Ch. 80 - Zhong Yansheng: Brother!

Shortly after the old emperor issued an edict to deal with Prince De, the whereabouts of "Mr. Qiulan" hiding in the dark were revealed. On the way to escape from the capital, the Jinyiwei seized the clue and intercepted the carriage in advance.

The coachman was hired by the carriage company and was frightened to death by the display of the Imperial Guards. When the commander of the Imperial Guards carefully lifted the curtain of the carriage, he saw the person in the carriage slumped over with a dagger stuck in his chest. There was blood all over the floor and he was already dead.

It is not known whether he was a fearless warrior who committed suicide or was silenced by someone.

After the body was brought back to the capital, a guard who was responsible for keeping an eye on several princes stepped forward and said that he had seen this person in Prince An's mansion.

Originally Prince An was just a suspect, but now it is almost a foregone conclusion.

The censors knelt outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a whole day and night, their mouths dry and their tongues parched. Some of the older ones were almost exhausted. Finally, Tian Xi came out and announced the old emperor's decision on Prince De and Prince An.

Prince De was demoted to a commoner and sent to Fengyang along with his wife and children, where they were imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum.

Prince An was demoted back to his fiefdom and was not allowed to enter the capital again for the rest of his life unless summoned.

Several older censors couldn't help but look at each other.

When people get old, they seem to think too much, and are no longer as invulnerable, cruel and ruthless as they were when they were young.

If the emperor back then had faced a prince who intended to seize power and usurp the throne, he would have prepared two cups of poisoned wine long ago, and a fire would have broken out in the De King Mansion and the An king Mansion.

After all, Prince De was not protected this time and got a barely satisfactory result. The censors who had been buzzing for two days were finally slightly satisfied. They supported each other and went back to recuperate and wait to come again next time.

When people were leaving in twos and threes, the two old imperial censors looked up and saw the "Eleventh Prince" standing by the palace gate, looking at them quietly.

He is clear-headed, graceful and elegant, just like an old friend.

The two old censors couldn't help but take a step towards that side. The words had already rolled to their throats, but they swallowed them back and raised their hands to bow.

The young man tilted his head to look at them and bowed to them.

The censors dispersed in twos and threes. Zhong Yansheng had not been able to get close to the old emperor's bedroom for two days. He noticed that the stares around him were getting more and more intense, and he had a vague premonition in his heart.

After dealing with Prince De and Prince An, did the old emperor turn his attention to him and Xiao Nong, ready to deal with them?

Although he had a premonition, Zhong Yansheng appeared to be acting normal on the surface. He pretended to be filial every day and then turned back to Minghui Palace.

Prince An had always been low-key and transparent, and his sudden behavior shocked all the officials. However, many people applauded Prince De's fate, especially the several censors who were beaten by the court at the time.

The imperial concubine had been put into seclusion. De Wang's mother's family was anxious to request an audience with the old emperor, but received no response. After learning about the old emperor's treatment of De king, they realized that the matter could not be changed and fell silent.

Since the incident, Prince De had been imprisoned in the imperial prison for many days. He no longer had the dignity of a prince and was dirty and messy. After meeting the old emperor that day, he went mad for two days, cursing the heavens and the earth.

When he heard that Tian Xi had come personally to tell him what to do with him, Prince De's face turned pale and he suddenly became quiet. After a long while, he actually bowed his head to the eunuch he looked down upon for the first time and begged him, "Eunuch Tian Xi... I really didn't poison you... Can you please ask Your Majesty to see me again?"

There was no trace of the arrogance and insolence he had shown towards Tian Xi.

Tian Xi said gently with his usual smile: "Sinner Pei Yong, you are no longer a prince. You should live out the rest of your life in the imperial mausoleum."

Prince De's face twisted for a moment, and after a while, he uttered, "Ha! Imprisonment in Fengyang... life is worse than death! You might as well kill me like you killed the then crown prince!"

Tian Xi looked at his disheveled appearance and sighed with pity: "Oh, please don't say such things. His Majesty is merciful and allows you to bring your wife and children with you. You will set off tonight. You can take a good look at the capital in the last few hours."

