My enemies became my companions

Chapter 118 Are you cold?

Tushan clan was sealed again, and its underground palace had collapsed the southwest corner of the capital. Fortunately, there were not many houses there, and there were not many casualties.

During the time when Empress An was trapped in the Tushan underground palace, the capital did not fall apart, and Dayu was not in turmoil. Firstly, it was only four or five days, and secondly, there was an old lady named Wuming in charge of the imperial palace, and the palace's Shangshu internal affairs functioned as usual.

The Shangshu Neisheng were all people from the palace, all of them were female officials, in charge of memorials and documents, and approved them according to the cabinet's votes. They were known as the cabinet in the palace. The current empress dowager is in power. In order to eliminate the influence of the late emperor in the palace and consolidate her own foundation, she used the Shangshu Neisheng to undermine the Silijian and let the Silijian return to the position it should have had during the time of Taizu - supervising etiquette in the capital.

The only hidden danger is the King of Annan who is stationed not far from the capital.

"King Annan is here?"

"They stationed them sixty miles away, saying that they were protecting the capital, and they also sent people to come here to meet the emperor on behalf of the king."

Chief Zeng paused for a moment, then said:
"Everyone knows that he is trying to find out the truth."

Chen Yi was silent.

It was only the third day since he returned, and he was not very familiar with the situation in the capital, so he needed to learn from Captain Zeng.

"In the past few days, Governor Wu has sent people to monitor the movements in the capital, and the Taoist priests from the Imperial Observatory are also helping to keep track of the situation."

Chief Zeng continued:

"The King of Annan was too bullying. He has been secretly sending experts to Beijing to spy on us. We fought back several times. We let those who couldn't be fought back in and stopped them from leaving."

After Captain Zeng finished speaking, he sighed.

"You have suffered so much. I have already reported your merits to the emperor yesterday. I believe that you will be called Zeng Baihu in the near future."

Chen Yi said this in a comforting tone. He could tell that Captain Zeng seemed to have something else to say.

Captain Zeng thanked him repeatedly, then looked into the distance and said at the right time:
"They killed our people. Some of our brothers couldn't stand it, so they went to West City last night to check on the strength of the masters of King Annan. I hope that Governor Chen won't blame us."

"Of course, but you have to give me a name."

"Zhu Lao San, Wei Zhu'er, and Li Man. I can't remember the other two people right now. I'll give them to you when I get back."

Officer Zeng paused and said:

"By the way, Captain Chen will go to the palace to meet the emperor next, right?"

"Well, the Queen Mother woke up last night."

Chen Yi replied.

"You have done a great job in saving the emperor. I hope you will support me in the future."

Captain Zeng complimented him at the right time, and felt fortunate in his heart that he had established a relationship with Chen Yi so early on.

Chen Yi smiled bitterly.

Now, the relationship between him and the queen mother who ruled the country was far from harmonious.

Queen An woke up last night. Governor Wu got some information and it was said that the beautiful and graceful woman kept repeating a person's name after she woke up, and she was also calling for people to take him and execute him incoherently.

That person is yourself.

Everyone in the palace regarded it as the Queen Mother's crazy talk, and naturally no one would come to arrest him. But Chen Yi knew that after this incident, the Queen Mother's hatred for him would probably be even deeper.

Just imagine, the son of her enemy actually spent several days with her as her mother and son, and they were quite charming during the process. Anyone who thought about this would not be able to bear it.

..............................

Cold rain fell, winter was approaching, and the wind was chilly. Although the days of eliminating bandits and exterminating demons had passed, the air in the capital was still stuffy. The heads of peddlers rose and fell in the streets, most of them with their heads lowered. Refugees could be seen along the streets, crowding the porridge shops.

Chen Yi rode his horse across the street, slowing down his pace. Some refugees came forward, and the Jinyiwei gathered on the side pushed and drove them away. Soon, the group passed the noisy area and arrived outside the Donghua Gate of the imperial palace.

