I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 127 Secret Martial Law
On the coast of the sea, on top of Dongshan Mountain, except for that unique small temple, all the old eaves of other ancient temples have become ruins, covered with rubble and mud, looking horrible.

The previous rainstorm washed the water away and quickly flowed down the mountain, forming one waterfall after another on the jade-like cliffs. Occasionally there was a very light blood-red color in the waterfalls, and now with the blowing of the mountain breeze, the entire mountain top gradually became clean, without even a trace of blood left.

Emperor Qing is dead.

His Majesty, the Emperor of the most powerful country in the world, led the army to the north three times and defeated the Wei Dynasty, completely changing the territory of the world. He was a famous general who utilized the emperor's mentality most thoroughly, the most forbearing and tenacious conspirator, and also a great master. Emperor Qing, who had calculated everything, ended up costing his own life!

Yingzi and Wuzhu left. They were going to find Fan Xian, as they had many things to tell him.

Ku He, the imperial teacher of Northern Qi, did not leave.

There is no way, Emperor Qing is really good at hiding.

Even though he was very confident in his and Wuzhu's judgment, who knew whether Emperor Qing was faking his death to escape, so he stayed.

Only after Emperor Qing's body became completely cold and stiff and he was sure that he was truly dead, did the Northern Qi Imperial Master leave for his homeland, waiting for the revenge of the third prince of Qing.

After this battle, judging from the combat power of the grandmasters, the overall comparison between the three forces has undergone a drastic change. From today on, it seems that the biggest obstacle for Qing Kingdom to unify the world is only him. However, from Si Gu Jian's previous words, Ku He knew that he was no match for the third prince. However, he still had no regrets about today's assassination.

It was not until Ku He left Dadong Mountain that Ye Liuyun put away his hands. It was obvious that he had been on guard against Ku He. However, he did not leave, but stayed on the top of Dadong Mountain. After all, his deal with Chen Pingping had not yet been completely completed.

Afterwards, a cry of grief was heard from the top of the mountain. A lot of people survived on the top of the mountain, including most of the officials who accompanied the sacrifice to the sky, and more than half of the priests of the Qing Temple. Although the battle of the Grand Master was incredibly destructive, it was mysteriously controlled within a perfect range, so most of them were able to survive.

No one could have imagined that what was originally a ceremony for the deposed emperor to offer sacrifices to heaven would eventually turn into the emperor's funeral.

Under the Dadong Mountain.

Fan Xian didn't know that Emperor Qing was dead, but he could guess his final outcome. After all, he had never seen Chen Pingping miscalculate.

At this time, Fan Xian was recuperating on the warship of the Jiaozhou Navy. His injury was caused by Yan Xiaoyi.

As for Yan Xiaoyi, he died from his sniper rifle.

On the warship, Fan Xian, whose wounds had been healed, looked at the man next to him with a complicated tone.

"The Jiaozhou navy also rebelled?"

I have to say that the word "也" is used very well.

Xu Maocai is now the third most important person in Jiaozhou Navy. His official position is far higher than Fan Xian, but he is still very respectful to Fan Xian. He lowered his head and said slowly: "Master, it is not the Jiaozhou Navy that rebelled, but... you rebelled."

Fan Xian was stunned and said coldly, "Xu Maocai, I asked you to stay in the Jiaozhou Navy, not to let you raise a rebel army."

Xu Maocai was silent for a while, then he bowed deeply to Fan Xian and said sincerely, "Master, I am not talented enough to completely control the Jiaozhou navy, but now that the princess is rebelling, this is a rare opportunity."

His eyes were fixed on Fan Xian's face, which looked a little pale due to excessive blood loss. A trace of loyalty and passion flashed across his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Young Master, take this opportunity to rebel!"

Fan Xian stared into Xu Maocai's eyes and did not speak for a long time. He knew that this third-in-command of the Jiaozhou Navy was loyal to him, or to his mother to be more precise.

Fan Xian had actually thought about Xu Maocai's outrageous suggestion at this time, but he just shook his head slightly.