Prince De sneered "mercy", as if he had heard a joke, and then sat down and stopped talking, as if he had accepted this fate. In contrast to his previous violent and frenzied state, his silence was eerily quiet.

Compared to Prince De's crazy or weird state, Prince An seemed much calmer and did not even try to meet with His Majesty to explain and refute.

After Tian Xi delivered the order, he returned to the palace. The old emperor was leaning on the couch, enduring another attack of his black incense addiction and coughing.

"His Royal Highness Prince De wants to see you again before leaving."

Although he did not verbally agree to Prince De's request, Tian Xi still reported Prince De's request to the old emperor.

After the old emperor heard this, he seemed to sigh with emotion and said hoarsely: "Old Five treated you so badly before, and you were willing to speak for him."

Tian Xi broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Majesty, this servant..."

Without waiting for Tian Xi to explain, the old emperor turned his cloudy eyes to Tian Xi and said, "Tian Xi, do you know why I left you behind?"

After the old emperor ascended the throne, those who had followed him to the throne and knew his dark secrets, except Tian Xi, were all dealt with one by one.

Sweat broke out on the old eunuch's forehead: "Because... Your Majesty is merciful."

Tian Xi was so frightened that his back was covered with hair, but the old emperor stopped talking and closed his eyes.

Because Tian Xi is not the smartest.

He is even cowardly and overly cautious, and dares not do anything out of the ordinary, which is why he has been able to stay by his side and live until now.

The more timid and cautious a person is, the less likely he is to betray.

Just like Prince De, his stupid son who was being used without knowing it, seemed so arrogant and unbridled on the surface, but in fact, he was timid and cowardly when facing him, and didn't even dare to resist like the prince.

Perhaps because he saw the fate of the crown prince when he was a teenager, Prince De had a deep fear of his father.

The suspicion that Tian Xi had brought to him was suppressed. The old emperor narrowed his eyes, thinking of Prince De's scream in the study that day, and the prince who was shot dead in front of the palace gate. Under his drooping eyelids, his eyes were full of brilliance and indifference. After a while, he actually said, "Bring Prince De to see me."

This cold-blooded emperor actually learned to be soft-hearted in his old age?

Tian Xi was extremely surprised, and responded in a low voice. He went out to pass on the order, asking someone to bring Prince De over.

When he returned indoors, it started raining again outside with faint thunder. The room became increasingly dim, dark and depressing.

The old emperor's breathing was very heavy, as if something sticky was stuck in his throat, and he had to work hard to breathe: "Prince De has been eliminated, and Prince An has also been driven back to his fiefdom by me. Only Prince Ding is left."

He didn't know whether he was talking to Tian Xi or to himself, and a strange expression appeared on his face: "I have not had much energy in the past two years. They all think that I have no way to deal with the prince."

"But Prince Ding's Achilles' heel is in the palace."

Tian Xi silently poured a cup of hot tea for the old emperor.

"Tian Xi, has the little prince gone to bed?"

Tian Xi whispered, "It's been cold these past two days, and the young prince has caught a cold and went to bed early. Two quarters of an hour ago, Feng Ji reported that the young prince had drunk the medicinal tea and gone to bed."

The old emperor hummed calmly: "Go and bring the little prince here."

"……yes."

Probably because Zhong Yansheng had once disliked his dirty paws, Taxue no longer liked to go to the courtyard to play after the rain. He lay beside Xiao Nong's legs, wagging his fluffy tail and yawning lazily.

There were piles of letters and newspapers like snowflakes in front of Xiao Nong, and he flipped through them casually.

As expected, after "Mr. Qiulan" was captured, the Jinyiwei relaxed their efforts and withdrew all their personnel.

Zhan Rong stood nearby. After reporting the latest situation, he asked in confusion, "Your Highness, since you want to use Mr. Qiulan's clues to attract the palace's attention, why do you want to throw out this bait today?"

Xiao Nong was about to speak when he suddenly felt an itch in his throat. He turned his head away and coughed a few times, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his lips.

The old emperor had been ill and drowsy a few days ago, and had suffered a series of shocks, so he was not very clear-headed. He moved around the palace freely.

