Love Lock

Chapter 324 is the third time.

Deep within the imperial palace in the capital, Emperor Jing embarked on the path leading to the Tangli Palace.

This palace was originally a pawn he used to intimidate Consort Ru. He cut off all supplies, intending only to force her to submit and obediently become his concubine.

But man proposes, God disposes. The King of Cangzhou suddenly rebelled, and the imperial army that came to quell the rebellion suffered a crushing defeat. Then, the Eastern Ming Empire launched a major invasion.

This series of events left Emperor Jing exhausted, and he was busy with military and state affairs all day long, which also diminished his interest in women.

Amidst all the hectic affairs, he completely forgot about the Tangli Palace.

Now that Da Jiu and the two prefectures of Qing and Yi have finally managed to muster tens of thousands of troops to reinforce Dongguan, Emperor Jing felt that the situation had stabilized somewhat, and only then did he suddenly remember the beauty he had deliberately neglected for so long.

As soon as the court session ended, he ordered the chief eunuch Li Zhongxin to prepare to travel to Tangli Palace, while he was still wondering whether Consort Ru would greet him with a smile today.

Dressed in guard uniform, the thirteenth prince was carrying grain sacks into the Tangli Palace with a group of real guards.

After Da Jiu and several brothers from the Da Zi Brigade went to Dongguan, the supply of materials from outside the palace was cut off.

Yesterday, he and Xiao Liuzi specially left the palace through a secret passage and brought back this batch of grain.

Just as he was carrying the last sack of grain into the small kitchen, a loud announcement suddenly rang out from outside the palace gates: "His Majesty has arrived!"

Da Shisan's heart tightened. He hurriedly put down the grain sack, slipped into the ranks of guards in the courtyard, and knelt down with them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emperor Jing stride into the palace gate, his bright yellow dragon robe particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

When the emperor arrived, Consort Ru, surrounded by a group of palace maids, hurriedly came out of her bedchamber to greet him. She was not wearing makeup, and her face showed a flustered and unprepared expression.

The entire Tangli Palace immediately knelt down, and shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" rose and fell.

Da Shisan reluctantly lowered his head, secretly pursing his lips.

Emperor Jing did not tell her to rise, but went straight up and took Consort Ru's slender hand, his words full of deliberate tenderness.

"My beloved consort has suffered recently. I have been busy with state affairs these days and have neglected Tangli Palace."

His gaze swept over Consort Ru's face, but his tone suddenly changed, "I will have lunch at Tangli Palace this afternoon, so that I can accompany my beloved consort to admire the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard."

Rufei felt a burning sensation on her wrist as he held it, and alarm bells rang in her mind.

Every time Emperor Jing visited, she felt as if she were standing on the edge of an abyss.

At this moment, she could only force herself to remain calm and politely decline, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The supplies for Tangli Palace have been cut off for a long time. Now the palace only has some porridge and side dishes. I really dare not neglect Your Majesty with such coarse food."

Unexpectedly, these words reminded Emperor Jing.

He tightened his grip on his fingers, his gaze burning as if he could see right through her: "I had forgotten about that. So, my beloved consort, have you thought it through? As long as you nod, I will immediately order the restoration of all expenses at Tangli Palace."

His thumb lightly caressed Ru Fei's wrist, his tone growing increasingly somber, "If this stalemate continues, you'll be the one suffering."

Consort Ru wished she could bite off her own tongue.

She had intended to use an excuse to get Emperor Jing to leave quickly instead of staying for a meal, but instead, she gave Emperor Jing a reason to bring up the old matter again.

She timidly tried to pull her hand away, but Jing gripped it even tighter. A chill ran down her spine, and Consort Ru thought that she probably couldn't escape this calamity today.

The palace maid Yun Shu, who was standing to the side, was also anxious for her mistress. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand and looked around anxiously, hoping to find an opportunity to make some noise and at least divert the emperor's attention.

Just as the atmosphere was tense, a series of chaotic footsteps, accompanied by urgent shouts, suddenly came from outside the palace gates, growing louder as they approached.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Urgent report from Yizhou—"

The chief eunuch, Li Zhongxin, was about to reprimand the unruly messenger, but upon hearing the words "urgent report from Yizhou," he immediately shut up and cautiously stole a glance at Emperor Jing's expression.

