Besides lying down, I also know a little about power struggles

Chapter 100 Bad News

The ancients said: When the great roc rises with the wind one day, it can soar up to 90,000 miles.

Fuyao Mountain is named after its shape which resembles a roc.

It was afternoon when Feng Twelve and his party arrived. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the rolling mountains looked like the wings of a roc, glowing with verdant light under the sun.

"It is said that the prince disappeared here." Xiaonian pointed to the valley entrance in front of him. "When they were crossing the valley, a group of refugees came out from nowhere and blocked the way forward. The imperial guards responsible for protecting the prince went forward to drive them away, but were dispersed by the refugees. The horses of the prince's carriage were frightened and ran around in the valley. When the imperial guards found them, the carriage had fallen down the mountain, but the prince's body was nowhere to be found."

This is a blessing in disguise. As long as the prince's body is not found, there is still a possibility of survival.

Feng Twelve looked up at the narrow valley entrance with a gloomy look in his eyes.

This area has been searched several times by officials from neighboring counties and cities, and countless traces of horse and human footsteps can be seen along the way.

"Leave someone to guard outside the valley, I'll go in and take a look."

He took off the bag containing the kitten and handed it to the guard who stayed behind.

Fang Tong peeked out of her bag, and the strong midday sunlight made her squint.

The dry sand raised a cloud of dust between the horse's hooves, and Feng Twelve's back disappeared at the entrance of the valley.

The empty mountains are silent, and the forests are covered with dense leaves.

Fang Tong sat on the saddle and felt that the surroundings were extremely quiet, as if a huge undercurrent was passing by him, vast but silent.

At this moment when everything was silent, there was suddenly a loud "bang", and a thick smoke rose into the sky, swirling over the valley.

The guards who stayed outside the valley drew their swords and said, "Your Highness!"

They rushed to the mouth of the valley, but were blinded by the smoke and dust raised by the strong wind and could not move forward even a single step.

……

It rained several times in the capital city as soon as May began. The damp air billowing under the sun made people feel depressed.

The streets seemed to be still prosperous, but in the eyes of those in the know, there seemed to be a layer of dark cloud covering the sky above the capital.

More than half a month has passed since the prince disappeared, and still no good news has been received. It seems that all the news received in the capital are bad news.

At first, the ministers still had some hope that they would not be able to find the prince. However, as the days passed, everyone gradually began to suspect the worst.

If the prince was still alive, why didn't he send a message to the government? Fuyao Mountain was so large, and there were wild beasts roaming in the mountains. Even if the prince managed to escape from the carriage, could he survive the cold night and the wild beasts?
Some smart people thought more deeply, was the prince's accident an accident or man-made? If it was man-made, besides wild animals, were there other evildoers hiding in the mountains?

After careful consideration, everyone had their own plans as to whether the prince could survive.

The ministers did not dare to comment on the surface, but privately everyone began to wait and see. They wanted to know, if the prince really met with an accident, who would be the next heir to the emperor?

It was at this time that Crown Princess Qin Shiyue was summoned into the palace by the Emperor.

She stayed in the imperial study for a full hour before being escorted out by the eunuch Chao En.

"Father-in-law, stay."

She nodded slightly to Chao En and got on the sedan chair carried by four people. In the palace, people were not allowed to ride horses or sedan chairs without special permission. Qin Shiyue was pregnant and was rewarded by the emperor, so she was able to leave the palace on a sedan chair.

Wherever the sedan chair went, all the palace ladies would give way and bow.

Qin Shiyue sat on a high place and took in all the expressions of these people.

There was awe, ridicule, snickering, and worry in those eyes. Behind these people there was a master. Their joys and sorrows did not arise from themselves, but came from their masters' preferences.

Qin Shiyue closed her eyes and didn't want to guess what these people were thinking. She knew that there had been a lot of rumors in the court recently. One of them was that the emperor would not appoint another prince. He would wait for Qin Shiyue to give birth to a grandson. If it was a boy, the emperor would take him to his side like he raised the prince and personally educate the next heir of his choice.

She was summoned to the palace by the Emperor today, and she was afraid that the rumor would become more serious before tomorrow.

She was only four months pregnant, so her pregnancy was not very noticeable. The palace dress she was wearing had been specially altered in size, making it a little too big for her body, making her look a little fragile and tired.

She leaned back slightly, raised one hand, and rubbed her forehead wearily.

Everyone here knows that the prince is missing, and she is the one who is under the most pressure.

But even so, there are still people who want to crush her.

As the sedan chair turned the corner, a man in a purple robe and a python costume strode over with his entourage. It was King Ping Feng Wuqiong.

He raised his eyes and saw Qin Shiyue on the sedan chair. He narrowed his eyes and smiled: "The Crown Princess is leaving the palace on a sedan chair. It's really magnificent."

Qin Shiyue ordered his men to stop the sedan chair, glanced at Feng Wuqiong and the dozen or so followers behind him, and slowly raised the corner of his mouth.

"You are not as majestic as King Ping." She said slowly, "King Ping travels with a grand ceremony. If you don't know, you would think you are going to the hunting ground again."

Feng Wuqiong raised his eyebrows and was about to get angry, but suddenly he smiled and said, "The prince led hundreds of people on a trip, and still an accident happened. If I don't bring a few more people, it will be difficult to guarantee safety."

Qin Shiyue listened to this harsh taunt, and her eyes turned to his face: "Does Prince Ping mean that there is unrest in the palace?"

"I didn't say that." Feng Wuqiong put his hands behind his back. "But the capital is so big, it's always better to be careful when traveling outside, don't you think? Crown Princess?"

He glanced at Qin Shiyue's belly with a hint of meaning, and smiled faintly: "Even if the Crown Princess doesn't care about her own body, she should at least take care of the Crown Prince's posthumous child—"

"How dare you!" Qin Shiyue shouted, "Feng Wuqiong, the prince's life or death is still unknown. You are so outspoken. Aren't you afraid that His Majesty will punish you?"

Feng Wuqiong laughed, walked to the side of the sedan chair, lowered his voice, and said with a sinister look: "Qin Shiyue, do you think that you can show off to me like before just because you have a child in your belly? I tell you, the whole capital knows that your prince will not come back. Even if you are pregnant with his child, how do you know whether it is a boy or a girl, and how do you know if you can give birth to him?"

There was a clear evil flashing in his eyes, like a wolf showing its sharp claws in the night: "Even if it can be born, it's just a small baby. How long do you think he can live?"

Qin Shiyue stared at him, covering her belly with her hands unconsciously.

Feng Wuqiong laughed loudly and took two steps back: "The Crown Princess looks so bad, is she having a miscarriage? Someone, go find the imperial physician, don't let the Crown Princess have a miscarriage."

"Feng Wuqiong!" Qin Shiyue tightly grasped the railing at hand, "I advise you not to be too presumptuous."

"Am I presumptuous?" Feng Wuqiong showed a ferocious smile and spread his hands. "Even if I am presumptuous, what can you do? Will you report me to the Crown Prince, or let Feng Twelve, that dog, bite people for you?"

His voice suddenly became deep: "I heard that Feng Twelve went to Fuyao Mountain to look for the prince, and got stuck there. It's been a few days, I don't know how rotten his bones are, and whether he can still see people."

(End of this chapter)