"why?"

Xu Maocai was puzzled, and lowered his voice anxiously, "Now Kyoto is just an empty stomach. Young Master, you just need to contact the 500 black cavalrymen in Xiaoshan, rush a thousand miles to Kyoto, and cooperate with Dean Chen to control the palace in one fell swoop. With your status as a prince, if His Majesty is dead, you can raise a call in Kyoto and raise the banner of revenge for His Majesty, and great things will surely be accomplished."

In order to avoid hurting the person in front of him, Fan Xian tried to slow down his tone and said gently, "It's impossible to succeed. The emperor is too cautious about me and has never let me lead the army. How can a mere 500 black cavalrymen enter Kyoto? Do you think that the 10,000 garrison troops outside Kyoto, the 13 city gates in Kyoto, and the 3,000 imperial guards can be dealt with by 500 black cavalrymen?"

Xu Maocai shook his head to express his disapproval.

"The commander of the Kyoto garrison is the eldest prince's confidant, and the imperial guards are under the eldest prince's control. The Thirteen City Gates are directly under the command of Your Majesty, and once Your Majesty is gone, they will be leaderless."

Xu Maocai was obviously very well prepared, and he spoke in an orderly manner: "Since His Majesty allowed you to go down the mountain early, he must have given you a token, which should be a handwritten letter or a jade seal. You go to the palace alone, persuade the Queen Mother, and then get the support of Concubine Qin and Concubine Yi. Dean Chen will take action outside the palace to take down the power of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince in one fell swoop, and then you will be able to sit in that position. Young master, you must not miss this opportunity. The world of Qing Kingdom was conquered by Miss, and you just took back what belongs to you."

It has to be said that Xu Maocai is quite capable. He was right about at least one thing, that is, Emperor Qing really gave Fan Xian a token of trust. After all, Emperor Qing never thought that Chen Pingping would betray him at that time.

Fan Xian shook his head. "Everything you said is based on the premise that the eldest prince supports me, but will the eldest prince support me?"

"The emperor is dead. Not only do you have the token in your hand, but you are also a close friend of the eldest prince. However, the eldest prince has Dongyi blood, so it is impossible for him to sit on the throne. If he doesn't support you, who can he support?"

"What about the Qin family?"

Fan Xian stared at him and said speechlessly, "And the Ye family in Dingzhou, how many troops do the two families control? The Ye family managed the defense of Kyoto for twenty years, and then the Qin family controlled it for a while. It is impossible for the eldest prince to control the defense of Kyoto."

"so what?"

Xu Maocai lowered his voice and said, "Of the seven elite troops of my Qing Kingdom, Yan Xiaoyi died in Dadong Mountain. The East Expedition Camp that was guarding Dongyi City cannot be mobilized. As long as you control the palace, the remaining four armies will be in your hands. Even if the situation may be a little dangerous at first, within half a month, the situation will be irreversible."

"You have the token of the Emperor's will as evidence. The crime of assassinating the Emperor can be easily pinned on the Princess, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince. This will give you the reputation of being a righteous person. Only with this righteousness can you gain the recognition of the four armies. You are not without support in the court. I believe that Prime Minister Lin has left a lot of people for you. Dean Chen and Minister Fan will also support you. Don't hesitate, Master."

One has to admit that Xu Maocai had secretly put in a lot of effort in order to rebel. If things developed as Xu Maocai said, Fan Xian knew that if he returned to Kyoto, the power of Qing would be very close to him.

But it was only close, and it would never actually fall into his hands.

Because Fan Xian firmly believed that Emperor Qing, who killed his mother, would not let him sit on the throne, and he must have a backup plan.

Of course, the more important point is that the man is not dead and is on his way back to Beijing.

Fan Xian said calmly, "You think too simply. There are some things you don't know. Even if His Majesty dies, as long as the Third Prince is still alive, no one can surpass him and sit on the throne."

"The third prince is not dead?!" Xu Maocai's face suddenly changed.

