The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 213 Mr. Liu

The Emperor was gone and would never return, and the Empress knew this was a grave matter.

But no one expected that someone was about to stir up a bloodbath in the capital again.

"To the Emperor Emeritus..."

"His Majesty has already sent someone."

"That's what Eunuch Liu answered softly."

If someone were to force the emperor to abdicate, the retired emperor would be the key figure.

Although he can neither speak nor write now, if someone were to break into the palace, it would surely be a terrible disaster.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has ordered General Lan and others to secretly guard this place. As for the rest of the palace, His Majesty has said that you do not need to worry about it."

In this palace, for the emperor, besides the retired emperor, the second most important person is the empress.

Although preparations have been made, the specific person who is going to make the move has not yet been identified.

The Emperor considered Prince Jin, but Prince Jin was simply not cut out for great things.

They are currently investigating the princes, but since they have hidden themselves so well, it is clear that they cannot be found out in a short time.

All we can do now is defend.

"Okay! I get it."

The Empress nodded. "I'll leave the Emperor's affairs to you."

From the day she rose to prominence overnight, she was somewhat prepared.

Now that they've arrived, the Empress has nothing to be alarmed about.

After all, the Emperor had received a message from Jia Zhen and was already prepared.

"You can put his mind at ease here!"

"Yes!"

Eunuch Liu quickly retreated.

There's still a lot to do today.

With the retired emperor gone, he had to take over the rights that previously belonged to Dai Quan, Xia Shouzhong, and others.

I initially thought it would be fine to take it slow, but now I think it's better to keep it in hand.

Fortunately, from the day it was confirmed that the Emperor Emeritus was unable to speak or move his hands, the winds in the palace had already begun to shift in his favor.

This night is destined to be a sleepless night.

In Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning was not only working on her musket, but also preparing gunpowder for the three-eyed muskets and other weapons in the armory.

Twenty bodyguards from the Fuwei Escort Agency entered the outer courtyard silently.

"Madam, everything that needed to be done has been taken care of."

Jiao Da came to report, "Over at Tianxiang Tower..."

"I will personally oversee Tianxiang Tower."

After all, it's the inner courtyard.

Even when the children are given a holiday, Mr. Zhan still stays at Ningcuixuan.

Shen Ning had considered giving her a leave of absence, but with the capital in chaos, it was hard to say what would happen to the Zhan family. Zhan Xue's relationship with them was only superficial. It would be better to let her stay in the mansion than to send her back.

"You can come anytime."

If something really happens, the old man has to give instructions using coded signals.

"Then it's settled."

Jiao Da was relieved.

He was exhausted after a long day of running around. After explaining everything he needed to, he lay down and fell asleep.

Shen Ning moved to Tianxiang Tower overnight.

The four men from the east, west, south, and north took turns keeping watch on the top floor with Wen Peilan.

As for her...

I slept soundly until dawn.

When I get up early, I do what I always do.

In fact, ordinary people really don't know the difference between today and yesterday.

Even ordinary officials don't know that they are supposed to attend court, but they still do.

However, today's morning court session was particularly brief. Prince Jing and others who were asked to attend were completely confused. They hadn't heard anything important, so why were they all required to attend court?
"Brothers, wait a moment!"

When the court session ended, the emperor summoned someone directly, saying, "When I went to see my father last night, he was in tears. He has been bedridden for a long time and probably wants to see us more often."

During court today, the emperor did not notice anything unusual about any of his princes. While remaining vigilant, he decided to keep them all confined to the palace. "In that case," he said, "you will all accompany me to see Father Emperor today and see if he will be happier."

This?
What he said makes sense, but does the old man really want to see them?

King Jing might not have the same feeling.

He went to pay his respects several times, but the old man's eyes were full of disdain.

However, it's impossible for Prince Jing to let his brothers know these things on his own initiative.

He sighed and, like everyone else, went to Shou Kang Palace, feigning distress.

Having learned his lesson, the retired emperor dared not act recklessly again.

It was impossible for even imperial physicians to easily examine the private parts, let alone the sons.

Fortunately, he stopped causing trouble, and the eunuchs who served him stopped abusing him.

They acted as if the events of a few days ago had never happened, and continued to serve diligently.

However, suddenly seeing such a large group of sons...

The retired emperor was secretly delighted.

Could it be that one of the sons' spies reported to them about his mistreatment?

but……

The retired emperor looked at them and sensed something was wrong.

He couldn't help but take another look at the emperor's son.

The emperor's expression today seemed to suggest that he was suppressing something.

The Emperor Emeritus's heart skipped a beat.