Probably because of the increased dosage of Wuxiang Pills in the past two days, the old emperor woke up from his illness and coma, and the protection of the imperial city became tighter.

It would be too risky to enter the palace again, and Wang Boxian would really hang himself to the beam.

These days, let alone going to Minghui Palace to secretly ‘meet’ Yuan Yuan, even transmitting information has become difficult.

There was a ringing in his ears, his chest felt extremely stuffy, and his head ached slightly.

Xiao Nong wiped away the blood without blinking, and said indifferently: "I am attracting the old man's attention to give Pei Yong a chance."

Zhan Rong was so frightened that he didn't care about being confused anymore. He quickly handed over some tea and said, "Master, there is a thunderstorm tonight. Your headache..."

Xiao Nong raised his hand and interrupted him: "Are all the people ready?"

Zhan Rong had no choice but to swallow his words: "Everything is ready."

"Bring me my armor."

There was a hint of coldness in Xiao Nong's tone: "The weather is going to change tonight."

This autumn is much colder than previous years, but the earth dragon has not yet started burning.

Zhong Yansheng was very afraid of the cold, so he had placed several charcoal braziers in his palace. However, in order to prevent problems from getting suffocated, the window was always left slightly open.

There have been more and more surveillance in Minghui Palace in the past two days. Even Huo Shuang couldn't pass the news to the outside of the palace. Zhong Yansheng was a little cautious. He didn't drink the medicinal tea sent by the kitchen, but took the cold medicine given by Lou Qingtang.

After taking the medicine, he felt a little sweaty. He wrapped himself in the quilt and slept for a while in a daze. He suddenly woke up when he heard thunder outside. He saw that the house was pitch black and the drizzle had gotten heavier, crackling against the windows.

Because of the affairs of Prince De and Prince An, the atmosphere in the capital was very tense, and a storm was about to come. The palace was also like a dark cloud with a heavy atmosphere. Unable to contact Xiao Nong for the time being, Zhong Yansheng had a bad premonition growing stronger. Seeing the cool rain being blown into the house by the wind, he got out of bed and wanted to close the window.

Walking to the window, Zhong Yansheng felt that the surroundings were a little too quiet. He paused, clutched the dagger in his sleeve, and whispered outside: "Feng Ji?"

No respond.

Zhong Yansheng felt a little depressed and called out again: "Huo Shuang?"

Huo Shuang, who used to wait outside the house and be available at any time, did not respond.

Zhong Yansheng's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to pull up the window, a hand suddenly reached out from the dark rainy night and pressed the window hard with a "bang".

With a "boom", thunder exploded in the distant sky.

The sound of rain was getting louder and louder, and Prince De was trembling a little when he walked out of the cold and gloomy prison.

Seeing Prince De's appearance, several Jinyiwei following behind him showed contempt and disdain in their eyes.

After meeting His Majesty, this former Prince De will be driven out of the capital.

Is this what the so-called descendants of the phoenix and the dragon are like? His Royal Highness, who is high above everyone else, is no different from an ordinary person when he goes mad. Now he is even trembling with fear at the thunder, which is very different from his usual appearance. He is really embarrassed and pitiful.

When the palace gate opened, there was another loud thunder.

Prince De's trembling became more and more severe, so severe that one of the Jinyiwei was worried that he would die of the disease and the responsibility would fall on them. He couldn't help but come over to check on Prince De's condition: "Sinner Pei Yong, you..."

His voice paused.

The disheveled face of Prince De was not filled with fear, but with trembling excitement. When he met the eyes of the royal guard, his lips trembled, and he spat out one word: "Kill!"

Before the Jinyiwei could say a word, he felt a pain in his neck and fell to the ground with a thud. Blood spurted out and mixed with the dirty rain water on the ground.

There was chaos in front of the palace gate.

There was still silence in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Tian Xi went down to pass on the order. The old emperor lay peacefully on the couch, thinking vaguely.

Prince De’s maternal grandfather is a big hidden danger. After dealing with Prince De, the next step is to deal with Prince De’s maternal family.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the house: "Your Majesty! Something bad has happened!"

The old emperor paused and opened his eyes.