All his inferences were based on the fact that the Third Prince was dead. If the Third Prince was not dead, the power of the Northern Expedition Army and the Qin family alone would be enough to overthrow the Qing court.

"not dead!"

Hearing these two words, Xu Maocai felt numb.

"If the Third Prince was not dead, how could Dean Chen dare to assassinate His Majesty, and how could the Qin family surrender to the Crown Prince?"

"You have to ask the Qin family and Dean Chen about this." Fan Xian said sadly. The reason was no longer important. Since Li Chengzong was not dead, the most important thing was how to deal with the revenge of the most powerful master.

Before he finished speaking, two figures walked into the cabin of the warship.

Seeing the blind man wearing a black cloth, Fan Xian's worries disappeared immediately and he said happily, "Uncle Wu Zhu, are you okay?"

"fine."

Wu Zhu shook his head and asked with concern: "Are you hurt?"

Fan Xian hummed and said with a smile: "The injury is not serious, and the man has been killed by me."

While the uncle and nephew were talking, Shadow looked at Xu Maocai deeply, and then said solemnly: "Fan Xian, the dean asked you to come to Beijing with me immediately." ...

……

The late summer of the eighth year of the Qingli period seemed to be hotter than in previous years.

The first autumn rain has yet to arrive, and the heat from the entire summer seems to have accumulated in the last few days, making the whole Kyoto seem like it is in a big steamer. Even in the early morning, it makes people feel extremely stuffy.

The cicadas were chirping desperately, and their high-pitched chirping carried a sense of the last sadness of life in late summer and early autumn. The chirping sounds rose and fell among the green trees, disturbing people's sleepiness.

At this time, the news of Emperor Qing's death had not yet reached Kyoto, but people in Kyoto were still in a panic. After all, His Majesty left the capital to offer sacrifices to heaven, and did not let the Crown Prince govern the country as per ancestral system, but instead delegated power to the Second Prince. The political atmosphere contained in this was very obvious, so all kinds of rumors were spread inside and outside the palace walls, causing the entire Kyoto to fall into an uncontrollable panic.

Amidst the chaos, there was an alternative existence, that was the eunuch Hong Zhu who was transferred to Hanguang Palace. Now that eunuchs Hong Sixiang and Yao were away, this eunuch Hong had become the most powerful eunuch within the palace walls except for eunuch Hou.

On a winter night half a year ago, the East Palace caught fire. Everyone in the palace knew that all the eunuchs and palace maids in the East Palace and Guangxin Palace had died mysteriously. Although people did not dare to discuss anything, they inevitably felt a bit more awe and alienation towards Hong Zhu, the only survivor.

This made Hong Zhu feel a little depressed. Although he was a slave, he was also a loyal and righteous slave. So within the palace walls, he didn't know how to deal with himself. Looking at the dilapidated East Palace, he couldn't help feeling sad for a moment.

A young eunuch came hurriedly and whispered something in Hong Zhu's ear, causing Hong Zhu, who was sitting on the chair, to stand up immediately. He then hurried towards the Hanguang Palace, with his body slightly hunched. Although he was very young, he already had the dead smell of Eunuch Hong.

and the Prince's Palace.

The eldest prince Li Chengru was discussing the war with Xie Su, the commander of the Kyoto garrison.

The current situation in Qing Kingdom is very serious. Except for the northern border where the Blood-Cloth Army is stationed, there are wars on the eastern, western and southern borders.

If Emperor Qing had not given him a secret mission, Li Chengru, as the prince with the strongest military ability, would have gone to the western border to fight the Western Hu people long ago.

As they were chatting, a servant hurriedly brought in a letter.

"Your Highness, this is a letter from Prince Ding's Mansion."

"It seems that my third brother is going back to the capital. I can finally get away and go to the Western Territory."

Li Chengru was overjoyed and opened the envelope happily, then his face changed drastically in an instant.

Seeing this, Xie Su asked cautiously: "Marshal, what happened?"

