depressed.

"...I beat...two people to death, and you...are not happy?"

"…It was their clumsy actions that angered Your Majesty. How dare I?"

"...you all...are making fun of me..." Zhu Yijun became agitated again when he saw that she didn't dare to look at his face.

“Your Majesty, calm down!” Queen Wang knelt down in fear. “The imperial physician has repeatedly warned you that you must remain calm. If the disease relapses again…”

Zhu Yijun's pupils shrank, but he took these words to heart.

Of course he was afraid of death, and he was also afraid of having another stroke.

But why didn't his mother let his beloved concubine take care of him? He felt most at ease in the Yikun Palace.

The crown prince has been decided, and the future honors and blessings of the imperial concubine depend entirely on herself.

"... convey the order... I will go to... Yikun Palace..."

He wanted to try and see if his will was still effective.

Queen Wang felt a chill in her heart and said, "I will ask the servants to prepare the imperial chariot..."

As she walked cautiously from inside to outside, her eyes were filled with fear and grievance.

Having stayed in the Forbidden Palace for so many years, how could she not know the pros and cons?

The fear and anxiety of the whole day was also a torture for her.

But now came the greater torture.

The Yikun Palace has been surrounded by the Empress Dowager. How can the Emperor get there?
She hurriedly sent someone to the Silijian Zhifang, and then sent someone to the Cining Palace first, and then ordered to prepare the imperial sedan chair. After returning, she said to Zhu Yijun: "Your Majesty, the sedan chair cannot be used. I ordered them to move the bed. It's late at night, so go slowly..."

Time lost is time lost.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

Zhu Changluo was awakened from his sleep by Wang An.

"The Empress Dowager summoned you to Kunning Palace, saying that His Majesty has issued an order to move to Yikun Palace. Eunuch Tian is waiting outside."

Zhu Changluo was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses.

"What time is it?" he asked as he stood up.

"It's almost midnight."

Zhu Changluo was in a very bad mood.

It's almost midnight, and the seriously ill guy is still awake? Still doing these weird things?
It couldn't be hidden for even a day!
I quickly put on my clothes and went outside to meet Tian Yi, only to see that he also had a serious look on his face.

"The Empress Dowager was also awakened?"

"When I arrived, the Queen Mother was already preparing to leave."

Zhu Changluo walked hurriedly, and Tian Yi followed beside him.

"Eunuch Tian, my father cannot stand provocation now."

Tian Yi was silent for a moment: "I know."

"Eunuch Chen is here too?"

"…According to the Queen Mother's order, I went to the Zheng Mansion to conduct a thorough investigation."

Zhu Changluo paused slightly and turned to look at him.

In the darkness of the night, Tian Yi looked into his extremely sharp eyes.

Then, extremely complicated emotions appeared in his eyes: "If father insists on going to Yikun Palace, what should I do..."

It seemed like just worry, but Tian Yi understood what it meant.

Yeah, what should I do?
If you have two strokes in one day, there is really no hope...