"King De... rebelled!"

While the Jinyiwei were wasting their energy trying to catch "Mr. Qiulan" who was hiding in the dark, Prince De's grandfather, who once supervised the military affairs of the five military camps and was now the commander-in-chief, secretly entered the capital at some point and communicated with Prince De in prison.

Prince De was unwilling to be demoted to a commoner and be punished to guard the imperial tomb for the rest of his life, and his maternal family could not give up on him.

Having given up on Prince De, the old emperor's next step was to take action against them.

The late queen’s mother’s family was once so glorious, but wasn’t it also uprooted?

He had to go all out, whether it was for the sake of Prince De or for his own life.

To the old emperor's surprise, Prince De, who in his impression was as cowardly as Tian Xi, followed the example of the former crown prince and rebelled in front of the palace gate.

It's like driving another son crazy.

Off track, chaotic, powerless, things seem to be out of control.

The old emperor was stunned for a moment, his face darkened instantly, and he grabbed the teacup beside him and threw it at them: "A bunch of rubbish!"

The Jinyiwei commander who was kneeling below was hit in the face, but he didn't dare to say a word. He bowed his head and explained the details: "On the way to bring Prince De into the palace just now, a small door was opened, and the rebels broke in through that door. The momentum was very strong. Now our army is retreating step by step, Your Majesty..."

The old emperor's eyes were gloomy, but he didn't seem to be bothered by Prince De's rebellion. He still lay on the couch and asked slowly, "Where is Prince Ding?"

The commander was stunned: "Prince Ding..."

It's so chaotic tonight, Prince De has rebelled, and Prince Ding's mansion is hard to get close to, so how can we have time to keep an eye on Prince Ding?

Looking at the expressions of his subordinates, the old emperor clearly knew where the chaos tonight came from, and he immediately sneered: "I was wondering, where does Old Five get such great ability from?"

Xiao Nong is a king of a different surname who commands a large army, so the old emperor does not need to be on guard against him. Usually, there are countless eyes in the court staring at Xiao Nong.

The old emperor treated him with such "leniency and kindness", Xiao Nong had no reason and could not rebel. If he dared to rebel, there would be no support in the army, and he would only lose the support of the people.

But tonight was different.

Prince De is forcing the emperor to abdicate. What if Xiao Nong is just here to protect him?

The Black Armored Army was like an ominous black cloud in Mobei, and even the barbarian cavalry were afraid to face Xiao Nong. The Five Army Camps were now in chaos, with one part following King De's mother's family in rebellion, and the other part was still outside the city, and probably hadn't even received the news.

Even if they arrived, they would not be enough for the Black Armored Army to kill.

"Where's the little prince?"

Even though he knew that the palace was in chaos, the old emperor still sat calmly, not anxiously: "Haven't you brought him here yet?"

Huo Shuang is an old subordinate of the prince, but has never seen the prince. Zhong Yansheng's identity is also kept secret. Even though there are three or two old ministers who look familiar to him, they dare not say anything.

But no matter whether Huo Shuang knew that Zhong Yansheng was his master or not, he had to obey his orders. When he asked Tian Xi to deliver the order tonight, he transferred Huo Shuang to Minghui Palace first.

The commander kowtowed hurriedly and was about to say that he would go and take a look when two people hurried in from outside the palace, their faces pale: "Your Majesty, this is not good!"

"The young prince is not in Minghui Palace!"

The old emperor's eyelids twitched, and he sat up abruptly. He didn't react so strongly even when he heard Prince De's rebellion just now. He was no longer calm. His chest rose and fell sharply for a few times, and he let out a choking cough. Several people below were trembling with fear, but they didn't dare to step forward.

After taking a few breaths, the old emperor's face twitched, and he spat out a few words from between his teeth: "What are you standing there for? Send someone to find him immediately!"

The commander was terrified and immediately led his men out and hurried to find Zhong Yansheng.

The sound of rain was pouring outside, and the cool breeze blew into the house, blowing clothes and bed curtains into the air. The wet and cool rain seemed to fall on the body along with the wind.