Before he was appointed as the commander of the Kyoto garrison, Xie Su was a general under Li Chengru, so he was always used to being addressed as the Marshal.

Li Chengru nodded, his eyes revealing an unprecedented uneasiness and vigilance, and his tone was unprecedentedly solemn: "Xie Su, immediately dispatch the Kyoto garrison troops into the city, and inform the thirteen gates of the city that the entire city of Kyoto is under martial law."

The whole city was under martial law; it was obvious that something big had happened.

But Li Chengru didn't say anything, and Xie Su didn't dare to ask more, so he reminded him: "General, the Thirteen City Gate Departments are under the command of His Majesty."

"Just go and pass on the order."

"Yes, Marshal."

"Wait a moment."

Li Chengru called out to Xie Su, but did not speak again. Instead, he remained silent for a while before saying, "Don't move for now. I'm going to the palace first."

By the time Li Chengru hurried to the palace, the imperial guards guarding the palace were already standing on the high palace walls, looking at everything under their feet with suspicion.

It was not until this moment that Li Chengru discovered that not all the imperial guards under his command obeyed his orders. It was obvious that the person who could command the imperial guards was the empress dowager in Hanguang Palace.

They hurried to Hanguang Palace, and before Li Chengru could speak, the Queen Mother hurriedly asked, "Has the news been confirmed?"

"Grandmother, the news was sent from my third brother's residence, so it should be correct."

"Does your majesty have any plans for you before he leaves Beijing?"

Li Chengru nodded: "Yes, my father gave me an imperial decree to appoint a crown prince, and gave me the command of the Thirteen City Gates. He said that if there is any accident, I should kill Chen Yuan... Chen Pingping, and guard the capital until my third brother comes back."

These situations were similar to what Emperor Qing had told her, except for the imperial edict to appoint a crown prince.

It was obvious that her emperor son was not only wary of others, but also of his biological mother.

The old lady sighed silently and said thoughtfully, "The news of His Majesty's death should not be spread for the time being. Let the Thirteen City Gates secretly impose martial law."

"Where is Dean Chen?"

The old lady asked back: "Are you sure you can kill him?"

"This……"

Even though Li Chengru has more than 20,000 men under his command, it seems that he can kill anyone except the grandmaster, let alone Chen Pingping, a useless person.

But in fact, Li Chengru was really not sure.

Firstly, Chen Pingping's prestige in Qing Kingdom is too high, second only to His Majesty. If the people in Kyoto knew that Chen Pingping was going to be killed, they might turn against him and think that the eldest prince was rebelling.

Furthermore, Chen Pingping has too many experts under his command, and they are fully capable of taking Chen Pingping away from Kyoto.

Seeing Li Chengru's embarrassment, the old lady sighed and said, "Before the news of His Majesty's death reaches Kyoto, there must be no public movement. Once it is reported, the Supervisory Office must be sealed off immediately. Do you understand?"

"My grandson understands."

Li Chengru nodded and asked, "Grandmother, should we send someone to inform my second brother and the crown prince? I'm worried that Chen Pingping will take action against them."

After all, they are brothers, and the key is that there is no hatred between brothers. Although Li Chengru is closer to Fan Xian, he still cares about his two younger brothers.

Hearing this, the old lady looked at her grandson for the first time, snorted and sighed, "Silly child, not everyone is as loyal as you and Little Fatty. Once they get wind of the news, the first thing they'll do is probably kill you. Don't worry about them, just take good care of Little Four."

"Yes, grandson has made note of it."

"Yes, and the Royal Court in the west of the city. Arrange people to monitor her immediately. If she goes to another place, she will be killed." The old lady paused, slowly closed her eyes, and said blankly: "Kill her without mercy!"

At this moment, the old lady showed her indifference.

Li Chengru bowed and left.

The first thing he did after returning to the palace was to ask Xie Su to keep his troops in place and strengthen vigilance. He also called Zhang Xun, the commander of the City Gate Department, to secretly impose martial law throughout the city.

(End of this chapter)