It was drizzling and the wind was getting colder. After reporting, Chen Yi braved the rain and entered the palace. The young eunuch led him to the outside of Jingren Palace. At this time, Chen Yi saw a female official from the Shangshu Neisheng from a distance. He saluted casually and the latter returned the salute.

There were puddles on the road. After hearing "Come in", Chen Yi walked in the rain to Jingren Palace, and then he saw the queen.

"Miss."

Chen Yi called out.

Holding the fox fur, Queen An shook it out, and seeing that he was wearing thin clothes, she blurted out:
"Yi Er, are you... cold?"

Before Chen Yi could answer, Queen An's brows began to tremble in a gloomy and dark look, and she coughed twice as if she had just woken up from a dream.

Having just woken up, she looked less rosy and graceful, and more pale, as if she had just recovered from a long illness.

"My lady, it's not cold."

Chen Yidao.

Queen An looked at him for a while, her eyes gloomy and she said:
"It's been hard for Captain Chen these days."

"It is the duty of a minister to share the worries of the monarch and his mother."

Chen Yi declined as usual.

Unexpectedly, when Queen An heard the word "Jun's mother", her face changed slightly and her expression became terribly gloomy.

When Chen Yi was thinking she was going to say something, she suddenly melted away her emotions and smiled gracefully:

"Captain Chen, what do you want to report?"

Chen Yi noticed the changes in her expression and slowly repeated what Captain Zeng had said about the king of a different surname.

"Sending people to the capital several times shows his wolfish ambitions." Queen An paused and said in a clear voice:
"He has offended the East and West Factories, which means he has offended the royal family. If we just keep silent about this, he will definitely think that the defense of the capital is weak and start a war. You can do whatever you want..."

With these words, Chen Yi nodded immediately:

"Then do as your majesty says. I have nothing else to report."

"Wait, now that you have performed the merit of protecting the emperor, what reward do you want?"

Perhaps because he had just woken up, Anhou's voice was weak.

"I have only served my country faithfully, so why would I ask for a reward? If you must ask for a reward, I have previously submitted a memorial to ask for merits from my brothers, and I hope Your Majesty will approve it."

Chen Yi replied without missing a word.

But An Hou's next sentence made his face suddenly change.

"Oh, you are loyal to your country and selfless."

In the cold wind and drizzle, the Queen Mother exhaled a breath of white air from her gentle voice.
"But what about the daughter of the King of Xiang whom you took away?"

Chen Yi's legs were nailed to the ground like rocks, and he stared straight at the heir of a country.

The underground palace has become a thing of the past, and Tushan clan has returned to its seal.

Yes,

Tushan, who treated him as her own daughter, has left, while Queen Dowager Dayu, who treated her as a knife, is right in front of him.

The underground heating is scorching hot, but it cannot warm the cold imperial kiln gold bricks in Jingren Palace.

Queen An narrowed her eyes, intentionally not continuing to mention Yin Tingxue, and said:

"Captain Chen, since you are already a fifth-rank warrior, prepare to have your name entered into the Spring and Autumn Register.

The position of the East Factory... should also be temporarily resigned, and it is time for the Imperial Household Department to send someone to supervise the East Factory."

....................................

"Did you hear that? The captain of the Western Factory was meritorious in protecting the emperor. He risked his life to kill nearly a thousand members of the Lin Party, and even rescued the Queen Mother from the underground palace almost single-handedly."

It was not yet the winter solstice, but the chill had already set in. The capital of Dayu was drizzling and drizzling. Although the King of Annan was away and the atmosphere in the city was depressing, the news that the Queen Mother had returned to the palace spread instantly throughout the teahouses and restaurants.

The Empress Dowager's return to the palace was such a major event that there were bound to be people in the capital who would make up stories, and the news that the Western Factory's captain had rescued the emperor soon spread throughout half of the city.

