Emperor Que Shaohua

Shen Ling left Miyagi with a heavy heart.There are strict rules in the Chonghua Palace, and the palace gates for princes, civil servants, generals, and even guards are different. He walked through the Minghe Gate on the west side of the palace.

The current situation is very unfavorable to King Ning. Ge Jun and Zheng Xian were obstructed on the way to report the letter, and they were injured in the guard in the afternoon.It was already too late when Jing Yuwei arrived at Huangjue Temple, King Ning was sent to the palace, and the forbidden army surrounded the Buddhist temple, it was difficult to enter without the order, let alone what was going on in the main hall.He could only obey King Jing's message and go to the palace to ask for an audience.No matter how quarrelsome King Jing and King Ning were, the subordinates of the two parties had joined forces to accomplish many things both openly and secretly. He had an intuition that King Jing would be on the side of the fifth prince.

Just now, what else can I do?King Ning's current situation reminded him of the day when Wu Tingzhou was attacked and died.There was also no warning in advance, as if shrouded in invisible clouds, and there was no way to recover.After King Ning came to take office and rectified, what should the Jingyu Guard, which has just shown a new look, be reduced to a puppet or tool for power struggle?

After a long delay in the palace, it was already dark.He was about to mount his horse, but he heard someone calling not far away: "Deputy Commander Shen, did you see His Majesty come out just now?"

The voice sounded familiar, and when Shen Ling turned his head to look, the speaker had already come up to him. It was Yang Yue who was beside King Jing. He was leading the horse, and it seemed that he had just arrived.

"Why is Director Yang here?" Shen Ling was a little surprised, "But His Royal Highness King Jing is going to enter the palace?"

"My Highness misses His Highness the Fifth Highness, but he really can't get away, so he sent me to investigate the situation." Yang Yue said.

Shen Ling remembered that Yang Yue used to be the deputy commander of the Yulin Guard, and his rank was half a level higher than his own. He might have some affection in the palace, but King Jing sent him here directly, which shows that he is taken seriously.

"I just met His Majesty, and the situation is not very good." He said, and whispered the story of the face of the Qingliang Temple.

"So, His Royal Highness Ning's injury is not bad, and the key is tomorrow, so I'm really in a hurry." Yang Yue said, with a serious look on his face, "Can Vice-Commander Shen spare some time to go to King Jing's Mansion? It’s better for you to tell me in person. I need to do something before I can go back home.”

Shen Ling also had this intention at first. The whole matter was said to be a matter of the clan's house, and the courtiers and subordinates couldn't get in the way. He already suspected that the crown prince and King An were behind the scenes. For the present plan, he could only count on the eldest prince to think about it. Method.He immediately responded: "That's fine, I'll go there now, will Director Yang still want to enter the palace?"

Just as Yang Yue was about to answer, two guards rushed out from the palace gate, cupped their hands and said to him: "Vice Commander Yang, Commander Li is ordered to go out of the palace to handle business, there can be no delay, he invites you to accompany him, if you have something to talk about on the way." They faced each other. Yang Yueshi still used the old title.

Shen Ling's heart was shocked, unexpectedly, Yang Yue came to ask to see the Commander-in-Chief, and at this critical moment, Li Pinglan was actually willing to see him.He was originally in a heavy heart, but now he had some hope, and he and Yang Yue each hugged their fists and parted ways.

Yang Yue, who was led forward by the imperial guards, was full of worries.Before leaving Xieji Tea House, Cen Yuan and another secret guard had rushed back from Huangjue Temple. According to Nie Sheng and others, Luo Pingyuan saved a girl who witnessed the murder before the accident.

Hearing this, Yang Yue heaved a sigh of relief. Now that there are witnesses, things will be easy to handle.King Jing remained silent all the time, and finally said: "It's not that simple."

"From your Highness' point of view, what's the problem? I'll send someone to protect the Du family lady, and then send her into the palace. Wouldn't it prove that the Fifth Highness didn't kill innocent people indiscriminately?" Yang Yue said.

"According to what A Yuan said, Ms. Du is still an unmarried girl. I'm afraid she will be terrified when she encounters today's events. And if she testifies for Ping Yuan, she will have to admit in public that she has fallen into the hands of robbers. Miss Yu Hao's family Speaking, reputation is sometimes more important than life, so she must have a lot of worries." King Jing said, "Besides, as the prince, if he retaliates afterwards, it is more likely to harm Du Shiguan's family. Miss Du doesn't know this now, we wait But I can't help but think of it. Since Ping Yuan has already taken action to save her, we can't fight each other."