Since his abdication, this son has been very patient and tolerant.

Even now, the habit of greeting people in the morning and reporting to them in the evening has not changed.

Although he could no longer speak, he was still able to do this, and the emperor... should also be considered filial.

Is this the kind of situation that's about to escalate?

The retired emperor closed his eyes.

He is old, can hardly take care of himself, and has no choice in his own life.

"Father!"

As the emperor sat down by the bed, several footsteps sounded outside the hall, and they sounded rather strange.

Prince Jing and the others couldn't help but look outside.

Sure enough, the place was surrounded by the Imperial Guards.

This?
How is this possible?
"The military governor of the Beijing garrison, Chai Xuyao, closed his camp yesterday."

what?
The emperor's words seemed calm and collected, but everyone who heard them felt their scalp tingle.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, how could the Beijing garrison possibly close its camp?

What about the rules established by Jia Yan and Jia Daihua?
The Emperor Emeritus's hands were already trembling, but now they were trembling even more violently.

His cloudy eyes flashed with a fierce light as he swept over his sons' faces one by one.

But all of his sons looked hesitant, as if they were innocent.

So what exactly is wrong?

"Father, did he submit an application to you?"

The emperor didn't care what they were thinking and asked directly, "If not, just wave your hand."

He wanted to know if the old man had gotten involved.

This shouldn't be the case.

The old man is unable to speak or write. Even if he is dissatisfied with him and wants to abolish him, he will not allow the man surnamed Chai to close the camp.

Instead, they should have directly ordered him to come to the emperor's aid and protect him.

The retired emperor waved his hand.

He waved excitedly.

He also glared menacingly at his other sons.

Although they were all sons, and he had once loved them very much, the emperor, whom he had neglected the most, was undeniably a qualified monarch.

He was at ease handing Dazhao over to the emperor.

It might be okay to hand it over to his other sons, but he doesn't have the time or energy to keep an eye on it anymore, and what if things don't go well...

"Father said no."

As the emperor turned around, the newly promoted Imperial Guards rushed in, their eyes fixed on the princes. "We are brothers, but there is no next life. The tragedy that happened to my brother, the Crown Prince, must not be repeated."

Father is getting old; he can't bear the thought of an old man outliving his son.

The emperor looked at his brothers and said, “My meaning is very simple: whoever did it, step forward. I will say it in front of Father and my brothers: this matter is over. From now on, you can live a carefree life as a prince.”

I don't recognize it..."

The emperor slowly stood up. "Then don't blame me for being ruthless. There will be no brotherly affection, no uncle-nephew affection. The whole family, young and old, will be imprisoned until they die."

"Aww~~ Uh~~~" The Emperor Emeritus drooled, also wanting that unfilial son to step forward.

But no one stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, you can't keep watching us like this!"

Prince Jing noticed the murderous glint in the Emperor's eyes, and that the Emperor was staring at him the most. He quickly said, "And Prince Jin, since he's not here, he's been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court. He might be dissatisfied and have his men..."

Before he finished speaking, the retired emperor seemed to have thought of something, and his expression changed again.

His throat was making gurgling noises, as if it were blocked by phlegm. He opened his mouth, trying hard to breathe, but he just couldn't.

"Imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

As the emperor shouted for the imperial physicians on duty in the side hall, he gave a wink to a few trusted confidants, "Bring the Prince of Jin."

If it was truly the Prince of Jin who did it...

The emperor gritted his teeth inwardly.

He vowed to make him regret ever being born.

Every single family that rebelled with him should die!
At this moment, he had already mentally condemned the Zhen family to death.

For a long time, besides his father, the Emperor, Prince Jin's greatest support has been the Zhen family.

Judging from the Emperor's expression just now, it seems that something was given to Prince Jin, and Prince Jin is using that thing to launch a coup.

The imperial physicians were busy; the old man's phlegm was difficult to remove and could only be suctioned out by hand.

But who will do this job?
The imperial physicians examined the princes first.

……

The Imperial Clan Court was quiet.

The Imperial Guards arrived quickly, but to everyone's surprise, the Prince of Jin was nowhere to be found.

All the staff on duty at the Imperial Clan Court were either dead or had been drugged and were in a coma.

This?
When the Imperial Guards quickly reported the incident, the capital was immediately thrown into a state of panic.

Meanwhile, in the spacious secret passage beneath the servants' quarters of the Prince of Jin's residence, Mr. Liu, whom everyone had been searching for, was making final adjustments to the route using maps of the capital and the imperial city.

Chai Xuyao ​​didn't give them much time.

"Mr. Liu! The Prince of Jin has been brought back."