"A few days ago, this thousand households hung their swords to slay the dragon, and today, they suppressed the underground palace. Come on, give me some money for the drinks, and let's talk about the two things together and tell everyone about this strange man."

In the Zhongxian Posthouse with a theater, there was already a storyteller sitting by the brazier, waving a fan, clapping a board, with a wooden clapper at hand, and telling people the story of the captain of the Western Factory with a cheerful voice.

Li Ping stood by the railing, listening to the eloquent storyteller with a gloomy look.

Soon after, footsteps sounded behind him, and the attendant came up to him. Li Ping asked:
"Mo Hu, was the letter sent out last night?"

"Secretary Li, we ran into the Western Factory on the way and didn't send him out."

The man called Mo Hu had a tall and straight figure, and his breathing was steady. He was a capable spy among the spies in the Annan King's palace, and now he was assigned to Li Ping.

This is the Zhongxian Posthouse, an inn specially set up for local princes to meet the emperor and officials to receive their appointments. It was first established by Emperor Taizu of Dayu, and initially it was only used to welcome princes and local dignitaries. But after Emperor Renzong took power, he thoroughly investigated the problems of the inn - they only welcomed officials and were not able to make ends meet. So he reformed the inns in various places to welcome not only officials but also wealthy merchants.

As a result, many inns became teahouses, theaters, and even wine shops, but their elegance was far beyond that of ordinary places.

"The prince is now more than 60 miles away. It has been nearly six days since we were sent to the capital. How can we explain to the prince that we cannot even send a letter?"

Li Ping sighed and said,
"I'm just afraid... that if I miss this golden opportunity, I will ruin the prince's important plans."

Mo Hu just smiled calmly and said comfortingly:
"Secretary Li, please don't worry. Although we can't deliver the letter now, the capital's defenses are already weak. If we can't deliver it today or tomorrow, we can always deliver it the day after tomorrow. Then the prince will come to help..."

He paused here, but because there were so many people around, he didn't continue.

Li Ping understood what was going to happen next.

Ostensibly, he was an official on the sidelines of the imperial court, but in reality, he was here to gather information about the capital's situation. He had learned from his investigation a few days earlier that the capital had been badly damaged, but the letters had not been delivered and there was no reply. The Annan king's army did not dare to act rashly and could only camp sixty miles outside the capital, ready to advance to capture the capital or retreat to southern Xinjiang.

The longer the time dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for King Annan, so Li Ping urged them more and asked about the situation found by the group of Yumo spies from time to time.

"Secretary Li, please be at ease. Nothing in the world can go smoothly. We have not been without any gains in the past few days. In the fight last night, Cao Jin defeated a group of Western Factory thugs."

Mo Hu said in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"That jade-faced man who wields swords also came to the capital with you?"

"I came in a few days ago."

Li Ping felt relieved, but still worried:
"I heard that he is cruel and ruthless by nature, and even the prince has some complaints about him. I'm afraid..."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden scream on the street, followed by several screams like thunder.

A black dot appeared on the street. As it grew bigger and closer, screams of fear rushed through the streets like a tsunami.

It was a brown and black skinny horse that looked exhausted. Almost half of its back was covered in blood, and a series of heads were hanging on its flank. The person sitting on it was tied tightly to the horse's back. There was only a scar the size of a bowl where the head should have been.

It turned out to be a headless corpse!
The official uniform he was wearing was obviously from the Jinyiwei of the Western Factory!
The screams soon attracted the officials, who saw that he was in official uniform and hurriedly informed the Western Factory. Soon after, the sound of horse hooves could be heard on the street, and Min Ning, along with a group of guardsmen, arrived at the street outside Zhongxian Posthouse.

She was so frightened that she rushed over and looked at the heads hanging on the horse's belly. She jumped off the horse with a plop.
"Zhu Laosan, Wei Zhuer, and Li Man...are they all the brothers from West City last night?!"

The second volume is about to begin. These few chapters are just a small attempt. You can see how it feels.

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(End of this chapter)