"But even if we don't look for her, I'm afraid the crown prince will find out that Miss Du may know about it soon, and will kill her." Yang Yue said anxiously, "Now it's urgent, Your Highness can't worry too much."

King Jing sighed, with Luo Pingyuan's temperament, if Du Tangli suffered misfortune because of this, even if he was proved innocent, he would definitely not be happy in his heart.

He said: "Even if Ms. Du is willing to tell the truth, on the one hand, she was the only one who survived the gangster's murder, and she might not be completely convincing when she insisted on a different story with the monk who framed the accusation; What, it's hard to completely remove Pingyuan's suspicion." As long as Emperor Tianyi still has doubts, it will be extremely detrimental to Luo Pingyuan's future.Is it a joke to be charged with unnecessary crimes such as carrying evil spirits?Others will talk and speculate behind their backs, if it is not for the conduct of the body or the lack of virtue, how can it be easy to fall into evil?And where did his evil spirit come from, so powerful that it collided with the magic circle of the imperial temple?When encountering natural disasters and man-made disasters in the future, they will also say that it is because King Ning triggered the heavenly gang and the earthly evil, which affected the fate of the country. Similar slanders can emerge endlessly without end.

He pondered for a moment before saying: "There are two key points to deal with this matter, and whether it can be successful depends on whether someone is willing to help. Director Yang, you go to the palace to see Commander Li immediately, as I think, it's not bad. He should start to investigate the Huangjue murder case, and His Majesty will only trust him now."

Two imperial guards were leading the way, and Yang Yue thought of King Jing's instructions, and his palms were sweating, because these two things were indeed very important.But when he turned around the palace wall, when he saw a group of imperial guards and Li Pinglan at the front, his mood calmed down again.Li Pinglan's expression couldn't be seen clearly in the night, but that calm figure reminded him of King Ming of Shoushan sitting in Xieji Tea House.Chai Ming doesn't talk much, and he doesn't have any courtesy, but he will help when he is most needed when he receives King Jing's request.This is a strange tacit understanding.

"I've met Commander Li." He went up to greet him and said with fists clasped.

In Du's mansion, Du Tangli used dinner carelessly. She wanted to calm down, so she let Qin go on painting, took the unfinished needle and thread by herself, and bowed her head to sew.It was autumn, and she was sewing winter shoes and socks for her father and younger brother.These jobs could have been handed over to the maids at home, or bought outside, but family members said they were the most comfortable ironing sticks she made by herself, so Du Tangli sewed several pairs every year.

The dense stitches are like the delicate and tortuous thoughts of a girl. Whenever the cotton thread passes through the thick fabric, there is a soft "chuck".Du Tangli took a deep breath, and saw a dark red blood drop the size of a grain of rice slowly ooze from her fingertips.It took only a moment to sew, and it was already the third time that it got stuck.She frowned, remembering the way Caiqin Hua looked back three times when she stepped out, as if she was afraid that she would not want to commit suicide, maybe she was still guarding outside the door to listen to the movement.

Du Tangli felt that after experiencing today's incident, her reaction was indeed a bit weird. She didn't seem to be hit too hard, she didn't feel distraught because of the bandit, or she couldn't spare her energy to think about herself. Apart from the indescribable fear, there was nothing but worry in her mind.

At this moment, there was a soft sound from the window lattice, as if a wind had blown, and the next moment, there was a figure in the room.Before Du Tangli cried out in surprise, he covered her mouth with a palm, only to hear the man whisper: "Miss Du, don't be afraid, I am not a villain. His Royal Highness Prince Ning has an accident, my master wants to invite Miss Let’s talk outside the house, and I’ll send you back safely after a while.”

On normal days, Du Tangli would definitely panic, but today she encountered all kinds of horrific accidents one after another, and she has somewhat been able to bear it.After hearing the words in her ears clearly, and feeling the gentle force of the palm covering her face, she gradually calmed down, and then nodded subtly.

The man let go of his hand, Du Tangli saw a handsome young man in front of her, she whispered: "If there is something to do, why don't you come to talk to me?"

"Miss Du, the situation is very serious. It is inconvenient for my master to visit, so please come with me." Qin Shuang said.It was a little unexpected that the girl in front of her could calm down so quickly.He went in and out of Du Tangli's mansion as if he had entered no one's land, he put his hand under Du Tangli's rib, and the two left the house.