Sure enough, Emperor Jing's face instantly turned ashen!

Once again! Just when he's about to succeed, someone always comes along to ruin things.

The messenger hurried over, and without even bowing to Emperor Jing, said hastily, "Your Majesty, we've finally found you! There's an urgent report from Yizhou."

Emperor Jing didn't take it, but glared fiercely at the messenger, squeezing out a single word through gritted teeth: "Read it!"

Li Zhongxin hurriedly took the urgent report from the messenger eunuch and began to read it aloud, his voice trembling slightly.

"The rebel King of Cangzhou has led a large army wielding demonic weapons and has already breached Qingzhou. He is now advancing towards Yizhou. The defenses of Yizhou are weak and in imminent danger. We earnestly request the court to send reinforcements immediately."

Has Qingzhou fallen?

Yizhou is requesting aid?

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing was struck dumb. He suddenly loosened his grip on Consort Ru's wrist, as if the urgent report was a red-hot branding iron that forced him to let go.

The color drained from his face instantly; the tender thoughts he had just harbored were shattered by this bolt from the blue, leaving only shock, anger, and disbelief.

"Qingzhou... has fallen? Yizhou is in danger?" He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, each word as if squeezed out with difficulty from between his teeth.

His eyes, which had been filled with calculation and desire, suddenly widened. What was reflected in the depths of his pupils was no longer the terrified face of the beauty before him, but a terrible scene of war and the fall of cities.

Zhao Zun, King of Cangzhou!
The name was like a poisonous thorn, deeply embedded in his heart, bringing new pain and fear with each hearing.

He knew what the so-called "demon weapon" was; it was the "Aim Sixteen" described by Lu Heming, the deputy general of the expeditionary army.

That "Em XVI" was like a nightmare.

He had heard terrifying rumors from Lu Heming about how they made sounds, how easily they could take lives from a hundred paces away, and how they rendered even the strongest armor useless.

"Aim XVI" repeatedly shattered the court's confidence and challenged the limits of Emperor Jing's understanding.

The immense shock and subsequent panic were like ice water poured over his head, instantly snapping him out of his coercion of Consort Ru.

Beauty is important, but the country, the nation, and one's own life are the most important!

He turned around abruptly, the hem of his bright yellow dragon robe tracing a sharp arc, his voice becoming shrill with urgency.

"Quickly! Ring the bell! Summon all civil and military officials to court immediately! Be quick!"

The chief eunuch, Li Zhongxin, scrambled to his feet and replied, "This servant obeys the decree!"

Immediately, Li Zhongxin relayed the order down the chain of command in a high-pitched voice.

Emperor Jing didn't even bother to look at Consort Ru again, nor did he have time to say another polite word. Surrounded by a group of eunuchs and guards, he hurriedly and even staggered away.

That figure from behind looked somewhat disheveled and panicked.

Only when that dazzling bright yellow completely disappeared outside the gates of Tangli Palace did the suffocating atmosphere in the courtyard ease slightly.

Consort Ru's stiff body went limp slightly, and she subconsciously raised her hand to her chest, where her heart was pounding violently, almost bursting out of her chest cavity.

She was slightly out of breath, her fingertips were icy cold.

Just now, the undisguised determination in Emperor Jing's eyes and the irresistible force on his wrist made her truly feel the chill of despair.

She could even foresee the humiliation and misery that might follow.

However, miraculously, just when she was about to give up, a sudden change occurred.

Before the reign of Emperor Qianlong, her husband and cousin were mysteriously killed in an explosion, leaving her a widow in middle age and experiencing the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, her position as a former concubine was already precarious, like walking on thin ice. To make matters worse, the new emperor harbored such despicable intentions towards her, using threats and inducements to force her into the harem. Her silence and passive resistance only resulted in her being treated coldly in Tangli Palace and having her supplies cut off.

If it weren't for the loyal servants and Da Shisan who managed to send supplies from outside the palace, Tangli Palace would probably have been unable to survive long ago.

Whenever she saw the money in the mirror, saw the fine lines appearing at the corners of her eyes, and thought of her fate of being confined to the deep palace and having an uncertain future, she couldn't help but feel sad and thought how unfair Heaven had been to her.