Things that were out of his control happened one after another. The old emperor was shocked and angry. His coughing and wheezing became more severe, and he felt a little drowsy.

After taking too many Wuxiang Pills, his mind seemed to be eroded by the pills and the addiction they brought. After coughing and wheezing alone for a long time, the old emperor realized that Tian Xi did not come to him to give him hot tea and pat his back as he did in the past.

Accustomed to Tian Xi serving him carefully by his side, the old emperor frowned with some dissatisfaction and said hoarsely: "Tian Xi."

Didn’t he go out to deliver the message? Why hasn’t he come back yet?

The old emperor coughed and gasped a few more times, his hands and feet felt cold and itchy. Due to his drastic emotional ups and downs, his addiction to Wuxiang Pills became severe.

Wuxiang Pills...

The old emperor's hands and feet were itchy and his consciousness became dizzy. He struggled to get up and staggered to the bed. His skinny fingers were shaking as he opened the secret compartment beside the bed. He eagerly grabbed the medicine bottle, tremblingly poured out a Wuxiang Pill and swallowed it.

It tasted exactly the same, but after swallowing it, the pain and coughing were not relieved.

The old emperor was hesitant and wanted to pour another pill, but his trembling fingers could not hold the medicine bottle, and it fell to the ground with a bang. The round pills were scattered all over the floor, and the sweet aroma filled the room.

Smelling the scent of the black incense, the addiction in his body became more intense. His body was twitching. The old emperor fell to the edge of the bed and wanted to reach out to grab the nearest one, but he couldn't reach it. The round black ball slipped under his fingertips and rolled farther away.

The life-saving thing was right in front of him, but he couldn't touch it. It felt like ants were crawling in his bones. The old emperor became furious and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Someone come!"

It was quiet outside and no one came.

The emperor, who was once supreme and played with people's hearts at will, fell to the ground in disgrace, but no one responded.

The old emperor's breathing was disordered, and his eyes were bloodshot. He had no energy to think about why no palace servants came in, and why Tian Xi, who had gone out to preach orders, had not returned yet. He just stared at Wuxiang pills on the ground and crawled over to him.

Just as he was about to touch the pill, a voice came from the door.

The old emperor looked up in a trance.

There was a flash of lightning and thunder, and a heavy wind and rain blew up. The person at the door had his snow-white robe fluttering like waves, looking spotless and chaste. His face couldn't be seen in the backlight, but his eyebrows and eyes were bright, and he looked as bright as the sun and the moon.

The old emperor's pupils suddenly shrank, and he began to hallucinate. The person at the door turned from one into two. One was the elegant and noble Prince Kangwen, and the other was the handsome and graceful former prince.

Two people were so bright, like the sun in the sky and the bright moon, too dazzling, making everyone around them look like rats in a gutter. The brighter they were, the greater the haze.

He was so frightened that his hair stood on end, and watched Kang Wen and the former crown prince walk up to him, then tiptoe and gently kick away the Wuxiang Pill that was so close to him.

Consciousness suddenly returned, and the features of Kang Wen and the former crown prince gradually blended together, forming a more beautiful and gentle face.

Zhong Yansheng, who had just been reported missing, was wearing plain white clothes like mourning clothes. He looked at him dimly. His beautiful pupils were almost exactly the same as the eyes his father looked at him before he died. They were not polluted by hatred and were still as clear as before. His voice was soft and without a trace of aggression: "Your Majesty, Wuxiang is harmful to your health."

At the same time, a man appeared silently behind him. He had a strong figure and a shallow scar from his forehead to the corner of his eye, which was caused when he was protecting Crown Prince Pei Xi.

Seeing Wei Ling, the old emperor's face changed completely, as if he had seen a ghost. After a long while, he called out hoarsely, "Little Eleven, do you know everything?"

Zhong Yansheng frowned with some disdain: "I'm not Xiao Eleven."

He corrected: "My father is Pei Xi, not you."

The old emperor was sweating profusely. He used to look down on everyone, but now he had to look up at everyone while lying on the ground. After a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed a creepy laugh: "I... shouldn't have asked you to go south to suppress the bandits."

Zhong Yansheng nodded in agreement: "Yes, you shouldn't."