This was the second time in a day that Du Tangli was led over the wall through the eaves.A full moon was rising from the sky, as bright as silver, and a simple light carriage was quietly parked outside the courtyard wall.

The young man let go of her hand after she stood still, stepped forward to open the car door, said a few words softly to the inside, then turned around and said: "Miss Du, my master invites you to get in the car and meet each other." Yan Bi stood aside with his hands down .

Du Tangli was slightly surprised, but the words "King Ning's accident" gave her courage, she walked up to her, and stepped into the carriage.

The interior of the car was not as dark as she thought. There were two bright candles on the candle holders on the wall of the car.

"Miss Du, please sit here," a quiet and soft voice said, "I only invite you in this way because of an emergency. Please don't blame the abruptness." With a smile, he motioned for her to sit opposite.

Looking at it, Du Tangli's breathing stagnates for a moment. The person in front of her is in her 20s, and the way she sits with a smile reminds her of the moonlight in the water, with a kind of seductive tranquility and beauty.

"Excuse me, my lord is..." Du Tangli sat down, and for some reason her mood calmed down a lot, as if in front of this person, the restlessness in her heart suddenly found a place to belong.She tried her best to search for the memory, and she always felt that it looked familiar, but if she had seen it, it would be impossible for her to forget it.

Following her, her almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened: "You are His Royal Highness King Jing!"

She finally remembered that she had seen it in the Wulan paddock.At that time, the princes were the center of attention of all the ladies, but the eldest prince seldom showed up, she just caught a glimpse from a distance.

"Under Luo Yanhua." King Jing smiled and stopped the girl from getting up and bowing down.Du Tangli felt his gaze passing over her face, and her expression was filled with melancholy: "No wonder, Ping Yuan wanted to save you in such an emergency, so that's how it is."

Du Tangli felt that these words were not addressed to her, King Jing's eyes seemed to be gazing at someone far away through herself, as if a long-lasting pain had been aroused, and she was a little uneasy.

Fortunately, the contemplative expression only appeared for a moment, and King Jing immediately said: "Miss Du, Pingyuan had an accident in Huangjue Temple, and he was injured and wronged. If no one can help prove his innocence, he is likely to be punished severely by His Majesty. Today I I came here to ask you something, would you like to help him?"

Qin Hua moved a small stool and sat outside Du Tangli's room. She felt that as a personal maid, she had the responsibility to stay here tonight.After an unknown amount of time, she heard noises in the room and woke up suddenly, only to realize that she had just fallen asleep leaning against the door.

Looking at the sky again, I saw the moon rising just now, but now it looks like a cloud, and it's dark.How long did you sleep for?She sat up straight, really disappointing, she may not be so sleepy when she is free on weekdays.

The door behind him suddenly opened, and Du Tangli came out from inside.

"Miss, it's so late and you're still awake, where are you going?" Qin Hua hurriedly got up and followed behind her.

"I'm going to see my father, and I have something to tell him," Du Tangli said, "Qin Hua, you don't have to come with me. Since I haven't rested yet, help me pack my clothes for going out."

"Master Du, I don't know if I'm resting now, do you want to talk about it tomorrow?" Qin Hua wanted to persuade, but there was something unquestionable in Du Tangli's expression, which made her swallow her words back, "Yes, miss .”

She stopped and watched Du Tangli's slender figure go away. She always felt that something was different about the young lady. There was a kind of determination in those dark eyes that she had never seen before, as if she had done an extremely important thing. Decide.

Du Heng was still in the study without sleeping, and was having a headache about his daughter. Seeing Du Tangli coming in, he called his father, but didn't speak, so he sent the book boy holding the inkstone out, and closed the door: "Tangli, But do you have something to tell your father?"

Du Tangli bit her lip, and began to tell about her experiences during the day: how she accompanied Yao Qian'er to pilgrimage; how she saw the menacing man in black and was mistaken for her identity and survived; finally, she met King Ning who went to the temple to find someone. Saved by him...

At the end, he said, "Father, the only one who survived in the group was my daughter. If His Royal Highness King Ning is really wrongly accused of being the culprit of the murder, the daughter must tell what she saw and heard."

She didn't mention the conversation in the car just now. Before leaving, King Jing warned: "Just tell the truth about your experience, and His Majesty will naturally be able to discern the truth. But if you want to save Pingyuan, you must not use tonight Tell others about what I have been here, even my family members. Don’t worry about other things.”