When several men in black dragged Prince Jin in, his heart trembled.

"Mr. Liu...?"

Only then did he realize something was wrong, "You, you, you..."

The Prince of Jin spoke incoherently and his body went limp.

"Your Highness, do not be afraid!"

Mr. Liu smiled at him, "Haven't you been trying to reclaim the throne that is rightfully yours all these years?"

Prince Jin: “…”

He wanted to take it, but...

"You, who are you?"

"Hehe, aren't you confused?"

Mr. Liu laughed, "Isn't my surname Liu and my given name Yuan?"

"You...what do you want to do?"

Why bring him out of the Imperial Clan Court at this time? Is it because they're afraid he'll die too slowly?

The Prince of Jin never considered dying.

His father is the emperor, and he is a prince. Even if he did something wrong, the emperor cannot kill him.

Like the Ming dynasty, before his death, the Taizu Emperor left a will stating that the emperor's sword should not be used against his own family members who had been granted the title of king.

Emperor Taizu considered that the reproduction of his descendants might be similar to that of the Ming Dynasty. In order to prevent the Zhao Dynasty from being burdened too much, only one of his sons was allowed to inherit the title of Prince.

Others can only be considered relatives, and when they divide the family property, they can only receive items from the Prince's Mansion.

Of course he disagreed!
He wanted to take a chance, and he had been working hard on this for years.

But he can do it himself, this... requires outside help...

"Of course I want to do it, the thing you want to do."

Mr. Liu smiled and said, "What? You're scared now?"

Prince Jin: “…”

He swallowed hard. "The time isn't right now."

He will die.

He really is going to die.

Not only did he die, but the Prince of Jin's mansion...

"Heh, when do you say the time is right?"

Mr. Liu seemed to have heard something amusing, “When the Crown Prince left, the time was quite ripe, and Consort Zhen dared not make a move, nor did you. After the Emperor ascended the throne, he remained mediocre, and the time was also quite ripe, yet you still dared not make a move.”

Now that you're imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, if you don't make any moves... do you think the Emperor will spare you?"

Prince Jin: “…”

His face grew paler and paler. "You, how many of you are there? What...what do you want me to do?"

At this moment, he also realized that if this person dared to show his face in front of him, he probably had already made all the preparations.

This man knows everything about his writing and everything he owns.

The King of Jin deeply regretted raising a demon that would devour its master.

"How many of us are there?"

Mr. Liu laughed, "It should be how many people you have."

he?
The Prince of Jin plopped down on the ground.

He knew everything about his people. "Alright, then... what do you want me to do?"

I knew earlier...

The Prince of Jin was about to cry.

If he had known this would happen, he would have preferred to choose the right time himself.

"Nothing needs to be done."

Mr. Liu smiled and said, "You just need to stay here and wait for news with us."

it's here?
The Prince of Jin looked around; he didn't recognize anyone.

"why?"

he asks.

"Haha! Hahaha..."

Mr. Liu burst into laughter, amused by his words. "Why? You're asking me why now? Then tell me, why did you keep me here in the first place?"

Why?

The Prince of Jin swayed.

Mr. Liu ignored him and handed the route map he had drawn to a man in black, saying, "Take it upstairs and get to work!"

Although it's better to do it at night, it makes it easier for some people to take advantage of the situation.

However, the various princely residences were secretly monitored last night, which suggests that some information has been leaked.

but it does not matter.

There are advantages to nighttime and advantages to daytime.

He knew the handwriting of every prince.

The Prince of Jin also ordered people to secretly carve the private seals of the various princes.

Today will be a grand feast.

"We can't win...we can't win."

The Prince of Jin suddenly spoke up, "Stop!"

"Close hand?"

Mr. Liu laughed heartily, "You can't win, so go ahead and die! What does it have to do with me?"

Prince Jin: “…”

He stared at the man in disbelief.

“You brothers, apart from the Crown Prince and the Emperor, are actually no good people.”

Mr. Liu stepped forward and laughed, "Originally, I wanted to wait a while before doing it, but who told you to be so stupid?"

They were so stupid that they brought this upon themselves.

They kept courting disaster.

“My home is gone, and my only sister is dead, but you are alive.”

At this point, he slapped the Prince of Jin across the face. "It was you! You used me to kill my sister!"

he does not know.

He was imprisoned in the Prince of Jin's residence and knew nothing about it.

By the time you find out, it's too late.

“You all deserve to die, you all deserve to die.”

His sister and parents went to the capital to look for him, but unexpectedly...

"If it weren't for you, my parents, my sister, and my two nephews would all be alive and well now."