A quarter of an hour ago, when he was about to close the window, Xiao Nong's men suddenly appeared in front of him. When they were about to take him away, they met Wei Ling who ventured into the palace.

It would be very dangerous in the palace tonight, but Zhong Yansheng finally did not choose to let Xiao Nong's men take him away. Instead, he asked Wei Ling to take him to find a place to hide.

This is all thanks to the old emperor.

If the old emperor had not sent him south to suppress the bandits, he would not have known when he would know his identity. If he had not gone to Shuiyun Village, he would not have met Wei Ling.

Then Huo Shuang would not have sent an urgent letter to Wei Ling before being transferred by the old emperor, and Wei Ling would not have appeared.

Wei Ling used to work in the Eastern Palace. He knew the palace like the back of his hand and every little path. Otherwise, he would not have been able to escape from the capital.

Hiding in the dark, when he saw the Jinyiwei all dispersed to look for people, Wei Ling took Zhong Yansheng with him, dealt with the palace guards, guarding outside, and sneaked in like a ghost.

Looking at the disheveled old man on the ground, Wei Ling and several secret guards behind him clenched their knives, with sharp and hot hatred surging in their eyes.

The old emperor's hair was disheveled. He took a deep breath and tried to maintain his dignity as a king. However, he had no strength and his voice was so hoarse that it was almost unclear: "You, have formed an alliance with Xiao Nong, right?"

Is marriage also considered an alliance?

Zhong Yansheng blinked and didn't reply.

The old emperor seemed to have grasped something suddenly, and his aged voice was filled with confidence and bewitching: "If you want the throne, why not make an alliance with me? If you try to seize the throne through riots in the palace, you will be cursed for eternity in the future... ahem, I can make you the crown prince."

Zhong Yansheng found it a bit ridiculous and said softly, "Do you think I want the throne?"

The old emperor's pupils were dilated for a moment because he had not received the Wuxiang Pill. He did not hear his words clearly and spoke with some effort: "Xiao Nong has evil ambitions. He went into the palace tonight to quell the rebellion and solved the problem of Prince De... ahem, the next one is you."

"Then you are wrong. The next one is not Yuan Yuan."

Suddenly, a deep and beautiful voice came from outside the house, and a cold and fishy smell of rain mixed with another breath rushed into the house. Another lightning flashed outside the house, illuminating the tall and slender figure at the door**: "It's you."**

Zhong Yansheng's eyes lit up, and he turned around and called, "Brother!"

Blood was dripping from the sword that Xiao Nong was holding, and with a strong smell of blood, he walked to Zhong Yansheng and gave him a slightly reproachful look: "You are disobedient."

Zhong Yansheng lowered his head obediently and muttered in defense: "Wei Ling is here, there is no danger now."

After he finished speaking, he remembered what the old emperor said, raised his toes, and gently kicked away another Wuxiang Pill: "You are wrong, Xiao Nong has no interest in the throne."

The Wuxiang Pill that he had finally managed to reach was kicked away again. The veins on the old emperor's forehead bulged, his face was horrified, and he said in a stern voice**: "Stupid! No one...doesn't want this position!"**

"That's really embarrassing."

Xiao Nong still had a slight excitement after the fight, mixed with hatred and a slight headache, and his blood was burning. Hearing these words, he pulled Zhong Yansheng, who was frowning and wanted to retort, into his arms.

Zhong Yansheng was completely defenseless against him and raised his head in a daze. Xiao Nong's bloody fingertips touched his lips, and his handsome face, stained with blood, immediately revealed a vivid and gorgeous look.

Xiao Nong looked at him and curled his lips: "Compared to this position that you fought so hard for, this king is more interested in Yuan Yuan."

As he spoke, he lowered his head, and in front of the old emperor, he pried open Zhong Yansheng's jaw and gave him a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips arrogantly and wantonly.

The old emperor's eyes almost popped out of his sockets, his blood was boiling, his heart was beating so hard that his ears were buzzing. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but no sound came out, until he let out a deafening cough, his chest felt suffocated, and he spit out blood.

He was so angry at Xiao Nong that he passed out.

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