The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 211 Secret Order
In the capital, the military governor Chai Xuyao ​​stood before a map of the capital, motionless for a long time.

"Sir, your letter!"

A guard hurriedly delivered a letter, "Just like the last one, it appeared suddenly at the camp."

"..."

Chai Xuyao ​​frowned. "Haven't you noticed anyone acting strangely yet?"

He was personally promoted by the retired emperor.

The retired emperor did indeed secretly order that if one day he could no longer make his own decisions in the palace, he should obey the Prince of Jin in everything.

The retired emperor can no longer make decisions in the palace, but that's because he was angered by the Prince of Jin.

He suffered a stroke from anger caused by the Prince of Jin, not from being placed under house arrest by the Emperor.

This is the person who wrote to him...

Knowing the Emperor Emeritus's secret order, he seemed to be one of the Emperor Emeritus's men, yet something felt off.

Those who speak ill of the Prince of Jin are even more wrong.

Even if Prince Jin were to be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, or even if he were out there unharmed with the Emperor Emeritus's secret decree... he would still need to think things through carefully for some time.

"without!"

The guard's expression was grave. "This letter wasn't on your desk, but on the butler's."

housekeeper?

Lord Chai wanted to have some doubts, but he quickly dismissed his initial suspicions.

His steward is a cousin who has accompanied him all the way from their hometown and would never betray him.

There is only one possibility now: the other party is one of his own men.

His every move was under the observation of others.

Chai Xuyao ​​looked at the unsigned envelope in his hand, then opened it and pulled out what was likely a letter about beheading.

"What is Lord Chai planning to do by delaying for so long?"

Inside is the calligraphy of the Prince of Jin, and also a small seal.

But Prince Jin was clearly in the Imperial Clan Court.

Is that a place where you can freely write and send letters?

Since Your Majesty has imprisoned Prince Jin, does he not have any sense of vigilance at all?

"Or does Your Majesty not believe me?"

Chai Xuyao ​​looked down and said, "The Emperor Emeritus's secret orders were given to you, sir, and to me."

In his letter, Prince Jin wrote: "Now everyone outside is saying that I angered the Emperor Emeritus so much that he suffered a stroke. But the Emperor Emeritus has always been in good health. This stroke... actually has another hidden reason. Now I am also helpless. I hope that you can follow the Emperor Emeritus's secret order and, even if you do not cooperate with me, at least make things convenient for me."

"..."

Lord Chai slowly put away the letter, turned around and threw it into the brazier. He watched it burn completely before letting out a sigh.

He won't join Prince Jin in his antics, but he might be able to offer some assistance if it's convenient...

Even if he makes a mistake in the future, he can still get away unscathed with the Emperor Emeritus's secret order in hand.

"Pass down the order: for the next three days, the Beijing garrison will be closed for rest and recuperation, and no one is allowed to enter or leave without authorization."

"Yes!"

The guards hurriedly left, and before long, all four gates of the Beijing garrison were closed, and an additional team of men was stationed there to guard them.

From afar, nobody knew that someone was watching them all along.

……

The Imperial Clan Court's prison.

Actually, it doesn't really look like a prison.

To put it bluntly, this is where royal children are imprisoned for committing serious offenses.

Since they are members of the royal family, they naturally receive preferential treatment.

Aside from the lack of freedom, poor food, and terrible accommodations, the Prince of Jin didn't suffer much hardship here.

When Dong Xiaoquan came over in the afternoon, he was still sunbathing by the window.

It's impossible to avoid the sun; this room is as cold as an icebox.

No one provided him with charcoal, so he could only rely on what he was wearing. Although he was a prince and dressed warmly, and even wore a thick cloak that day, it was still incredibly cold.

The Prince of Jin was used to a good life, how could he endure the hardships here?

But then Dong Xiaoquan came over...

The Prince of Jin felt as if his heart had fallen into an ice cellar.

He wasn't afraid of family law, but he was afraid of national law. To punish him according to family law, his father, the emperor, had to intervene.

Even though his father had fallen right in front of him that day, and he was still labeled as unfilial by the emperor, he believed that as long as his father was alive, the emperor would have to be careful if he wanted to punish him.

It's too heavy. The royal family and relatives won't agree. Prince Jing and the others will also help him out for their own future.

But Dong Xiaoquan...

The Prince of Jin was inwardly pounding, but he tried his best to remain calm on the surface.

Because the one who came in with him was Zongzheng, who was considered a junior grandfather in the clan, and he wasn't even as old as his father, the emperor.

"Grandpa, is this... a place where court officials can just walk in?"

He didn't look at Dong Xiaoquan, but only asked this young grandfather.

Zongzheng was also helpless.

He stopped them.

Lord Dong arrived in the morning and negotiated with him for a long time. He even ate lunch at his place. Clearly... he couldn't hold on any longer!

The Emperor may appear gentle, but how could he have survived under the Emperor Emeritus without some skill or cunning?
She's really hopeless; she would have been completely taken advantage of by the person in front of her long ago.

The Imperial Clan Head must take care of the Emperor.

Besides, the reason he was able to become the head of the imperial clan back then was because there was no one else in the imperial family.

With all of the Emperor Emeritus's brothers gone, he was essentially fighting alone.

Although he had many sons, all of whom were granted the title of prince, the large number of sons created a rift between them, which is why his position as the head of the imperial clan has remained stable until now.

If you want to stay in power, what else can you do but cling to the Emperor's leg, or the retired Emperor?

The Emperor Emeritus's legs were so weak that even he couldn't support himself; he dared not rely on the Emperor Emeritus.

"Lord Dong is here on the Emperor's orders to ask the Prince some questions."

Zongzheng sighed, "Your Highness should also know that there are some things that your great-uncle can't interfere with."

At this point, he turned to Dong Xiaoquan, "Lord Dong, you only have one hour. After one hour, please leave voluntarily, otherwise..."

"nature!"

Dong Xiaoquan nodded and waved to the accompanying secretary, signaling him to prepare to take notes.

To avoid offending them, Zongzheng quickly withdrew.

Sometimes it's better not to know than to know.

Hearing too many royal secrets could put your whole family in danger.

"Prince Jin, was Jia Jing's death your doing?"

Hearing Dong Xiaoquan inside get straight to the point, Zongzheng walked even faster.

He didn't notice the exchange of glances between the two jailers in the Imperial Clan Court.

……

At Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning saw Jiao Da return.

"Mrs……"

The old man glanced around, and Qingzhu and the others, sensing the danger, quickly retreated.

"The Emperor's sudden decision to keep Miss Biao and the others who were also rewarded in the capital will likely cause some turmoil in the capital for a period of time."

what?
Shen Ning's heart skipped a beat.

She knew where Jiao Da had come from and why he said those words...

"You mean to say that the Emperor feels the capital is unsafe?"

"should be!"

The master had analyzed this matter with him.

The emperor only turned his life around this year.

His lack of connections is a major weakness.

Whether it's the Prince of Jin or the Prince of Jing, either one could cause him trouble.

Although he could mobilize the officers of the Beijing Garrison, most of them were people of the retired emperor.

Many of them were opportunists, belonging to the Prince of Jin one day, the Prince of Jing the next, and then someone else entirely.

It's hard to say for sure.

But if something really happens, they'll just shrink back and play the game of self-preservation.

"...Then tell Zhen'er to ask the people from Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison to come here more often. Also, buy everything that needs to be bought today and keep a close watch on the house."