When the eyes met at that time, Du Tangli felt relieved. King Jing didn't promise or guarantee anything, but there was a kind of gentle comfort in his eyes, as if he could understand every layer of confusion and worry in his heart, and even the deepest burial. Known thoughts.For this most distinguished prince of Yu Zhou, she had only heard some rumors from other people, so mysterious and distant, but when this person was right in front of her eyes, Du Tangli felt that every word he said was worthy of trust.

Du Heng was so shocked that he couldn't say a word at first, but when he heard this, he suddenly became furious: "No! Tangli, don't lose your head! If you want to prove yourself, who will listen to you? Do you want your reputation? ?”

"But His Royal Highness Ning Wang saved me," Du Tangli said in a low voice, "Didn't my father teach me that to be a human being, you should repay your kindness?"

Du Heng was suffocated, and then he said angrily: "It depends on the situation to repay the favor. What is the status of the fifth prince, and you need you to speak for him? A girl should not be involved in this kind of thing."

"My daughter has already been involved." Du Tangli said, her father's anger was bigger than she could imagine, he must be worried. "Even if it's not out of kindness, it's what a daughter should do. If someone asks my father to make mistakes when compiling history, or turn black and white, will father agree? Tangli is lazy in studying, but she can still tell what to do."

"That's different." Du Heng was speechless by her words, "You stay at home and don't think about it any more."

"It's too late," Du Tangli said. If it wasn't really necessary, she believed that King Jing would not choose to make a special visit at a time of crisis. , As long as you do what you have to do, with a clear conscience, your daughter doesn't care what others think."

"Didn't His Highness Prince Ning already make arrangements for you? According to what he said, you haven't been to Huangjue Temple. If someone asks you, just answer like this. Understand? Even if something happens to him, it won't fall on you." On a girl." Du Heng said earnestly, "Listen to your father, you don't know the dangers of the palace, you can't touch it."

When he said this, he suddenly felt something was wrong: "Tangli, why did you say that someone would come to the door, could it be that you still have something to hide from your father?"

Before the words finished, the door was hurriedly knocked by the book boy, who hurriedly announced: "My lord, my lord, suddenly many strangers came in front of the door! They said it was the guard of the imperial forest, here to pick up Miss!"

Du Heng was stunned. He walked to the window in a few steps, and from a distance he could see two rows of lanterns lined up in front of the house, and pairs of sergeants standing outside the gate with knives hanging from their waists. There was no noise at all. A man dressed as a fourth-rank imperial guard was standing in front of the door.

"My daughter is going to change clothes." Du Tangli said, her eyes suddenly filled with tears, she knelt down slowly, and bowed to Du Heng three times: "It is Tangli who is unfilial, which disturbed the whole family. But also Please rest assured, father, the more you tell the truth in public, the more safe and sound my Du family will be."

It was night, King Jing returned to the mansion, Emperor Tianyi's order had arrived, and Deputy Commander Shen was waiting for him.Feng Jingyi and the others had also returned, but before they could experience the joy of reunion, they fell into new worries.

After Luo Yanhua received the decree, he invited Shen Ling to speak in the study, and while listening to him describe what he saw in the palace, he ordered dinner to be served: "Deputy Commander Shen has not eaten yet, no matter how urgent it is, there is always food. "

That's what he said, but Shen Ling noticed that he only moved a few chopsticks towards the food on the table. He didn't see it many times in the past, but tonight, he always felt that King Jing's face was paler than usual. It's really peaceful, and it's not obvious if I'm feeling unwell.

"Recently there have been frequent incidents, first the disciples of Huashan, and now His Highness the Fifth Highness has been framed again, causing His Highness to work hard." He said with some shame, "His Highness also needs to take care of himself."

"Nothing, please take care of Vice Commander Shen." King Jing said.Knowing Luo Pingyuan's situation from Shen Ling's mouth, he was actually slightly relieved.As long as people are still safe, even if they encounter some setbacks, they can always overcome them.

He had no appetite, but managed to eat a few more mouthfuls of food: "Deputy Commander Shen, please arrange for Jingyi and the others to wait outside the palace tomorrow. They may not be announced to testify in the palace, but it is always better to be prepared."

"Your Highness, don't worry," Shen Ling said, "Shen will send someone to accompany them there early in the morning."

After sending Shen Ling away, King Jing still stayed in the study.Perhaps it was because he had met Du Tangli, or perhaps because he had returned to the familiar mansion, he felt a little more relaxed.Seeing what Emperor Tianyi meant, the Huangjue murder case will be dealt with tomorrow, and there is almost no time for others to react.This is not surprising, the day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and after that it will be the Qiu Wei, and a decision must be made as soon as possible to drive away this ominous haze.