But today, Emperor Jing's arrival and departure, the sudden turn of events, left her still shaken but also with a strange sense of relief.

Once, twice, and this is the third time!
Each time, just as Emperor Jing was about to succeed, an emergency military situation would suddenly summon him away, as if God was deliberately playing tricks on him, or as if He was protecting her in the dark.

She slowly lowered her hand, her fingertips still trembling slightly, but the chill in her heart was gradually replaced by the complex emotions of surviving a disaster.

She looked up at the sky around the Tangli Palace. The crabapple blossoms were in full bloom, but no one seemed to care to appreciate them.

God, are you being unfair to me, or... have you made another plan? She dared not think too deeply, only feeling utterly powerless.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" The palace maid Yun Shu rushed forward to support her, her voice still trembling with fear and tears. "I was so scared just now! Thank goodness, thank goodness..."

Consort Ru shook her head, forcing a reassuring smile: "It's alright, it's all over now."

Her gaze shifted to the direction where the thirteenth prince had knelt in worship, and she saw that he had already stood up and was working with the other guards to quickly move the grain sacks that had not been completely hidden into the small kitchen.

His movements were swift and his expression calm, as if the thrilling scene from just moments ago had never happened.

Da Shisan felt her gaze and quickly walked over, lowering his voice to say, "Your Majesty has been frightened. His Majesty left in a hurry and probably won't be back for a while. These grains..."

He paused, then said, "I will handle it as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your help." Consort Ru looked at him gratefully. "If it weren't for you, Tangli Palace would have collapsed long ago."

"Your Majesty is too kind. This is my duty." The Thirteenth Prince clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes resolute. "As long as we are here, we will definitely find a way to protect Your Majesty."

Consort Ru felt a warmth in her heart. In this cold and deep palace, these small acts of care and warmth seemed especially precious.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, tears welling up in her eyes.

Although Emperor Jing had left, the crisis was not over.

As long as she remains in the palace, and as long as Emperor Jing's treacherous intentions persist, the next round of coercion may come soon.

And next time, she doesn't know if she will be so lucky.
Consort Ru was filled with worry in Tangli Palace. A moment later, the solemn yet urgent sound of the Jingyang Bell rang out over the palace and spread throughout the vast capital city.

The Jingyang Bell tolled one after another, striking at everyone's hearts and bringing a sense of unease.

Meanwhile, outside the palace, inside the capital city.

Those civil and military officials who had just finished court and whose carriages were only halfway there, or even those who were slower and had just left the palace, all turned pale and sighed upon hearing the death knell.

"Here we go again! Here we go again!" An elderly minister with white hair and beard, supported by his servant, shakily climbed back onto the carriage.

He rubbed his aching back and legs, his face full of bitterness. "How many times has this happened in the past month? We just finished discussing the Dongming invasion, and we haven't even finished gathering supplies and troops. Why is the bell ringing again?!"

A middle-aged official leaned out from the carriage next to him, his face grave: "Judging from the urgent tolling of the bell, this is no small matter. I'm afraid... I'm afraid something major has happened in the northwest."

The northwest he referred to was the rebel King Zhao Zun of Cangzhou.

"These are turbulent times, truly turbulent times!" The old minister shook his head repeatedly, urging the coachman, "Quickly, turn back to the palace! If we're late, His Majesty will be furious again!"

In an instant, the carriages and people that had just dispersed on the main streets of the capital leading to the palace gathered again, even more hurriedly and chaotically than when the court session ended.

The officials, some on horseback and others in sedan chairs, all wore worried expressions and hurried along.

The people on the street quickly made way for each other, whispering among themselves, and a tense atmosphere, like the calm before a storm, filled the air.

In the Jinluan Palace.

Emperor Jing had changed into his court robes and sat upright on the dragon throne, but his face was still extremely ugly, so gloomy that it was almost dripping with water.

He gripped the armrest of the dragon throne tightly with his fingers, as if the armrest were the very same armrest that held the traitor Zhao Zun.

The civil and military officials below were completely silent, standing with their heads bowed, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Li Zhongxin had already read the contents of the urgent report from Yizhou aloud again in front of all the officials.

Every word in the letter was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of the ministers and the nerves of Emperor Jing.

"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

Emperor Jing finally erupted, slamming his fist on the imperial desk, the sound echoing throughout the hall. "Qingzhou is a high-walled city with deep moats, yet the remaining garrison couldn't even deliver a letter? And it was a plea for help from Yizhou! What are the Qingzhou garrison commanders doing?"

He felt furious just thinking about it. If Yizhou hadn't asked for help, the imperial court wouldn't even have known that Qingzhou had fallen.

His Highness and his ministers remained silent, none daring to provoke him at this critical moment.

This was a matter of war, and also the Ministry of War's duty, so Minister of War Cao Ge had no choice but to step forward despite the difficulty.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! It is not that the Qingzhou garrison is not brave, but that the enemy's demonic weapons are far too sharp, far beyond the reach of bows, arrows, swords, and spears. According to Deputy General Lu Heming's description, those demonic weapons spew forth tongues of fire, sound like thunder, and can shatter armor and shields from a hundred feet away. Our army... our army has suffered heavy casualties and its morale has collapsed before we have even engaged in battle!"

"Does my mighty Jing Dynasty not have a way to deal with that demonic weapon? Ministry of Works! Ordnance Bureau! What are you doing?!" Emperor Jing's gaze swept over the relevant officials.

The Armory Supervisor knelt down with a thud, cold sweat pouring down his face: "Your Majesty, please forgive us! We have been studying it day and night, but... but the construction principle of that demonic weapon is unheard of. Based solely on Vice General Lu Heming's description and Your Majesty's blueprints, it is truly difficult to replicate... We have made a few, but... but they are all only in form and lack the spirit!"

Emperor Jing was trembling with anger, but what good was anger? This was not the time to assign blame; the urgent task was to devise a countermeasure as soon as possible.

He suppressed his anger and glanced at the huge map hanging in the hall.

"My lords!" he said in a hoarse voice, "The situation is critical. Speak up, what should we do now?"

The ministers' gazes also turned to the map. The outline of the Great Jing's territory was clearly visible.

The capital city was located in the central area. Surrounding the capital were Jizhou to the east, Jingzhou to the west, Yizhou to the south, and Qingzhou to the southwest.

Xuzhou is located south of Jingzhou, facing Cangzhou across the river, while Yunzhou and other places are even further away.

A seasoned and prudent cabinet minister stepped forward shakily, pointed to the map, and analyzed: "Your Majesty, colleagues, please look. The rebel army started its uprising in Cangzhou and has now captured Qingzhou. But to reach Qingzhou, they must first pass through Jingzhou. Now that Qingzhou has fallen, Jingzhou... is probably in grave danger as well, but news has not yet arrived."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank. If Jingzhou were lost, the western gateway to the capital would be wide open.

Another minister continued, "And then there's Xuzhou. Xuzhou is separated from Cangzhou only by a river. The King of Cangzhou has been raising an army for a long time, and there's still no definite news from Xuzhou. I'm afraid... I'm afraid it has already fallen into the hands of the rebels, perhaps even without bloodshed..."

This speculation chilled everyone's hearts once again.

In this way, the rebels have occupied at least four prefectures: Cangzhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, and Qingzhou! They have already occupied half of the Great Jing Kingdom and have formed a semi-encirclement of the capital region!
"Around the capital, only Yizhou and Jizhou remain!" Minister of War Cao Ge said gravely. "Yizhou is in dire need of help. If Yizhou falls, the rebels can march north and directly threaten the capital, or advance east and join forces with the Eastern Ming rebels in Jizhou! The situation will be unimaginable then!"

Emperor Jing stared at the map, his eyes flickering, his hand supporting his heavy head.

He naturally understood the stakes involved. Yizhou could not be lost, and Qingzhou had to be recaptured. Otherwise, the capital would be in grave danger.

"Reinforcements! We must send troops to support Yizhou immediately!" Emperor Jing said decisively. "There are still troops remaining in Jizhou and Yunzhou, but they are far away, and distant water cannot quench a nearby fire..."

Emperor Jing pondered for a moment, then clenched his fists and made his final decision: "The capital! We must immediately draw elite troops from the two imperial guards in the capital and rush them to the aid of Yizhou! We must keep the invading enemy out of Yizhou!"

This is, at present, the only feasible solution for the imperial court.

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