In this way, although the leeway left to King Ning is small, it is not without benefits.At present, in the land of Gyeonggi, the prince's power is still clearly dominant, and it may become even more unfavorable if it drags on for a long time.

At this time, he heard Qin Shuang say outside: "Director Yang is back, go see the Lord quickly!" Following the voice, he paused, "Uh, Master Xi Gu also... When will you arrive, I am going to invite you."

"What do you want me to do?" Xi Minghua's voice sounded sadly outside the courtyard gate, "Anyway, your master doesn't treat his illness well, and doesn't take his own life seriously. You subordinates surround him all day long. , How can he have the time to let me, a doctor, see a doctor?"

"I'm really going to invite you." Qin Shuang sounded a little embarrassed, "Mr. Yang, go in quickly. Doctor Xi, please come in. I'll help you carry the medicine box."

King Jing couldn't help but smile, seeing Yang Yue and the owner of Mengxian Valley walking in one after the other.

"Commander Li is now at Huangjue Temple, and everything is just waiting for His Highness's arrangement." Yang Yue said immediately after entering the study.

"That's good." King Jing nodded, "Boss Yang is working hard." Since Li Pinglan has agreed to help, his burden has been relieved a lot, and he stood up and smiled at Xi Minghua: "Master Xi, Doctor Xi, it was because I didn't Well, don't be mad at them."

"Sit down, the patient doesn't listen to the doctor's orders, what's the use of blaming others?" Xi Minghua still had a cold face, "You can't be quiet when you come to check the pulse, and compete with your subordinates for time. Could it be that Sect Master Jiang wants to cure the disease?" , but want to smash the signboard of the valley owner?"

He spoke with displeasure, and he came over and sat down, took a small cotton bag and put it on the desk.

King Jing stretched out his right hand, pillowed his wrist on it, and said with a smile, "I have something to ask tonight, but I dare not offend Lord Xi Gu."

Xi Minghua couldn't help being startled when he heard his serious tone, but when she put her finger on King Jing's wrist, she frowned and didn't have the heart to ask further.

Yang Yue narrated the process of discussing with Li Pinglan, and Qin Shuang was standing beside him; Xi Minghua just kept his pulse on a calm face, and finally said: "If you want me to go, just believe that Xi can do it, and you won't miss it ?”

"If you don't even believe in the owner of Dream Fairy Valley, who else in this world can you trust?" King Jing smiled slightly, and turned to Qin Shuang, "Xiao Shuang, I know everyone is tired after two days, but we need to work harder tonight , take a hard trip and escort Master Xi Gu to meet Commander Li."

Hearing what he said, Xi Minghua was determined to agree, she was angry and funny, and said with a sullen face: "It's been ten days, but you only rested for seven days, and I haven't settled with you yet."

"Let's write it down first. After tomorrow's incident is over, I will be at the disposal of Master Xi Gu. I will take medicine and stay in bed, and I will not dare to disobey orders." Wang Jing said.

"You said it yourself, remember not to break your promise." Xi Minghua sighed, considering the unforeseen events that Luo Yanhua had to face, his guarantee was really weak, "I will give you a prescription. Post medicine, you must drink it tonight, it will not affect your entry into the palace tomorrow, you must sleep for several hours."

"I'll let someone decoct the medicine." King Jing agreed.

After Xi Minghua was sent away, Yang Yue also went down to rest, and Lancangju returned to tranquility.The little servants were boiling medicine outside, and the bitter fragrance of the medicine slowly seeped in through the crack of the door.King Jing let out a sigh of relief, and tried his best to do what he needed to do, but whether it can go well or not still needs the protection of heaven.

The little fox Zhenshi got into the study room at some point, and skillfully ran along his legs to his knees. It didn't find a comfortable position to form a large pompom as usual, but rubbed against King Jing's body. , and then raised his small head, looking at him with black glazed eyes, as if he was acting like a baby, but also seemed very disturbed.

Luo Yanhua stroked its snow-white and soft fur, picked up the little fox, and strolled to the window.It was pitch black outside, with no moon or stars, only the candles in the room projected a small piece of soft light and shadow through the window paper, other than that, it was pure darkness, and the only sound in the night sky was the rustling of the wind passing through the forest leaves Voices.

"The wind is blowing." He said to himself, and looked down at the little fox in his arms: "Zhenshi, are you looking for the master? Don't worry, Pingyuan will come back safely."